#Judy Holiday

[topoet]

June 2023 Recap

The WordPress map shows my hits have come from  over 20 countries around the world with both Kenya & Mauritius ahead of the UK! Most popular posts were my reviews of Spamalot & King Lear at the Stratford Festival, along with my Flashback Friday reposts of posts from 2010. City of Valleys now has 25 sections posted, about 52,000 words so far with about 80,000 to be edited then posted. It’s been…

[sylkiagathario]

52 DAYS OF THE HOLIDAYS

DAY TWO: THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) DIR. VICTOR FLEMING

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[franciegummstarstruck]

Merry Christmas, Judy fangirls and guys! 🎅🎄

[wexhappyxfew]

currently envisioning judy and rosie in a roman holiday-like au and i’m like:

[captaint-b0]

I wish everyone a merry christmas where you will be safe and happy and be kind to your loved ones!!

Just like our loved ones here <3

[shadowusagiart]

Happy Holidays, V~! - J.A.

[zimshan]

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas has always been my favorite secular Christmas song. One of the first CD mixes I ever made (as opposed to tape mixes recorded from the radio) was a mix centered on several different interpretations. Napster et al allowed me to search my favorite Christmas song and listen to several variations from several decades. I took a liking to older versions, preferring the classic 40s big band sound. But the original was and still is the star for me.

As a kid, I found it interesting the song was from a WW2 era film. But it took another decade before I saw the film and the context it was sung in. So the idea of acknowledging a gloomy Christmas with the hope of a better one next year? Well, I attributed to the time of its creation and release. Emblematic of Americans at home and abroad Christmas 1944, a full 4 years into the war.

It held a bold promise:

Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

That in fact ended up being true for many families the next year, as the war ended in 1945.

The focal point was the bridge:

Someday soon we all will be together if the fates allow until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow

It appealed to me so much more than the normal bright and cheery Christmas. It felt more real to me somehow. More grounded. It’s hope filled but the hope emanates from known struggle. I assumed that resonated with audiences at a time when families were continents apart fighting a world war.

In the 50s, Frank Sinatra thought this was too gloomy and had the second line changed to fit the 50s plastic cheer:

Hang a shining star among the highest bough

It’s a symbol of everything the 50s did to 40s music and film for me. Makes no sense? Who cares! Just smile, doll. Yuck.

When Ella Fitzgerald sang the song even into the 60s she sang it the original way. Of course she did.

When I finally saw the film Meet Me in St. Louis years later, I remember feeling rather disappointed. The context of the film did not fit the song for me really. A few rich girls crying about moving away from home because their father got a job in the city. Certainly not the WW2 levels of problems.

I’ve come around to the film after seeing it several times. It’s mostly a marker of escapism of turn of the century slice of life in technicolor during WW2. It almost feels outrageous for the time. And yet the Christmas sequence is one that brings the narrative back to earth, like the context of the time punching through and leaving its mark on the film. Margaret O’Brien’s tears as a symbol of grief and loss in childhood and carry the film as much as Judy Garland’s voice. Would I have tried rewatching it so much if not for the song? Probably not.

Tonight TCM aired an old Word of Mouth segment with one of the song’s composers, Hugh Martin. He tells the story of the song’s conception. I found a copy on youtube:

Long story short, turns out his original idea was even gloomier! It started as just a fragment and he credits several people along the way for why he returned to it. But Judy Garland plays a big role here. When he played it for her, she said she loved the melody but the lyrics were just too mean to sing to a younger sister (played by Margaret O’Brien), the context of the moment the song is sung in the film. He brushes it off with a “sorry Judy maybe next time” until a colleague corners him into taking her criticism seriously. (Yes, a man had to tell him to listen to a woman, even when that woman was Judy Garland.)

He adjusts the song and the resulting balance is not just the focal song of the film but one of the biggest Christmas songs of all time.

I love this story because it shows the affect of others around a songwriter that help shape the final song. We are so quick to attribute roles in film and music to the credits. This person was the songwriter, this person was the singer, this person did the score. Yet creative collaboration means they all have an effect on each other. No one is working in a vacuum.

In this case, the songwriter’s original idea probably would have gone nowhere. But by having several people around him that saw the value in part of it, he continued to work on it. Judy’s feedback alone was not enough. But with a colleague backing her up, he was able to adjust the gloom to a level that happened to be the right balance to meet the moment not just in the film but of the time audiences were listening to it. Today most people recognize the song on its own. Most don’t know the film it originated from. It took on a life of its own. But it’s the result of that creative collaboration the film provided.

[hollywoodoutbreak]

Experience an unforgettable journey with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! This charming dramedy promises to fill your heart with laughter, joy, and a touch of emotion. Judy Greer invites you to embrace the warmth and festive spirit the film offers.  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is now playing in movie theaters. Don’t miss out on the holiday fun!

[zootopilove]

[jazzdailyblog]

Annie Ross: A Jazz Legend's Life in Melody

Introduction: Annie Ross, born Annabelle Short ninety-four years ago today on July 25, 1930, in Mitcham, Surrey, England, was a jazz singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned over seven decades. Known for her pioneering work in vocalese, Ross’ contributions to jazz have left an indelible mark on the genre. Her life, marked by both triumphs and tribulations, is a testament to her…

[monsterfucker-lisa-swallows]

I know i spend considerable time comparing pop culture reactions to Elvis Presley and judy garland (listen it fucks me up how people bend over backwards to say Elvis was a tortured genius but act like Judy was just crazy and overly sensitive and couldn't handle life) which is in itself a product of misogyny but there is a third part to this equation that I don't mention because I'm white and not qualified to speak on it but if Judy garland is done dirty by the public then Billie holiday is in some ways done even worse because she doesn't get the benefit of white female victimhood. When it's a white man he's a genius. When it's a white woman she's crazy yet tragic. When it's a black woman it's a moral failing

[franciegummstarstruck]

I think I'll be posting pics of the divine Ms.G wearing red throughout December. 👠♥️

[elizavetbutterfly]

My fan merch HH and HB (Rus) Всем привет! Что ж, вот вот уже приходит Новый Год. И этому событию я решила нарисовать несколько своих персонажей по мерчу от Вивьен. Я надеюсь вам нравится этот арт и всех с наступающим Новым Годом. (Eng) Hello everybody! Well, here coming New Year. And to mark the occasion, I decided to draw some of my characters on Vivienne's merch. I hope you like this art and Happy New Year to everyone.

Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (c) to Vivziepop, Colt, Leo, Judy, Selena, Milena, Clem, Lyra, John, Red and Kira (c) Me.