The Other Side of the Rainbow: Behind the Scenes on the Judy Garland Television Series

Book Description

"The Judy Garland Show," which aired Sunday nights at nine on CBS twenty-six times between June 1963 and March 1964, was the last glimmer of a fading star. As Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz Judy Garland had charmed the world, singing and dancing down a golden path to fame; now she was
middle-aged and wracked with personal problems, habitually late for rehearsals, often not showing up at all. When she made what proved to be her final appearance on Stage 43 in Television City (dressed, rather ironically, as a clown), one stagehand, assessing her thin and haggard figure, sighed "no
more yellow-brick road."
In The Other Side of the Rainbow--now reissued with a new preface--Mel Torme takes us on a Hollywood roller-coaster ride through the triumphs and disasters of this short-lived show, at the same time revealing a personal side of Judy Garland rarely glimpsed. While she was notoriously hard to
work with, and her affection for "the Blue Lady" (Blue Nun leibfraumilch), vodka, and pills was well-known even at this time, Torme shows that Judy was still capable of breathtaking performances, that she could still earn the sobriquet "High Priestess of the entertainment world."
Torme signed on to "The Judy Garland Show" as its musical director, writing special tunes, putting together medleys, at times even coaching Judy from an off-camera position. He was there from the start, survived an almost total purge of show staff, and left just before the final telecast.
Consequently, we see it all from center stage: Mickey Rooney saving a virtually unrehearsed early show from failure, Lena Horne storming over Judy's lack of professionalism, Cary Grant refusing to do his oft-imitated "JU-dy, JU-dy, JU-dy" (insisting he had never said it), daughter Liza Minelli
singing a duet with her beaming mother, and Judy herself, alone on the set, belting out a powerfully moving rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" only weeks after the assassination of JFK. (Her desire to do a special program dedicated to Kennedy's memory was nixed by CBS: this was her
unexpected and defiant response.) Behind the scenes we witness Judy at her best (Torme remembers of feeling "chills of delight" as Garland sang "Mama's Gone, Goodbye" during their first session together), her funniest (telling dirty stories to the production crew), and her worst, drunk and
hysterical, waking her colleagues with early morning telephone calls. Known as The Dawn Patrol, Torme and others would leave their beds and rush to Garland's Brentwood home to offer whatever assistance they could.
Brimming with anecdotes, illustrated with rare photographs of Judy on the television stage, and informed by the insights of a fellow performer who saw it all, The Other Side of the Rainbow offers a rare and compassionate look at one of America's most beloved and misunderstood entertainment
icons.

Customer Reviews:

Jealousy is an evil force........2007-07-03

Gosh, I just think Mel Torme had such tremendous jealousy, he was so frustrated by Judy there was nothing he could do but wring his drumsticks and write this book.

I'm sure Judy saw him as someone she could trod over? squish like a toad?

Indeed, Torme's entire approach to the writing is toad-like, while needing that association and recongition from a LEGEND. (Now who is this guy?) Well, maybe if Judy had slept with him, he could have bemoaned that too.

Fascinating subject matter..........2002-05-02

Supremely interesting book if you're a fan of Judy Garland and wish to know more about her acclaimed television series and simultaneous tragic mistreatment at the hands of CBS studio execs. No surprises in the book with regards to revelations regarding Judy Garland's addictions and at-times unprofessional behavior, traits well-documented by countless other sources. What was surprising, however, was the apparent extent to which Mr. Torme had bitter feelings towards Ms. Garland. "Catty" remarks (meOOOOW...pfft pfft!!) litter the pages, and Torme seems to absolutely revel in relaying some of the cruel, and at times crude comments he overheard directed towards his boss (Judy in fact owned the rights to her show). No gentleman, here. Torme also often comes off a bit full of himself. Two examples (out of many): at one point he sulks over Frank Sinatra's "insufficient" praise of his singing ability after Sinatra and Garland attend one of his nightclub performances; another time, when Judy asks him if he agreed with her that Jack Jones was the greatest male jazz singer, he decided to "play it cute" and place his hand over his heart and answer "Well, now that you ask, no, I don't"...this right after he manages to inform the reader that Jack Jones had stated in print AND on television (my emphasis) that Mel Torme was his favorite "jazz-oriented" male singer. Wow!!!! Finally, Torme's writing style tends towards the "cute" and he strives too too too hard to be hip, making extended reading sessions unbearable; for that reason this book is best read a chapter at a time. Interesting aside; this book first came out in 1970, the year after Judy Garland's death. That fact alone speaks volumes about the man.

Keep Your Salt Shaker Handy.......2002-05-02

Mel Torme's THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW WITH JUDY GARLAND ON THE DAWN PATROL was the first book about Garland to appear after her death, and it paints a portait of an out-of-control star struggling to endure the rigors of a television series that debuted with tremendous fanfare and then degenerated into chaos and total failure. Garland's family, friends, associates, many of those who actually worked on the television series, and later biographers have been extremely, extremely critical of this book, denouncing it as one-sided, self-serving, and mean-spirited.

In light of several later biographies and at least one unbiased and exhaustively researched book on the CBS series itself, those accusations would seem to be true--but the main thing that undermines Torme's description of both Judy Garland and her CBS series is the current availability of the series itself, which has been released to the home market in VHS and DVD. There is little doubt that Garland was tempestuous, drug-ridden, and often difficult to work with during this period--but the actual series itself shows little of undisciplined chaos Torme describes; some moments are weak, some moments are strong, and some moments are awe-inspiring, but all in all the actual series is surprisingly innovative when seen during the context of its era. It is also worth mentioning that many of Garland's most acclaimed recording releases have been drawn from her performances for this particular series.

That said, this does not change the fact that THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW is an interesting read. Torme is clearly angry about the whole thing (he eventually sued Garland's production company, and the book includes transcripts of Garland's depositions during the suit), and he adopts a snide tone that makes the work intriguing--and no doubt his account is accurate in the sense that it conveys the situation as he himself saw it. But to say it lacks any degree of balance would be the understatement of the century: Garland emerges as a has-been harridan and Torme inevitably comes up smelling like a rose.

As one person who worked on Garland's television series later remarked, "as a historian Mel Torme is a great singer." Because of the complete lack of balance and the self-serving and mean-spirited nature of the work (all the more deadly for being hidden behind a facade of affection), I do not recommend this particular book to some one casually interested in Garland; on the other hand, those with a serious interest in the artist who can approach the work in light of unbiased accounts of Garland, Torme, and the history of The Judy Garland Show will find it an interesting sidelight on what was arguably one of Garland's most artistically productive eras. Final word: you'll need to take it with more than a few grains of salt, so keep the shaker handy.

And yet another perspective on Judy.......2002-02-13

I have read this book and also read through the other reviews and wonder how people reading the same thing come up with such different opinions. Mel Torme is definately presenting things from his perspective. That anyone could read the book and think Judy disrepected or disliked him is hard to swallow. They must not have read it very closely. It would be the reverse if anything but that would be a little hard to swallow too. He does show a little bitterness I think but overall expresses his overall thankfulness in having worked with her. Would I recommend this book? I think so. For us Judy fans it is good to get everyone's perspective who knew her well.

Judy, Judy, Judy.......2001-08-21

Judy Garland's tv series of the 1960's is in the spotlight as Mel Torme tells the story of Judy & the show from his perspective. Torme tells the story with frankness and reveals both a negative side of Miss Garland and a sad one. Her middle-of-the-night calls to talk her insomnia away, her drug use, and dislike of Mr. Torme make for a juicy, nostalgic trip. How, no matter what condition she was in or how little rehearsal she had, she still performed like the pro she was is shared with readers without bias (and we thought they looked so happy together in that Christmas show!). The show has long been cancelled and both beloved performers are gone now. But luckily this piece of them remains. More than just a book, it's a piece of Americana - a piece of history - and a piece of time in the lives of all of us who remember them. A must for any Garland or Torme fan.

The Other Side of the Rainbow: Behind the Scenes on the Judy Garland Television Series

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The Other Side of the Rainbow: Behind the Scenes on the Judy Garland Television Series
Mel Torme
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK4DS6

Book Description

Herman Gray takes a sweeping look at black popular culture over the past decade to explore culture's role in the push for black political power and social recognition. In a series of linked essays, he finds that black artists, scholars, musicians, and others have been instrumental in reconfiguring social and cultural life in the United States and he provocatively asks how black culture can now move beyond a preoccupation with inclusion and representation.
Gray considers how Wynton Marsalis and his creation of a jazz canon at Lincoln Center acted to establish cultural visibility and legitimacy for jazz. Other essays address such topics as the work of the controversial artist Kara Walker; the relentless struggles for representation on network television when those networks are no longer the primary site of black or any other identity; and how black musicians such as Steve Coleman and George Lewis are using new technology to shape and extend black musical traditions and cultural identities.

Customer Reviews:

The Poverty of Sociological Reductionism in Black Cultural Studies.......2006-07-20

Gray, a sociologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, builds on his previous scholarship on the circulation of race in network television and jazz in this study of contemporary black cultural politics. The book starts on a promising foot, offering a paradigm of cultural production that examines how current "black self-representation and collective self-fashioning in music, visual arts, broadcast television, and new information technologies...move beyond cultural politics preoccupied solely with inclusion, representation, and identity" (3). According to Gray, *Cultural Moves* is interested in the interplay between media, technology, consumerism, and institutionality as they bear on current strategies of black cultural representation.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book fails to deliver on this intriguing premise. Gray is the type of sociologist who spends so much time setting up his structuralist account of social action that he never gets around to actually analyzing the things -- artistic practices, musical and visual texts -- that constitute cultural production as such. On the potentially illustrative case of Wynton Marsalis' directorship of the jazz program at the Lincoln Center, for example, Gray is paralyzed by utterly meaningless abstractions -- to wit, "jazz is characterized by a complex set of social values, a sophisticated tradition of recognizable texts and practitioners, and a systemic means of reproduction" (37). Wow. I can almost hear Marsalis howling in mock disgust at Gray's sociological reductionism, for evacuated from this discussion is *any* concept of the properly aesthetic irruptions that Marsalis' jazz project brings to the U.S. musical and concertgoing establishment. Instead, we leave this example with merely a vague intimation of Marsalis' "cultural difference."

In a similar vein, chapters on the circulation of blacks in postnetwork TV culture (pp. 77-113) and in cyberspace (pp. 133-47) cite NO examples of actual texts, television shows, websites, etc. to support Gray's theories, save a smattering of references to Fox's *In Living Color*. Rather than engage original interpretive analysis of the multitude of examples available to him, Gray is content to wax academic on the *idea* of black cultural production with trite, vacuous pieties such as, "To the extent that television ever did produce effective national identifications by managing racial difference through exclusion and eventually incorporation, it did so primarily through representation and consumption" (105). This is a truly unfortunate sentence, enamored as it is of its seeming intelligence when all it says is the painfully obvious -- that television's "racial" meaning is a function of representation and consumption.

In short, this book is a reductive sociological account of complex cultural phenomena -- a mode of scholarship that I've noted is all-too-common in the field of black cultural studies in particular. As someone who is committed to the serious, in-depth study of black cultural politics, I'm dismayed by scholars like Gray who cannot understand cultural practices as they are taken up by living, breathing people rather than disembodied, structuralist theories. (And not especially smart structuralist theories at that.)

Claire Alexander and Caroline Knowles (eds), Making Race Matter: Bodies, Space and Identity.(Cultural Moves: African Americans and the Politics of Representation)(Book ... Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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Claire Alexander and Caroline Knowles (eds), Making Race Matter: Bodies, Space and Identity.(Cultural Moves: African Americans and the Politics of Representation)(Book ... Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Ellis Cashmore
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1987 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: Claire Alexander and Caroline Knowles (eds), Making Race Matter: Bodies, Space and Identity.(Cultural Moves: African Americans and the Politics of Representation)(Book review)
Author: Ellis Cashmore
Publication: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 32 Issue: 8 Page: 1431(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Here is the book that Tolkien fans have needed for half a century--a detailed, book-length chronology of J. R. R. Tolkien's complex tale. Whether you are a serious Tolkien fan or simply someone who enjoys reading the story over and over again, this is the book for you. It's the first totally new reference for The Lord of the Rings since the 1970s.

Beginning over 1400 years before the major events in Tolkien's epic, it describes, year-by-year, the amazing and imaginative background history that Tolkien created for his masterpiece. Then for the main narrative, it becomes a day-by-day reference, describing what each character does on that day and all the places where those events are described in Tolkien's writings. You can find out, for instance, what Merry and Pippin are doing as Sam perpares rabbit stew on the morning of March 7.

Probe deeper into Tolkien. See why someone as serious as Gandalf was interested in fun-loving Hobbits. Discover an exciting new plot, based on Tolkien's notes, that begins when Aragorn captures Gollum. Follow along as the Black Riders and Gandalf race for the Shire. Decide for yourself whether Sauron and the Ring have any ties to Hitler and Stalin. Explore what Tolkien believed about nature and technology.

A few facts illustrate how helpful this chronology is. Most of narrative is a deliberately confusing sea of next days and third days that leave readers as confused as the tale's main characters.The middle 60 percent of The Lord of the Rings gives the current date only once. In the narrative as a whole, the date is given only 23 times, or once for every 43 pages, and most of those come when the plot is moving slowly. That's why those who want to dig deeper and understand better what Tolkien was saying will find this book a must-have.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Resource.......2006-12-10

Perry has done a wonderful job in untangling the very intricate tale woven by J.R.R. Tolkien. Of particular help are the copious margin notes which reference exactly where Perry is drawing the information contained within that section of his book. The commentary made by the author is a welcomed pause for reflection on the events that are taking place and keep the book from being a mere listing of dates and events. I teach a course on J.R.R. Tolkien and have found Untangling Tolkien a valuable resource, since it covers the entire history of Middle-earth: what comes before The Hobbit and what takes place after The Lord of The Rings. Bravo Mr. Perry, I look forward to reading your other books.

Knits up the ravels.......2004-10-31

An amazing accomplishment by a dedicated Tolkien fan.

That is how I'd sum up the book Untanging Tolkien. Michael Perry has first unraveled all Tolkien's "dates" -- which can be extrapolated from phases of the moon -- and then knit them together again in a cohesive outline, presented in much greater detail than Tolkien's own timeline (found buried in Appendix A of LOTR). By incorporating information from other Tolkien writings, the author of Untangling Tolkien collates additional facts about all the characters and the circumstances surrounding the War of the Ring, folding them all into this detailed chronology. He includes material that sheds light on possible parallels between Tolkien's work and events that were contemporary, and he provides original commentary that suggests some additional motivations for Tolkien's characters. Sidebars offer references to every source for the information presented and for each conclusion the author has drawn.

I found the format, with quick-reference bulleted lists and clearly delineated sections and subheadings, well-organized and easy to use.

NOTE: I read the third printing that was published in May 2004. Apparently the author has corrected many of the errors that David Bratman objected to (below). You won't find a better overview or a more throrough treatment of time and dates in LOTR than Perry provides in this book.

A Radiograph of LotR........2003-12-27

This book is layed out as a chronological record of the events covered by Tolkein's masterpiece with prefaces that explain the calender system created by Tolkein and its conversion to our more mundane (and possibly inferior) system. The type is clear, and margin citations clear and present for every entry. It's primary utility, at which it succeeds admirably, is as a kind of radiograph of Tolkein's work that reveals its astonishing complexity more clearly and allows one to admire, and more importantly, explore the book itself more quickly, easily, and deeply.

The book also contains copious notes inline with the chronology. These vary from informative to tangential, but at worst do not detract from the book's primary function. Mr. Perry is perhaps foremost as Lewis scholar, and so C.S. Lewis, a close acquaintance and friend of Tolkein, makes a number of appearances. Also making appearances in the notes are William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill.

All in all, a unique book which will save anyone who wants to do an in depth study of LotR a lot of time.

Splendid Tolkien Reference Work.......2003-12-21

Superb, exhaustive chronology of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga. Perry does a superior job in untangling a number of thorny chronological issues in Tolkien's narrative, and he employs some fine literary detective work in reconstructing what events are happening across Middle Earth on any given date. Especially admirable is his reconstruction of how much moonlight there was during each day of Frodo and Sam's journey into Mordor.

In addition to chronology, Perry supplies a lot of background information about Tolkien's themes and sources, as well as biographical tidbits about Tolkien. For example, there are fascinating discussions of Tolkien's views of technology, freedom, and totalitarianism. Perry also discusses Tolkien's stance toward the misuse of Germanic myths by the Nazis.

This is a great resource for Tolkien-lovers everywhere.

a giant mass of undifferentiated trivia.......2003-12-21

A year-by-year, later day-by-day, chronicle of the war against Sauron from the founding of the Shire to the glorious conclusion seems at the outset like a good idea. Perry calls LOTR's Appendix B, the Tale of Years, "far from complete" but it covers the whole period: what he means is that it's not detailed enough for him. Appendix B won't tell you which day Sam cooked coney for Frodo; Perry will.

But alas, the book does not stop there. The entries are written as bullet lists like a PowerPoint presentation, and many add pointless little flowcharts such as two-generation family trees. They reduce Tolkien's magnificently complex subcreation into a giant mass of undifferentiated trivia. And each yearly or daily entry comes with its commentary, whether directly relevant, side points, broader considerations, or dogmatic essays in applicability. The unrelieved banality and inappropriateness of these must be read to be believed; as also the author's clumsy, grammatically inept style, and his smug superiority to the characters. (He frequently criticizes the good guys' "blunders," all of them more complex than he implies.)

There's actually some good chronological analysis and speculation hiding in here. But how can someone who knows his Tolkien that well say that the wizards were Valar, or that Rohan gave Isengard to Saruman (it wasn't theirs to give, and Saruman was made its warden, not a freeholder), that Boromir and Faramir had a sibling rivalry (Tolkien specifically says not), or suggest that Galadriel should have sent daily eagles to check up on the Fellowship?

These are not isolated examples: the bloopers and misconceived ideas go on and on. The whole book is like that: it has the soul of a PowerPoint presentation. I can't recommend it on any terms.

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Great game overview

A Must have for the Middle Earth CCG!

Middle-earth: The Wizards Companion (#3333)
M. Reynolds , and Mike Reynolds
Manufacturer: Iron Crown Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Middle-earth: The Wizards Player Guide (#3334)

ASIN: 1558062750

Customer Reviews:

Great game overview.......2004-10-03

I purchased this book quite a long time ago - probably back in 1996 when it was first released. Only recently (Sept 2004) was I able to start playing this game, having purchased a box of challenge decks for Middle Earth: the Wizards. This book was indispensable in learning the rules - much better format and explanations than the tiny books accompanying the starter decks. I do think the rules could be better explained, hence the 4 stars vs. 5.

A Must have for the Middle Earth CCG!.......2000-02-14

If you play or at all interested in the Middle Earth Collectable Card Game (CCG) this book is a must-have. It walks you through the rules much better than the rule book included in the game. It also has a liting of all of the cards in the ME:TW set.

Middle-earth: The Wizards Casual Companion (#3340)

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Middle-earth: The Wizards Casual Companion (#3340)
Karina Swanberg
Manufacturer: Iron Crown Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1558063129

Book Description

Gotta catch 'em all? Gotta have this guide!
·Gigantic Pokédex with complete, up-to-date stats for all 386 Pokémon, including Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen
·Where to catch 'em in all the latest Pokémon titles, from Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire through Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen
·Must-have mini-walkthroughs for Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, and Colosseum
·The best ways to catch, breed, evolve, and trade your Pokémon
·Interview with Pokémon game developers offers a secret peek inside the world of Pokémon
·Exclusive poster inside
·Retrospective on past Pokémon titles
·Huge appendix featuring detailed info on Moves, HMs and TMs, Berries, and more

Customer Reviews:

Pokemon Pokedex is tops with my kids.......2007-01-10

My kids love game-boy, my kids love pokemon, if you have kids who love pokemon, they will love this book, it is hard-cover and had great info and illustrations about all the pokemon, KIDS WHO LOVE POKEMON WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!

Not bad........2006-03-25

This is pretty useful for checking out movelists for the various Pokémon. However, the information they give on stats is shaky, and sometimes actually incorrect when you do careful comparison between base stats for each creature. In general, the information is still in the ballpark, but the system they use can sometimes make it difficult to get an accurate comparison between two creatures without actually going in the game and leveling them up.

Also, the book really needs a list of the various Natures and their effects.

Overall, it's a nice purchase, though, and the hardcover is a great plus.

The book on Pokemon.......2006-03-23

This is a terrific source of information for anyone interested in Pokemon.

It's a WINNER!.......2006-02-04

I bought this book for my 8 year old nephew who loves Pokemon. He reads this book religiously and often carries it around with him wherever he goes. He has memorized an incredible amount of information that he has learned from this book. At the very minimum, it is highly entertaining. At its best, it is good exercise for his mind.

Pokemon pokedex Collector's Edition.......2006-01-16

My son is in absolute heaven with this book. He can read it over and over, each time discovering something new. Thanks!

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