NetPix: Judy's Last Film I COULD GO ON SINGING

Last night, I went to the monthly Queer Art Film series at the IFC Center, co-curated by fellow filmmakers Ira Sachs and Adam Baran. They screened Judy Garland's I COULD GO ON SINGING, a film I'd heard of but never actually seen. I'm so glad I did get to see it finally, on a big screen and with a wonderful audience too.

The film is practically a documentary as Garland plays herself, an extremely talented singer/actress who has a lonely and troubled personal life. There are even scenes that mimic Garland's real life, like a semi-wobbly performance at London's famed Palladium.  The fictional story line, about a son she left to her British lover (played by longtime real life pal Dirk Bogarde) to raise, is incredibly touching without being saccharine.

There are some wonderful moments, particularly a sequence where Garland attends a boys school production of Gilbert & Sullivan. Her young son, in British stage drag, actually resembles a young Garland as he belts out the number with gusto, delighting his mother to no end. Then there is a priceless backstage scene where Garland gathers the boys around the piano (half dressed as sailors and half in drag!) for an impromptu G&S sing-a-long. You can tell that Garland is having the time of her life, surrounding by these young talented performers.  

Later, there are more dramatic and heartbreaking scenes with her son as he realizes who his true mother is and must decide what his relationship with her is going to be. A scene of Garland on the phone with the boy is beautifully written, performed and directed, done in one continuous take. The director, Ronald Neame, does a great job with Garland (who was apparently a handful on set), and really draws out what is one of her best performances.

The film was selected for the QAF series by Heather Matarazzo, the actress formerly known as "Dawn Weiner" from the indie classic WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE. There was an intensely personal Q/A afterward about how much Matarazzo was moved by the film and by Garland's raw performance in it. Matarazzo also got her start in show business quite young, at age 7, and picked the film as she related to Garland's upbringing in the biz. It was a wonderful, personal discussion about how one artist can inspire another..which is the point of this wonderful film series. Kudos to Adam and Ira for creating this unique and essential cultural conversation, now going into its 4th year.

On The 43rd Anniversary Of Her Death, Is Judyism Still Relevant

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the death of gay icon and entertainer extraordinaire Judy Garland.  Over at QUEERTY today, they pose the question about whether gay worship of Judy (aka Judyism) is still relevant these days.  It's an interesting debate to read on the eve of Pride Weekend here in NYC (where it all began back in the summer of '69 with the Stonewall Riots). There is even the theory that Garlands' death just a few days before the riots added fuel to the drag queens fire that night.  


Anyway, QUEERTY asks a good question and the comments are piling up....more than 60 at last count which is a lot.  Some say Judy will always be a part of the gay cultural history while others debate the wisdom of worshipping a woman who lived such a tragic and drug addled life.  Joint the debate...and have a happy Pride!

A Teenaged Liza Dances Up A Storm

This clip was sent to me by friend Jay Blotcher, an ol' TV hound who is always digging up lost classics to share with me.  He and his partner recently checked out the Judy Garland Christmas Special...on VHS even!  Liza, of course, is amazing though she is barely 17 years old. But also notable is her dance partner, Tracey Everitt who was a real Broadway hoofer back in the day. He was in the original class of such classics as WEST SIDE STORY, BYE BYE BIRDIE and even HOW TO SUCCEED, heading to Bway this spring with Daniel Radcliffe in the lead.

So where is Mr. Everitt these days? Well, Mr. Blotcher decided to find out and tracked him down to a dance studio in Hoboken where he teaches everything from ballroom to tap. Clearly he knows his stuff, as you'll see below.

Judy, Judy, Judy

Until I was 23, I never got the deal with Judy Garland and the gays. I mean, sure, I liked "The Wizard of Oz" just as much as the next guy. But it wasn't until I saw "A Star Is Born" at film school, particularly her inimitable take on "The Man Who Got Away", that I truly understood the tragic fabulousness of Judy.

Recently, I was reminded of her unique talents when Michael Musto posted some lost footage of a show she did in her twilight years. It was a variety program called "The Hollywood Palace" and below are two versions of the show's opening number; one from rehearsal and one from the taping. Judy is looking a 'lil rough in both of them but there is something so utterly compelling about watching her perform...like a woman on a wire.

So check them out back to back and then, as they used to say in high school English, give me a 100 word compare and contrast essay on the importance of "Judyness".

BEFORE



AFTER