A Tribute to Liza Minnelli

Judy introduces Liza by singing Gershwin's "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away," accompanied by baby pictures of Liza, from the first episode of The Judy Garland Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUDZANfdLYY

The story goes...

One night, while Judy was pregnant, she and Vincente were in Boston for a movie premiere, staying in suite 904 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. They had already decided that, if it was a boy, his name would be Vincente Jr.

Judy awakened in the middle of the night and said, "I have a name for the baby, if it's a girl. How about Liza?" And she started singing "Liza, Liza, skies are gray, but if you smile at, all the clouds'll roll away..."

Vincente agreed, because Ira Gershwin, who wrote the lyrics to the song, had been the best man at their wedding.

"Besides," Judy added, "Liza--Liza Minnelli--it'll look good on a marquee."

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Updated On: 12/11/08 at 11:36 AM

See? She's back. The tribute worked.

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I am not a Liza fan. I'd got for Babs over Liza.

Would I be right in thinking Judy did more to promote Liza's career than Lorna's?

And I think her first (real)singing gig was when she was 17...

With Wanda, The Diving Horse.

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The real difference was that Liza's dad told her she had to start out at the bottom and learn her way. She was a techie and in summer stock by the time she was 16. That experience also gets one involved in the fabric of the theater community. Lorna didn't have that experience.

I'm so excited that she's back at the Palace that Monday morning I'm calling in dehydrated to work.

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I just spat at the thought of eating a sea salt rice chip.

Thanks Reginald. I was thinking Lorna was the older of the two for some reason. I should do my homework.

According to Ms Davis, she chose the stage name Bette with the intention of it being pronounced "Betty". It had been suggested to her by an aunt for Balzac's Cousin Bette (pronounced "Bet".) Unfortunately the aunt didn't know she was pronouncing it incorrectly. Years later, when Ms. Davis learned the correct pronunciation of the Balzac character's name, she said, "I always thought I was Betty. But I guess I'm not, am I? What shall I do? Oh well, "Betty" has served me well. So we'll keep it."

My interpretation of this is Ms Davis always intended it to be pronounced Betty.

As for Ms. Midler, the commonly told story is that her mother mistakenly thought that Ms. Davis pronounced her name "Bet" when she named her daughter after her.

There are lots of reasons to cringe when you listen to Bette Davis Eyes but incorrect pronunciation isn't one of them.

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Updated On: 12/21/08 at 10:57 AM