Judy Garland - "Old Man River"

June 24, 1963: The first episode of "The Judy Garland Show" was taped at CBS Television City, Hollywood, from 8:10 to 9:20 p.m. The audience included many stars: Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Natalie Wood, Hedda Hopper, Louella Parsons, Agnes Morehead, Clint Eastwood, Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner and Van Heflin.
Judy's guest for her first show was her old chum Mickey Rooney. Judy sang "Keep Your Sunny Side Up"; "When The Sun Comes Out"; "Exactly Like You"; "I Believe In You" (with Jerry Van Dyke who was her permanent sidekick on the show); "You're So Right For Me" (with Mickey); and for her "Born In A Trunk" segment that would close each show, Judy sang "Too Late Now"; "Who Cares?"; and "Ol' Man River." The show closed with Judy singing "I Will Come Back."
Judy also sang "Two Ladies In The Shade Of The Banana Tree" during the dress rehearsal on June 23, 1963, but by the taping the following night it was dropped.
The "Exactly Like You" song and sketch and the song "I Believe In You" would be cut before the broadcast date, and a new segment with Mickey was taped November 29, 1963. A new opening song, "I Feel A Song Coming On" was taped on October 11, 1963. The deleted segments survived and have been released on DVD.
Although the show was the first one taped, it was not the first to air. It was originally broadcast on December 8, 1963.
For more, check out The Judy Room at www.thejudyroom.com

[@franklyandrewjames]

It never ever gets old and it never will! Judy defines in this performance the term "leaving it all out there" for Judy,as she almost bashfully, demurely approaches the audience quietly, she knows what she's about to deliver to these people. At this point in her life, the thieves had taken it all from her,the money the security, the future, professional dignity. under 5' tall, baby Gumm "the little girl with the big girls voice" still has that magical ability to touch ever single soul within hearing distance of her voice. Her live performances were still electrifying and she was still evolving, still growing as an artist and entertainer! Look at her upper torso watch how her ribcage expands before the finish,she pulls everything she's got inside and and gives it all completely holding nothing back for herself....

[@kevinhawk9790]

I don't care what anyone says, there will never be another like Ms. Garland.

[@robbertSONGBIRD]

Who's here after watching the video from Be Kind Rewind? :)

[@iadorenewyork1]

Me. Thought she was a bit harsh on the recent biographical film, with Zellweger as Garland, but she obviously admires/loves Judy Garland and I appreciated her thoughts on the film and Garland’s life. This song is amazing.

[@mysticalpineapple7263]

Robbert Christian 🤪🤪🤪

[@tracehughes3012]

lmaoooo!!!! same!!!! literally started OBSESSING over her after the video!!!

[@TheDowzer]

judys a legend.im here

[@ohno7775]

Here

[@michealanderson8832]

This world didn’t deserve Judy Garland. We should thank our lucky stars we had her as long as we did.

[@fredcelli6310]

Judy held that last note, with forte, for 13 seconds....unbelievable voice and talent.......Frank Sinatra commented that "when all of us are gone, they'll still remember her" .

[@danlukens832]

Why am I a clarinetist musician and will always be a listener and a performer? The goose bump rush, that Judy Garland provokes while singing "Old Man River" makes my life as a musician well worth living!

[@marilynzuki6836]

She was the GREATEST!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@michelmotta4339]

Sinatra estava coberto de Razão. Meu amigo.

[@cizar2000]

i thout the same ..13 seconds

[@Broadwaybuff-pi1qg]

It actually isn't about how long she holds the note, but that it's effective for this particular song's closing lyrics. Judy knew that singing was about more than just showing off vocally.

[@sydneyhorne745]

When she sings “tired of living but scared of dying”, you can tell she means it, just look into her eyes you can tell that she really mean those words. Those few words were so true to her story. So sad but so true. But deeply wish that I could have see her do this performance live. One of the best performances I’ve ever seen.❤️🖤❤️

[@missdee4927]

That part takes on a real meaning. This woman was treated abominably by Hollywood since she was a child!

[@alexandrastevan7587]

Only two singers had that kind of strength and at the same time, fragility: Judy and Edith Piaff...two little girls abused by the star system! She meant what she was singing, it was a cry out of her heart.

[@dorothykuveke1217]

Sydney you are 100% correct and she's singing those words, right out of her heart💞 she was feeling those words since you had made several suicidal attempts on her life. I think with committing or attempting to kill herself she didn't go through it because she was afraid of death.💯🌹But wasn't she actually dying everyday while she had to be the star 🌈✨🌈 of Hollywood. I'm just discovering her now I'm listening to her videos I just cannot believe how easily she sings every song it's just astonishes me that she puts no effort into it and in all her songs comes out here beautiful voice, the harmony and the emotion of what she's trying to tell her audience as she sings Old Man River 🌈🙏🌈

[@rhondakaminsky4163]

Judy garland dang old man river better than anyone I heard sing it with such emotion and style it blew me away

[@karenackman9519]

I was just thinking that/ The whole thing is sad to watch.

[@tonyscalise4462]

This video is incredible. She’s basically singing a song notably sung by a deep voice man and she’s singing it like it was written for her. Best female voice ever, arguably best voice ever!

[@dorothykuveke1217]

What you just wrote is the best way of describing Judy Garland especially singing Old Man River. Everything you said is accurate and true. She was one of a kind and I just thank God they taped all her recordings and to this day we can still listen to her beautiful songs and performances. Well said!!

[@DanielVenadjv]

The voice is one thing, however, her emotion, her phrasing, her pain, her delivery is just too much to bare. I can not hold the tears back. The tears come just from watching her perform. No performer ever could capture my emotions like Judy. Even Enrico Caruso who's emotions in singing are unmatched. Judy surpasses him in my opinion because of how she delivers. Judy died broke, but she left us with this.

[@paulwild3676]

Very controversial but Garland’s version of this song is the best. The ending of this, is spine chilling.

[@shaunwakefield9793]

@@DanielVenadjv so very true how many now are great interpreters of song.

[@arnoldtrogman]

@@shaunwakefield9793 there is nobody.. and hasn't been for years and years

[@shantavanee]

❤still listening in 2024❤

[@patrickryan1515]

"I get weary, tired of living but scared of dying." Look at the expression on her face as she sings these lyrics. You can tell she has lived this song.

[@peteralexander7943]

Her genius in selling a song lay in the fact that she saw herself in every lyric she sang. She's sharing her story You're not just getting a great voice, you're getting her soul.

[@SueDNim]

That was beautifully said, and spot on.

[@stephenclothier4228]

After graciously bowing to the audience, within a few seconds, she does not begin to sing - no, FIRST, she gets into character, and then she sings. She sings “Old Man River” as plaintively and with as much emotion as if she herself had lived the life of a slave on a cotton plantation. That is no mean feat. Judy had a marvellous voice; however, to paraphrase what you stated, she was ingenious in selling a song because she was, in fact, an actress of the highest order. And, of course, she gave a little bit of her heart and soul to her audience every time she sang.

[@marygill6113]

Judy was not recognized enough in her lifetime! She was a remarkable human with a voice of an angel!🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤

[@user-us5pv8zw3z]

Judy owns his this song. Her version is iconic. How about that last note that lasts forever. She doesn’t even take a breath.

[@timwong8604]

A white woman sung a song written for a black man, with such power and emotion, unbelievable! I click it out of curiosity to see how this song would be like from a female singer, and I am not expecting to hear this. You would have thought this song was written for her if you don't know its history ... bravo!

[@wwarticles5056]

As a Black woman, I totally agree with this comment knowing the legacy of this song. Putting aside the Paul Robeson's version, I have never, ever heard a white singer, much a white female singer, sing this song with so much feeling and power. I listen to it at least one a day and she never fails to give me goose bumps listening to it. There will never be another entertainer like Judy Garland.

[@seanscommentary]

@@wwarticles5056 I love Gilbert Price's rendition. He was so mesmerizing

[@ajperkins288]

"I'm tired of living, but scared of dying." Wow! Think about Judy singing those words. Judy sang the best cover of this song ever.

[@poetcomic1]

That low angle shot 2:18 is sublime and in later shows they won't do any such shots that make her look less pretty but blows me away with the power and pain etched in that legendary face.

[@519forestmonk9]

Funny story. When I first heard this years ago, I was so overwhelmed that my heart started to race. I couldn’t get it to stop. I actually had to go to the emergency room. They detected that I had a problem that required surgery. So I guess you could say that Judy saved my life!

[@coolnamebro]

You won't find anyone on Earth today with even 5% of her combination of humanity and raw talent.

[@d.j.grimes3489]

1:51 am … Just laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep watching this for the 100th time tears STREAMING.

[@emilyhoward6538]

If I don’t cry watching this, just assume I’m dead.

[@scarr5666]

I mean, this IS Judy Garland. Such a performance which cannot be matched.

[@apartmentsixeleven4093]

She offers us her heart in her hands. You can't help but love someone like her. She gave everything she had.

[@milosterwheeler2520]

All that talent, and that amazingly strong voice in her later years... And she was only 4',11". I fell in love with her 67 years ago when I first saw "The Wizard of Oz" on the big screen. I still love her today.

[@RaymondHarrigan]

And that's the way it's done. There will never be another female entertainer like Judy Garland. She was just the best there was and no one can touch her.

[@eamonndeane587]

All anyone can do is be awestruck by the Musical Prowess she was blessed with and wish that she'd had a happier and healthier life outside of her professional career.

[@philipkuttner7945]

She brings out the dark side of this song better than anyone I have seen.

[@kevinclarke1222]

Robeson changed up the lyrics as the struggle continued through the decades.

[@steventownsley6763]

The greatest performer that has ever been. I will always love you Judy. End of story!

[@jamesdunn7186]

What gets me, apart from the staggering rendition of the song, is the way that, when she's finished, she seems so humble as though it was nothing special. No hype, no melodrama - just pure talent.

[@billnowicki4677]

I love the way she transitions back to a little girl at the end of the song.

[@karenackman9519]

This is probably the saddest video I've seen. She seems to be truly know the pain of the song and when she sings “I'm tired of living but scared of dying” it feels like she is telling us this is how she feels.

[@shanedeleon5376]

For the first half of the song or so, she's Judy the personality. Then in the last verse, she completely reaches down within herself and delivers a performance of pure guts. Then when the applause washes over, she's Judy the entertainer again. It's like she's this little pixie, then an absolute giant, and then a little pixie again. And I love how the simple act of cutting to the low angle with the tight closeup to capture every furrow of her brow and quiver of her jaw magnifies the effectiveness of this clip. This was the strongest moment of the whole series, and definitely one of the defining moments of her career. I don't cry often, but this clip has the power to evoke that for me.

[@troyleisinger2327]

You nailed it perfectly. That’s it.

[@MrVicRosete]

this is perfectly correct

[@douglashoffjr1362]

This is really potent. She means those words. She lived those words. No one like her.

[@debraarnold3703]

She's eternally unforgettable, and irreplaceable. No one like her.

[@davidgray3917]

Remember, this was in the MIDDLE of a 3-song set.

[@terrygrant3467]

When they call her one of a kind, they aren't kidding. I can't believe how much she got out of that last breath. For a little lady she had to have extremely large lungs. She's the absolute greatest ever.

[@seano7678]

Everything in the final shot of the performance encapsulates what a genius this woman was at evoking drama: the darting of her eyes, the tilts of the head, the sweep of the arm, even the contraction of her throat muscles add to the effect. You see an entire lifetime of profound love and excruciating heartache wash across her face between "I get weary... But scared of dyin'!" And when she arcs back just enough to allow that arc light to beam above her head like a halo... God Almighty. Not JUST one of the great singers of all time. One of the GREATEST actresses, as well.

[@Selena_Mary]

Without a doubt

[@ilovejudytoo]

My girl is the best!!!!! I love you Judy. For ever and then some

[@marisanmarisan357]

Little tidbit of info, Judy was the first woman ever to sing this song and she knocked it out of the park. It's almost as if she was saying to future generations ... " you can't touch this" Love, love, love you Judy, forever and a day!!!

[@CharlieChilders-wm9gb]

I really love this great performance so much but while Judy is holding that last note , the audience begins screaming and applauding so loudly that you can't hear 😱Judy's voice still holding on and on ...🤔😢🤗♥️

[@danielwinner3735]

I remember watching her show as a 5 year old and even then I could sense an energy that was unlike anything else on television. At one point I asked my mother, "What's wrong with Judy?"

[@FreeEnergyTech1]

Forget Over the Rainbow, THIS is the most amazing thing I've seen/heard in my life.

[@jeanettesmith765]

Agreed.

[@dbona4445]

I was a young gay man. Sure, I liked Judy Garland who doesn't. Then I started seeing another young guy. He had already fallen for Judy and he led me along. It was then that I started to understand, although it's still hard to find the right words to describe Judy's greatness.

[@jeanettesmith765]

Judy put everything she had into every song. Liza inherited the same gift. This gave me goosebumps.

[@antonioteles5169]

it seems that there never was and there never will be a more charismatic performer

[@thehopeofeden597]

Be Kind Rewind brought me and now I'm shaking with tears at 3 in the morning.

[@dluca768]

I guess this is what they call "Owning it".

[@elainemoreland3908]

She sang from her soul.

[@sandrakenney567]

@elainemoreland3908. SO TRUE .👍

[@jadezee6316]

god when Judy let loose there is no one can top her....

[@christophersansone2755]

Judy Garland was a very petite lady, only 4' 11'' but she was blessed with some powerful pipes.

[@arxsyn]

That's why l love her! I have the same petite stature and a surprisingly low voice... I'm a Contralto just like her.

[@ald668]

This video tells why she is such a legend and icon, even more than 50 years after her untimely passing.

[@yvonneplant9434]

We have to remember how small she was. And, still, the vocal power she could create!

[@ncavlleguy]

JUDY WILL FOREVER REMAIN IN OUR HEARTS AND REMAIN AND REIGN AS THE GREATEST ENTERTAINER OF ALL TIME ❤️

[@troyleisinger2327]

By the end of this performance even she knows just how amazing it was…..like history making amazing

[@ValleyoftheRogue]

"The Judy Garland Show," despite its difficulties, was arguably the best variety series ever. As a little girl of 8 I watched this series, not "Bonanza." This performance is truly great, one of the best performances of the 20th century and even into this one. Judy gave her all in this one, and the viewer is left in awe.

[@WGARVA]

It's like, Is she falling apart or is it me? Astounding powers of communication that lady had.

[@dracul6259]

Rest in peace, good Judy. 😢💔

[@SaxonC]

Garland can always transcend any type of song worth listening to. Which is why she will always be the Greatest Entertainer of all time

[@jamesdunn7186]

If she'd only ever given this one performance, she would be up there with the best.

[@seanbyrne6483]

She's gone somewhere else the second she starts to sing. Genius, touched by god

[@user-hb8ro2sx8e]

IMPECCABLE....SIMPLY IMPECCABLE!!!!

[@DayShiftNoWknd]

She just stood there and sang it. Perfectly.

[@olddisneylandtickets]

With a boom mic, just amazing.

[@kdog9278]

Unbelievable. What a voice. There will never be another Judy. Thanks for the memories

[@f.sifneri4773]

As much as I love Barbara, she doesn’t come close to Judy Garland’s talent!!!

[@laknad7750]

Sitting here stunned.......simply stunned. I thought Liza M. was great, but I think her mother wins the prize.

[@StevenSeven]

The Immortal Judy Garland ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍

[@sandrakenney567]

Wow that voice at how she keeps that note at the end of the song 👏👏👏👏👏💖💖💖💖🌹🌹🌹💐💐💐💐💐💐🌹🌹🌹💐.Godbless You Judy .You May be Gone But Your Not Forgotten in our ❤❤❤❤❤s.AMEN TO YOU 🙏🌹💐💖

[@DanielVenadjv]

At 62 years old now I am, I have been listening to Judy all my life, her performances are legendary, her movie career was as grueling as anyone could keep up with. She worked herself to death for her children. A real single working Mom, Liza, Lorna, Joey all know what I am talking about. This performance here has no equal. She is what she is singing about here, she depicts her emotion on her face and in her jesters as well as her voice. But it is the combination of pure talent, pure unconditional love for her audience and viewers. She was most of everything you want in a performer. For me when I hear her sing this song I can not get through it without a tear from my eye. The emotion in her is just too much to bare. As Coach Jimmy Valvano said if you can laugh think and have a cry in one day, you had a pretty good day. Well when I listen to Judy sing this song I am having a good day. To the core of my soul, I love Judy Garland. She is everything I ever wanted to be a performer.

[@DanielVenadjv]

When you can play a song like this for a lifetime, and, every time you hear it, it just rocks you to the core. Now that's what it's all about.

[@benjaminjennings8484]

I don't have words to describe the feeling she just gave me...

[@mikeyp1230]

Her greatest single performance.

[@christophersansone2755]

next to "Over the Rainbow"

[@rhetthayworth7832]

I agree 100%

[@monicabalsz9603]

The rare performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is the best performance in the world 🌎.

[@marquitaarmstrong399]

Naw i love this but her best of the best is by myself love you for loving her genius of an artist

[@ds2465]

Agreed.

[@joksal9108]

The great Judy Garland.

[@jake8175]

The FIRST First Lady of Soul!

[@coalwood7274]

Just imagine All that Talent. Lives on Forever.

[@cflo1023]

YES!!! from 2:18......till the END!!!!! Kill it Judy!!!! OMG!!! The last of the belters.....she was a treasure!

[@jessicalove9225]

Best of the bestest she is.

[@jordanbunshaft1150]

This is perhaps the greatest performance of any song, by any singer, ever.

[@scottvermillion1426]

I so agree!

[@davotravel]

What about Britney with stronger?

[@RandyWilsonESQ]

too bad her series was cut so short - there would have been even more unforgettable moments

[@LizaFan]

So agree.

[@lintburn]

No more words needed.

[@Elgor-ks9cf]

A powerful performance. By a true legend, who left much too soon!

[@PeaceFan1]

NO ONE could SELL a Song like JUDY GARLAND, just NO ONE!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoo

[@sarahzoo27]

Judy Garland was a genuine and definitive artist who still continues to matter,and what a talent she was because we will never see her like ever again.

[@rickylaron2140]

i just lost a dear friend today. i came to judy songs to help me with my grief. she was one of my closest friends and died at 44 with a brain bleed, just a beautiful person and 4 years younger than me. i cant say i understand everything about anything lol but i know she was someone who should have lived to be old bc of the love she gave. i lost a lot today. ty judy for the emotion you gave every time

[@TheJudyRoomVideos]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[@frogo8930]

I’m very sorry for you loss

[@markwhitman9029]

Sorry for your loss

[@drbombay91765]

I think she was on sheer guts by then. Just amazing.

[@V-T.K]

Goosebumps extraordinary performance a true legend. 🤗👏👏👏👏👏🌟🌟🌟

[@stevesheldon9431]

Saw her In 1952 at Palace theater with The Szonys and Alan King. Superb!

[@mysticalelk1]

this song is telling you how she was feeling at the time

[@markosborne3237]

I say she left us so early because with each performance, she left a bit of her soul on the stage. I've watched this several times, but that transition at 2:17 just kills me every time.

[@scarr5666]

My favorite clip of all her songs

[@TheTaxburden]

Well said!

[@JimsJims-ot6ol]

The Greatest Entertainer of all time!!!!

[@lionATL]

One of the greatest vocal performances of all time

[@thoseriseofkingdomsadswith972]

Even in the later parts of her life, she still does the smile and lip quiver every time she goes into the climax of the song.

[@Karen-uu8qv]

Judy Garland will always remain my favorite singer. She’s unmatched in vocal ability-not to mention the emotional journey she takes her audience on ❤

[@user-jt7sb9tw2g]

This little lady owns this song and every song she ever sang!! She brings the chills with this performance ❤❤❤❤❤

[@christophermiller1621]

Whoever directed this deserves an Emmy. The direction is Oscar worthy.

[@olddisneylandtickets]

I noticed that too and the band (Nelson Riddle?) is as good as she is .

[@snatchgrab]

My stepdad's favorite song and I can't not listen to this version without becoming emotional. I love this. 3:06

[@olddisneylandtickets]

I'm back here again... Of all the music videos on KZbin that I watch, THIS one is my favorite, that last verse, when the camera switches to the one looking up at her and we can see on face, the raw emotion, the life she had been thru, it's all shows right there for us to see, then she belts out those last few lines like no one I've ever heard since or before.

[@lizi.2503]

Yup same cannot live without this

[@LizaFan]

This remains one of the best performances I've seen-of anything, ever.

[@dekeny1]

She is the greatist entertainter of all time. No further comment needed. Derek Scheips

[@jl3322]

The peak of her singing voice!❤️

[@missdee4927]

There's something about her that brings me to tears every time. I saw people in another video blasting her for damaging her vocals with drugs and alcohol by this show. Sure this isn't her MGM years, but look at the power and raw emotion she exhibits here. It gives you goosebumps! My favorite entertainer of all time.

[@rogat9775]

In my opinion hearing the injuries and strain of her voice during these years brings up more emotions for me when I listen to her signing. It's telling a story

[@christinerandenberg4076]

I loved this song by Frank Sinatra in "As clouds roll by" but I must say this version is my favorite. The emotion is deep.

[@odeon643]

Nobody will ever top this. Outstanding.

[@christinahatfield7513]

Gives you chills! To think how she could sing like that out of 4’ 11” body Gone too soon!

[@christinahatfield7513]

Never saw her but seen Liza 3:22 and pure magic she’s my guardian angel love her so much

[@asiaswartzentruber9573]

i started watching this expecting it to be hokey - but it was seriously wonderful.

[@tiggerinthewoods7996]

Leave it to Judy, - walks out, messing her hair, and then drops a bomb of a classic like this one.

[@CN00_]

Frank Sinatra said that when Judy sang she gave of herself so totally and completely that she seemed to die each night she was on stage. This was filmed a few short years before her tragic death when she was worn out from drugs and work and life and she wasn't quite as good as she once was before but still unparalleled in her craft. Brenda Lee said that even at her tragic sad end she was still better than all the rest. She was the greatest there ever was or ever will be.

[@markwhitman9029]

There is alot of hyperbole thrown around about how great Judy was and it is well taken.Here I go again: there is something otherworldly in Judy's performing and it is hypnotizing!! No one can touch her when she is at her best and only a rare few can come close. Her singing "Old Man River" is pure genius at work

[@lray1948]

This was televised in the season of 1963-64. Judy died in the summer of 1969

[@TJ1920]

The ultimate version of Smile by Judy Garland also like very Judy’s version of Old Man River

[@alyoshakaramazov8469]

goosebumps.

[@CharlesWestinghIII]

That touched a nerve. Didn't expect such emotions. Very beautiful! Would have loved an acapella version. Her voice is something exceptional. Only 43 at the time of this recording.

[@Querencia7779]

Judy! We miss her so!

[@debraarnold3703]

Yes. Still.