Rating: 
Summary: Worthless
Review: Gerald Clarke seems to think that if you take a few bits of unproven, uncorraborated information, usually supplied by anonymous sources, and surround them with a lot of superfluous adjectives and qualifiers, you may just get people to believe that the info is true.This book is based mainly upon anonymous sources, personal opinions, indirect quotes and much speculation by the author. Most of his most scandalous entries (mainly about Garland's parents, sexual behavior, etc) bear the save all phrase, "ALthough there is no record...." or "It has been suggested..." "Perhaps...." On e may be initially impressed with the length of the manuscript, as well as by the notes given, but when one actually examines those notes and their sources and in their entire context, one quickly sees that this is just another tabloid bio. There is no proof to support the most outrageous claims, mainly that Garland's father was a pedophile and gay, that her mother fed her pills, that she was starved as a child, abused as a child, MGM is made to seem like hell on earth when Garland herself called it the "best part of my career," that Minnelli was gay (no, there is NO record or proof of this and the entire idea is presented ONLY by an anonymous source)and the list goes on and on. It is simply mean spirited, incorrect, misleading and poorly presented.
Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest Book Ever Written!!!
Review: As a fairly new Garland fan, I received this book as a birthday present and was thrilled to begin reading, and even more thrilled when I found out all of the information about Judy within its pages. This book is an amazing collection of facts about Judy's entire life, and her parents as well. A must have for Judy fans everywhere!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial But With Interesting Side Lights
Review: Written in a decidedly gossipy and occasionally mean-spirited tone, the much anticipated GET HAPPY comes no where near unseating Christopher Finch's RAINBOW as the penultimate biography of entertainer Judy Garland, nor does it contain the exhaustive (and occasionally exhausting) detail of Gerald Frank's JUDY; still, it does offer a number of interesting sidelights into Garland's life that previous biographers have elected to either downplay or ignore. It is in this area that GET HAPPY excells. Instead of merely acknowleding that Garland's father was homosexual and that this played a major role in family difficulties, Clarke is extremely explicit on the point; he also delves further into Garland's own sexual escapades with such figures as Artie Shaw, Betty Asher, and Tyrone Power than most biographers have dared, and he gives the fullest portait of the Garland-Rose marriage thus far offered in print. But when Clarke stumbles, he stumbles badly. Like many another before him (Anne Edwards is a classic case in point), Clarke tends to rely upon Judy Garland herself as the ultimate authority--and since Garland was notorious for re-engineering the truth to make a good story or to justify her own excesses, this is a serious mistake. Many of the ensuing errors (such as acceptance of the Garland-perpetuated myth that the "Munchkin" midgets were drunken deviates) may seem slight, but they raise questions about the depth of Clarke's research. More damaging to Clarke's credibility, however, is the light in which he casts such figures as Garland's mother, Ethel Milne Gumm, and MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer, which harken back to Garland's own sometimes hysterical self-justifications rather offering carefully balanced accounts. Ultimately, GET HAPPY seems one third standard mythology, one third gossip column, and one third fact--and as the book progresses one begins to wonder about how much Clarke himself likes Judy Garland either as a person or a performer. Even so, it does make for an interesting read, at least as long as you don't take it too seriously, and it really should be read in light of more balanced and expert research--again, such as Finch's RAINBOW, which is sadly out of print but still widely available as a used book from various Amazon.com vendors.
Rating: 
Summary: Judy Revealed: Not For the Squeemish
Review: Gerald Clarke has revealed a very complex woman behind the movie star title. Judy Garland was not the simple girl-next-door character she portrayed most of her golden age films. She was a child performer who never had a "normal" childhood, performing on vaudeville stages from the age of 2 and contracted to MGM studios from the age of 13. When you add in the fact that early success combined with pill taking (prescription drugs) were major factors in her life, it is easy to see why Judy Garland may not have had the emotional resources to deal with her later hardships. She was a great entertainer, maybe even the greatest, but she was a person, too. To understand why her life took the course it did and why she died prematurely at age 47 is something that has fascinated biographers and fans alike. Clarke does not sugar coat anything. Sure, he used an anonymous source here and there, but considering some of the stories told I can understand why the participants wished to remain anonymous. I cannot rid myself of the image of Judy performing her famous theme song after performing a certain sex act. Some people may be offended by that type of material, but luckily Clarke uses such anecdotes sparingly and usually only to make a point. In this case it was to show how Judy was the type of person who wanted to please people, even at the expense of her own humiliation. I recommend this book as an over all view of Judy's personal life. There are other books that are also worthwhile such as "Me and My Shadows" written by Judy's younger daughter, Lorna Luft; and "Judy Garland-World's Greatest Entertainer" written by John Fricke which focuses on Garland's career achievements. "The Golden Years" written by Rita Piro is based on movie magazine articles and is complete waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: Forget your troubles, come on, get happy!
Review: These were the famous words of the amazingly talented Judy Garland. In this book about her life, Clarke goes into great detail of Judy's career at MGM, her family, her successes, and her downfalls, and finally, her death. As a very big fan of Judy Garland's, I was thrilled to find a book that tells about her life so honestly and written so well that it flows like a story book. I would reccomend this book to anyone who wants to know the truth about the star who told the world to look to the other side of the rainbow, and to just get happy.
Rating:
Summary: To those of you who think this is GOSPEL!
Review: I came into this book with an open heart. I've heard all that pro's and con's to it and I've made my own decision. I've read every single Judy book out there. You name it, I've read it, so this isn't coming from a nobody who found this book online and said, "hhmmm...maybe I'll try it..." I found this book to be absolutely sick. I'm a huge fan of Judy's, but I'm the first to admit she had problems. She messed up. She lived a true Hollywood lifestyle. I'm not looking at her through rose-colored glasses. But if anyone out there thinks this book is the Bible of Judy bio's, THINK AGAIN! There are so many points in which Clarke leaves an outlet for himself! Everything is based on opinion! And he states that himself very often. All I'm saying is, Gerald Clarke certainly did a great job of trashing Judy to heck. Believe me, folks, it's trash! It's a gossip filled Hollywood column. Which is probably where he got most of his material....that and other stars! What are you gonna believe? Why not just read the true stuff that you know is right and you don't have to sift through wondering if it's really true. Hey, Judy HAD PROBLEMS! But I don't think this many.
Rating:
Summary: You all was ready for the Truth, Now You can't HANDLE IT!!
Review: First of all, Before I start putting you all down for your criticism. I want to say, I'm a big fan of Judy Garland, a big fan, I happen to have met friends and family members of her. This book is very much true, and a lot of you fans out there don't want to accept that because you think that your a fan of hers, she can't do no wrong, or you couldn't believe she did it, so you don't want to believe it. WELL WAKE UP, Celebrities and Entertainers are people to and do the same as us "regular" people. What she did in her personal life is her business. You can't help when you talk about Judy to say something negative about her life, because her life had more negative situations then good ones. I'm sick of hearing these little biographies about her, I want to hear the real deal, the private, behind close doors stuff, and the good things, and the wrong. If your a real fan, then you'll want to know everything about her even the good, then you can say YOUR A BIG JUDY GARLAND FAN. Yes, Judy was promisicous, she could be selfish and dirty sometimes. But that's everyone. But like her daughter Liza said "Mama was flasy, and she knew it, and later on she had to pay the consequences". A lot of the times Judy knew what she was doing, she hated when people got into her personal life, but she was always doing things that brought attention to her. The wrong she did, she paid for it, and the people who did her wrong, they paid for it. You can't do wrong and get away with it. Celebrity or not. If any of you all have something to say, email me ..., I'm ready for you negative, living in LA LA LAND people. You all was ready for a tell all book, the truth behind her life, you got it, now you can't handle it. Judy was only human, and she did things, that even she knew was wrong, but Judy was the "you only live once so have fun" type of person. That's one of the reasons why I liked her so much, she knew she was imperfect, she wasn't like those other fake Hollywood stars.
Rating:
Summary: TO BE HAPPY OR NOT
Review: After reading the positive and negative reviews I hesitated quite a while before reading this book because I am quite a Judy Garland fan. I didn't want garbage but I am interested in fact. I can say after reading I can see the point in both the negative and positive reviews. So I thought I would add my two cents worth. The negative - There are low points in this book, particularly at the beginning and also somewhat at the end. You are left feeling like what you are reading is probably not really the truth. On the otherhand the author had to sort through the fact and fiction himself and he probably did a fairly good job. When you read, if you do, just keep in mind you need to be a little skeptical about what is being said. The positive - Particularly in the middle of the book it gets quite good. You feel like the author has a lot more information he is able to draw from at this point so you feel as if you are really reading good facts. All in all - I would recommend the book. I have read several books on Judy Garland's life and what I always end up with is that she had a lot of problems and those that knew her had to deal with that but in the end everyone seems to say that the overall experience was a good one, and those that knew her despite the problems, come out feeling their lives were enriched by her. Mine has been, simply by listening to and watching her performances, and also reading about her. And this book stands in my mind as a good enough effort to convey a facinating but difficult subject.
Rating:
Summary: If only she could have known real happiness
Review: Clarke's expansive biography reveals Judy Garland warts and all. Anyone who thinks they know her story should read this massive work. Certainly, with Lorna Luft's revealing TV miniseries airing these two days, people are once again made aware of the tragedy of the talented Judy G. But Clarke's book lets the reader in on the childhood abuses that started her dual spirals: up to fame and down to self-doubt and drug abuse. Judy was a much maligned woman who served the needs of others as the essential breadwinner for them all. She made some really bad personal choices, but who can blame her. She was manipulated into liasons that bled her dry. It is amazing that her body held up as long as it did. Surely, with all she gave and suffered there is some peace in her hereafter. The sordid seamy side of her life is balanced with the love she had for her children and the men in her life. She certainly deserved more than she received. This biography is a must read. The ironic title hints at the real story.
Rating:
Summary: A Thoroughly Researched Biography
Review: In 1988 Gerald Clarke wrote an exhaustively comprehensive biography of Truman Capote. It's a great book that managed to take the sometimes dry emotionless format of the biography, and infuse it with new life. It read like a great fiction novel, making you quickly turning the pages to see what was going to happen to Capote next. Happily, after reading his new Garland bio I can say he hasn't lost his gift for penning an addictive and hard to put down true life tale. Here is the Garland everyone knows; The pudgy faced sweetheart singing alongside Micky Rooney, the Dorothy Gale searching "Over the Rainbow", and the Carnegie Hall showstopper. But as the book progresses the tone grows darker as Garland's addictions to drugs and alcohol combined with her overwhelming insecurities begin to destroy her career and her life. I can't say it's an uplifting read. And to think that she was only forty seven when she died is so tragic. But for people who have an interest in Garland, they'd find this a fascinating, and easy to read book. It would also serve as a great companion piece to the upcoming February ABC miniseries, "Me & My Shadows" starring Judy Davis as Garland.
|
