Recommend a Garland biography

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:15am

Have you read any good biographies of Judy Garland?
theres so many, i dont wanna choose a bad one!
i dont want to read anything too trashy or that has an axe to grind; likewise, i dont want to read a saintly whitewash.

I'm especially interested in antecdotes & stories about Judy's humor.

(& please feel free to mention any other interesting bios you may have read!)

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:18am

The One

[DG]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:24am

Not really a biography of the sort you're asking about, but I highly recommend a coffee table book called "Judy Garland, A Portrait in Art & Anecdote," by John Fricke (with a foreward by Lorna.) It is a wonderful compendium of pictures (many not seen anywhere else) accompanied by quotes and reminiscences from those in her life and her work.

My favorite is when Gene Kelly says she's the best he ever worked with. THAT'S an indorsement!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:38am

Rath and DG are right.

Gerold Frank got all the stories from Sid and Liza and Lorna and Judy's friends but it's not a saintly whitewash.

John Fricke's book may seem saintly but the sheer breadth of information and anecdote in it will enhance your appreciation of her recordings, films and TV work.

There's also a book by Steve Sanders on the rise and fall of her TV show that is riveting.

Stay away from the Gerald Clarke, which is filled with anonymously sourced and probably untrue anecdotes that will leave you feeling gross. You'll probably want to read it at some point, but certainly don't start with it.

Likewise, stay away from the books (or impersonators) that focus on Drunk Judy or Tragic Judy or Pathetic Judy. There's more to her than that.

There's a recently re-released book called Heartbreaker and a day-by-day guide by a rabid Garland freak that are probably a little too weird to start with.

Lorna's Me and My Shadows and the miniseries with Judy Davis are excellent once you've read the Frank and Fricke books.

But mostly, listen to her music and watch her movies and TV work. As Fricke reminds us, it's about the talent not the supposed tragedy.

[DG]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 12:41am

I just KNEW PJ would be all over this

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:26am

"Likewise, stay away from the books (or impersonators) that focus on Drunk Judy or Tragic Judy or Pathetic Judy. There's more to her than that."

thank you!
that is exactly what i was afraid of!!!

thank you all!