Interesting Judy Garland stuff

[Amneris]

Posted: 5/15/06 at 9:44pm

I was watching this thing on tv tonight about Judy Garland and people who knew her said when she was between 16-30, she was the most self concious person ever. She thought she was fat,ugly and untalented. They also said that Shirley Temple was first choice for "The Wizard Of Oz" but, some studio head wanted Judy. They said that had Shirley Temple been Dorothy, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" would never have been written. Very interesting.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/15/06 at 10:41pm

You can thank MGM for Judy's body image problems.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/15/06 at 11:07pm

Louis B. Mayer called her "My little hunchback."

OUCH!

[Kringas]

Posted: 5/15/06 at 11:12pm

It's almost too hard to actually watch a Judy Garland film for me. Despite all her success, the story of Judy Garland is just so heartbreaking and it's really hard to watch her knowing all we know about her.

[OddExoticCreature]

Posted: 5/15/06 at 11:16pm

I'm with Kringas. She breaks my heart.

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 12:02am

Every time I tell people I'm a Judy Garland fan (which is an understatement) someone tells me I'm an "old school fag." Isn't that nice? Ugh, who cares, I love that woman. One of the most gifted singers and actors to ever grace the silver screen, then and now, in my humble opinion. Gotta love her, yet, I do agree...it's hard to watch much with her in it. You can just feel the heart ache...poor thing.

-Vincent

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:30am

I recently saw Judy and Liza at the Paladium on DVD. One of the testaments to her talent is that at this performance she is in terrible voice, gets the audience to sing Over The Rainbow so she won't have to, seems to be very confused at times and yet, you can't stop watching her. Her charisma simply makes you forget that she sounds like ****.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:47am

i will always pledge my allegiance to the wizard of oz despite being made fun of endlessly for that. it's been my favorite movie since i was 2 - i do watch other stuff though... all her movies are just fantastic. garland is amazing.

From what I remember offhand from my years of Oz trivia(l) info:

yes, MGM wanted shirley temple. they didn't think she could handle the role though, but they really needed the name, especially after just suffering the hit of Disney's Snow White. "Over the Rainbow" was pulled from the movie because they didn't like it but a few people pulled so hard for it that it was allowed in. They wanted to cut it especially to condense movie run length. And her "weight issue" was a much bigger issue (no pun intended) because of her height, or lack thereof - she was 4'11" like i am... as in not tall and only 1" taller than the tallest munchkin, who I believe was told not to come near her. =P But they had her lose weight cuz she was "pudgy" - can you imagine?!

[philcrosby]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 8:56am

Judy Garland had barely turned 30 when she was released from her contract with MGM, and the industry assumed she would never work again.

Then came the seemingly endless series of "comebacks" that fueled the remainder of her career.

If you haven't seen her 1964 TV variety series (all episodes on DVD), you owe it to yourself. You will witness everything Garland was famous for, including possibly the greatest singing voice of the 20th century.

She was just 47 years old when she died.

[robbiej]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 9:56am

Those gut-wrenching scenes from A STAR IS BORN kill me every time. And MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is gorgeous. I even love her shakey German accent in JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG.

And yes...I do admit to getting a kick out of her drunk ass fumbling through her Christmas special. I sign on for the whole package. Flubs and all!

[DG]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:01am

The poster for the legendary Carnegie Hall performance bills her as the "World's Greatest Entertainer."

I think that's true - then, and now.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:02am

Its actually interesting to note that even though they auditioned Shirley Temple, she really wouldn't have been in the movie because FOX at the time wouldn't let her out of her contract. I'm an avid Judy Garland fan and can say with out hestitation that The Wizard of Oz isn't close to my favorite Judy Garland movie. For me, A Star in Born is possibly not only the greatest movie musical ever made but showcases Judy's true acting talent. If any of you haven't seen it, I strongly strongly recommend that you do(along with the Carnegie Hall recording which won the first Grammy for best female vocalist or album of the year...I can't remember). Also, as mentioned before, her TV special is fantastic and honestly, it doesn't get any better than her and Barbara singing "Get Happy medley". As many have said before and will continue to say, she was without a doubt the greatest entertainer the world has ever known.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:03am

She suffered, as we all seem to, from the disease of comparing yourself to other people. She was surrounded at MGM by the great beauties of her time and compared herself unfavorably to Lana Turner especially -- who also suddenly married Judy's first love Artie Shaw. (Lana Turner was a glamour queen & dumb as a bag of hammers, but Judy felt unsightly next to her)

Updated On: 5/16/06 at 10:03 AM

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:10am

She's amazing and magnetic.

Well there was that whole debate with Shirley, because in some tales, Shirley was set to do it but one of the trades, (I can't recall the actresses name) died and no other deal could be worked out.

I love Shirley Temple, but there's no denying Judy is more talented.

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:17am

Gyspy, I agree. "A Star is Born" is one of my favorite films, but also Judy's best work, in my opinion. What I love about this woman, is that she could do anything. Her acting is unbeatable in "A Star is Born" (don't even get me started on that Grace Kelly fiasco) yet if you put her next to Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, she was a great dancer as well. Just watch "Easter Parade," and "Summer Stock." I just love her!

-Vincent

[PJ]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:24am

Judy was, and still is, the greatest performer to ever hit the boards.

Louis B. Mayer purchased the rights to Oz with Judy in mind to star. He paid more for those rights than Selznick paid for Gone with the Wind. And Shirley Temple's name was mentioned for Oz when MGM realized how expensive the movie would be and felt a big name would secure a hit. But after auditioning her, they realized that Shirley, although precocious, could not sing. So ultimately, the role was then given back to Judy.

And say what you will, but I thought that Grace Kelly was phenomenal in The Country Girl. I loved, loved Judy in A Star is Born, as I believe that film captured her greatest performance and vocals, but I don't know who I would have voted for back then.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:30am

Judy was the greatest ever-- she was the total "Triple Threat!" She was of course, one of the greatest vocalists ever, but was also a gripping actress who could do comedy or drama falwlessly and a dance who could (and did) hold her own opposite the "Greatest Dancers of all time."

She was amazign adn truly one of the most talented performers ever.

[Glebb]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:56am

A person very important to me knew we would make a good couple when he saw the "Pink Book" on my shelf.

Judy is the greatest of them all.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 10:58am

OrdinaryJukebox1 --- From one "old school fag" to another. I'm with you on this one! Hold your head high. You are FAR from alone. Judy was a remarkable talent, the likes of which we will NEVER see again.

broadway show fan---I, too, hold The Wizard of Oz as my favorite movie of all time. It's been with me practically from birth, and will "journey" with me through life until I die. If you think of it as an allegory, it really is the ultimate film about life, IMO.

She was such a complex lady and complex talent. The world will be analyzing and enjoying her work for countless years to come.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:41pm

Another old-school fag here.

Kringas--get OVER that inability to watch one of her movies because she was "sad." She was also one of the funniest people ever.

Watch her on the Jack Paar show skewering the drunken Munchkins or uni-browed Deanna Durbin or Marlene Dietrich listening to records of her concerts with nothing but applause.

Watch her clown around on the TV series with Martha Raye or Ray Bolger.

And then watch I Could On Singing and see what she was like, alone onstage, electrifying an audience with the title song or "By Myself" or "Hello, Bluebird"--not to mention Acting (with a capital A) in the scene in the Emergency Room.

Sad? Maybe. But so are a lot of people. Talented? More than almost anybody.

/END Old-School-Judy-Queen Public Seervice Announcement

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:47pm

I'm happy that someone pointed out Judy's dancing talent. She didn't have any formal training yet when she was paired with Astire or Kelly, they both praised her for her ability to not only pull it off, but dance like a pro. It was mentioned in a review of Easter Parade at the time that Judy was the only partner with Astire that managed to make herself look better than him.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:49pm

I too saw this American Master's special on TCM last night. What struck me was her performance (I'm assuming on her TV show) of "Stormy Weather". Aside from the flawless vocals, the way she invested herself in every single moment - it literally took my breath away. I have always loved Judy Garland, but in that clip she went from "great talent" to "artistic genius" for me.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:53pm

Kringas---I can completely see why you would feel this way about her. When I was younger I didn't care much for the "sad" Judy especially in her concert years. I couldn't relate to it at all, and I just found her completely depressing, and a total mess.

Then as I got older and life beat ME up a bit more (as it does all of us), I began to appreciate how this tiny woman would rise above her "beat up" condition, square off, and belt one out of the park from time to time. It still gives me chills to think about what that must have taken for her to pick herself up like that and "nail" it like nobody else can. I began to see less of the surface "sadness" and more of the triumph over inner adversities coming through. I now find it very inspiring to watch, and uplifting.

But it took me a while to get there. I needed a few "life bumps" and bruises of my own to see the silver lining in her.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:57pm

I agree that she was a triple threat and one of the greatest.

She could sing and had such a mature voice at a young age.

She could act. Watch her monologue in "A Star is Born" where they never take the camera off of her. You can still watch that scene today more than 50 years later, and it is still one of the most honest pieces of acting on screen.

She could dance. Catch her in Easter Parade. Not many women had the guts to get up next to Fred Astaire.

I had read somewhere that it was Shirley Temple's mother that didn't want her to do The Wizard of Oz. (Maybe in Shirley's autobio?)

Over the Rainbow was almost cut from the movie because the running time was too long.

Shelley Winters talks in one of her autobios about going to a party and someone said something nasty to Judy. Later Shelley went outside and Judy was sitting there crying. She did have a very fragile self-esteem.

[justme2]

Posted: 5/16/06 at 1:58pm

I also enjoy watching Garland on screen and admire her seemingly endless talent. I love when TCM shows her early shorts, like the "Every Sunday" one with Deanna Durbin, where jazz and operatic singing styles are joined.

My favorite performances of Judy's match most of what others have already mentioned, plus her fantastic dramatic work in that heartbrreaking movie "A Child is Waiting".. Early sixties, with Burt Lancaster (I think). She was wonderful in the film.