Judy: The Ultimate Showcase of a Legendary Career [Hardcover]

If you are just discovering Judy Garland, then this book is a must buy. Filled with beautiful photos, first-hand anecdotes, and a well-organized format, the reader will get a sense of what an amazing force Judy Garland was/is in the entertainment world and what her peers thought of her as well. For die-hard Garland fans, this book will not be anything to knock you out of your chair. The majority of the beautiful photos have already been seen and most of the anecdotes have previously been heard or published. For example, it was great to see all the "Annie Get Your Gun" wardrobe test shots in one place, but only one or two were new to me. I was hoping that this book would be filled with rarities, but instead, it's a thoughtful tribute put together by one of Garland's most knowledgeable fans, John Fricke. One of the curious choices for this book is a design theme of repeating the same photo on one page in different shades. Sure, it looks nice, but for Garland fans & scholars, the space could definitely have been used better by filling it with different photos or more quotes. As a stand-alone book, it should really rate five stars; when compared to the abundance of other books about Garland already available that cover much of the same material, I would probably say three stars is more appropriate as I have to wonder whether there was a really a need for this one in the first place.

Author John Fricke has made a career out of writing books and appearing on programs about Judy Garland. Fricke is considered one of the "authorities" on Judy. He has been very good to Judy, and Judy has been very good to him. Unlike other biographers, he is very respectful, and in awe of, Judy's extraordinary entertainment legacy. Fricke is not interested in digging up any dirt, or dwelling needlessly or unnecessarily on the "dark side" of Judy. But with "A Legendary Film Career," Fricke has now respectfully celebrated Judy for the third time. I wondered, what could Fricke tell me about Judy's extraordinary life and career that he did not cover in his previous books "The World's Greatest Entertainer" and "Judy: In Art and Antecdote?" The answer for me was: absolutely nothing new. Then again, I've studied Judy Garland all my life. For those who don't know that much about her, or are discovering her for the first time, this book will be a must-buy. "A Legendary Film Career" is a very large, very attractive book. It is lavishly illustrated (there is a nice selection of candid on-set photos from director Victor Fleming's personal scrapbook for those who adore Judy as Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz") and handsomely packaged and presented. But so was Fricke's earlier coffee-table book "Judy: In Art And Antecdote." My four-star rating is based on "A Legendary Film Career's" overall lavish design.
This book begins with a lengthy introduction and an extremely thorough 25 or so page Biography. This is followed by appreciative pages devoted to Judy's amazing impact on radio, television, and, most importantly, live concert performances. As each of her films is discussed and analyzed here in detail, a definite pattern emerges. And it is not a particularly pretty picture. Judy comes across as the most talented, and most exploited and victimized, star in Hollywood history. Artie Shaw famously remarked that Judy's daily "reality" at MGM "was what I would call insanity." God only knows how many mental and emotional inner demons Judy wrestled with. But whatever personal or professional insanity was going on behind the scenes, Judy, more often than not, rose gloriously to the occasion in performance. In fact, Judy often rose above and beyond the occasion. That is to say, Judy often elevated her material to a level of brilliance it would not have had without her. Actress Elaine Stritch watches Judy's films for professional and personal inspiration. When watching Judy's films, Stritch commented, "Never have a caught her in a lie. And never have I caught her "acting."
Such career highlights as "The Wizard Of Oz", "Easter Parade" and "A Star Is Born" are deservedly celebrated. I also urge Judy's fans to take another look at "For Me And My Gal" (1942) and "In The Good Old Summertime" (1949). Judy's performances are absolutely wonderful. Her final film "I Could Go On Singing" (1963) remains as under-appreciated as "Meet Me In St. Louis" (1944) is over-rated. "I Could Go On Singing," with all of its semi-autobiographical overtones, would make an excellent double-feature with "A Star Is Born." No, "I Could Go On Singing" is not as brilliant as "A Star Is Born." But, in "I Could Go On Singing", Judy elevates this "soap opera with songs" to levels of brillance and truth. Judy. all heart and soul, always revealed truth in performance.
Lengthy sections of the book are also devoted to films that Judy started to work on but did not complete (notably, 1949's disasterous "Annie Get Your Gun"), or films that Judy was considered for but ultimately did not participate in. As Fricke correctly and shrewdly observes, "there's really no reason to regret what "wasn't", at least not when "what is" remains so present, palatable, and persuasive."

...nicely done, well researched (no surprise there) and well laid out. John Fricke has put out consistently excellent work over the years on Garland's career and its lasting impact on American culture as well as being able to put it in context of its time. His research is impeccable and his access to the real records and real sources make his work on subjects like this both substantive and admirable. For so long, the truth has been sacrificed for juicy stories and unnecessary innuendo. At least someone is busy setting the record straight while there are still a few souls around who were actually there and speak to all that.

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