Rainbow

Really very thin on plot, dealing as it does with a relatively short period in Judy Garland's life (and how much plot can one extract from "stage performer becomes film performer"?), and really just a showcase for a series of singing performances from Ms McArdle. Still, McArdle is definitely noteworthy, and this is ultimately not bad TV biopic fare.

When some actual plot does occasionally rear its head, it all seems to be handled in a fairly shallow way, without any real delving into the stories big emotional mines, such as Garland's relationship with her parents, reaction to her father's death and her treatment - and medication - by the studios.

Judy Garland/Wizard of Oz trivia: Piper Laurie, who plays Judy Garland's mother in this film, would go on to play Auntie Em, Dorothy Gale's mother-figure in Return to Oz.

The thing I enjoy most about this movie is Andrea McArdle's singing, which is probably why she got the part as Judy Garland. On the whole, the movie was very informative about how Judy Garland got her start in show business, but even her beginning was sad.

If you are looking for an in-depth, warts and all, look at Judy Garland. this is not your film. This 1978 bio pic is extremely sugar coated. Her father being a homosexual is merely hinted at through dialogue because that wasn't a subject that could be spoken of at the time. Her drug abuse is played about as deeply as an episode of Saved by the Bell.

This is a light film that walks one through the highlights of the life of Judy Garland from the point of being part of the Gumm Sisters singing group through her being cast in the Wizard of Oz. Andrea McArdle is slightly miscast since her voice is much bolder and Broadway than the real Judy Garland. (Thus a few of the undeserved reviews here about how loud she is)

McArdle was the original Annie on Broadway, and she has appeared in other regional, off-Broadway and more Broadway productions for over 40 years. So I find it humorous that there is a review here saying she can't sing!

I love the 30's music that Ms. McArdle sings throughout the production. The songs stick with you long after viewing. The supporting cast is great and it's a nice saccharin view of the days of yesterday and the Movie Studio system of the 30's.

Fan-magazine equivalent of a biography, in this case a television-budget glimpse into the early life of actress and vocalist Judy Garland (née Frances Gumm). Director Jackie Cooper, who reminds us he befriended the real Judy during their years together at MGM, lays the pathos at our feet right from the start, with Broadway's Andrea McArdle belting out a lonesome "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", followed by a reprise of the song 15mns later! Cooper, and writer John McGreevey (working from a substandard book by Christopher Finch), perhaps were hoping to show us Judy's natural pluck and verve despite upheavals in the Gumm household--but, if so, somebody forgot to tell young McArdle. With her hangdog face, crooked mouth and watery eyes, she's about as far from plucky as a Garland substitute can be. Obviously chosen for the part due to her stage pipes as the original "Annie", McArdle has apparently studied Judy Garland but doesn't attempt an imitation (perhaps unwisely, as her singing voice lacks warmth). Cooper stages innumerable scenes around the piano with McArdle in song--always surrounded by adults nodding to each other, pretending to find her adorable--but he never gets at what was so unique about Judy Garland. She appears to us as just another kid songbird. The Hollywood studio sequences are also underwhelming, with key details and conversations coming off as suspect (made worse by repetitive moments, poor editing and mediocre acting). One can only scoff at what amounts to be a woe-is-me look at a poor little rich girl, one who finds herself wondering aloud, "When will I be in the right place at the right time?" as she walks the lot of the biggest movie studio in the world. One Emmy nomination and win: Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special to Howard Schwartz. ** from ****

If you're a fan of Andrea McCardle, you'll want to check out Rainbow, a Judy Garland biopic from 1978. If you're not, you'll hate this tv flick so you might as well skip it. Andrea looks, sounds, and acts nothing like Miss Garland, and the whole movie is basically a vehicle to show off her belting singing voice. She sings and sings and sings, with very little plot in between songs. And since she looks, sounds, and acts nothing like the woman she was cast to impersonate, it gets old fast.

Within the very thin plot, it implies that Frances Gumm's father (played by Don Murray) was a closeted homosexual, and her frustrated mother (played by Piper Laurie) had an affair with her friend, a married man with an invalid wife. It never explains why the vaudeville act went from The Gumm Sisters to just Judy Garland, and it stops after the filming of The Wizard of Oz. Piper's character sort of fades into the scenery once they reach Hollywood, and Judy's very close relationship with an MGM composer, played by Michael Parks, isn't really explained. There's one point in the movie where Michael advises her to tone down her wild gestures she makes while she's singing, but it's more amusing than truthful. The real Judy Garland did have spastic mannerisms, but Andrea stands with her arms plastered to her sides and an extremely bored expression on her face. For the third time in his career, Martin Balsam plays Louis B. Mayer, and while he is portrayed as a stern studio mogul, he's not as cruel or domineering as he is depicted in other movies. All in all, it's just one giant songfest from Andrea, with very little resemblance to the real Judy Garland. Although, I have to admit it's very cute Jackie Cooper directed the picture.