Live from Hollywood…

The Judy Garland Christmas Show !

On the screen at Hemlock House tonight: The Judy Garland Christmas Special

Music is inextricably intertwined with Christmas. One thing I love to do at the holidays is watch vintage TV variety specials,the 1963 Christmas show of the short-lived The Judy Garland Show is hands down,Gay as a Goose favorite If you haven't seen it recently, you should make the excuse to enjoy it again. This Christmas episode has been released on DVD and is fairly easy to locate. #youtube has clips and the full show Judy Garland didn't pretend to drink on her CBS series (1963-64), it was painfully obvious that she was occasionally drunk when she showed up for tapings.This may or may not have been true of The Judy Garland Show's Christmas episode, guest-starring daughters Lorna Luft, Liza Minnelli, son Joey Luft, Mel Torme, and Jack Jones, but producers were minutes away from calling off the show because no one knew where the star was.Judy Garland Christmas ShowBehind the scenes production turmoil and mediocre ratings made Garland's Television City studio a tense place, or so it seems from what's been written - but the MGM vet still delivered more bang than any three stars could, even if she was a little edgy on the series' Christmas episode.

If I’ve lost your attention already dear reader here is a YOUTUBE link that should make you feel you have read this entire article:

That's part of what makes this special a must see - Garland and her guests delivered electrifying performances…and you dear intrepid reader have gone on,more reportage to come,

.

The show opens with the camera looking through the windows of a home, focusing on the maternal Miss Garland singing the melancholy "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" while affectionately grasping [her young son and daughter] Joe and Lorna [Luft]. Of course, this is the memorable song that Judy made popular in the 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis.After introducing her family members to the home viewer, Garland graciously invites us into her home.

A mid century faggots dream of Hollywood glam, notice how the set house has no glass in the windows. Even you dear reader must have seen “Boys in the Band” or at least “Valley of the Dolls”…if so ,” You know how bitchy Fags can be…” if you don’t ,,just ask Jennifer. ( And watch the damn films to catch up…)

Judy invites the TV cameras into her home for this Christmas TV special, to share the holiday with her family as her good friends, Jack Jones and Mel Tormé, informally drop by. Both young Joe and Lorna adorably sing off-key songs, and a 17 year-old Liza Minnelli is here entertaining too--the best is her song and dance jazz number to "Steam Heat." Mel Torme's guest spot was a point of contention on the day the Christmas show was filmed. Torme had signed a contract with Garland's production company guaranteeing him a certain number of guest appearances during the season. Judy wasn't committing to those dates quickly enough and "The Velvet Fog" was very upset about it. Her introduction to Mel Torme on the program was noticeably awkward for that reason. To further complicate matters, the night before the Christmas show taping, Garland (aka little "Dorothy" from 'The Wizard of Oz') had been on a major bender and couldn't be found when shooting was set to begin.

At least according to Mel Torme in his book "The Other Side of the Rainbow with Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol" - a book said to be notoriously inaccurate, but I used it as a source anyway because (after all) he was there that day. As Judy went through her paces that afternoon, I could only look at her and marvel," Torme wrote in 1969. "How she had managed to return home, change clothes, do whatever she had to do to drag herself out of the sleepless abyss she must have been in and show up at Television City all within the course of an hour and a half was completely beyond me. Yet here she was, alert, alive, energetic, looking frighteningly normal. I thought of Johnny Bradford's description of her, 'The Concrete Canary,' and once again I realized how it fit her.

"

Judy Garland Show with Mel TormeWhatever their backstage problems, together Judy and Mel sing (beautifully) Torme's classic composition The Christmas Song. It's almost like watching a blood sport as these two sit down to sing this majestic tune.First, Judy mistakenly calls Mel Torme 'Mort,' then flubs a line in the song. When Torme good-naturedly pointed it out, Judy purposely exchanged the word "reindeer" with "rainbow" - alluding to her signature tune. Great Stuff. This was the ultimate sixties Christmas special - the art direction was superb and you've got Mort Lindsey conducting his first rate, brassy orchestra. The tension on the set seemed to bring out the best in everyone as they maneuvered around the spacious multilevel living room set - singing and dancing like their lives depended on it.

After her superb television series failed to get renewed after one season, Garland was often in such bad vocal shape that she would go on talk shows (tipsy) and trash her fellow MGM stars. Jack Paar was only too eager to have her on during this period.Jack Paar Who can blame him? By Christmas time 1964, his series wasn't doing so great in the ratings. He knew Garland's outrageous comments would probably make the papers the next day. At this point in her career, Judy Garland was getting more headlines for her outrageous public behavior than for her on-stage triumphs.

As the years went on, Judy would show up for variety show guest spots more and more intoxicated - on booze and pills.Judy Garland TV SpecialSome audience members tuned in to watch Garland's appearances just to see if she would make it through the show without cracking up. But she never failed to deliver a riveting performance.

Merv GriffinIn 1966, Garland showed up for a Merv Griffin Show taping just a bit too relaxed. She was falling all over poor Merv on his Christmas-themed show. You could almost believe the sirens heard in the background really were coming to take her away, but she was still able to wrench emotion from a voice severely weathered by adversity

.

Judy Garland died June 21, 1969 after an accidental overdose of pills,for me dear reader,she will always remain a STAR in the firmament of Mann’s Theatre Sidewalk somewhere over that damn 🌈 at the head of the LARGETS GAY PRIDE PARADE EVER! The day this GAY repaired wobbly olde heart beats it’s final beat those pearly gates will,open and there she will be boozy,floozy and still JUDY GARLAND dammitand that will be very clear…that no matter what May come or go,she is still here,and damn it STILL A STAR.

Thank you, dear reader for riding this one out with me,and know your subscription keeps this olde Queen from feeling g too old and too alive tucked way up here deep in the forest just South of Quebec up to his furry nuts in snow.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas,for who knows what 2025 may bring.

No matter what we can always click our heels and head over the rainbow towards home.

XO,

M. Sebastian Araujo

Hemlock House,VT