I’ve been busy with working on a new “Spotlight” section in The Judy Room devoted to The Wizard Of Oz.
Obviously, there are tons and tons of OZ sites out there, as well as tons and tons of OZ product! And while there’s no way that I can feature every single collectible or photo out there, I’m definitely trying to include as much as possible. There will be a brief essay on the making of the film, a special timeline, a discography, and of course, lots of photos. The focus of the section is more on Judy and her involvement in the film while at the same time not neglecting the rest. Obviously, as The Judy Room is a Garland site, first and foremost!
I’m doing this in celebration of the film’s 70th anniversary, and because it’s overdue. Hopefully, the section will go live in June. Here’s a link to the “coming soon” page – check back from time to time to see if it’s “live” yet or not. Depending on how things go, I might go live with it earlier.
As with everything in The Judy Room, it’s a collaborative effort. Several OZ collectors out there are lending a hand, as well as all the great folks over at The Judy Garland Message Board.
Other than that, the only other big news is the release of Judy’s 1943 film Thousands Cheer on DVD. This release is the first Garland film available from Warner Home Video’s new “Archive Collection“. Thousands Cheer was Judy’s first appearance in Technicolor after 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, and the first time she plays herself in an MGM feature. She has a guest spot in the big show at the end of the film, singing “The Joint Is Really Jumpin’ Down At Carnegie Hall”.
Warner has opened up their vaults for this online only store. You can have a DVD-R burned for you or simply download the film to your computer. Many great films that might never have seen a conventional DVD release are available via this convenient outlet. Thank God for our digital age!!!
That’s it for now. Be sure to periodically check out The Judy Room News Page to get the most up-to-date Judy news availalbe.