Cheap The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 04 (Shows 8, 19, 24 & 25) (DVD) (Judy Garland, Jerry Van Dyke) (Judy Garland, Bill Hobin) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 04 (Shows 8, 19, 24 & 25)

What have you missed?
I am not going to talk about show 24 and 25 since most of the reviewers here have given review for these two episodes.

After watching this wonderful DVD, it really surprises me why most of the reviewers do not like show 8 and show 19. I have to agree some parts of these 2 shows are ridiculous such as Judy chat with Leo Durocher about baseball in show 8 and the performance by The Kirby Stone Four in show 19.

In show 8, The Dillard, to me, is quite entertaining. Their "silly" faces and Judy awkward face put together made me laugh. "Side by side" performed by George Maharis and Judy was indeed quite beautiful. While watching this number, I almost shouted "Hey George! Stop hugging Judy so much!" How could CBS blame Judy for touching the guests too much? In this number, George Maharis was the one that could not get enough of Judy. The country songs medley was a real treat to me. Have you heard Judy sang country songs before? You got it from here. This number can also consider as rare as compare to other episodes because all the guests (Jack Carter and George Maharis), dancers, Jerry Van Dyke and Judy were performing together in this number in a beautiful setting. I have seen most of the episodes of this show. I don't think there were any other numbers like this one in other episodes.

In show 19, the Kirby Stone Four was a disappointing one. As quartet, they did not have layers in their singing. All four of them sang in the same tone. Louis Jordan has a beautiful voice. I especially like his performance with Judy in children's songs medley. I never know "Popeye the sailor man" can be sung in such a beautiful way. Louis's performance in "Lulu" was heart-melting. You can see it from Judy's face while he was singing that song. This medley has outdone many other medleys in other episodes.

If you do not like these two episodes before, watch them a few more times. I am sure you will find something that you have missed.

From the ridiculous to the sublime...
At last another volume of episodes from the great Garland and her legendary variety series of 1963-1964. This volume runs the spectrum from the sublime ('Judy in Concert' episodes #24 and #25) to the ridiculous (Judy and the Dillards?!) and serves as an excellent illustration that despite embarrassingly sub par material and the meddling of a network that seemed hell-bent to destroy her series, Judy remained Judy...in a class by herself. Episode #8 is particularly embarrassing for the producers as Judy is forced to duet with a woefully "out of his element" George Maharis (?!) and chat about baseball with Leo Durocher. Still, Garland manages to rise above it and give one of her most moving performances ("I Wish You Love") and gamely agrees to go head to head with "The Dillards". It is particularly telling that, in his audio commentary, executive producer Norman Jewison avoids discussing this episode, and indeed the entire series, and instead focuses on Judy's 1961 comeback special which he also produced. When he does refer to the series, he comes off not only as unknowledgeable (referring to episode #6 guest star June Allyson as "Fran Allyson"), but as a colossal bore, relating that same "Over the Rainbow"/Kennedy anecdote that he has told everytime he is interviewed about Garland, and denigrating original series producer George Schlatter's superior prior episodes. In hindsight, it is all too apparent that the dismissal of Schlatter and the hiring of Jewison was the beginning of the end for the series. On the brighter side, side two that is, we have the Judy of legend...the great Garland doing what she did best: standing alone on a stage with an orchestra behind her, and blowing through two dozen or so songs with the command and mastery of a true artist at the peak of her powers. She gives definitive performances of the old reliables ("Chicago", "Get Happy", "By Myself", "Love") and tackles new and unexpected songs ("Lost in the Stars", "Never Will I Marry", "Do I Love You?") with verve and brilliance, climaxing the first hour with a heart-stopping medley from "Kismet" with guest Vic Damone. In addition to the telecast hours, there is a treasure trove of outtakes and deleted material (including two attempts at the "Kismet" medley) that prove once and for all that Judy's humor and ability to laugh, often at herself, were yet another reason why, thirty years after her death, she remains "The worlds greatest entertainer".