MovieChat Forums > The Judy Garland Show (1963) Discussion > Jerry Van Dyke and Mel Torme

Jerry Van Dyke and Mel Torme

posted 18 years ago by senhue
4 replies | jump to latest

I've been watching The Judy Garland Show on Cool TV and it's terrific. What an insight into this LEGEND. The only things I dislike is when Jerry Van Dyke or Mel Torme is on the show. When I think of Jerry Van Dyke I am reminded of a phrase from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? "Did they have to buy the rear end of the act as well?" He's annoying and when Judy has to interact with him I wonder what is going through her mind and how the heck she stood him. Was he on the show as a favor for his brother Dick Van Dyke?

Now, Mel Torme. He is often rude to Judy. Correcting her and coming across like he is the head of the show. One might dismiss it as him being a perfectionist but he was no model of perfection. Years ago I read an article about Bob Mackie which stated there were clouds in the air whenever Torme had much involvement. He stated that Mel had a specific direction for the series which was where his once speculated tv series would have followed. I guess he was somewhat happy with his own 1966 tv special.

I feel these two "characters" contributed greatly to the demise of The Judy Garland Show!

[–] captain_china86 18 years ago

Well with Jerry I can't really say. He said that Judy was a lovely woman so they must have got along ok. I don't mind him.

With Mel Torme, he was known to have had a huge ego. In later years he would write a devestating book about Judy and what it was like to work for her and he portrayed her as a horrible, horrible woman. In later years it turned out that Judy was a lovely girl. Mel's ego got in the way and he lied about her.

[–] vanityfair_713 15 years ago

I don't think the show's untimely end was Jerry's fault. It was the writing, in part. In The Complete Judy Garland, the chapter on her show shone a lot of truth as to what the problems were...

Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.

[–] metalman091 15 years ago

It wasn't Jerry's fault or Judy's, in the end it was CBS who messed it up.

[–] usersince03 12 years ago

I was never a big fan of Jerry Van Dyke but I thought the show was better when he was on it.