Mickey & Judy
Posted: July 1st, 2007, 8:58 pm
Let's put on a show!
I see that the release date for the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney deluxe set has been announced for September 25, 2007.
I'm looking forward to this mainly for two reasons:
1. the release of Girl Crazy, featuring a great Gershwin score, Tommy Dorsey's orchestra, Judy Garland at her sophisticated best, the kinky musical number "Treat Me Rough" with a young and spunky June Allyson, the swell rendition of "Bidin' My Time" with Judy joining The King's Men; well, the list goes on for this treasure.
2. The reconstruction of Babes in Arms. I've always heard that Mickey and Judy did a number where they impersonate Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. Babes in Arms was rereleased after the death of the president, and MGM was afraid audiences would be offended by a parody of the late Roosevelt; so they cut it out of the film. Unfortunately, the negatives and prints of this number were then lost. But WBHV recently discovered collector’s print that still had the number in it and has restored it to the film for this DVD set. Finally, we can see it!
It looks as if Warner Bros. Home Video has gone all-out for this set. Five disks with newly filmed introductions with Rooney; Rooney's Private Screening with Robert Osborne; The Judy Garland Songbook, a collection of 21 Garland movie musical numbers, (said to be "both famous and rare"), spanning nearly 20 years of her screen career, with all songs presented in complete form; commentaries by John Fricke; newsreels; radio shows; Our Gang and Pete Smith Specialty shorts; cartoons.
I see that the release date for the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney deluxe set has been announced for September 25, 2007.
I'm looking forward to this mainly for two reasons:
1. the release of Girl Crazy, featuring a great Gershwin score, Tommy Dorsey's orchestra, Judy Garland at her sophisticated best, the kinky musical number "Treat Me Rough" with a young and spunky June Allyson, the swell rendition of "Bidin' My Time" with Judy joining The King's Men; well, the list goes on for this treasure.
2. The reconstruction of Babes in Arms. I've always heard that Mickey and Judy did a number where they impersonate Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. Babes in Arms was rereleased after the death of the president, and MGM was afraid audiences would be offended by a parody of the late Roosevelt; so they cut it out of the film. Unfortunately, the negatives and prints of this number were then lost. But WBHV recently discovered collector’s print that still had the number in it and has restored it to the film for this DVD set. Finally, we can see it!
It looks as if Warner Bros. Home Video has gone all-out for this set. Five disks with newly filmed introductions with Rooney; Rooney's Private Screening with Robert Osborne; The Judy Garland Songbook, a collection of 21 Garland movie musical numbers, (said to be "both famous and rare"), spanning nearly 20 years of her screen career, with all songs presented in complete form; commentaries by John Fricke; newsreels; radio shows; Our Gang and Pete Smith Specialty shorts; cartoons.