JUDY GARLAND The Concert Years (TV) [1985]

http://bayimg.com/KAohHaacL Judy Garland: The Concert Years (1985) (TV) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089387/ The phenomenon that was Judy Garland is brought back in Judy Garland: The Concert Years. In segments culled primarily from her 1963- 64 television series, the incomparable star offers 36 songs from her very personal and distinctive repertory, nearly half in their entirety. There is, needless to say, an uncommon abundance of thrilling moments. Time has hardly dimmed the emotional impact of a Garland performance. She remains the special kind of theatrical force that exposes itself completely. It is almost impossible to look away, even when the vulnerability threatens to become painful. Just behind the performing figure hover the images of the child star who was mistreated by Hollywood and the woman superstar whose private problems kept spilling over into sensational headlines. Interestingly, when she appears early in this program wearing a simple black dress, she unexpectedly evokes the special aura of an Edith Piaf, another petite entertainer packing an extraordinary wallop as she bared her talent and her life in public performances. In many ways, Judy Garland was America's little sparrow, the eternal gamin, the unforgettable chanteuse. The program was made in cooperation with Sid Luft, Miss Garlands former husband and manager, and the copyright is held by Mr. Luft and the Educational Broadcasting Corporation. Not surprisingly, then, the role of Mr. Luft, who puts in an appearance himself, is presented in a light that some observers may find a touch overly positive. And the host is Lorna Luft who, again not surprisingly, stresses the warm aspects of her parents' relationship. In addition, a collection of personalities was recruited to comment on Miss Garlands style and artistry. Alan King, the comedian who shared some bills with her, observes, among other things, that she had a good marriage with Mr. Luft. Edward Albee, the playwright, recalls how every Garland performance was an adventure. Rex Reed, the columnist, remembers with awe the sight of tears streaming down the face of the columnist Hedda Hopper after she watched Miss Garland at Carnegie Hall. But, in the end, there is Miss Garland herself, and all those wonderful songs. She croons, she belts, she flirts outrageously with her audiences, almost begging to be loved as much as she loves performing for them. She is seen in snippets with Ethel Merman, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett and Bob Newhart. She shows delight in doing a complicated duet with a young and obviously talented singer named Barbra Streisand. A film made in 1929 shows her as 7-year-old Frances Ethel Gumm doing a vaudeville turn with her two older sisters. A short scene cut from the film A Star Is Born has her prancing brightly through When My Sugar Walks Down the Street. She does a version of Just in Time that Mort Lindsey, the conductor and arranger, describes, with awe, as just modulating all over the place. She can go from looking svelte and glamorous to being overweight and rather grotesque, her puffy face seeming far too big for her 4-foot-11 frame. But always there are the voice and inimitable hand gestures, wrapping themselves around the familiar favorites - Over the Rainbow, The Man That Got Away - and brilliantly tackling the unexpected - Old Man River, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Any opportunity to watch her again has to be special and, for all its flaws, The Concert Years is certainly that.

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davism1 (2013-08-21)

Hey, TW, any chance you could seed a bit more? Five of us die-hard Judy fans seem stuck at 88%. Please? For Me and My Gal? lol