Posted by It’s June already. June is always “Judy Month” for fans, but of course, this year is special because it’s the 100th anniversary of Judy’s birth on June 10th.
There are many tribute shows, celebrations, and events planned throughout the month and the rest of the year. The following is a list of some of the celebratory events and tributes happening this month.
Every Friday: Turner Classic Movies celebrates Judy as “Star of the Month” by airing her films. No word on whether the newly remastered versions of Ziegfeld Girl, For Me And My Gal and The Clock will be shown or if they’ll be the older prints. Most likely the latter. Watch for the rare airing of Judy’s feature film debut, 1936’s Pigskin Parade, on June 3rd!!
On-Demand: The Criterion Channel is offering Babes in Arms, Ziegfeld Girl, For Me and My Gal, Girl Crazy, Presenting Lily Mars, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Clock, The Harvey Girls, Easter Parade, The Pirate, In the Good Old Summertime, Summer Stock. Subscription required.
June 5 & 6: Fathom Events is showing The Wizard of Oz (1939) on the big screen across the U.S. for two days only. The showings will be accompanied by the first theatrical release of Ray Bolger’s deleted Scarecrow dance since 1985’s That’s Dancing!, it’s also the first time it’s being shown in the remastered HD format.
June 9 – 12: The Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, MN (Judy’s birthplace), has a weekend of events lined up.
June 10: Judy’s children, (Liza Minnelli, Lorna & Joe Luft) will unveil the new unisex fragrance “Judy” created by chemist Vincente Spinnato, at a birthday gala at the Wilshire Ebell in Hollywood, CA. Details can be found on the website.
June 10: The fabulous Peter Mac brings a centennial version (“100 Years of Magic”) of his award-winning show to Rancho Mirage, CA (Palm Springs) followed by engagements in Sacramento, CA, and Pittsburgh, PA. Details can be found on Mac’s website here.
June 11 & 12: Get Happy! 100 Years of Judy Garland – The Exhibit. This two-day immersive event features costumes (several newly restored and several previously unseen in public) and other rare Garland ephemera, such as newly restored rare movie posters and much, much more! The event will be held in the same venue that Judy and her sisters, as “The Garland Sisters,” performed at several times in the early 1930s: The Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.
The Judy Room is proud to have contributed the audio for this event!
June 12: The Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Judy’s final resting place) is celebrating Judy’s 100th Birthday with a special screening of The Wizard of Oz, and a Walking Tour of the grounds which will include informative markers identifying some of the people who worked with Judy and/or were her peers, including Mickey Rooney, Terry (“Toto”), Adrian, Oz director Victor Fleming, and many more.
For tickets, go to www.cinespia.org.
June 29: Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration, a special concert given by the world-famous San Francisco Symphony.
Breathtaking Broadway talent with full symphony orchestra commemorates Judy Garland’s most precious life moments projected live-to-screen. Broadway star Jessica Vosk brings Garland’s legendary songbook to life, accompanied by rare performance footage, intimate home movies, and cherished photographs and interviews.
Note that there are many tribute shows ranging from cabaret acts, Garland impersonators (both male and female), tribute concerts, and other tributes/events going on around the globe. Keep your eye out for happenings in your area!
Wonderful!!! Be sure and leave your reviews of the three new Blu ray releases, Scott.