I Could Go On Singing

Rating:
Summary: Garland's Last Gasp
Review: Right off, I'm saying I've loved Judy Garland even when she was off key and obviously on something. I think of this film as the last in a trilogy of Garland films about a girl who inadvertently gets a part on stage and is a hit ("Summer Stock"), then goes off to Hollywood and plays the clubs, marries a has-been drunk who commits suicide and then becomes the greatest of all Hollywood stars ("A Star Is Born"). Lastly, the older fading musical and film icon desperately trying to hold her place in the realm of where it's always been--superstardom--"I Could Go On Singing" and now finally realizing that she'll always be alone on stage and off-stage. I heard there was a lot of trouble making this last Garland film in England and co-star Dirk Bogarde had a tough time putting up with her, That aside, the story of Jenny Bowman is almost parallel to Garland's real life with a character who has no room for anything or anyone except the fantasy of getting her child back from Bogarde.
( I once saw her perform at Westbury Music Hall on Long Island, N.Y, and her voice was gone but the applause was like thunder. So, Garland sat down on the stage and started singing "Over The Rainbow" and not very well. She then asked the audience to help her. Her daugher Liza was in the audience and helped her mother out with a song, Then Judy got into an argument with the band leader and he with her and it was a mess.) Nothing like this ocurred in the fim, no rages, no drugs, no drunk scenes but Garland's Jenny Bowman did show up late at a concert and refused to go on. The scene between Bogarde and Garland alone in a dressing room was thought to have been improvised it was so good, but the fact is, they had practiced that scene over and over for weeks. One of the most impressive scenes is Garland preparing herself emotionaly right at the curtain just as she's about to step onto the stage. (In actuality, she often would get so worked up that right before she stepped on stage she'd say, "fu*k'em, fu*k'em!" Anyway, the songs in the film are not up to Garland's par and the lyrics sound a little too tired e.g., "...till the cows come home..." with the exception of "By Myself" which is brilliant. If you want to see Garland's last film and get some idea of the real Garland, get this film.

Rating:
Summary: Camp Classic / Guilty Pleasure - It's Not for Everybody
Review: "Guilty pleasure" seems to be an extremely popular expression these days, generally meaning something you know you're not supposed to like, but you like it bigtime. Jerry Springer comes to mind. Bad acting, predictable fistfights... but it's proof positive, merely by its longevity, that guilty pleasures are, well, pleasing. We could say the same for all these reality shows, or those local news stories where the reporter sticks a mike into somebody's face, asks what it's like to have your puppy run over, and just wait for that big tear to roll down...
Let us face it: it is human nature to thoroughly enjoy things not despite their bad qualities, but BECAUSE of them. This is also the meaning of "camp."

By 1963, the release year of "I Could Go On Singing," Judy Garland, a very intelligent performer, was fully aware of the bad qualities that kept her camp-starved audiences coming back for more. If you wanted someone to show up on time and sing in a sweet voice, there were hundreds of singers to choose from. But with Garland, you could tell and recycle a good story-- she was late, stumbled around, sang two songs beautifully, then sang badly and forgot the lyrics until she collapsed before the ambulance arrived. It was all part of her standard performance starting in 1951 when she fell on her butt at the London Palladium, right up to her tone-deaf final Scandinavian tour in 1969.

The question is: do these shennanigans translate well to DVD or VHS? The answer is negative. And as I watched "ICGOS" I tried to put my finger on it-- why was this not working? And what I came up with is this: When Judy was bad in person or on a movie screen, you felt embarrassed for her. When Judy was bad in a DVD, or on television, watching from the privacy of your own home, you can easily feel embarrassed YOURSELF, a most unpleasant sensation. It is like stepping into an elevator where someone silently farts. Gosh, will people think it's me?!

The plot, the script, the dialogue, the music (particularly the theme song: I could go on singing 'til the cows come home/ And the rooster starts to crow-crow-crow... THAT DOESN'T EVEN RHYME!), the spastic choreography, the frumpy costumes, schoolboys in girl drag (I'm not making this up), the over-wrought bad acting... I could go on complaining. But here's the irony: there are many of Judy's fans who would prefer this dreadful film to something truly excellent, i.e. "Meet Me in
St. Louis, "The Clock," or "A Star is Born" in which Garland is at the top of her game. Go figure.

Therefore, if you're into "guilty pleasures" or old-fashioned high camp, "ICGOS" is for you. If you'd prefer to remember Judy for her incomparable talent and thrilling performances- and there were many- then maybe you ought to pass.


Rating:
Summary: A wonderful little picture
Review: "I Could Go On Singing" was the first Judy Garland film that I remember as a young adult. They gave out a single 45 rpm of the title song (which is not a great song), and I played it constantly. Then I bought "Carnegie Hall" and a dozen other Garland recordings. I was hooked. All because I was bored one Sunday afternoon and went to see this movie. Years later I bought the video and have enjoyed it countless times. I really can't add much to what others have said...I just know that the screen comes alive whenever Judy is on it. You can hardly look away! The story may not be the greatest...but the star is! I recently bought the DVD version and was disappointed that it seemed to be dark all the time -- especially in the wonderful scene where Judy is in bed talking to her son on the phone. There is some sort of technical problem there that spoils that powerful scene.

Rating:
Summary: I Could Go on Singing...If Only She Did.
Review: A brilliant and still vastly underrated film is I Could Go On Singing, best remembered as the last film Judy Garland made in her extraordinary career. Some of her finest acting and singing are contained in this work, the story of which is, true as they say, pure soap opera, but riveting nonetheless, even for non-Garland fanatics. Contrary to what some have written, Garland looks beautiful in this film, quite healthy before she lost a bit too much weight for her television series a few months in the future. Yes, she is not always costumed correctly and, at times her face and figure do suggest a haggard, bloated appearance. These moments are, in my opinion, few and far between and for the majority of the film, Garland appears totally in control with a radiance about her face that, unfortunately, she did not have later on. Better yes, her acting and singing are quite without equal, on the same level as some of her previous films. One number, "It Never Was You" is actually sung "live" and not prerecorded as is the usual procedure with musical numbers. In numbers such as the title song and "Hello Bluebird", Garland looks like she is having a total blast. My favorite has always been "By Myself". Her rendition and performace of this song has to be heard and seen to be beleived. As Aretha said in her autobio, Garalnd WAS a SOUL singer. Her acting with and without the handsome Bogard is also of a high standard, especially the justly famous scene where Bogard tries to persuade Garland to perform for her audience that is waiting for her. A scene of raw emotion that is a bit difficult to watch...one feels like a voyeur witnessing what should be a totally private moment between two people.
Watching this film makes me appreciate the considerable talents of Garland all over again. She was a true "DIVA", the like of which do not exist anymore.
Luigi.

Rating:
Summary: CLASSIC GARLAND TOUR-DE-FORCE!!! BRAVO JUDY!!!
Review: By the time Judy Garland filmed her final classic "I Could Go On Singing", she knew how to act and pull out all the stops better than anyone and was in superb voice giving many of the most powerful film vocal performances ever in this sadly overlooked brilliant motion picture that has for years been one of my favorites!!! Judy looked sophiscated and every inch the superstar that she was and had a great supporting cast who were all perfectly cast including an engaging performance from Jack Klugman as her fiesty manager. Musical numbers filmed before a live audience added so much excitement to Judy's magnificent performances and the electricity of Judy's preparation moments before her entrance before the audience are incredible to experience!! Garland was the most soulful performer around and this performance should have been nominated for an Academy Award just as Miss Garland should have won Best Actress for the classic "A Star Is Born" but that is a totally different story that is one of the legendary "Oscar Blew Stories"! I was in High School when this classic came out and played at the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. and people wildly applauded after the musical numbers and I have only witnessed this in the musical films of Judy, Barbra, and Liza!! The power of Judy's performances of the riviting "By Myself" which is a powerful vocal masterpiece and the stunning "Hello Bluebird" are among the all time top performances ever in motion picture history. The quite and haunting "It Never Was You" which has Judy just with a piano is a masterful live take that is Judy at her sublime best and again incredibly riviting on the great title song "I Could Go On Singing" and you just wish she would have! Dramatic scenes are intense and try not to be incredibly moved when you watch the brilliant interplay between Judy and Dirk during the amazing hospital scene!! Throughout Judy is at a dramatic peak playing out each scene with her "Son" and his "Dad" with remarkable depth and sensitivity. Thankfully this movie has been preserved first with its VHS release and now on DVD for anyone wanting to enjoy the best entertainer of the century giving one of the greatest performances of her incredible lifetime!! Bravo Judy!!! I am happy that this classic Legend happened in my lifetime...Enjoy!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Garland is Great! Plot is Thin!
Review: Garland is superb, as always. She had to try extra hard in this one because the songs she is given to sing are not up to her standard. But Judy, in her genius, makes them work. She also makes up for the deficiencies in the thin plot. I expected more but didn't receive more. This film could have been superb on all counts if the screenwriters had only had the gumption to give the script a little more than soap. There are a lot of could have beens and what ifs in this picture, which sadly was Garland's last film. She never fails to impress though and she brings the material up to her level and proves that even at her worst, she was still better than the best at their best!!

Rating:
Summary: Superior Soaper
Review: Garland's final film appearance is a superior soaper concerning a neurotic singing star who is locked in a battle with her ex-husband over custody of their son. Garland's performance in the film is often borderline autobiography, with the star chewing scenery and creating backstage chaos-- only to explode onto the concert stage in a surge of high-energy talent. Interesting film, particularly for its often near-documentary scenes.

Rating:
Summary: Garland's Swansong Before Going Over the Rainbow
Review: Garland's last film is melodramatic and over-the-top but absolutely fascinating! The singing sequences, including the vibrant "Hello, Bluebird", "By Myself", and the riveting title number, reveal the true depth of Judy's extraordinary talent. Dirk Bogarde is stoic but effective as Jenny Bowman's former lover, and Jack Klugman hits the right note as her manager, but this is Garland's film, and her performance is emotionally raw and vulnerable. Unfortunately her appearance and weight (some of those witchy hairstyles---yikes!) fluctuate noticeably throughout the film, and she is poorly dressed for the most part (the one exception being the blue sequin ensemble in "Hello Bluebird"). One also wishes that the film had retained it's original, and far more effective, title, "The Lonely Stage". Despite these drawbacks, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to see one of the 20th century's great film artists show you what it's all about. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Garland's Swansong Before Going Over the Rainbow
Review: Garland's last film is melodramatic and over-the-top but absolutely fascinating! The singing sequences, including the vibrant "Hello, Bluebird", "By Myself", and the riveting title number, reveal the true depth of Judy's extraordinary talent. Dirk Bogarde is stoic but effective as Jenny Bowman's former lover, and Jack Klugman hits the right note as her manager, but this is Garland's film, and her performance is emotionally raw and vulnerable. Unfortunately her appearance and weight (some of those witchy hairstyles---yikes!) fluctuate noticeably throughout the film, and she is poorly dressed for the most part (the one exception being the blue sequin ensemble in "Hello Bluebird"). One also wishes that the film had retained it's original, and far more effective, title, "The Lonely Stage". Despite these drawbacks, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to see one of the 20th century's great film artists show you what it's all about. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: JUDY`S SWANSONG
Review: I COULD GO ON SINGING(1963) became Judy Garland`s final film. She was about co-star with Sharon Tate, Patty Duke and Barbara Parkins in the over-the-top VALLEY OF THE DOLLS(1967), but walked out when she realised it would be all but a good movie. Susan Hayward replaced her in a role that was too much near the Garland legend. In I COULD GO ON SINGING Judy portrayes a famous concert-singer very much like herself and though it isn`t self parody she seems 2 play herself. We, her fans, knows s o much about her that it is quite obvious that she just do that. But you`ll se JUDY in glowing Technicolor close-ups. Sure she looks worn out, but they really should have removed the words CHARISMA out of the English dictionary when she passed away. She WAS and IS charisma. Who else remains a WORKING EXPERIENCE over 30 years after her death? In this film she gives a study of how to play a wordly ageing star, desperately in need for love and protection. And the weapons she use are not very favourable. But she IS beliveable and her numbers outstanding. She doesn`t need the old production values of Metro past; her gifts are hers - and hers alone. What that kid DID and DOES is the best SINGING you`ll ever hear from an entertainer. Indeed, the agent in the film played by Jack Klugman, make similar referances. Thanks 2 films, CD`s and TV-shows we are blessed with a monumental legacy. Yes indeed; She GOES ON SINGING. With her here is the great talent of Dirk Bogarde of THE SERVANT fame. Their confrontation scene was written with their co-operation and it should be watched by EVERY drama class.