Thursday, May 26, 2016

What Might've Been: The Judy Garland Show (1963)

At the end of her career, Judy Garland, much like some of her contemporaries, including Mickey Rooney & Ray Bolger, landed her own television show. A self-titled variety series that lasted just one season (1963-4) on CBS. I swear, CBS would give Heckle & Jeckle a variety show if they thought they could pull it off. It seems that just about anyone could front a variety show in the 60's and 70's.

Digressing. Sony-owned Get TV has unearthed The Judy Garland Show, running Monday nights at 8 & 11 pm (ET), and introducing a new generation of viewers to a talented singer-actress who most folks would still associate only with "The Wizard of Oz" or "Easter Parade" or "Meet Me In St. Louis". As noted, it lasted just the one season, largely because it was a cookie-cutter variety show of the time. Get TV's ginormous library should make it a prime stop for purveyors of classic television.

I was but an infant when the series first aired, and I don't know if my folks ever watched it. I've seen portions of episodes, but not complete ones yet. Not enough to merit a rating. We'll leave you with a sample episode, with guests June Allyson & Steve Lawrence.

No comments: