Happy Birthday Judy Holliday!

June 21, 2010




There are a few stars who died young, at the height of their careers -- Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Jean Harlow are obvious examples -- that became legends not only because of their talent and popularity but also because of their untimely deaths. Then there are those who had similar unfortunate fates, but did not reach that iconic status reserved for larger-than-life personalities like Elvis Presley or Judy Garland.

Judy Holliday passed away when she was only 43 years old. I personally think she was one of the greatest comediennes ever, and often wonder what great roles she might have had if she had lived longer. She would have been a fantastic character actress as she got older, probably becoming a television staple in the 80's and 90's playing ditsy, fun grandmothers and crazy aunts.

And did you know that she could sing, too? Here's a video of her singing "Loving You," my favorite of her songs:



She was just SO talented and brilliant, I wish that she had the same kind of following and devoted fan base that other stars do.

8 comments:

Simon said...

I was just watching her in Adam's Rib today. I miss that lady.

Terence Towles Canote said...

Judy was incredibly talented. And a great comedienne. If she had lived, I think she would have had one of those careers that last well into one's eighties!

Ivan G Shreve Jr said...

Judy's got a follower in me -- I even posted a swell picture of her on my birthday list today.

A said...

I adore Judy Holiday! It was wonderful to see some of her great films today on TCM

Sally said...

I adore Judy Holliday. She was brilliant in everything she did. She had a knack for playing strong women who were, at the same time, slightly.. I can't even think of the right word. Naive, but not naive. If you know what I mean. Anyway, I wish she'd done more films. I think she did a fair amount on Broadway which is slightly disappointing as a film fan. And I completely agree with you - she would have been a great character actress.

JavaBeanRush said...

Amazing talent!
The only site out there devoted exclusively to Judy Holliday seems to be the Judy Holliday Resource Center

http://www.wtv-zone.com/lumina/judy/main.html

Millie said...

Judy = I don't even know.

Just brilliance. Pure brilliance.

I love her in everything!

And her singing was great too! Her "Party's Over Now" breaks my heart just listening to it. That's talent!

Happy late Birthday Judy!

vivienne strauss said...

I just love Judy! I saw Solid Gold Cadillac yesterday for the first time, so great!

Did you know that she was a high school friend of Patricia Highsmith?