Life With Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows
Waaay back in early 2001, fourteen-year-old me noticed a snippet on Entertainment Tonight, involving a segment about “The Wizard of Oz.” But I did a double take and I realized it wasn’t about the actual classic musical that had been my favorite as a little girl. No, it was about the mysterious Judy Garland – the one who played the heroine, Dorothy Gale. Who was portraying Judy Garland as Dorothy… Oh, I then recognized her as Drew Jacobs on The Guiding Light! She, and another actress, spoke about the upcoming Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows biopic, where they shared the role of Garland. This was Garland’s real-life story, told from the POV of her daughter, Lorna Luft.
I really didn’t know much about Judy Garland at that point. Well, except that when she was seventeen, she acted as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, that she had a drug problem, and that she died young. I tuned in both nights the miniseries and slowly fell in love with this immensely talented, but troubled woman. I soon began to watch all of her movies, I listened to her music, and read as many books that I could get my hands on. While other girls listened to Britney Spears, I was tuned into Judy Garland! Yep, I became a life-long, devoted Judy Garland fan.
The biopic remained a favorite of mine over the years. There were things about it that I wished that were different. Like, I wanted the biopic to last several more hours, to be able to cover other pivotal moments in Judy’s life. We never hear how she supported the Civil Rights movement or that she was an ally to the LGBT community. Her first marriage is glossed over. The timeline is a little wonky in some places (the Arty Shaw heartbreak occurred in 1940, but we jump from it to her nervous breakdown in 1943 during the “I Got Rhythm” scene in “Girl Crazy;” at that point she was still married to her first husband David Rose). Rather than carry on with Tammy Blanchard (Drew Jacobs on The Guiding Light) as Judy, were abruptly introduced to Judy Davis playing older Judy gearing up to act in “Meet Me in St. Louis.” The switch is jarring. There was a six-month difference in filming between “Girl Crazy” and “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Judy didn’t change that much in that time period. It is unfortunate that Tammy Blanchard didn’t continue to portray Judy through the rest of the MGM years at least. She was in her twenties at the time of the biopic. Judy was twenty-eight when she and MGM parted ways. Often Tammy Blanchard looked like Garland’s long lost twin.
Life With Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows
Waaay back in early 2001, fourteen-year-old me noticed a snippet on Entertainment Tonight, involving a segment about “The Wizard of Oz.” But I did a double take and I realized it wasn’t about the actual classic musical that had been my favorite as a little girl. No, it was about the mysterious Judy Garland – the one who played the heroine, Dorothy Gale. Who was portraying Judy Garland as Dorothy… Oh, I then recognized her as Drew Jacobs on The Guiding Light! She, and another actress, spoke about the upcoming Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows biopic, where they shared the role of Garland. This was Garland’s real-life story, told from the POV of her daughter, Lorna Luft.
I really didn’t know much about Judy Garland at that point. Well, except that when she was seventeen, she acted as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, that she had a drug problem, and that she died young. I tuned in both nights the miniseries and slowly fell in love with this immensely talented, but troubled woman. I soon began to watch all of her movies, I listened to her music, and read as many books that I could get my hands on. While other girls listened to Britney Spears, I was tuned into Judy Garland! Yep, I became a life-long, devoted Judy Garland fan.
I recently rewatched “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.” I feel much the same about the production. The acting, the costuming, the music… all spellbounding. Though I did come to appreciate Judy Davis a little more than I had originally. There were scenes she truly did embody Judy Garland. Similar voice, mannerisms, and expressions. Rewatching the miniseries did reignite my love for Judy. Just as I did as a teenager, I drew inspiration from Judy rising above her circumstances. Her troubles struck a chord with me. I have struggled with anxiety and depression. Tragic things happened to her, but she wasn’t a tragedy. She always persevered, always hoped, and always believed things would get better.
“I’ve always taken The Wizard of Oz very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I’ve spent my entire life trying to get over it.” She once said.
She did have her demons, her addictions. She lived in era that didn’t really understand addiction. We are still learning about it. Often, she is the butt of sitcom jokes about her struggles. While Judy Garland didn’t always make the best life choices, I do believe she did her best in every situation she was in.
Well, what do you think? Have you ever seen “Life with Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows?” Are you a Judy Garland fan?
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