Arthur Laurents puts Rob Marshall in his place — Page 3

I thought I read that somewhere.

That or like, I dreamed it after passing out from drinking while listening to "Judy at Carnegie Hall". Either seems equally likely.

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Judy Garland campaigned heavily for the part of Rose in the film version of Gypsy. She even suggested Liza to play Louise with her. The problem was that, with her substance abuse widely known in Hollywood by that point, no insurance company would insure Garland for the film, therefore no movie studio would hire her---an "uninsured" star.

Her film career was finished as a result, and she never made another movie after that.

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Updated On: 12/13/09 at 08:48 AM

I certainly don't position myself as any sort of know-it-all about the glorious art of cinema or an autodidact on the minutia of all things Oz-related, but it seems to me "I Could Go On Singing" and "A Child is Waiting" came the year after "Gypsy" was released.

But what do I know? I could be completely wrong. Maybe a different Judy Garland was in those or perhaps they had been on the shelf for a decade or more before they were released. I dunno, I have no idea.

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Updated On: 12/13/09 at 11:06 AM

I knew there had to be a reason.

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Watch Judy doing the hospital scene from I Could Go On Singing and imagine the force her Rose's Turn would have had:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GirOMCxZSm4

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PJ, I think she would have been terrific as Rose. And I do think Warner Bros. seriously considered her for the part. But there were too many legal hurdles (buying out Roz Russell and finding insurance for Judy).

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Updated On: 12/13/09 at 11:35 AM

Garland as Mamma Rose would have been one of the most glorious things ever.

I don't believe A Child Is Waiting was shot elsewhere - it was made in the US, directed by John Cassavetes, produced by Stanley Kramer, released by United Artists - and shot at a care center in Pomona. While some consider Pomona a foreign land, it is, in fact, in California.

While it was a low-budget film, United Artists financed it and was, at the time, a pretty major player in Hollywood, with many award-winning films. But maybe I misread the post - it seemed like it was saying she only worked outside the US.

Judy as Rose? That would have been perfection. How about Judy as Sally Plummer? Or am I going a little too crazy?

Marshall would have cut "I'm Still Here".

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Updated On: 12/13/09 at 12:53 PM

bk---A Child is Waiting was a high-profile indy (United Artists released) film, shot here in the U.S., prior to the production of Gypsy. It was released after Gypsy in 1963, after many battles, including the firing of the film's director, John Cassavetes, in post-production.

My comment was that post-Gypsy, and post-"uninsurable" status, Garland could have made more Indy European films, but she didn't. I was referring to her final film, "I Could Go On Singing," which was a UK production. (Also shot prior to Gyspy.)

Sorry for the confusion. And it was just speculation that an Indy European production company could have managed to scrounge up insurance for her on a low-budget, non-US film.

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Updated On: 12/13/09 at 12:53 PM

Oh, very cool!

Kramer and Cassavetes fought a lot over the final edit, and Cassavetes was fired because of it. I wouldn't be surprised if you came across alternate scoring, deleted scenes, etc. If such material still exists.

That would be fascinating.

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