JUDY AND JOEY

AND MORE JUDY GARLAND SHEET MUSIC

THIS WEEK AT THE YAHOO GROUP

New files posted to the Yahoo version of TJGE include An All Star Salute To Hugh Martin, Lenny Bruce at Carnegie Hall, Judy and Liza rehearsing for their Palladium gig, Lucille Ball in the radio production of Fancy Pants, Judy's appearance at 1964's Night Of 100 Stars, another episode of Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney's 1960's daily radio show, highlights from Liza Minnelli's concert in The Big Easy, a reposting of Judy Garland's appearance on The Gypsy Rose Lee Show, and a whole lot more.! This would be a good time to join if you are not already a member over there.

JUDY AND THE KIDS

ONE MORE FOR THE MICK

Mickey Rooney at Hollywood's Florentine Gardens with Judy Garland and Paul Whiteman.

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY, MICKEY ROONEY!

Mickey Rooney turns 90 on September 23. Here's hoping he has a happy birthday, with many more to come.

HUGH MARTIN AUTOBIOGRAPHY COMING SOON

Here is an excerpt from Playbill's Stephen Suskin's review of the upcoming Hugh Martin autobiography:

"...As for [Hugh Martin], who was born in 1914, he is alive and well and living in Encinitas. California, that is. What do you expect to be doing when you turn 96? Mr. Martin has just written his autobiography, "Hugh Martin: The Boy Next Door" (Trolley Press), and quite a story it is. Martin started as a singer and assistant arranger to the great Kay Thompson; revolutionized the art of Broadway vocal arrangements with a string of shows starting in 1938, working for composers Rodgers, Arlen, Berlin and Styne; wrote several musicals of his own, starting with the 1940 hit "Best Foot Forward" (produced by Abbott and Rodgers); moved to M-G-M for "Meet Me in St. Louis," handing Judy Garland "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"; labored in the Arthur Freed unit at M-G-M; served as Garland's accompanist for her legendary 1951 comeback at the Palace; and on and on. Adventures which are all related in Martin's friendly, unassuming style. We are accustomed to reading biographies of these people, in which the authors try to recreate historic episodes and long-ago conversations; here we have it all first hand, from someone who was sitting there at the piano bench. Martin's working title was "Hugh Who?" which I suppose he was talked out of by the publishing people. That's a question that people who read this tome will no longer think of asking."

As of November 1, 2010, AtlasBooks will be distributing Hugh Martin/The Boy Next Door directly into Barnes & Noble. It will be two or three weeks before it will be available at Amazon.com.
In the meantime, it can also be directly ordered from Atlas Books:
http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/03110.htm.

NEW NEWSLETTER FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CLUB

One of the benefits of being a member on The International Judy Garland Club is receiving the various publications that the club offers. The mother ship is the extraordinary JUDY GARLAND A CELEBRATION which is published twice yearly. There is also a charming, informative, stylish, and beautifully produced newsletter that is meant as a supplement to the Celebration magazine.

Here are some sample pages of the new newsletter. It's full of amazing photographs, many I have never seen before, all the Judy news that is fit to print, letters, articles by Gary Horrocks and Joan Coulson about Judyfest and the Judy In Hollywood event, information on current and upcoming Garland related products and projects, and just a whole lot more. You'll just have to wait for your copy to arrive to find out. And if you are not a member, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?????

Here is the link, go join now, I promise you won't be sorry:
http://www.judygarlandclub.org/

SIDESHOW JUDY

JUDY GARLAND LETTER TO FRANK SINATRA TO BE AUCTIONED

Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries will raise the curtain on Part VII of the Gene Andrewski Collection of Cinema and Rare Books on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. Eastern, The auction will include movie posters, lobby cards, autographs and photographs by the Hollywood celebrity photographers including Hurrell, Clarence Sinclair Bull, Otto Dyar, Willinger and Anita Harriet Louise. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Featured in the sale is an original MGM Wizard of Oz dialogue script ($800-$1000) and a four-page handwritten love letter from Judy Garland to Frank Sinatra on Garland embossed stationery, circa 1949 ($1,000-$2,000).

A collection of rare books from the Andrewski library will be auctioned first at 2 p.m.

Gene Andrewski was introduced to classic literature at age 7 by his mother. He would become the first managing editor of The Paris Review working alongside George Plimpton and others. A first edition of Dashiell Hammett’s Thin Man, New York, 1934, with dust jacket will be one of the highlights. It has a $200-$300 estimate.

Preview will be the day of the sale from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the auction site, 179 Temple Hill Road, New Windsor, N.Y., Suite 100B.

For details visit www.midhudsongalleries.com or call 914 882 7356.

This article originally appeared in Auction Central News.

MORE RAVES FOR LORNA LUFT

Here is an excerpt from Lance Wawer's review of Lorna Luft's performance with the Glendale Renaissance Orchestra at the Alex Theatre this past Sunday.


"The second half of the show was all about Lorna Luft. The author/singer/producer/actor and daughter of Judy Garland had a set that was a tribute to her mother, Broadway and Hollywood. The performance, however, was pure Vegas. If one word could describe her performance it would be "big." Another would be "fantastic."

Luft's first number was a lapel-grabbing rendition of "It's Today." She didn't let go of the lapels for the rest of her time on stage. From "Blue Skies," a medley of tunes from "Babes in Arms," a moving version of "The Man That Got Away" to a show-stopping "Rockabye," she held the audience in the palm of her hand.

Then came the topper: a medley of amazing Hollywood musical songs that were not nominated for Academy Awards. "Singin' in the Rain," "Hooray for Hollywood" and "New York, New York" highlighted the array of unforgettable songs that somehow escaped nomination.

Luft interspersed the medley with several amusing asides and was given a well-deserved standing ovation at the conclusion of her set. She returned for an encore with "Carolina in the Morning" and received another standing ovation."



Flanking Lorna's husband (and conductor) Colin Freeman on the left and Lorna on the right are Mitzie and Ken Welch, who assembled the original "Songs My Mother Taught Me" back in 1999 (and have written special material for just about anyone who has sung on television in the past several decades).
Mort and Judy Lindsey are center. Mort is Judy Garland's legendary orchestrater and conductor, his wife Judy was Garland's stand in on The Judy Garland Show circa 1964.
In the other photo Lorna is seen with the eternally perky Mitzi Gaynor, who is in the middle of a resurgence thanks to release of her vintage television specials (photos courtesy of Shane Rosamonda).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VANESSA!

Judy's youngest grandchild, Lorna's daughter, Vanessa, turns 20 today.

I am sure we all wish her a very Happy Birthday!!!!

CHILDREN IN OZ

The Children's Museum Of Manhattan will be celebrating The Wizard Of Oz starting this Saturday.
Read on (from their site):

The Wizard of Oz Programs
September 2010 – January 2011
September
The Wizard of Oz: Inventive Designs
Sun, September 19
10am – 2pm | all ages
Get ready for the September 25 opening of CMOM’s The Wizard of Oz exhibition and create a costume element based on your favorite character from The Wizard of Oz. Be sure to wear your finished creation to CMOM on September 25 – The Wizard of Oz opening day!

The Wizard of Oz: Inventive Designs with Broadway Costume Maker Nick Godlee
Sun, September 19
3 & 4pm | ages 5 & older
Broadway costume maker Nick Godlee will share some of his own designs and help you to make costume element from The Wizard of Oz.

September 25: The Wizard of Oz exhibit opens!

The Wizard of Oz exhibit – Opening Weekend Events!

The Wizard of Oz: Dreams Really Do Come True!
Sat, September 25
12, 2, 3 & 4pm | 5 & older
Decorate a sash with badges of courage, love and wisdom – all essential qualities you have within you – to make your dreams come true.

The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy’s Rainbow Mobile
Sat & Sun, September 25 & 26
10am & 1:30pm | 4 & younger
Create a rainbow mobile and make a special wish to hang off the pot of gold!

The Wizard of Oz Adventure Circle Time
Sat & Sun, September 25 & 26
11am & 1pm | all ages
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to an adventurous circle time with Dorothy, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow.

Wizard Science: Tornado Twister Mobile
Sun, September 26
1, 2, 3 & 4pm | 5 & older
See real footage of a tornado and make a wild paper tornado mobile!

Munchkin Club
Thu, September 30
10 & 1pm | 4 & younger
Create your own giant paper lollipop!

October
Munchkin Club
Thu, October 7
10am & 1pm | 4 & younger
Collage shiny and sparkly red materials onto Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers.

Wizard Science: Brainy Brain Caps
October 10
12, 2, 3 & 4pm | 5 & older
Examine a model of the brain and play a game to learn how messages are sent to and from the brain.
Create a “brain hat” with labels for the different functions it does.

Munchkin Club
Thu, October 14
10am & 1pm | 4 & younger
Make a raffia scarecrow stick puppet.

Wizard Science: Tornado Twister Mobile
Sun, September 26
12, 2, 3 & 4pm | 5 & older
See real footage of a tornado and make a wild paper tornado mobile!

Munchkin Club
Thu, October 21
10am & 1pm | 4 & younger
Design and decorate your own badge of courage.

Get Ready for Halloween Special Event
The Wizard of Oz: Inventive Designs
Sun, October 24
10am – 2pm | all ages
Get ready for Halloween! Create a costume element based on your favorite character from The Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz: Inventive Designs with Broadway Costume Maker Nick Godlee
Sun, October 24
3 & 4pm | 5 & older
Broadway costume maker Nick Godlee will share some of his own designs and help you to make a Wizard of Oz costume element.

Munchkin Club
Thu, October 28
10 & 1pm | 4 & younger
Use colorful glitter to help create Glinda’s magic wand. Make a special wish!

Wizard Science: I’m Melting: Solid to Liquid
Sat, October 30
3 & 4pm 5 & older
Learn about why Wicked Witch melted and experiment with different states of solids and liquids. Make a “melting” artwork with frozen paint on popsicle sticks.

The Wizard of Oz Halloween Celebration
Sun, October 31
10am – 5pm | all ages
Celebrate Halloween at CMOM. Make a witch’s hat and join Glinda and Wicked Witch of the West in a merry sing-along and storytime.

The Wizard of Oz Halloween Event
Sun, October 31
6 – 8pm | all ages
$10 separate admission applies (Free for CMOM members)
Meet, sing and dance with Dorothy, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow. Visit the Witch’s Castle kitchen and sip healthy witch’s brew and prepare creepy healthy treats with children’s cooking expert Cricket Azima. Make a mask of your favorite character from The Wizard of Oz. Follow the Yellow Brick Road parade.

November
Munchkin Club
Thur, November 4
10am & 1pm |4 & younger
Use a mixture of chalk and water to create a picture of a stormy sky. Maybe you’ll get carried away to the Land of Oz!

Munchkin Club
Thu, November 18
10 & 1pm | 4 & younger
What are the colors of the rainbow? Make a rainbow collage and find out.

December
Munchkin Club
Thu, December 2
10am & 1pm | 4 & younger
Make a Cowardly Lion mask with fuzzy and furry materials.

Over the Rainbow and How They Got There: Special Effect in The Wizard of Oz
Sun, December 5
3pm | 5 & older
World renowned Oz historian, John Fricke takes you behind the scenes with movie clips and Ozzy
facts; how they melted a witch, twirled a tornado and flew those monkeys!

Munchkin Club
Thu, December 9
10am & 1pm | 4 & younger
Decorate a giant paper lollipop with colorful collage materials.

Munchkin Club
Thu, December 16
10am & 1pm | 4 & younger
Use fuzzy and furry fabrics to create a Toto puppet.

The Wizard of Oz: Rainbow Scope
Mon – Thurs, December 27 – 30
11am, 12, 2, 3 & 4pm | ages 5 & older
Make your own rainbow scope and look through it to see how white light separates into the colors of a rainbow!

January
New Year’s Wishes Over the Rainbow
Sun, January 2
10am – 5pm | all ages
Make a wish for yourself and the world and add it to CMOM’s Wishing Rainbow mural.

The Wizard of Oz: Dreams Really Do Come True!
Sun, January 2 & 9
12, 2, 3 & 4pm | 5 & older
Decorate a sash with badges of courage, love and wisdom – all essential qualities you have within you – to make your dreams come true.

Munchkin Club
Thursday, January 6
10am & 1pm | ages 4 & younger
Use colorful glitter to help create Glinda’s magic wand. Make a special wish!

CMOM Members Only Events
Members Only The Wizard of Oz Sneak Preview
Fri, September 24
5:30 – 7:30pm | all ages
Enjoy a sneak preview of The Wizard of Oz exhibition. Join in a sing-along with Dorothy, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow.

The Wizard of Oz Halloween Event
Sun, October 31
6 – 8pm | all ages
Free for CMOM members
Meet, sing and dance with Dorothy, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow. Visit the Witch’s Castle kitchen and sip healthy witch’s brew and prepare creepy healthy treats with children’s cooking expert Cricket Azima. Make a mask of your favorite character from The Wizard of Oz. Follow the Yellow Brick Road parade.

Members Only The Wizard of Oz Character Breakfasts
Sat, October 9
Sat, November 13
Sat, December 11
Sat, January 8
9- 10am | all ages
Enjoy a light breakfast and meet Dorothy, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow. Explore the exhibit before the museum opens to the general public.

Birthday Party
The Wizard of Oz Birthday Party
Follow the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, Toto and all their friends for a birthday celebration like no other!
Special limited time only: September 25 – January 9
Ages 4 & older
$925 for 12 children (30 maximum) – Friend and Supporter members receive a 5% discount
90-minute party available
Tuesday – Sunday, 5 – 6:30pm only

Enrollment Class
The Wizard of Oz Theater Enrollment Class
8 week intensive for ages 6 and up
October 4 – November 29
Mondays 4 – 5:30pm
Price: $450 $300 for members!
Get into the act! Roar like Cowardly Lion! Cackle like Wicked Witch! Children put a unique spin on their favorite characters from The Wizard of Oz by creating costume pieces, learning improvisation techniques and actors’ movement exercises. Each class involves exclusive exploration in the The Wizard of Oz exhibit!

Experienced theater artists and teachers help children explore themes from the The Wizard of Oz using a mixture of theater, music, movement and art. Weekly classes focus on character development leading up to a final class performance.

MORE JUDY GARLAND SHEET MUSIC

LORNA LUFT IN CONCERT REVIEW

“From Broadway to Hollywood In Concert,” the title of the New West Pops’ debut performance Sunday at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, said it all. The concert combined New West Symphony musicians with stage band instrumentalists and guest stars focusing on famous songs from memorable musicals.

For anyone expecting, say, the Boston Pops or even something in the way of Hollywood Bowl’s summertime musical ventures, this was not it. Those programs usually include a few works from the light classics along with their featured soloists. But with a few very brief exceptions, this show was a night of singing noteworthy songs from musicals and/or films, with the star power of singer Lorna Luft the essential ingredient.

Luft gave it her all, with an up-tempo rendition of a repertoire from stage and film, including songs her mother, Judy Garland, made unforgettable. The most effective was her stirring rendition of “The Man That Got Away,” which Garland sang in the 1954 film “A Star Is Born,” delivered with convincing emotion and evocative expression. Throughout her set Luft was most successful in the more intimate songs in which the quality of her unstressed voice shone through.

In the opening portion of her dynamic appearance on stage Luft was bursting with energy but seemed to be forcing her voice, with some awkward results. Midway through she confessed that she was battling a minor condition that was affecting her voice and apologized for being less than full strength for the show. Still, there was lots for the audience of 1,200 to enjoy, including a “Babes in Arms” medley (including such gems as “Where or When”) and an amusing group of songs that, though widely beloved, were “Not Even Nominated” for an Academy Award (“San Francisco,” “Singing in the Rain,” etc.).

As her voice warmed and with the encouragement of a devoted audience Luft was ultimately able to have a good go at one of her mother’s signature songs, “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody.”

Luft, chatting informally between numbers, said that her favorite Garland film was not “The Wizard of Oz” as many might expect, though she loves the film, but rather “Meet Me in St. Louis,” in which she said with amusement that her mother was seriously upstaged by the winsome child actor Margaret O’Brien. The grown-up O’Brien was among many friends and supporters in Sunday’s audience.

Providing a most compatible musical backdrop for Luft’s performance, the ensemble was led from the piano by music director and conductor Colin Freeman, Luft’s husband.

Earlier in the evening New West Pops artistic director/conductor Steven Goldstein was at the helm as the musicians accompanied the evening’s other performers: soprano Tobi Foster, tenor Blake Ginther, Oak Park harmonica player Bernie Fields and the New West Pops Singers, led by director Rick Logan.

At the start of the program Carmen Carter was charged with rousing the audience to join in clapping and singing on “We Are Family.” Her high-energy efforts stirred at least some to participate. Carter, who also is heard on “Dancing with the Stars,” is part of the New West Pops Singers along with Randy Crenshaw, Debbie Hall Gleason, Sandie Hall, Rick Logan and Antonio Sol. Together they provided background vocals for many of the evening’s songs.

Foster and Ginther brought their Broadway experiences to bear in fresh-voiced renditions of “Somewhere” and “Maria” from “West Side Story” and “As Long as He Needs Me” from “Oliver!” Demonstrating his magic with the harmonica, Fields made the instrument resonate on such works as “Moon River” and the “Peter Gunn” theme.

As with many firsts, there were a few loose ends at the Pops debut. While an intermission was originally scheduled and was listed on the program, some in the crowd learned at the concession window before the show that there would be no break in the performance; others got the news during opening ceremonies.

Those accustomed to New West Symphony concerts might have felt blasted out of their seats by the highly amped sound system that emphasized the “pop” aspect of the orchestra, particularly the driving thump of bass and drums. It seemed that, as happens with guest musical groups, a sound system that was familiar to the performers was brought in rather than employing the Kavli’s system, which usually works well for the space.

At the end of Luft’s set, she was called back for another bow, quickly followed by Goldstein with flowers for the star. The house lights went up as they left the stage and many in the audience started moving out of the theater while others wondered whether the concert was actually over. It was a “soft” ending that didn’t clearly say “fini,” something certain to be addressed before the next New West Pops appearance at the Kavli.

Review originally published in the Ventura County Star/

WHAT'S NEW AT THE YAHOO GROUP?

New files posted to the Yahoo version of The Judy Garland Experience include An Evening With Roger Edens And Friends 1967, an eclectic set from Little Esther, Judy's recording session for Zing Went The Strings (including three takes plus breakdown and chatter), Judy's complete concert from the Felt Forum on December 27, 1967, a preview from Liza's upcoming album, another episode of The Bing And Rosie Show, Mel Torme and Johnnie Ray facing off in the Dueling Divas competition, Judy's heart to heart with Mike Wallace, plus new photos, sheet music, posters, and a whole lot more!