TV… Rainbow / The Judy Garland Story (1978) (TV MOVIE)

#1970s #AllPosts

 

Baby Gumm’s not in Lancaster, Minnesota anymore, as it’s Hollywood, California here she comes…

 

The early life of Judy Garland from the Gumm Sisters to the age of sixteen (going on seventeen).

 

TV Movie Promos (Made for TV), Stuart Parkvold Facebook (where the RAINBOW TRAILER STARTS AT 0:20 SECONDS)

 

I’ve taken an on-screen biopic trip with “Judy Garland” from her vaudeville days to the Yellow Brick Road before. This was in the four hours long – but very thorough TV mini series – Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001). This mini series was based on the memoir written by Judy Garland’s youngest daughter, Lorna Luft. (And yes, Lorna did star in Grease 2 (1982)!!!).

The mini series tells about her mother’s life from the age of 2 through to her tragic passing at the age of 47. It is a lovely tribute to her famous mother with a healthy balance of Hollywood and family themed drama, Judy’s signature songs and tributes to her movies. It’s not a controversial screenplay unlike the film biopic which was allegedly based on another famous actress’s child’s book from the same year (see Joan Crawford’s alleged maternal story in the “biopic”, Mommie Dearest (1981)).

Just recently, I learned that in addition to the Judy (2019) biopic – which tells of her later life and has Bridget Jones Renee Zellweger belting out those songs in the title role  – that there was a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to Judy Garland’s biographies in writing, on stage and on the big and wee screen. (More about the Judy film can be found by clicking that link and you will be then transported to my good blogging friend, Chris’s review of this movie at his blog Angelman’s Place.)

These tributes included a previously unsung (no pun intended) TV Movie named Rainbow (1978). This TV Movie, I stress has nothing to do with the British Children’s TV Show of the same decade and name with Geoffrey Hayes, Bungle, George and Zippy. A remembrance post to Geoffrey Hayes can be read HERE if you came to this Judy Garland themed review by accident.

This Rainbow is a TV Movie from 1978 that tells about Judy’s life from the age of 10 to about 16 years old in a mainly wholesome way. It hints at but doesn’t dwell on the more shocking revelations from her private and public lives which were scandalous or allegations at the time. It also includes a lot of scenes with Judy singing… and admittedly possibly a wee bit too many, in the just over 1½ hours running time.

On seeing this biopic title, its content and as 1978 is my favourite year in film and TV, I thought, “A review? And why not?”. This thought was not I hasten to add in the voice of film critic, Barry Norman. I was additionally won over by looking at the cast list, and I am sure you will too. These starry big names are more than fairly impressive for a 1970s TV Movie.

These acting talents included… the late Knots Landing (1979-93)’s Don Murray and the late actress, Carrie (1976)’s Piper Laurie as Judy’s parents Frank and Ethel Gumm. Other starry names included Psycho (1960)’s Martin Balsam, Damien: Omen II (1978)’s Nicholas Pryor, North Sea Hijack / ffolkes (1980)’s Michael Parks and The Golden Girls (1985-92)’s Rue McClanahan (in what looks like Liz Taylor’s grey wig from her role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)).

Playing Judy throughout this TV Movie was the Broadway Star, 15 year old Andrea McArdle. Only one year before this film, Andrea was the original singing and dancing orphan Annie. She starred in both the original Broadway and West End productions of Annie (see HERE for John Huston’s 1982 film version). Rainbow was based on the 1975 book Rainbow: The Stormy Life of Judy Garland by Christopher Finch.

To my joy, it was learnt that this TV Movie was directed by a former child star, later adult star and director, Jackie Cooper. Cooper – in my obligatory Dallas (1978-91) reference – starred with then child actress Morgan Brittany in The Twilight Zone (1959-64), but I digress. I am unclear if the appearances of Jackie Cooper in Rainbow are mentioned in the book, or if Cooper added them as a wee nod to their friendship. Cooper is played by a young actor, Johnny Doran and I am happy to say that his role was based on fact. This was because Cooper was both a childhood and then lifelong Hollywood peer of Judy Garland.

In my experience, I’ve learned that many biopics are usually based – and in some cases really loosely based – on a true story. Again, I’m using a strong emphasis on based… here’s the on-screen plot of this TV Movie. I will analyse this film more fully afterwards, rather than dissect it and explain facts and fiction, as is now my norm with biopics. Please note the script uses her original name, Frances Gumm before her famous name change. So I will reflect this in my review and use Frances until she changes it to Judy to avoid confusion.

The film begins with a song, and Miss McArdle channelling her inner Judy Garland singing Chasing Rainbows on a darkened stage. The camera pans out making her look smaller and smaller, I guess this (possibly) reflects we are going back in time to when she was a wee girl. I mentally work out that Judy is meant to be 9 or 10 years old.

We then hear a jaunty opening tune, as we see a paper boy on a bike and those star-studded acting credits. Then we are shown a newspaper with the date November the 10th 1932, and to Lancaster, Minnesota. (This was a natty way to say what date this film begins).

Her mother, Ethel (Piper Laurie) is trying to organise her three daughters – known as the Gumm sisters – for a road trip to sing at four singing appearances. Her daughters complain in unison that they haven’t even had breakfast yet. The three Gumm Sisters are Jinnie (Donna Pescow), Janey (Erin Donovan) and Frances (Andrea McArdle). Frances is heartbroken about leaving her father, Frank (Don Murray) behind, and it’s clear immediately that she’s a daddy’s girl. He’s super devoted to his youngest daughter, and they have a lovely on-screen rapport in all their scenes.

We then see the three girls singing together in matching outfits – think The Sound of Music (1965) and with Frances in a more childlike frock compared to her sisters – and Frances gets a few solo lines.  (Here I thought McArdle seemed pretty tall, but on checking 1977 Saturday Night Fever’s Donna Pescow’s height online I guess that McArdle is about 5ft in height. This was the same height as Judy Garland.)

Ethel plays the piano to accompany them. (This is in the first of seeing supporting stars – as McArdle gets top billing for this movie – sitting on piano stool scenes and playing piano). She is encouraging and supportive of them all. (On a side note, I’m relieved to see that Ethel is not portrayed as over the top stage mommy or even having Piper channelling her earlier deranged mother performance as seen in the horror film, Carrie.)

On their return home, Frank insists his daughters take a rest from their seemingly endless singing gigs. Ethel disagrees. Then at bedtime, Frank reassures Frances how special and pretty she is, as he boosts her childhood fears and fragile ego. She gets him to sing to her (and jolly good Don Murray is too), and you will hear this song again much later.

Some family friends Laura (Peggy Walton-Walker) and Bill Gilmore (Nicholas Pryor) visit the Gumm family for tea and biscuits. It seems Laura’s sick, and she is quite sweet in nature. We know this as we see Laura sticking up for Frances when her mother comments on her youngest daughter taking too many cookies (to be fair Frances wanted some for the family dog, but this feels like a hint about her concerns about her daughter’s weight ballooning).

Leaving their spouses outside and now in the Gumms’ kitchen, Ethel opens up to Bill, as they do the washing up. She says she feels the two eldest girls are getting too old for the singing trio, as one is more interested in boys (Later, both marry musicians much to Ethel’s dismay). Ethel also believes that it’s too late for them as she hints at a romance with him, that should have been. Bill leans in for a snog, and this act is seen by Frances. The could have been lovers break away. Frances gets annoyed with her mother about this man and his relationship with her mother and it’s not for the last time.

It’s then shown that Frank and Ethel are having marital problems, as their verbal fight is overheard by Frances, who is “sleeping” in her bedroom. Ethel feels she is “living a lie”, and it’s hinted she’s been getting insinuating comments about his homosexuality from the Lancaster locals. Ethel says one of them has to leave their marriage, and then decides to take her and Frances to Hollywood, that very minute. Frances is woken up to pack her things and is distraught at leaving her father behind. He’s pretty gutted too.

This is followed by scenes showing Frances in Hollywood… we see her going to studio school, singing a song, meeting a child actor in a jaunty cap who is now known as Mickey Rooney (Moosie Drier), her singing a song, her home life with her mother, her singing in more shows, her mother’s “visit “from Bill (whose wife has now died) and more songs.

There are scenes with adults looking in awe in response to songs, her father coming to Hollywood (with lots of love and support), adults shaking heads for no and then Frances going to the World Fair and singing more songs with the Gumm sisters… Then it’s a case of name change time as McArdle screams excitedly “I’m Judy Garland”. This is after a compere stresses The Gumm Sisters sounds like a comedy act and changes it to Garland Sisters and Frances complains Frances sounds “stuffy” and reinvents herself as Judy.

Then in no particular order, it’s now Judy Garland… and we see her singing for Clark Gable, getting a hug from Clark Gable (lucky girl), getting an MGM contract, having to work when her father is unwell, the death of her father, a montage with Judy singing Zing Goes the Strings of My Heart for various Hollywood studio heads and moguls in a bid to get into movies, more film footage than your average Roger Corman film), her growing up to date Jackie Cooper… and her rebelling teenage style against her mother, her singing more songs you’ve heard before and more name drops in meetings with then Hollywood names including Louis B Mayer (Martin Balsam), Roger Edens (Michael Parks) and Ida Koverman (Rue McClanahan).

The movie also lightly touches on Mayer’s “criticisms” about Judy’s small height, appearance and her being apparently overweight (she’s not) so it’s a makeover scene. These  “faults” for Mayer are readily solved by prosthetics, salad diets and pills. Then Judy sings another song (we heard earlier), and in a meeting with Mayer her mother calls her a child (and Piper channels her inner Julie Andrews in that scene where Julie tells the Naval Captain about his children’s needs in The Sound of Music) and Mayer calls her daughter a “property” (and here Balsam channels his inner Piper Laurie in Carrie).

These are followed by a far too brief nod the an off-set drama of the casting of Dorothy for The Wizard of Oz film, those red slippers… and then the long awaited, fantastic rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow with Parks as Judy’s father figure and collaborator, Roger Edens on the piano.

As a newcomer to this TV movie and one who has read about Judy’s younger days, it was sad that this film only concentrated on 6 years of her life. This TV movie could easily have been expanded into a mini-series with McArdle then handing her role over to an equally talented older actress.

So I was happy to learn more about this TV Movie and the book in Chris’s review of this movie. I read in his take on three Judy biopics that this TV Movie had been panned. In his mini review of this film, within his main review of Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows at his blog Angelman’s Place, he adds that,

Plans for a follow-up TV-movie covering of the second half of Finch’s Rainbow book, picking up in the 1940s with Stockard Channing as the grown-up Garland, were promptly shelved. (I would have loved to see what Miss Channing, after her star-making turn as Rizzo in the film version of Grease, could have done with the role.)

As talented as McArdle was as a Broadway singer, I really hoped for more drama, fewer songs and much more dialogue from those stalwarts of the big screen. Balsam and McClanahan had only a few short scenes, although both effectively showed the studio processes as we know them from Judy’s time. I also felt that Parks – who I feel had way too many playing the piano for Judy scenes – was at times reduced to a mime actor, with his face full of joy or disapproval as he coached young Judy on her singing techniques. McClanahan joined him in these types of scenes too, but not as many. However, it was nice to see young, Judy had these people on her side against the powers that be.

A special mention must be given to the as yet unknown actor who played Clark Gable. He convinced me in his 5 seconds on screen that he was Gable. I still don’t know who he was… so if you read this review and know, please let me know in the comments please. I don’t think it was James Brolin reprising his Clark Gable role from Gable and Lombard (1976) but if it could have been.

In shocking news, this biopic was apparently criticised for including the Broadway sensation, McArdle in this movie. Apparently many complained at the time that she didn’t look like Judy and didn’t sound like Judy. I defy you now to check out my Starry Biopics pages and tell me how many of these biopics fit this apparent criteria…  and this I was quite angry with as McArdle was just a kid then. Now she’s the toast of Broadway! Yay!

Although to be fair, Rami Malik and Gwilym Lee nailed it as Freddie Mercury and Brian May respectively in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). So much so that I find it difficult to watch Gwilym Lee in The Great (2020-23), he will always be Brian May to me.

The on-screen TV Movie tales of the off-screen life of Judy produced a rollercoaster of emotions of all sorts. From her meeting with two lifelong friends in Hollywood, she had a sweet scenes and rapport with Jackie Coogan with the pair later going on a date. I loved her meeting with the larger than life kid, Mickey Rooney at studio school with this young actor stealing those scenes. Rooney is the first to recommend she change her name – and I was surprised to learn even he seemed to have more name changes than Elizabeth Taylor – from Frances Gumm as it “sounds like a teething ring” (on-screen Mickey had a point).

Finally, again with a reference to Baby Gumm and Frances… later Judy. This is with an obscure Realweegiemidget Reviews random moment (as my norm). I thought this change of name for this TV Movie biopic star could be compared to Dirty Dancing (1987). Hear me out, Jennifer Grey plays the protagonist Frances Houseman and who is nicknamed Baby by her family. This is until Patrick Swizzle Swayze’s Johnny shows her as a now grown up woman as he gets her to join him in a killer dance routine in front of her parents…

This reminds me of Judy’s life as Frances, the Gumm sister who was known as Baby, until she was plucked from this life and from her family singing group by Hollywood moguls. And as someone may or not have said…

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner…”.

 

Weeper Rating:  😦 😦 😦/10

Handsqueeze Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 /10

Hulk Rating: ‎ ‎  /10

 

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The Third Judy Garland Blogathon 2024 No 14

This post was added to Hoofers & Honeys and  In The Good Old Days Of Classic Hollywood’s  Third Judy Garland Blogathon. Other reviews with this cast include,

• Don Murray in Hotel, Peggy Sue Got Married, Knots Landing and more.
• Johnny Doran in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler.
• Donna Pescow in The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and more.
  
• Martin Balsam in Psycho, Murder on the Orient Express, Night of Terror and more.
• Michael Parks in North Sea Hijack / ffolkes, The Colbys, Django Unchained and more.
• Nicholas Pryor in Damien: Omen II, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Less than Zero and more.
• Piper Laurie in Carrie, Children of a Lesser God, Appointment with Death and more.
• Rue McClanahan in Murder She Wrote, The Golden Girls and more.
  
• Erin Donovan in Charlie’s Angels.

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