THE MUSICAL JUDY GARLAND

To post on Judy Garland is a vast undertaking. I would contest that there are very few women who have done as much for Hollywood as her. From a little girl in "Pigskin Parade" (1936) to her last film "I Could Go Singing" (1963), every performance was astounding and mesmerizing. She did it all: Singing, Dancing & Acting.

Generally, an Actor can only go so far before they lean on their crutch of musical or comedic talent. Judy, however, used her other talents to expound her acting not conceal it. She was the female voice of Christmas and the poster child/adult of MGM.

AS AN ACTOR:
How can you mention Judy without mentioning "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). This film catapulted her out of the Hardy neighborhood and over the rainbow. It wasn't just her singing that got her there though. Even at the age of 16, she amazed audiences with her acting, which won her one of the youngest Oscars ever presented. My favorite acting of hers is in "The Judgement of Nuremberg" (1961). Her performance is gripping and moving.

AS A SINGER:
Her voice was mellow, pure and original. "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944) showcased a range of her singing talent and gave her a new list of popular songs to perform. My personal favorite is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song." It's amazing that with all the personal struggles in her life she could sing songs that were so beautiful and encouraging. Later in her concerts she would sing the song "San Francisco," which was originally Jeanette MacDonald's song in the movie with the same name. Jeanette was asked if she was upset by this, of which she replied: "Oh, I don't mind... as long as it's Judy!"

AS A DANCER:
From Mickey Rooney to Gene Kelly to Fred Astaire she held her own on the dance floor. Her favorite of mine is "Easter Parade" (1948). Though their wasn't a lot of swooshing and flying through the air, her dance was right on step. In the dance sequence of "When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam'" we see her fast paced feet which generally moved a little slower with the tempo in her other films.

Though she had a rough life, the films she was in contained a Judy that enjoyed what she did and knew how to do it better than most. Her musical talent far surpassed many of the other Actresses in her day, as her acting grabbed a hold of the audience who filled the box office every time her name was on the screen. What a talent was Judy!

THE OTHER ON-SCREEN COUPLES

To end the month of romantic movies, I have dedicated this week to some of my favorite on-screen couples. It would be impossible for me to talk on every favorite couple. So today I wish to just list a few more together. In a previous post I mentioned the leading men of Doris Day. If I didn't already have this post, I would be listing each one below as well.

I would like to hear some of your favorite couples out there. Let me know who they are by commenting on this post or any other. I'd love to hear from you.

John Wayne had a few women who played opposite of him, but none of them could stand up to him like the fiery red-headed Maureen O'Hara. Even as a shy Irish country girl in the "Quiet Man", Wayne would give his pardoning bow. They first starred together in "Rio Grande" and were teamed again in four other films. Here is the list: Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963) and Big Jake (1971).

Cary Grant also had many leading ladies, but it was with Irene Dunne that I love his acting the most. They were paired during Grant's comedy years and she could dish it right back. When it came to romance they both could easily switch gears and top that as well. They were teamed in three films together: The Awful Truth (1937), My Favorite Wife (1940) & Penny Serenade (1941). Some of the movies they made, apart and together, have been duplicated with almost as much success as the first. 

The most successful duo in their youth was the talented Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland. They starred in the Andy Hardy Series while attending the same school, provided by MGM. They also starred in a few other films with the same Andy Hardy structure. The contribution to Hollywood, given by these two stars, together and apart, can never be duplicated. In contrast of Garland's short-lived life, we have Rooney's record for acting longer than any other star in the history of movie making. They cared for each other like a brother and sister and even more than that.



There have been musical couples before and after these two, but I love the team of Kathryn Grayson & Mario Lanza. They played together in "That Midnight Kiss" (1949) and in the "Toast of New Orleans" (1950). They were never as successful as the MacDonald & Eddy combination, but I could never find another film where an actress could reach his talent of singing. He is one of my favorite singers.

Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur only starred in two movies together, but since those movies were Capra films, that's all the world needed. "You Can't Take it With You" (1938) and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) were both comedic and monumental, as they were romantic and inspiring. At the center of this, you find two people being pulled in every direction as they choose to stick to each other. Unlike other couples who are re-used to play the same parts, Arthur and Stewart actually flipped roles from corky to understanding and vice-versa. These two have the ability to show the emotions of love and not just love itself.

Shirley Jones first film was the spectacular "Oklahoma!" (1955), opposite her idol Gordon MacRae. They went on to star in one more film, "Carousel" (1956), before the musical became a dying art. Gordon had had other leading ladies before, but Shirley seemed to be the perfect match. His broad stature was the perfect backdrop for her shy curls. Both films are a favorite of mine for the music, scope and this couple.

There are other favorites of mine, some of which blossomed into a real romance like Bogart & Bacall. I wished to list them all, but this will suffice for now.

The month of March will be covering my favorite Musicals. I hope you enjoy!

EPISCOPALIAN LEGENDS OF HOLLYWOOD

As I researched into the Episcopalian influence on Hollywood I found a little excerpt from the "Los Angeles Times" that compliments the theme I've been going with on the Production Code.

It seems each post has built on itself. I mentioned earlier that those who had founded the major studios of Hollywood were of Jewish decent. Every film that they made from the early 1930's to the late 1950's was regulated by the censorship board which included Catholics and Presbyterians. Now we are into the Episcopalian audiences. Here is the excerpt:

"The Episcopal Committee views with favor the renewed efforts of the organized industry to discharge its responsibility of issuing only such motion pictures as may conform with reasonable moral standards. The Committee believes that the Production Code, if given enforcement, will materially and constructively influence the character of screen entertainment. Hence it is disposed to render encouragement and cooperation to these efforts which it hopes will achieve the promised results." (Los Angeles Times, June 22nd 1934).

It took me a couple times to read it before it made sense. This was the support the Production Code needed to establish the censorship. If you take a step back and realize the evolution here, it is breathtaking. Religions that had fought each other with either words or swords, have put aside their differences and now came together to form an organization that would forever better mankind.

Here are some of the more famous Episcopalians of Hollywood.

Actors, Actresses & Directors