Judy Garland was one of the most enduring creations of the Hollywood studio system. With her strong but tremulous voice, she became one of the brightest stars of musicals. She seemed born to be a trouper and, indeed, she was, debuting in her family's vaudeville show at age 3. Garland remains appealing because she was never easily molded into the image of Hollywood glamour—though, as seen in many of the photographs from Judy: A Legendary Film Career (Running Press), Hollywood repeatedly tried.
This handsome coffee-table book is the latest effort by author and Emmy-winning documentarian John Fricke to keep Garland in the public imagination. A Milwaukee expatriate, Fricke is a tireless advocate for the actress and singer, who died in 1969 just as he was getting out of John Marshall High School. If his enthusiasm sometimes runs away from him, his perspective is always tethered to the reality of Garland's charisma. She brought a presence even to the many forgettable or routine movies she was assigned. When she was given an important film, such as The Wizard of Oz (1939) or A Star Is Born (1954), she was unforgettable.
Aside from gathering beautiful studio photos and colorful lobby posters on its glossy pages, Fricke's book is admirable for concentrating on the movies, not the tabloid gossip. The heart of Judy is a film-by-film chronicle of her Hollywood career, complete with synopses, credits and snippets of reviews from the time of their release. It includes everything essential about Garland's three-dozen movies, plus her digressions into radio, television and the concert hall.
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Of course, her troubled personal life isn't ignored. Garland was created and destroyed by the Hollywood system, prescribed pills by studio doctors (Benzedrine was considered a “miracle” drug in the 1930s, Fricke reminds us) and hustled from project to project at an early age, with little time for reflection or growth. By the time of A Star Is Born, she was very much like the actor that James Mason played opposite her character—unreliable and alcoholic and fading from the Hollywood firmament.
Fricke will sign books at Barnes & Noble at Mayfair Mall 1-4 p.m. Dec. 3. and will discuss his book following screenings of Judy Garland's Meet Me in St. Louis 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 and 1 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Rosebud Cinema. Both events are fund-raisers for the John Marshall Alumni Association.
