So much has been written about Judy Garland, and it is unfortunate many seem to focus on her failures rather than her success. When people talk about Judy Garland being famous, too many stories portray her as "the girl from THE WIZARD OF OZ who became an addict and died of an overdose". There is much more to this wonderful performer beyond her rich singing pipes and drug addiction than people give her credit for. Appearing in 41 films (34 of which were between 1930 and 1950), Garland had a strenuous acting career, the whole time running on little sleep due to her parallel career as a recording artist, involving cutting records, regularly performing on radio programs, and going across the country on concert tours.
There was a certain *spark* in Judy Garland that few performers today can hold a torch to. Here's why:
1) Acting ability
At a time when many actors simply followed a direction as told, there were many moments in Judy's career where Garland has these very "natural" method acting moments that sometimes get overlooked. Take for example this moment in THE WIZARD OF OZ while Garland sings Over the Rainbow. The dog playing Toto raises his little paw, probably unscripted, and instead of freezing like a deer in headlights, Garland simply keeps going with the song, grabbing Toto's paw and squeezing it.
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Another great moment is in MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. While their father plays the piano and the family eats their cake and ice cream, Margaret O'Brien grabs at Garland's cake. Notice how Garland very naturally moves her sister's hand, cuts off a bite of cake, feeds it to her, and then cuts off a bite for herself. Another great underplayed moment by this great actress.
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2) Storytelling
Whether it was discussing Marlene Dietrich's record of applause, losing an Academy Award win while in the hospital, or performing with a professional vomiter in her vaudeville days, no one could tell a story like Judy Garland. She refers to many nouns with the adjective phrase 'great, big', as in: "It was a great, big record" or "Three great, big men" or "We were in a great, big car". Her stories started coming about during her concert years while her band would change up the music, as heard on her live records from Carnegie Hall or the Cocoanut Grove, but can also be seen in her appearances on talk shows such as Johnny Carson and Jack Paar as well as her television series.
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3) Her Laugh
Judy had an infectious laugh, booming loud and high that is hardly heard in her films. The studio never allowed her characters to display the hearty laugh she possessed, and today it is usually only through outtakes and self appearances on talk shows and her own television show that one really gets to hear it. A classic audio outtake of her in "A Star is Born" is popular among fans, in which she lets loose during the recording of "Swanee".
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4) A Child Is Waiting
Judy Garland challenged her abilities as an actor taking on this 1960's film directed be John Cassavetes about a school for developmental disabled children, at a time when education of such children was still limited. Cassavetes was known for encouraging actors to underplay their parts, even improvise, and Garland is thrown into a group of highly ranked dramatic actors, such as Gena Rowlands and Burt Lancaster, and manages to hold her own in a role that is very subdued, when she could have done it much more dramatically. On top of this, many of the children in the film were portrayed by child actors diagnosed with disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism, and Garland blends in so well that at times one feels as though he or she is watching a documentary about the school and forgets it is Garland in a performance. Her end scene as she coaxes a frightened child out of a car into the school is most memorable.
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5) Get Happy
An iconic image of Garland-- her in this beautiful man's suit where the overcoat is hemmed to be a skirt and she wears pantyhose instead of pants. A costume that was designed for Garland in Easter Parade for a number called "Mister Monotony" which was cut for its risque material, MGM's costume department attempted to reuse it for this number in what would be Garland's last film for the studio. A sexy look from an actress that was once known for her 'girl next door' image, this music number from Summer Stock will live on as a classic moment in cinema history.
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