"In this charming live holiday TV special Judy is joined by her children, Liza Minnelli and Lorna and Joey Luft, and guest stars Jack Jones and Mel Torme. The songs include Yuletide favorites like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," as well as "Over the Rainbow," and more".
I have a hard time watching Judy and Liza. Knowing their stories, it's kinda depressing. I will watch to catch Jack Jones. Always been one of my favorites. I've got a few of his albums kicking around. He should have been bigger than he was.
Watched the credits to see whose band that was. Must have been a studio band. I also have some LPs of the Warner Brothers Orchestra. Such great music in the 40s, 50s and 60s.
@John Brunner I agree with you John, that it hard to watch her on this, for the same reasons. It seems odd, yet appropriate to see this Christmas special in black & white. Her story is indeed, a sad one.
Dozens of artists have recorded Over the Rainbow since it was introduced in 1939 in The Wizard of Oz. It is a difficult song to sing. Many think Judy Garland's performance of that song in the movie, at age 17, is the best, and near perfect. One voice coach explains why in detail.
I love watching the "reaction videos," especially when done by professionals...and especially when they agree with me. You mention the number of times this has been sung. Did you catch the coach's comment that this has been chosen as an audition/contest song by so many girls/women that in many venues, it's been banned? I was just reading about the composer, Harold Arlen (lyrics by Yip Harburg.) Both have their fingerprints on so many popular songs that we would all recognize, without us ever having realized who wrote them. Arlen wrote over 500 songs. According to WIKI, shortly before his death [1986], Arlen adopted the 22 year old adult son of his brother, so that his estate would have an heir in order to extend his copyright. Can you imagine?
From the movie "Meet me in St. Louis" (1944) A look at the making of Meet Me in St. Louis, and it's star Judy Garland, from Margaret O'Brien.
The ghosts of TV Christmas specials past This 1963 episode of Garland’s troubled weekly variety show on CBS is both sweet and bittersweet. "If you love television Christmas specials, your list of what’s great about them probably includes their shameless sentiment, their schmaltzy outfits, and their incongruous bills of comedic and musical fare. If, on the other hand, you think television Christmas specials exist mostly to be mocked, your list of what’s mockable about them — well, it’s probably the same list".