Product Details

• Format: Black & White, Color, EP, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Delta
• VHS Release Date: August 22, 1995
• Run Time: 52 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630474904X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,769 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll Take Judy Garland Over "Bonanza" Any Day!, May 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Best of Judy Garland [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"The Best of Judy Garland" collection includes excerpts from her short-lived CBS TV series of only 26 shows. How CBS managed to let a show like "Bonanza" overshadow the talents of Judy Garland is beyond me. Even a casual fan of Judy will come to appreciate the extreme singing and entertaining talent this woman shows in the 14 songs she sings in this wonderful collection. She starts out with a classic and loud "Swanee", then moves to one of my favorites, her medley of "Almost Like Being in Love/This Can't Be Love" with Judy belting out the last two "Almost like being in love" lyrics with power that seems unimaginable in a woman whose physical stature pales in comparison to the strength of her voice. But what amazes even more is the way Judy can switch gears and sing so sweetly as in the next song, "If Love Were All". It's a short song, but so moving and so expertly defined by Judy's heartfelt vocals. Next is a "Born in a Trunk" segment on the show where Judy would reminisce about her experience in show business and she tells an amusing story about the night of the Academy Awards when she was nominated for Best Actress in "A Star Is Born" (and Oscar she should have won!). Then she goes on to sing a spine-shilling version of one of her most famous songs, "The Man That Got Away". Next up is a fun version of "San Francisco" which is less poignant, in my opinion, than the incredible rendition she gave the crowd at Carnegie in her famous appearance there in April, 1961. "That's Entertainment" is next and is just plain joy, with Judy showing us her pleasant talents as a dancer. Onward we go to another excerpt from her show and a most thrilling version of "Come Rain or Come Shine". When she hits the last modulating note on "shine!", you almost believe the mike is going to explode in her hands. The TV audience simply goes berserk and even Judy is ecstatic over the delivery of this song. One of my most favorite renditions of one of her classics comes next with a very emotional and passionate version of "Stormy Weather", sung with the kind of wrenching feeling that only Judy Garland could give to a song--simply beautiful. "Who Cares" and "Zing!" are next, with the latter being a very enjoyable version of a song she sang her entire career. Next up is "Chicago" and is fairly good performance, but I tend to gauge these live performances with her pinnacle performance at Carnegie and I find that that version in 1961 to be her best (and, incredibly, it was her last song in a 2 hour and 20 minute concert!) and this version a little weaker. She picks it up in the next excerpt from her TV show with "Rock-A-Bye…", but I must say Judy looks almost frighteningly frail in this performance and when she roars out the last "melody", I'm almost afraid the power of her voice is going to shatter her frail body into pieces. Nevertheless, this is a rendition that will send chills of joy through your body--and only Judy can bring such inner joy to a listener. "A Couple of Swells" is next and is a rather entertaining and fun little song which brings a big smile on your face.

But what makes this video a video of Judy you must have is the last song, which is Judy's performance on the "Ford Star Jubilee" TV special in 1955 of "Over The Rainbow". Judy comes out in her "tramp" costume, sits down on the edge of the stage (a routine she had been doing in concert since 1951) and with tears welling in her eyes and flowing melodically into her voice, Judy gives one of the most heart-wrenching, most emotionally intense performances of this song I have ever heard. It was beyond just a moving performance of this classic, this was Judy's dreams and hopes and happiness and tragedy all exposed for the listener to hear. I was moved to tears by this performance, and you will be, too. You can't help but love this woman. She gave her audience not only her talent, but her heart and soul as well.

Please pick up this video. It's worth ten times [what] I paid for it. Simply excellent!...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent performance of Judy, as always..., February 23, 2001

By 

Y. Ryu "ryu7210" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of Judy Garland [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is another magnificent record of her performances. However, this one is consist of many previously released portion of her shows, including "Judy Garland Show(DVD)". If you have the collection, I wouldn't recommend this one because more than half of the content would be overlapped. However, this is Judy! There are some beautiful moment of her performances other than that. It is natural for anybody tearing at "over the rainbow" in the last scene.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't pass up this steal!!!, December 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Best of Judy Garland [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Judy Garland was one Old Hollywood diva I could never get into, especially her later years, where tragedy was etched in her face, voice, and manner. As a teenager I loved Bette Davis, as a woman in my early 20s I came around to Katharine Hepburn, and I've started making headway with Crawford in my mid-20s, but I still couldn't understand Judy. But then I saw the marvellous Judy Davis play Garland in a made-for-TV movie, and somehow the Garland genius broke through to me. Now I can't get enough of her, but especially her post-Hollywood years. This tape is an incredible steal. Not only fans but the merely curious should give it a try: you can't go wrong with this material at this price. I'm not enough of a Garland expert to know what shape her voice is in on these songs, but she is kinetic, mercurial, charming, winning, playful, and powerful. She is also surprisingly stylish: gaunt and androgynous in highly original costumes that brilliantly suit her unique personality, from boyish and minimalist to sequined and glamourous. As for the songs, I remain stone-heartedly immune to the over-the-top "Over the Rainbow" tramp number, but I sat up for everything else on the tape. My particular favourites are the Noel Coward "If Love Were All," simple,beautiful, and restrained, with a "Glitter and Be Gay" lighthearted bravado but with stronger emotion beneath, and the thoroughly unrestrained rendition of "A Couple of Swells," which Judy enjoys so much and gets so deeply into that it's infectious.

Genius on a budget!