Rainbows
Who doesn't love Judy Garland? She was the first performer I remember watching as a child. Dorothy Gale and her ruby slippers were a staple in our house. I would love to think that her and I have some commonalities. We are both short, both singers, both started singing as babies (my song of choice was "My Life" by Billy Joel, hers was Jingle Bells), both have Mickey Rooney's in our life (my wonderfully sweet Grandpa is a Mickey look a like), both love to eat, and we both love to "make our own fun" as Lou puts it. :)
I have been watching Me and My Shadows with Judy Davis, almost religiously (thanks to my pal Johnny Fredo). I am slightly obsessed with it. The movie is sad, but also strangely uplifting. At one point in the film, Lorna Luft, Judy's daughter, refers to being in the midst of audience applause for the first time. In that applause, she knew everything was going to be ok. What performer doesn't feel that at some point? No matter how shitty your day was, that sound surrounds you. It consumes you. It makes you smile.
Judy Garland's life was a roller coaster. She always said that she was born at the age of 12 on the MGM movie lot. Not as Frances Gumm, but as Judy Garland. She never knew where her voice came from, so in that sense she was afraid that one day she was going to forget how to use it. I found some really great quotes of hers, and these are some of my favorites:
"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else."
"As for my feelings toward 'Over the Rainbow,' it's become part of my life. It is so symbolic of all my dreams and wishes that I'm sure that's why people sometimes get tears in their eyes when they hear it."
"Behind every cloud is another cloud."
"How strange when an illusion dies. It's as though you've lost a child."
"I try to bring the audience's own drama - tears and laughter they know about, to them."
"If I am a legend, then why am I so lonely?"
"I can live without money, but I cannot live without love."
"We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusion, and put to death by reality."
"I wanted to believe and I tried my damndest to believe in the rainbow that I tried to get over and couldn't. So what? Lots of people can't."
"You are never so alone as when you are ill on stage. The most nightmarish feeling in the world is suddenly to feel like throwing up in front of four thousand people."
It would be amazing to play her one day, although the thought also terrifies me. She was, after all, beloved. And, who in this town, besides Joe Boo and my Grandpa is short enough to play Mickey Rooney?? At the end of Me and My Shadows, Lorna Luft (narrated by Cynthia Gibb) talks about her Mother and her life as the daughter of Judy Garland. I think it is a great philosphy to carry with you.
"When people refer to my family's life as a tragedy, they completely miss the point. Mama never saw herself as tragic. She never lost her optimism. That level of joy and carrying on, no matter what the obstacles was something she made every audience feel and believe. It's why people love her. If i've learned anything from her along the way, it's that everyone's show must go on. And it's up to us to make it a good one."
I have been watching Me and My Shadows with Judy Davis, almost religiously (thanks to my pal Johnny Fredo). I am slightly obsessed with it. The movie is sad, but also strangely uplifting. At one point in the film, Lorna Luft, Judy's daughter, refers to being in the midst of audience applause for the first time. In that applause, she knew everything was going to be ok. What performer doesn't feel that at some point? No matter how shitty your day was, that sound surrounds you. It consumes you. It makes you smile.
Judy Garland's life was a roller coaster. She always said that she was born at the age of 12 on the MGM movie lot. Not as Frances Gumm, but as Judy Garland. She never knew where her voice came from, so in that sense she was afraid that one day she was going to forget how to use it. I found some really great quotes of hers, and these are some of my favorites:
"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else."
"As for my feelings toward 'Over the Rainbow,' it's become part of my life. It is so symbolic of all my dreams and wishes that I'm sure that's why people sometimes get tears in their eyes when they hear it."
"Behind every cloud is another cloud."
"How strange when an illusion dies. It's as though you've lost a child."
"I try to bring the audience's own drama - tears and laughter they know about, to them."
"If I am a legend, then why am I so lonely?"
"I can live without money, but I cannot live without love."
"We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusion, and put to death by reality."
"I wanted to believe and I tried my damndest to believe in the rainbow that I tried to get over and couldn't. So what? Lots of people can't."
"You are never so alone as when you are ill on stage. The most nightmarish feeling in the world is suddenly to feel like throwing up in front of four thousand people."
It would be amazing to play her one day, although the thought also terrifies me. She was, after all, beloved. And, who in this town, besides Joe Boo and my Grandpa is short enough to play Mickey Rooney??
"When people refer to my family's life as a tragedy, they completely miss the point. Mama never saw herself as tragic. She never lost her optimism. That level of joy and carrying on, no matter what the obstacles was something she made every audience feel and believe. It's why people love her. If i've learned anything from her along the way, it's that everyone's show must go on. And it's up to us to make it a good one."
posted by Michele at 7:39 PM
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