disgusting, overrated, pointless

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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.

If you want to see an excellent performer at the peak of her career, then these two boxed sets will not disappoint.Everything is here ... Judy singing solo, duet, and in chorus. Bob Mackie evening gowns and the costumes we know so well....from the clown to the glamorous. It's quite obvious that Judy put her heart and soul into these performances.You'll have to get past the ridiculous Jerry Van Dyke (even he admitted, years later, that his presence on the show was a big mistake). But I can assure you the good parts far outweigh the bad. Just listen to her renditions of "When The Sun Comes Out" or "Battle Hymn of the Republic" or her duets with Liza or Streisand or Merman or Bobby Darin (to name only a few) ... it's all about the WOW factor.The producers, the CBS executives, the writers (if you can call them that), had absolutely no idea how to package Judy so they threw in all this junkie filler, which slowed the show down and detracted from Judy's talent ... SINGING. You'll notice (in the last few shows when there was yet another change in producers) that somebody finally GOT IT and just let her sing. Those are the best shows of all. They're simply timeless -- totally relevant to today and not "of the moment" like so many variety shows from the 60's.These shows are the closest we'll see to Judy performing live ... thank goodness Pioneer put some thought into these sets and packaged them beautifully with the respect due an artist of Judy's stature. It's ALL here....the outtakes, flubs, Judy joking with the audience. A true performer.There's a reason these shows are being released 40+ years later ... Judy is an incomparable performer capable of wringing every emotion from her listeners. Who cares what problems she had, really? I've been hearing this stuff for years but what does that have to do with an artist's performance? Don't we all have problems????

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.

Talent, skill and training are one thing, Encountering someone with these qualities who is willing to commit everything in a performance is yet another thing. Judy had a TeeVee variety show like dozens of others but she was totally unlike any of them. Only she would be putting her life on the line each time, live. I recall that rather than fight the drugs, her producers at least initially worked with them under a doctor's supervision. So what we see is a great talent on speed for possibly the 5 thousandth time and coddled so she can just focus on connecting passionately.The sets are more abstract and the dance more modern than normal for the time (or ever, for that matter).Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.