Judy Garland - The Concert Years

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In 1985, 16 years before her memoir became the basis for the television film Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, Lorna Luft narrated this documentary focusing on her mother's "second career" following her years at MGM. The 59-minute retrospective (reduced from its original 90 minutes) collects comments from family and colleagues, shows clips from concerts at the London Palladium, Carnegie Hall, and the Palace Theater, a previously unseen 30-second scene cut from her famous comeback film, A Star Is Born, and scenes from her short-lived TV show.

Not surprisingly, some of the footage spotlights Garland's affection for her kids: she shares the stage at the Palladium with Liza Minnelli and appears with Lorna and Joe Luft at the Palace and sings to them on her TV show. And while many of the songs are shown only in brief clips, there are a number of complete performances, including a duet with Barbra Streisand of "Get Happy" and "Happy Days Are Here Again," her dramatically charged rendition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" following JFK's death, "Ol' Man River," and "The Man That Got Away." And of course "Over the Rainbow" is here, in a 1955 performance that is the only TV recording of how she performed the song in concert: sitting on the edge of the stage, face-to-face with the audience. And it's a credit to Garland that even in hobo makeup, she lets the raw emotion of the song pour through. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Garland front and center.......2007-08-06

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.

A MUST FOR JUDY FANS.......2007-04-16

BEING A MUSICIAN, I LOVE GREAT SINGERS. JUDY GARLAND WAS AND IS A NATIONAL TREASURE AND WILL ALWAYS BE LOVED BY EVERYONE(ESPECIALLY ME). JUDY SINGS GREAT MATERIAL AND OF COURSE, HAS THAT MAGIC CONNECTION WITH THE AUDIANCE. THIS WONDERFUL LADY SINGS WITH AS MUCH POWER AND EMOTION AS ANYONE BEFORE OR SINCE. JUST GET THIS AND ENJOY.

Tour de Force a la Judy!.......2006-07-21

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.

Judy garland-the concert years.......2006-03-14

If you like Judy Garland this is the dvd for you , it has many of her wonderful concerts and some very touching moments with her children. also a few surprises at the end . It's great! I loved it! Worth every penny. She was a great star and someone to be remembered .I am happy we have this to remember her by.

OUTSTANDING !....Worthy of the Greatest of them all...JUDY!!.......2004-02-21

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!!!

The Judy Garland Collection (The Judy Garland, Robert Goulet & Phil Silvers Special / Live at the London Palladium with Liza Minnelli / The Concert Years / Judy, Frank & Dean Once in a Lifetime)

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Garland front and center
4-Disc Set Captures The Legend That Was (And Still Is) Judy!
First-Rate Entertainment -- Third-Rate Video Transfer
The best!
The best!

The Judy Garland Collection (The Judy Garland, Robert Goulet & Phil Silvers Special / Live at the London Palladium with Liza Minnelli / The Concert Years / Judy, Frank & Dean Once in a Lifetime)
Starring: Judy Garland , Liza Minnelli , and Frank Sinatra
Manufacturer: White Star
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000714BA
Release Date: 2002-11-19

Amazon.com

After her MGM film career was derailed by personal problems, Judy Garland revived her career on the small screen and on the concert stage, as evidenced in the four-DVD Judy Garland Collection. In the one-hour 1962 TV special Judy, Frank, and Dean, Garland is in fine voice, belting out signature tunes like "When You're Smiling" and "The Man That Got Away." Rat Packers Sinatra and Martin are at their unctuous best, with Sinatra at one point casually flicking ash from his cigarette right onto the stage while singing an emotional "I See Your Face Before Me." The patter is a bit stiff, but the numbers are all showstoppers, and Garland, especially, is belting in her most over-the-top Carnegie Hall tradition. She also shares the stage with two costars, Robert Goulet and Phil Silvers, in a 1963 TV special. Garland's performances are forceful and confident, but, unfortunately, she gets little time to sing by herself; that would come later on her own TV show. She and Goulet sing a love medley that includes five complete songs, and there's also a bizarre sequence in which the trio changes costumes after every song; at one point they warble "If I Had a Hammer" while dressed as beatniks.

The novelty of Judy Garland: Live at the London Palladium is the spectacle of the great entertainer sharing the stage with her up-and-coming daughter. In November 1964 Liza Minnelli was not yet 20 and still pretty raw, and Garland seems alternately proud of and bemused by her, but fans of this brand of showbiz razzmatazz will be satisfied with the duets (especially trading verses on a medley of "Happy Days Are Here Again" and "Get Happy"). Garland opens the show with the reliable chest sweller "Once in a Lifetime" and delivers a tutorial in song dynamics with "The Man That Got Away." She appears rather shrunken and tired but still comes on like a trouper, fending off the audience's constant heckling for "Over the Rainbow" (as though she might forget it?) before finally handing the song back to them as a touching sing-along.

Garland's "second career" is summed up in Judy Garland: The Concert Years, a 1985 documentary narrated by her "other" daughter, Lorna Luft. The 85-minute retrospective collects comments from family and colleagues and shows clips from concerts at the London Palladium, Carnegie Hall, and the Palace Theater; a 30-second scene cut from her famous comeback film, A Star Is Born; and scenes from her short-lived TV show. There are also a number of complete performances, including a duet with Barbra Streisand of "Get Happy" and "Happy Days Are Here Again," her dramatically charged rendition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" following JFK's death, "Ol' Man River," and "The Man That Got Away." And of course "Over the Rainbow" is here, in a 1955 performance that is the only TV recording of how she performed the song in concert: sitting on the edge of the stage, face to face with the audience. And it's a credit to Garland that even in hobo makeup, she lets the raw emotion of the song pour through.

Customer Reviews:

Garland front and center.......2007-08-07

The Judy Garland Collections provides us with four DVDs containing wonderful rare footage of Judy Garland in the prime of her television career.

The first DVD is the televised special of Judy Garland with Robert Goulet and Phil Silvers. Judy turns in an electric performance as she sings classic numbers including "Get Happy;" "By Myself;" "Hello, Bluebird;" and "I Could Go On Singing." Judy's heart and soul pours into each ballad with incredible force and electricity oozing out of her pores; she gives blood to successfully thrill her audience.

I enjoyed the comedy numbers with Phil Silvers; the silly take off on the ballet is very well done while "We Are The Musketeers" displays equally flawless timing and choreography.

The DVD offers an excellent bonus feature from Judy's television series: a segment featuring Ken Murray and his "home movies" of Hollywood's biggest stars in the late 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s.

The second DVD documents Garland's flawless performance at The London Palladium in 1964 with her daughter Liza Minnelli. The Garland overture signals Judy's stage entrance; she belts out "Just Once In A Lifetime" and "Just In Time" with all the panache of a showbiz legend. Judy never misses a note and her sitting at the piano for "Just In Time" creates an intimate one-on-one mood with her audience so that she could lead them wherever she wanted them to go.

Liza Minnelli fans will enjoy Liza singing the classic " It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Who's Sorry Now." Working with her mother onstage must have presented a challenge to Liza; Judy Garland is tough to follow. Indeed, after one song Liza comes back on stage and says "How can I follow that?" Of course, this was a scripted line; but it was truthful, too.

Judy shines on this Palladium concert DVD; she does duets with Liza and sings several songs solo. Judy and Liza do a magnificent job with a medley of "Hooray For Love/After You've Gone/By Myself/S'Wonderful/How About You?/Lover Come Back/You And The Night And The Music/It All Depends On You." Wow! Judy also sings "The Man That Got Away;" "Music That Makes Me Dance;" San Francisco" and more.

In addition, Judy helps the audience to do a sing-along duet with her of "Over The Rainbow." The audience clearly enjoys it.

The next DVD is entitled Judy Garland--The Concert Years. We get concert footage clips from the early 1950s, Judy at Boston Commons in August, 1967 and some other TV concerts as well. The bulk of the footage comes from Judy's 1963-1964 weekly television series on CBS. CBS recorded on high quality film and with some restoration the footage looks beautiful. Judy sings beautiful duets with Lena Horne, a young Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and Ethel Merman.

Lorna Luft, one of Judy's daughters, lovingly adds commentary along the way; and the footage includes Judy singing songs about her beloved children and for them 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.

The fourth DVD is entitled Judy, Frank & Dean--Once In A Lifetime. Judy begins the show by singing "Just In Time" and "When You're Smiling;" she sings in a singularly beautiful way as she gracefully delivers these ballads.

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin also perform flawlessly on this DVD of their television special. Sinatra sings "You're Just Too Marvelous" and "I See Your Face Before Me." Dean Martin performs "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" and Dean does a great duet with Frank Sinatra for "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else."

But this remains Judy's show. Judy sings with incredible power as she infuses each song with a sense of intimacy with her audience and a certain vulnerability at the same time. Judy does a smashing rendition of her classic torch song ballad "The Man That Got Away;" and she performs "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" to perfection. Judy also performs "Rock-A Bye Your Baby;" "Swanee" and "San Francisco" with incredible panache and emotion. One is left with the belief that any other singer could never surpass her.

In short, this four DVD collection is a must-have for any Garland fan; and any body who enjoys classic pop vocals and early television specials will love this set.

Enjoy!

4-Disc Set Captures The Legend That Was (And Still Is) Judy!.......2004-05-25

"The Judy Garland Collection" (marketed by "Kultur Video") is a 4-Pack DVD set, with each disc featuring one program/concert starring the incomparable Judy Garland. Miss Garland can belt out a tune like no one else before or since. And she's in fine voice during these four programs featured in this boxed set.

The video quality on these discs certainly isn't going to win any prizes; but it's not TOO terribly bad either. Maybe a tad better than you'd find on a VHS tape. Obviously, no major re-mastering or restoration process was undertaken for these DVD transfers here. However, it's nevertheless still nice to be able to have these "Classic Judy" programs on Digital Disc.

Programs included in this collectible DVD set (all presented in their original Full-Frame TV ratio of 1.33:1) .................

>> "Judy Garland: The Concert Years" (Color and B&W; 1 hr., 26 min.) --- This biography-like program, hosted by Judy's daughter Lorna Luft, presents many film clips of Judy "in action" on stage. Guest-star interviews also dot this touching tribute to Judy.

>> "Judy Garland: LIVE At The London Palladium With Liza Minnelli" (B&W; 54 minutes) --- This is a great, great concert (one of my faves). It was filmed in November of 1964, with an 18-year-old Liza Minnelli (an up-and-coming star in her own right) holding her own with her famed mom on stage in London. You can really tell that mother and daughter are having a blast as they sing and dance together here. Unfortunately, picture quality for this program is not real good. But even though it lacks a sharp, detailed picture, this disc is nevertheless still a must-have for any collector of Miss Garland's concert material.

Judy and Liza's "curtain call" at the end of this fun-filled hour elicits a spine-tingling (and nearly deafening) roar of approval from the Palladium crowd that will very nearly bring a tear to your eye. This concert is pure "Magic" from start to wonderful finish.

NOTE: The actual title of this program (altered slightly for this DVD release) is: "Judy And Liza At The Palladium".

>> "Judy, Frank And Dean: Once In A Lifetime" (Color; 51 minutes) --- I was kind of surprised to see this program presented in "color". The trio of legendary singers had never performed together before this "once in a lifetime" get-together, which aired on network TV on February 25, 1962. Judy looks a bit different here (her looks would often change during her career), but she sounds fantastic.

The color on this program is a tad dull. Evidently this show was originally shot in B&W; but was "colorized" for the video release. This is a darn good program, one that captured the fancy of many viewers during its original 1962 television airing -- so much so that it was nominated for FOUR Emmy Awards.

NOTE: Some interesting "Title Trivia" concerning this "Judy, Frank, and Dean" special -- The original title of this TV special was: "The Judy Garland Show" (not to be confused with Judy's other "series" with the very same title, which came a year later). Another alternate (home video) title for this concert program is: "Judy, Frank And Dean: The Legendary Concert". And this special had still *another* name as well before airing, being called "Miss Show Business" for a time before the moniker was changed to simply "The Judy Garland Show".

>> "Judy Garland, Robert Goulet & Phil Silvers Special" (B&W; 51 minutes) --- This TV Special from early 1963, with Judy kicking up her heels on stage with Mr. Goulet and Mr. Silvers, was instrumental in launching Judy's very own CBS-TV series in the fall of '63 ("The Judy Garland Show") -- a series that was sadly way too short-lived, surviving just one season and spanning 26 memorable shows with Judy and her array of guest stars.

NOTE: This program's original title is: "Judy Garland And Her Guests, Phil Silvers And Robert Goulet".

Two of the discs have bonus programs attached. .... The famous "Gala Hollywood Movie Premiere" of Judy's 1954 film "A Star Is Born" is presented as an extra bonus on "The Concert Years" DVD. Watch as dozens of top movie stars of the era file past the TV cameras and into the "Pantages Theatre" for the debut of Judy's triumphal "comeback" motion picture on September 29, 1954. Judy herself makes an on-camera appearance near the end of this enthralling 31-minute star-laden program.

The other bonus (on the "Goulet/Silvers" disc) is a 26-minute segment from an episode of Judy's TV series, in which Ken Murray appears and shows many of his "Home Movies of the Movie Stars". Video quality for this bonus is a notch or two above what we find on the rest of these discs.

Each of these discs also contains some "text" extras -- "Biography" and "Filmography" sections spotlighting Judy Garland. (The text is the same throughout the set of DVDs. However, different pictures of Judy are used within each disc's text areas.)

I'm very pleased with the packaging for this DVD collection (although the outer slipcase is a bit flimsy -- but still adequate enough). Each single-sided disc gets its own Keep Case package, complete with a colorful "Chapter Selections" insert. I also feel the need to praise the impressive work done on the "disc art" here. The labels on these four discs literally glisten. The artwork on each disc is smooth-as-glass to the touch. Very nicely done! It looks "classy".

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Diminutive in physical stature (at a mere 4-feet, 11.5-inches), but certainly not short on talent by any sane person's yardstick, Judy Garland wowed audiences with her incredible voice (and underrated acting ability) for more than forty years. Taken from us at much, much too early an age (47) when she passed away in England on June 22, 1969, her legacy remains as strong as ever. And DVD compilations like this nice one will only aid in keeping our memories of her strong and vivid for many generations to come.

First-Rate Entertainment -- Third-Rate Video Transfer.......2003-07-22

All four of these DVDs are first-rate entertainment. The Judy Garland Collection is made up of three television specials and a documentary/retrospective hosted by daugther Lorna Luft. Luft, who is best-known for her performances in "Grease 2" and "Where The Boys Are '84" and as author of the book "Me And My Shadows", appeared on her mother's television series in 1963. Since the interview sequences of Joey Luft (Judy Garland's mostly-forgotten son) are brief and Liza, who has evidently completed her transformation into her own mother (scary, isn't it?), is busy with her bizarre come-back, it is Lorna who gets to display her talent, which she does with ease and professionalism (although she does look a bit frostbitten by the chilly weather). She makes the most of this opportunity to remind the public that she is Judy Garland's daughter, too. Little-seen film clips as well as some of Garland's showstoppers from her self-titled television show round out the clips.

Another disc has a television special where Judy was accompanied onstage by daughter Liza Minnelli. Liza proves she's a chip off her mother's yellow brick block, and surprises her mother more than a few times with her talent. One humorous moment has Judy mouthing something--a question--to someone off camera. Evidently she was told to move Liza's microphone closer to her mouth.

A third disc has a TV special costarring Robert Goulet and Phil Silvers. Who knew Phil Silvers could sing? There is some great singing in this show, and some of the jokes are hilarious.

The last disc is Garland's television performance with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Judy more than holds her own with these two powerhouse crooners, outsinging the two of them with one vocal chord tied behind her back.

The Lorna DVD has a very good quality image, the interviews being new and the old footage being mostly in top-notch condition. The other two shows (with Liza and Phil Silvers and Robert Goulet) are in pretty wretched shape. It's not the transfer to DVD, but rather the poor quality of the source material. The sound is okay, but just okay. What a shame these couldn't have received the same high quality restoration as the "Judy Garland Show" DVDs, but at least they are available and real fans of Judy shouldn't mind too much. It's the entertainment value on these four DVDs that make it worth the box-set price; the degraded video and sound aren't distracting enough to lessen the power of these incomparable performances. Judy Garland's legendary talent bumps what would have been a 1-star video treatment up to 5 stars.

The best!.......2003-01-22

Historical perfomances are difficult to duplicate. I have the DVD version of this set and it is incredible. So the quality of the DVDs aren't the best, the quality of the performances are. I highly recommend this set to anyone who enjoys great performances, and the video and audio are not that bad.

The best!.......2003-01-22

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