'There's No Place Like Home' for Judy Garland - Except on a U.S. Postage Stamp

'There's No Place Like Home' for Judy Garland - Except on a U.S. Postage Stamp

NEW YORK, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Legions of fans joined the U.S. Postal Service today at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall to honor legendary actress and singer Judy Garland with a commemorative postage stamp. The Judy Garland stamp is the 12th in the U.S. Postal Service's "Legends of Hollywood" stamp series. The celebration, on what would have been Garland's 84th birthday, started at 7:30 p.m. and was a special evening filled with reminiscences, film clips and live musical performances. The 39-cent stamp, available only in New York today, can be purchased on usps.com on June 11 and will be available at Post Offices nationwide June 12.

"The U.S. Postal Service is proud to salute one of the most loved Hollywood legends of all time, Judy Garland," said Anita Bizzotto, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President for the U.S. Postal Service, who dedicated the stamp. "This stamp is a lasting tribute to her extraordinary legacy."

Joining Bizzotto at the ceremony was Judy Garland's daughter and son, Lorna and Joe Luft; Garland's grandchildren, Jesse and Vanessa Richards; Turner Classic Movie host and film historian Robert Osborne; renowned singer and songwriter Michael Feinstein; singer and songwriter Rufus Wainwright; American Playwright Terrance McNally; and acclaimed Jazz singer Diane Schurr. Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland, taped a special greeting that was viewed during the ceremony.

"Of all the honors accorded to my mother during her life and afterwards, this recognition by the U.S. Postal Service ranks as one of the greatest," said Lorna Luft. "I can't think of a better place to unveil the stamp than at Carnegie Hall, site of her greatest performance. This stamp is an amazing way for old fans of my mother to honor her legacy and for new fans to discover the magic that was Judy Garland."

The venue for the dedication ceremony is the same location where Garland performed the legendary 1961 Judy at Carnegie Hall concert. Her performance was heralded as "the greatest night in show business history." The recording of her performance became famous, topping sales lists for 13 weeks and earning her five Grammy Awards.

Garland appeared in 32 feature films, winning international fame as Dorothy, the girl who rides a tornado from her home in Kansas to the imaginary land of Oz in the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz. In addition, she was a best- selling recording artist who released more than a dozen albums and nearly 100 singles and made hundreds of radio broadcasts. She starred in 30 of her own television shows and made guest appearances on almost as many others. Her live performances frequently broke box office records for theaters, concert halls and nightclubs.

Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp using a portrait of Garland by Tim O'Brien, an artist living in Brooklyn, NY. O'Brien's portrait is based on a publicity photo for A Star Is Born. Garland's signature appears at the bottom of the stamp. The photo on the selvage shows her in her signature role, as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

To see the Judy Garland stamp, visit the online Postal Store at http://www.usps.com/shop. There are 6 philatelic products available for this stamp issuance.

* 459461 - First Day Cover - $0.77
* 459462 - FDC Full Pane - $10.30
* 459465 - Digital Color Postmark FDC - $1.50
* 459484 - Uncut Press Sheet - $46.80
* 459493 - Cancellation Keepsake (FP w/FDC) - $8.57
* 459499 - Digital Color Postmark Keepsake w/DCP - $9.30

Current U.S. stamps and stationery, as well as a free catalog, are available by calling 1-800-STAMP-24. In addition, a selection of stamps and other philatelic items are available at the online Postal Store at http://www.usps.com/shop. Custom-framed prints of original stamp art are available at http://www.postalartgallery.com/.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

Customers have 30 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, by telephone at 1-800-STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store Web site at http://www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

JUDY GARLAND STAMP
POSTMASTER
421 EIGHTH AVE RM 2029B
NEW YORK NY 10199-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by July 9, 2006.

How to Order First Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first- day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014

Since 1775, the Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 144 million homes and businesses every day, six days a week and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than half of the world's mail volume -- some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year - - and serves seven and a half million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide. Its website, usps.com, attracts more than 21 million visitors each month.

Source: U.S. Postal Service

CONTACT: Mary Dlugasch, +1-202-268-3964, Mary.E.Dlugasch@usps.gov, Sue
Brennan, +1-202-285-9433, Sue.Brennan@usps.gov, or Patricia McGovern,
+1-212-330-3307, Patricia.Mcgovern@usps.gov, all of the U.S. Postal Service

Web site: http://www.usps.com/
http://www.postalartgallery.com/

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