Volume One Issue 2 December 2012

By the Fans, For the Fans

The Judy Garland Christmas Album

Why We Love Judy Review: Rainbows End Interview with Gerald Clarke Looking for Judy The M-G-M Records Story
News & Notes Games Judys Oz - in 3D!

Contents

Anytime you see this globe its a link to more information on the Web

Forward (pg 4)

Features

News & Notes (pg 5)

The Judy Garland Christmas Album (pg 6) Why We Love Judy (pg 11) A Laugh that Wrinkles Her Nose (pg 16) Looking for Judy (conclusion) (pg 17) Rainbows End (pg 21) The Christmas Special (pg 25)

Happy Holidays!

Reviews

Discography Spotlight (pg 27) Flashback (pg 36)

The M-G-M Records Story (Garland Edition)

Judys Oz (pg 45)

On the set of In the Good Old Summertime. Colorization by Polo Tottie.

Reprint of Scott Schechters interview with author Gerald Clarke, from the June 2000 issue of Garlands for Judy

Oz in 3D! (pg 46) Oz Soundtracks (pg 47)

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Garlands for Judy - December 2012

Contents

Anytime you see this globe its a link to more information on the Web

Vintage Garland (pg 48) Fun Stuff

Reprint: 1974 Stereo Review Magazine

Acknowledgments (pg 53)

Andy Warhols vision of Judy
There are audio files embedded in the PDF version of this webzine. You must have the current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to play them properly. CLICK HERE to download it.

Judys Crossword (pg 51) Judys Word Search (pg 52)

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Garlands for Judy - December 2012

Forward
Happy Holidays! Here is your second issue of Garland for Judy. Thanks to your support, the first issue was a huge success. Im happy to keep it going because I really enjoy making it. Thank you! This issue could be called the Discography Issue what with the article about MGM Records, the Vintage Garland section and an article about The Judy Garland Christmas Album. Ah, if only. Judy never recorded a Christmas or holiday themed album. She did perform many holiday songs over the years, so Ive created
By the Fans, for the Fans
June 2012

AUGURA SPECIAL IN
LOOKING FOR JUDY

L ISSUE!

JUDY IN THE 21ST CENTURY REVISITING JUDY PARIS JUDY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION

FUN & GAMES

NEWS & NOTES

JUDYS OZ

a new compilation album featuring most of Judys holiday song performances. I hope you enjoy it! As we close out 2012, lets all be thankful for the good things in our lives, and look forward to a wonderful 2013 that will bring more joy and happiness. And of course, more Judy stuff too! Happy New Year!

Scott Brogan Publisher/Editor

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News & Notes

The big news of the past six months was the November 9th auction of one of Judys screen worn Dorothy dresses from The Wizard of Oz by Juliens Auction House. The dress sold for $480,000 and made international news. Prior to the auction, the dress was on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, with a pair of screen used Ruby Slippers on loan to the museum by the Smithsonian. It was the first known pairing of the two since the film was made. First Hand Records released their second Garland CD, Judy Garland in Amsterdam featuring the newly remastered and complete concert as broadcast live on Dutch radio in 1960. Its a wonderful time capsule and a thrilling document of Judys new one-woman show in the months leading up to the Carnegie Hall concert. The CD is expertly produced and executed and includes a detailed booklet. CLICK HERE for details. Warner Home Video made a few announcements: The Wizard of Oz will be released in theaters and on Blu-ray in a new 3D edition. Easter Parade will get its Blu-ray debut on February 19, 2013. Also of note is the long-time-coming Judy Garland edition of the TCM Greatest Classic Legends collection. The set features four standard DVDs: The Harvey Girls, For Me And My Gal, Summer Stock, and In the Good Old Summertime. Additionally, the Warner Archive has re-released The Clock on DVD and digital download. All 26 episodes of The Judy Garland Show will be up for auction by The Royalty Exchange, with a starting bid price of $1.5 million. The auction began on November 27th with an end date of December 16th. As of the date of this publication, there has been no word about the outcome.

Garlands for Judy - December 2012

The Judy Garland

Christmas Album
Garlands for Judy - December 2012
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The Judy Garland Christmas Album

f only. How many times have Garland fans expressed that query? It would be wonderful to report that a long lost Judy Garland Christmas album had been discovered deep in the vaults at Capitol Records. Thats a fantasy of most Garland fans, right up there with her completing Annie Get Your Gun or winning an Oscar for playing Mama Rose in a film version of Gypsy. Alas, The Judy Garland Christmas Album never happened. That wasnt for lack of wanting. Capitol Records had attempted to get Judy in the studio to record a Christmas album as late as the mid-1960s. The label knew that it would be an annual best seller. Judy had a great relationship with them, having recorded some of her greatest albums for them, along with the blockbuster Judy at Carnegie Hall. A Christmas album would have given her a complete catalog of studio albums.

Judy also performed many holiday songs on radio such as a charming duet of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with Bing Crosby, and Oh Come All Ye Faithful among others. An entire episode of her weekly series for CBS was devoted to the holidays. Its usually referred to as The Judy Garland Christmas Show and has continued to be popular. The show was the basis for a Laserlight CD titled The Judy Garland Christmas Album. It wasnt really a Christmas Album in the traditional sense but more a soundtrack album to that holiday special. As late as 1968 she was still performing new material, including John Meyers haunting After the Holidays. Laserlight also produced a CD compilation of Garland holiday songs culled from various sources (Decca, radio, etc.). So, although we dont have a specific Judy Garland Christmas Album we do have many wonderful Judy Garland holiday songs that make quite the holiday playlist. Perhaps sometime in the future a record label will put them all together on a great sounding CD and/or for digital download. Members of The Judy Rooms Facebook Group contributed their ideas of what songs they would pick if they could go back in time and have Judy record a Christmas album. The responses are as follows, and are quite creative and fun, including some that were written after Judys untimely death. Once again, If Only...

Judy had already recorded many holiday songs, going back as far at 1937 and her short subject for MGM Silent Night, singing the title song. She recorded a few holiday singles for Decca Records in 1941 (Star of the East and Birthday of a King). 1944s Meet Me in St. Louis gave Judy her greatest Christmas song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Her performance of it in the film is an all-time classic and one of the top five numbers she committed to film. The song has since become the most recorded Christmas standard after White Christmas. Five years later Judy committed another Christmas song to film, Merry Christmas in In the Good Old Summertime.

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The Judy Garland Christmas Album

Bobbys Picks Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Ill Be Home For Christmas Winter Wonderland The Christmas Song Silver Bells The Christmas Waltz Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas The Most Wonderful Time of The Year O Holy Night Kay Thompsons Jingle Bells Sigh..if only... White Christmas Bradens Picks Silent Night Ave Maria White Christmas Baby Its Cold Outside Wonder as I Wander Jingle Bells Santa Baby, Youre A Mean One (Mr. Grinch) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Avas Picks Chestnuts After the Holidays Deck the Halls Emmanuel The Christmas Shoes God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Frosty the Snowman The Hannukah Song The 12 days of Christmas Kristens Picks Merry Christmas Christmas Present Baby, Its Cold Outside Winter Wonderland Marys Boy Child Ive Got My Love to Keep Me Warm Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! White Christmas The Christmas Song Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Alexs PIcks Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Mistletoe and Holly The Christmas Song Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Here Comes Santa Claus Sleigh Ride Blue Christmas Baby, Its Cold Outside (duet with Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra) Silver Bells White Christmas

Fred Says All of Bobbys requests for sure and After The Holidays even thou it wasnt written till the 60s later in Judys life by John Meyer- love that song. Maybe Liza will make a good Xmas CD.

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The Judy Garland Christmas Album

Erics Picks Two of the songs are from the 1960s, but I would love to hear her rendition of them. Ive put the year the songs were written in parentheses. Here Comes Santa Claus (1947) The Holy and the Ivy (1710) Some Children See Him (1951) Pat-A-Pan (1720) Santa Baby (1953) Cantique du Noel (O, Holy Night) (1847) Dominick the Donkey (1960) Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow (1867) Christmas Time is Here (1965) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1944) Conors Picks Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Santa Baby Who wouldnt love to hear Judy purr her way through this? Winter Wonderland The Christmas Song to see if RAINBOWS really know how to fly Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Drivin Home For Christmas This could be excellent, slowed down, Im sure she would infuse it with pathos not seen before. White Christmas Ill Be Home For Christmas This would be heartbreakingly beautiful from Judy Rockin Around The Christmas Tree Would be something like Purple People Eater I would say! (Theres No Place Like) Home For The Holidays Obvious reasons!

Bills Picks Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Merry Christmas Blue Christmas (Without You) Ill Be Home For Christmas Santa Baby Baby Its Cold Outside (duet with Bing) We Need A Little Christmas Winter Wonderland Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Merry Christmas Darling (1978 Carpenters)

Nicks Picks I put some serious thought into this, and am almost upset this doesnt exist. Recorded around 1958: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas In The Bleak Midwinter Joy to The World Hark! The Herald Angels Sing O Little Town of Bethlehem Jingle Bells (Duet with Frank Sinatra Christmas Medley White Christmas/Let It Snow/Winter Wonderland/Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas)] Blue Christmas Sleigh Ride Ill Be Home For Christmas

Megs Picks White Christmas Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow Ill Be Home For Christmas I can imagine her just RIPPING our hearts out with that song Ave Maria Five Pound Box of Money I think her take on that song would be hilarious The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Winter Wonderland O Holy Night Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christma Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Obviously

Colin Says Okay, so its not a Capitol album -- not even any sort of official album (an unofficial soundtrack?) -- and its not all Judy -- but I ADORE the Judy Garland Christmas Special CD!!!

Garlands for Judy - December 2012

The Judy Garland Christmas Album

04 - THE CHRISTMAS SONG (with Mel Torme) (Taped December 6, 1963, aired December 22, 1963) The Judy Garland Show (CBS TV) Christmas Episode 05 - SILENT NIGHT (November 6 - 8, 1937) MGM Christmas Trailer shown in Loews theaters across the nation. 06 - AULD LANG SYNE (January 1, 1941) From the NBC Radio special Bundles For Britain 07 - MERRY CHRISTMAS (November 16, 1948) Soundtrack recording for In The Good Old Summertime (MGM 1949) 08 - THE BIRTHDAY OF A KING (July 20, 1941) Decca Records 09 - THE STAR OF THE EAST (July 20, 1941) Decca Records 10 - IVE GOT MY LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM (with Count Basie and his Band) (Taped July 7, 1963, aired November 10, 1963) The Judy Garland Show (CBS TV) 16 - HOLIDAY MEDLEY (with Jack Jones and Liza Minnelli) (Taped December 6, 1963, aired December 22, 1963) The Judy Garland Show (CBS TV) Christmas Episode 17 - SILENT NIGHT (December 19, 1939) The Pepsodent Show with Bob Hope (NBC Radio) 18 - LITTLE DROPS OF RAIN (November 1961) Soundtrack recording for Gay Purr-ee (UA 1962) 19 - HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS (December 4, 1943) Soundtrack recording for Meet Me In St. Louis (MGM 1944) 20 - TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAROL MEDLEY (with Jack Jones, Mel Torme, Liza Minnelli, Lorna & Joey Luft, Tracy Everitt and Chorus) (Taped December 6, 1963, aired December 22, 1963) The Judy Garland Show (CBS TV) Christmas Episode 21 - AFTER THE HOLIDAYS (December 17, 1968) From The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (NBC TV) 22 - HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS (December 19, 1968) From The Merv Griffin Show (NBC TV) 23 - THROUGH THE YEARS (Taped October 18, 1963, aired January 5, 1964) The Judy Garland Show (CBS TV) 24 - BONUS: HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS TAKE 3 (December 4, 1943) Alternate take from Meet Me In St. Louis (MGM 1944) 25 - BONUS: HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS TAKE 6 (December 4, 1943) Alternate take from Meet Me In St. Louis (MGM 1944) 26 - BONUS: LEO IS ON THE AIR - 1941 HOLIDAY BROADCAST (November 28, 1941) Broadcast live from Santa Claus Lane (Hollywood Boulevard).

Judy Garland never recorded an album with a Christmas or holiday theme. Here is the best album possible, culled from her many performances of holiday songs. Due to the multiple sources, there is some variance in the quality of the sound from track to track. CLICK HERE to download the album, complete with cover art and detailed track listing. The zip file is large and may take time to download.
TRACK LISTING: 01 - JUDYS HOLIDAY WISH (Taped December 6, 1963) The Judy Garland Show (CBS TV). 02 - ALL PURPOSE HOLIDAY SONG (with Vic Damone and Zina Bethune) (Taped November 1, 1963, aired November 3, 1963) The Judy Garland Show (CBS TV) 03 - HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS (April 20, 1944) Decca Records alternate take

RADIO SPOTLIGHT 11 - IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR (December 24, 1945) Command Performance (Radio - for the troops overseas) 12 - RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (with Bing Crosby) (December 6, 1950) The Bing Crosby Show (CBS Radio) 13 - HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS (December 2, 1946) From the CBS Radio Lux Radio Theater presentation of Meet Me In St. Louis. 14 - OH COME ALL YE FAITHFUL (intro by Dinah Shore) (December 26, 1944) From the NBC Radio show Everything For The Boys 15 - SILENT NIGHT (with Dinah Shore, Ginny Simms, Virginia OBrien, Dorothy Lamour and Frances Langford) (December 26, 1944) From the NBC Radio show Everything For The Boys

Garlands for Judy - December 2012

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YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU

WHY WE LOVE JUDY

Garlands for Judy - December 2012

By Marielle ONeill
11

Why We Love Judy

1 of 4

By Marielle ONeill

ans will often say they love a celebrity. None more so than in the case of Judy Garland. However with Judy, her fans really do love her. Now why is this? If I had to use two words to describe Judy Garland they would be: empathetic and real. There was nothing fake about Judy Garland. When you listen to Judy Garland sing or watch one of her performances, it reaches the very essence of your being. There are no veils, curtains, doors, walls, anything between Judys true self and the emotional core of every single one of her fans. Long-time Judy fan and Garland expert Joan Coulson, notes Judy often said, I sing to each person individually and that is why we sense this listening to her. Judy Garland revealed her true self, her core essence, in every one of her performances. In doing so she held a mirror to the true core of each individual in her audience. Very few Judy Garland revealed her true self... performers do this in every one of her performances. and very few of us do this in real life. Were too scared to reveal our true selves as it leaves us open to judgment and criticism. Perhaps being so emotionally open is one of the reasons Judy received such crap in both her professional and personal lives. The Judy phenomenon is best described by Derek Jewell, when reviewing Judys 1969 Talk of the Town performance in the UKs Sunday Times: No logic, no analysis, no judgment in the world can explain the phenomenon of Judy Garlands at Talk of the Town. She walks the rim of the volcano each second. Miraculously she keeps her balance. It is a triumph of utmost improbability. That Judy put herself so out there in each performance meant she walks the rim of the volcano emotionally creating an atmosphere of thunderous electricity.

Image: 1952 snapshot.

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Why We Love Judy

Wayne Lawless of Lawnsdale, California saw Judy in concert about 10 times from 1958 to 1967. Wayne said, The essence of seeing Judy Garland in person is the word electricity. Without a doubt. Especially during the overture when ones heart beats continuously faster until the moment Judy would appear. And beyond, throughout the show. Judy Garland is one of the most emotional performers and so listening to her is an emotional experience. She is also the most empathetic of performers. You can listen to Judy if youre feeling down and it will comfort you, or if youre happy then it will make you feel even happier. Judy herself fully understood this; allegedly, she said to her daughter, Liza Minnelli, Liza, sympathy is my business. More accurately, it is empathy. Judys empathy was apparent in real life as well. Brian Glanvill, a founding member of The International Judy Garland Club, met Judy on several occasions over the years. Brian said when Judy spoke to you she had the gift that some very famous people have of making you feel you were the only person in the world who she cared about. Kristen Rae Johnson, said, Its so true about Judys empathy that she showed everyone from her family, friends and audience. I love that televised interview Judy did in Australia in 1964 when asked about her love for her audience, Judy said its like a kind of marriage between the audience and myself. I know Judy meant every word of that. The best way to appreciate Judy Garland is to listen to Judy At Carnegie Hall. Listen to the album in full in one go and you will come to the realization that this woman is a genius. I defy you not to

2 of 4

By Marielle ONeill
be moved. In her performances Judy runs the gamut of emotions from A to Z and weaves them with true skill into a subtle, multidimensional whole. Not only was she emotionally raw she was technically brilliant, delivering finely crafted performances. Listening to Judys Carnegie Hall performance is such an exhilarating experience I can only imagine the thrill of actually being there in person, no wonder its known as the greatest night in show business history.

There was nothing fake about Judy Garland.

Judy Garland felt things strongly. In her statement of her mothers death, Liza Minnelli, wrote, It was her love that carried her through everything. The middle of the road was never for her. It bored her. She wanted the pinnacle of excitement. If she was happy, she wasnt just happy. She was ecstatic. And, when she was sad, she was sadder than anyone. Because Judy felt things strongly, we feel strongly about her. Dani Hisey, Wisconsin, said, I love Judy because she permits me to feel anything as strongly as I want to. There was nothing fake about Judy Garland. This is one of the reasons why fans relate so much to her. Kristen Rae Johnson, Hollywood, California, said, Its hard to express how much or why I love Judy in one quote but I guess for me its Judys genuine love that I can feel when I watch her delightful movies and listen to her music. I know shes not a phony and never acted conceited or arrogant in any way throughout her stellar career. Judy Garland is just about the most charismatic woman that ever lived and that tender warmth that was a part of her personality was incomparable to me.

Image: From the 1940 Click magazine

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Why We Love Judy

3 of 4

By Marielle ONeill
In recent years there has been much focus on Judy Garlands personal demons and addictions and the obvious contrast to her role as Dorothy, the very symbol of innocence. Contrary to the belief fans like to put her on a pedestal, many fans understand Judys human frailties. Amber Stankoff, of Michigan, summed up the feelings of many Judy fans saying, I love that she was who she was. I love the fact the she wasnt perfect. People get the idea in their minds that celebrities are supposed to be perfect role models and if they do anything that shocks the public, then theyre bad. To be a true Garland fan, you have to accept all aspects of her life. South African fan, Justine Lottering said, Even at her worst, she was still the best. Her talent stemmed from another world. She could sing, she could act, she could dance, she was funny, she was awe-inspiring, but above all else she was human. True art has the power to knock you over and shake you to the core. One of the most moving aspects of Judys work, which many fans seems to share, is the power she has to make people feel truly alive. Wayne Lawless, said, I love Judy because she makes me feel like Im truly alive, and not just drifting somewhere. Similarly, Dewey Mee of Ellensburg, Washington, said, She reminds me of what it is like to be fully alive in each moment. The message of The Wizard of Oz is accepting people as they are. Dorothy doesnt care that the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion lack a brain, a heart, and courage; she instinctively accepts them as they are. The ending when they meet the Wizard proves they didnt need his help as they had these qualities all along as shown in their completing the journey to Oz and their love for Dorothy. Judy famously said, Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.

Image: 1960s snapshot

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Why We Love Judy

Dewey Mee, said, Judy Garland remains a muse and daily inspiration to me. Judy inspires me to be my true self, my best self. Judy inspires me to transcend whatever is going on and keep marching on.

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By Marielle ONeill
always sought to get to the core of the truth. Judy sang the history of my life is in my songs. This is true. The best way to understand Judy Garland is to listen to her. Even now 43 years after her death, whether you are listening to her on your iPhone or watching a YouTube video, the strength and sincerity of her emotions leap out of the speaker, across the years, to truly reach you.

An often over-looked aspect of Judy Garlands career is what a feminist pioneer she was. When she was fired from MGM, she returned to her roots, with her legendary Judy Garland was love. performance at the London Palladium, and brought Justine Lottering crystallized many fans feelings vaudeville back to the Palace Theatre in New York. about Judy, saying, When I listen to Judy Garland, Judy proved she didnt need the studio system which had both I listen with my soul. When her voice enters my ears, it possesses given her world-wide fame and imprisoned her for so long. Lauren my entire being. It goes straight to my heart. Judy Garland is love. M. McShea, New York, said, Not many women of her day, or even Judy Garland was all about being your true self, being passionate our day, can transcend time or break social barriers, like her. Judy and empathizing with other people. Judy teaches us not to be afraid Garland was ahead of her time yet so right for it. Genius. to be truly alive in every moment. This is why 43 years after her death we still feel so closely connected to this amazing woman and Like every consummate artist she was a searcher with her songs. Judy why we love her. Judy Garland was Love.

Image: Cover of August 1948 Screen Guide magazine

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And that laugh that wrinkles her nose...touches my foolish heart

Those sweet eyes of brown sable singing Dear Mr. Gable ...And that laugh that wrinkles her nose The luminous way Judy looked in technicolor when she said, Were not in Kansas anymore and that indelible moment clicking her ruby heels on the floor ...And that laugh that wrinkles her nose How she dreamed of Andy Hardy becoming a Ziegfeld Girl along the way dancing with the best and singing songs that are here to stay! ...And that laugh that wrinkles her nose Going from Hollywood to reaching the heights of playing the Palace and sparkling in the theaters lights ...And that laugh that wrinkles her nose Dazzling audiences in A Star Is Born fame and that stellar night spent at Carnegie that none else in show business history can claim ...And that laugh that wrinkles her nose That superior grace she managed on a CBS soundstage entertaining without pretention and always getting much deserved applause and attention ...And that laugh that wrinkles her nose Restless with desire to be loved by just one true man lonely at the top ...Judy sojourned through her final days loving her three children and audiences without stop ...And that laugh that wrinkles her nose

By Kristen Rae Johnson

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LOOKING FOR JUDY

conclusion

By Michelle Russell
Author of From Tennessee to Oz

Tinted photo featured in the April 13, 1940 edition of Picturegoer magazine.

Garlands for Judy - June 2012

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Looking for Judy

[This concludes Michelle Russells article, the first of which was featured in the premiere edition of Garlands for Judy, June 2012] ttending Bob Chattertons Parlor Cinema to watch The Judy Garland Show was very special to me. Seeing Judy on a screen that made her life size was almost like having her there. But there were those who attended, in this time of big camp that liked to laugh at everything Judy did, whether it was funny or not. Wayne Martin, who had first met Judy when she was a teenager and who adored her, would have none of it. He made clear to Bob Chatterton that he felt people were disrespecting Judy and if that was how it was going to be he was not going to stick around. Later in 1973, I discovered that one of the girls in my dorm was also a big Judy Garland fan. One night she agreed to give me a ride out to visit Wayne Martin and see one of the Parlor Cinema showings. Arriving at Mr. Martins small bungalow, he showed us two of Judys Chinese jackets which Liza had recently given him. Holding them up, he turned to me and said, Would you like to put one on? Oh, no, I told him as he held it next to me. That seemed too persona; I just COULD NOT put Judys jacket on. Instead, I put my hand inside the sleeve, where her arm would have been. It was as near as I could ever come to shaking her hand. That was enough for me. That was magic. In December of 1972, Id begun singing lessons with a teacher who knew many celebrities. One day, he asked me who my favorite singer was and I said, Judy Garland. I was thrilled when he told me he had worked with Judy.

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By Michelle Russell

Image: 1954 portrait

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Looking for Judy

1 of 3

By Michelle Russell
Unbeknownst to me, my teacher, Eugene Loring, was a famous choreographer. Obviously, hed begun his career as a dancer. In 1951, he was working at the Palace with Judy Garland. I dont know if he was one of her guys or in a separate act, but he was there and he knew her. Late one night after the show, he and some of the fellows were talking about meeting the next day at one of their apartments for breakfast. My teacher heard a small voice say, Can I come too? It was Judy. The guys were all shocked. Here was this huge star, a major success on Broadway, asking if she could come to breakfast with them. It was sweet, almost childlike the way she asked. Of course, they told her. And the next morning, she showed up like one of the chorus. As you see, I was in search of Judy and I found her. Not all at once, but here and there in unexpected places. In the future, I would meet people who played with her when she was a child, took care of her when she was a toddler and performed with her on film. I met her children and one of her husbands. Each had stories to tell and each revealed the Judy they knew, not always the one known to the public. In New York, there were places that seemed to hold her essence The Palace and Carnegie Hall, but of all the events I experience and people I met, there is one that stands out. In 1998, Carnegie Hall celebrated one of the greatest concerts ever held under its roof, Judy Garlands concert. This celebration took place over two nights and included scores of people who had known Judy, including conductor Mort Lindsay and Judys daughter, Lorna Luft. On the final night, Mort conducted Judys Carnegie Hall overture, a thrilling event. Then, toward the end of

Image: 1954 portrait

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Looking for Judy

the evening, Lorna sang Judys arrangement of The Man that Got Away with Mort conducting. We could hear strains of Judys voice and experience what it was like to hear that great orchestra playing that great song with the perfect acoustics of the hall. Following the song, Lorna said something like, And now here is this song, sung by the only person who should sing it The lights went down and spot was shown on the exact spot where Judy had sat. And then, in the very space where she recorded the song, we heard her sing Over the Rainbow. I cant tell you how real it was, Lorna had just sung live with Mort at the baton and then Judy singing in the space she recorded in. I think the audience was stunned. I was crying and in awe. When it was over, it seemed as if Judy had just been there a minute ago, as if we could grab her as she ran around the corner off the stage. The little girl who played Baby Gumm for me in Grand Rapids, and who adored Judy, was also there and as her mother brought her to my seat, we both collapsed into tears. We sat and cried for a long time. Judys presence was so real that night that we felt her loss with an immediacy that was sharp and intense. BUT we knew what it was like to see her. We felt we had been in her presence and experienced her incredible artistry. Thank you, Judy, from the bottom of all our hearts.

1 of 3

By Michelle Russell

Image: 1962 portrait

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TOO SPECIAL FOR THE CBS NETWORK

RAINBOWS END THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW
By Dewey Mee

A REVIEW OF COYNE STEVEN SANDERS

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Review: Rainbows End - The Judy Garland Show

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By Dewey Mee

oyne Steven Sanders 1990 book Rainbows End - The Judy Garland Show is a riveting, thoroughly detailed account of the chaos and controversies behind the scenes at the ill-fated 1963-1964 The Judy Garland Show on CBS. For decades, the failure of SHOW has been laid at the feet of irresponsible, undependable Judy herself. Sanders, thankfully and finally, sets the record straight here. Judy was quite eager and willing to work. She needed the money badly, and counted on CBS and the series to give her the financial security she never had. Sid Luft, the estranged third husband she was divorcing at the time, comes across as, alternately, extremely concerned and extremely hurtful, here. Sid warned Judy to be wary of Freddie Fields and David Begelman, her agents at the time. Fields and Begelman essentially abandoned her, leaving her to fight the CBS network by herself; but not before they took Judys money and ran with it. The other big villain in this saga is the CBS network itself; personified by the evil smiling cobra programming president James Aubrey and his henchman Hunt Stromberg, Jr. Incomprehensibly, having signed Judy Garland, the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century, to a
Image above: First edition of Rainbows End Image at right: Ray Agahayan costume sketch

pairing Judy with Mickey Rooney, Count Basie, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, and her daughter, Liza Minnelli, Aubrey-Stromberg decided everything was too special. Schlatter and his writing team were fired, and Show # 6, with Nat King Cole and Gene Kelly, was canceled. Norman Jewison (who had directed Judys acclaimed special with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin a year earlier) was temporarily brought in at a hefty price tag to revamp everything.

multi-million dollar TV contract, Aubrey and Stromberg did everything in their power to sabotage The Judy Garland Show and get it canceled as quickly as possible. Aubreys first, and most deadly, move was to purposefully place Judy in the Sunday night death time slot opposite the #1 rated show on the air, Bonanza. Aubrey could have easily saved everything by moving Judy to Mondays at 10:00 P.M., but he wanted her to fail. Original producer George Schlatter conceived a series of specials. After viewing the first five shows,

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Review: Rainbows End - The Judy Garland Show

In another attempt to dilute Judys potent performance power, Jewison was given orders to transform Judy into an average TV personality like Dinah Shore (Oh, Please!). Schlatter explains the insanity of this approach, (Judy) was a legend, and its very difficult when you have a star to remold that star. Its not only difficult, its unnecessary; and usually unsuccessful. (Jackie) Gleason was Gleason. Danny Kaye was Danny Kaye. They didnt make them somebody else. They were trying to make Judy somebody else. And she was fantastic just as she was. Sanders wryly comments on Jewisons first episode, pairing Judy with Donald OConnor and Jerry Van Dyke, If CBS wanted The Judy Garland Show to be a middle-ofthe-road, standard mold variety series, Jewison delivered exactly that. CBS chose this standard mold hour as the premiere episode, instead of the much warmer and exciting Schlatter produced premiere episode with Mickey Rooney (which was bumped all the way to December). Jewison also helmed the infamous, epic disaster episode pairing Judy with George Maharis and hillbilly act The Dillards. The very next week, however, Jewison and all witnessed an epic classic when Judy was paired with Barbra Streisand. The Streisand hour may be the most remembered episode, but Judy also created musical fireworks with Lena Horne, Bobby Darin, Peggy Lee, Dianne Carroll, Vic Damone, and Jack Jones. Moreover, Judys solo performances of Old Man River, When The Sun Comes Out, As Long As He Needs Me, Just In Time, and Battle Hymn Of The Republic are positive proof that she
Image above: Edith Head costume sketch Image above right: Ray Agahayan costume sketch

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By Dewey Mee

was the most incandescent star on CBS in 1963-1964. By the time Judy began her acclaimed set of concert format episodes, Jewison was out. Aubrey had, his wish all along, canceled the show, and Bill Colleran was installed as the third, and final, producer. Sanders account of Judys struggle and inability, to complete a final 26th episode and Strombergs vicious parting shot

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Review: Rainbows End - The Judy Garland Show

ollections of Judy in complete control of her style, her art, and, most importantly, herself. People will always be affected by her delivery and by her art... Mama could make you see things, smell things, visualize things. She could put you right where she wanted to-- and take you with her. She understood that her vulnerability in performance was something that we all recognize in ourselves. She knew how to portray

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By Dewey Mee

at her, is harrowing and heart-wrenching. Throughout this heady mix of chaos, heartbreak, and powerhouse performances, Sanders displays remarkable insights and compassion for Judy as a person and an incomparable performer. These sentiments are warmly echoed by Liza Minnelli, who, throughout the book, offers refreshing rec-

somebody in flux, somebody in pain, very well. She understood that deeply enough to be able to portray it. She created the legend. She DID it, Liza shares with pride, and she knew exactly what she was doing... she understood that. Thats hard for some people to understand, too. It takes enormous courage and discipline and patience to understand that about her.

Images: Ray Agahayan costume sketches

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A Christmas Treasure from Judy Garland

By Dewey Mee

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A Christmas Treasure from Judy Garland

The Judy Garland Christmas Show (taped December 6 and aired December 22, 1963) is said to be Judys favorite episode from her 1963-1964 CBS musical variety show. It is easy to see why Judys children, Liza Minnelli and Lorna and Joey Luft, are her very special guests. The episode is structured like an informal Christmas party, and the set is a facsimile of Judys own home at the time in Brentwood, California. Several songs from Broadway shows (Steam Heat from The Pajama Game, Consider Yourself and Where Is Love? from Oliver!; and Wouldnt It Be Loverly? from My Fair Lady) are included alongside traditional Christmas favorites. Young Lorna Luft sings a swinging rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Liza Minnelli, joined by her beau dancer Tracey Everitt, sings Alice Blue Gown. Guest Jack Jones sings a beautiful ballad titled Lollipops And Roses. Judy is most magical of all when she sings an emotionally charged version of Little Drops Of Rain, a song from the animated film Gay Purree, for which Judy provided the voice of the cat Mewsette. Halfway through the episode, the party is interrupted by dancers dressed as Santa Claus, who dance an odd chorus line to Rudolph The RedNosed Reindeer (twice, actually-- once, joined by Judy). The Dancing Santas are soon followed by Mel Torme and the Jud Conlon Chorus. A Judy Friend of mine once referred to Mel Torme as a frog in a tuxedo; which sent me into fits of hysterical laughter. Some of Judys die-hard fans call him Mel Torment-- because he wrote a very unflatter-

By Dewey Mee

ing book about working with Judy; published after her death. For years, Mels account was taken as Gospel Truth about The Judy Garland Show. Fortunately, other writers and books (especially Coyne Steven Sanders highly recommended Rainbows End) offered a more balanced perspective. I love how Judy (intentionally?) flubs the lyrics to Mels own classic The Christmas Song, changing the word reindeer to rainbows. Mel definitely does not look too pleased. Judy opens the show with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas from her classic 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis. She was asked to close the show with another of her signature songs. You know, that one from The Wizard Of Oz (1939). Because Judy sang Over The Rainbow in virtually every one of her countless concert appearances, she did not want to sing it on her TV show. For this Christmas Show, however, she made an exception; singing an extremely warm and relaxed rendition to Lorna and Joey. Just before the final phrase, Joey whispers into Judys ear. According to Lornas award-winning PBS documentary Judy Garland: The Concert Years; Joey whispered, asking Judy to stop singing so they can continue talking! Judys fans, of course, could listen to her sing forever. This is one classic, truly special, Holiday Special. I have The Judy Garland Christmas Show in heavy rotation in my DVD player from about mid-November through December 31. The Judy Garland Christmas Show, like Judy herself, generates genuine warmth regardless of any decade which is why, Im sure, many Judy fans include it among their most cherished Christmas memories.

Image: Ray Agahayan costume sketch.\

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Discography Spotlight
The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

GM-1. That was the catalog number of the first album released by MGM Records in March of 1947. The label was created in 1946 and originally titled M-G-M Records, the dashes would disappear later. Not surprisingly, their first release was a soundtrack. Marketed as a Cast Album (that term has since been reserved for albums of stage shows), MGM-1 featured selections from the soundtrack of the studios 1946 hit Till The Clouds Roll By - highlighted by the guest appearance of Judy Garland. The album was not a complete representation of the soundtrack of the film, and was a far cry from the soundtracks were accustomed to today. The time constraints of the 78rpm records (approximately 3.5 minutes per side) as well as the limited number of discs in an album (four discs, eight sides) necessitated some heavy editing. For several years each MGM soundtrack highlighted just eight musical numbers from each film. Sometimes the tracks, usually songs but in a few cases instrumentals (e.g. Slaughter on Tenth Avenue from 1948s Words and Music), featured outtake material. For example, the Clouds album included vocals to Judys Who that were not in the film. The track begins with the unused opening verse, plus a new ending created specifically for the album. This was meant to create a better aural experience. Click below to listen to the MGM Records version of Who.

those in which she was simply a guest star, so it was that she was front and center in the MGM Records promotions. Some have assumed that Judys part in Clouds was one of the major factors for the creation of MGM Records. The story goes that the studio felt so strongly about the music in Clouds that they were propelled to create the label. Its a nice story, but probably untrue. The most likely reason is that MGM saw the increasingly lucrative record business as one that could generate more revenue. Known for their musicals, its natural that MGM Records first release was a soundtrack.

There were eight Judy Garland movie soundtrack albums released by MGM Records: Till The Clouds Roll By (MGM-1), The Pirate (MGM-21), Words and Music (MGM-37), Easter Parade (MGM-40), In the Good Old Summertime (MGM L-11), Summer Stock (MGM-56) and The Wizard of Oz (MGM E-3464). All of these albums, with the exception of In the Good Old Summertime and The Wizard of Oz, were originally released in the standard 4-disc 78rpm album format. Summertime was released in 78rpm on a mere 2 discs in a foldout sleeve because only four songs from the film were included. Judy sang five in the film, but this would have created an uneven number of sides so the label omitted Judys presence on these soundtracks played a big part in the early success Merry Christmas. They didnt think to include Judys outtake version of the label. Just as she was front and center in the ads for her films, even of Last Night When We Were Young.
CLICK HERE to listen to the MGM Records version of Who? (requires Acrobat Reader)

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

EARLY RELEASES OF OUTTAKES The outtake of Last Night When We Were Young first appeared, without explanation, on the labels very first Judy Garland compilation album: 1951s 4-disc 78rpm Judy Garland Sings (MGM-82). Most fans have assumed that the compilation was created to take advantage of Judys stage triumphs at the London Palladium and New Yorks Palace Theater. In reality, the album was part of a series the label created to put the focus on their popular musical stars such as Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, and Kathryn Grayson. According to Billboards October 13, 1951 issue, Judy Garland Sings was Last Night When We Were Young and Merry released just two weeks before Judys Christmas were not added to any reAbove: The first Judy Garland soundtrack compilation album. concert debut at The Palace. Judy Gar- Below: Inside the gatefold of the original 2-disc release of In the Good Old Summertime lease of the soundtrack album to In the land Sings was also released Good Old Summertime until that same year on a single it was re-released as part of disc 10 33-1/3rpm version the labels Those Glorious (MGM E-82) and a 4-disc MGM Musicals series in 45rpm version (MGM K-82). 1974. From this point forward Last Night When We Were The Wizard of Oz was the Young appears on most of first Judy Garland soundtrack the labels Garland compilaalbum to premiere on the tions. 12 33-1/3rpm vinyl format. It was not released on 78 at Merry Christmas first apall, but was released on the peared on the labels 1952 3-disc 45rpm extended play compilation Merry Christformat (MGM X-3464 ST). mas (MGM E-169). This was one of the labels first themed compilations after the Sings series, simultaneously released as a single disc 10 33-1/3rpm release. The reverse side of the albums jacket lists other E (10) series releases including Kathryn Grayson Sings (E-551) and Lena Horne Sings (E-545), but not Judy Garland Sings (E-82), even though Judy is featured on the album and both Miss Grayson and Miss Horne are not.

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

COMPLETE SOUNDTRACK ALBUMS MGM Records 1956 soundtrack album of The Wizard of Oz was a milestone. It included songs and dialog taken directly from the soundtrack of the film to create a unique aural representation of the films story. This wasnt an entirely new concept. In 1951 MGM Records included dialog as part of their soundtrack of the score to Quo Vadis. The Oz soundtrack was one of the labels most popular, never out of print in one format or another until the compact disc era began. In 1989 CBS Special Products released a new version on compact disc. That version followed the lead of MGM Records, featuring dialog and songs recorded directly from the soundtrack, this time expanded to take advantage of the CD formats longer length. That CD also featured the premiere release of an edited version of the outtake The Jitterbug. 1974s unexpected hit film Thats Entertainment! created a renewed and enduring interest in MGM musicals. To capitalize on this, MGM Records re-released their soundtrack albums in a new series titled Those Glorious MGM Musicals with the tag line 2 Complete Original Sound Track Recordings. There were twelve 2-record sets released selling for $7.98 each. In the UK the albums were titled Silver Screen Soundtrack Series and featured a markedly different design aesthetic. The main difference between the two
Images: 1970s Japanese import version of Those Glorious MGM Musicals; 1970s UK Silver Screen Soundtrack Series; Label of 1950 promo of A Couple of Swells

is that the American series was released in their original mono format while the UK series was enhanced for stereo. In spite of the new long playing 33-1/3rpm format, MGM Records did not see the need to take the time and expense to go back and re-edit their soundtrack albums. They simply reissued them, usually with the addition of one or two other soundtracks in the same package. Complete soundtracks to Judy Garland films would not appear until the 1970s. These were not official soundtracks from MGM Records but rather bootleg releases from small labels, recorded directly from the soundtracks of the films. The Garland bootlegs were all soundtracks to pre-1947 films not available from MGM Records such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Harvey Girls (1946). The one exception was Till The Clouds Roll By which had passed into the public domain. For Garland fans, these bootlegs were a blessing, regardless of sound quality. They were the only soundtrack albums for these films until the 1990s Rhino Records soundtrack releases culled from the surviving pre-recording sessions, the film soundtracks and in some cases the original MGM Records albums.

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

JUDY GARLAND COMPILATIONS Beginning with the aforementioned 1951 release Judy Garland Sings, Garland compilation albums were always big sellers for MGM Records. While the compilation albums of some of her contemporaries at the studio faded into the collectors bins, Garland compilation reissues sold well for over three decades. The label continued to re-package and re-release them until MGM Records no longer existed. In 1961 the label released The Judy Garland Story Volume One - The Star Years! The LP was presented in the gate-fold style and featured a nice collage of photos including one from her non-singing role in The Clock (1945). Strangely, the photo inside facing the collage was a promotional pic from 1954s A Star is Born, the masterpiece Judy made after leaving MGM. Even the cover photo was a current photo of Judy in concert that had nothing to do with her MGM years at all. Obviously the label was capitalizing on Judys early 60s career renaissance. The track listing was identical to 1954s 10 LP release If You Feel Like Singing. The following year the label released volume two titled The Hollywood Years. This album is notable in that it was the first time that MGM Records reached back to Judys pre-1946 soundtrack performances. Most of the tracks were taken directly
Images: 1961s The Star Years!; Late 70s UK compilation that combined the two US LPs into one; Label for 1962s The Hollywood Years

from the soundtracks of the films rather than the pre-recording sessions. The label also included, without explanation, three outtake performances culled from the pre-recording sessions: Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (outtake from Love Finds Andy Hardy, 1938); Danny Boy (outtake from Little Nellie Kelly, 1940), and You Cant Get A Man With A Gun (outtake from 1949s aborted Annie Get Your Gun). The inclusion of the Annie track was a welcome thrill for Judys fans. Judy never completed the film but she did complete the prerecordings, and everyone wanted to hear them. The rest of Judys Annie outtakes would not officially appear for another 32 years (1996s Rhino Records Judy Garland Collectors Gems from the MGM Films). Previously there had been several bootleg LPs derived from poor sounding playback discs, with a sound quality that was disappointing - especially when compared to MGM Records version of You Cant Get A Man With A Gun. Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, MGM Records created sub-labels (Metro Records) and various series (Golden Archive Series). Judy Garland compilations were usually a part of the line-up, with the same tracks repackaged with new cover art.

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

In fact, no new soundtrack performances appeared on the label until 1974s double LP soundtrack to Thats Entertainment! and its 1976 sequel, the single disc soundtrack to Thats Entertainment! Part Two. The two soundtracks collectively featured: Under the Bamboo Tree & Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Meet Me in St. Louis, 1944); On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe (heavily edited, The Harvey Girls, 1946); A Couple of Swells (abridged but featuring the previously unreleased dance section, Easter Parade, 1948); For Me and My Gal (abridged, For Me and My Gal, 1942); and some song snippets in the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland Medley. EARLY STEREO RE-MIX Astute listeners in 1974 noticed that not only was On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe on the Thats Entertainment! album an actual pre-recording but it was in stereo. Real stereo, not that electronically enhanced for stereo effect that had been in use for quite some time. No explanation was given for this, leaving fans to ponder if MGM had experimented with stereo recordings back in 1945. Perhaps parts of the original release of the film were in stereo? In reality, the Thats Entertainment!s filmmakers had gone back to the surviving original pre-recording session tapes and found that MGM recorded most of their music utilizing an early multi-track system called stems. These
Images: 1974s Thats Entertainment! ; 1981s Hollywood Soundstage Records release of Meet Me in St. Louis; Label to 1970s Judy Garland compilation

stems were separate vocal and orchestra tracks used to create balanced mono tracks mixed into their pre-stereo-era films. Many of these stems survived, but even the advanced electronics of the 1970s couldnt properly blend them together efficiently. According to the filmmakers, the process was too laborious and time consuming. It would be another 20 years and the advent of the digital age before the recordings would successfully be blended. BOOTLEGS By the late 1970s, MGM Records wasnt the only label issuing Judy Garlands soundtrack performances on LP. Bootleg albums had been around for a while, but the increased interest in MGM musicals (and all of the Golden Eras musicals) created a cottage industry for bootlegs soundtracks. These albums varied greatly in sound quality, having been culled from prints of the actual films and not from prerecordings. Some actually sounded as though a person had placed a tape recorders microphone up to their television speaker. It makes sense, thats what most of us fans had been doing for quite some time.
CLICK HERE to listen to the Thats Entertainment! LP version of On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe (requires Acrobat Reader)

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

With a few exceptions, the films the bootleg labels focused on were those that were unavailable from the major labels, most likely in hopes of avoiding copyright issues. In the case of Judys films, this meant anything pre-1946. Till The Clouds Roll By was the exception because the film was in the public domain. MGM Records had their original abridged version, Sunbeam Records and Sandy Hook Records had theirs. These albums were many a fans introduction to Judys films. This was before the days of VCRs and DVD. Fans had to wait for something to be shown on broadcast TV, sometimes setting their alarms for the early morning hours to catch a rare showing. In that respect, and in spite of the sometimes poor quality, these bootlegs were treasures. Some were also quite elaborate, featuring gatefold packaging and wonderful graphics. A perfect example is Sunbeam Records 1983 release of Presenting Lily Mars. The album was in the gatefold format and featured photos from the Garlandia collection of Wayne Martin. The big plus on this album is that it features all the songs and dialog from the film. There werent enough musical numbers in the film to flesh out an entire LP, so the label decided to included the entire film soundtrack from beginning to end, spread out over two records. Many of Judys Lily Mars prerecordings (most in stereo) have since been released on CD compilations, but to date this is the only Lily Mars soundtrack album ever released.
Images: Cover and back cover art to 1983s Presenting Lily Mars; 1976s Cut! Out Takes from Hollywoods Greatest Musicals; Label of 1970s bootleg release of Everybody Sing

A notable highlight of the late 70s boom in soundtracks was DRG Records three LP series Cut! Outtakes from Hollywoods Greatest Musicals. DRG Records is not a bootleg label, still going strong today with such CD gems as Judys Garland at the Grove & Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli - Live at the London Palladium. The Cut! series was put together by Hugh Fordin, author of the definitive book about the MGM Musical: The World of Entertainment - Hollywoods Greatest Musicals ((now titled MGMs Greatest Musicals - The Arthur Freed Unit). Volume One of Cut! was released in 1976 and featured, for the first time, outtake recordings from classic Hollywood musicals. Judys outtakes were the spotlight, and the series included such previously unreleased gems as: Mr. Monotony from Easter Parade; Voodoo from The Pirate; We Must Have Music from Ziegfeld Girl; March of the Doagies from The Harvey Girls; even Ill Plant My Own Tree from Valley of the Dolls, among others. Compared to the subsequent Rhino Records restorations, the Cut! albums sound almost archaic, most having been transferred from scratchy playback discs. The MGM tracks were transferred from 80rpm discs kept in the Arthur Freed Archives at UCLA in Los Angeles. At the time they were a revelation. The public hadnt heard these wonderful outtakes before. Fans snatched them up with fervor, wondering what else the MGM vaults had in store.

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

The MGM Records trademark and label went through several different owners in the 1970s and 1980s. The soundtrack catalog eventually fell under the umbrella of the Turner Entertainment Co., and were licensed by Rhino Records beginning in 1995. PolyGram Records bought MGM Records in 1972, retaining rights to the MGM Records name and logo for ten years. This is why most of the rereleases of MGM soundtracks were still from MGM Records (the series Those Glorious MGM Musicals is a good example). The 1974 soundtrack to Thats Entertainment! was released on MCA Records in the US and on MGM Records in the UK. The soundtrack to the 1976 sequel was released on MGM Records. That same year PolyGrams Polydor Records took control of the catalog. In the mid-1980s, MCA Records re-released the MGM Records soundtracks for the last time in the US on LP under their MCA Classics Soundtracks series featuring the MGM Records logo. They were rehashes of the Those Glorious MGM Musicals series. Some were also released on cassette and CD. MCA also owned (still does in the US) the Decca catalog, resulting in one of the earliest Garland soundtrack compilation CDs, 1987s Best of Judy Garland from MGM Classic Films featuring a confusing mix of Decca studio and MGM Records soundtrack recordings. No track information was included, resulting in unsuspecting buyers not realizing that most of the performances on the CD were
Images: CD box packaging for the MCA release of The Pirate - note that its two of the series LPs on one CD; The LP version

not from film soundtracks. In 1989 CBS Records began releasing a series of MGM soundtracks on CD under their Special Products line. This included the premiere US CD release of The Wizard of Oz. The contents of the CDs were similar to the bootlegs of the 1970s and early 80s in that they were expanded versions taken directly from the soundtracks of the films and not the MGM Records albums. In addition to Oz, the other CBS Special Products Garland soundtracks were: Till the Clouds Roll By; The Pirate, Easter Parade; Words and Music; Summer Stock; and Thats Entertainment! Part Two. Quite a few Garland film performances made their CD debut with this series. The 2-CD set of Thats Entertainment! Part Two released in 1990 included the previously unreleased (on CD): Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas from Meet Me in St. Louis; I Got Rhythm from Girl Crazy; and For Me And My Gal from For Me And My Gal. MGM regained the MGM Records trademark in 1997, but the pre-1986 soundtracks catalog stayed with the current owners, Turner Entertainment Co., who licensed the soundtracks to Rhino Records.

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The MGM Records Story (Garland Edition)

The last Garland soundtracks released by MGM Records were, interestingly enough, two pre-1946 soundtracks newly restored by the Turner Entertainment Co.: The premiere release of the stereo soundtracks to Meet Me in St. Louis and Ziegfeld Follies. Both CDs were new, and were only available as part of the deluxe VHS and LaserDisc editions of the films released in 1994. At that point, the films were still being released by MGM/UA (via Turner). The CDs were produced by Rhino Records as part of a new contract with Turner and they were rereleased the following year under the Rhino label with identical packaging - the only change being the removal of the MGM Records logo. Rhino was given full access to the myriad of surviving prerecordings from the early sound films on. The Rhino CD releases subsequently used these, and other sources, to piece together the most complete MGM soundtracks released to the public thus far. The Rhino contract with Turner ended in 2010. To date there is no word as to whether Turner will move the recordings over to another label or not. The non-Garland MGM soundtrack to The Belle of New York was released by the Film Score Monthly label in 2011. But the label has since ceased production, dashing hope that it might pick up where Rhino left off. My hunch is that a new label will enter into a contract with Turner and well see new releases of old favorites and probably some previously unreleased material, hopefully in time for the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. The MGM Records story is far from over!
Images: 1994 MGM Records release of Meet Me in St. Louis CD. 1940 MGM Hollywood Reporter disc label

WHAT WAS THE FIRST SOUNDTRACK?

There has been debate over who released the first soundtrack, was is Disney or MGM? Prior to 1947 the only soundtrack performances available to the public were a couple of 78s released by RCA Records in 1938 that featured a few songs from the soundtrack of Walt Disneys Snow White And the Seven Dwarfs (1937). These were the first commercially released soundtrack records. In 1933 several commemorative 78s showcasing parts of Max Steiners ground-breaking score for King Kong (RKO 1933) were given to lucky theater patrons but were not released to the general public. Although the two Disney records are considered to be the first soundtrack recordings commercially released on records, it was MGM Records that pioneered albums of songs recorded directly from the soundtrack of films, featuring as many songs from the featured film as the time constraints of 78s would allow, beginning with their first release: Till the Clouds Roll By. As early as 1928, MGM was sending out discs (manufactured for them by Columbia Records) of music for theaters to play before, after, and during intermission of its films. These were short lived, but could be argued as the very first MGM Records. Beginning in the 1930s the major Hollywood studios released promotional records to radio stations. These records were usually 12 33 1/3 rpm discs that featured dialog, music, and songs from their films. They were for promotional use only but of course many have survived. MGMs discs were titled The M-G-M Hollywood Reporter (see image above) and were called Air Trailers because they were similar to film trailers but for the air (radio). These discs are fun to listen to because they also feature outtake or alternate material. This was due to the discs usually being released prior to the final edit of the films. In the end, the answer to the question of What was the first soundtrack? depends on what one considers an actual soundtrack. The first soundtrack records released to the public would be the two Snow White discs, the first soundtrack album would be Till the Clouds Roll By from MGM Records.

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Flashback:

Garlands for Judy - June 2000

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Author of Get Happy - The Life of Judy Garland

Reprinted from the June 2000 issue of Garlands For Judy

INTERVIEW Gerald Clarke

by Scott Schechter

n 2000 Gerald Clarkes much anticipated biography of Judy Garland was published. It became a best seller and received mostly positive reviews. In the intervening years the biography has been a bit controversial for Garland fans. Some seem to either love it, like it, or vilify the book and Clarke himself.

The following is a reprint of Scott Schechters interview with Clarke at the time of the books publication, as it appeared in the June 2000 issue of Garlands for Judy. Scott Schechter: Long before you began work on your book, would you say you considered yourself a Judy Fan? Gerald Clarke: I consider myself a Judy admirer. Im old enough to remember A Star Is Born, and saw the uncut version, and was very disappointed when she lost the Academy Award to Grace Kelly. I saw nearly everything she did, but I wasnt a collector. I didnt collect every version of every song. I think there are degrees of fandom. I never did get to see her live. I wish I had. When and why did you choose Judy as a subject? When i finished my book on Truman Capote I was looking around for a subject of equal interest to me, someone whos live was also dramatic, and who had also achieved what I thought to be great things, and someone mentioned Judy to me, and something inside me clicked. But before going into it, because writing a biography is

a big project, I read the other books that have been written about her. At that time there were three biographies. I did not want to write a book if THE book, meaning the definitive book had already been written. The books were the ones by Anne Edwards, Gerald Frank, and Christopher Finch. I thought that Frank and Finch were good writers, and were good books. I felt Franks book was very complete: he had talked to lots and lots of people, many who are now dead, and who were dead when i began my book, so he had that advantage, and he also had the cooperation from Judys estate, her family. I felt Finchs book was thin, and to my mind neither one brings Judy to life. continued

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Interview with Gerald Clarke, June 2000

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By Scott Schechter

I felt Frank did a better job in that than Finch did. The problem I had with Franks book was I felt that Judy got lost in a welter of detail. There were lots of details and lots of facts, particularly in Franks book, but Judy didnt come alive in any of the books, for me, as a reader. Thats when I felt I had a book to write, that the definitive book had not yet been written.
Image: Four year old Judy with sister Virginia at Glacier National Park

One of the advantages I had over the three previous biographers was that I had a lot of documents available to me, included, to begin with, the Freed Collection at USC, which has the production notes of most of Judys movies, including the ones with Joe Pasternak. (The MGM production notes, the MGM files, were thrown out by James Aubry when he was president of MGM, they were just discarded.) Production notes have minute-by-minute accounts of what was happening during the making of a movie. Since time was money, every minute was accounted for. If a light blew, or if Mickey Rooney dropped an ice cream cone on his shirt, or if the hot lights blew and actresses hairdo, all that was recorded. Theyre very accurate and very complete. The only other biographer who used those notes was Finch, and he didnt seem to use them very extensively. I did. I sat there at USC with a laptop computer for weeks, and I copied most of the production notes word for word, because I didnt know what I would want later on. The Star Is Born notes were not available until the late 70s, so none of the three biographers used those. Those were extremely valuable. Armed with that information I could then go on interviews with facts that I would not otherwise have. So I could go to an assistant director, and say at 2 minutes after 2, this happened, and that would unleash a flood of memories, and I could even use the production notes to check their memories. Youre talking about a great deal of time ago, 50 years ago, and memories start to fade, even people with very good memories. I interviewed many, many people who were at MGM, and in Lancaster. Of course, Judy knew everyone. I tried to interview people I thought were essential. I tried to be complete, but selective at the same time. Its important to interview people in person. For instance, Mugsy, Ina Mary Ming Miller, had been interviewed by Gerold Frank. In talking with her, I spent two full days with her continued

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Interview with Gerald Clarke, June 2000

in Nevada, and she told me the story about Judy and she discovering Judys mother with Gilmore in the pump house, which I felt was very important. I said why didnt you tell Gerold Frank that?, and she said oh, he was always calling me when I was making dinner, and that proved to me what I knew, which is that you really have to try to get to people in person and get them to concentrate. Also, many of the facts about Frank Gumms early life are not true, among other facts, so documents are important. I was the first to go to Tennessee where he grew up and lived till he was a young man. Why nobody else bothered to go down there I dont know. He had left in about 1905, and when I went down there it was 1990, so 85 years had elapsed. I visited the house he grew up in which is still there. Then I went to the courthouse, and I discovered many documents in a 4 or 5 inch thick file, covered with dust, that nobody looked at for 90 years. They really laid out Franks background, where his family had been living. So, to get his background was important, and to flesh out this mysterious person. I tried to get confirmation from as many different places as possible. I didnt want to print rumors as fact. There were rumors in other books that I could not find

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By Scott Schechter evidence for and I did not print them. People might say TEN YEARS to write a book?! When you begin a book youre like a detective and you really have to follow the trial to its end. Its impossible to know where the evidence will lead you. If you keep an open mind, once youre in, youre in, and you have to go to the conclusion, however long it takes. I knew it would take a substantial period of time, but I didnt know it would take as long as it did. There was never a time where I got tired of Judy Garland. You traveled many miles in doing research, and Im wondering if you thought of the multitude of miles which Judy traveled in her lifetime, from Grand Rapids to London? I took and apartment in Los Angeles for a year and a half in the beginning, and commuted between New York and Los Angeles. I criss-crossed the country many times. I traveled to Tennessee where Frank Gumm had been born; to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where Judy had been born; to Wisconsin where her parents had been married; all over California to interview people; to Nevada; to Ohio; to Florida; to England a couple of times.

Image: Frank Gumm, circa early 1930s

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Interview with Gerald Clarke, June 2000

I even got the Palladium to let me stand on the stage where Judy had been to see what it felt like, and this may sound a little silly, but actually it did tell me something. Its an embracing theater, and I could feel that Judy, when she walked out there in April, 1951, felt a kind of embrace. Its a huge theater, yet it seems much smaller than it is. Of course I thought of Judys travels, and I still am, as Im traveling around the country on promotion for the book. Its a very difficult thing to do, to go to sleep in hotels night after night, and to go from airport to airport. To be away fro your family, and the things youre accustomed to for week after week and month after month. Its a very difficult life that she led in that regard, or for any performer. Then to know that you always have to perform, to have to be on all the time, aware of what youre doing, aware of your health. I could understand how Judy felt, living that type of life. What are your favorite works from Judys career? I love The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, A Star Is Born. I have a fondness for Easter Parade, a couple of scenes in Summer Stock. There are many wonderful scenes, such as the ones with Sophie Tucker, and the ones with Fanny Brice, although the movies themselves are not very good. I like some of the TV shows from the series. The one she did with Ethel Merman and Barbra Streisand is spectacular, and Im just sorry it was not in color, and they could have shot that series in color, if they had wanted to, color was around in those days, and I think it would have made all the difference, actually. She would never have beaten Bonanza, and they never expected her to, really, but if she had come in close, it would have been a great thing. A favorite recording would be, oh, there are many out of them. Carnegie Hall. I like some of the early songs from the MGM years. I love her doing Danny Boy, and Im sorry it was not used in the movie. I did not like A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow, which she
Image: Backstage at the Palladium, 1951

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By Scott Schechter

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Interview with Gerald Clarke, June 2000

apparently loved, but its not one of my favorites. Did your perception of Judy as a performer change during the course of your work? Yes. As time went on I had a much greater appreciation of her qualities as a performer. As I studied her I saw the magnificent artistry she employed. I think that its clear that I did admirer her as a performer. I think she was an incomparable performer. People often mention Al Jolson, but I dont have any basis for comparison. Nobody does, except for a few very old people who saw Jolson live.

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By Scott Schechter

We only have a couple of ancient movies with Jolson, so its hard to compare the two. Jolson himself said that she would be the greatest female performer, ever, and she was. With Judy, even when you havent seen her live, we have so much available, and with Jolson we dont. Streisand doesnt touch me the way Judy does, although I like her. Im a great fan of American popular music, from Ella Fitzgerald, to Peggy Lee. I like Frank Sinatra too, but hes never touched me the way Judy does. Judy had something that no one else has had, and that is a vulnerability, she touched your heart in a way the others didnt. Unless peoples ears change, or their hearts change, I dont see how Judys appeal will perish. I think it will go on and on and on. She just touches a cord in many people, and sometimes a different cord. She touches different people in different ways. When she was good she just effected people in immeasurable ways. Did your perception of Judy as a person change? Yes. I appreciated her much more as a person and realized what she had gone through. I dont think people really quite appreciate the courage and the persistence, and the perseverance that woman demonstrated time and time and time again. Thats one of the reasons I cant understand why some of the fans think Ive denegraded Judy by reporting some of the bad spots in her life. If you dont know those, you dont appreciate how much effort it took to do what she did again and again. How much effort it took to overcome and to do the things she did. If you dont understand that this was a woman who had suffered wrenching physiological blows as a child and as a young woman, then you dont understand how much will it took to overcome all that. Things that happened to her that would have knocked most of us down, she came up again and again and again and again. Where that persistence, and that courage and that strength came from we cant really say for certain. That really was in her.

Image: Snapshot of Judy on set at MGM, 1948

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Interview with Gerald Clarke, June 2000

It wasnt given to her by her mother or anybody else, it was just in her. Did you have an idea of the story you wanted to tell when you started? No. I had to let the facts lead me to the story. I think you always have to do that. You cant prejudge. I knew the basic outlines of her life, of course. Everybody does. But I didnt know exactly where it would lead me, or exactly how I would tell the story. Was the editing process difficult? Were there a great number of pages that you had to cut from your manuscript? Well, I did it all Nobody told me I had to. I wanted a book of about the length that it is now. I did not want a door stopper. I think its exactly the right length for what I wanted. I wanted a book that would be accessible to readers. I think very often, in lots of biographies, the subject is lost in detail. In non-essential detail. Now, sure, there were lots of additional facts and stories I could have put in. There were lots of good stories I cut out. In the end I would up cutting about a hundred pages. I cute out 50,000 words. When I was writing, I was selective in what I put in and what I left out. I wasnt trying to write a Judy Garland
Image: Milton Greene portrait, 1961

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By Scott Schechter Encyclopedia. I was writing for the general reader who didnt know Judy, not for people who did know Judy. I think you have to tell the story as you see it, and thats what I tried to do. There are lots of 800-page biographies, and I do think the subject tends to get lost. The essential stories about Judy are told here, I believe.

What seems to be the response from the public to Judy Garland, in the year 2000, as you tour the country? Theres a lot of interest in Judy, everywhere Ive been, 8 cities so far, and 4 or 5, or even more to come. A universal interest. It shows her presence is still felt across the country, and in England too. Ive got a publisher in England, where it will be out in August, and it looks as well have sales in other countries, including Japan. Do you feel the media has accurately represented Judy, and your book? If Im given any time on TV, if its live and not edited, I do try to let the know that there were many happy times in Judys life. That she had a wonderful sense of humor. She was, however, either very happy or very unhappy. continued

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Interview with Gerald Clarke, June 2000

Some people have felt there was not enough of Judys humor in the book. I dont feel that Judys humor was not the kind of humor what was easy to convey in print. Her humor was not of the one-liner. It was more in the telling of a story, the way that she told it. It almost has to be seen. In my estimation, I tried to do it. She did have a few oneliners I used. One of the other criticisms people have had has been the use of... Sex? Yes I thought about the sexual incidents very carefully, whether I should put them in or not, and there were many I left out, believe me. I didnt throw in sex. I dont believe, gratuitously. You have to remember several things. Firs of all, Judy was not a prude. She was very nonjudgmental about sex. I talked with many people about this. Indeed, (she was) almost clinical in some of her descriptions of things she did. She seemed to have no sexual hangups whatsoever. Which, to my mind, is good. Other people my disagree. It seems to me were in a more puritanical era than we were 10 or 15 or 20 years ago. I find it odd that many people didnt object to the Starr Report which was published by the House of Representatives of the United States, and goes into gruesome detail about the Presidents
Image: Modern Screen magazine November 1944

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By Scott Schechter

[Bill Clintons] sex life. Secondly, sex had a lot of physiological dimensions (for Judy) that it doesnt have for a lot of other people. Judy always considered herself ugly, so if she was able to entice a good looking man into bed, which she did, it was an affirmation of her desirability as a woman. She considered it a victory. Indeed, she was very aggressive about it, as many people told me. To have left out some of Judys affairs, would have robbed the book of some meaning. Thirdly, Judy had a tremendous inferiority complex, and she would humiliate herself often with men. Therefore, I put in the incident of her singing Over the Rainbow. Its an ugly, unpleasant incident, certainly, but thats exactly why I put it in: its very telling of her willingness to humiliate herself by singing what she considered her holy song, while performing a sex act, at the request of the man on whom she was performing it. I thought about it long and hard because it is so ugly and so unpleasant. A lot of people have criticized me for putting the sex in, some of the reviewers, and many of the fans. But I did it for that reason. The incident with Tom Green, I could have left out. I guess, sure I could have. But as Tom says, he didnt see anything wrong with it. Judy didnt see anything wrong with it. I dont see anything wrong with it.

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Interview with Gerald Clarke, June 2000

Youve also gotten criticism from two family members. First, a report circulated that Sid Luft supposedly said Tom Green had confessed to him that he (Tom) had lied to you during your interview for Get Happy, in order to get back at Lorna for what she had said about him (Tom) in her book. I interviewed Tom Green long before Lornas book came out. At least a year before. He had no idea, nor did I, what Lorna was going to say in her book. We didnt know what was going to be in it, it was long before galleys came out, it was long before anything came out. We had no idea what was going to be in it. The other claim comes from Lorna Luft, who says you never contacted her (to be interviewed for your book). Well, I did contact her. I wrote Sid, and Lorna, and Liza, almost identical letters, saying what I was going to do, that I was going to write a book about Judy that would be serious, honest, yet compassionate, and that it would be very much like my book on Truman Capote, and I sent each of them a copy of my book Capote. Lizas publicist responded, very politely, and said no, that Liza did not want to talk about her mother anymore, but it was nothing against me. I have the letter. It was very polite, and I understood perfectly, and did not press any further. I called Sid. He was very cordial and said he would not sit down for a formal interview because he was writing his own book, but that he would have dinner with me. We did have dinner in Los Angeles, at a restaurant of his choice, a very nice restaurant, about a block from where he lived. The dinner went on from the usual time, 7:30 or thereabouts, to like 1:30 in the morning. Sid was charming. We had a very good time, but he wanted to continue talking. After paid the bill then he bought me an after-dinner drink. Then he didnt was the evening to end. He took me to his apartment house, which, as I said, was about a block away,
Image: Judy and Frank Sinatra rehearse Dick Tracy in B Flat for radio broadcast, 1945

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By Scott Schechter

to show me a black Mercedes Benz that he said he had bought for Judy in the 50s, which was sitting in an underground garage in his apartment building. Then I said goodbye, and wheeled myself away, totally exhausted. I subsequently talked to Sid a couple of times over the telephone to ask him some questions. Since I knew he didnt want to talk about Judy, I did ask him questions about his own history, just to confirm what had been in Gerold Franks book, which he was very nice enough to answer. I mentioned to him that Lorna had not responded, and he said that she had gotten my letter, but she said to him, Daddy, I just dont want to talk about Mama. So Im puzzled that she would now claim that I did not try to reach her. Finally, what would you hope people would feel after reading Get Happy? I hope that Judy comes alive for them in my book, and I hope they feel that they are in the presence of an extraordinary performer and a remarkable woman. (4/4/00)

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This is a traditional 3D image. To view it in 3D, you must use blue & red 3D glasses, easily obtainable online. Glasses from modern 3D films wont work.

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izard of Oz fans know that Warner Home Video (WHV) no doubt has plans for the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz in 2013. To kick things off a little early, WHV has announced that next fall (September or October) they will re-release Oz in theaters and on Blu-ray in a newly remastered 3D edition. The Blu-ray release will most likely include the film in high definition and standard DVD. The Oz 3D edition will be a part of the Warner Bros. 90th anniversary celebration. Oz will also be a part of two newly announced collections: A 100-film collection on DVD and a 50film collection on Blu-ray, plus several 2-film, themed DVD collections (musicals, comedies, etc.) and several themed Bluray collections. The move to re-release the film in the modern 3D format has generated some lively discussion amongst the fans. Some are all for it while others are against tampering with the film yet again. One astute fan noted that this George Lucas adding new things to his films, this is the same film simply being shown in a new format. Im inclined to agree. The film is the same and the magic will always be there. Any enjoyment of the film in 3D would likely depend on ones enjoyment of the process in general and the reformatting of the film by Warner Home Video. Hopefully theyll also do a good job in the theatrical presentation, and we wont have any of the many snafus that plagued the Fathom Events showings of the film in 2009.

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In keeping with the Discography Spotlight, here are the various soundtrack releases of The Wizard of Oz over the years...

L-R, top to bottom: 1956; 1956; 1962; 1969; 1972; 1970s; 1970s; 1970s; 1986; 1986; 1989; 1995; 1995; 1997; 1998; 2000; 2000; 2002; 2003; 2005; 2007; 2009

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Vintage Garland - Stereo Review, September 1974

The following is a reprint of the article Those Glorious MGM Musicals by Robert Kimball as featured in the September 1974 issue of Stereo Review.

he end of World War II coincided with a release of pent-up creative energies and a surge of joyful expectancy which had a powerful, catalytic effect on the musical offerings of Broadway and Hollywood. While Broadway flourished, MGM, led by the farsighted producer-lyricist Arthur Freed, was a the center of what was for

THOSE GLORIOUS M*G*M MUSICALS

You can have them all for under $100 - but first read the review by Robert Kimball

many the Golden Age of the Hollywood musical. That great period ended in the late Fifties, and the isolated high-quality film musicals that have followed only remind us of the paucity of outstanding contributions to the genre over the last fifteen years. Comes now, however, welcome news for film buffs, music lovers, and students of our culturally history, for MGM has recently retransferred, repackaged, and rereleased, in a series

of two-record sets, twenty-nine soundtrack recordings that are immensely enjoyable as sheer entertainment as well as immensely valuable for the insights they provide into the dreams, values, and preoccupations of post-World War II America. Set down for all - young and older - to savor are recorded reflections of the excellence, the extravagance, the excitement, and, above all, the extraordinary exuberance that were then the keynotes of our national hopes and aspirations. But how naive it all seems! Could we really have been so full of optimism and self-confidence such a short time ago? Many talented people helped make these films, scores, and recordings possible, and the John Greens, Vincente Minnellis, and Conrad Salingers all deserve acclaim. So do the performers who were either principal or secondary members of Arthur Freeds MGM stock company of the Forties and Fifties. But on these recordings three supremely gifted artists tower above everyone else: Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, and Gene Kelly. While Astaire, Garland, and Kelly were unique performers, they also shared certain attributes, evident on these recordings, which contributed to their greatness as interpreters of songs. They all had a remarkable ability to project a songs lyric as effectively as they presented the music. All three had in abundance those indefinable qualities of sensibility and taste. All had excellent diction and phrased their songs impeccably. And they never made themselves more import-

ant than the songs they were singing. Garland, a great natural singer, gave us energy, tenderness, innocence, and vulnerability, even in this last phase of her long career with MGM. While one could argue that most of Garlands best work preceded and followed the period of her final MGM films, what we have here is still pretty terrific. Astaire certainly did most of his best work long before the years covered by these recordings, but it is always a pleasure to hear this superb perfectionist present a song. His approach is never ostentatious, and he never sounds rushed. His simplicity and elegance in delivery made him the favorite singer of many of our greatest songwriters - even though most of us, including Astaire himself, consider him primarily a dancer.

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Vintage Garland - Stereo Review, September 1974

But it is Gene Kelly, with his vitality and versatility, who is perhaps the most important of the three standouts in this series. He was at his peak in this period, and in a number like Singin in the Rain he somehow crystallizes the joyful confidence that characterized the era. The ebullient Kelly can lift the spirits of even the most hardhearted and make us believe - if only for the duration of the song - that life is perpetual spring and the world is puddle-wonderful. Among the many other performers on these records are Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Miller, Donald OConnor, June Allyson, and Lena Horne. There as also a few people whose names you may not know, such as India Adams, who sang for Cyd Charisse in The Band Wagon, Carol Richards, who sang for Miss Charisse in Silk Stockings, Anita Ellis, who sang for Vera-Ellen in Three Little Words, and other who dubbed (ghosted) for stars whose dancing and glamour were the principal reasons for their stardom (MGM, when it originally issued these records, was the first record company to identify the singers who didnt appear in the films but whose voices were heard on the soundtracks). One of the most unlikely artists present in this series is opera singer Helen Traubel, and she not surprisingly - sang for herself, in the film biography of Sigmund Romberg, Deep in My Heart. Her performances of Stout-Hearted Men or Auf Wiedersehen! are not only magnificent displays of singing at its best, but a reminder of what can happen when the barriers between popular and Classical music come tumbling probably somewhat defective - copies of previous releases of I Love Melvin or Summer Stock. At $7.98 per set, these recordings are both a bargain (even by todays wildly inflationary standards) and an impressive document of the glory and grandeur of the MGM musical in its heyday. [Kimball includes short capsules of each soundtrack, the Garland related entries are copied here]

down and true artistry transcends the artificial limits we sometimes create. or those who want only the high spots of MGM musicals, there is the MCA album Thats Entertainment! reviewed here last month, but for collectors hungry for more, this MGM series is a blessing. And before going on to a capsule, chronological guide to the films represented, I would like to extend my personal thanks to all at MGM who made these reissues possible, especially to John Herardi and Richard Oliver, who compiled and produced the series (Oliver also wrote the detailed, informative notes). Without their efforts we would still be paying $30 or $40 or higher for rare, old - and

1946
Till the Clouds Roll By. A musical biography of Jerome Kern. Garlands performance of Who! is firstrate. The recording has historical significance as the first motion picture sound-track album. 1948 The Pirate. Judy Garland and Gene Kelly excel in this Cole Porter score, which happily seems to have improved (it was good to start with) with time. Vincente Minnelli directed.

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Vintage Garland - Stereo Review, September 1974

Easter Parade. Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, and a memorable Irving Berlin score (A Couple of Swells and Stepping Out With My Baby) combine to create one of the very best of the bunch. Judy sang the title song. Words and Music. A humdrum sort of biography of Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart. Betty Garrett (Theres a Small Hotel) and Ann Sothern (Wheres That Rainbow?) sound very good, the rest mediocre. 1949 In the Good Old Summertime. This musical romance set in turn-of-the-century Chicago proved to be an unpretentious, but highly effective, showcase for Judy Garland. The score embraced a potpourri of styles, but Judy was equal to everything from I Dont Care to the Harburg-Arlen Last Night When We Were Young. 1950 Summer Stock. Judy Garlands farewell to MGM. The songs, mostly by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, are quite good, but Judys great moment was her sparkling performance of the Arlen-Ted Koehler evergreen Get Happy. THE COUPLINGS AND TRIPLINGS (all albums priced at $7.98) Singin in the Rain/Easter Parade, MGM 2-SES-40ST The Pirate/Pagan Love Song/Hit the Deck, MGM 2-SES-43ST Till the Clouds Roll By/Three Little Words, MGM 2-SES-45ST Good News/In the Good Old Summertime/Two Weeks with Love, MGM 2-SES49ST Summer Stock/Everything I Have Is Yours/I Love Melvin, MGM 2-SES-52ST Words and Music/Deep in My Heart, MGM 2-SES-54ST

Outer images are the six albums that make up the original American series. The two images below are Polydor issues from the same series sold in Japan, featuring slightly different couplings of soundtracks.

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Judys Crossword
Across 1. ______ Stock 5. ______ Berlin 7. ______ ______ from the MGM Films 8. ______ stole my heart away? 9. If You ______ Like Singing 12. MGM-1 13. Have Yourself A ______ Little Christmas 14. ______ Mir Bist Du Schoen 15. Judy Garland in ______ 18. ______ and Music 19. Golden ______ Series 21. Judy was ______ when she filmed Who? 22. ______ Happy Down 2. ______ Records 3. It Only Happens When I ______ Wih You 4. ______ Entertainment 6. The ______ ______ at MGM 10. Thats ______ 11. ______ Judy 13. Those Glorious ______ Musicals 16. The Ultimate ______ 17. A Couple of ______ 20. Roger Edens and ______ Thompson

Each issue of Garlands for Judy features a crossword puzzle. Each puzzle will also have an interactive online counterpart (see link below) for easier playing. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to play the online interactive version

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Judys Word Search

Find the words listed below. Note that some may be hidden in the puzzle in reverse. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to play the online interactive version

RHINO RECORDS WORDS AND MUSIC MGM RECORDS GOLDEN YEARS

COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY SUMMER STOCK

FOREVER JUDY IN SONG EASTER PARADE ALBUM

THE PIRATE WIZARD OF OZ OUTTAKE GATEFOLD

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Acknowledgments
My sincere thanks to everyone who supported last springs first edition. Your support and enjoyment of Garlands for Judy made it a great success. A huge thanks to our contributors for this edition: Dewey Mee, Marielle ONeill, Kristen Rae Johnson, and Michelle Russell. Of course, this webzine would never have happened were it not for all the hard work and perseverance of the original magazines editor Scott Schechter. Thanks go out to everyone on Facebook, Twitter, and the other social networking sites who support The Judy Room site and the Judy Garland News & Events blog. Garlands for Judy is By the Fans, for the Fans. This means that if anyone would like to contribute ideas, photos, scans of items, reviews, or essays please contact me at: [email protected]. Theres no guarantee that everything will be included, but all input is welcome. The goal here is to provide a fun and informative webzine celebrating the life and career of Judy Garland - By the Fans, for the Fans. For more details about Judy Garland, click on the following links: The Judy Room The Judy Garland Online Discography Judy Garland News & Events The Judy Room on Facebook The Judy Room on Twitter The Wizard of Oz Film Curiozity Corner The Judy Garland Database
Unless otherwise noted, all images in this webzine are from the collection of The Judy Room.

Photo: Judy in 1945

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