Customer Reviews

The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 02 (Shows 2 & 4)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Shameful treatment of a wonderful TV show. Garland and her show deserve better. The Streisand/Smothers Brothers episode is edited and is in no way an improvement upon the picture quality of the orginal Pioneer release. So glad I have all of the original Pioneer releases and encourage others to find them as well. I WILL not but any future releases.

I just got Volume 2 in the mail and must say that I am disappointed by the product. I bought volume one when it came out a few months back, the packaging for both volumes are totally different! Volume 1 is in a thin case.. while Volume 2 is in a standard plastic case. The quality of the sound is AMAZING but the new transfer is a bit shoddy and there a times when the image looks "digital".. gone is the dreamy soft quality of the previous releases. Also, I am a bit confused by the release order on these discs. The Pioneer releases are in chronological order.. these new volumes are not. And there is hardly any written info included with these disks.. the copy on the back of the DVD case is mere filler regarding Judy's life.. nothing regarding the show. All in all these shows are nice to listen to.. sometimes good to look at.. but they cut the wonder that is Judy short!

Volume 1 of this series came out and did not live up to its promise. The shows are edited and the packaging is poor. No serious effort was made in the quality department. I kept Volume 1, hoping for a better result in the next release. Volume 2 arrived today and is as bad or worse than the first was -- I have decided to return it for refund. If this company can keep an audience long enough to release all 13 volumes, it will be a miracle to me. This item was another big disappointment.

I just got this vol 2 of Judys show. First of all I want to state I am a HUGE Judy Garland fan- She was the best their ever was - HOWEVER.........this dvd as along with vol 1 is EDITED !! I was really disappointed with this product. Why sell a show espeacilly Judys that is edited? It starts out at the begining after the credits- Judy is about to announce her guests - all she said was she had a really good show tonite and bam to the next scene where she introduces the Smother Bros.......... a whole scene was cut where they all came on and talked a bit and Judy sang Be My Guest - all gone. I really recommend getting the Pioneer Box set released about 10 years ago if you can find it- Its all complete and I think the quality is alot better on those sets- these current releases do not look at all- that remastered as stated PLUS on the cases of the dvd it says deleted scenes. They are no where to be found on this set on either vol so far- no extras but they say they do--The Pioneer set has tons of extras and cut stuff and all And one more thing - the first vol came in a really nice thin case with picures ect of Judy - real cute and slim with colorful stuff- this vol 2 came in a cheap flimsy dvd case - those fat ones you find at the dollar stores........ needless to say I wont be buying any further volumes - I will just watch my 2 Pioneer box sets I purchased on the first go around of this series. Judy deserves a better release of this timeless classic - The Show That Got Away !

I really bought this DVD as a present for my wife because Judy Garland sings "A Cottage For Sale", a song written by my wife's father. I had no idea how really great these shows were until we watched the DVD. They contained wonderful performances by not only Judy Garland, but by Lena Horne, Jerry Van Dyke, the very funny Terry Thomas and a VERY young looking Mel Torme'! I also want to comment on the outstanding quality of the picture and sound. Except for the fact that it was recorded in black and white, it looked like it could have been made yesterday instead of over 35 years ago!

After watching Volume one of this series of remastered video tapes of Judy Garlands 1963-64 CBS-TV series I was impressed by the sharp images and crisp sound - to say nothing of Judy's performances (which I've seen on earlier releases). The problem with Volume one was too much time devoted to comedian Jerry Van Dyke.

Van Dyke is here again - I think her was in every episode of the series - but he's restrained and bearable this time.

There are two shows on this disc and the first is a must have. It features Barbra Streisand JUST BEFORE she was to star in Funny Girl and was just 21 or 22 years old! But, boy did she have the poise of a star. She does a bunch of solos and some duets with Garland. And to top it off, they are joined by Ethel Merman! A match made in heaven: three divas for the price of one! The Smothers Brothers are here too but not something you will re-watch.

The second episode features Jane Powell and Judy's Wizard of Oz co-star Ray Bolger. There is a medley from WoO and a few song and dance numbers. I liked this episode, but not as much as the Streisand/Merman one.

A few other reviewers mentioned that there were significant edits but I don't have the previous releases so can't confirm how much. There is the extended "run-out" ending that probably was not in the broadcast version.

The most significant - and annoying - deficiency in this volume is a repeated from Volume 1. There songs are not indexed into chapters! You can't just go to a Barbara song or a Judy number or find the Wizard of Oz medley easily. There are chapters but not logically arranged. Also, for a series that is to become 13 Volumes, there should be consistency in the packaging. Both of these caused the loss of one star. The "star power" of the first episode brought my rating up from three to four stars.

I'll be anxious to see what Volume 3 looks like.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

Although these 2 episodes don't contain quite as much vocal footage of Judy, they are still superb. This is vintage T.V. at it's finest and a "not to be missed" addition to any Judy Garland fan's collection of performances. Her performances during this time of her life are all so precious and few that all are worth watching and worth owning. Jerry Van Dyke (sometimes a forgotten entity of 60's vintage television) is also a memorable part of her shows and hilarious to boot! Not quite as spellbinding as vol. one, but still great!!!! Can't wait for the collection in October!

As other reviewers have noted, portions of "The Judy Garland Show" episode featuring Barbra Streisand and The Smothers Brothers (October, 1963) have been edited. I know this because Barbra included audio segments of her with Judy on her four disc CD anthology "Just For The Record." On Disc 1 of "Just For The Record", Judy introduces Barbra in a "Be My Guest" segment. Judy asks Barbra what she would like to do. Barbra replies, "Can I replace you?" This is nowhere to be found on the DVD. The editing is rather abrupt and disconcerting. Still, if you do not own the previous Pioneer release, should you deny yourself the intense, electrifying pairing of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand? I think not.
Dick and Tommy Smothers perform a funny song/comedy segment, which predates their later, more controversial "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." Then, Judy introduces Barbra; who sings a languid, sultry rendition of Rodgers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered"; immediately followed by her highly individualistic version of "Down With Love." The Judy/Barbra duets of "Get Happy-Happy Days" and the "Hooray For Love" medley have deservedly become historic. Ethel Merman pops up from the audience and (what else?) begins to belt out "There's No Business Like Show Business." Perhaps overwhelmed by all the "Diva Power" on stage, Barbra rather quietly and casually mentions that she is about to begin rehearsals for her role as comedienne Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical "Funny Girl." Judy closes the hour with her famous concert medley of "You Made Me Love You," "For Me And My Gal" and "The Trolley Song."
The second episode was taped one week later (also in October, 1963); but saved for broadcast until March, 1964, to coincide with the annual TV broadcast of "The Wizard Of Oz." Judy's guests here are fellow MGM alum Jane Powell and Ray Bolger, who, of course, portrayed The Scarecrow opposite Judy as Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz."
Judy solos on "That's All," and a rather odd comedy routine is built around "One For My Baby, And One For The Road." Jane sings a beautiful version of "Dear Friend" from the musical "She Loves Me." Judy and Ray dance and laugh along to "The Sunny Side Of The Street." Singing "If I Only Had A Brain" and "We're Off To See The Wizard," Judy and Ray share a warm, affectionate chat about "The Wizard Of Oz." Judy mentions that "Over The Rainbow" was initially cut from the film in previews because studio executives didn't want to waste time with this "little fat girl" (herself!) singing." Producers Arthur Freed, Mervyn Leroy, and composers Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg insisted "Rainbow" be put back into the film. The rest is. of course, history. "The Jitterbug", a number that did not survive the final cut, is performed here by Judy, Ray, Jane, and several dancers. Judy closes this hour with "When Your Lover Has Gone" and "Some People" from the classic musical "Gypsy."
Despite the abrupt and confusing editing done by Infinity Entertainment, Volume Two features two of the very best episodes of "The Judy Garland Show."

Great for die hard fans. Yet, there's not enough Garland on these 2 shows. Although it's great to see the Count, Lena and Mel; I wanted to see more of Garland. I can't wait to get The Judy Garland Collection in October, and maybe THEN I'll get all the Garland I want...

Following the recent release of "The Judy Garland Show-Volume 1" the second volume to Judy's classic TV series comes out in September, 2009 featuring two more excellent episodes. The shows included are #9 featuring The Smothers Brothers, Ethel Merman, and Barbra Streisand! Many have stated that this is the one "Judy Garland" episode that outshines all the others as you get three of the greatest singing voices in one show. Judy, Ethel, and Barbra chat, then sing like no other entertainer in the business. Barbra was even nominated for an Emmy for her work in this piece. This episode was taped October 4, 1963 and CBS aired it only two days later on October 6, 1963. The second show in this volume is episode #10 taped October 11, 1963 and aired March 1, 1964. It features Jane Powell and Ray Bolger who co-starred with Judy in "The Wizard of Oz". The studio has stated that they will release every single "Judy Garland Show" episode in 13 DVD releases. A total of 26 shows were produced and the series only ran for one season from 1963-1964. The show never stood a chance being pitted against the then #1 rated show in the country "Bonanza". This DVD boxset (a single-disc set) is in full-screen with the episodes in glorious black and white with a running time of 102 minutes. There are no bonus features.