Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland

Gerald Clarke's Get Happy is, perhaps, the definitive biography of Judy Garland. It was very well researched over ten years, including over five hundred interviews. At the back, the book includes an extensive section of notes, referenced to the book by page numbers, and a vast bibliography. Get Happy also features an index, photo credits, and acknowledgments. If you want to know anything about Judy Garland, this is the biography to read first.

Starting with her parents, Clarke follows Judy Garland's life with a meticulous attention to detail. He really leaves nothing out. This chronicle of her sad life is sensitive and kind but also carefully reported and honest. Some of the details are scandalous and shocking, but Clarke treats them show more not as a form of gossip, but merges them together into a haunting portrait of a talented but troubled woman. Judy Garland, sick and exhausted, died in 1969 of an apparent barbiturate overdose. From Clarke's work we can assume that she never did "Get Happy."

Die hard fans of Judy Garland may want to avoid this biography as it really does tell all, and not everything revealed is flattering or even tasteful, especially information regarding her sex life. Additionally the book would have benefited from more photos and additional information about her relationship with her children.
highly recommended; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/ show less

A thorough biographical examination of the life of Frances Gumm from start to finish. As a third billed act performing with her sisters (the Gumm sisters), her life was forever changed when she altered her name to Judy Garland, shedding her childhood act and starting her own career path with MGM Studios. In becoming a movie star, Garland's handlers micromanaged her every move with a variety of pills and medications to get her to perform and look the ideal image. The medication and long work hours took a hard toll on Garland's body and spirit, never being able to escape the demons from her past.

I love Judy Garland. I have been a fan of her movies ever since I was a child and still love to hear her sing. But even though I am a fan, I've never really made time to read about her life. "Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland" is the first biography I've ever read about her so I will not base my rating on whether or not I felt the information was accurate as I just have nothing to compare it to. I will instead focus on the writing and the subject itself.

I think Clarke does a decent job writing this biography. It was easy to follow and painted a detailed picture of what Judy's world looked like. It certainly reads like a novel so I found I was able to finish it relatively quickly. However, I ultimately felt the research lacked depth. show more There were some great details shared from interviews, other writings, newspapers, etc but there wasn’t anything for the personal connection. So while I was able to read it quickly I ultimately felt detached.

As for the subject, despite Judy being a favorite of mine, the story was nothing we haven't heard before. Overbearing stage mother, studio executives who ignore the person and only see a commodity, a young girl's self-esteem and confidence dashed to pieces, drugs and alcohol practically pushed on young starlet, unstable life ensues. Judy's tale is certainly heartbreaking but it is also repetitive. Each decade is the same story...a strong start, a shaky middle, and by the end she is broke and desperate. What I felt the story lacked was more about her relationships with her children. Liza, Lorna and Joey are for the most part, left out of the book. I never really felt like I knew Judy. I just knew her insecurities and the people she surrounded herself with.

All in all, I think this book is a good introduction to the life of Judy Garland, but if you are looking for a more in-depth look into her life, then this isn’t for you. show less

A giant mess of a book, perhaps appropriate for a giant mess of a life. What a sad damn life she had.

Okay, it took me a while to get through this because this biography, though very honest and intriguing at times, usually bored me. I didn't really care for Judy after a while, because she had become such a brat, though she is still one of my favorite movie stars. The writing's good for the most part, if not dull.

This might have once passed as a reasonable biography but audiences today are looking for a new angles on people's time on earth. Superficial re-telling of who said what to whom. Only just readable, if not for the interesting subject.

I love Judy Garland, and I have read other biographies, the best of which was written by Anne Edwards. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know, and the book wasn't particularly engaging.