Trivia / Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows

• California Doubling: The entire production, though set almost exclusively in California, was shot in Toronto.
• Creator Backlash: Judy Davis has expressed mixed feelings about the finished product, calling the script “both good and bad.” She felt parts of it were beautifully written and rang very true, while feeling other sections were generic network television fare. Reportedly, she was also very concerned about starting playing Judy at age 21 (Davis was 45 at the time of production), feeling Tammy Blanchard’s portion should’ve gone on longer, though that was a creative decision by the filmmakers she had no control over.
• The Danza: Judy Davis as Judy Garland.
• Dawson Casting: Occurs with both Judys. 23-year-old Tammy Blanchard plays Garland from ages 13 to 20, while 45-year-old Judy Davis plays Garland from ages 21 to 47.
• Deleted Role: Thea Gill filmed scenes as Lucille Bremer which wound up cut from every version, and have not been released in any capacity as of yet. She’s still listed in the end credits, however.
• Deleted Scene: Many scenes present in the international/extended cut did not air on ABC, nor featured on initial home video releases.
  • A brief scene of Judy writing poetry in her bedroom. (This was the only footage added to Tammy Blanchard’s portion of the film.)
  • A new introductory scene for Judy Davis, showing Roger Edens persuading Garland to meet with Vincente Minnelli about Meet Me in St. Louis.
  • Prior to filming “The Trolley Song”, Vincente helps Judy through a nervous breakdown, convincing her that she’s wonderful and should continue shooting.
  • A new scene of Minnelli discussing Garland’s health with a doctor prior to her beginning work on Annie Get Your Gun.
  • The sequence showing Garland in rehab is extended, with additional footage of Sid Luft sobbing at her struggles.
  • After Judy learns she’s pregnant with Joey, a new scene is added with Sid discussing his concerns about Garland’s health with her doctor.
  • Instead of just being described through narration, part of Garland’s poorly received Melbourne concert is actually shown, with Judy forgetting lyrics, audience members walking out and her running offstage into Mark Herron’s arms amidst a chorus of boos and jeers.
  • The aftermath of Judy’s fight with Mark Herron is extended, showing Lottie tending to Judy’s wounds and Lorna attempting to clean up the bloodstains.
  • On the initial Miramax video release, which edited both parts into a single film, Judy’s rendition of “I Played the Palace”, which opened Part 2, was omitted.
• Disowned Adaptation: Sid Luft, Lorna’s estranged father and Judy’s ex-husband, was very upset by the project and disliked nearly everything about it, including Victor Garber’s portrayal of himself.
• Fake Nationality:
  • Australian Judy Davis as Judy Garland.
  • British Hugh Laurie as Vincente Minnelli.
  • Many supporting cast members were Canadian, given the Toronto production location (such as Victor Garber and Alison Pill).
• Irony as She Is Cast:
  • Garland’s complaints about Australia following the disastrous Melbourne concert, as they’re being spoken by acclaimed Australian actress Judy Davis.
  • In the miniseries A Woman Called Golda, Judy Davis played the younger Golda Meir to Ingrid Bergman’s Golda. Here, the situation was reversed, with Davis playing the older Garland and Tammy Blanchard as the younger counterpart.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: Most home video releases are long out of print, making the miniseries very hard to come by in some territories.
• Non-Singing Voice: Nearly all of Judy’s musical performances were depicted with actual Garland recordings, except for a few instances where recordings didn’t exist and vocal doubles were required (although Judy’s phone rendition of Over the Rainbow to President Kennedy appears to have been performed by Davis herself). Director Robert Allan Ackerman acknowledged that Judy Davis can certainly sing, but her voice was far too bluesy to overall pass as Garland’s own.
• Posthumous Credit: Al Waxman died a little over a month before the film aired on ABC.
• Role Reprise: Al Waxman previously portrayed Louis B. Mayer in a 1981 episode of the Canadian drama series Titans.