 Judy Garland (I) (qv) was not intended to be in this film, but  Arthur Freed (qv) offered her $50,000 (or half of what she owed  the studio for medical bills) to do one take. At the first public  screening, the fans asked for more of her, so Freed offered her  another $50,000 to do another song. By the time her scenes were  filmed, she had paid back the studio but had made nothing.