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5.0étoiles sur 5
A great way to usher in the holidays each year, Déc 4 2003
They don't make Christmas specials like this anymore. The Judy Garland Christmas Show (which aired December 22, 1963) is an intimate, informal night at home with Judy and the kids, a few guests, a group of carolers, and a troupe of skinny, dancing Santas. There are a few small gaffes here and there on the part of several individuals, but everyone just laughs them off and goes on singing; that does much to create the atmosphere of charm surrounding the whole presentation. As the show opens, we find Judy sitting in front of the windowsill of her "home" with her two youngest children, young Joe and Lorna Luft, to whom she sings Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - this song alone makes the show worth seeing. The kids seem a little nervous (this was recorded in front of a live studio audience, of course), but there is no end to the affection displayed by Judy as she sings. After this opening number, Judy opens the door to welcome us inside, whereupon she and the kids do a walk-around performance of Consider Yourself, during which daughter Liza arrives with her beau Tracy Everitt to join in the fun. Judy, ever the doting mother, then asks her son to sing Where Is Love? from Oliver. This can be rather painful to listen to and is luckily fairly short, as little Joe proves that singing ability can sometimes skip a generation. Things get a little weird and less Christmas-y at this point, as Liza and Tracy show Judy the new song and dance number they have been working on - Steam Heat doesn't really scream Christmas. Finally, we get Judy to ourselves again singing Little Drops of Rain while all the kids are putting the final touches on the Christmas tree. No sooner is she finished than guest Jack Jones arrives singing Wouldn't It Be Loverly, after which he sings, at Judy's request, Lollipops and Roses. Lorna then climbs up on Jack's lap and does a wonderful version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town; once she gets started, she really lets the sound pour out of her, making this my favorite part of the entire show. After Liza sings Alice Blue Gown, she, Jack, and Judy launch into a medley of Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, It Happened in Sun Valley, and Winter Wonderland. Judy pretty much lets Liza and Jack sing It Happened in Sun Valley, but she delivers a beautiful solo of Winter Wonderland. Mel Torme is the next to arrive, with a whole troupe of carolers in tow. Torme arranged a lot of the music on The Judy Garland Show, and he also wrote the holiday classic The Christmas Song. He actually sings a new verse for the song on this night, after which Judy sings the famous chorus. She does mess up a couple of times, but it's no big deal at all (and one can sort of forgive her for singing "rainbow" instead of "reindeer"). Out comes the eggnog, and then the whole gang launches into another medley of songs. Judy's solo performance of What Child Is This? is simply beautiful. Jack Jones and Mel Torme give us a harmonized duet of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Liza and Tracy sing It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and Lorna and Joe team up to sing a slightly imperfect version of Silent Night. After the guests leave and the kids are put to bed, Lorna and Joe come back out to tell Judy she forgot to do something that she does every year for them at Christmas. Watching Judy sing Over the Rainbow to her two youngest children makes for a perfect conclusion to the night's festivities. If you love both Judy Garland and Christmas, this is a great holiday video you can enjoy every year. If you're not a Judy Garland fan, you most likely won't enjoy the show. Several of the songs really have little to do with Christmas, some of the children's dialogue is rather wooden (they're just kids, of course), Joe's solo can be rather frightening, and even Judy and Jack Jones miss a word or two along the way. As I said, this makes it all the more charming to me, but a non-Judy fan might think otherwise. On a final note, let me say that I am happy that the world can get a glimpse of Judy and her kids all together in this special show; the obvious love and affection she has for Joe, Lorna, and Liza do much to dispel the negative impression some people today may have of Judy Garland due to all of the troubles she battled throughout her adult years. Do, as Judy says, consider yourself part of the family and make The Judy Garland Christmas Show a holiday tradition in your own household.
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