63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Judy Garland - Her Finest Hours!!, April 10, 2003
This review is from: The Judy Garland Show Collection, Vol. 2 (DVD)
Being a fan of the great Judy Garland, one has many options to enjoy her. Her movies, which are a true testament to her talent, and she made so many!! Her recordings, which capture her voice, and often doing songs that were never in films.
But THIS Second Box Set release from Pioneer, tops them all, in terms of the chemistry Judy had over an audience.
During her one season TV Series, on CBS, during the 1963-64 season, boasts some of the finest moments of Garland's career. So much so that bootleg tapes of these shows have circulated for over 30 years; most in bad quality, but the magic of Judy still came through like lightning.
In THIS second set, Pioneer has saved the best for last!! FIVE Concert shows, which Judy threw herself into and present her in her finest light. The remastered sound and picture is truly something to listen and look in awe, as the magic of Garland has never been so apparent.
During the time that Judy Garland was giving her legendary concerts, performances of that sort were virtually never recorded, leaving a HUGE void in the concert career of one of the best. This television show was the closest one could ever get to seeing the great Garland LIVE and in person. With the remastered sound, both on the FIRST box set, and this one, therein lies probably about 12 albums worth of new songs, all in great fidelity, and Judy never sang them before or after this series. What a miracle that the original 2-inch masters were found after so many years, and that Pioneer has enlisted such tremendous talent, both in the technical department, and for the liner notes, and commentaries.
In watching the tremendous amount of "outtakes", there is no evidence of Judy being anything but a professional, at all times. Even if the orchestra screwed up, SHE took the blame, always with a laugh, and a snappy comeback. Not to mention the tremendous array of guest stars, which have been talked about so much, I won't repeat them all here.
For those Garland fans who have really wondered exactly WHAT to order, as the numbering system, with each individual DVD release got very confusing, it's very simple. Just buy the FIRST and SECOND box set, this one, and you have EVERY episode of the classic Judy Garland Show. Not to mention the countless outtakes, commentaries and great liner notes, that will bring you right into the CBS studio!!
This second box set is sure to receive as much, if not more, raves than the first. However, you must have both. After 40 years, here is a true record of a Great Artist at her peak, and uncluttered by a film script, the magic of Judy and her audience, that you read so much about, is right here for you to see and hear for yourself.
Hat's off to Pioneer, and ALL involved, in taking a mammoth task, and, finally, bringing it to us ALL to enjoy, FOREVER!!
Not only recommended, but more than a must have. Every detail has class written all over it, and together with the first box, a collection that is likely never to be topped by anyone in show business.
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87 of 93 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bravo, Pioneer!, June 4, 2003
This review is from: The Judy Garland Show Collection, Vol. 2 (DVD)
First, let me state that I served as creative consultant on the Pioneer DVD Garland series from its onset to conclusion. I must respond to the irate reviewer who attacked Pioneer for 'cheating' consumers by releasing product in a 'trickle' before generating the second boxed set. The reason the DVDs were released in single/double DVDs in a 'trickle' prior to this boxed set is two-fold. There was no conspiracy on Pioneer's part; on the contrary, Pioneer was faced with the challenge of extensive and expensive audio and video restoration for each episode. At the beginning, it was uncertain if certain episodes would be available to them and/or if certain programs would respond to restoration. Pioneer released programs as the restoration process was complete and in single/double DVDs because early on, it wasn't certain if there would be a second boxed set due to the fact that it seemed not all episodes were available or would be up to par for release. So as they were 'fixed,' they hit the marketplace. No conspiracy. And when Pioneer released complilation titles featuring clips of then-unreleased episodes, it was to give the consumer something new as the ongoing restoration process proceeded. It wasn't to milk the money out of consumers but rather to give them something and something new while the entire show was being restored, a process often taking many months. It wasn't certain until a short time ago that a second boxed set would be released because Pioneer would not release said set unless all 26 episodes qualified for release (or, again, if they had all the episodes, which they did not until the very end, more or less). So rather than complain or site conspiracy, why not be grateful to Pioneer's ongoing efforts to release all 26 episodes, a feat which I am certain no other company would have done...certainly to this meticulous and first-rate level? That's why, btw, quality may vary between or within episodes, because the restoration process called for it...if some shows have inferior video or audio spots, it was THAT or release nothing at all. I may be biased here, because I was involved in the product (and as the author of 'Rainbow's End') but I think we all owe Pioneer a huge debt of thanks and it's time once and for all to end the carping and claims of conspiracy. Did any of us dream even five years ago that we would have all 26 programs in largely-pristine condition AND with outtakes, post-taping moments, deleted performances, audio commentaries, audio outtakes, photo galleries, extensive liner notes and never-before-published photos? I think not. It's time to have a little perspective and appreciation and stop complaining. These shows would not and will not have a finer showcase than what Pioneer provided.
Steve Sanders
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GARLAND FAN BONZANA~AWESOME PERFORMANCES!!!, September 20, 2005
This review is from: The Judy Garland Show Collection, Vol. 2 (DVD)
In 1962 the greatest musical introduction happened in my life when my loving older sis sat me down and played Judy At Carnegie Hall and life was not quite the same after...1963 came this great legend on television every Sunday night and I instantly fell in love and never missed a show and on Monday morning in High School Choir the first topic of discussion was always about Judy's tremendous and gorgeous voice, the songs that Judy sang the night before and who she did those incredible duets with which was a spectacular array of the whose who in the great musical world of the sixties such as Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Bobby Darin, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Vic Damone, Jack Jones and on and on! I remember being awe struck as a teen watching this dynamo every Sunday night and being thrilled beyond belief...1965 opening night in the front row (I have the program and ticket stub to prove it!) at the Greek Theatre was sublime and this remains the greatest to this day that I have ever experienced and I have seen most of the greats over the past forty years. Anyone who experiences this wonderous box set will see what I mean as this is the closest that we can now get to the genius that was Judy Garland the Live Concert performer...and this set captures this brilliantly!!! Never in my lifetime did I think that I would have all the episodes of this incomparable series all beautifully remastered with such loving care but this second box set now completes this legendary series in the grand fashion that this classic musical series and this grand legend deserves. Glorious outtakes and stunning masterful unused performances fill out this collection and it is amazing to watch the incredibly moving series finale "Here's To Us" and realize that this amazing performance was not used...one watches transfixed as this soulful wonder goes to emotional depths unreached by other singers...this extraordinary performance is stunning beyond belief and quite possibly the greatest performance ever captured on film by any singer...certainly the most deeply moving. Aretha Franklin rates Judy as one of the greatest soul singers ever and watching this performance makes one know that Aretha knows what she is talking about. Judy Garland had a spectacular natural voice and was the greatest female popular singer plus peerless performer ever and this beautifully crafted box set clearly demonstrates this and is the next best thing to what it was like to experience Judy In Concert...there are a number of Concert Special Shows between these two magnificent box sets and they are the ultimate! Thank you Judy for working so hard and leaving us these two wonderous treasure chests of the best there is in the world of entertainment to savor and enjoy over and over again we do miss you alot...for always.
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