lounsburych@yahoo.com

I have been watching Judy Garland since childhood and have seen everything many times. Believe it or not "The Wizard of Oz" is not the first film I remember seeing her in. It is "Meet Me in St. Louis" and remains one of my very favorites. Love "The Trolley Song", "The Boy Next Door" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". I also love "In The Good Old Summertime" Great chemestry with Van Johnson. And she can do great comedy. One of the first movies I remember which shows she had grown up was "Girl Crazy" with Mickey Rooney. She was not a juvenile really but was mature and beaut

The first thing I noticed is that they dance separately and not touching from the beginning until towards the end when it begins to rain and they go into a ballroom position. He also dances around her during the middle like a mating dance from nature. He gives her what she wants gradually, to be seen as a equal in the relationship. Then they come together as partners in the dance and the relationship. During the Depression, women were emerging into the workplace as well as being at home. Times were changing. I think this theme is in all their movies.

It shows that in the beginning during the Depression, the musical films were there for escape and more entertainment than real reflection on the subject's true life. It was an opportunity to present big beautiful production numbers that reflect Zeigfeld's "image" even at the time - larger than life. The truth got in the way. The musical film was young with less plot. Pre-code would have shown more skin and probably more "scandal". More than that is very softly implied as with most post-code than they would be today. Actually, my view is that it made them more appealing and entertaini