Along with Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, Judy Garland has emerged an iconic figure in show business. A child performer with no formal education, she led a life of great highs and deep lows; through it all though, her inestimable talent shown. While she proved herself onscreen as a capable musical star and occasional serious actress, Garland thrived in live performance where her dramatic abilities were tested with each song she sang. Even in later life as she struggled with various illnesses and addictions, she delivered, in the words of The New York Times critic Stephen Holden, “pure feeling. … Like no other American singer, Garland erased the line between laughter and tears, suggesting a barely suppressed hysteria with each grasp and choked-up cry.” Those who saw her perform live spoke of the experience in almost mystical terms. Those not lucky to have that experience can see vestiges of that electricity in her films and videos of her television appearances.
