Celebrate the incomparable talents of the legendary dynamic entertainment duo, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland with this new set which features Mickey and Judy singing, dancing, clowning and lifting spirits in the four "backyard musical" extravaganzas that forever cemented their reputation as one of Hollywood's most beloved screen teams.
Babes in Arms (1939): Babes in Arms, is considered the quintessential Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musical. Freely adapted from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart Broadway hit of the same name, it marked the producing debut of Arthur Freed, who would go on to create some of the greatest musical films in motion picture history. To direct the film, Freed hired the legendary Busby Berkeley, who had recently migrated from Warner Bros. to Metro, and Berkeley neatly handled the film's direction and choreography, with the results being a total sensation. The film went into production immediately after the completion (but before the release of) The Wizard of Oz (1939), and Oz fans will be amused to find "The Wicked Witch of the West" actress Margaret Hamilton, once again taking on the role of screen villainess. The semi-autobiographical plot features Rooney playing Mickey Moran, the talented son of a vaudeville team, who rounds up all his fellow child entertainers to stage a fund-raiser show to help out his financially-strapped folks.
Strike up the Band (1940): Mickey plays Jimmy Connors, the leader of his high school band hoping to compete in a nationwide radio contest. Judy is his girlfriend and chief vocalist. Famed orchestra leader Paul Whiteman appears in the film, which is highlighted by a massive Busbv Berkeley production number called "Do The La Conga" and Mickey shows off his percussive skills in the "Drummer Boy" sequence. The film also features the Oscar-nominated song "Our Love Affair" and a rousing finale with the Gershwins' title tune.
Babes on Broadway (1941): This musical treat showcases the teenage duo's talents as they come up with the idea to produce a show to send orphaned children on a country holiday, as well as to promote their beginning careers. The film gave Mickey and Judy the opportunity to introduce the now-famous ballad "How About You", as well as Mickey's unforgettable impersonation of Carmen Miranda. The film ends with a massive Busby Berkeley production extravaganza, which was one of the highlights of M-G-M's hit musical compilation That's Entertainment! in 1974.
Girl Crazy (1943): George and Ira Gershwin's 1930 Broadway hit served as the basis for Mickey and Judy's last starring picture together. The tunes are sublime -- "Embraceable You," "Fascinating Rhythm," "Bidin' My Time," and a beautiful Garland solo on "But Not for Me." The plot has rich playboy Rooney, sent away to an all-male college out West as a way of keeping him in check, and the only gal in town is Judy, the granddaughter of the school's dean. Busby Berkeley staged the colossal dude-ranch finale to the Gershwin standard, "I Got Rhythm", with Mickey, Judy, and a cast of hundreds, all accompanied by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. Look for a special appearance by a very young June Allyson singing "Treat Me Rough."
