"Judy Garland Musical Special" was an American television special that was broadcast by CBS on April 8, 1956, as part of the television series '' General Electric Theater''. Created by Richard Avedon, the special featured

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

performing seven songs, most against simple, dark sets.

The program

After introductory comments from

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, the production began with Garland in the spotlight on a dark stage singing "I Feel a Song Coming On." She then notes: "I have a feeling that there's much too much talk going on in the world today so you're going to get very little from me but I'm a singer and I just like to sing". Still in the spotlight on a darkened stage, she sings "I Will Come Back", a song that her parents sang in vaudeville. Garland introduces

Joe Bushkin Joe Bushkin (November 7, 1916 – November 3, 2004) was an American jazz pianist. Life and career Born in New York City, Bushkin began his career by playing trumpet and piano with New York City dance bands, including Frank LaMare's Band a ...

who plays an instrumental piece on piano. Bushkin then plays as Garland sings "

Last Night When We Were Young "Last Night When We Were Young" is a 1935 popular song about nostalgia and young love composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. Arlen regarded it as the favourite of the songs that he had written.Jablonski, Edward (1998). Harold Arlen: ...

." They follow with "

Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" is a popular song with music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Lew Brown, published in 1931. Ethel Merman introduced this song in George White's ''Scandals of 1931''. A Rudy Vallée version, recorded in 1931, spent f ...

." Garland moves to a set featuring a makeup table and mirror and a framed photograph of her boy Joe. She dons a robe and sings " Dirty Hands, Dirty Face." After a commercial break,

Peter Gennaro Peter Gennaro (November 23, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was an American dancer and choreographer. Biography Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of ''Make Mine Manhattan'' in 1948. He followed t ...

dances to a jazz song. Garland enters and sings " Come Rain or Come Shine" as she dances with Gennaro and flirts with Bushkin and drummer

Jack Costanzo Jack Costanzo (September 24, 1919 – August 18, 2018) was an American percussionist. Biography A composer, conductor and drummer, Costanzo is best known for having been a bongo player, and was nicknamed "Mr. Bongo". He visited Havana three ...

. On a metal circular staircase, Garland sings " April Showers." She departs up the staircase as the credits roll. In closing comments, Reagan says, "There's only one Judy Garland."

Cast

The program featured: *

- piano *

- jazz trio (drummer) *

Red Callender George Sylvester "Red" Callender (March 6, 1916 – March 8, 1992) was an American string bass and tuba player. He is perhaps best known as a jazz musician, but worked with an array of pop, rock and vocal acts as a member of The Wrecking Cre ...

- jazz trio * Dick Cathcart - jazz trio (trumpet) The broadcast was introduced by

Production

The special was Garland's second for television. It was broadcast by CBS as part of the ''General Electric Theater'' program on April 8, 1956. The producer was Garland's husband

Sid Luft Michael Sidney Luft (November 2, 1915 – September 15, 2005) was an American show business figure, the second husband of actress Lynn Bari, and later the third husband of actress and singer Judy Garland. Early life Luft was born in New Yor ...

. Ralph Nelson directed, and photographer Richard Avedon was the show's creator. Dance sequences were choreographed and danced by

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...

provided the music. Garland's gowns were provided by Galanos.

Albert Heschong Elmer Albert Heschong (February 22, 1919March 1, 2001) was an American art director and production designer, principally for television. In a career that spanned more than 40 years, he worked on over 2,500 productions and was posthumously inducte ...

was the art director.Credits taken from kinescope of the program.

Reception

The program received mixed reviews. In ''The New York Times'', J.P. Shanley called it "a high-voltage production" in which Garland sang "with captivating style." He singled out the "Come Rain or Come Shine" number with Gennaro's dancing and Costanzo's bongo drums as "imaginative and effective." Critic John Crosby of the ''New York Herald Tribune'' praised it as "a thorough-going triumph." He described it as "a very simple show" where the focus was on Garland's singing which she delivered "with that overwhelming authority she has." In ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', Harry Harris criticized Richard Avedon, who "created" the show, for getting "so carried away by his first chance to use offbeat lighting effects on TV that he lost sight of the fact that Miss Garland was more than just another prop." He praised the simple, sentimental approach to the "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face" number, but otherwise opined, "Everything was over-produced -- frantic, jittery, unpleasant."

References

{{Reflist 1950s American television specials CBS television specials