UNITED KINGDOM: THIRTY YEARS AFTER HER DEATH, STARS AND FANS PAY A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF FILM LEGEND JUDY GARLAND

Record ID: 388551

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: THIRTY YEARS AFTER HER DEATH, STARS AND FANS PAY A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF FILM LEGEND JUDY GARLAND
  • Date: 3rd July 1999
  • Summary: REHEARSAL - JANE HORROCKS SINGING 'IT'S A NEW WORLD'
  • Embargoed: 18th July 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAAFBJ070I9LH8SQP6VIQJHE2QT
  • Story Text: It's thirty years since the legendary Judy Garland left for the other side of the rainbow.And the London Palladium once again became home to her legacy as stars from around the world paid tribute to her in the only way they could - through her songs.
    Thirty years have passed since Judy Garland's life finally came to its tragic end.
    But the audience outside London's Palladium on Sunday night proved that the world's favourite entertainer still had an audience.And probably always will.
    People flocked from all over the world to witness a musical celebration of the star's life.
    And there were one or two stars off the stage who had a few stories to tell - her hairdresser for a start: 'Well, I actually did Judy's hair in New York in 1960/1961 for a year, and I went on tour with her doing concerts and stuff - the Carnegie Hall concert - so it's like a flashback in a way coming to see this.' Hardcore fans, members of the Judy Garland Society, hundreds of gay people who identified with their struggling hero...it was a mixed, excited crowd who came to hear the music Garland left behind.
    Presented by her lesser-known daughter Lorna Luft, the Palladium stage that had become Garland's second home became a tribute to her life.
    Friends of the star - including Sir John Mills, Vicky Carr, and Barbara Cook - have been rehearsing for some time their favourite Garland songs.
    And the closest thing to Judy Garland - Jane Horrocks - also had a starring role, as she delivered a beautiful rendition ofit'ss a New World.' Horrocks stunned audiences with her incredible impersonation of Garland in the film 'Little Voice', and her performance on the stage was every bit as powerful.Horrocks says that the type of entertainer that Garland embodied is a thing of the past: 'I don't think the stars of today have the same mystique that they had, and the same all-round quality you know - she was a fantastic singer and a dancer and a superb actress.And I just don't think that performers are trained in that way anymore - you know they're either actors or they're singers and dancers, they don't do the whole caboodle.And she did.' Mort Lindsey was Judy Garland's musical director for a number of years.Since then he has never worked with anyone who could compare to Garland.He will always remember the goose bumps she brought out in him each time she started to sing.
    But as everyone treasured their happy memories of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and equally mesmerising performances in films like Meet Me in St.Louis and Easter Parade, no one could forget the tragic circumstances that led this truly talented woman to her early death.
    A child pushed onto the stage at the age of two, managers of the Hollywood studios seized her talent and milked it for all it was worth.Feeding her pills to keep her dancing for hours on end, her life experiences led to alcohol and drug addictions that would finally lead to her death.
    It was Garland's suffering that drove the mental health charity, MACA, to sponsor the tribute concert.They recognise the enormous pressures of stardom that are still causing suffering in artists today.
    No one will forget the real story behind Judy Garland's sparkling performance.But during Sunday's tribute night only the joy that Garland gave the world was remembered.
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