Judy Garland Live at the London Palladium with Liza Minnelli (1998)

The novelty of Judy Garland: Live at the London Palladium is the spectacle of the great entertainer sharing the stage with her up-and-coming daughter. In November 1964 Liza Minnelli was not yet 20 and not yet a Broadway success. She looks it: the coltish, appealingly gawky girl is still pretty raw (at one point after a costume change she yanks off her earrings just before launching into a song), and Garland seems alternately proud of and bemused by her. The video is pretty raw, too, a rough black-and-white affair that can best be described as serviceable in quality. However, fans of this brand of showbiz razzmatazz will be satisfied with the duets between the women (especially trading verses on a medley of "Happy Days Are Here Again" and "Get Happy"). Judy opens the show with the reliable chest sweller "Once in a Lifetime" (no relation to the Talking Heads tune) and delivers a tutorial in song dynamics with "The Man That Got Away." She appears rather shrunken and tired but still comes on like a trouper, fending off the audience's constant heckling for "Over the Rainbow" (as though she might forget it?) before finally handing the song back to them as a touching sing-along. This was Garland's last appearance at the Palladium. It's also a passing of the torch to Liza, who would later become the kind of polished dynamo embodied by her mother, more than capable of holding down her own one-woman shows. --Robert Horton Amazon.com essential video

Once In A Life Time Event

This is a Show That must be seen, if you weren't in London at that time, here is your chance to see two great Talents on the same Stage. Judy always at her best and Liza following in the Garland Tradition, one Show Stopper after another, you will feel like you are right there. May 31, 2008

Gets better the more times you watch it

This dvd gets better every time I view it. Judy is not at her singing best, but it truly shows the love Liza had for her mother. And it shows that together they would have been the most awesome act ever. (if after Liza's eventual success they did this alot)

But in reality the dvd film itself is quite bad in a cinemagraphic (sp?) way. Its b and w and very very amateurishly done as if a fan had done it for free ... lol. But to see Liza get bravos from a London crowd in her first concert with her mother-WOW. September 2, 2007

Fine Garland-Minnelli concert

Judy Garland appeared with her daughter Liza Minnelli at London's Palladium Theater on November 16, 1964--and the crowd went wild. Together Judy and Liza weave a magic spell over their audience not to mention anyone watching this excellent DVD of the portions of the concert that were televised on British TV.

The auspicious Garland overture signals Judy's turn to take the stage; she belts out "Just Once In A Lifetime" and "Just In Time" with all the panache of a showbiz legend. Judy never misses a note and her sitting at the piano for "Just In Time" creates an intimate one-on-one mood with her audience so that she could lead them wherever she wanted them to go. Excellent!

Liza Minnelli fans will enjoy Liza singing several songs on this DVD; she performs the classic "Gypsy In My Soul;" It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Who's Sorry Now." One Amazon reviewer writes that at times Liza seems gawky and not at ease with the audience to the extent that her mother is--but, of course, Liza was a mere eighteen years old when this was filmed. We need to give Liza credit for doing as well as she did-- especially when she was paired up with her legendary mother. Working with her mother onstage must have presented a challenge to Liza; Judy Garland was tough to follow. Indeed, after one song Liza comes back on stage and says "How can I follow that?" Of course, this was a scripted line; but it was truthful, too.

Judy shines throughout on this concert DVD; she does duets with Liza and sings several more songs solo. Judy and Liza do a magnificent job with a medley of "Hooray For Love/After You've Gone/By Myself/S'Wonderful/How About You?/Lover Come Back/You And The Night And The Music/It All Depends On You." Wow! Judy sings other classic ballads with flair, grace and self confidence; she sings "The Man That Got Away;" "Music That Makes Me Dance;" San Francisco" and more.

In addition, Judy helps the audience to do a very moving sing-along duet with her of "Over The Rainbow." The audience clearly enjoys it after initially being a bit shy.

The footage is rather good although there are imperfections on the image apparently due to technical problems that could not be resolved before the release of this DVD. The sound quality remains excellent throughout.

If you want to see Judy Garland at the top of her game with her daughter Liza very ably assisting, this is the DVD for you. I highly recommend this DVD for Judy and Liza fans alike; and fans of classic concerts in general on DVD won't be disappointed.

Enjoy!
July 21, 2007

A Memorable Evening With Judy and Liza

Judy Garland's Palladium performance remains a historic event as she shares the spotlight with Liza Minnelli. This 1964 concert displays the undeniable chemistry between mother and daughter, which makes for a powerful and intimate experience. Transferred from video to film for British television, the rough-edged broadcast adds to the live atmosphere. Reportedly, the unedited video recordings may come to light in a future DVD release. June 22, 2007

It's All Weve Got

I have been waiting 40 years for this to surface. The original LP is in my posession. This is a shortened version for a one hour television time slot. But it is packed with goodies. Judy sings "Just in Time" which is not on the LP but is in the separate video "Judy Frank and Dean". She also sings "For Once in My Lifetime" which I have never heard her sing before. It is a show stopper. Liza is fantastic if a bit giddy. We can watch Mama Judy coaching her on stage and microphone technique in a very unsubtle and embarassing way. But the whole thing is great. The black and white video has all the markings of the primitive television camera techniques of the day used in televising a live multicamera program but doesn't interfere with the enjoyment and thrill of seeing Judy and Liza totally live and uncut. January 9, 2007

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