A Tribute to Liza Minnelli

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/11/08 at 11:36am

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."

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

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/11/08 at 12:25pm

And could they possibly have known that just the single name "Liza," without the famous Papa's, would one day and forever be sufficient to invoke her?

A mere handful are known thusly, i.e.:

Dietrich
Garbo
Cher
Bette ("y"
Bette ("bet")
Liz

oh, and ... "Judy."

Updated On: 12/11/08 at 12:25 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/11/08 at 1:21pm

See? She's back. The tribute worked.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 12:31am

But it's Dehydrated Liza: Just Add Water!

[Jack King]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 12:56am

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

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 12:58am

I cannot wait for the inevitable movie of Liza's life.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 5:23pm

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

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 5:46pm

Well, first of all, you have to remember that Lorna was 16 when Judy died.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 5:50pm

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

With Wanda, The Diving Horse.

[DAME]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 6:10pm

Add DAME to that list!

[Yawper]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 8:49pm

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.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 8:52pm

I also think Liza filled that "needy" spot that Judy had. Lorna isn't needy at all.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/12/08 at 11:54pm

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

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 12:59am

I almost just spat my sea salt rice chip at the screen. These chips are making me thirsty. Either that or it's sympathy for Liza.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 1:20am

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

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 1:39am

Let's ALL call in dehydrated on Monday.

In solidarity.

Can someone text Jamie McGonigal? We need someone to MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

[Scripps2]

Posted: 12/14/08 at 7:11am

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

[jeniferrenepatricia]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 2:22am

Thank you, auggie27 for your post. I have argued countless times about the pronunciation for Bette Davis. I grew up called her Bette (bet) not Betty, like most of the population does. I remember various interviews with Bette Midler when she said that she was named after Bette Davis. I cringe every time I hear Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes.

And back to the original post, thanks for the link, paljoey. It was fabulous...

[artscallion]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 10:57am

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.

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