The Judy Garland Show

The Judy Garland Show's many triumphs and misfires have been common knowledge for a long time. CBS's powers-that-be never really had a clue as what to do with this million-watt talent. Given the fact that it would not be practical to showcase her singing for a solid hour each week, the producers unwisely decided to tear down her iconic image to make her seem more accessible as a sort-of Dinah Shore type of variety show host. She was given Jerry Van Dyke as a sidekick, and, frankly, his segments are the very worst parts of this entire series. To be fair, Mr. Van Dyke has said he had little to no impact on the writing of his segments. Every show had it's highlights, usually anything that Judy sang, either solo or in some rather inspired duets, and it's low points, most of the comedy, and even the Tea For Two segments seem flat and forced today. This is not to criticize Judy, for she always gave her all and really tried to make this show work. For myself, I find the DVD of Judy Garland: The Concert Years to be the best way to enjoy The Judy Garland Show. In 85 minutes, you get just about every highlight from this series and several more from specials she did before and after the series run. There is even a clip from 1929's The Big Revue, the earliest example of "Baby Gumm" on film, along with her sisters. But thank god The Judy Garland Show has been preserved so we can get a look at the brilliant entertainer late in her life,, when she was still at her Carnegie Hall concert peak. She looks gorgeous in the series, and Mort Lindsey lent his brilliant orchestrations to the venture. We shall never again see the likes of a program like The Judy Garland Show for the simple reason we shall never again see a performer with the talent and electricity that she had. If I could pick but one number from this series that perfectly displays her talent, it would be her astonishing version of "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic". Sung in tribute to the then recently assassinated John F. Kennedy, I have never seen anything by anyone to compare it with.

I'm SO enjoying watching THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW on DVD. What a treat it is to see this extremely talented (yet troubled) artist in what is as close to live performances as I'll ever see. (I was only 6 years old when this show aired, so I have no memory of watching it--and I probably had to be in bed before it came on at 9 p.m. anyway.)

It's also wonderful to see so many stars appearing with her: Streisand and Merman in what is a unique experience; Diahann Carroll; Donald O'Conner; and, of course, Mickey Rooney and Judy together.

I get the impression from watching these shows that the Judy we're seeing is the REAL Judy Garland and not a character she's playing. She has such a great sense of humor, including her light-hearted self-deprecating comments. (I particularly enjoyed her remarks about her "firing" by MGM.)

The audio and video transfer quality is excellent. It's like watching the show live!!

If you're a Judy fan--or just a fan of great talent--then please treat yourself to these wonderful DVDs.

"The Judy Garland Show" has found new life thanks to Pioneer Artists' DVD release of most of the series episodes. After years of clips and compilations, it is a incredible to finally be able to see these shows in their entirety. Garlands's performances are undimmed by the passage of time. And so many wonderful performances by guest stars like Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Mickey Rooney, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone and Liza Minnelli are preserved here as well. The technical quality of these DVD releases is astounding. Included also are many outtakes, alternate takes, and other fascinating behind-the-scenes shots. I just can't recommend these shows too much

If you love (or even like) Judy Garland at all, you will like/love this short-lived Judy Garland Show series. This is an incredibly well done, well staged and a very cool show to see.

Those of us who were not alive at the time of the original airings of this wonderful variety show really missed out on something special. The series has rarely been seen by the public since the 1960's.

I thank the creators/producers of this DVD series for making these programs available to the public for the first time in over 40 years.

A mere 26 weeks on the air, Judy and her wonderful guest stars really shine in the presentations of the programs. The original Video Tape has obviously been well preserved in a vault somewhere since 1963-1964, because the picture and sound are among some of the best quality I have ever seen from programs of this era!

A super sharp clear picture and audio that is remastered to Dolby 5.1 stereo--It may look and sound better than when it first aired!

If you love classic TV shows of the great variety show era, This series is for you! And.... you can buy individual DVD's with two to three shows per disc!

There are a few extras included in the form of show outtakes.

I have seen 5 episodes so far, and I really do highly recommend this short-lived, fabulously wonderful, superbly cool series! You go, Judy!

Well... What to say...? Here's a show i discovered not so long ago, when trying to know more about the dramatic life of Judy Garland. Surely, i didn't expect to enjoy it that much! I knew almost nothing about it when, as an impulsive buyer, i purchased the two parts of The Judy Garland Show Collection, released by Pioneer. Watching DVD after DVD, I discovered an amazing show, with incredible singing, true emotions and real fun. Of course, the humor is a bit dated, and some of the guests are - for me- simply annoying, but let's face it, if you watch this show, it's for Judy and Judy only! She's there, she's alive and she surely shows it : she sings, she dances, she moves like she did 20 years before. Yes, there are flaws, after all, she would die a few years after... But it doesn't really matter. You just enjoy the terrific performance and praise the technicians from Pioneer who did such a fantastic job on these shows and gave us the possibility to enjoy them like never before, more than 40 years after their original broadcasting. My advice? Get these two box sets while they're still available! And have fun.