C'mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock

Summary

In their third and final screen teaming, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly starred together in the MGM musical Summer Stock. In C'mon, Get Happy, authors David Fantle and Tom Johnson present a comprehensive study of this 1950 motion picture. The production coincided at a critical point in the careers of Kelly and an emotionally spent Garland. Kelly, who starred in An American in Paris just one year later, was at the peak of his abilities. On the other hand, Summer Stock was Garland's final film at MGM, and she gamely completed it despite her own personal struggles. Summer Stock includes Kelly's favorite solo dance routine and Garland's signature number "Get Happy."

The authors discuss in rich detail the contributions of the cast, the director, the producer, the script writers, the songwriters, and top MGM executives. The volume features extensive interviews, conducted by the authors, with Gene Kelly, Charles Walters, Harry Warren, and others, who shared their recollections of making the movie. Deeply researched, C'mon, Get Happy reveals the studio system at work during Hollywood's Golden Era. Additionally, the authors have written a special section that buttonholes numerous contemporary dancers, singers, choreographers, musicians, and even Garland impersonators for their take on Summer Stock, its stars, and any enduring legacy they think the film might have.