Cash-ins, of course, are nothing new, and in 1945 Judy Garland was able to add another item to her resume. Well, sort of. In Judy Garland and the Hoodoo Costume, the former Dorothy Gale became an unwitting mystery sleuth. The author, Kathryn Heisenfelt, is more mysterious than her books and her books are all kinds of … Continue reading Judy Garland, Mystery Sleuth
Judy Garland, Protagonist
It's Judy Garland's one-hundred second birthday today. This great artist has been extensively written about, speculated about, pitied, celebrated and misjudged for decades, both when she was alive and in the nearly sixty years that have passed since her death. She even starred in her own mystery novel in 1945, but that's another topic for … Continue reading Judy Garland, Protagonist
Judy’s Last MGM Movie
Miss Judy is back... It's no secret that Judy's life got difficult towards the end of her time at MGM, which was an endless push-pull between her trying to take control of her health and well-being and the studio wanting her back at work. Judy was fired from two movies in 1949--Annie Get Your Gun and The … Continue reading Judy’s Last MGM Movie
Judy and Sid vs. Warner Bros.
What's up, Doc? As the cliche says, "Money makes the mare go." That metaphorical mare is often a picky eater, especially when art and money meet, and not even one of the greatest purveyors of the art we call film, Warner Bros., is immune. Judy Garland's 1954 movie, A Star Is Born is at once one … Continue reading Judy and Sid vs. Warner Bros.
Andy Hardy In the Big City
We are family... Few families were as quintessential to the nineteen-thirties and forties as the Hardys, with the focal point, being, of course, Andy Hardy. Between 1937 and 1946, movie audiences could expect to see at least one Andy Hardy film from MGM a year. Since they used mostly existing sets, they were not only … Continue reading Andy Hardy In the Big City
Stage To Screen: Babes In Arms
We all know that before there was Rodgers and Hammerstein there was Rodgers and Hart, and their 1937 hit, Babes In Arms became Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney's third movie and first musical together, not to mention the first of their famous barnyard musicals. It was also Arthur Freed's first official producer credit and Busby Berkeley's first … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Babes In Arms
Van and Judy
We are now entering the Shane universe... The one and only time Van Heflin worked with Judy Garland in any significant capacity was on the 1943 film, Presenting Lily Mars, a light fun comedy that showed both actors to their best advantages and sometimes unexpected ones. Lily Mars (Judy Garland) is a native of Midhaven, Indiana … Continue reading Van and Judy
During World War Two: Five Wartime Holiday Songs
There's no doubt the war felt harder around the holidays. Not only were people missing their loved ones, but there were shortages of many materials so everyone had to get creative. Handmade gifts were big, and children's toys were often made out of paper and wood instead of plastic and metal. However, stuff wasn't always … Continue reading During World War Two: Five Wartime Holiday Songs
The Hardys Take Manhattan
Anything that can go wrong... MGM made sixteen Andy Hardy films. It might sound funny to us today, but movie serials were the thing before the advent of TV, and the Hardy movies were easy and quick to shoot because they used the same sets and mostly the same cast every time. Plus the stories … Continue reading The Hardys Take Manhattan
During World War Two: With A Little Help From My Friends
After Britain and Germany declared war in 1939, there were roughly two years in which America, for all intents and purposes, laid low. Sort of. Not really. The first Neutrality Act was signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on August 31, 1935, and it would be renewed several times over the next few years. The Act … Continue reading During World War Two: With A Little Help From My Friends
Before the Rainbow
Judy Garland is so tied to the role of Dorothy, and pretty much every role that followed it, that it's easy to forget what her career was like before she clicked her Ruby Slippers together. One of my favorites of her pre-Oz movies is 1938's Listen, Darling, a fun road trip-meets-Parent Trap dramedy that features durable … Continue reading Before the Rainbow
Stage To Screen: Girl Crazy
Amazing as their music is, a lot of George and Ira Gershwin's musicals aren't presented today in their original forms, and while Girl Crazy is no different, it has stayed more intact than the vast majority of its mates, at least in terms of its music. Girl Crazy marked the debut of such classics as "I Got … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Girl Crazy
The Talk of the Town
About a year ago I did an "Origins" post on Judy, and it's kinda nice that Amazon brought the movie to Prime. Were my first impressions correct? Yes and no. The movie alternates between scenes of Judy as a youngster and as an adult, up to about six months before she passed away. There's music, of course, … Continue reading The Talk of the Town
Six Reasons To See “Meet Me In St. Louis”
In 1944 Americans and everyone around the world were weary of war. There was a desire for simpler, happier times, when nothing very big or exciting happened. Hollywood fed into this with movies such as Meet Me In St. Louis, a gentle story about the Smith family as they wait for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, or th … Continue reading Six Reasons To See “Meet Me In St. Louis”
Ziegfeld-less Follies
Mr. Ziegfeld, I presume... For someone who was the pinnacle of Broadway success, Florenz Ziegfeld didn't actually appear onscreen all that much as an actual character. Maybe once or twice, but that was about it. Oftentimes he was just an offscreen presence and his show was aspriational for many hopefuls. Other than that, he was … Continue reading Ziegfeld-less Follies
Back To MGM
Mr. Keaton is back... Buster Keaton did have a career of sorts in sound films. Well, he tried, anyway. From 1933 onwards Keaton's life was turbulent. He was fired from MGM in 1933, his marriage collapsed, and Keaton struggled with alcohol abuse. IMDb claims there was a period of time when the public hated him … Continue reading Back To MGM
Christmas In Carvel
Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel! ¡Feliz Navidad! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Feliz Natal! Erry-may Istmas-chray! 🙂 Before the advent of TV, studios invested in movie serials, and one of MGM's most popular franchises was the Andy Hardy series, which followed the adventures of its young protagonist in the Midwestern (?) town of Carvel. The films were sure bets … Continue reading Christmas In Carvel
Taking Up Room 