TJGS Episode 8: Judy Garland, A Baseball Coach, A TV Actor and a Pack of Hillbillys

This is the strangest assortment of guests yet, and all ordered by Hunt Stromberg, Jr.  as an attempt to appeal to a wide array of folks.  Judy Garland chatting with Leo Duroscher, coach of the LA Dodgers?  She knows nothing about baseball, freely admits it, and while she's very sweet and convivial, it makes for a bewildering three or four minutes.  And then there's the idea of matching her up with The Dillards, a downhome bluegrass band that had been featured on The Andy Griffith Show.  Round it out with George Maharis of "Route 66" and you have one of the very reasons I said earlier that these Jewison produced shows seem more "daytime".  The guests assembled are of the caliber you might easily find on a chatty daytime talk show, all clumped together with little thought to chemistry or cohesiveness.

One thing the show does have going for it?  Judy's vocals are back in top shape, she sounds and looks at ease, and thank the Lord the guests stopped insulting Judy through song.  The show itself is a very polished production, very streamlined and with little of the stumbles and stammers that marred earlier episodes.  The material is not great, the writing's pretty flat, but it's executed well by the performers.  The cast may be selling shit, but they sell it with panache!

The highlights of this program?  Judy and George Maharis sing a lovely arrangement  of "Side By Side" with beautiful harmonies, and they seem to love being with each other. 

 

 

Highlight number two is this near perfect rendition of "I Wish You Love".  So lush and poignant.

 



TJGS Episode 7: The Premiere!!! (Take Two)

This episode was selected by the executives at CBS as the premiere episode.  I suppose, having fired Schlatter they couldn't allow one of his episodes to start the series off, because if people liked it and deemed it better than some of the latter episodes then the CBS Execs would have to eat a lot of crow.

This episode was due to start with the overture taken from the Mickey Rooney episode, but instead started with our favorite dancers singing a take-off on "Call Her Irresponsible", which is supposed to culminate in Judy's entrance...and she is no where to be seen.  She eventually appears and goes into an introductory number.  Now, Judy had somewhat impishly performed this song to CBS Executives and affiliates for a gathering and it had been a hit.  Yet, there's a big difference between a person making fun of themselves, and others making fun of them.  It set a bad tone to start the show that way.  And Jerry is again forced to speak some insulting dialogue to Judy which does make people feel confident that she will be able to carry this venture off.  It's a very peculiar way to sell a performer.  Stupid CBS listening to poll takers and changing the show up before the first episodes had even aired.  Have some confidence in your product, ass wipes.





Garland sings "Fly Me To The Moon" in this gorgeous wooded set with beautiful flowered trees.  It's a gorgeous set-up and yet her pipes aren't quite back up to full capacity.  It's another peculiar move on CBS' part to open the series with an episode in which Garland's vocal quality is not up to peak. It doesn't make sense.

Mostly, my complaints with this episode are repeats from last weeks episode.  The material they're highlighting in the duets is subpar, the special material is forgettable, the whole show is just unremarkable, and there are a couple of false starts and flubbed lines (one by Garland and couple by O'Connor) that should have been a good enough reason to do another take.  I just don't get it.

Highlights?  Judy has a laugh out loud moment in which she and O'Connor are spoofing Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy and she takes a moment to play and jokingly flirt with the camera.

And, in spite of the fact that I don't really love clowns (I'm not one of those people afraid of them, I just don't care for them) the second highlight is a simply charming number that Jerry and Judy and Donald join in together. 



TJGS Episode 6: That Ain't No Way to Treat A Lady

This show is rough.  It's the first episode that had my mind wandering and musing on running the dish washer, what to pick up at the grocery store, work the next morning, anything except for the messy business on-camera.  The trouble on-camera was at least partially influenced by the mess that things quickly degenerated into off-camera. 

As mentioned before, due to some negative feedback from average Americans participating in a screening, Hunt Stromberg came to the set and made quite a few suggestions, claiming that he knew what needed to be done to fix the show.  Judy, until this point had not thought that the show was in need of fixing and both she and Schlatter were pretty shaken by his comments.  I'm shocked that Stromberg didn't know better than to be so artless in his discussions because the whole show rested on her talents and presence and it was pretty well understood that an unhappy Judy could make some unproductive decisions.

More talks would follow, and while Schlatter heard and understood the changes the  execs wanted him to make, he disagreed, and refused to change.  He felt that he knew what Judy needed, and wouldn't relent.  As a result, the executives showed him, and a large portion of his team, the door.

It's been claimed that Garland didn't know what was coming, wasn't aware of the firings, and I suppose it's possible, but I have a hard time believing it.  If anyone would be told, it would be the star of the show. Right?   And, while most people were fired, one of those most important to Judy was saved; Mel Torme.  He helped her select music, conducted for her, kept her secure in her musical performances and to me (and this is purely conjecture) it seems like a concession from the studio brass to allow Garland to have a kind of security blanket to hold on to in the midst of the upheaval.  



Norman Jewison was brought in as Executive Producer, and this episode is his first in that capacity.  And it doesn't bode well.  While the first five episodes seemed lush, glamorous, this is awash in light.   The costumes are unflattering, the hairstyling is off (I'm talkin' bout you June Allyson)...



  Maybe everyone was just thrown off their game because of the behind the scenes drama which was impacting a relatively happy show prior to the changes, but some of the decisions were very much on purpose.

1.   I can't quite put my finger on it, but this episode seems much more "daytime" than all the episodes prior.  Much less sophisticated.

2.   Jerry stops being a bumbler who looks up to and is encouraged by Garland, and is instantly transformed into an egotistical tv expert who drills Garland, criticizes her every move and essentially tells her she's doing everything wrong, and making her appear as a novice on her own show.  She is forced to react to all the things Jerry is throwing at her, so she looks uncomfortable through most of these scenes.  It was SO much better to see Judy looking fresh and at home, to see how much her guests seemed happy to be there.  Those episodes raised her up and exhibited her at her warmest, and most at ease.  They made the studio seem like a fun place to be.  These episodes knock her off her "pedestal" by making her look a little unready, inexperienced in television, and a bit baffled.  And is that really the sort of person you want to "get to know"?  Nope. 

3.  The focus is much less on music, and thrown to these awkward, poorly scripted comedic bits. 
Steve Lawrence, who sings and looks like a dream (he really understood how to work the camera during a vocal performance) does a terrible bit in which he sings these horribly unfunny and insulting things to Garland.  He doesn't get to be a version of his own sweet self, but he's forced to be this awkward Brando-esque asshole.  ALL the patter is moronic and boring.

4.  There's a lot more "special material", and none of it is particularly good.  I'd much rather have seen Steve and Judy sing some grade-A material than what they are left with.  Opportunity wasted.

All in all, the show just seems messy, and it's not helped by June Allyson.  It seems as if she's just a wee bit too "loose".  She's tickled by everything, can't stop cracking up, and doesn't seem to take the work seriously, and witnesses say she'd been drinking a bit to overcome her earlier nerves.  Too be fair, she had been devastated by the somewhat recent death of her husband Dick Powell and had not worked in some time.  It was Garland's cajoling and coaxing that brought her out to face the world again, so these are her first brave, if somewhat shaky efforts to do so.  June had done some wonderful work prior, and has proved herself a generous and gentle soul since, so one can forgive this misstep.


As for the set?  This is the episode where every set piece is extremely literal.  It's a trend that would unfortunately continue.  Steve Lawrence is going to sing "Time After Time"?  Ok, we'll stick him in the middle of a crowd of cut-outs of clocks.  Get it??  Judy is going to sing "Happiness is Just a Thing Called Joe" from Cabin in the Sky?  Well, she'll need to do it on the front porch of a cabin, of course.  And June Allyson is singing "The Doodlin' Song"?  Well, she'll need to be surrounded by The Judy Garland Dancers" as they doodle on giant rolls of paper.  Silly.  And I for one have never been fond of the way these sets seem plopped in the middle of a limbo world with no walls.   

The finale of the show, a tribute to MGM film musicals the biggest disappointment of all.  The set continues the trend of "literal" interp by dropping Steve, June and Judy amongst giant film reels.  The performances on said set are under rehearsed, and shoddy.  Both Judy and June look a little wobbly, and there is so much line flubbing, and obvious glancing at cue cards...ugh.   

Final note- while Garland has sounded brilliant in all prior episodes, during this one she's having apparent vocal troubles and mentions having struggled with laryngitis during the week.  So if you think you're hearing a rougher, raspier Garland, you are. 

TJGS Episode 5: The Sexiest Episode Yet

Watching the Pioneer DVDs as I have been is an interesting experience as they differ ever so slightly from the aired version of the show.  For example, the cameras linger on studio audience for what seems like an eternity during the fade-out to commercial, possibly to give the editors some space when they are fading out for the commercial that's been removed.  At any rate, it allows us to see some very amusing behavior, like in the episode with Mickey in which one woman on house right is absolutely tickled pink to see herself on the monitor.  She just can't help herself, she points, she giggles, she titters about it to the person next to her...awesome. 

They say you can also spot the celebrities in the audience as you watch, but so far that hasn't been the case.  In the premier episode Natalie Wood, Lucille Ball and the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show were in the audience, but I couldn't find them, at all.

Also, the DVDs will occasionally show numbers edited into the show that were cut from the aired version. 

In this episode the number that was edited into the DVD version, even though it was cut for the aired episode, is "If Love Were All", and I can see why it was cut.  It's a beautiful song, and one of Garland's stand by numbers, but it's not really suited to start a show.  Dramatically it fits much better in the latter portion of a performance as sung by someone who's already been "through the mill".  To see Garland come out looking dazzling, all glammed up and up beat singing this whistful, somewhat self pitying song...well it's weird.  And it was cut.  Also weird?  Those damned Judy Garland singers.  They never fail to provide a creepy, incongruous moment.  They succeed again in the number "Yes, Indeed" in which Judy introduces her guests for the evening.  Usually I have not troubles keeping my eyes on Judy, but the dancers are so...wacky, that they demand your attention.  Watch and see:

Right?  What is up with those cones leaking those incredibly fake looking extensions?  And the boys...come on kids.  Who's fucking idea were they.  Get them outta there. 

One thing that surprised me, was that even though Dick Shawn is a NIGHTMARE, so unappealing and off-putting with his "sexual" energy that supposedly gets the girls wild, Jerry Van Dyke is just sweet and adorable as can be.  His energy is great and he's hilarious in the duet with Shawn.  And I can't help but feel that if he'd kept that up, with Judy performing as an encouraging influence to bolster his sagging confidence, it might have actually worked.

Tony Bennett.  What is it about Tony Bennett.  He's all chin and nose, with lashes that Tony Curtis would have been proud of, and he's just as hot as can be.  He's committed, emotional, and his confidence comes from within.  Good Lord.  It makes my heart flutter just to watch him.  And his chemistry with Judy?  They can't keep their hands off each other.  It's weird to know that they just met for the episode because they seem like old flames that have been able to transition into a very comfortable friendship.  This clip provides the evidence when Judy joins the song about 2 minutes in.

In the "trunk" segment Judy tells another anecdote at the behest of Hunt Stromberg, Jr.  and sings a lovely rendition of "Stormy Weather" and as the credits roll she walks into the audience and joyously greets Steve Allen and his wife Jayne Meadows.  It's a great moment. 

Reclaiming Iphone

It was a bit of a rough morning to start out with.  I've been staying up into the wee hours working on my Judy Show challenge, and so the sounds of NPR commentators was not exactly welcome at 9AM.  Lord, I did not want to get out of bed, and yet, maybe I couldn't face a churchful of people this Sunday morning, but I could play hookey and creep into the Starbucks s shower, wearing a "Homeslice Pizza" t-shirt, green hoodie and worn out tennies, and who would give me a second glance?  No one, that's who.  So I piled into the car, and a coffee and cinnamon roll later, a little writing completed,  I got back in.  I didn't miss my phone right away.  First I drove around awhile, ran some errands, and when I finally reached into my pocket and found it missing, I didn't panic yet.  I mean, I leave things around.  It's something I do, and I cope with it as best I can.  I knew I had probably just left it at the apartment, and could find it when I got home.  No rush.  And yet, once home, it wasn't there.

I enabled the "find my iphone" feature and had it play a noise to alert me where it was as I wandered around listening for it.  Nothing.  Then, after looking at the intersection where it was located I realized it was at the Starbucks ,so I drove on back, still not worried at all.  After all, these things happen.  And usually(aside from the time a month ago when my car window had been busted and my iphone and ipod had been stolen) they work themselves out.  I talked to the cute guy at the counter and asked him if an iphone had been turned into the lost and found.

Cute Starbucks Man:  No...oh wait, was it making a noise?

Me:  Probably, I had the alert turned on because I assumed it was in my apartment.

Cute Starbucks Man:  Oh yeah (crossing to the cushy chair I'd been sitting in) it made the noise and then it was driving me crazy so I turned off the sound.  It was right here, on the table.  I...Oh man, I'm sorry, I assumed it belonged to someone who had gone to the bathroom.  It was right here. 

THIS is when panic made a rumbly in my tumbly.  Where could it be?  It had been here less than 7 minutes ago.  Where was it now?  The "locate" feature on my laptop showed me that the phone had been powered down.  Realization set in.  Someone knew I'd lost my phone and powered it down, and taken it.  Fuck. 

Some of the other patrons at Starbucks had heard me talking to the counter guy and began piecing this inane little drama together, and they couldn't have been kinder.  a guy at a nearby table asked if I wanted to use his phone to call mine (straight to voicemail) and two kids mentioned that they'd heard the phone go off and seen a guy who had been sleeping next to it take it and walk out.  The guy was a regular, and Cute Starbucks Man remembered him, so he said next time he came into the shop he would try to find out who he was.  He gave me his number in case I needed anything. 

I wasn't done. I wasn;t giving in easily this time.  I wasn't just going to let someone my fuck me over.  Oh no, I wasn't taking this shit sitting down this time.  Nope, I was going to wander around the neighborhood looking for this guy.  But after that proved fruitless, I went home to recheck the location of the phone and see if it had been turned back on.

Once home, the anger came.  "Who the hell did this little fuck think he is?  What gives him the right?  He doesn't know my situation!  I can't afford another phone!  I'm just picking up the pieces from the last time.  This has been one shitty month of shitty things happening!!!!"  What was worse was the knowing that some of those, not all, but some, had been preventable and that it wasn't someone on the outside who'd been responsible them, but a man on the inside.  That man... (spoiler alert) was... (wait for it)...me. 

But still, if I found this guy I was going to punch the shit out of him.  I was going to make mincemeat out of his face.  He would rue the day he fucked with this faggots phone.  And yeah, maybe part of it would be directed at the guy who stole my stuff at Christmas time, but I didn't care.  Someone was going down for this.  And even if he beat me up instead of the other way around, I was going to go down fighting! 

And then, after the phone had been powered down for forty minutes, I paused my "why me, what I have I done to deserve this, somebody's going to pay, I can't afford this!  I don't have money...well I'm just going to have to go without a phone, and what's that going to do to my work situation" pity party, a new location for the phone had been pinpointed just a few blocks from the Starbucks.  Before I really knew what I was doing, I was out the door and in my car with my laptop open in the seat next to me. I knew you weren't supposed to go to the address where your phone had been located, but at that point I didn't care.  This had become bigger than my iphone.  It was about justice goddamnit and I was gonna git some.  A part of me knew I could always turn back if things seemed dicey so I drove to the house and watched it from the street.

A few minutes later a schlubby guy in a baseball cap  come out of the house, dropped something in his garbage can and walked back into the house.  He seemed safe enough.  And if my danger signals went off I could lie and say I was looking for my friend Berniece, or some other story...

I rang the doorbell and the guy came out.  He was on the phone.

Schlubby Guy:  Hold on dude, something's up.  Yeah?

Me:  I'm looking for my I-phone.  I located it at this address.  Pretty sure you have it.

Schlubby Guy:  Oh yeah!!  I was waiting for you, I wondered when you'd come by for it.  Hold on.

So, what...this asshole is just going to pretend that he was hoping I'd come by and get the phone? He was keeping it here at his house in the hopes I would track it down?  Whatever gets you through your day, dickface.  Just give me the fuckin' phone.

When he came back, instead of giving me my iphone he handed over this  brown taped up box.  Did he think I was UPS?

Me:  No, I'm here for an iphone that was taken and I tracked here.  Do you have  little Asian guy here with black headphones, goes to Starbucks a lot?

Schlubby Guy:  Yeah.

Me:  Well, could you let me talk to him, or talk to him for me?

It was at this point that the smell of pot hit my nostrils.  Eventually the little guy came out, my phone in hand.  I reached for it.  He wouldn't let go.  At this point I realized getting this back might be a bit more of a struggle than I'd thought.

Little Guy:  Will you turn it on?

Me:  ummm. no.

Little Guy:  Ok, Ok.

He looked at me.

Little Guy:  Well, you found it, you found it, so it's yours.

And that was that.  He let go of it, turned back into the house, closed the door behind him, and I drove home.  And sure, I felt good for a moment, happy that I'd taken matters into my own hands, even though they say you aren't supposed to (and I probably wouldn't recommend anyone else do this either, just in case), but I also felt sad.  Sad that someone could justify walking off with someone else's stuff.  I suppose it's possible that he meant to figure out for himself who it belonged to and didn't want to hand it over to the Starbucks people, but I don't truly believe that story.  Anyway, I got my phone back, got a bit of an adrenaline charge, and the only real downside was the loss of an hour, and the added feeling that the world was not quite as friendly as I'd thought before.
         

TJGS Episode 4: Mad Guest Stars and Englishman



This is the episode where Judy talks, Lena growls, Jerry vamooses, and Terry Thomas is an all around British charmer.  This is also the episode in which the CBS brass, in the form of Programming Executive Hunt Stromberg, Jr, got hands on.  The Garland show was looking like it might stick around, Garland hadn't imploded under the stressful schedule as some predicted she would, and so concern began to rise and they turned, as execs often do, to the average citizen of America through the focus groups I'd mentioned earlier.  They were Garland's appeal, and the fact that she didn't quite fit the CBS mold.  They were worried she that America didn't find her approachable, that she was too affectionate with the guests, and so they made some "suggestions" and encouraged Garland to talk and tell stories so the audience could get to know her.  They added a segment called "Tea For Two" in which Judy would chat casually with one of her guest stars, and swapped out a song for an anecdote about how she lost the Academy Award in the upcoming episode's "trunk" spot.  All of this input put a lot of folks on edge, especially Judy and her producer.  They'd been left relatively alone for awhile, and this new input could not be good news.

"Rainbow's End" implies that Schlatter directed Judy to make an exit from the set for awhile, as he also was largely absent, and unfortunately Lena Horne, the guest that week, was put off by it.  Now, Judy was never really fond of rehearsing and thought too much rehearsing for this show would rob it of freshness and spontaneity, and in the past she hadn't needed it.  She was the "one take wonder" who could pick up a dance step by seeing it once, could look at a piece of sheet music onte time and have it down pat, which even Mel Torme conceded to having seen in action.  So even now, when she could use the rehearsal as her dancing chops had somewhat rusted, she didn't have the discipline in her muscle memory, and the set was hardly the pleasant place to be that it had once been, and Garland had always soaked in her environment like a sponge.  So there were probably a few factors that led to her absence from rehearsals this week.  Regardless, Lena was not pleased, and it shows.   

Now, I, for one am leery of those who think they can read what's going on behind the scenes by body language, etc.  because in a very real way the "insights" of the lightly informed often say more about the audience member than the subject.  For example, people are always making sweeping statements about Garland when they watch her perform.  "Oh she looks nervous", "you can tell she's really sad", "She looks drunk" and I have always been a very strong believer that


1. You see what you think you will see.  You've heard that Garland drank, and are looking for are seeking evidence to prove your juicy beliefs.  Trust me, you will find them even if they aren't there.  As a pretty rabid fan I've seen and heard lots of footage, including occasional footage in which Garland is "overmedicated", and it's quite apparent when that's the case.  Trust me, give your discerning eye a rest and enjoy what actually is up there.

  2.  Judy was an actress, and when she performed a song, she felt and radiated the emotions of the song and character she was playing.  It's part of what makes her so special.  It ain't American Idol where someone smiles, sells it, and performs vocal yoga ad nauseum,  even if it's a ballad of loss.  It's called acting.

If you still think you are so perceptive, let's try an experiment, if you are game.  Watch Lena Horne on the show.  What do you think?  She sways a bit, she leers, wobbles, twitches and growls through the show, she flubs a line...she's a prime candidate to be one "drunkin punkin"!  She looks drunk!   And yet, she ain't drunk. 

What I will posit however, based on my understanding of the show's dynamics that week, and the body language, that she seemed a bit...tense compared to her usual self.  She hardly looks at Judy while performing with her.  She's closed off, determined, like a locomotive chugging down the track.  She's on her own.  And what camaraderie there is, at least from her side, seems forced.  A good example of this is the hyper-manic cackling and shaking, kicking and head tossing at the end of the "Judy Sings Lena/Lena Sings Judy" number.  We get it, ladies.  You are having one fucking amazing time. On the upside?  Tense set or not, Lena and Judy both put out some great performances.  If you are not familiar with Lena Horne, give her a listen.  Lady had some pipes...

 

As for the rest of the show, it's certainly above par, and as a guest star Terry Thomas is just charming.  He's extremely agreeable, polite, warm, and ever so British.  Judy is once again looking gorgeous in this show, and she sings a really intimate rendition of "A Foggy Day in London Town" that is pretty fascinating.  I've always loved watching her sing to an individual because the intimacy does something to the words, make them so...immediate.

 









One thing you won't see on this episode is Jerry Van Dyke.  Though filmed fourth, the episode aired 10th, after it had been announced that Van Dyke was leaving the show, so his work, which is pretty enjoyable in this episode, I have to say, can only be found in the outtakes.

Final Note:  I wish I could go back in time to 1963 and burn those weird trench coat gowns Judy and Lena are wearing in the opening number before they get a chance to put them on.  They look like wrapped up sateen mummys.  No Ma'am, Pam.

TJGS Episode 3: Mother Daughter Songfest

Liza Minnelli is a revelation in her guest spot on the third episode of The Judy Garland Show.  She's still forming as an artist and performer, still a little raw, and her presence is so..."unaffected" as one critic wrote, that I found myself wanting to be her best friend.  She's earnest, bouncy, boisterous, and so eager to please that you can't help but root for her.  She dredges up a that same desire to want to protect her that people have for Judy.  When you watch her, get a sense that there's something very special in her, something still shaping itself, that she courageously and unselfishly (if somewhat unwisely)  lets loose for all to see.  I say "unwisely" because anyone up onstage in front of that many people, with so little "armor" is going to be in for some tough surprises down the road.  It makes you want to fight for her and protect her so she can keep giving of this magic that she seems born to give. 

 

 

And take a close look at Liza's styling.  I have always thought that Rachel Berry's look in early episodes of Glee was reminiscent of Liza's.  Anybody else?  Am I just seeing what I want to see, kind of like when you buy a new Jeep Cherokee and suddenly it seems like everyone else has a Jeep Cherokee simply because you are attuned to seeing Jeep Cherokees???

 

One thing I AM certain of is that the number at the end of the episode, in which Liza and Judy dress up as hobos (Judy loved that hobo thing) inspired another duet on a certain show that any other kid of my age has embedded in his DNA. 

 

First there was "Judy and Liza"...

 

 

 

 

Then there was "Flo and Mo", also known as "Carol and Marcia"

 

 

 

This episode also had another great solo by Judy, in fact there are two of them duking it out for top honors here.  There was a powerful rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine", as only Judy can do it, and yet she would perform the song again in a later episode and that performance is just a little better than this one in my opinion so I'm going to save it for later.  No, the performance I love, and that is practically perfect is Judy' rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me".  Lionel Bart has been quoted many times as saying that Judy's voice was his inspiration for the score of Oliver, and so it's fitting that Judy gives the definitive performance.  If only it weren't for that damn chorus towards the end and that soprano who is really going for broke.  Ah well.  It was the early sixties after all.

 



 

Another thing that amazes me is how natural both Judy and Liza make this canned dialogue seem when they are together.  Sure there are moments when they are improvising, but then some of the dialogue is clearly scripted, and coming from anyone else would seem hokey as hell, but from these two, it seems so organic that it work in spite of itself. 

 

Finally, a bit of ridiculousness.  No sixties variety show is complete without a little bit of bizarrity.  In this case it is provided by The Brothers Castro.  Or, I should say it is provided by the Garland Show creative who take a perfectly charming, if somewhat "rough" act and turn it into this weird kind of Hollywood version of "Ole Mexico" that you can't help but be somewhat horrified and mesmerized by.  And, if you haven't noticed by now, wherever there's some bizarre shit going down, the "Judy Garland Dancers" are sure to be close at hand.  What the fuck is up with this mini-skirt poncho thing?

 

 

 

.



TJGS Episode 2: The Velvet Smog Sounds Off

When I was in my teens I found a used copy of The Other Side of the Rainbow:  With Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol by Mel Torme.  Yes, that guy...the jazz singer.  You see, way back when The Judy Garland Show was in pre-production, the producer, George Schlatter, lured him onto the program to be musical director and arranger and to borrow a phrase from an old song, Torme "didn't wanna do it.  He didn't wanna dooooo it."

Help select music for another performer?  Coach her?  Conduct her off-camera for those moments when she can't quite hear the orchestra?  To stabd in the wings and give support?  To a WOMAN?    Mel Torme was a lot of things, one of those being a tremendously talented crooner.  He was also a bit of a chauvinist, and an egotist supreme (I ordered one of these at Taco Bell a couple nights ago, and it was pretty tasty) who knew?  He understandably wanted to work on his own career, not someone else's, and he only relented when he heard he would get two on-screen guest spots in the first thirteen episodes (incidentally he was always bickering about these spots, how much time he got, was cranky when he had to share the guest spot with others, blah blah blah) with more to come later.  Undoubtedly he was a bit bitter at having to play second fiddle to another singer, and his tell-all memoir about his experience on the show, published soon after Judy's death, seems like a way for him to have the last word.  In the book he skewered Garland, placed the show's demise largely on her shoulders, and alternately bitches about her and his estranged wife, whom he condescendingly nicknames "Snow White". 

Now I'm not trying to say that he was COMPLETELY inaccurate (although much of his story was, and many of the points he makes would later be refuted as "untruths" by other crew members).  After all, Garland was a tempestuous woman.  Nervous, lonely, insecure.  The reference to the "dawn patrol" in the book's title references the fact that some members of the production team would receive late night calls from Garland who was keyed up after a night's work and needed companionship.  No, I'm not saying Garland was flawless.  I'm just saying the book has an agenda, and it served as a way for Torme to be the star of the show's story in a way that he hadn't been in life.  Unfortunately, after a backlash from the Hollywood community against Torme, the book became the only source for info on the shows troubles, and it's story went largely unchecked until the late eighties when Coyne Steven Sanders wrote the book that is now considered the definitive version of the making of the television show:  Rainbow's End. 

It's extremely readable, balanced, and doesn't overlook Garland's flaws.  It does however, put her occasional outburst into context with the craziness that was around her, the power grabs, the firings, the revamping...it's all in there.  Sanders is quoted as saying he was looking to expose the truth, no matter how ugly, and he was pleasantly surprised to finish his research and interviews with a deeper respect for Garland's work ethic, kindness, and talent (this did not happen when he dug into the life of Lucille Ball for a similar project, FYI).  Anytime I have a question about the facts of the making of the Garland series, it is the first place I go for answers. 

Well, all this is taking the long way to tell you that episode 2 of the Garland show featured Count Basie, and Mel Torme as guests, and the show gets off to a pretty dreamy start.  Judy enters a quiet set which is made to resemble a rehearsal hall in which the musicians are warming up...

 

It's a moment that I love because it allows Judy to swing it a little in a very "cool" arrangement.  Judy was never what you could call a jazz singer (although like everyone else who has an eye on the neighbor's backyard, she wanted to have her try at it) but it is great when she's allowed to escape her sentimental show biz numbers for something a little sultrier. 

 

The problems with the show are not with Judy, or Basie, but with everything else.  As much as I've grown to have a fond distaste for Mel Torme, I have to say, his vocal stylings are impeccable and a treat to listen to.  Watching him sing is another thing altogether.  He's like the nerd in school who hung around with the cool kids (you know "Sammy, Frankie, Dean") and was determined to be just like them.  He aped their moves in the mirror, dressed like them, convinced himself he WAS them, but nobody on the playground ever really bought it.  That's Mr. Torme.  He's so smarmy and schmoozy, and that swagger of his is just repellent.

 



 

Also on the list of things that bring down this episode is Jerry Van Dyke, or at least the material he's working with.  He was brought on to the show as Judy's comedic second banana, but they never quite figured out what to do with him.  Personally, I've always thought critics were too hard on him as his   presence is very sweet natured, naïve and bumbling and his bombastic energy is a nice contrast to Garland's.  And yes, the bits are trite, but he didn't write them, nor was he happy with them.  In fact, much as he loved working with Garland, he was very unhappy with his role in the show, especially when the writers came up with the idea of his poking fun at Judy to de-glamorize her and make her more approachable to the audience.

 

Other things I don't love in this episode?  Well there's this pretty unfortunate musical number in which folk singer Judy Henske teams up with Mel Torme and Jerry Van Dyke to sing "Walk Right In".  The harmonies are way off and Henske hits some notes that cause pretty hysterical reactions from Jerry.  Another thing I'm not a huge fan of in the show?

 

 

This hat...

 

 

 

While we're at it, I didn't love the dance in which these hats were featured either.  It's such a confusing melee.  Garland gets lost in it, seems unsure of herself through much of the routine, and they style seems ill fitted to her.

 

 

 

                                

 

A moment that definitely DOES work is when Judy is singing in the Trunk spot at the end of the show and flubs a line during the song, turning it into a delightful win.  The minds behind the scenes had gotten the idea to start taping dress rehearsals of the show so they would have two versions of numbers to choose from, and then they could slip the better version in.  Well, in this case they chose to use the dress rehearsal, and I can't blame them.  She's so animated and energetic, like a mischievous little sequined elf who, incidentally, can sing the shit out of a song.

 

One final note.  Does anyone else notice that Judy seems to be wearing the same outfit through the entire show?  Sure she changes from skirt to pants, but everything else seems exactly the same.  Am I the only one bothered by this?  WTF Aghayan?



The Judy Garland Show Episode 1: The Premiere!!!

This episode was the first one taped for the series, and I have to say it's pretty wonderful.  The look is dramatic, glamorous, glossy and glitzy (all those "g" words I love)...Judy looks and sounds wonderful and aside from some clunky comedic bits which were typical of sixties tv variety shows, it's a perfect way to illustrate what a viewer could look forward to in the season ahead.  If you care to watch along with me and can get ahold of a DVD of the show, the Pioneer set has loads of outtakes and deleted numbers removed and replaced due to the later change in the ordering of the episode.   ALSO, it's important to note that this show was rehearsed and taped like a theatrical production.  It was finished taping in less than 90 minutes, and Judy required no second takes on any of it.  It's a very different way of doing things from the over-produced, over "tweaked" and stilted shows of the same variety that are made today.

 

The show begins with Judy's conductor and right hand man Mort Lindsey leading an overture of her numbers that would build to her entrance, much as had been done in her concerts.  The overture of a singer's hits is pretty standard fare today, and one that Judy pioneered.  In fact, it's pretty amazing how many things we think of as standard concert tropes were originated or made famous first by Garland.  When Judy finally arrives she makes an incredible entrance and looks stunning in this ultra -sophisticated pantsuit gown combo that was very in fashion in the late-fifties early sixties.  She looks so fresh, comfortable, in control...  it only makes me wish the show had been taped in color, because Judy's color palette really made up so much of her "look" and enhanced her beauty.  This licorice black hair, deep red lips and porcelain skin, that rich sophisticated "drawl" of a speaking voice.  She sings "I Feel A Song Coming On" (one of the few pre-recorded numbers of the series) with special lyrics introducing Mickey Rooney

 

 

Then we unfortunately fade out and fade in to...Mickey Rooney.  I've always had rather ambiguous feelings about Mickey Rooney.  While I loved him in the early Andy Hardy films, in his musicals with Judy like Babes on Broadway and Girl Crazy, let's just say I tried to keep my eyes focused on her side of the screen.  He's always been a bit too forceful, too hammy for my taste.  "He really insists upon himself" as my friend Meg would say.  His philosophy of performance seemed to be "why say anything when you can shout it, while doing a handstand, balancing plates on your feet, and speaking in a bad Gable imitation.  He's the Jim Carrey/Martin Short of his day, and it ain't my cup o tea. 

 

For his solo spot on the show he is seated on a large staircase as he sings this falsely "sincere"  medley of songs glorifying the American girl, and having the much married Rooney singing that when he's not near the girl he loves he loves the girl he's with?  It has a humor that I'm not quite sure was intended.  Thank god he finally drops the winsome pose, but he segues into a schmaltzy bit in which he impersonates Jimmy Durante and Maurice Chevalier.  At the end of the number, as he sings "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" he's flanked by two little girls which would seem really creepy if you didn't know they were his daughters.  For the record, this is exactly the kind of corny number  I would usually fast-forward through, but it's worth watching once, even if it's only to see Mickey's bizarre combed forward hair-do.

 

From that number we move to one of my favorite from the series.  Ever.  The stairs that Mickey had been singing on rotate on this wonderful turn-table, doing it's job long before "Les Miz" became synonymous with the word in a theatrical context, and Judy strolls out from the darkness and just lays out the most brilliant, structured performance of a real "sock-o" number that shows what a master she is at building a song.  She's the Queen of audience mind control.  And you'll notice how carefully she selects which moments to play to the camera directly, when she plays to the studio audience, and when she seems to be singing for herself.  To paraphrase, Judy expert John Fricke, she has a way of making the relatively cold mediums of television and film seem so warm.  She communicates across forty years as if it's a cinch.  Truly stunning.    

 

 

 

Next Judy and Mickey have a really sweet interaction where they reminisce over old times and look back at old photos of themselves back when they were "in pictures" together.  While the impact is less momentous and thrilling than it would have had back then (the much publicized reunion of a beloved team that hadn't been seen together on-screen in fifteen years, in a time before you could push a button and bring up virtually any image or film clip) the dialogue is off the cuff, and sincere, and their affection for each other is blatantly obvious.  Mickey is so gentle and considerate to Judy that he completely redeems himself from his sub-par singing, and Judy she is equally loving toward him, doing her old trick of kicking off her Ferragamo heels when they dance, so they are roughly the same height.  And as they perform side by side you get a glimpse at two performers with very different styles.  Mickey looks straight at the camera, faces it dead on through most of the song, glancing at Judy ocassionally, while she makes it all about him.  She leans in to him, sings for him and to him, reacting to every moment he gives her.  This is something that she would do time and time again through the episodes.  She would constantly defer to her guest, make sure that they got spot lighted in their duets, give them the full focus, and she would give them a lot of the better material in the duets.  After awhile, Mickey shows off his comedic chops by reviving one of his most clever routines that he'd performed with Judy in personal appearances and on film in Girl Crazy: the Goofy Golfer, and he's really quite charming in it. 

 

The second half of the show is largely devoted to a sketch that probably played better in it's day, and seems a bit stumbly and tongue in cheek for it's own good.  It was obviously rehearsed, but it's too loosely scripted and most of the comedic moments fall flat as a result, aside from a wonderful moment when Mickey mocks his own penchant for hamming it up, showing again how wonderfully funny he can be. 

 

The final moment of the show worth remembering is from Judy's "Born in a Trunk" segment.  At the end of each show, Judy would stand alone on her "runway" with a large stage trunk, and sing one or two final numbers to close the evening.  The number Judy chose for the opening episode, "Old Man River", was not conventional, and not often performed by women, and the CBS executives hated it.  They wanted something nostalgic and familiar like "Over The Rainbow" or "The Trolley Song", but Judy insisted on pushing boundaries, and doing things her way.  She would take a lot of input and let other people make a lot of decisions, but when it came to musical selections, she was of the firm opinion that she knew what was right for her.  The performance proves her right, and is one of the highlights of the series...

 



 

All in all, a pretty great show that displays a relaxed, healthy looking and sophisticated Garland and it's really a shame that this wasn't the first episode aired, as I think it would have payed so much better than the hokey countrified episode that was the official premier with guest star Donald O'Connor.  While that episode actually beat the unbeatable competition "Bonanza" (a color program when color tv was a true novelty and the event television of it's day- God knows why they put Garland in such a tough time slot) one thinks the show might have fared a lot better later on if the audiences had been shown this first.

 

A couple of final comments on Garland's look.  I love her gowns in this episode.  They were (with the exception of the one in the opening number) designed by Edith Head who was fired due to disagreements with George Schlatter, the director.  He didn't like her approach to the costumes, nor did he like her demeanor, and so she was replaced by Ray Aghayan who had a much more high fashion look in mind.  It's very stylized, very sixties, and yet, while it's definitely the minority opinion...I prefer Head's conception.  As for the hairstyling, it's surprising what a difference a "do" makes.  As the season went on, Garland would go from a relaxed and tousled look to a Dairy Queen "dip cone" look. 

 

 



To me, it's constricting, and artificial, more architecture than hair.  In fact, I would have preferred her to have her hair a little longer than she does altogether, because, while I know that a forty-something year old women at that time was considered much older than we would consider one now, a more youthful hairstyle would have been lovely on her.

 

 

Ok, one LAST clip!  After the credits rolled on the show, someone left the cameras rolling and Judy and Mickey were captured as they say their thanks to the studio audience.  It's a special treat that really captures how they felt about each other.  Enjoy...

 





A Garland Geek's Conundrum

So I've decided on a new undertaking, a new blogging project.  I've decided to re-watch all episodes of Judy's critically acclaimed, ill-fated television show which lasted one season from 1963-64, and blog about them, one episode a day for the next twenty-six days.   I  know this may lose me some readers, as it appeals to a pretty "niche" audience, and yet, this whole blog serves a niche audience, so what the hell.  I'm a gonna do it.  And once I start.  I vow to watch one episode a day, and write about it for twenty-six days, until I've reached the last episode. 

Still, a decision has to be made before the first show is watched...

The shows were not aired in the order that they were taped.  The first five were produced by George Schlatter, who would later gain fame as producer of  Laugh-In.  They were glossy, glamorous, and glitzy.  The guest stars included Lena Horne, Mickey Rooney, Liza Minnelli, Count Basie and Tony Bennet.  But CBS was concerned by some comments made by a random sampling of audience members who viewed the taped episodes.  They said things like Judy looked nervous, she touched her guests too much...the concensous was that she was too unapproachable, too glamorous and not enough of the girl next door.  The former "best pal" Garland image had morphed through the years into that of a mercurial, extremely talented and troubled "Star!" and the brass wanted someone more down to earth, and a show more in keeping with their current folksy offerings like The Beverly Hillbillys".  And so the production team was unduly fired.  Schlatter was gone, most everyone else was axed as well, with only a few people remaining.  Also dropped were the guest stars Schlatter had planned to team Garland, including Nat King Cole, Betty Grable, Steve and Eydie, and Phil Harris and Alice Faye.  Instead there would be a lot more "down home" acts mixed in with the fellow legends, guests like the "The Dillards", and Zina Bethune of the drama "Nurses". 

Aside from changing up a lot of the guests, the new team would attempt to provide Judy with a bunch of regulars to be surrounded by, a "family" so to speak, much in the way The Carol Burnett Show would later.  The team would also add certain segments which could be relied upon to appear on a regular basis in an attempt to give each episode the same structure, as opposed to Schlatter's approach of each show being a "special".  Finally, they would also attempt to make Judy more approachable by writing comedic bits which would knock Judy off her "pedestal".  They would mock her age, her reputation, and lack of television know how.   

In order to present what the execs thought was one of the better shows as it's series premier, they chose to air an episode produced by the second team rather than the initially planned, first taped show, with Judy's former co-star and dear friend Mickey Rooney.  Other episodes would air out of order as well, until you get later on in the series.

So here's the quandary.  Watch as aired?  See a less cohesive order, which reproduces the way the television audiences first saw them?  Or watch them as taped and watch the chronological progression of the show?  One allows you to see the show as others first did, and the other allows you a step-by-step walk through the show and lets you see how Judy changes throughout the process.    Which is more important?  Which is the "true" experience?  Seeing the shows as they should have been viewed, or how they actually were.

Butter Churning...With Adrienne Kennedy

My spirit is churning this afternoon.  Awash in different images and thoughts, daily events- some of which happened to me and some of which I made happen due to being highly emotional and somewhat impulsive.  I've always been one to give into temptation.  Luckily, in the arena of drugs and alcohol and other dangerous vices, temptation doesn't often visit me.  No, my temptations have always been in the realm of escapism through entertainment, big cookies, and the need to over-comunicate my emotions.

So this week has me thinking, with images flashing in my mind.  Fleeting images that I can't quite grab onto.  Themes that like to tease me with ideas just enough to grant a little bit of hope and then yank it fast as fuck away, so I'm  left feeling vaguely empty and yet with a teensy touch of promise.

I was inspired this morning by an article in the New Yorker featuring playwright Adrienne Kennedy.  I'd never heard of her before, but her surreal pieces which explore her unique experience of being a black woman in the mid-twentieth century are so exciting, and even forty years later feel fresh and exploratory.  She's a spirit to learn from, someone I want to soak up and understand...

She takes her unique experience, the images and mythos of her life and molds it into something unique and new.  I feel like that's what every artist/writer/actor/singer aspires to.  If not, they should.  To me, that's the business of being an artist, blazing a unique trail using the media of your experiences and the archetypes and images that have spoken to you.  But somehow I can't seem to fid a way to do this that feels new enough.  The stuff that I'm inspired to do all seems already charted.  A review of my one-man show "Idol Worship" plagues me.  The reviewer said that it was entertaining, but not really blazing new trails. 

I couldn't help but think that, of course, to a gay man in art, which this reviewer was, this may not all be new stuff, but to other people in Austin, this isn't all well trod territory.  And the question of why gays love fierce, emotional feminine artists or "divas" has been misrepresented in a lot of media, simply by stating that gay men want to be these women.  This is both facile and a misstatement.  But anyway, I'm not writing this post to speak up for past work, but to find a new piece, a new trail to blaze. 

Part of me would love to pin down in this post all the images and themes duking it out for my attention, but the superstitious part of me wants to protect them, keep them private, and so I will, until they step out in more concrete form. Of course I have a rough draft of a play I could easily work on, shape into something more pleasing to me than in it's current incarnation, but the motivation isn't there right now.  Will it ever be?  Is that ok?  It's so raw right now that I can't bring myself to print it out, because when I do, great giant chunks of it will be torn out...and yet, maybe that's the easiest way to move onto step 2.  To have it in a concrete, in my face form that won't allow me to ignore it so easily... yes, perhaps.  I mean, nobody ever said creating this shit was easy.  It's multitudes of long steps, mired in uncertainty and questions-  "Is this new?  Is it real?  Is it truth?  Is it trite?  Do I see it for what it is or through some kind of fucking fun house mirror?"  But you just keep on churning and writing, or churning and creating and trusting.  At least you do if you ever expect to come out with something tangible.  The doubting NEVER stops, and the creators job is to create in spite of that.

Complete List of 86th Academy Award Nominations

1. Best Picture: "American Hustle," ''Captain Phillips," ''Dallas Buyers Club," ''Gravity," ''Her," ''Nebraska," ''Philomena," ''12 Years a Slave," ''The Wolf of Wall Street."

2. Actor: Christian Bale, "American Hustle"; Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"; Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"; Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"; Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club."

3. Actress: Amy Adams, "American Hustle"; Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"; Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"; Judi Dench, "Philomena"; Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County."

4. Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"; Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"; Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"; Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"; Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club."

5. Supporting Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine'''; Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"; Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"; Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"; June Squibb, "Nebraska."

6. Directing: David O. Russell, "American Hustle"; Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"; Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"; Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"; Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street."

7. Foreign Language Film: "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Belgium; "The Great Beauty," Italy; "The Hunt," Denmark; "The Missing Picture," Cambodia; "Omar," Palestine.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, "Before Midnight"; Billy Ray, "Captain Phillips"; Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, "Philomena"; John Ridley, "12 Years a Slave"; Terence Winter, "The Wolf of Wall Street."

9. Original Screenplay: Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, "American Hustle"; Woody Allen, "Blue Jasmine"; Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack, "Dallas Buyers Club"; Spike Jonze, "Her"; Bob Nelson, "Nebraska."

10. Animated Feature Film: "The Croods"; "Despicable Me 2"; "Ernest & Celestine"; "Frozen"; "The Wind Rises."

11. Production Design: "American Hustle," ''Gravity," ''The Great Gatsby," ''Her," ''12 Years a Slave."

12. Cinematography: "The Grandmaster," ''Gravity," ''Inside Llewyn Davis," ''Nebraska," ''Prisoners."

13. Sound Mixing: "Captain Phillips," ''Gravity," ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," ''Inside Llewyn Davis," ''Lone Survivor."

14. Sound Editing: "All Is Lost," ''Captain Phillips," ''Gravity," ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," ''Lone Survivor."

15. Original Score: "The Book Thief," John Williams; "Gravity," Steven Price; "Her," William Butler and Owen Pallett; "Philomena," Alexandre Desplat; "Saving Mr. Banks," Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song: "Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone," Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel; "Happy" from "Despicable Me 2," Pharrell Williams; "Let It Go" from "Frozen," Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez; "The Moon Song" from "Her," Karen O and Spike Jonze; "Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.

17. Costume: "American Hustle," ''The Grandmaster," ''The Great Gatsby," ''The Invisible Woman," ''12 Years a Slave."

18. Documentary Feature: "The Act of Killing," ''Cutie and the Boxer," ''Dirty Wars," ''The Square," ''20 Feet from Stardom."

19. Documentary (short subject): "CaveDigger," ''Facing Fear," ''Karama Has No Walls," ''The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life," ''Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall."

20. Film Editing: "American Hustle," ''Captain Phillips," ''Dallas Buyers Club," ''Gravity," ''12 Years a Slave."

21. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Dallas Buyers Club," ''Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa," ''The Lone Ranger."

22. Animated Short Film: "Feral," ''Get a Horse!," ''Mr. Hublot," ''Possessions", "Room on the Broom."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)," ''Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)," ''Helium," ''Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)," ''The Voorman Problem."

24. Visual Effects: "Gravity," ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," ''Iron Man 3," ''The Lone Ranger," ''Star Trek Into Darkness."


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Some quick thoughts-

First of all, where the fuck is Oprah?  It's not a huge surprise since she was left off the Golden Globes nominations and sure the movie was far from amazing, but Oprah was a stand-out in an otherwise manipulative by the numbers walk down history memories lane.

Sad to see that Emma Thompson was not nominated for Best Actress, but I suppose from an academy perspective, regal British lady isn't too much of a stretch for her.

More excited about the Best Supporting Actor category than anything else.  If either Barkhad Abdi of Captain Phillips or Jared Leto of Dallas Buyers Club wins, I will feel that justice has been served.

Happy to see Woody Allen nominated for his screenplay although I think it borrows HEAVILY from A Streetcar Named Desire, from character archetypes to plot points to underlying themes.

Final thought-  Sure Cate Blanchet does crazy very well, but my emotional vote goes to Judi Dench.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Inside Llewyn Davis is a bizarre kind of time travelling machine that took me to places I remembered in my life.  It felt as I watched it as if I'd been to a place exactly like so many of the homes, diners, clubs evoked.  I recognized them.  I didn't recognize them consciously, but on a weirdly deep level, and the sight of these places and people acted as a kind of...well it's like when you smell Vicks Vapo rub and are brought back to the time you were six years old, and sick, looking at the pictures in a yellowing Dennis The Menace paperback that collected old comics from the news paper.  And the baby sitter came by and placed a hot water bottle next to you, but with a layer of blanket in between the bottle and your skin so you wouldn't burn.

When you see the people and places in this film you get a sense of them having existed before and after the moment we catch them.  They are completely formed and we happen to catch a piece of their lives. 

It's a pretty wonderful film and it's made me a bit puzzled, and sad, and nostalgic.  It's the kind of film that probably won't win any Academy Awards, because it's not a "grand" film.  It's unpresumptuous, and full of moments that can not be anticipated.  It's strange and sometimes sad, and in some ways mythic.   

Live-Blogging the Golden Globes (Condensed)

Now that the Golden Globes are over, in the interest of making the comments more readable, and to make it easier for those who want to skip them entirely and go back to earlier posts, I've decided to put all of the individual posts together.  For the thirty or so people who followed all the posts, huge thanks, and to those who still care about the Golden Globes, this is for you...

Sunday Night, 7:01---

Ok, so I'm alone with Schlotzky's, a glass of wine, and some popcorn for later.  I'll be drinking and watching and writing, and am really looking forward to watching, and rooting like HELL for Emma Thompson.

•  Tom Hanks is obviously a Longhorn fan and has painted his face accordingly.
•  Woah!  It's not just Tom Hanks.  Orange is the color for the evening. 
• Julia Louie's e-cigarette equals awesome sauce.
• Kerri Washington looks awesome and Scandal is definitely on my list of shows to catch up on.
• What the fuck is up with presenters entering from their tables???  "excuse me, excuse me, pardon me, excuse me..." WTF is up with Sandra Bullocks dress??  It belongs on Barbie.
• Jennifer Lawrence is praising the "I Heart Huckabees" director.  Has she seen the youtube video where he throws things at Lily Tomlin?
• Jacqueline Bissett is so moved!!!  I love her little tear stained face. Wait...now she's milking it...milk the shit out of your "hard luck" story Jackie.  Stop pausing.  Is she drunk??  She's fucking drunk.  Holy balls, this speech...there goes the music.  UH-OH!!!!!!  She got bleeped!  They will defs be talkin' bout this shizz tomorrow.

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• New drinking game-  Drink every time you hear the word "shaking". 
• Jane and Garth???
• 2nd Bleep of the night.  Way to go Mad Men chick.
• Matt Damon became even sexier just by admitting he wears glasses.  Yum.  I love his salt and pepper hair.  I'm gonna lick the tv screen.
• I hate both Judy Greer and Jane Krakowski.  Are they really sisters????  Ugh.  No wonder.
• If you haven't seen the video where Lily Tomlin and David O'Russel freak out on each other...here it is.

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No one was ready to return from the commercial break, apparently.  The noise!!!  But thank God they mentioned V.I. Warshawski.

Don't try to be funny little Swedish man who is the President of the Foreign Press.

I loved Kyle Chandler in Wolf of Wallstreet.  He was the only character I didn't want to flush down the toidy.

Some stylist fucking hates that Latina chick with the white dress. This is what she's reminding me of right now.

 

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• My face is hot.  Whew.  Rum.

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The real Philomena Lee just walked out on stage.  My heart just exploded.  She's so amazing.  Emma Thompson just stood up and applauded her.  My exploded pieces of my heart just quivered.  You guys, see Philomena.  It's one of my two favorite films of the year.

Meryl Streep looks flawless in her Clark Kent glasses.

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Oh God.  John Voigt.  It's Jackie B all over again...whew.  Way to pull it together and go on John.

Greta Gerwig is so gorgeous with her red hair.  Good Lord!

The orchestra needs to cool its shit out.

Emma Watson has too much blush on. 

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Lesbian tennis players everywhere are applauding Robin Wright's win.

Jared Leto, take the bun out of your hair.

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Emma, I love  you with your pumps in one hand and martini in the other.  Way to lampoon your reputation for being prim and proper.

Seriously, orchestra.  You are being an asshole.  Leave Spike alone.

I love Julie Bowen.  She's hilarious.  Her sleeves look like upside down teeth.  Bloody upside down teeth.  And red and purple don't go together.

Lorne Michaels fucking HATES Andy Samberg.  He is so non-plussed.

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Zoe Salalala made her own dress, yall.  And those straps are just too much of a fuckin' bother to keep up.

Andy Kaufman is alive and well and just won a Golden Globe.

This Melissa McCarthy as Matt Damon shizz is bizarre and hilarious. 

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I will definitely be watching The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.  His late night show recalls the glory days of Johnny Carson.

That chick in the teal dress from Frozen, no disrespect, has some HUGE NOSTRILS!!!!

The two films I'm most excited about, and have not yet seen are Inside Llewyn Davis and Her. 

New Drinking Game-  Drink every time someone says "I was SO not prepared for this!" and or "nervous".

Kate Winslet, I love you.  I would watch a film of you pooping.  And it's probably out there.

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Emma Stone...fer realsies?  I don't know what to say.

Woody Allen, you are a genius.  Diane Keaton you look awesome.  Wear the shit out of that suit.  And her speech.  It's like she's just talking to us.  For once I'm not bored by the CB Demille Award speech.  Third bleep of the evening.   

Cate Blanchet!!!! Hollywood glamor  is alive!

Wait, what the hell is Diane Keaton singing.  I'm uncomfortable.

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New drinking game- drink whenever someone says "wrap it up" or "I will wrap it up".

Who's that man standing in front of the cast of Brooklyn 499 and talking?  Hubba-Hubba, I have some googling to do.

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Jennifer Lawrence's dress reminds me of this.

 

+

 

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Exploded, quivering heart just melted with Nicki Lauder's speech.

This lady is totally upstaging the other Producers of American Hustle.  Way to point, Lady.

I'm done with the commercials that are blatantly manipulating my emotions to sell shit.  P&G and Cheerios, I'm talking to you.

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Two words.  Fillo Mania!!!!!!!!!! 

Joyce Dewitt is very happy for Cate Blanchett.

Oh my sweet Lord.  Best dressed of the evening, Cate Blanchett.  And so fricking intelligent and well-spoken.  And then she said that thing about Judy.  The verdict is out on that comment...Release the Kraken!!!!

Tonight is definitely the evening for a bunch of weird shit stuck onto blouses...Sally the lady from Blue Gardenia, I'm talking to you.  And Drew Barrymore.  And Emma Stone.

Matthew McConnaughey-  "get it, my King"?

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Sarah Paulson, leave Steve McQueen alone.Whew, that was exhausting, and now I feel like a mean snarky bitch with nothing better to do than drink rum on a Sunday night and make fun of prettier more talented people than me.  Huh.

Good Night Austin!  RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!!