Let me start by saying, you really should see ALL of her movies just for her performances alone and to see how she evolved as an actress. But for now, let's start with these films, which, in my opinion, are some of her more important achievements:
In "Judgment At Nuremberg", Judy has a cameo in which she displays some of the best acting of her career. It earned her an academy award nomination for Best Supporting Actress that year.
"A Child Is Waiting" is a very unexpected film for Judy to have chosen to make and also a very important one that was very close to her heart as it's about mentally handicapped children. She worked with them numerous times through the years and again, does a marvelous acting job as a sympathetic teacher faced with a very difficult choice. It's one of the best of her non-musical roles.
"I Could Go On Singing" is my favorite Judy film next to "The Wizard Of Oz", mainly because it's like watching Judy play herself. It's very honest and a bit erie. She has some wonderful musical performances in it and since it turned out to be her last film, I can't think of a better note she could have gone out on.
"Life With Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows" is the film version of Lorna Luft's book. I think Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard both gave amazing performances. While no one can really BE Judy, they came pretty damn close. Also, not only is it just a good movie, it's probably the best tv biopic I've ever seen. If you're planning on purchasing this, make sure you buy the 2012 release. It contains A LOT of extra footage not in the original release.
Music:
Most of these are live albums or more recent cds of unreleased material. All of the studio albums, particularly the Capitol recordings are a must-have, but these are rare and really great to hear.
This cd was released back in the nineties. It's Judy's midnight concert in Amsterdam during the tour which ultimately brought her to Carnegie Hall. She's actually in even better voice in this concert and it's absolutely stunning! However, this release omitted "Over The Rainbow" for some reason but included some recordings from the aborted live album, "Judy Takes Broadway". But good news! It's being re-released in a top quality official remastered version in November! So hold out for that one!
Judy at Carnegie Hall. Enough said.
Finally, a few years ago, they released a COMPLETE cd version of Judy's 1958 concert at the Coconut Grove. They cut a few songs from the original lp release, presumably because she was suffering from throat problems, but you'd never know it. She sounds fabulous and powerful!
Another stop on the '61 tour was the Olympia in Paris. This was originally broadcast on the radio. It's basically the Carnegie Hall show with a few addictions. The program is out of order a bit, but it's a great album nonetheless and comes with a really nice booklet of information.
This bootleg record was released sometime in the eighties. It's actually Judy's last AMERICAN concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. It's also one of her best live recordings especially considering the year (1968). The album is hard to find, but the complete concert does exist in private collections and if you troll the Judy boards, you can probably find someone to share it with you. Or you could just ask me! ;)
Judy & Liza Live at The Palladium has one of the most plagued histories of any Judy release. In 2002 there was supposed to be a "complete" two cd release including rehearsals, interviews, and the entire program compiled from the two night run. This never happened due to it's not "showing Judy in her best light". This is utter nonsense especially since Judy herself approved the original release in 64. They did finally release a version of it in 2010 on one disc edited so that there's basically no dialogue, BUT the sound quality is impeccable! Luckily, advance copies of the first aborted full release were sent out and are floating around and available for download at thejudyroom.com so it can be heard in it's entirety anyway. :)
Judy at Home at The Palace was produced by Sid Luft. It's a compilation of her opening night and I believe the second and third nights of the run. As with all Luft productions, it's not by any means "complete" but it's still a great album and includes duets with Lorna and Joe. It's not available on cd, but again, you can most likely find someone to share it in mp3 format or somewhere online. There are many audience recorded tapes of various performances from the run floating around as well. They're not all the best quality, but they are definitely worth seeking out.
Another Luft production. This is a two disc set. The first disc contains duets from "The Judy Garland Show" but that's not the real gem here. You want it for the second disc which is the 1951 Palace closing night! The sound quality is excellent!
The following cds have been released by the Savory Jazz label and are all taken from "The Judy Garland Show". These discs are of the best quality and the best available recordings of her material from the show. They contain some of her best performances and all of them are worth owning.
"The Complete Decca Masters" is the only box set with ALL of Judy's Decca recordings along with a few alternate takes. There are more around on various newer releases, but this is the one to get. It has everything!
"The One & Only" box set was released by Capitol in the nineties containing then previously unreleased material including all the "London" recordings. It's a nice compilation of three cds of some of her better Capitol recordings with some extra tidbits.
This is one of the best releases in YEARS! It's two discs, containing the studio work done in London from 57 to 64 and contains not only alternate takes, but a song written for "I Could Go On Singing" that wasn't even known to exist! Amazing set! Amazing restoration! This is the same label that's releasing the Holland Concert in a few months.
This set has a lot of rare radio and concert recordings but the real selling point is the Decca test records Judy made before getting her recording contract in the thirties. They were thought to be lost but were actually in a private collection and picked from Judy's trash!
Books:
These are all pretty self explanatory. Just some of my favorite book pics. Start with "Judy" by Gerald Frank, then "Me and My Shadows" and work your way through. If you have questions about any of these, just ask me. :)
TV:
Aside from "The Judy Garland Show" which is a must have for anyone who loves Judy or just good entertainment, do what you can to find some of her other tv appearances. They're scarce, but they exist!
