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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
They don't make Christmas specials like this anymore. The Judy Garland Christmas Show (which aired December 22, 1963) is an intimate, informal night at home with Judy and the kids, a few guests, a group of carolers, and a troupe of skinny, dancing Santas. There are a few small gaffes here and there on the part of several individuals, but everyone just laughs them off and goes on singing; that does much to create the atmosphere of charm surrounding the whole presentation. As the show opens, we find Judy sitting in front of the windowsill of her "home" with her two youngest children, young Joe and Lorna Luft, to whom she sings Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - this song alone makes the show worth seeing. The kids seem a little nervous (this was recorded in front of a live studio audience, of course), but there is no end to the affection displayed by Judy as she sings. After this opening number, Judy opens the door to welcome us inside, whereupon she and the kids do a walk-around performance of Consider Yourself, during which daughter Liza arrives with her beau Tracy Everitt to join in the fun. Judy, ever the doting mother, then asks her son to sing Where Is Love? from Oliver. This can be rather painful to listen to and is luckily fairly short, as little Joe proves that singing ability can sometimes skip a generation.
Things get a little weird and less Christmas-y at this point, as Liza and Tracy show Judy the new song and dance number they have been working on - Steam Heat doesn't really scream Christmas. Finally, we get Judy to ourselves again singing Little Drops of Rain while all the kids are putting the final touches on the Christmas tree. No sooner is she finished than guest Jack Jones arrives singing Wouldn't It Be Loverly, after which he sings, at Judy's request, Lollipops and Roses. Lorna then climbs up on Jack's lap and does a wonderful version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town; once she gets started, she really lets the sound pour out of her, making this my favorite part of the entire show. After Liza sings Alice Blue Gown, she, Jack, and Judy launch into a medley of Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, It Happened in Sun Valley, and Winter Wonderland. Judy pretty much lets Liza and Jack sing It Happened in Sun Valley, but she delivers a beautiful solo of Winter Wonderland.
Mel Torme is the next to arrive, with a whole troupe of carolers in tow. Torme arranged a lot of the music on The Judy Garland Show, and he also wrote the holiday classic The Christmas Song. He actually sings a new verse for the song on this night, after which Judy sings the famous chorus. She does mess up a couple of times, but it's no big deal at all (and one can sort of forgive her for singing "rainbow" instead of "reindeer"). Out comes the eggnog, and then the whole gang launches into another medley of songs. Judy's solo performance of What Child Is This? is simply beautiful. Jack Jones and Mel Torme give us a harmonized duet of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Liza and Tracy sing It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and Lorna and Joe team up to sing a slightly imperfect version of Silent Night. After the guests leave and the kids are put to bed, Lorna and Joe come back out to tell Judy she forgot to do something that she does every year for them at Christmas. Watching Judy sing Over the Rainbow to her two youngest children makes for a perfect conclusion to the night's festivities.
If you love both Judy Garland and Christmas, this is a great holiday video you can enjoy every year. If you're not a Judy Garland fan, you most likely won't enjoy the show. Several of the songs really have little to do with Christmas, some of the children's dialogue is rather wooden (they're just kids, of course), Joe's solo can be rather frightening, and even Judy and Jack Jones miss a word or two along the way. As I said, this makes it all the more charming to me, but a non-Judy fan might think otherwise. On a final note, let me say that I am happy that the world can get a glimpse of Judy and her kids all together in this special show; the obvious love and affection she has for Joe, Lorna, and Liza do much to dispel the negative impression some people today may have of Judy Garland due to all of the troubles she battled throughout her adult years. Do, as Judy says, consider yourself part of the family and make The Judy Garland Christmas Show a holiday tradition in your own household.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
26 reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A Heart-Warming Special With Judy & Family!
29 Nov 2001
Format:DVD
This special Christmas installment of the sensational 1963-1964 "Judy Garland Show" is quite possibly the best of the series. For anybody who can remember watching this program when it originally aired on CBS-TV on Sunday night, December 22, 1963, I'm guessing that each one of you has a bit of a lump in your throat when re-watching this excellent DVD today, because you can no doubt recall very vividly the times in which it aired for the first time: exactly one month after our President (John F. Kennedy) had been killed in Dallas.
This Garland entry was then (and probably still is) kind of a bittersweet memory, coming so close to one of America's worst tragedies in our history. I can feel some of 1963 come right through the screen when I watch this Christmas show. It's just THERE, and it comes through (at least for me).
Judy and company do a standout job in comforting a distressed nation during this 1-hour party. Guests Jack Jones and Mel Torme are also on hand to add to the festive atmosphere, along with Judy's three children, Liza, Joe, and Lorna.
I know from reading various books that Christmas time was indeed very special to the Garland clan....and that fact really shines through during this program! The love these 4 had for one another is very evident. This point is driven home with force at the very end of this show, when Judy sits down, with pajama-clad Joe & Lorna by her side, and sings "Over The Rainbow", with the two kids snuggling ever-closer to their famous mom. A great end to a fine Christmas treat.
This program shines on DVD, but don't entirely dismiss the idea of getting this great show on VHS tape as well. The VHS version looks pretty good too (considering, of course, the limitations that exist on that video format).
Plus -- the "LaserLight" VHS edition (with the red box and the holly & berries on the cover) contains the original CBS-TV commercials that aired on the December night the show was broadcast for the first time in 1963. The VHS running time is 59 minutes, so you know nothing has been cut at all. The inclusion of the TV ads, in my opinion, is a good one. Being able to see the old TV commercials of the era brings back even more memories of the 1960s. The DVD version does not have these commercials included. But, of course, the DVD's picture quality is better than the VHS.
Judy Garland's legend and enormous talent lives on with Pioneer Artists' splendid series of DVD-Video programs spotlighting this one-of-a-kind superstar. Thanks, Pioneer, for giving us these wonderful DVDs! And thank you, Judy .... always!
This Garland entry was then (and probably still is) kind of a bittersweet memory, coming so close to one of America's worst tragedies in our history. I can feel some of 1963 come right through the screen when I watch this Christmas show. It's just THERE, and it comes through (at least for me).
Judy and company do a standout job in comforting a distressed nation during this 1-hour party. Guests Jack Jones and Mel Torme are also on hand to add to the festive atmosphere, along with Judy's three children, Liza, Joe, and Lorna.
I know from reading various books that Christmas time was indeed very special to the Garland clan....and that fact really shines through during this program! The love these 4 had for one another is very evident. This point is driven home with force at the very end of this show, when Judy sits down, with pajama-clad Joe & Lorna by her side, and sings "Over The Rainbow", with the two kids snuggling ever-closer to their famous mom. A great end to a fine Christmas treat.
This program shines on DVD, but don't entirely dismiss the idea of getting this great show on VHS tape as well. The VHS version looks pretty good too (considering, of course, the limitations that exist on that video format).
Plus -- the "LaserLight" VHS edition (with the red box and the holly & berries on the cover) contains the original CBS-TV commercials that aired on the December night the show was broadcast for the first time in 1963. The VHS running time is 59 minutes, so you know nothing has been cut at all. The inclusion of the TV ads, in my opinion, is a good one. Being able to see the old TV commercials of the era brings back even more memories of the 1960s. The DVD version does not have these commercials included. But, of course, the DVD's picture quality is better than the VHS.
Judy Garland's legend and enormous talent lives on with Pioneer Artists' splendid series of DVD-Video programs spotlighting this one-of-a-kind superstar. Thanks, Pioneer, for giving us these wonderful DVDs! And thank you, Judy .... always!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
A wonderful Christmas Special
8 Dec 1999
We really enjoyed this tape! The quality was actual quite good, clear images (in B&W). This hour long show features the original commericals that likely aired with the special-an added treat. (I'm quite certain the cereal commerical features Marion Ross). The show itself features Judy and her 3 children (Liza, Lorna & Joe) as well as special guest Mel Torme and Jack Jones. Judy doesn't do alot of singing, but when she does, it's wonderful. It's really neat to watch a wholesome family special that aired in 1963. As one reviewer said, "they don't make them like this anymore" - and they don't! A real treat for any Judy Garland fan. Though not listed on the box, Judy closes the show with "Over The Rainbow" with Lorna and Joe at her side. Knowing the troubles that plagued the family through the coming years, this is a real special memory for Judy and her fans....
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
A wonderfull Christmas Gift
11 Nov 2000
I became a fan of Judy Garland in 1975.I was a teenager,and my cousin got me hooked on "Judy at Carnegie Hall." I wanted to know more about this great talent besides "The Wizard of Oz." This was before VCR's,so I had to look in the TV guide to see if any of her movie's were showing.I couldn't find anything usually. Then a week before Christmas I was sleeping on the couch,and "Judy Garlands Christmas Special" was on.What a Wonderfull Christmas Gift.Its fantastic to see all of Judy's children together,singing,dancing,and having a ball.My Favorite part is when Judy sings "The Christmas Song," with Mel Torme,the writer of the song,and she makes a mistake,and Mel says,"Close."This is the first time Judy sang,"Over the Rainbow," on her show.You can really see the love she had for her children.This video is a must buy for all of Judy Garland's fan's.
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