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New to Judy

In my late 20s, and she has only recently come to my full attention. I grew up on a farm with hillbillies, what do you want.

So now I’m looking through her enormous list of credits and wondering what to see. I like obscure old films, so after the obvious classics (Oz, Star, St. Louis, etc.), which are the best of her movies to watch?

by Anonymousreply 69January 19, 2022 1:29 AM

My personal favorite is "Judgement at Nuremberg". Judy has a small part but she knocks it out of the ballpark.

by Anonymousreply 1January 11, 2022 8:32 PM

The Clock (1945) 90 mins. Directed by Vincente Minnelli and an uncredited Fred Zimmerman. Saw it years ago and found it likable with good chemistry between Judy and Robert Walker.

by Anonymousreply 2January 11, 2022 8:34 PM

[quote] In my late 20s, and she has only recently come to my full attention

I don't believe you.

by Anonymousreply 3January 11, 2022 8:35 PM

Like R1 wrote..."Judgment at Nuremberg." Outstanding performance

by Anonymousreply 4January 11, 2022 8:36 PM

Check out some of her performances on YouTube from the Judy Garland Show. My favorites are “Old Man River” “Lost in the Stars” and “Hymn of the Battle Republic”.

by Anonymousreply 5January 11, 2022 8:40 PM

"A Child is Waiting" starring Judy as a woman who begins a job at a home for mentally challenged children and young people. Burt Lancaster stars as the chief administrator at the home.

by Anonymousreply 6January 11, 2022 8:56 PM

Go die in a grease fire, R3...

OP, I'm in my mid 30s, and about a decade I started a Judy period much like yourself. I'd encourage you to get into the Judy Garland Show, freely available on YouTube. It's an interesting tight-rope of a performer balancing a newish medium-- Television; you can practically see them invent a show through the episodes, and the backstage story is crazy. I love this rendition of Quiet Nights, on a episode featuring Diahann Carroll.

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by Anonymousreply 7January 11, 2022 9:03 PM

Episode 20, of the Judy Garland Show

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by Anonymousreply 8January 11, 2022 9:07 PM

[quote] and the backstage story is crazy

Oh! Is there a backstage story, R7?

by Anonymousreply 9January 11, 2022 9:08 PM

Easter Parade is classic Judy, full of singing, dancing (Fred Astaire!) and comedy.

by Anonymousreply 10January 11, 2022 9:09 PM

And whatever you watch, always remember:

Judy was one of the most talented singers ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her life. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in Hollywood. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with her struggles and she theirs.

by Anonymousreply 11January 11, 2022 9:12 PM

[quote] She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her life

Others had more pain and struggle, Jeezus

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by Anonymousreply 12January 11, 2022 9:16 PM

[quote]In my late 20s, and she has only recently come to my full attention.

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by Anonymousreply 13January 11, 2022 9:22 PM

Judy was an overrated, mentally ill, drug- addicted, melodramatic, attention-seeking, neurotic child abuser who destroyed everyone around her then herself.

by Anonymousreply 14January 11, 2022 9:50 PM

Have to seriously question when's the last time R3 and R13 have ever talked to someone in their 20s or 3os. Judy isn't much discussed on Facebook, Tik Tok or Instagram and younger people were raised on The Lion King and other animation to say nothing of Harry Potter and video games. Judy's last film was over 50 years ago and I'm not sure how often The Wizard of Oz is shown on network TV. Netflix, Prime and the Criterion Channel don't feature her movies that I'm aware of and I'll bet it's been almost 20 years since I've watched a Garland film and that was probably on TCM when I had HBO.

by Anonymousreply 15January 11, 2022 11:03 PM

I was molested.

by Anonymousreply 16January 11, 2022 11:17 PM

[quote] I grew up on a farm with hillbillies, what do you want.

What do I want, OP? A credible backstory.

by Anonymousreply 17January 11, 2022 11:18 PM

How's your Memaw?

by Anonymousreply 18January 11, 2022 11:20 PM

There are several great scenes in not so great movies. “Get Happy” from the otherwise unremarkable “Summer Stock” is the best example.

by Anonymousreply 19January 11, 2022 11:21 PM

As further incentive to check her out in Judgement in Nuremberg, you get to look at young, hot Maximilian Schell for most of the film.

by Anonymousreply 20January 11, 2022 11:22 PM

R19 that's been on my YouTube playlist a lot recently. She can really lift your spirits ❤

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by Anonymousreply 21January 12, 2022 12:03 AM

The Harvey Girls is entertaining. Some of the real early films are good, if you can deal with the hamminess that was Mickey Rooney.

by Anonymousreply 22January 12, 2022 1:25 AM

I think in many ways her talent shines through in a very tangible way in Easter Parade. In the scenes when she us performing with Fred Astaire you cannot take your eyes off of her. She’s not showy, just very charismatic.

by Anonymousreply 23January 12, 2022 1:53 AM

Judy Garland was very talented, but she is forgotten by 99.9% of people today.

The remaining O.1%, apparently, live on Datalounge.

by Anonymousreply 24January 12, 2022 2:10 AM

I thought this thread was about judge judy

by Anonymousreply 25January 12, 2022 2:29 AM

Judge "Ha Ha I'll Say" Judy

by Anonymousreply 26January 12, 2022 2:30 AM

They've been running Ziegfeld Girl quite a bit recently. I feel bad for Judy stuck between Hedy and Lana in this...

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by Anonymousreply 27January 12, 2022 2:33 AM

It's fun to watch the scenes immediately before and after "Get Happy." Judy is trim & fit in that number, which was filmed a few months after the rest of the film, but it's shoehorned between scenes of a clearly chubby Judy.

by Anonymousreply 28January 12, 2022 2:37 AM

[quote]I grew up on a farm with hillbillies, what do you want.

How about better English (Oh), dear.

by Anonymousreply 29January 12, 2022 3:12 AM

Presenting Lily Mars and The Pirate, the latter with Gene Kelly.

by Anonymousreply 30January 12, 2022 3:28 AM

Judy basic films, Tier 1: The Wizard of Oz (of course), Girl Crazy (to get one of the put-on-a-show with Mickey in there), Meet Me in St. Louis (for the Vincente/Liza connection), A Star is Born, I Could Go On Singing (her last film, and very much the persona of the latter-day Garland)

For history's sake and to get the broadest overview in the least amount of time, I'd recommend that you then proceed to: Broadway Melody of 1938 (to get Dear Mr. Gable), Love Finds Andy Hardy (to get a Betsy Booth/series film), The Clock (her first nonmusical and her only one at MGM), Easter Parade (to see her with Astaire), Summer Stock (to see her best with Gene), and Nuremberg (to get her final nomination).

There's plenty of worth, though they aren't absolutely essential to understanding her talent or impact, in these titles: Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway, and Strike Up the Band (the other 3 put-on-a-show, non-Andy Hardy films with Mickey), Ziegfeld Girl (star ensemble film, but Judy is the one with the talent and it's a backstager so she wins), For Me and My Gal (her first with Gene), Presenting Lily Mars (she deadlifts this so-so script over her head in the name of keeping us entertained), The Harvey Girls (MGM musicals go western, and there's Angela Lansbury), The Pirate (with Gene again, in artsy-fartsy mode), In the Good Old Summertime (Pasternakian fun, and Van Johnson), A Child is Waiting (Cassavetes drama, she can hold her own with Burt Lancaster).

You can watch her segments alone in her guest star films without seeing the whole thing: Thousands Cheer, Till the Clouds Roll By, Words and Music, Ziegfeld Follies. For all of these you could fast forward anytime people start to talk. Just watch the musical numbers, they're like a primer of everything from the MGM musical's Technicolor era. You could also put her Nuremberg perf here in the "guest star" category too, though the context of seeing the whole film makes her work more powerful.

These, you get to 'em when you get to 'em: Pigskin Parade (her first feature, it's primitive and fun if you give over to it), Thoroughbreds Don't Cry, Everybody Sing, Listen Darling (has "Zing!..." a major song for her), Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, Little Nellie Kelly (with Singin' in the Rain), Life Begins for Andy Hardy, and the two animated Gay Purr-ee, and Pepe (where again she's a guest star).

Contrary to some of what was written above, the tv series from 63-64 is after the variety program format for the television medium was well honed. CBS just didn't know how to make a variety show around HER highly specific, but also seemingly all-encompassing, talent. You can see the different producer regimes (Schlatter, Jewison, Colleran variety format, Colleran concert format), and their different approaches to what the series should be. Her behavior was only part of the backstage drama, there was plenty else going on with the network and the other creatives. Watch them in the order they were taped, NOT broadcast order, it will make more sense. Check out the book that's just about the series, Rainbow's End, which also covers her tv career before that pretty well--several spectaculars that were massive tv events getting huge audiences. The Judy Frank and Dean special is exceptional television, and the Judy-Robert Goulet-Phil Silvers is fun.

She worked 45 of her 47 years and she made a lot of feature films. There's a good size TV career, plenty of radio appearances (where she sings songs she didn't do anywhere else) including non-musical roles in radio dramas, an album/recording career (mainly Decca and Capitol), and a long concert career well-documented on legit and bootleg recordings. She had a sad ending what with dying broke and alone on the toilet and everything, but she also knew the pleasure of being one of the most beloved stars in the world for decades. The quality of her body of work can't be denied. Her artistry endures. A lot of joy awaits you, OP. Let us know what you like!

by Anonymousreply 31January 12, 2022 3:38 AM

The Pirate? pew

by Anonymousreply 32January 12, 2022 3:38 AM

R14 is the homopobic "Ancient White Fags" troll. Why hasn't she been red tagged?

by Anonymousreply 33January 12, 2022 4:06 AM

The more often I watch it, the more I'm convinced that the most enjoyable Judy Garland film is "In the Good Old Summertime".

It's delightful.

They should have stayed with the shooting title, "The Girl From Chicago"

by Anonymousreply 34January 12, 2022 8:01 AM

Sorry r33 but I'm not the ancient white fag troll, nor am I homophobic, just telling the truth about your beloved Garland,

by Anonymousreply 35January 12, 2022 8:20 AM

r35...yawn

by Anonymousreply 36January 12, 2022 4:47 PM

"Hi, I'm [young age] and just discovered a person called Judy Garland. Anyone heard of her?" is a decades-old trolling tradition on DL.

by Anonymousreply 37January 13, 2022 4:18 PM

Judy was treated like shit her entire life. She was used and abused by her hateful mother and Louis B. Mayer. MGM bled her dry and got her addicted to speed, while they made millions. She was in therapy and making progress at one point and the studio put a stop to it. They needed her for a movie and it ended her therapy. Then back to speed to wake up and barbituates to sleep. Sid Luft was a real piece of nasty work. She was so broken, there was no way she would survive.

by Anonymousreply 38January 13, 2022 5:46 PM

R14...Yes, you are telling the truth, but you are leaving out 90%.

by Anonymousreply 39January 13, 2022 5:49 PM

[quote]MGM bled her dry and got her addicted to speed, while they made millions.

MGM treated all of its stars like what they were, property to be used and tossed aside.

Most of the stars survived. Judy did not because he was mentally ill. And an addict. She really didn't stand a chance. But blaming it on MGM or her mom is silly.

If she had never been to MGM she would have still wound up screaming at strangers from a box in an underpass.

by Anonymousreply 40January 13, 2022 5:53 PM

R40...The abuse is well documented in many books. Her mother was a beast and a co-conspirator with Mayer. She and Mickey Rooney were higher than kites in those movies.

by Anonymousreply 41January 13, 2022 7:54 PM

I think she acts like a crazy woman on that TV series. It's like any second she's gonna flip out. Disturbing.

by Anonymousreply 42January 13, 2022 7:58 PM

"A Star is Born" is not really a very good film. First of all, Garland looked 20 years too old to be playing an ingenue.

But worse, they butchered the movie in editing to cut the running time and wound up removing most of the plot.

If they wanted to cut running time, they should have started with the interminable "Born in the Trunk" sequence that totally hijacks the film.

And to make matters worse, WB was too cheap to license more current music. So we see Garland when she was getting her start in the chorus singing "Black Bottom" -- which would have been in the '20s, meaning she'd been in show business for 30 years. She looked it, but it made no sense for the story.

by Anonymousreply 43January 14, 2022 2:11 PM

James Mason felt the musical numbers detracted from the story and said he preferred the 1937 version.

by Anonymousreply 44January 16, 2022 5:07 AM

I recommend you watch MGM's That's Entertainment, which includes two Judy Garland segments, the first covering her early films, hosted by Mickey Rooney, and the second segment covering her later films, hosted by her daughter Liza Minnelli.

Plus it's a treasure trove of the best of MGM's musicals. Wait til you see the part about Esther Williams. You won't believe your eyes.

And for maximum impact, watch it on a big screen TV, not on your laptop or phone.

by Anonymousreply 45January 16, 2022 5:34 AM

R44, I disagree. In the 1937 version, you never really sense why Esther becomes a star ... you're just told that she is. In the 1954 version, you can see what all the fuss is about.

Mason is wonderful in the 54 version and richly deserved his Oscar nomination. But I still would've liked to see what original choice Cary Grant would've done with the role.

by Anonymousreply 46January 17, 2022 1:10 AM

[quote]But I still would've liked to see what original choice Cary Grant would've done with the role.

Judy Garland was a weathered frump by the time they did this movie because of all the drugs.

The idea that Cary Grant would have been into her would have been absolutely implausible, even if he had been straight.

by Anonymousreply 47January 17, 2022 1:14 AM

Her early '60s work on television, including her own brilliant show, I think was her best work. Don't miss those, OP.

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by Anonymousreply 48January 17, 2022 1:18 AM

[quote] Mason is wonderful in the 54 version and richly deserved his Oscar nomination. But I still would've liked to see what original choice Cary Grant would've done with the role.

Yes, James is wonderful and poignant even though he had to spend so much time just watching Judy do her thing.

But I don't think Cary Grant could do any dramatic role. 'The Pride and the Passion' is rather boring.

by Anonymousreply 49January 17, 2022 1:39 AM

R48 Garland had such a great voice why did she waste it trying to sound like Al Jolson, who was garbage?

by Anonymousreply 50January 17, 2022 1:52 AM

[quote] Al Jolson, who was garbage

I agree but it seems he was big back in the last century.

Some eldergays told me back in the last century that this movie and its sequel did enormous box office.

7.6 million USD and 5 million USD

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by Anonymousreply 51January 17, 2022 2:38 AM

Judy was one of the most talented singers ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her life. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in Hollywood. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with Judy's struggles and she theirs.

by Anonymousreply 52January 17, 2022 2:50 AM

[quote] The more often I watch it, the more I'm convinced that the most enjoyable Judy Garland film is "In the Good Old Summertime"

Which either shares its story with, or was an influence for, the Broadway musical "She Loves Me."

by Anonymousreply 53January 17, 2022 2:56 AM

Sit down for five minutes and get ready to have your life changed, OP.

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by Anonymousreply 54January 17, 2022 2:57 AM

R54 stunning.

by Anonymousreply 55January 17, 2022 3:31 AM

r53, both She Loves Me and In the Good Old Summertime, as well as the first film version The Shop Around the Corner (1940) were based on the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László.

by Anonymousreply 56January 17, 2022 4:17 AM

[quote] Hungarian

Half of MGM were Hungarian and/or Polish.

by Anonymousreply 57January 17, 2022 4:22 AM

Her brief stint in Till the Clouds Roll By was by far the highlight of the movie. She looked beautiful and radiant -even though she was pregnant with Liza.

by Anonymousreply 58January 17, 2022 11:45 AM

That dance number makes me laugh. Knowing how tiny Judy was they had to have dancers who were just as tiny to give the illusion that they were all tall.

by Anonymousreply 59January 17, 2022 11:53 AM

Who?

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by Anonymousreply 60January 17, 2022 11:56 AM

r58, maybe she was beautiful and radiant BECAUSE she was pregnant with Liza...

by Anonymousreply 61January 17, 2022 3:53 PM

Hello, gorgeous!

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by Anonymousreply 62January 17, 2022 4:05 PM

I agree that "Born in a Trunk" could have been easily cut from ASIB. We didn't need it: Esther's talent was clear from the famous "The Man That Got Away" sequence. The BiaT sequence was filmed after the main production at great cost and trouble, adding to an already bloated budget and run time. A terrible idea all around.

by Anonymousreply 63January 17, 2022 4:39 PM

r31, I am incredibly impressed with the thoroughness of that list! You are the true-bluest of fans.

by Anonymousreply 64January 17, 2022 4:43 PM

Old Man River..."Tired of living and scared of dying" This sums up the last years of her life. Watch her face. She means what she is singing. Unmatched.

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by Anonymousreply 65January 17, 2022 4:55 PM

[quote]The abuse is well documented in many books. Her mother was a beast and a co-conspirator with Mayer.

Not really. At first Ethel wanted to make sure Judy's options got picked up and her contracts were renewed at least long enough to get her established at MGM. As soon as Ethel understood how hard they were working Judy she championed her daughter and made frequent appearances in Mayer's office. I think people and the law considered the "age of majority" to generally mean twenty-one years old, and months before Judy turned twenty-one, Ethel Gumm had already been permanently banned from entering the studio lot. It was Ethel's opinion by then that MGM was ignoring Judy's health and well-being. She was right.

by Anonymousreply 66January 18, 2022 5:04 AM

[quote]Mason is wonderful in the 54 version and richly deserved his Oscar nomination. But I still would've liked to see what original choice Cary Grant would've done with the role.

I think Clark Gable was also sought for the role and he could have turned in his best performance since "Mutiny on the Bounty". We would really have believed him as an over the hill Errol Flynn-type souse. Plus I think he and Judy would have had great chemistry.

Judy looks just fine in the movie, you awful gays are nuts. The "Born in a Trunk" sequence is many people's favorite part of the movie as it shows us just why Esther Blodgett becomes Vicky Lester.

The film was very expensive but you see every dime on the screen. It is a lavish melodrama with music and if left the fuck alone in its original roadshow edit would have a better reputation today.

by Anonymousreply 67January 18, 2022 5:12 AM

R63 doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. "Born In A Trunk" is a highlight of the movie, and is the moment when you realize that Esther Blodgett has become Vicki Lester.

by Anonymousreply 68January 19, 2022 1:25 AM

We learned when the payroll guy told her to Go to L. A funny moment.

by Anonymousreply 69January 19, 2022 1:29 AM
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