This is another great example of The Judy Garland Show during the latter Colleran era, particularly due to the presence of the zany Martha Raye – a musical comedy star who had been married to David Rose prior to Judy’s marriage to the same musician. Judy’s co-star from Easter Parade (1948), Peter Lawford is the other main guest, although there are no nostalgic references to their previous work together. Sometimes it is good to look forward rather than back. Lawford would appear with Garland on television once again in 1968 on the Mike Douglas Show. On that occasion they did discuss their work on Easter Parade and particularly ‘Fella With An Umbrella’.
This week’s episode also features an early TV appearance by Rich Little. He performs his uncanny impressions of Hollywood stars with Judy seated beside him. His rendition of ‘The Man that Got Away’ with the voices Jack Benny, George Burns, Fred MacMurray, Jack Hawkins, John Wayne, Alfred Hitchcock, Walter Brennan, and James Mason has Judy in hysterics. Movie maker Ken Murray is also invited back this week. He says Judy has made it possible for Murray to have ‘open house’ for the general public to see the movies he’s been showing to friends at home for the past twenty five years.
The clips on this occasion are focused on sports and include: Dick Powell, Bing Crosby, John Barrymore, Harry Langdon, Bob Hope, Wil Rogers, Leslie Howard, James Gleason and Judy herself watching some tennis. Peter Lawford is shown surfing and sleeping! Apart from the interludes provided by Rich little and Ken Murray, the rest of the 50 minutes are devoted to music.
*****
Judy opens the show with a spirited performance of ‘76 Trombones’ from The Music Man. Although she is miming to a playback whilst strutting around the brass band it is a very energetic recording, and Judy probably needed oxygen after singing it!
Martha Raye’s solo spot is a rendition of ‘Takin’ a Chance on Love’, which she sings and dances with some of the programme’s chorus boys. This is followed by Lawford’s scene in which he is attended to by his Butler and mini-skirted maids. The bare set is dressed with furniture while Lawford sings ‘It’s So Nice to Have a Man Around the House’. By this point in his career Lawford had become much more louche in style than he was during his MGM era – the influence of his association with the Rat Pack, no doubt. Lawford’s lady guest as announced by the butler is Judy Garland and in this sketch she seems every bit as resistant to Lawford’s charms as Hannah Brown was to Johnny in Easter Parade! Judy sings ‘I’m Old Fashioned’, but by the end of the song, Lawford has sneaked off to bed “feeling queasy” and is replaced by the butler.
The highlight of the show and one of the most hilarious scenes of the entire series comes net. It is the Glenn Miller medley sung by Martha Raye and Judy. Garland introduces the scene as dress rehearsal footage. The producers had decided to use this clip because of the spontaneous mischief demonstrated by both stars. Raye punctuates the performance with face-mugging, drawing attention to Judy’s flubs, and there are hints at a girl-on-girl flirtation that sends them into fits of giggles.
The musical comedy sketch in the second half of the show does not quite live up to the laughs provided by the Glenn Miller scene. Lawford introduces a medley of current pop songs sung earnestly and with straight faces by Raye, Garland and himself. The scene succeeds however, in highlighting how poor the current trends in music were compared to the rest of the material that Judy and her guests sing on the show, especially in the Trunk spot that follows.
In this week’s finale, Judy sings ‘All Alone’ by Irving Berlin, and ‘Oh Lord I’m On My Way’. Although the orchestra plays ‘Maybe I Will Come Back’, Judy does not sing it, and walks off out of sight to the rear of the stage during the end credits. It would seem that she has grown tired of regularly singing this song.
Garland’s Gowns: (By Ray Aghayan and Bob Mackie)
Judy wears an exceedingly glamorous outfit in the Trunk spot this week. A zebra-striped skirt with a white top and dark cape. The inside of the cape has matching zebra stripes. This outfit would suggest that Aghayan was getting ever more experimental with his costumes.
Earlier in the show Judy wears a wool cape and pillbox hat. During the Glenn Miller sketch she wears a skirt, blouse and waistcoat (possibly what was under the wool cape). In the 1960s pop medley she wears a white sparkly top and white skirt. It is the same outfit she wore for ‘By Myself’ in the Vic Damone episode the previous week. The zebra skirt and cape, however, is undoubtedly the most striking costume of he series so far.
The Judy Garland Project 