Francis Avent Gumm

Francis "Frank" Avent Gumm (March 20, 1886 – November 17, 1935) was an American vaudevillian and theatre manager. He was the father of the American actress, singer, and vaudevillian Judy Garland.

Gumm was born on March 20, 1886, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States.^[1] He was the son of Clemmie (née Baugh) and William T. Gumm.^[1][2] After Gumm's mother died in 1895, his family faced poverty. His godfather, the millionaire George M. Darrow, discovered that Gumm was an exceptional vocalist and helped the boy earn a choral scholarship for college.^[2] Pl Gumm attended Sewanee Military Academy, followed by six years at the University of the South.^[1][2] He left college in 1904 to attend to his brother and sister in Murfreesboro; his father died in 1906.^[2] Gumm worked as a court reporter and stenographer by day and at his uncle Walter D. Fox's theater in the evenings.^[2] Gumm, his siblings, and his uncle moved to Tullahoma, Tennessee in approximately 1909. There, his uncle ran a Knights of Pythias home for orphans and widows.^[2]

Starting in 1910, Gumm toured in vaudeville as a tenor singer.^[1] He met his future wife, Ethel Marion Milne, in Superior, Wisconsin.^[2] She shared his passion for the performing arts, often playing the piano during performances while Gumm managed the logistics and bookings. In 1914, they married^[3][4] and moved to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where Gumm owned and operated the New Grand Theatre.^[5][6] The theatre showcased a variety of acts, including vaudeville performances, silent films, and live music. Gumm's daughters began performing together at the theatre as a vaudeville group known as The Gumm Sisters. Their early acts often featured a mix of singing, dancing, and harmonizing, with Ethel Gumm accompanying them on the piano.^[7]

En 1926, buscando mejores oportunidades para las carreras de sus hijas, los Gumm se mudaron a Lancaster, California (ubicada cerca de Hollywood ). ^{[ 6 ] [ 5 ]} Gumm llamó a su teatro en Lomita, California, Teatro Garland's Lomita. ^{[ 1 ]}

Gumm se casó con Ethel Marion Milne en 1914. ^{[ 3 ] [ 4 ]} La pareja tuvo tres hijas: Mary Jane Gumm (nacida en 1915), Dorothy Virginia Gumm (nacida en 1917) y Frances Ethel Gumm (nacida en 1922). Esta última es más conocida como Judy Garland . ^{[ 4 ]}

A pesar del compromiso compartido con las primeras carreras de sus hijas, el matrimonio de los Gumm, según se informa, sufrió tensiones debido a presiones financieras y problemas personales. Algunas biografías y relatos históricos indican que Gumm pudo haber tenido relaciones sexuales con hombres que contribuyeron a la tensión en su matrimonio y provocaron dificultades en la familia. ^{[ 2 ] [ 8 ]}

Gumm murió de meningitis espinal el 17 de noviembre de 1935 en el Hospital Cedars of Lebanon en Los Ángeles, California , a la edad de 49 años. ^{[ 1 ] [ 5 ]} Está enterrado en el Parque Memorial Forest Lawn . ^{[ 9 ]}