Complex sentence: When Freed asked who Garland wanted to direct the film, she requested Vincente Minnelli whom had just directed Garland the previous year in "Meet Me in St. Louis", which was a tremendous success.
Split into simpler sentences: When Freed asked who Garland wanted to direct the film, she answered, "Vincente Minnelli". Minnelli had just directed Garland the previous year in "Meet Me in St. Louis", which was a tremendous success.