If you're a fan of Andrea McCardle, you'll want to check out Rainbow, a Judy Garland biopic from 1978. If you're not, you'll hate this tv flick so you might as well skip it. Andrea looks, sounds, and acts nothing like Miss Garland, and the whole movie is basically a vehicle to show off her belting singing voice. She sings and sings and sings, with very little plot in between songs. And since she looks, sounds, and acts nothing like the woman she was cast to impersonate, it gets old fast.
Within the very thin plot, it implies that Frances Gumm's father (played by Don Murray) was a closeted homosexual, and her frustrated mother (played by Piper Laurie) had an affair with her friend, a married man with an invalid wife. It never explains why the vaudeville act went from The Gumm Sisters to just Judy Garland, and it stops after the filming of The Wizard of Oz. Piper's character sort of fades into the scenery once they reach Hollywood, and Judy's very close relationship with an MGM composer, played by Michael Parks, isn't really explained. There's one point in the movie where Michael advises her to tone down her wild gestures she makes while she's singing, but it's more amusing than truthful. The real Judy Garland did have spastic mannerisms, but Andrea stands with her arms plastered to her sides and an extremely bored expression on her face. For the third time in his career, Martin Balsam plays Louis B. Mayer, and while he is portrayed as a stern studio mogul, he's not as cruel or domineering as he is depicted in other movies. All in all, it's just one giant songfest from Andrea, with very little resemblance to the real Judy Garland. Although, I have to admit it's very cute Jackie Cooper directed the picture.
Within the very thin plot, it implies that Frances Gumm's father (played by Don Murray) was a closeted homosexual, and her frustrated mother (played by Piper Laurie) had an affair with her friend, a married man with an invalid wife. It never explains why the vaudeville act went from The Gumm Sisters to just Judy Garland, and it stops after the filming of The Wizard of Oz. Piper's character sort of fades into the scenery once they reach Hollywood, and Judy's very close relationship with an MGM composer, played by Michael Parks, isn't really explained. There's one point in the movie where Michael advises her to tone down her wild gestures she makes while she's singing, but it's more amusing than truthful. The real Judy Garland did have spastic mannerisms, but Andrea stands with her arms plastered to her sides and an extremely bored expression on her face. For the third time in his career, Martin Balsam plays Louis B. Mayer, and while he is portrayed as a stern studio mogul, he's not as cruel or domineering as he is depicted in other movies. All in all, it's just one giant songfest from Andrea, with very little resemblance to the real Judy Garland. Although, I have to admit it's very cute Jackie Cooper directed the picture.