User reviews

"The Judy Garland Show" has found new life thanks to Pioneer Artists' DVD release of most of the series episodes. After years of clips and compilations, it is a incredible to finally be able to see these shows in their entirety. Garlands's performances are undimmed by the passage of time. And so many wonderful performances by guest stars like Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Mickey Rooney, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone and Liza Minnelli are preserved here as well. The technical quality of these DVD releases is astounding. Included also are many outtakes, alternate takes, and other fascinating behind-the-scenes shots. I just can't recommend these shows too much

If you love (or even like) Judy Garland at all, you will like/love this short-lived Judy Garland Show series. This is an incredibly well done, well staged and a very cool show to see.

Those of us who were not alive at the time of the original airings of this wonderful variety show really missed out on something special. The series has rarely been seen by the public since the 1960's.

I thank the creators/producers of this DVD series for making these programs available to the public for the first time in over 40 years.

A mere 26 weeks on the air, Judy and her wonderful guest stars really shine in the presentations of the programs. The original Video Tape has obviously been well preserved in a vault somewhere since 1963-1964, because the picture and sound are among some of the best quality I have ever seen from programs of this era!

A super sharp clear picture and audio that is remastered to Dolby 5.1 stereo--It may look and sound better than when it first aired!

If you love classic TV shows of the great variety show era, This series is for you! And.... you can buy individual DVD's with two to three shows per disc!

There are a few extras included in the form of show outtakes.

I have seen 5 episodes so far, and I really do highly recommend this short-lived, fabulously wonderful, superbly cool series! You go, Judy!

Well... What to say...? Here's a show i discovered not so long ago, when trying to know more about the dramatic life of Judy Garland. Surely, i didn't expect to enjoy it that much! I knew almost nothing about it when, as an impulsive buyer, i purchased the two parts of The Judy Garland Show Collection, released by Pioneer. Watching DVD after DVD, I discovered an amazing show, with incredible singing, true emotions and real fun. Of course, the humor is a bit dated, and some of the guests are - for me- simply annoying, but let's face it, if you watch this show, it's for Judy and Judy only! She's there, she's alive and she surely shows it : she sings, she dances, she moves like she did 20 years before. Yes, there are flaws, after all, she would die a few years after... But it doesn't really matter. You just enjoy the terrific performance and praise the technicians from Pioneer who did such a fantastic job on these shows and gave us the possibility to enjoy them like never before, more than 40 years after their original broadcasting. My advice? Get these two box sets while they're still available! And have fun.

I'm SO enjoying watching THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW on DVD. What a treat it is to see this extremely talented (yet troubled) artist in what is as close to live performances as I'll ever see. (I was only 6 years old when this show aired, so I have no memory of watching it--and I probably had to be in bed before it came on at 9 p.m. anyway.)

It's also wonderful to see so many stars appearing with her: Streisand and Merman in what is a unique experience; Diahann Carroll; Donald O'Conner; and, of course, Mickey Rooney and Judy together.

I get the impression from watching these shows that the Judy we're seeing is the REAL Judy Garland and not a character she's playing. She has such a great sense of humor, including her light-hearted self-deprecating comments. (I particularly enjoyed her remarks about her "firing" by MGM.)

The audio and video transfer quality is excellent. It's like watching the show live!!

If you're a Judy fan--or just a fan of great talent--then please treat yourself to these wonderful DVDs.

This is such a great document of a leading actress and singer, Judy Garland, from the last century. It is also an interesting time capsule with such vocalist types as folkie Judy Henske and George Maharis (the latter more known as an actor). What else can I say? Duets with legends Lena Horne, Ethel Merman, her daughter Liza Minnelli and a young Barbra Streisand not to mention a delightfully cute and moving tribute to children's songs with Louis Jourdan. I never would have thought I'd hear Garland sing "Popeye the Sailor Man" or "Someday My Prince Will Come." I would have given the series a higher mark if the format changes didn't make it so frustrating but the high points DO outshine any flaws. For instance, guest Bobby Darin is simply awesome. I enjoyed the "Tea for Two" segments as they broke up (gave us a rest from) all the singing and dancing. They also spotlighted celebrities who might not sing or seem appropriate to the variety show format: this segment gave such notables a chance to tell a story or shine in some other way: Jayne Meadows and Leo Deroscher (and I personally hate baseball) come to mind. Jerry Van Dyke had a worthless role and I think he did what he could with such a thankless and demeaning part as a sidekick, which Garland didn't need anyway. n I could go on but I think the DVDs speak loudly for themselves: great sound and picture quality. Pioneer did wonders with these shows and their attention and love for the body of work is evident throughout. Some are better than others in picture quality but this is a minor point as so many of the taped shows from the following decade, the 1970s, such as Norman Lear shows, do not look this good and possess a murky picture quality.

If you want to see an excellent performer at the peak of her career, then these two boxed sets will not disappoint.

Everything is here ... Judy singing solo, duet, and in chorus. Bob Mackie evening gowns and the costumes we know so well....from the clown to the glamorous. It's quite obvious that Judy put her heart and soul into these performances.

You'll have to get past the ridiculous Jerry Van Dyke (even he admitted, years later, that his presence on the show was a big mistake). But I can assure you the good parts far outweigh the bad. Just listen to her renditions of "When The Sun Comes Out" or "Battle Hymn of the Republic" or her duets with Liza or Streisand or Merman or Bobby Darin (to name only a few) ... it's all about the WOW factor.

The producers, the CBS executives, the writers (if you can call them that), had absolutely no idea how to package Judy so they threw in all this junkie filler, which slowed the show down and detracted from Judy's talent ... SINGING. You'll notice (in the last few shows when there was yet another change in producers) that somebody finally GOT IT and just let her sing. Those are the best shows of all. They're simply timeless -- totally relevant to today and not "of the moment" like so many variety shows from the 60's.

These shows are the closest we'll see to Judy performing live ... thank goodness Pioneer put some thought into these sets and packaged them beautifully with the respect due an artist of Judy's stature. It's ALL here....the outtakes, flubs, Judy joking with the audience. A true performer.

There's a reason these shows are being released 40+ years later ... Judy is an incomparable performer capable of wringing every emotion from her listeners. Who cares what problems she had, really? I've been hearing this stuff for years but what does that have to do with an artist's performance? Don't we all have problems????

The reason that Judy Garland Show was canceled was because she attracted the wrong audience, a mostly gay crowd. But who cares, Judy Garland was one of the legends of Hollywood who can sing like nobody else can or did. The show had Judy as the star but it also had guest performers who were the A-list celebrities of their day like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Lena Horne and others. The network must have been idiots to have allowed this show with one fan, the President, among them. Judy said that she sang for the people. She didn't intend or plan to have such a gay following but she sung to the masses. Judy was a remarkable performer despite her personal or professional difficulties. It's hard to imagine that her show was canceled because she didn't attract the right kind of audience of the time.

I remember being a kid if five sometimes spending the weekend up at my grandparent's/ aunt's home up in Kensington San Diego. We actually have a color picture taken me in a pajamas sitting crosslegged on the carpet in front of the old black-white Admiral TV watching The Judy Garland Show. Even at that young age I was well aware who she was. She was Dorothy from Wizard of Oz! I don't think any of the masses really knew how messed up she was. Something people don't know is how prevalent speed and barbiturates were in those days. Doctors readily prescribed them. I think benzedrine was even sold at drug stores without a prescription. And of course alcohol the biggest longest running legal drug always right there still in every other movie today "can I fix you a drink" goes on. I grew up in a family of smokers drinkers but everyone seemed fine did well. Personally I loved the family friends gatherings with the smell of good liquor and smoke in the air. All us kids did. Anyway, different era different times.

I still remember watching the show. As an 11-year-old about to turn 12, I only knew Judy Garland from "The Wizard of Oz," but I desperately wanted to watch her show. So, while my parents and younger brothers watched "Bonanza" on the big color console TV in the downstairs family room, I opted to watch Judy on the little black-and-white portable TV upstairs. (I didn't realize until years later that the show was broadcast in black-and-white.) A music lover in school, I had a music teacher who changed my life forever. Mrs. Shell was responsible for getting me recruited for a boys' choir at age 11, where I stayed for years and even developed a strong falsetto so that I could stay even after my voice changed. Mrs. Shell also taught us the songs from musicals she had participated in while she was in college as well as many others: "The Sound of Music," "West Side Story," "South Pacific," etc. As an adult, I used all these experiences in my career and ended up acting in, and later directing, these very shows. Of course, I fell in love with The Judy Garland Show and Judy herself. At times it seemed as if this frail woman might keel over, but just then she would amaze me with her singing and her stamina - holding notes longer than most singers could. I was sad when the show disappeared, but, of course, I didn't know the back story of the show, nor of Judy herself. And her guest stars! That's where I first heard Barbra Streisand. For example. A classic example of the world not fully appreciating the musical genius that was Judy Garland.

Judy Garland's one foray into series television was not perfect, but that was not entirely her fault. She was more anxious than anyone to make this a success, but the show's producers tweaked and ravaged the show's format so much that it ended up a flawed gem. Audiences would've been more than happy to see Ms. Garland just belt out one song after another, but early on her show was a musical variety hybrid, co-starred with 'second banana' dimwit Jerry Van Dyke, and featuring an uneven roster of guest stars, comedy sketches, and interviews over tea. Still, subsequent shows featured unforgettable appearances by Mickey Rooney, Mel Torme,' Lena Horne, Donald O'Connor, Ray Bolger, Jane Powell, George Maharis, and two honorable mentions: her own teenage daughter Liza Minnelli, and a 21-year-old Barbra Streisand who had not yet begun her own star launch with 'Funny Girl.' But then there was Judy herself- 41 years old, slimmed down to a gorgeous waif in beautiful gowns by Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan doing incredible things: one-woman concerts, clown skits, comic improvisations, pantomime, and of course, the songs: 'Ol' Man River,' 'Live Your Life Today,' 'You Go To My Head,' 'Too Late Now,' 'Swanee,' a stunning up-tempo version of "Come Rain Or Come Shine,' and a positively blazing rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me-' with the voice in the unforgettable quiver and vibrato that always brought audiences to their feet, even in a darkened theater. The DVD's render a marvelous B&W picture, as these shows are digital transfers from the original, show quality, 2-inch videotapes. Kudos to Pioneer Entertainment for making this series possible.

Unquestionably, Judy Garland was a uniquely talented performer. Much of her great talent as a singer is seen in this series, one that would undoubtedly have lasted longer if not for the fierce competition from NBC's Bonanza (in color) and the negative opinion by CBS head James Aubrey (who would certainly have supported the program if the ratings had been there). As a child, I would leave my parents to Bonanza on the color TV in the living room, while I would go down to our basement and watch Judy Garland on the old black and white, fascinated by her wonderful singing ability. Though many people criticize Judy Garland for her consistent drug and alcohol abuse, it's important to realize that it was a different world. One that largely ignored addictions, mental and emotional failings, in hopes that they would go away. But people didn't want Judy Garland to go away. Her series was like a lingering closeup of a super-talent. Intimate, powerful, fragile, and emotional. She is clearly demonstrative of the delicate nature of actors and singers who are so often misunderstood by producers, and a system that capitalizes on the spectacular energy of a singularly unequaled performer like Judy Garland. This show, in spite of its producers' and CBS executives' usual inability to understand Judy herself, is a remarkable jewel in TV history.

The Judy Garland Show's many triumphs and misfires have been common knowledge for a long time. CBS's powers-that-be never really had a clue as what to do with this million-watt talent. Given the fact that it would not be practical to showcase her singing for a solid hour each week, the producers unwisely decided to tear down her iconic image to make her seem more accessible as a sort-of Dinah Shore type of variety show host. She was given Jerry Van Dyke as a sidekick, and, frankly, his segments are the very worst parts of this entire series. To be fair, Mr. Van Dyke has said he had little to no impact on the writing of his segments. Every show had it's highlights, usually anything that Judy sang, either solo or in some rather inspired duets, and it's low points, most of the comedy, and even the Tea For Two segments seem flat and forced today. This is not to criticize Judy, for she always gave her all and really tried to make this show work. For myself, I find the DVD of Judy Garland: The Concert Years to be the best way to enjoy The Judy Garland Show. In 85 minutes, you get just about every highlight from this series and several more from specials she did before and after the series run. There is even a clip from 1929's The Big Revue, the earliest example of "Baby Gumm" on film, along with her sisters. But thank god The Judy Garland Show has been preserved so we can get a look at the brilliant entertainer late in her life,, when she was still at her Carnegie Hall concert peak. She looks gorgeous in the series, and Mort Lindsey lent his brilliant orchestrations to the venture. We shall never again see the likes of a program like The Judy Garland Show for the simple reason we shall never again see a performer with the talent and electricity that she had. If I could pick but one number from this series that perfectly displays her talent, it would be her astonishing version of "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic". Sung in tribute to the then recently assassinated John F. Kennedy, I have never seen anything by anyone to compare it with.

Talent, skill and training are one thing, Encountering someone with these qualities who is willing to commit everything in a performance is yet another thing. Judy had a TeeVee variety show like dozens of others but she was totally unlike any of them. Only she would be putting her life on the line each time, live.

I recall that rather than fight the drugs, her producers at least initially worked with them under a doctor's supervision. So what we see is a great talent on speed for possibly the 5 thousandth time and coddled so she can just focus on connecting passionately.

The sets are more abstract and the dance more modern than normal for the time (or ever, for that matter).

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.