On This Day In Herstory (March 13, 1964).

Per David Price, "March 13, 1964 ... on Stage 43, CBS Television City in Los Angeles taping the final episode of THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW. In her pierrette costume, Judy attempted a pantomime while the off-camera chorus sang "Where Is The Clown?"

When the show was edited for broadcast, the clown number was cut [as well as several other things ... ] but we can thank Pioneer Artists for releasing most of the excised material in their 2003 release of the show in Volume 8 of the landmark presentation of her entire series on DVD."

A Lonely Soldier Meets A Girl

On This Day In Herstory (March 12, 1960)

On this day in herstory Judy Garland was in Los Angeles celebrating daughter Liza Minneli's 14th birthday. That's Judy's stepson, Johnny Luft, posing with her and Liza.

The Harvey Girls Trade Ad

Judy And Mickey Meet The Navy Bigwigs

Mickey Rooney, L.B.Mayer, Navy Secretary Charles Edison, Admiral J.O.Richardson and producer John W. Considine.

The Woman In The Mirror

Memories Of 1962

Dramatic imagery from Judy Garland's first appearance on NBC's The Jack Paar Show. December, 1962.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIZA!

Liza May Minnelli turned 65 today.

Hugh Martin 1914-2011

Academy Award nominated songwriter, Hugh Martin, has passed away. His death, due to natural causes, took place at his home in Encitas, California.

Martin composed for Broadway (Best Foot Forward) and Hollywood (Meet Me In St. Louis) but is probably best known for the beloved holiday standard Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

He is survived by his brother, Gordon.

On This Day In Herstory (March 11, 1968)

This day in herstory found Judy Garland attending Ray Bolger's opening night at the famed Empire Room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
Judy and Ray are seen here at the opening night party following his show.


Photo credit: United Press International

On This Day In Herstory (March 10, 1963)

Per David Price, "March 10, 1963 ... on the stage of the London Palladium, appearing on the live television program SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE PALLADIUM. While in London for the world premiere of I COULD GO ON SINGING, Judy appeared on this program and donated her substantial fee to charity. Two of the four songs she sang would be broadcast on the ED SULLIVAN SHOW about a month later in the U.S.

Photo by Tom Smith of Camera Press / London."

On This Day In Herstory (March 9, 1961)

Per David Price, "March 9, 1961 .... on this date Judy signed a contract for her upcoming appearance at the Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio on May 14, 1961. Her fee was a guarantee of $5000 against 65% of the gross box office.

This scan is courtesy of the Gallery of History, Inc. and the original document can be purchased through their web site along with a number of other interesting documents from Garland's career."

On This Day In Herstory (March 8, 1969)

"We strolled the lane together..."

This day in herstory found Mr and Mrs Michael DeVinko (Judy Garland and Mickey Deans) being photographed outside their Cadogan Lane home in London.

New Programing At The Yahoo Group

Here is a recap of this week's programing at the Yahoo version of The Judy Garland Experience:

A JUDY MOMENT
Free and easy, that's her style. Judy croons on an alternate take of If I Had
You.

Bing And Rosie #58
Another episode in our continuing adventure with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney's daily CBS radio show. This episode was originally broadcast on May 18, 1960 and includes the songs Send For Me, On The Alamo, Heat Wave, Love Is A Feeling, and How Am I To Know.

DUET OF THE WEEK
Liza Minnelli meets Ann Hampton Calloway and together they rip into Stormy Weather.

EDENS AND KOVERMAN PRESENT
On July 20, 1946 MGM's Roger Edens and Ida Koverman produced a lush tribute to Jerome Kern at the Hollywood Bowl. Headlining the show were Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, with Kathryn Grayson, Bill Roberts, Virginia O'Brien, and others.
The night was hosted by Robert Walker, who also eulogized Kern during the proceedings.

ENCORE
Harold Danko plays while Albert Poland sings an unpublished Danko original called Secret Corners.

JUDY FIGHTS BACK!
Judy, along with more stars than there are in the heavens, tells The House On Un-American Activities Committee to shove it!

JUDY GARLAND IN CONCERT
Judy in concert with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, May 11, 1958.

JUDY SINGS FOR US
Here is a recording of Judy, from November of 1964, singing at a meeting of her London based fan club. That same club is still in existence today, still active,
still vital, and still recruiting new members. You can find information here
http://thejudygarlandexperience.blogspot.com/2011/03/time-to-renew-your-membersh\
ip-in_05.html on how to join or renew your membership (it's time). Here is a
link to see photographs of Judy when she visited the club:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsT4Qy_U-Iw

LADY ESTHER BLODGETT THEATER
Presents Judy Garland in Morning Gory. Also starring John Payne and Adolph Menjou. Originally broadcast on October 12, 1942.

SUNDAY MORNING SPECIAL
Excerpts from Bobby Darin's 1972 television special.

WHERE JUDY PLAYED
Simon And Garfunkel And Neville At Madison Square Garden.

On This Day In Herstory (March 7, 1940)

Per David Price, On this day in herstory "an alleged kidnap plot victimizing Judy was apparently thwarted by local authorities ... Judy is seen here at her Stone Canyon Rd. home offering refreshments to two gentlemen, either FBI or local police called in to protect her. According to published reports, the would-be kidnapper essentially turned himself in and she was never in any real danger."

Now if you ask me, the real crime was Judy wearing socks with her flip flops.

And The Nominee Is....

Judy's Golden Globe nomination certificate for her 1962 television special.

Maternal Matters

Joe Luft, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, and Lorna Luft.

JUDY MEETS HER FANS

Another recording posted to the Yahoo version of The Judy Garland Experience this week is a folder of the songs Judy sang when she made an appearance at her London club in late 1964.
Incidentally, that club is still going strong today. Click on the subject line of this post to learn how to join.

JUDY AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 1946 & 1961

This week over at the Yahoo version of The Judy Garland Experience we are sharing Judy's great Judy 20, 1946 Hollywood Bowl appearance. Seen here (in images provided by David Price) with Judy are Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson who joined Judy in a salute to Jerome Kern.

The poster comes to us from Tom Larro and is from Judy's September 16, 1961 concert at the The Hollywood Bowl. That show went down in the history books as the night Judy Garland gave an outdoor concert in the pouring rain and nobody left until she sang her last note.

Carnegie Hall Ephemera / Celebrating the 50th Anniversary Of Judy At Carnegie Hall

A bit of ephemera from the greatest night in show business history, April 23, 1961. The night Judy Garland sang at Carnegie Hall.

On This Day In Herstory (March 6, 1963)

This day in herstory found Judy in London and being escorted by Dirk Bogarde to the premiere of I Could Go On Singing.
Judy is seen here interacting with Ed Sullivan while Bogarde busy's himself with her face.

Judy's War Stamp Corsage

I wonder if Judy used the kit to make her own corsage?

Two Photos With Nothing In Common

FAMILY

Friar Judy

In June of 1952 Judy Garland was saluted by the Friars Club. At the time she was only the second woman in the club's history to be so honored (the first was Sophie Tucker). Seen here with Judy is George Jessel.

Judy Garland with Huntington Hartford and Helen Hayes

On This Day In Herstory (March 5, 1962)

This day in herstory found Judy Garland in Los Angeles and attendeding the Golden Globes ceremony where she received the Cecil B. Demille Award for outstanding contributions to entertainment throughout the world.

Garland is seen here with her Judgment At Nuremberg co-star Maximilian Schell. Not sure what the two are talking about, but they certainly seem to have the attention of all the eavesdroppers, eh, I mean, people, at Judy's table.

Time To Renew Your Membership In The International Judy Garland Club

On This Day In Herstory (March 4, 1963)

Per David Price, "March 4, 1963 ... leaving New York to fly to London for the premiere of I COULD GO ON SINGING.
Little did she know that her arrival in Britain would be affected by the weather ... her plane could not land at a London airport and was diverted to Manchester and so she did not arrive in London until the next day - by train."

Secret Corners

Here's a little video preview of the upcoming programing at the Yahoo version of TJGE.

The video features a recording that our fellow group member, Albert, made with the great Harold Danko a few years back:

The recording came about after Harold heard Albert sing at a party and asked him to come to the studio the very next day to make a test recording of a new song he had composed.

Now Albert isn't just a mere Broadway legend, author, actor, stage manager, producer etc, etc, etc, he is also a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful singer and he nailed this great song in just one take.

If you listen closely you might even hear the slight influence of a singer who is near and dear to all of our hearts.

And after listening to this I think there will be a soft spot in all of our hearts for Albert Poland too!

What a treasure this song and performance is.

The slide show with the video features another one of Albert's favorite performers. Hope you like it.

The downloadable version of this song will be posted to the "Encore" folder this coming Sunday.

On This Day In Herstory (March 3, 1967)

On this day in herstory Judy, escorted by her ex-husband Vincente Minnelli, attended the wedding of Liza Minnelli to Peter Allen.
Seen in this photo are Judy, Liza, and Peter, with Maid Of Honor, Pam Reinhardt, and best Man, Paul Jasmin.

On This Day In Herstory (March 2, 1967)

On this day in herstory Judy Garland was holding a press conference in the Versailles Room of the St. Regis Hotel in New York.

Judy was announcing her signing with 20th Century Fox to appear in the role of Helen Lawson in the movie version of Jacqueline Susann's Valley Of The Dolls.

Garland would live to regret her decision to join the cast of this movie and was (thankfully) released from her contract when she and the film makers had creative differences.

All In The Family

There was only one Judy Garland. And there is just one Liza Minnelli.

Taken together, mother's and daughter's careers have spanned almost 100 years of stage, screen, television, concerts and recordings. Minnelli's vocation, which has sometimes bumped along the roller coaster of her personal life, is swinging upward, with a tenderly delivered album of standards, "Confessions," frequent TV guest spots and, of course, concerts, including the upcoming one at the Long Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday .

Her longtime pianist, Texan Billy Stritch, whose work is featured prominently on the album, recently played the Long Center's Kodosky Lounge with Klea Blackhurst for Austin Cabaret Theatre and will return with this concert.

Bubbling and boisterous, Minnelli chatted with us between rehearsals.

American-Statesman: What's the story behind the album title 'Confessions'?

Liza Minnelli: It's a song that I heard when I was, I don't know, 12. My father had a recording with Judy Holliday singing, arranged by Gerry Mulligan. I learned right away. And I remembered it.

This is among your most personal, intimate albums, along the lines of 1970's 'Come Saturday Morning.'

I sang it from my bed! (Laughs) I was having my knee replaced. So I sang it in my bedroom, accompanied by my small piano. I couldn't walk at all. I'm one of those people who, God forbid I don't do anything.

How do you put a personal twist into a standard song?

I think of the words always and what they say and how I relate to them. I always pretend. I take it from: "What happened to her? She was thinking these thoughts. Where is she? Does she live in the country with decals on her refrigerator? Does she live in the city and looks out on the river and sees the boats? What's the situation?" So an actor's point of view. That way the words become more personal to me.

Will you sing selections from this album in Austin?

I sure will. Will you be there?

You bet. 'On Such a Night as This' is one of my cabaret favorites. (Austin's Sterling Price-McKinney popularized it here.) I think I've only heard one or two other recordings. Michael Feinstein was one

I talked to him! Hugh Martin (composer for Garland's "Meet Me in St. Louis') wrote it for his show. (One lyric: "Twas such a night this / When Judy Garland swore / I just adore him / How can I ignore the boy next door?")

You certainly have plenty more material to choose from, with two dozen films, two dozen stage shows and a dozen TV specials under your belt. How do you select songs for your concerts?

I try to find a point of view. Most concerts are thematic. Like the Radio City show, or the Carnegie Hall show, which started with "I Happen to Like New York." People travel with me on this road we are taking for an hour and half. The audience is as much a part it as anyone. It won't ever be the same. It changes a little each time. I pay attention to what they are enjoying or laughing at or going with or grooving on. It may be the same songs, but the point of view of the set changes.

You've got an eye for zany material. I'm thinking of 'Arrested Development,' 'Drop Dead Diva' and even the Snickers commercials. How do you choose your guest roles?

If I can recognize the person. For instance, in "Sterile Cuckoo," Pookie was somebody that everybody knew, or was, or was related to. So I understood her. So it's if I think I can bring something to it.

Your name is associated with the 'Arrested Development' movie. Will you be doing it?

I love that show! So much fun to work on. The people were so smart, so nice and imaginative. But I haven't heard from anyone about the movie. It's been a rumor for years.

Your professional career is now 50 years old. Your mother's career lasted 45 years. That's almost 100 years between you. To what do you attribute this astonishing longevity?

And my father (movie director Vincente Minnelli)! He started at 15. Didn't die until he was 83. I have no idea why careers last. You just keep trying to do your best. You stay curious about is happening and what are the new ideas, the new people and the new things. And I guess people like my shows.

In the early '70s, you said in an interview something along the lines that what distinguished you is that you're a survivor.

I love life, and I'm curious and I'm grateful.

Article by By Michael Barnes AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

(This interview originally appeared in the American-Statesman)
http://www.austin360.com/music/liza-minnelli-talks-about-her-new-album-her-1288189.html


————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Liza Minnelli in concert

When: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: Long Center for the Performing Arts

Cost: $39-$99

Information: 457-5100, thelong
center.org

On This Day In Herstory (March 1, 1946)

This day in Herstory found Judy Garland on the cover of Movies In Review.