Rainbow

I don't enjoy picking on a young person, but this biography, which ends just prior to the release of THE WIZARD OF OZ, is ruined by young McArdle's performance. Best known for originating the little orphan in ANNIE on Broadway, she has a lovely voice, and I hope she's had a fulfilling life. But she's just dreadful here. Let's forget for a moment that she doesn't look or sound like Garland in the slightest. But it's a robotic, comatose performance, and even when she sings, her voice is that of a generic Broadway babe born and bred by a monstrous showbiz mama. There's nothing new here that even those with the slightest knowledge of Garland won't already know. The cast is OK, although whoever put that awful wig on Rue McClanahan should be tarred and feathered. This is the biopic equivalent of CliffsNotes, and everything feels hollow and uninspired. If you want to check out a MUCH better version of this material, watch the first half of LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND: ME AND MY SHADOWS, which features an extraordinary performance by Tammy Blanchard as the young Judy.

If you're a fan of Andrea McCardle, you'll want to check out Rainbow, a Judy Garland biopic from 1978. If you're not, you'll hate this tv flick so you might as well skip it. Andrea looks, sounds, and acts nothing like Miss Garland, and the whole movie is basically a vehicle to show off her belting singing voice. She sings and sings and sings, with very little plot in between songs. And since she looks, sounds, and acts nothing like the woman she was cast to impersonate, it gets old fast.

Within the very thin plot, it implies that Frances Gumm's father (played by Don Murray) was a closeted homosexual, and her frustrated mother (played by Piper Laurie) had an affair with her friend, a married man with an invalid wife. It never explains why the vaudeville act went from The Gumm Sisters to just Judy Garland, and it stops after the filming of The Wizard of Oz. Piper's character sort of fades into the scenery once they reach Hollywood, and Judy's very close relationship with an MGM composer, played by Michael Parks, isn't really explained. There's one point in the movie where Michael advises her to tone down her wild gestures she makes while she's singing, but it's more amusing than truthful. The real Judy Garland did have spastic mannerisms, but Andrea stands with her arms plastered to her sides and an extremely bored expression on her face. For the third time in his career, Martin Balsam plays Louis B. Mayer, and while he is portrayed as a stern studio mogul, he's not as cruel or domineering as he is depicted in other movies. All in all, it's just one giant songfest from Andrea, with very little resemblance to the real Judy Garland. Although, I have to admit it's very cute Jackie Cooper directed the picture.

The thing I enjoy most about this movie is Andrea McArdle's singing, which is probably why she got the part as Judy Garland. On the whole, the movie was very informative about how Judy Garland got her start in show business, but even her beginning was sad.

Fan-magazine equivalent of a biography, in this case a television-budget glimpse into the early life of actress and vocalist Judy Garland (née Frances Gumm). Director Jackie Cooper, who reminds us he befriended the real Judy during their years together at MGM, lays the pathos at our feet right from the start, with Broadway's Andrea McArdle belting out a lonesome "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", followed by a reprise of the song 15mns later! Cooper, and writer John McGreevey (working from a substandard book by Christopher Finch), perhaps were hoping to show us Judy's natural pluck and verve despite upheavals in the Gumm household--but, if so, somebody forgot to tell young McArdle. With her hangdog face, crooked mouth and watery eyes, she's about as far from plucky as a Garland substitute can be. Obviously chosen for the part due to her stage pipes as the original "Annie", McArdle has apparently studied Judy Garland but doesn't attempt an imitation (perhaps unwisely, as her singing voice lacks warmth). Cooper stages innumerable scenes around the piano with McArdle in song--always surrounded by adults nodding to each other, pretending to find her adorable--but he never gets at what was so unique about Judy Garland. She appears to us as just another kid songbird. The Hollywood studio sequences are also underwhelming, with key details and conversations coming off as suspect (made worse by repetitive moments, poor editing and mediocre acting). One can only scoff at what amounts to be a woe-is-me look at a poor little rich girl, one who finds herself wondering aloud, "When will I be in the right place at the right time?" as she walks the lot of the biggest movie studio in the world. One Emmy nomination and win: Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special to Howard Schwartz. ** from ****

On a scale of 1 to 10, Andrea McArdle has to be rated a ten if only for the strength, clarity and beauty of her singing abilities. Add to that the fact that the girl can actually act. To see her in any movie would be a treat. To see her in a movie depicting Judy Garland, another showbiz "10" with a voice that overwhelms, is an unbelievable delight. "Rainbow" tells the story of the emotional triangle that proved to be a trap for Judy Garland. Wanting to please her parents, wanting to "make it big" in show business, and always longing to be a normal girl proved to be a conflict too large to overcome. The movie is bittersweet in that it shows the drive the mother infuses into young Judy Garland, the special relationship between Judy and her father, and the unbelievable talent inside this child, all the while reminding us that each of these facets took a toll on Judy Garland and eventually shaped her life both in positive ways and in ways that were painful.

A good movie. I really wish it would be released on DVD. It definitely would be a worthwhile addition to any collection.