"I thought she was the most adorable thing
ever put on the face of the planet."
Ray Bolger (The Wizard of Oz Scarecrow)
Judy was one of the
brightest stars of the old Hollywood studio system and one of
its most tragic victims. Yet she was a survivor. I have
watched many of Judy’s films and have yet to find one in which,
regardless of the material, I am not mesmerized by her
presence. She is very approachable, vulnerable, hopeful. Her
voice is a national treasure. And for Wizard of Oz alone
she deserves to be a legend.
I consider her a
creativitator because she is the classic example of the “show
must go on” attitude. Whatever her personal problems, she never
let it stand in the way of a dynamite performance on film. She
gave her all to her audience. When she sings she breaks your
heart or lights up your life—depending on the mood of the song.
It is a rare thing to find someone who can sing with such
conviction and feeling. And Judy didn’t just sing. She was a
good enough dancer to make a suitable partner for both Gene
Kelly and Fred Astaire. And she was a formidable actress, being
nominated for the Academy Awards.
There were “stars” from
the golden days that seemed like they were from another planet,
such was the mystique built around them. But though Judy’s
voice was out of this world, she herself was unmistakably of
this Earth. That is her appeal. We can identify with her. She
is like us—and not like us.
I wish she that she
could have gone on and lived to sing for many more years.
Ramona Leiter
Intro to Judy Garland
on Wikipedia.org:
Judy Garland
(born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10,
1922 –
June
22, 1969) was an American film actress
considered by many to be one of the greatest
singing stars of Hollywood's Golden Era of
musical film. Garland's singing voice had a
natural vibrato, which she was able to
maintain at extremely low volume. The
effects which she was able to project
enabled her to convey a wide range of
emotion when she interpreted a song. The
American Film Institute named Garland among
the Greatest Female Stars of All Time,
ranking at No. 8.
Be sure
to read the Introduction to this
Creativitators section of Creativity Crossroads
for an
overview of what the term "Creativitator" stands for on this
site.
Books and DVDs:
BOOK:
The Judy
Garland Collector's Guide
by Edward R.
Pardella
Amazon.com Review:
Judy Garland is a true Hollywood icon. A legend. Her
remarkable 45-year career in show business began at the age
of two, when she performed on stage as the diminutive member
of the singing trio the Gumm Sisters. By the age of
thirteen, she was under contract to MGM, and her
extraordinary fifteen-year association with the studio
provided moviegoers with memorable performances in classic
motion pictures such as The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St.
Louis, and Easter Parade. In the late 1930s, merchandise
bearing her name and likeness began to fill department store
shelves throughout the country. With over five hundred
illustrations, this book explores all areas of the Garland
merchandising phenomenon. It provides readers with a
nostalgic, photographic reference guide to the vast array of
collectibles, plus a biography exploring Judy's early
childhood and rise to stardom, and a complete motion picture
chronology, discography, home video library, and portrait
gallery. This unique volume delivers a comprehensive
identification and price guide for collectors of movie
posters, movie memorabilia, Wizard of Oz collectibles,
dolls, records, and sheet music.
DVD:
The Judy
Garland Signature Collection
(A Star is Born / The Wizard of Oz / The Harvey Girls / Love
Finds Andy Hardy / In the Good Old Summertime / Ziegfeld Girl /
For Me and My Gal)
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