Customer Reviews

Judy Garland - The Concert Years

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When I saw this show on PBS back in '85, I didn't have a VCR, and after I got one, I looked forward to the day when the show would be made available on tape. When it finally did become available, I was pretty ticked to find out that a third of it had been cut (who knows why).

When the DVD came out, I was a bit reluctant to buy it because it was so inexpensive. I figured that all that had been done was to transfer the tape to DVD. But, for the money, why not? Tapes don't last forever. So I went ahead and gave it a shot.

I am both surprised and pleased, therefore, to announce that the DVD is in fact the complete broadcast, just shy of 90 minutes, not just a transfer of the tape, which is only 59 minutes, and the quality is everything you'd expect from a DVD.

Understand, though, as has been noted in other reviews, that this is called The Concert Years for a very good reason: the emphasis is on Judy's concert performances, not her movie roles. Therefore, there are very few movie clips. Likewise, this is not a biography, though there is a fairly liberal sprinkling of biographical material along with archival footage that you probably will not have seen elsewhere (such as her first appearance on film at age 7).

Unfortunately, very little was filmed of her concerts. It is amazing to me that, given the popularity of TV by the mid-fifties, it never occurred to anybody to capture some of these performaces, not just on television, but on broadway (imagine having a professional film of the Carnegie Hall performance). Therefore, the "concert" footage used is mostly from her television show which, granted, did try to recreate to a large extent the concert experience and did run during the middle of her concert years.

However, with only a couple of exceptions, whoever put this together exercised excellent judgement and chose those performances which show Judy at her best, e.g., Ol' Man River, Chicago, Smile, As Long As He Needs Me. And, yes, the DVD is worth buying just to get her "little tramp" performance of Over The Rainbow, performed in concert.

The point of the whole thing is to show how Judy performed in front of a live audience, and the DVD does just that.

This is the real deal, all almost-90 minutes of it. And there's stuff here you won't find anywhere else. Highly recommended.

Judy Garland's legendary television series produced some of her best filmed performances. This collection of songs selected from the television series focuses on the material she most often performed in live concert. It shows Miss Garland at the very top of her form--excellent voice, well recorded, nicely filmed in black and white, and with the able assistance of her musical director with whom she worked for years. Judy seems happy and excited about her performances, moving from up-tempo numbers to heart warming ballads in a way no one else has shown us. Unlike the television show, there is no "filler" here--just great performance after great performance. It is a gift to lovers of great singing that these filmed recordings exist. This video should be added to the collection of any admirer of Miss Garland's work.

Judy Garland soars again in a marvelous, hour-long compilation of some of Garland's latter-day concert and television performances. For those who wonder what made Judy Garland one of the most beloved singers and icons of all time, this collection will be a bright and phenomenal discovery, and for those who already adore Garland, they are blessed with marvelous memories through this show.

Affectionately narrated by Garland's daughter Lorna Luft, and including on-screen bits with Garland's third husband Sid Luft, son Joe Luft, critic Rex Reed, colleague Tony Bennett, and Melissa Manchester. Manchester describes Garland singing as "the thrill of a lifetime" and she is fully justified. You'll see the dynamic Judy Garland belting out numbers like "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody", "Swanee" (in color!), an emotional, glorious "Ol' Man River", the heartbreaking "As Long As He Needs Me", and crooning her trademarks "The Man That Got Away" and "Smile". You can tell that Garland is putting all her heart, and all her passion into her singing, and it is never more evident than when she sings "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (as noted in the show, in memoriam of the recently assassinated JFK). To hear Garland's rich, indescribably glorious, anthemic rendition of "Battle Hymn" is enough reason to buy this tape, as is just about every number in the show.

And there are some delightful guest shots, too: there is footage of Judy singing with daughter Liza Minnelli at the London Palladium, and very rare clips of her singing at the Palace in 1967, with accompaniment of her children Lorna and Joe Luft. She sings tributes to each of her children, her warm voice caressing the lyrics of "Liza", "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe", and "Lorna", which Luft narrates with special tenderness. And there are delightful clips of Garland's television series: She dances with Donald O'Connor, belts with Ethel Merman, and included in its entirety is her outstanding duet with a young Barbra Streisand of "Get Happy"/"Happy Days Are Here Again". Also included is an amusing solo rendition by Garland of her famous number from "Easter Parade", "A Couple of Swells".

But the greatest performance of all is the final one on the tape, and as Lorna Luft notes: "There's one song that truly belongs only to my mother..." It is, of course, "Over the Rainbow", and its emotional delivery is made all the more poignant by Garland being costumed as a dirty tramp, crying as she sings, reaching for a greater goodness through the song, to triumph over all. That performance of "Over the Rainbow" is the most moving performance of any song that I have ever heard in my life.

As Lorna says warmly: "I think what Judy Garland loved most of all was that people wanted to hear her sing... and they always will." A very true and loving tribute, to one of the most brilliant performers who ever lived. I can say "Mine eyes have seen the glory" from hearing Judy Garland sing, and I hope you will, too.

Without question this is the best video of her concert years that I have ever seen, and I have seen them all. Originally this video was 90 minutes long and has been cut to 60 minutes. Why I don't know. Maybe someday the original from 1985 will be resirected. Her rendition of "Old Man River" will completely desolve you into tears. The final song "Over the Rainbow" will leave you completely spent. I highly recommend this to every Garland fan. It's a must for every library.

I am a big fan of Judy Garland, and this is one of my favorite Judy films, even though this was made in 1985, long after she passed away. Hosted by Judy's daughter, Lorna Luft,this movie overviews her career from 1951-1969, also known as "The Concert Years", and shows performances from The Judy Garland Show, The London Palladium, Carnegie Hall, and The Palace. They show parts of scenes from her movies, including "A Star is Born" and "Till the Clouds Roll By", but the film is mostly highlighting her concerts and TV years; not her movie career. (Extra on the DVD includes the A Star is Born premiere) The affection for her three kids are indeed shown in this film; performing with Liza at the London Palladium, and singing to her younger children, Lorna and Joe, on her TV show is also a great part of the film. Some other stars that shared the stage with her in this movie are Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Ethel Merman, Bob Newhart, Danny O'Connor, and of course Liza Minnelli. Some musical highlights are "The Man that Got Away", "Ol' Man River", "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (on her show after JFK was assassinated), "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy" (with Streisand), "Chicago", "Smile", "Get Happy", "You Made me Love You", "The Trolley Song", "For Me and My Gal", "Swanee", "San Francisco", and many others. And of course, her signature "Over the Rainbow" is there, filmed from her 1955 TV special, and the only existing film of Judy as she performed her song for hundreds of concerts; sitting on the edge of the stage, singing her heart out, tears on her cheeks, in her "little tramp" outfit. Extras are commentary by friends and family such as Sid Luft, Lorna Luft, Joe Luft, Tony Bennett, Mort Lindsey, and others. This is definitely a must have for any Judy Garland fan.

You must see this doc for one reason - the very end. The very last song is Judy singing Over the Rainbow dressed as a tramp in her 1955 special. The picture has a harsh contrast and is a bit grainy, and Judy's voice is rough from emotion and strain, but none of that matters. She stops being Judy, the starved movie star and becomes Judy, aching soul of humanity. Every time I watch it I get goosebumps. The preceeding 90 minutes isn't bad and in fact its flaws - over-sentimental narration by Lorna Luft, white-washing Sid Luft's faults, heavy reliance on footage from the Judy Garland Show - kind of heighten the final effect. There are lots of great moments; 'Old Man River' and 'The Man that Got Away' are stand outs, also the first known footage of the Gumm Sisters and short bootleg filmclips of Judy at Carnegie Hall. This one is a great compilation to have.

There are no words adequate to express the thrill of watching this DVD. Every song a winner, beautifully arranged and performed. Incredible guests. And above all, the most stirring rendition of "The Battle Hymn Of The republic" ever recorded.

Living in Europe, I had to buy a special DVD player in order to watch this, and it was worth every cent. This is a must have for any Judy Garland fan.

If you're trying to decide whether to purchase this collection of Judy's best concert years performances, or JUST JUDY from the Judy Garland Show Collection, grab THIS collection and run, while it's still available. I own them both, and this one outclasses JUST JUDY in every way, especially if you have one of the new digital Widescreens and use a DVD player with Progressive Scan. JUST JUDY is a high tech, restored black and white presentation. However, in obtaining this remarkable pristeen clarity, the black and white is so vivid and harsh, it virtually removes all of Judy's makeup, even to the point of Judy's side teeth appearing as though there is a 1/8th black gap between each tooth! Oh, yes, and I mustn't forget the wrinkles, and heavy black eye shadow that contributes to Judy's stark appearance. Even the sound is far superior. BUY THIS DVD. YOU WON'T BE SORRY!!!

Judy Garland--The Concert Years gives people an excellent retrospective on her career after her hectic movie making days at MGM Studios. Hosted by Judy's daughter Lorna Luft, this fine documentary takes us through Judy's greatest triumphs during her concert years.

The retrospective begins with footage of Judy's song and dance numbers at MGM and it shows how these numbers became the foundation for Judy's concerts. We get some lovely color footage from "Till The Clouds Roll By" and some photo stills as well. Lorna then takes us along with her on a journey that describes Judy's fantastic success at The London Palladium in 1951. We see how Sid Luft managed Judy very actively and encouraged her to return to the United States to perform at theaters like The Palace on New York City's famous Broadway.

We get concert footage clips from the early 1950s, Judy at Boston Commons in August, 1967 and some other TV concerts as well. However, the bulk of the footage we get here comes from Judy's 1963-1964 weekly television series on CBS. Not surprisingly, this is some of the best footage from Judy's concert years as CBS recorded on high quality film and preserved it relatively well. With some restoration the same footage looks marvelous here. Judy sings beautiful duets with Lena Horne, a young Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and Ethel Merman.

Lorna lovingly adds commentary along the way; and other reviewers are correct when they note that the footage includes Judy singing songs about her beloved children and for her children on installments of her weekly television series. One particularly wonderful clip has Judy singing" Consider Yourself" from the show Oliver with all three of her children. Awesome!

The documentary also has interviews with Sid Luft, Melissa Manchester, Tony Bennett, Mort Lindsey and Rex Reed to give us an even better understanding of Judy's concert years. Excellent!

The quality of both sound and image is excellent; and Judy performs some classic ballads to perfection--and beyond, making old ballads fresh again and distinctly her own.

The DVD sports a wonderful extra--footage lasting approximately 25 minutes of the premiere of A Star Is Born from 1954 which starred Judy Garland. It is exciting to watch the stars come up to the stage just before they enter the theater to view the premiere of this grand movie. The footage plays well as a result of careful restoration.

Overall, this video is a must-have for Garland fans; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals will thrill as Judy delivers number after number after number flawlessly. This film documents very well the countless triumphs of the great Judy Garland during her "concert years."

Highly recommended.

Being too young to have seen Judy Garland in concert has always been a regret of mine. The energy she projected in person must have been truly unique. Well, for those in the same boat as I am, here's the next best thing. What a shame that professional footage of her concerts were never made. Her TV series, however, is represented here quite well. The duets, the comedy sketches, the solo numbers, all show what a versatile performer Judy Garland was.

Without the constraints of a movie script or schedule, Judy allows herself to really project her full range of emotions in her songs. Particularly powerful are 'Old Man River' and 'Battle Hymn of the Republic'. Judy just sings her heart out in both songs, the emotional peak higher than anything in her movies. Particularly touching are her songs sung to her children Liza, Lorna and Joe. Lorna's song, with specially written lyrics by Johnny Mercer, is sung so lovingly by Judy that it left me in tears. There are also some lovely moments when all three children perform with Judy together. Liza's young strong voice is so much like her mother's.

If you think Judy was intense in her movie numbers, think again, for they are nothing compared to what she does on the stage and live in person. How lucky we are that they are captured and presented beautifully here in this hour-long DVD.

Simply a must-have if you're a Judy fan.