Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand: Inside Their 1963 TV Duets
The talent of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand as individual artists cannot be measured, but there was a moment in 1963 when both came together and television viewers were witness to pure magic as these two performers, one of them a veteran of screen and live performances, the other on the cusp of superstardom with her Broadway starring debut in Funny Girl, came together to perform three songs.
The setting was The Judy Garland Show, the 1963 to 1964 CBS variety series considered by many to be one of the medium's most successful failures. The deal struck with the network was actually a lucrative one for Judy: it was worth $24 million spread out over four years if all options were acted upon, from which her production company would cover all expenses but own the tapes while CBS would guarantee at least 13 episodes would air.
'The Judy Garland Show' falls into trouble
Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, The Judy Garland Show was scheduled opposite ratings powerhouse Bonanza and simply couldn't compete. Beyond that, the show went through different producers and formats due to CBS' pressure on how they saw the series and a refusal to essentially allow Judy Garland to be Judy Garland. That being said, two undeniable contributions from initial producer George Schlatter (eventually the creator of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) were "Tea for Two," which saw Judy talking informally with her guests, and "Born in a Trunk," during which she shared stories of her career and would sing a song.
Behind the scenes, the show was clearly in trouble and by the time it started to air, it did so out of order, so episodes produced later in the run aired first, and while the premiere blew away Bonanza in terms of ratings, it was considered so creatively disappointing that The Judy Garland Show never recovered numbers wise. Yet despite all of this, John Fricke, recognized as the world's foremost expert on both Judy Garland and The Wizard of Oz, and who has authored eight books on the subjects, notes that her instincts remained dead on.
Judy fights for guest star Barbra
"Two days before the episode that aired on October 6, 1963," he explains, "she insisted on having 21-year-old Barbra Streisand on as her guest. This was pre-Funny Girl on Broadway, but Barbra had made successful albums, was selling out nightclubs and developing a TV following. Judy had seen her at the Cocoanut Grove that summer in L.A. and said, 'Before she leaves town, I have got to have her on my show.'
"CBS," Fricke continues, "wasn't keen on that idea, but Judy insisted. George Schlatter had introduced the Tea for Two segment, where Judy would sit and talk with her guests. This night she sat and talked with Barbra, and Judy complimented her by saying, 'One thing I love about you is that you really sing out and belt out a song. There are very few of us left!' Of course, the audience applauded that."
Getting down to 'Business' with 'Dean of Belters' Ethel Merman
And when they stopped, the camera switched to veteran stage and film singer and actress Ethel Merman, who was sitting in that audience and began to "really sing out."
"This was planned," points out a delighted Fricke, "but the audience didn't know and Barbra didn't know. So Judy brought Ethel up on stage. The three of them talked about Funny Girl and — with Judy's full encouragement and delight — Ethel kind of took over for four minutes. Judy was the biggest cheerleader in the world for her guest stars. To wrap up this impromptu segment — which had been preceded by Judy and Barbra singing 'Happy Days Are Here Again' and 'Hooray for Love' — all three of them sang 'There's No Business Like Show Business.'"
The day after the show aired, the Freeport Journal-Standard, unaware of the behind-the-scenes episode shuffle, commented, "Whatever the reason for the change from the originally scheduled episode, it was a real swinging hour. Judy was much less nervous than during the first show and also had a chance to do a lot of singing, Barbra Streisand proved a stimulating guest star and was given a chance to belt a few songs in her own style as well as sing along with Judy. There was a surprise appearance by the dean of the belters, Ethel Merman."
'Streisand girl': 'Hottest Item' of the day
Photo courtesy John Fricke
Added the Dayton Daily News, "The Streisand girl is the hottest item in the business today ... Judy and Ethel could very well have been witnessing another step upward by one who, some day, may overshadow their peak achievements or at least match them. It was all quite a show. Had this one been taped a couple of weeks earlier, it would have been a real rouser for the premiere."
"If you saw Judy and Barbra doing a musical duet on Sunday night," praised the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, "it was a most enthusiastic blending of two talents, each of whose performance seemed to ignite the best from the other one. And although there are many who disagree with me, I still say that no one has brought show business magic into the living room this season as much as Judy Garland has."
Closes Fricke, "This show was sensational. Judy's duets with Barbra are among the greatest pop singing in TV history. CBS actually aired Judy and Barbra less than 48 hours after it had been taped. Unfortunately the audience was back watching Bonanza, but the performances live on."
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