The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection (Babes in Arms / Babes on Broadway / Girl Crazy / Strike Up the Band)

As a Judy Garland fan I was delighted with this box set. I purchased it for the four movies but the bonus disk featuring a Judy Garland songbook was worth as much to me as the four movies. It contains the following Chronological Calvalcade of Musical numbers:X Introduction and Born in a Trunk;from A Star Is Born (1954)X Americana;from Every SundayX Everybody Sing; from Broadway Melody of 1938X Got a Pair of New Shoes; from Thoroughbreds Don't CryX Swing, Mr. Mendelssohn; from Everybody SingX Down on Melody Farm; from Everybody SingX It Never Rains But It Pours; from Love Finds Andy HardyX Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart; from Listen, DarlingX A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow; from Little Nellie KellyX Singin' in the Rain; from Little Nellie KellyX After You've Gone; from For Me and My GalX The joint Is Really Jumpin' Down at Carnegie Hall; from Thousands CheerX Where There's Music Finale; from Presenting Lily MarsX The Boy Next Door; from Meet Me in St. LouisX The Trolley Song; from Meet Me in St. LouisX The Interview; from Ziegfeld FolliesX On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe; from The Harvey GirlsX Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey; from In the Good Old SummertimeX I Don't Care; from In the Good Old SummertimeX Friendly Star; from Summer StockX Get Happy; from Summer StockX Born in a Trunk from A Star Is Born (1954)Plus: A portfolio of photographs; high quality black and white prints and a guide to the four movies. All wrapped up in three quality books taht make up the box set.It far exceeded my expectations. The black and white movies ate clear and crisp as is the sound quality.This item is a must for any Judy Garland fan's collection.

This is a collector's dream for Mickey and Judy fans. I love the extras and the book. However, one of the discs is not working ("Babes In Arms") and I should mention that I have had several problems with Warner Home Video discs malfunctioning. I ordered "The Jazz Singer" twice, and neither DVD worked. Had to order the Blu-ray.

Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland are one of the best teams in movie history ranking with Laurel and Hardy, Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, and Doris Day and Rock Hudson in terms of chemistry. Each were bursting with talent both musical and theatrical, so their films together jumped from the screen. Here are their four most popular and profitable ventures featuring excellent musical scores and simple stories about show business.Babes in Arms is notable as the first smash hit Garland and Rooney teaming. It was adapted from a stage play for the screen, and probably lost some appeal in the transition. What stands is an okay film with a great cast and some interesting musical numbers. A group of vaudevillians led by Joe Moran (Charles Winninger) are planning a big comeback to the stage, although vaudeville is losing its audience. Their kids want to help, but are brushed away. Moran's son Mickey (Mickey Rooney) brings the kids together to perform their own show and to prove to the adults that they can hold their own on a stage. Mickey's girl Patsy (Judy Garland) intends to play the lead, but Mickey thinks "Baby Rosalie" (June Preisser) might draw a bigger audience. And they have to battle Mrs. Steele (Margaret Hamilton) who wants to put them all into school.With lots of notable songs like "Good Morning," in its best form here with the jazz stylings of Garland's vocals and Rooney's piano playing, it's the catchiest song of the film. Most of the others are medleys with good and bad parts. Betty Jaynes and Douglas McPhail sing a few songs in their operatic style, which will be less appealing to mass audiences. The blackface routine might offend some audiences today, but it is really a tribute to the minstrel shows that Mickey's father started his career in. Rooney does an impression of Eddie Cantor in blackface, and also his impersonation of Clark Gable and Lionel Barrymore. However, none of the medleys have the energy that most Garland/Rooney numbers have, so they disappoint, possibly because the spotlight is shared with the lesser talented members of the cast.Strike Up the Band is an outstanding musical about a group of kids who adore music. Jimmy Connors (Rooney) loves playing the drums, so much so that he scorns girls and goes against his mother's ambitions for him to become a doctor. He ropes a bunch of his friend into forming an orchestra, something more fun than just the school band, and recruits Mary for a singer (Garland). Mary is in love with Jimmy, but he has no time for women, even though a new girl in town (Preisser) tries to change his mind.The music in this film is a lot of fun. "Our Love Affair" is a cute song, but it features an absolutely strange presentation of animated fruit playing instruments. This segment was done by uncredited animator George Pal. Very early in the movie is the famous "The Conga" number, a high energy exhibition of one of the eras dance crazes. No matter how many times you see clips of this number in documentaries, it never gets old, and that is thanks to the boundless energy of Rooney and Garland who just leap from the screen. The next best song is performed at a party; Garland sings "Let the Drummer Boy Play" while Rooney goes crazy on the drums. Some people might be a bit put off by how over the top Rooney is in these sorts of movies, but he's so lovable that even if he looks ridiculous, you can't help but laugh and enjoy it. The finale is somewhat of a letdown, though it does include medleys of the previously performed songs which saves it, but "Strike up the Band" is far too tame to end such a great film.In Babes on Broadway, Rooney plays a guy who feels it is his destiny to make it big on Broadway. Although Garland has similar ambitions, she is not willing to step on other people to get what she wants. The two team up to start their own musical extravaganza to raise money for some poor children to visit the country, a dream that though promised has never materialized. With lots of talent in their hands but many problems to face, they unravel a simple but fun story.Garland is at her most beautiful in this film, a true joy to watch. Seeing this film would make you think she'd be soon jumping into films as a romantic lead, not struggling to grow up on the screen. Her magical voice was both an asset and her downfall; it kept her typecast in sunny musicals. Rooney is a ball of energy as always, but somehow even moreso than ever. His impression of Carmen Miranda is very funny. His love for showing off is really catching, like a puppy doing tricks. Virginia Weidler does a good job as well as a secondary character and Ray McDonald does a great job dancing. Busby Berkeley directs the musical numbers, which is obvious by some of the overhead shots and the choreography.Finally we have Girl Crazy, the story of a playboy Danny (Mickey Rooney) from New York whose father has had enough of his behavior. He is sent to an all boy's school out in the west where the boys get up promptly at 5:45, rarely shower, and find solace in riding horses all day. Danny certainly doesn't fit in, but he finds he can't complain too much thanks to the presence of Ginger (Judy Garland), the Dean's grand daughter and one of the prettiest girls he's ever seen. When the school is threatened to close, the two join up to find a way to save it.Rooney is a barrel of fun in this film; his energy is contagious. He's hamming it up in every scene, especially in the "I Got Rhythm" finale. Although he isn't the most handsome of men, he really pulls off being a charming ladies' man, much like he was in life at this time. Garland is breathtakingly gorgeous throughout the film. Her natural charms, heartbreaking voice, and gentle sweetness add up for an amazing character and performance. June Allyson makes her first appearance in an opener that catches the attention quite well. She seems confident, but it is interesting to know that after each song she had to sing on a film, she threw up in the bathroom.The songs in this film were later compiled for the musical Crazy For You. The lyrics were changed slightly to fit the altered plot, so if one is familiar with that show, it is interesting to see this film too.There is a bonus disk of materials to supplement the commentaries, short subjects, and radio presentations on the movie disks. Here we find Rooney's interview with Robert Osbourne on TCM's Private Screenings, Rooney and Garland movie trailers, and Garland's songbook, a compilation of songs from Judy's career in films.The packaging for this DVD is absolutely wonderful. There are three sections in the box. The first contains the disks for the four films. My only complaint is that they are stacked on top of each other, which can be mildly annoying. However, the booklet features great photo collages for each Rooney and Garland. The second section in the box is a folder of stills from the making of the films; it is an excellent bonus for fans. Each photo is interesting and most are uncommon. The third section contains the bonus features DVD with a booklet of information about each of the film including scene selections and supplemental materials.This set is perfect for musical lovers, teens looking for more wholesome entertainment, or classic movie fans who can't get enough of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.

I haven't watched Judy and Mickey since the 50s. They have really talents and real hearts and I am glad this set of video represented their magic during that period even though is in BW. There is no CGI and special effects but just actors and actress trying to give all they got. I am glad that I bought it and I think my mom would love it.

Great quality! My 93 yr old mother sang along and smiled throughout!

Une fabuleuse incursion tout en luxe au coeur des premiers films d'ado hollywoodiens...Un coffret superbe, rempli de courts métrages d'animation et de documentaires, des cartes postales photo de Mickey et Judy...Je suis loin d'avoir connu cette époque, mais quel plaisir de la découvrir d'aussi belle façon...

Amazon.com $34.99 US. Amazon.ca $43.68. With our currencies almost at par, why the 24.8% price hike in Canada?