Product Description
Star-studded musical biography of Jerome Kern with great song numbers featurning some of MGM's finest talent. "How d'ya like to spoon with me?", "Whys was I born?","Look for the silver lining" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Horrible Sound Distortion!
Unplayable due to horrible sound distortion on DVD.Tried to play on several different DVD machines. ... Read more

Product Description
Garbo and Crawford. Ava, Hedy, Judy, Liz epitomized Hollywood's golden era. With a trembling lip or sultry eye, with a tear or song or husky whisper, these women held moviegoers across America in their sway from the hard times of the 1930s through the booming postwar years to the early sixties. They were royalty and box office, and led pampered public lives-furs, jewels, designer gowns; limousines, flash bulbs, handsome escorts-that captured the national imagination. They also signed seven-year contracts with a morals clause, and the more they slipped, the more the secret abortions, efficient cover-ups, legal legerdemain, and dropped charges bound them to the wizard in their Oz, Louis B. Mayer. The slips are here along with the successes. Here, too, are the Blonde Bombshell Jean Harlow, Million-Dollar Mermaid Esther Williams, Sweater Girl Lana Turner, and bad girl Ava Gardner ("She can't act. She can't talk. She's terrific," declared Mayer after her screen test). From Jeanette MacDonald and Norma Shearer to Princess Grace and Dame Elizabeth Taylor, the sixteen portraits in this lively, photograph-filled volume, each accompanied by the star's filmography, tell the tales that have long lay hidden behind the gossip and the glories of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's glamorous golden girls. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Terrible
Not worth the time it takes to read.She misquotes lines from movies, and as it's entirely possible to watch these and quote them accurately, you have to assume she spent as much time with these lines as she did with the rest of the material here.It's really laughably bad.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

don't waste your $$
I can't make head nor tail of this book as it does not include footnotes...are we meant to think that she could read the minds of all of these long-dead stars and knew exactly how much or how little one enjoyed sex with one man vs. another, etc...also it is written poorly, with many rather damning claims simply stated in a sentence and then no more about it. I am not sure who this woman is or was, but this is not among the sort of books one should use for any sort of research...i wonder if she has been sued by any of the estates of these stars...i did not know you could simply write things that he or she allegedly said (or thought) and not be required to list a source...

Sensationalist gossip masquerading as an informative biography.
It's not often that I venture forth to offer a review on Amazon, but I was so upset with this book that I had to speak up. I checked this book out of my University library to help with research for a film exhibit I am working on. I was hoping to find an at most academic and at least intelligent, or reliably informative retelling of the lives of these famous actresses within, how they were perceived by the viewing public, and the effect they had on the film industry during their tenures as stars. What I got was a sensationalist account concerned only with detailing every sexual encounter these women ever had, and taking delight in citing most of them as gay or bisexual, something that is not offensive to me but seems particularly overemphasized in this book.

Why is it important to know that several of these women didn't wear underwear on the set? This book is full of lascivious quotes from male film stars about the sexual appetites of all of these women, and time and time again I found myself questioning the legitimacy of these sources, not to mention the bias of what these men were saying considering attitudes about women at the time. Perhaps even more offensive, in Wayne's account none of these women are allowed to succeed on their own without men. Instead Wayne depicts their careers as driven primarily by sex, and there is no real examination of how these women succeeded based on their own talents or business savvy. They need men to land roles in films, they need men to fulfill whatever emotional void is in their life, and don't forget they prey on men like the vamps many portrayed on screen to fulfill their rampant sexual appetites. But I kept asking, over and over, so what? The dreaded question that every historian or biographer should strive to answer to justify the time and money spent into publishing any paper or book. The drivel presented here doesn't even attempt to answer this question.

There's no denying that none of these film stars were saints, but what does this book honestly add to any serious or intelligent discussion of film? Whether or not these actresses were as oversexualized as Wayne takes delight in portraying them, they are fascinating subjects who captured the imaginations of millions through their revolutionary presence on screen, whether through sheer talent, manipulation of their images, or both. They were acting during one of the most fruitful times for women in Hollywood in many cases, when women were allowed to be sexual and independent creatures who strove for what they wanted in their roles on screen. But instead of even attempting to point this out, Wayne is almost offensively interested in cataloging everything that supposedly went on in their bedrooms.

This book read like the worst of gossip columns with no analysis that even the more disappointing biographies I have read for this project made sure to offer. Further, the endless catalog of love affairs reads like a laundry list, making the writing bland and boring no matter how tantalizing the questionable subject matter attempts to be.

pure speculation
i have read the book and i keep wondering if any of this really true. it is just pure specualtion. idle gossip. but it was fun reading it. why was so much attention given to grace kelly when she only made a couple pictures with MGM. katharine hepburn was a much bigger star and the author gave her a couple of pages. just not enough.

Not Worthy for the Collector
Miss Wayne clearly did not investigate the rumors that fills this book.Many of her facts are not validated and that many more are known to be just rumor.The typographical errors abound, i.e. Wiltshire Boulevard in Los Angeles - it is Wilshire Boulevard.Her dates are deplorable - i.e. Esther Williams and Fernando Lamas were married for 22 years from 1969 until his death in 1982 - that's 13 years, Miss Wayne!

As an avid collector of classic movies and the literature of the Golden Age of Hollywood, this book has no value to this or any other collector! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Old myths die hard.
James Spada took an old myth and turned it into this shoddy book. It's bascially a trash, rehash of stories of the relationship between Judy and Liza that were not true to begin with.

Save your money and buy "Judy" by Gerold Frank, amongst a few others on Judy Garland. 1 star maybe for the pictures, but the good pictures do not compensate for a lying text.

A book of talent, talent, talent
A truly wonderful, fact-filled book, dealing with the relationship between a mother and daughter, who just happened to be the superstars of their generations. I've kept this book all these years, having been publishedoriginally in 1983, and occasionally pull it from the shelf, relax andperuse its pictures and chapters. I highly recommend the book. So many ofthe older books on Garland are now almost impossible to find. When you can,buy them! Rarely are you disappointed, if for nothing else, the picturesare so enjoyable! Judy had to be one of the most photographed women of hertime. ... Read more

Product Description
A look at the people on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list discusses the crimes of Leslie Douglas Ashley, playboy killer Christopher Wilder, Theodore Bundy, and Willie Sutton. Reprint. AB. ... Read more

Product Description
Back in the '30s and '40s, when movie stars finished shooting a film, they'd turn right around and go into the sound studio to recreate the entire production for the Lux Radio Theatre! Thesemovies for the earsA" were every bit as entertaining as their screen counterparts, using the original scores and a host of sound effects to create a version of the movie-colorized only by the imaginations of the listeners. Complete and unedited version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as heard on the Peabody Award Winning Radio Series the Lux Radio Theatre. Starring original 'Dorothy' Judy Garland, Hans Conreid, Herbert Vigran and Ed Max. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Sad, But Undoubtedly True
Like many other reviewers, I did feel pretty sleezy after reading this book. I thought that Meyer went a little too far in describing their sexual encounters and role-playing, but that other than that, I feel like this is probably the closest look anyone will ever get at what Judy Garland was in the last year of her life.

But what people must realize and take into account is that this was not Judy Garland. This was a monster created by addiction. And it's easy as an outsider to say that John Meyer was an enabler, but addiction was not yet fully understood in 1968. They didn't have TV shows like "Intervention," and it was still almost 15 years until the Betty Ford Center would be established. Even with these resources, there are still so many addicts and sad cases like this, because dealing with an addict is not easy, especially when you care for them so much. John Meyer seemed to be receiving "push-back" from everyone from the start of their relationship, so he was feeling defeated before it the going even got tough.

Overall, I could not put this book down, and would recommend it to anyone who can deal with a description of Judy Garland that is not all Dorothy in "Wizard of Oz." I thought that Meyer's quotes of Judy were DEAD ON & I could practically hear her speaking the words. His pauses and emphasis were all perfectly placed, and I especially loved how he expressed the Boston & Irish accents.

the BEST JUDY GARLAND book ever!!!!!!!
Heartfelt.Moving--- non stop; moment to moment.The most loving Judy Garland Biography out there!!!!!!!HEARTBREAKER by JOHN MEYER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Delightful
This book combines two qualities one rarely finds in books about Garland.It is written by a fine writer who was also a good friend.

Garland fans will enjoy Meyer's many examples of Garland's wit, and his uncanny ability to reproduce, in writing, her unusual speech pattern.

It has been mentioned several times that Meyer's book is gentlemanly.For example, he writes about the two of them arriving in New York for Judy's appearance on The Merv Griffin Show.As Meyer tells it, they could not find lodging because of (former husband) Sid Luft's poor credit in New York hotels.As others tell it, Judy herself was turned away for her own unpaid hotel bills.

In the larger picture, this book fills in the blanks found in most Garland biographies.Most books rush through the late 1960's, and refer to them as Garland's "lost years" during which she was homeless and bouncing from friend to friend.This book pieces together the last few months of '68 with detail and clarity.

My favorite little joke is when Meyer, after meeting her, shuffles through a small container of sugar packets on a restaurant table and says, "Garland...Garland...I can't seem to find your file."

They're very funny together, and the book offers a pleasant look into her day-to-day humor.Meyer was a sane, sober, employed, intelligent young man whose knowledge of movies and music made him a perfect playmate for Garland.Together, their impressions, song parodies and casual asides are a hoot.Too, Meyer's own show business connections helped to keep Miss Garland in the game - from singing in small clubs to appearing on the three major talk shows at the time.

Meyer's take on the usual Tragedy of it All is interesting, especially since he wrote the book before (or perhaps before he was aware of), the recovery movement.It is enlightening to read about Miss Garland from an enabler's standpoint.He really thought he was helping, and, by the end of the book, one realizes that, short of locking her up in a small cell, he did absolutely everything he could for a woman hell-bent on self-destruction.

The moment he realizes that his efforts are for naught is shattering to read.Without the vocabulary and labels of the recovery movement, he makes his point with an analogy I won't spoil here.It is absolutely heartbreaking to read about one person giving up on another in words straight from the heart.

A Must Read for Judy Fans and Those interested in Celebrity
John Meyer opens his heart in this tell-all book!I bought the book for the marvelous CD, which is included-- a casual recording of Judy telling stories, flirting with a new lover, preparing for a performance and learning a lovely new song.When I started to read the book itself, I couldn't put it down!Yes, it is a story of celebrity and addiction, but it is also a story of a star-crossed meeting, a courtship, euphoria, falling in love, playing house, getting to know one another, creating boundries, growing together, really getting to know one another, creating new boundaries, acceptance, hope, love and heartbreak.Mr. Meyer is honest, sincere and ALWAYS respectful of the great artist that was Judy Garland.If he waxes poetic, it is in the style of the great romatic songwriters: Lorenz Hart, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer.As a singer, I am touched by this book-- Simply put, it is a story of a fan who has never stopped loving Judy, a song writer who was able to have the great Judy Garland sing his song and a young man who got his heart broken by an all-time great heartbreaker.

It's worth it, no matter how creepy the author is ...
If you are a Judy fan, this book is one you should read. True, as one reviewer wrote, this is Meyer's one and only claim to fame. But it provides an intense portrait of a complex and important musical figure. I don't care for Meyer in this book; he is a blatant opportunist. Judy still shines as Judy, however; the light this shines on her is harsher and perhaps the most painful I have ever read. But it is really worth including in your collection if you care about Judy Garland. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Judy Garland received numerous awards and honors during her 40-year career. Garland won or was nominated for awards for her work in motion pictures, television, music recording and on stage. She was twice nominated for an Academy Award and was awarded a special Academy Juvenile Award in 1940. Garland won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a second, and she received a special Tony Award for her record-breaking concert run at New York's Palace Theatre. Garland won two Grammy Awards for her concert album Judy at Carnegie Hall. Garland has also received a number of posthumous awards and honors. She was the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. She has twice been honored on United States postage stamps and has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The American Film Institute has repeatedly recognized her talent, placing Garland eighth on its list of the top 100 female stars of all time and placing five of her recordings in its list of the 100 best songs from films, including "Over the Rainbow" at number one. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Sensible Sound, published by Sensible Sound on September 1, 2000. The length of the article is 464 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall.(Review) (sound recording review)
Author: John Puccio
Publication: Sensible Sound (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2000
Publisher: Sensible Sound
Page: 90

Article Type: Sound Recording Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Marilyn Monroe, Édith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Marlene Dietrich, Anita O'day, Patsy Cline, Ethel Waters, Sarah Vaughan, Jeff Buckley, Neko Case, Amy Winehouse, Frankie Laine, Elton John, Morgana King, Susan Boyle, Rita Hayworth, Katie Melua, Nina Simone, Adele, Annie Lennox, Dinah Shore, Norah Jones, Vikki Carr, Nancy Wilson, K.d. Lang, Patti Lupone, Martha Raye, Chris Connor, Catherine Asaro, Eydie Gormé, Nellie Mckay, Dorothy Lamour, Julie London, Libby Holman, Diana Krall, Madeleine Peyroux, Kay Starr, Carmen Mcrae, Giusy Ferreri, Helen Morgan, June Christy, Antony and the Johnsons, Jennifer Charles, Ute Lemper, Alessandra Amoroso, Mildred Bailey, Kate Michaels, Sade Adu, Mietta, Ethel Azama, Sweet Baby J'ai, Vaughn de Leath, Holly Cole, Michelle Walker, Jimmy Roselli, Dora Gerson, Ruth Etting, Denise Darcel, Maude Maggart, Little Annie, Anne Pigalle, Beth Gibbons, Nerdkween, Jessica Molaskey, Toni Harper, Maxine Sullivan, Laura Fygi. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 685. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Amy Jade Winehouse (born 14 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R ... Read more