1936-1943: All The Things You Are Review

07/13/2005 6:03 AM, AMG


Judy Garland's movie stardom coincided with the reign of radio as the nation's dominant entertainment medium, and the actress/singer appeared over the airwaves frequently. This compilation presents only a fraction of those appearances, but it gives a good sense of the kind of performances she gave, and it also includes some other recordings. Running almost chronologically, it begins with a promotional recording for the 1936 film Pigskin Parade, in which Garland had a small part; she is heard with the rest of the cast singing a potential dance-craze song called "The Balboa." There is also a lengthy excerpt from one of her many appearances on Jack Oakie's College in 1937 and an amusing repartee with Robert Young, Frank Morgan, and Meredith Willson on "Could You Pass in Love?" from the Good News series, on which she appeared many times during 1938. Appearing on Tune Up Time in 1939, she introduces "Sweet Sixteen," a song written for her that she later recorded. There is a four-song duet with Johnny Mercer cut as a "personal album" for the V-Disc series of recordings for World War II GIs, and another V-Disc with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra, including "Over the Rainbow." The disc concludes with The Philco Hall of Fame, a December 1944 broadcast on which Garland promotes her latest film, Meet Me in St. Louis, and joins the Les Paul Trio and Paul Whiteman's Orchestra and Chorus for a tribute to Jerome Kern. Aging from 14 to 22 during the course of these recordings, Garland always comes off as poised and polished while she progresses from being "little Judy Garland," as Rudy Vallee calls her in 1939, to a mature talent. There are songs here she never sang in her movies or recorded, so the release is a treat for fans. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide