SUMMER STOCK (MGM, 1950). Directed by Charles Walters. Screenplay by George Wells and Sy Gomberg, from an original story by Gomberg. With Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, Phil Silvers, Ray Collins. (108 min, Technicolor, 35mm print from the BBC Collection)
In her final film for MGM and third pairing with Gene Kelly, Judy Garland is a struggling Connecticut farm owner whose property is invaded by a theatrical troupe from New York with a plan to stage a musical in the farm’s barn. The fifty-day production schedule was marred by numerous delays caused by Garland’s erratic behavior and well-documented health issues, to the extent that producer Joe Pasternak at one point wanted to abandon the picture only to be overruled by MGM chief Louis B. Mayer. The finished film shows no signs of the troubled shoot and is a colorful and breezy musical featuring, per Hollywood Reporter, “some of the best, intimate singing-and-dancing numbers ever put on the screen.” The iconic “Get Happy” with Garland sporting a black tux and fedora was the star’s showstopping farewell to the studio that had signed her when she was only thirteen years old.
Seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
7:00 pm – 8:45 pm EDT
Where: James Madison Building – Pickford Theater (LM302)
101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].