Book Review: The Films of Judy Garland

Last summer I reviewed James L. Neibaur's excellent book FRANK SINATRA ON THE BIG SCREEN.

I'm happy to say that the author now has another book out on a favorite MGM musical performer, THE FILMS OF JUDY GARLAND. I've just finished reading a .pdf copy of this book provided by the publisher, McFarland.

One of the very first film books on my shelf as a teenage classic film fan was JUDY: THE FILMS AND CAREER OF JUDY GARLAND by Joe Morella and Edward Z. Epstein. It's hard to believe that that book, which I purchased in the mid '70s, was first published in 1969, meaning it's now well over half a century old.

I enjoyed that older book, but the content consisted mostly of pictures, with a minimal amount of basic information provided for each film. I thus particularly appreciated Neibaur's much more detailed new book, which includes both background facts and thoughtful critiques of each movie, placing each film in the context of Garland's career.

The format is similar to Neibaur's Sinatra book, with a brief introduction followed by a chronological discussion of all of Garland's films. Along the way he also weaves in biographical information covering her marriages, children, concert career, and physical and psychological woes.

Each film entry lists the movie's songs along with cast and behind-the-scenes credits. It's an engaging read which balances providing useful background facts with critical analysis.

I've seen the vast majority of films discussed in the book and enjoyed mentally comparing notes with Neibaur's takes. I was particularly glad to see his comments on MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), which is one of my all-time favorite films; he concisely sums up some of the film's qualities thusly: "Vincente Minnelli proved himself to be a brilliant director, with the movie's flow of movement and bright use of color enhancing the committed performances."

I also appreciated his admiration for the romantic drama THE CLOCK (1945) which I recently revisited for the first time in years; both the film and Garland's sensitive performance left me wholly impressed. (A still from THE CLOCK with Robert Walker is below.) I think we saw most of Garland's films, also including EASTER PARADE (1948) and SUMMER STOCK (1950), in pretty much the same ways.

It sometimes makes me sad that Garland didn't make more movies after she left MGM in 1950, but her personal struggles over the years are well known, and in the end I'm grateful for what she gave us, sometimes at great personal cost. Neibaur's book does a fine job capturing her career on the page.

I think an editor could have contributed more paragraphing, as some are quite long and it's also occasionally slightly confusing when a topic changes mid-paragraph; that said, since I read an advance review copy it's possible those issues were cleaned up before final publication.

That's my only criticism, and it's certainly not a significant one in terms of the book's content; it's presented simply in the interest of being thorough. Neibaur is a reliable writer who has clearly researched deeply and shares many insightful opinions. The book works as both an excellent introduction to Garland for new fans and an enjoyable review for those who have loved her work for years.

The print copy of THE FILMS OF JUDY GARLAND is 202 pages including photos, chapter notes, bibliography, and index. Please visit the publisher website (McFarlandBooks.com) for additional information.

Thanks to McFarland and James L. Neibaur for providing an e-copy of this book for review.

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