bug
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Posts: 17
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Post by bug on Sept 24, 2008 1:50:02 GMT -5
I know Judy started filming 'Annie Get your Gun', and also 'Valley of the Dolls', but didn't get to finish. I also know there were some other roles Judy was supposed to have had, but for some reason they were recast. I can't remember them now.. Out of these roles, are there any that you're glad she didn't end up doing? It's kind of hard for me to say, because I love Judy and would love to see her in anything. I know I would have loved her in 'Annie'. I've seen some of what was shot with her, and while I enjoyed the movie with Betty Hutton, I know I would have loved it so much more had Judy had that role. I'm not sure about 'Dolls'. I've read that book and seen the movie. They call it a 'camp classic'. I'm not sure what that means, or that I can put it into words. It was kind of bad, but I didn't hate watching it, if that makes any sense at all. I'm glad Judy wasn't in it though. I'm sorry if it hurt her to be fired from it, but I'm happy that wasn't Judy's last film. I know her last films weren't her most popular, but 'ICGOS', is a much better end to Judy's film career than 'Dolls', IMHO.
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Post by heartbreakerboy on Sept 24, 2008 6:30:26 GMT -5
Most people don't know that Funny Girl was supposed to be a movie vehicle for Judy, but she turned it down in 1961. It was then turned into a stage production for Barbra. If you listen to those songs, I think you can tell they were written for Judy. I got this information from Indecent Exposure by David McClintick. This book is about the entertainment industry and wall street. It focuses on the questionable dealings of David Begelman.
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Post by bogart on Sept 24, 2008 15:15:32 GMT -5
There's a list on this page www.jgdb.com/ftaw.htmThe interesting thing about Valley of the Dolls is that Judy didn't read the script until later. What must have happened is her agents signed her to do this film, then she found out what it was about and she wanted out of it. I read somewhere she also didn't like the bad language she had to say in the film. That didn't fit with her idea of what 'Judy Garland' was. She recorded one song in this film, "I'll plant my own tree'. It's a terrible song, but fitting for the character. However Judy disliked the character - I don't think she could have played a battleaxe broadway madam.
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Post by jujube on Sept 25, 2008 1:57:48 GMT -5
I have seen 'Royal Wedding' and 'Annie'. To be honest I don't think Royal Wedding was that good a movie, possibly would have worked/been much funnier with Judy in it, but as a story, not a lot going for it.
As for Annie, I didn't think to much of that either..hard to see Judy in that role although I know it was bought especially for her. Apparently when filming it she was a wreck and just couldn't get the accent. The problem with Annie is Judy had to really act, she couldn't play herself, she had to be Annie, who was a real life character. So I'm not sure if it was psychosomatic that Judy just couldn't get herself psyched up enough to do the role. She'd lost all her nerve and confidence, I think if she'd had that she could have shined in the part. Betty Hutton isn't bad in it, she's amusing, but she's not Judy.
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Post by judydarling on Sept 25, 2008 14:30:18 GMT -5
Judy was offered 'crazy lady' parts as she got older..I think many actresses find as they get older less and less good parts to play. It is not their fault it is Hollywood's chauvinistic attitude toward women and women's stories, which they don't think is 'good box office'.
Judy was not inclined to take these parts. I think she would have liked more dramatic roles, roles in which she didn't have to sing, or at least, roles that were more serious (like Judgement at Nuremburg, or A child is waiting).
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Post by rainbowgirl on Sept 27, 2008 14:04:49 GMT -5
in 'I could go on Singing' Judy was basically playing herself. In terms of real acting, I don't think Judy was an actress - she never really could play parts other than herself. In Wizard of Oz, she was told to basically be herself. Her own self was this charming, bubbly personality who was vulnerable at the same time. In all her movies, she was typecast - she played a certain type. She played all her roles wonderfully, but they were never much different from each other. The situations would be different but the same personality shone through.
I don't think she would have been much good in 'Valley', not in the role she was cast in. As for Patty Dukes role, she would have been too old to play it. Patty Duke reminds me in some ways of Linsay Lohan.
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Post by jujube on Oct 2, 2008 15:25:57 GMT -5
You said it Rainbowgirl. I was going to say (sacrilege!) that Judy couldn't really act and wondered if I'd get browbeaten by fans insisting that Judy was the greatest actress in the world and should have got the Oscar for A star is Born.
Judy originally wanted to do ASIB it at MGM but they wouldn't let her as it was not part of her image to marry an alcoholic and expose Hollywood's dark side..
MGM offered her musical vehicles but they never really offered her a challenging part up to Annie Get Your Gun. That was a plum part and she knew it but she couldn't do it.
Judy was miscast in 'Valley'. Judy had to play sympathetic characters -it wasn't in her nature to extend outside that range. So she was always the girl who was looked over, the girl with amibitions to be a great star, the girl who didn't really know how good she was.
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Post by judydarling on Oct 3, 2008 15:01:04 GMT -5
I think Judy was heartbroken that she didn't win the Oscar and never really got over it, because it meant she wasn't recognised by her Hollywood peers as an actress.. ASIB meant an awful lot to her, sooo much was riding on that film, they were going to produce two more, but it's failure meant not enough money for anymore..I think they put their eggs all in one basket.
I'm sure she got other awards though?
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Post by bogart on Oct 8, 2008 1:36:03 GMT -5
The only other acting award Judy won (apart from her juvenile oscar for Wizard of Oz) was the Golden Globe 'Best Actress in musical or comedy' for A Star is Born.
Judy was nominated for her perfomance in 'Judgment at Nuremburg' 'best supporting actress' but lost to Rita Moreno.
Several of Judy's movie songs were nominated for academy awards.
Judy also won a Grammy for 'Judy at Carnegie Hall' album and a Tony award for her broadway revival of vaudeville.
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Post by judydarling on Oct 10, 2008 1:47:24 GMT -5
No Emmy for 'the Judy Garland show'??
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Post by bogart on Oct 17, 2008 23:32:10 GMT -5
Apparently her tv specials were nominated, but didn't win. Barbra Streisand was also nominated for her guest appearance on Judy Garland show. The show itself was not nominated.
Both Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard won Emmys for their portrayal of Judy Garland in 'Life with Judy Garland: Me and My shadows'.
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Post by jujube on Oct 18, 2008 17:31:56 GMT -5
That seems unfair that Barbara got nominated for a guest appearance on Judy's show when Judy herself didn't even get a nomination.
Judy really was treated unfairly..and her oscar for Oz was really a token'munchkin award' - her own category, but she could have won it at any other time.
When Grace Kelly won for 'A country girl' instead of Judy for ASIB Groucho Marx said it was 'the greatest robbery since Brinks.' (not sure what Brinks was) . I don't know if Judy was 'robbed' but I do think there was some snaky people deliberately sabotaging her career at that time (other than herself). I don't think Judy had good judgement in her career, her problem was she let others steer her course. I think she would have been fine if she'd asked herself what she really wanted, instead of trying to please everyone else.
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Post by bogart on Oct 19, 2008 15:46:05 GMT -5
After Judy fell ill and made a lot of trouble for the studio they retaliated and put her in lesser parts. She was dropped from the Freed Unit, and although it's not really noticeable to us today because she was able to shine in whatever role she was put in, her later films for MGM were not star parts, they were not vehicles for Judy.
'In the Good Old Summertime' was originally meant for June Allyson. 'Royal Wedding' and 'Barkely's' were not strictly Judy vehicles. 'Summer Stock' was produced by the Pasternak unit, and was basically a rehash of the Babes plots, Gene Kelly orignally wasn't going to do it because the script was so bad, in the end he did it as a favour to Judy. While under contract to MGM Judy couldn't turn down parts, whatever they put her in she had to do.
Be glad that she did do "Meet me in St Louis' though, because she originally didn't want to do that movie, because she'd be playing yet another ingenue. After it became such a success, she said to Arthur Freed 'Don't let me tell you what kind of movies to make'. However looking at MMISL through today's eyes I don't believe such a fake town as St Louis could have ever existed in real life.
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Post by rainbowgirl on Oct 23, 2008 12:51:25 GMT -5
oh I like that movie, but more for Margaret O'Brien as Tootie than Judy Garland.
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Post by judydarling on Oct 25, 2008 2:37:19 GMT -5
MMISL is a charming movie but it's fluff all the same. Judy was really angling for more serious parts. I think when you are an actress, you don't want to play the same thing all the time, it gets boring. Unfortunately Judy was typecast however every role she played was believable, and I guess that's the thing. It has to be believable or it doesn't work.
That's why when she played a part like Madame Crematante, you know it was unbelievable so it became a satire, or parody. She could have never played a real part like that seriously. I mean watch her Lady Macbeth. Awful! Just awful! lol.
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