Fresh from "Annie" on Broadway, young Andrea McCardle was being groomed for stardom, so it's obvious that she'd jump at the chance to play the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century. But in no way, in spite of her own talents, is Andrea McCardle anywhere close to Judy Garland (or her off screen identity of Frances Gumm), and when you compare this to Tammy Blanchard (another future Broadway baby) in "Me and My Shadows: Life With Judy Garland"), you'll really see the difference. McCardle might have been right as Shirley Temple a few years ago, but only in some other universe could she be anywhere near "the baby Nora Bayes" as one observer proclaimed.
As a movie, "Rainbow" is not bad, the jarring be casting aside. So what you're not able to get from McCardle, you get from the supporting cast, especially Piper Laurie as Ethel Gumm and Martin Balsam as Louis B. Mayer, with Rue McClanahan amusing as Mayer's secretary, Ida Koverman. This covers the years between 1935 and 1938 (when production on "The Wizard of Oz" started), and the period details are on point. Don Murray is a touching Frank Gumm, dealing with "a secret" the audience knows through the bluntness of Ethel's screaming. They did a good job in recreating the MGM backlot, with a decent Mickey Rooney impersonator who may not be a complete look alike but didn't annoy me as much as the one in the 2002 TV movie or often the real deal.
This is poignant in many ways, but Garland's singing voice was so unique that you have to have someone very close to that to appease for many fans, even today during her centennial. That's why the later TV movie was wise and having Tammy Blanchard and later Judy Davis lip syncing to Garland tracks. For me, the real powerhouse here is Laurie who gets to show Ethel's vulnerability that wasn't as detailed for the equally good Marsha Mason in 2002. Coming out at the time when there were a lot of TV movie and big screen bios of the most beloved stars of the golden age, this isn't the fiasco of many of them, but lacks the magic of the real deal. Judy's old pal, Jackie Cooper, gave it a good go as the director, but his involvement only accentuates the faults of this film.
As a movie, "Rainbow" is not bad, the jarring be casting aside. So what you're not able to get from McCardle, you get from the supporting cast, especially Piper Laurie as Ethel Gumm and Martin Balsam as Louis B. Mayer, with Rue McClanahan amusing as Mayer's secretary, Ida Koverman. This covers the years between 1935 and 1938 (when production on "The Wizard of Oz" started), and the period details are on point. Don Murray is a touching Frank Gumm, dealing with "a secret" the audience knows through the bluntness of Ethel's screaming. They did a good job in recreating the MGM backlot, with a decent Mickey Rooney impersonator who may not be a complete look alike but didn't annoy me as much as the one in the 2002 TV movie or often the real deal.
This is poignant in many ways, but Garland's singing voice was so unique that you have to have someone very close to that to appease for many fans, even today during her centennial. That's why the later TV movie was wise and having Tammy Blanchard and later Judy Davis lip syncing to Garland tracks. For me, the real powerhouse here is Laurie who gets to show Ethel's vulnerability that wasn't as detailed for the equally good Marsha Mason in 2002. Coming out at the time when there were a lot of TV movie and big screen bios of the most beloved stars of the golden age, this isn't the fiasco of many of them, but lacks the magic of the real deal. Judy's old pal, Jackie Cooper, gave it a good go as the director, but his involvement only accentuates the faults of this film.