The Story of...: An Interesting Slate of Viewing on Day 8

So this Sunday saw me playing lots of things in the background including “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “The Year Without A Santa Claus (which I jokingly note ‘Santa’ as one of if not THE best acting performances of Mickey Rooney), “It Happened On Fifth Avenue” and “Ben-Hur” (TCM was airing movies that were connected with Jesus Christ, since ‘Christmas’ is supposed to be about his birth.).

I do want to make special mention of a short I saw that aired just after “Ben-Hur.” It was called, “SILENT NIGHT.” It came out in 1937 and featured MGM star and she who once wore the Ruby Slippers that just sold for a WHOLE LOTTA MONEY Judy Garland. “SILENT NIGHT,” is exactly what it says on the tin. It has teenaged Judy Garland singing “Silent Night” backed by the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Choristers on one of the church sets that I’m sure MGM had lying around. It was framed by a shot of a church on a snowy night.

This short is not very long. In fact they perform the 1st and most recognized stanza of “Silent Night.”

But Judy Frickin’ Garland. She makes a meal out of this song while not being a Christmas Ham (no need to project to the cheap seats) nor so affected that you feel under-dressed just watching it in the comfort of your home (or bed in my case). Judy sings this well known Christmas carol with the appropriate amount of reverence and vocal power that makes you actually go, “That’s it? That’s the end?”

This is a situation where you can’t understand why they didn’t have Judy Garland perform all of the stanzas of “Silent Night.” Not only could she have handled it, her rendition would probably have led to more people being familiar with them since in the United States generally, not all stanzas are performed.

During this period of her life – as viewers of TCM will see since frequent co-star Mickey Rooney is the Star of the Month – MGM had Judy doing everything: singing in every kind of style, dancing in every kind of style and acting mostly in musicals. IT would have been ONE MORE THING for this, what we now know was an overworked, drugged against her will, rundown child, to be sure.

However, the masterpiece that a full rendition of Silent Night by Judy Garland would been… even Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr who wrote “Silent Night” in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria in 1818 would have said that this is what it means to have an angel sing our holy song.

Still I’m grateful for what we do have. I am glad that TCM airs it every year as much as it can.

If you click on the link below, you can hear and see Judy’s version yourself on YouTube.