It was directed by Charles Walters, stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, and features Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers.

By mutual agreement, MGM terminated Garland's contract in September 1950, a decision studio head Louis B. Mayer said he later regretted.

Abigail explains after she had dropped out of art school, she met Joe Ross and joined musical theatre, becoming an actress.

She then decided to use the family farm to rehearse their summer stock theater production for Broadway producers.

With the musical premiere just days away, Joe encourages Jane's interest in the theater, where the two begin to realize their mutual attraction for each other.

The next morning, during rehearsals, Abigail complains about Joe's stage directions, as she feels overworked and treated abusively.

Garland had gained weight, and costume designer Walter Plunkett tried "to make her look as thin as possible, but we weren't miracle workers and we did not succeed.

"[3] The filming was sometimes a struggle for Garland, who was facing many pressures in her personal life, aside from her heavy reliance on prescription medication,[5][6] and she required frequent reassurance from Walters about her appearance and the quality of her performance.

Soon, however, she was called back to star with Fred Astaire and Peter Lawford in the film Royal Wedding, replacing June Allyson, who was pregnant.

[4][8][9] According to MGM's records, Summer Stock earned $2,498,000 in distributor rentals in the United States and Canada and $859,000 overseas, resulting in a loss of $80,000.

[3] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times overall felt the film had "a rather standard plot which Director Charles Walters has been patient and sometimes tedious in distributing on the screen."

Garland was praised as being "exceptionally good in this picture, the best she has been in a long time", while "Gene Kelly's dance routines are nothing short of superb.

The book of the musical was written by Cheri Steinkellner while the score retains many of the songs from the film with new ones added from the American songbook.

The world premiere included Corbin Bleu as Joe Ross and Danielle Wade as Jane Falbury.

British singer Duffy's "Rain on Your Parade" music video was also inspired by that sequence, and she can be seen wearing an outfit similar to Garland's, and dancing against a white background along with some male dancers dressed in suits.

Actress Katie Holmes paid homage to Garland, performing "Get Happy" on the television show So You Think You Can Dance.

She wore a similar outfit and danced alongside male dancers in suits in front of a match-painted background.

Drag queen and recording artist Alaska Thunderfuck's music video "Anus" pays homage to the "Get Happy" sequence.

A scene in the video shows her in a blazer and tilted fedora, backed by two male dancers, dancing in a similar fashion to the original number.