Rainbow

I saw this back in '78, and parts of the dialogue and music have stuck with me for the past 21 years. In fact, I had just quoted one of the songs at work the night before I discovered that this was running on my local cable "on demand" for free! The cast is excellent, and Andrea McArdle's voice is amazing.

Perhaps a few of the performances were a little "stiff" or "wooden," but I think that speaks more to the direction of the film, and the fact that people back in those days WERE more stiff and wooden (read: "proper") than they are now.

It doesn't have the production quality of a theatrical release, but keep in mind, this was a made-for-TV movie. I thought the entire production was brilliant, and am so happy to have been able to see it again after all these years!

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.

If you are looking for an in-depth, warts and all, look at Judy Garland. this is not your film. This 1978 bio pic is extremely sugar coated. Her father being a homosexual is merely hinted at through dialogue because that wasn't a subject that could be spoken of at the time. Her drug abuse is played about as deeply as an episode of Saved by the Bell.

This is a light film that walks one through the highlights of the life of Judy Garland from the point of being part of the Gumm Sisters singing group through her being cast in the Wizard of Oz. Andrea McArdle is slightly miscast since her voice is much bolder and Broadway than the real Judy Garland. (Thus a few of the undeserved reviews here about how loud she is)

McArdle was the original Annie on Broadway, and she has appeared in other regional, off-Broadway and more Broadway productions for over 40 years. So I find it humorous that there is a review here saying she can't sing!

I love the 30's music that Ms. McArdle sings throughout the production. The songs stick with you long after viewing. The supporting cast is great and it's a nice saccharin view of the days of yesterday and the Movie Studio system of the 30's.

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.

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 ****