Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland (Paperback)

by Gerald Clarke (Author) "He came from a little town in the South, and his smile was as spacious as summer's sun..." (more)
Key Phrases: magazine unknown, judy garland, exact date unknown, New York, Los Angeles, Culver City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Like his renowned Capote, Clarke's Get Happy is an addictively readable bio of an addict genius. We learn that it wasn't just the Hollywood moguls who mangled Judy Garland's soul. Yes, MGM's Louis B. Mayer did paw her teenage breasts, exacerbate her insecurity by calling her "my little hunchback," feed her uppers and downers ("bolts and jolts"), and repel the U.S. drug czar's personal attempt to get her into rehab. But the true villain was Judy's diabolical stage mom, Ethel Gumm, who fed her pills at age 9. Judy's heart belonged to her daddy, a kindly theater owner cursed with pederastic yearnings that evidently got the family run out of various towns, once by a man named Doc Savage. Daddy died young, and Judy kept hooking up with older men, including two probably gay husbands, one of whom cheated on her with her daughter Liza's husband. Her first best girlfriend in Hollywood (and probable lover) turned out to be a studio spy. She knew at least one of her agents, nicknamed Loeb and Leopold, robbed her blind, but since betrayal was everybody's way of life, she just laughed it off--and died dead broke. Judy cheated on Liza's dad (and her own great director) Vincente Minnelli, with still-handsome Orson Welles, who was cheating on Rita Hayworth. "People like me don't grow up easily," Judy once said. Most people in this book deserved to go up in flames, but only nice Margaret Hamilton, playing the Wicked Witch of the West, actually did so in a filming accident. She recovered; Judy didn't. It's fascinating to read about Judy's self-immolating life. But for a jolt of joy afterward, I prescribe the CD Judy at Carnegie Hall. Clarke lets you know what the songs cost, and what they mean. --Tim Appelo --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Judy Garland's on-screen longing for a land where "sorrows melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops" was answered with a life plagued by emotional agony, dependency on drugs and alcohol, exploitative relationships, suicide attempts and physical violence. This exhaustively researched and illuminating biography by Clarke, whose bestselling 1988 life of Truman Capote won critical praise, is as compassionate as it is wrenching. It follows the basic themes established by the best of the more than 20 biographies and memoirs of Garland that have appeared since her 1969 death (in particular, Gerald Frank's 1975 bio, authorized by her family). But while most portray Garland as tormented by inexorable and sometimes inexplicable inner demons, Clarke brings to his work a far harsher evaluation of how the singer was treated by her employers, family and lovers: her mother gave her amphetamines at the age of four; producers at MGM sexually harassed her as a young teen; husband Vincente Minnelli cheated on her with men soon after their marriage; husband Sid Luft stole millions from her; fourth husband Mark Herron had an affair with Garland's son-in-law, Peter Allen (then married to Liza Minnelli). Many of Clarke's revelations are of a sexual nature--he mentions affairs with Sinatra, Glenn Ford, Yul Brynner and Tyrone Power as well as with women. Other revelations, such as of Garland attacking her young son, Joey, with a butcher's knife, are simply shocking. Yet Clarke never exploits this volatile material as cheap gossip; instead, he deftly weaves it into a detailed, respectful and haunting portrait. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Delta; First Edition. first trade paper edition (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385335156
• ISBN-13: 978-0385335157
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,925 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Get Happy? Sure wish Judy could have done that...., April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland (Hardcover)

I have no idea why I wanted to read about Judy Garland's life again.

After reading Lorna Luft's ME AND MY SHADOWS, as well as various other tidbits over the years, I'd concluded that Judy's story is undoubtedly one of the most tragic and sad ever to come out of Hollywood. This book left me feeling no different, and I can't say that I necessarily learned anything particularly new or revelatory about Judy. Her life was spent under the control of so many others that her life just isn't all that interesting. All the problems she had have been so well reported that alot of what's here is just a rehash. As far as the sexual element to this book, even her daughter's bio made a few allusions to Judy's sexual appetite. Not a shock there.

In any event...I did find the book interesting enough to get through in about three days. All in all, the book is very personal, and alot of the sections with "iffy" proof are hard to swallow as reality. It just left me feeling so sad for this immensely talented woman, who deserved so much better for what she gave us than what she got.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is amazing!, April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland (Hardcover)

As an avid reader of biographies, this book seemed tempting and fulfilled its promise. Not only did I devour it in two sittings, I found Clarke's telling of Judy Garland's life compelling, rich in detail, and extremely fair. I found myself following along in the notes to see who Clarke had interviewed, and was amazed at the roster of people he talked to. I have read other Garland biographies, and felt that this book captured her life in all its ups and downs most eloquently. The book was engrossing from the get-go, and Mr. Clarke has done an admirable job capturing the greatest entertainer of our time.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unfair negative comments, April 13, 2000

By	Charles Evans (san francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland (Hardcover)

I dont get people's negative comments to this book. It is well -written and sensitive -not exploitative or sensational. It is a disturbing tale but this seems to have been the reality of Garland's life. I think Clarke is bring treated poorly by these negative reviews from readers. Would they prefer a sanitized version of her life or are they just in denial about this talented woman's sad tale?