“If you have to be in a soap opera try not to get the worst role.” - Judy Garland
One of the greatest entertainers of all time, Judy Garland was between comebacks, you might say, when she sat down with Jack Paar on his Tonight show in 1962.
Paar, an unparalleled interviewer, really knew how to coax stories from his guests, in particular Ms. Garland who, by her return appearance in 1964, would arrive to his program in varying states of fuckedupedness.
Garland dissed on her days and fellow child stars at MGM, directing some of her catty cracks toward Elizabeth Taylor - comments about Liz’s pet chipmunk ‘Nibbles’ and what the legendary actress was like before she morphed into the most glamorous person on earth.
Garland met Elizabeth Taylor when they were both under contract at MGM as children in the 1940s, they attended school together on the studio lot.
Elizabeth Taylor was basking in superstar status during the early-1960s thanks to acclaimed motion pictures like Cleopatra (1963) and Butterfield 8 (1960). Garland, on the other hand, was broke with few opportunities to work in motion pictures in 1962 and 1967 when she appeared on Jack Paar’s program.
Garland was on the cusp of a comeback in 1962, she was the voice of Mewsette in the flop animated film Gay Purr-ee that year before landing her own highly acclaimed variety hour on CBS during the 1963-64 season.
Judy Garland also starred in her last two movies in 1963, A Child is Waiting and I Could Go On Singing, delivering powerful performances in both films but they fizzled at the box office.
BONUS: Jack Paar remembered Judy Garland in an ultra rare private recording.
Here’s the entire Paar program, taped on December 2, 1962 for broadcast on December 7th. Considered by many to be Judy Garland's finest hour on television, this episode features Judy and her recent co-star from Gay Purr-ee, Robert Goulet.
“I’ve always taken 'The Wizard of Oz' very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it.” - Judy Garland
“The problem with the people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” - Elizabeth Taylor
