Anne Hathaway, "Get Happy" and other travesties

Dominion October 1957

Oh dear, someone, who is not qualified, is intending to tell the Judy Garland story again.  Now MORE people will come up to me and say “I have just seen...so and so-- and did you know…. so and so about Judy?”  I will want to KILLL but I will smile sweetly and reply and tell them that I knew Judy and she was not like that at all   They will look at me with pity, because after all who am I, and believe what they read in a half baked book, article or play. 

Hathaway seems a nice enough young woman who seems to admire Judy but I would have preferred an actor of the caliber of  Stockard Channing to portray Judy – alas too late now.   And there is the height difference!  Judy was petite, only 4’11.1/2” and this is an important aspect of who she was and how she dealt with life.  How does a beautiful willowy gal, who would be more suited to portray Ave Gardner or Rita Hayworth, transform herself into Mr. Mayer’s little hunchback? 

Apparently this movie is to be based on the book of Gerald Clarke.  I had great hopes when I learned of Mr. Clarke’s book because I knew he had been in contact with Sonny Gallagher, a long time fan, writer and collector of Judy material and I’d hope some of the truth of Judy’s life would emerge but that was not to be.   I suppose this is the type of book that sells.  How sad.

Now to the play which is currently on Broadway (the title of which I refuse to remember).  I was in England at the time of the previews and invited to see the play, but declined.  I had seen Judy perform and knew her. 

Mr. Quilter, the author of unnamed play, tells that he got the idea for the story while watching a cruise singer reluctant to perform – well why didn’t he complete the play with this cruise singer?  Why transfer the idea to the life of Judy Garland?   I can only imagine the horror to Judy’s children with all this talk about their mother.  They knew what a loving woman she was.   

My concern is for the young fans who are discovering her.  Instead of enjoying her movies, recordings, they will see a distorted image of her.   Those who write these plays, movies etc. do not consult with people who actually knew Judy; as Meredith, Eleanor and The Bench Wenches, Lorna Smith  – not to forget the many fans who were lucky enough to spend time with her after a concert.

When Lorna Smith, who accompanied Judy and Mickey Deans from the Ritz Hotel to Talk of the Town every night for five weeks acting as her dresser, tried to explain to Mr. Quilter some of the inaccuracies, they were not interested in anything she had to say.  They had a vehicle which was going to make them money, correct or not.  Judy was always aware of those who made money out of her, and she must be watching wryly.   The most stress before leaving the Ritz was Lorna running around looking for Judy’s reading glasses – as documented in her book, “Judy with Love.”

When I hear that “Come Rain or Come Shine” is one of the focal points of the play, I want to cry.  I saw Judy perform this many times and one night I was lucky enough to be in front row at the Dominion 1957, right at her feet!   I have written about this occasion as being one of the high lights of my many theatrical experiences and to have it shown in a hysterical manner is so unjust.  Judy knew exactly what she was doing on stage, she would chuckle at the end and say simply “Gosh that was a loud one, let’s do a quieter one next”.

But I must not finish on a down note.  Judy would not want that.  I have visions of Eleanor and I picketing the theater and me throwing white wash and getting arrested.   Judy would see the funny side of that and have a good laugh.