Details on the BBC Radio 2 “Carnegie Hall” Documentary Airing Tuesday, July 26th

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Judy at Carnegie HallOn June 10th I mentioned that the folks at BBC Radio 2 were working on a documentary about “Judy at Carnegie Hall.”

Here’s the updated information they sent us:

“Dear Judy”

Victoria McArthur, the producer

To air on Tuesday, 26th July 2011 around ten in the evening.

In the summer of 2011, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of “the greatest night in show business history” – Judy Garland’s legendary Carnegie Hall concert. Rufus Wainwright leads us on a beautifully evocative journey, charting the story of the event and it’s implications for one of the best-loved performers of all time…Judy Garland lived a famously complicated life. Performing from the age of two, she was catapulted to international fame by “The Wizard of Oz”. Life would never be the same again. Every romance, success and stumble – professional and otherwise – was procured and exaggerated by the press and it was almost more than Garland could stand. A deeply vulnerable individual, she was plagued by self-doubt. She couldn’t recognise the talent that was plain to see for everyone else. Suddenly, in January of 1960, the pressure was off. A severe illness led doctors to tell Judy that she’d come close to death and would never sing again. They were startled when she responded that she was “greatly relieved”. For the first time in her life, she was about more than simply performance. For the first time, she had the opportunity to fall back in love with her extraordinary talent that she’d grown to resent. Join Rufus and friends as they recall one of the world’s brightest talents as she performed what’s been described as the “Greatest Night in Show Business.”

Those interviewed include:

Tom Schumacher – Disney
Rona Barrett – former celebrity reporter
Howard Hirsch – percussionist
Gerald Waters – who filmed footage of Judy
Gerald Clarke – biographer
Susie Boyt – author of My Judy Garland Life
Jerry Hermann – writer and producer of many musicals…
Max Preeo – longtime Judy fan
Philip Smith – Chairman of The Schubert Organisation

Go to the BB2 Radio Website to listen and check for future airings.

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