The International Judy Garland Club–A Celebration–Issue 5–Autumn 2013
It was with great anticipation that I opened the new
publication from the International Judy Garland club. I knew Gary Horrocks had
been working on it for six months because he often contacted me asking for my
memories of the time when Judy was in England making the movie, I Could Go On Singing. As this was over fifty years ago certain
details are blurred – precise dates are gone from my memory but Horrocks has
researched and noted these facts. I do remember the day we were present at the
Palladium when Judy filmed the "Bluebird" number was before the day we watched
her at the recording studio singing, “I Could Go on Singing.” This corresponds
to the reporting in publication, so I am relieved the memory is not completely
gone!
Sitting in the dress circle of the Palladium listening all day
to the playback of “Bluebird” will never leave me, neither were the moments
when Judy came out in different stages of readiness and chatted to extras in the
stalls, and finally filmed the sequence.
It was a joyous day and just recently,
I chatted with Christopher Finch, author of “Rainbow – The Stormy Life of Judy
Garland” at the Judy in Hollywood function 2013 and discovered he had been
there this same day.
Later in that summer I remember shaking hands with Judy (wearing
the black dress) for a few moments back stage at the Palladium after she had
done some filming on “I Could Go On Singing.” The exact details of day have
faded but recently Steve Jarrett found this photo of Lorna Smith and I peering out
of one of the boxes overlooking the stage watching Judy and Saul Chaplin
chatting on stage. So we really were there!
Horrocks, as editor, has researched this period thoroughly, interviewing
everyone involved with the production of this movie. This was a very emotionally
difficult time for Judy, being in the midst of a divorce from Sid Luft, father
of her two small children. There were times when Judy found it hard to concentrate
and these facts have not been ignored or glossed over. They have been reported
in a factual manner that “She was anxious, insecure, occasionally suicidal,
exhausted and sometimes short tempered, feeling isolate, desolate and abandoned
when her agent David Begelman left her to go back to the States” (page 8). I doubt
that any of Judy’s movies have been researched as thoroughly as this one has
and if one is a Judy fan, it is an absolutely must to obtain a copy of this
publication. Not only were the club members invited to Abbey Road recording
studios on numerous occasions and also to be present at filming at the Palladium
often, but Lorna Smith (who ran the club then) was invited to Shepperton Studio
to participated in the celebration of Judy’s fortieth birthday.
In addition, another
club member, Bob Murrell, as the props master on the film, kept Lorna
informed of the activities at the studio.
This issue also covers Judy's appearance in the Stanley Kramer
movie, “Judgment at Nuremberg,” “A Child is Waiting,” the CBS television
special with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin filmed in January 1962. Also covered
are the recordings for “Gay Purr-ee” in November 1961, recordings at New York’s
Manhattan Centre April 1962 and Judy’s appearance at the Palladium March 1963,
which coincided with the premiere of the movie.
Horrocks has prevailed upon Lorna Smith to keep writing her
memories of Judy and in this issue we have Part 3 of “Getting to Know Judy.” Lorna
went from being a representative of the club to be a real friend to Judy, and
she was greeted with genuine pleasure every time they met. Twenty-two pages of
her memories and photographs are in this issue and Lorna is, in effect, bringing
her book, “Judy, with Love” up to date including details which were impossible
to include at the time she wrote the book.
Smith talks about how the British club came into being
following the disbandment of the US club. She was concerned at that time how
she would obtain information of Judy’s activities in the States. But she need
not have worried because the American correspondents, Sonny Gallagher, Eileen
Steere, Charlotte Stevenson, Betty Welch along with Jennie Wheeler and Wayne
Lawless reported regularly. Gallagher was the American representative for many
years and joined a clipping service to be sure Smith received all the news about
Judy. All this marvelous information is in the Rainbow Reviews 1963-1968. I am
grateful to Lorna for giving me copies in 1997. This information helped me write
about these years of Judy’s life in my book, “Always for Judy: Witness to the
Joy and Genius of Judy Garland.” to be published soon. The club archives continue to be a resource
for those interested in Garland history. I am sure the club records have helped
other authors writing about Judy. John Fricke was a member when he was sixteen
years old! David Shipman, “The Secret
Life of an American Legend” was also a member at one time and Sonny Gallagher
told me how he passed a lot of his material to Gerald Clark for the writing of “Get
Happy.” So three cheers for Lorna Smith for gathering this information and to
Gary Horrocks and Dr. Justin Sturge for retaining and reviving it every now and again so we can rejoice
in Judy again.
