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Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland
The third of Judy Garland's five husbands, Sid Luft was the one man in her life who stuck around. He was chiefly responsible for the final act of Judy’s meteoric comeback after she was unceremoniously booted off the MGM he produced her iconic, Oscar-nominated vehicle A Star Is Born and expertly shaped her concert career.
Previously unpublished, Sid Luft’s intimate autobiography tells his and Judy’s story in hard-boiled yet elegant prose. It begins on a fateful night in New York City when the not quite divorced Judy Garland and the not quite divorced Sid Luft meet at Billy Reed’s Little Club and fall for each other.
The romance lasted Judy’s lifetime, despite the separations, the reconciliations, and the divorce. Under Luft’s management, Judy came back bigger than ever, building a singing career that rivaled Sinatra’s. However, her drug dependencies and suicidal tendencies put a tremendous strain on the relationship.
Sid did not complete his memoir; it ended in 1960 after Judy hired David Begelman and Freddie Fields to manage her career. But Randy L. Schmidt, acclaimed editor of Judy Garland on Judy Garland and author of Little Girl The Life of Karen Carpenter , seamlessly pieced together the final section of the book from extensive interviews with Sid, most previously unpublished.
Despite everything, Sid never stopped loving Judy and never forgave himself for not being able to ultimately save her from the demons that drove her to an early death at age forty-seven in 1969. Sid served as chief conservator of the Garland legacy until his death at the age of eighty-nine in 2005. This is his testament to the love of his life.
Previously unpublished, Sid Luft’s intimate autobiography tells his and Judy’s story in hard-boiled yet elegant prose. It begins on a fateful night in New York City when the not quite divorced Judy Garland and the not quite divorced Sid Luft meet at Billy Reed’s Little Club and fall for each other.
The romance lasted Judy’s lifetime, despite the separations, the reconciliations, and the divorce. Under Luft’s management, Judy came back bigger than ever, building a singing career that rivaled Sinatra’s. However, her drug dependencies and suicidal tendencies put a tremendous strain on the relationship.
Sid did not complete his memoir; it ended in 1960 after Judy hired David Begelman and Freddie Fields to manage her career. But Randy L. Schmidt, acclaimed editor of Judy Garland on Judy Garland and author of Little Girl The Life of Karen Carpenter , seamlessly pieced together the final section of the book from extensive interviews with Sid, most previously unpublished.
Despite everything, Sid never stopped loving Judy and never forgave himself for not being able to ultimately save her from the demons that drove her to an early death at age forty-seven in 1969. Sid served as chief conservator of the Garland legacy until his death at the age of eighty-nine in 2005. This is his testament to the love of his life.
480 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 26, 2017
Like it's subject - honest, frustrating, addictive. I've been a huge Judy Garland fan since I was fourteen and read (almost) every biography of her of her that I come across. Sadly, Sid Luft, for all his faults, was probably the only husband who might have saved her.
October 12, 2017
This autobiography from Judy Garland’s third husband, Michael Sidney “Sid” Luft was published nearly 12 years after his death. The book details Luft’s childhood, early years prior to meeting Garland, and his life with the legend leading up to her death in 1969. Luft never finished writing this book, having stopped around 1960 when he was excluded from his wife’s life by Judy and her new handlers. The remaining portions of the book were cobbled together by Randy L. Schmidt (with the permission of the Sid Luft Living Trust) using interviews, tape recordings and other resources that Luft left behind prior to his death in 2005. In keeping with the title, the book does not attempt to document the 36 years of Luft’s life that followed Garland’s passing.
As a young man, Sid Luft was defiant, rebellious and enjoyed adventure. He was interested in aviation and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, later working as a test pilot for Douglas Aircraft. He developed a fondness for horse racing, boxing, gambling and women that would earn him a reputation as a man’s man. In the 1930s, he met up-and-coming actress/dancer Eleanor Powell in Atlantic City and they began a casual affair. Luft eventually followed Powell out to Los Angeles where he became a jack-of-all-trades, and one of these trades involved producing films. By 1950, he had married twice, had one child and had served as producer of two B-grade films.
The heart of the book is centered on Luft’s life with Garland, whom he met at MGM in the 1930s. A romance did not develop until 1950 when Judy was in the midst of a professional and personal crisis. Judy had fled to New York after being fired by MGM and was in the middle of an unpleasant separation from her husband, director Vincente Minnelli. She was also haunted by the stigma of a half-hearted but well-publicized suicide attempt that she was trying to live down. Luft was able to see the woman behind the legend and was charmed, admiring her wit, irreverent sense of humor and beauty. For Judy, Luft was the antithesis of all her former flames. She had found a man who was literally willing to fight for her and protect her. The pair began a relationship that culminated in marriage and two children. Luft, at Judy’s insistence, also assumed the role of her business manager.
Professionally, Luft was directly responsible for some of Judy’s greatest triumphs, including the legendary Palace concert engagements of the early 1950s; a record contract with Capitol Records; the remake of A Star is Born, for which she received her only Best Actress Oscar nomination; and what is generally considered the high point in her music career, the 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall.
Judy was soaring in her professional life but her personal life was often in turmoil. She was generally fine at the beginning of her relationships. Old lifelong insecurities about being in front of the camera took place, and she turned to drugs in order to cope, which made her unpredictable and unreliable. All of this caused mayhem in her family and professional life, with Luft as a stable presence.
In the early 1960s, Judy turned her back on her husband, phasing him out of her professional career. She began an affair with David Begelman who, along with Freddie Fields, were operating as her new managers. Judy transferred power of attorney to the pair (whom she ironically referred to as “Leopold and Loeb”), putting all her trust in them. Begelman and Fields would land Judy very high profile gigs but they were embezzling large amounts of her money. Luft showed Judy evidence of the embezzlement, however she was dismissive of the matter. Her new agents had convinced her that her forthcoming television venture, The Judy Garland Show, would establish her financially for the rest of her life. It did not and ended after one season. Luft estimates that Judy earned as much as 12 to 15 million dollars between 1961 and 1966, yet she was always in debt, and by 1968 she found herself literally having to sing for her supper. Luft held Fields and Begelman directly responsible for Judy’s appalling financial state during her final years, and he battled them in court for over a decade following Garland’s death before the lawsuit was dismissed without a resolution.
Luft and Garland’s marriage continued to fall apart and in 1965, following a legal battle where Luft took custody of the children, they divorced. Sid stayed in touch with Judy until the end. They would periodically speak over the telephone and see one another at family events, but Luft mostly watched from the sidelines as Judy briefly married two more times, was fired from multiple projects, had her home taken away by the IRS, and finally died at age 47.
It is arguable that the book’s raison d’etre centers on its ability to give the reader a first-hand account of an entertainment legend during an extremely prolific and troubled period. While Luft is able to show that he was much more than “Mr. Garland," much of his personal history is overshadowed by the specter of his relationship with his legendary wife and, the most compelling parts of the book center on his life with Judy. Luft’s story is not completely lost in the narrative, and the book gives him the opportunity to defend himself against the accusation of Svengali, a charge that was leveled against him for decades. The book stands as his defense, showing that Judy asserted agency and control over her career and her life. Triumph or failure, Judy Garland was the person who made the final decisions, even when they were poor ones. Luft’s years with Garland were, quite possibly, the only period in her life where she experienced some inkling of normalcy, and the book provides a window into that all too brief moment in time
Reviewed by Nicholas Beyelia, Librarian
As a young man, Sid Luft was defiant, rebellious and enjoyed adventure. He was interested in aviation and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, later working as a test pilot for Douglas Aircraft. He developed a fondness for horse racing, boxing, gambling and women that would earn him a reputation as a man’s man. In the 1930s, he met up-and-coming actress/dancer Eleanor Powell in Atlantic City and they began a casual affair. Luft eventually followed Powell out to Los Angeles where he became a jack-of-all-trades, and one of these trades involved producing films. By 1950, he had married twice, had one child and had served as producer of two B-grade films.
The heart of the book is centered on Luft’s life with Garland, whom he met at MGM in the 1930s. A romance did not develop until 1950 when Judy was in the midst of a professional and personal crisis. Judy had fled to New York after being fired by MGM and was in the middle of an unpleasant separation from her husband, director Vincente Minnelli. She was also haunted by the stigma of a half-hearted but well-publicized suicide attempt that she was trying to live down. Luft was able to see the woman behind the legend and was charmed, admiring her wit, irreverent sense of humor and beauty. For Judy, Luft was the antithesis of all her former flames. She had found a man who was literally willing to fight for her and protect her. The pair began a relationship that culminated in marriage and two children. Luft, at Judy’s insistence, also assumed the role of her business manager.
Professionally, Luft was directly responsible for some of Judy’s greatest triumphs, including the legendary Palace concert engagements of the early 1950s; a record contract with Capitol Records; the remake of A Star is Born, for which she received her only Best Actress Oscar nomination; and what is generally considered the high point in her music career, the 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall.
Judy was soaring in her professional life but her personal life was often in turmoil. She was generally fine at the beginning of her relationships. Old lifelong insecurities about being in front of the camera took place, and she turned to drugs in order to cope, which made her unpredictable and unreliable. All of this caused mayhem in her family and professional life, with Luft as a stable presence.
In the early 1960s, Judy turned her back on her husband, phasing him out of her professional career. She began an affair with David Begelman who, along with Freddie Fields, were operating as her new managers. Judy transferred power of attorney to the pair (whom she ironically referred to as “Leopold and Loeb”), putting all her trust in them. Begelman and Fields would land Judy very high profile gigs but they were embezzling large amounts of her money. Luft showed Judy evidence of the embezzlement, however she was dismissive of the matter. Her new agents had convinced her that her forthcoming television venture, The Judy Garland Show, would establish her financially for the rest of her life. It did not and ended after one season. Luft estimates that Judy earned as much as 12 to 15 million dollars between 1961 and 1966, yet she was always in debt, and by 1968 she found herself literally having to sing for her supper. Luft held Fields and Begelman directly responsible for Judy’s appalling financial state during her final years, and he battled them in court for over a decade following Garland’s death before the lawsuit was dismissed without a resolution.
Luft and Garland’s marriage continued to fall apart and in 1965, following a legal battle where Luft took custody of the children, they divorced. Sid stayed in touch with Judy until the end. They would periodically speak over the telephone and see one another at family events, but Luft mostly watched from the sidelines as Judy briefly married two more times, was fired from multiple projects, had her home taken away by the IRS, and finally died at age 47.
It is arguable that the book’s raison d’etre centers on its ability to give the reader a first-hand account of an entertainment legend during an extremely prolific and troubled period. While Luft is able to show that he was much more than “Mr. Garland," much of his personal history is overshadowed by the specter of his relationship with his legendary wife and, the most compelling parts of the book center on his life with Judy. Luft’s story is not completely lost in the narrative, and the book gives him the opportunity to defend himself against the accusation of Svengali, a charge that was leveled against him for decades. The book stands as his defense, showing that Judy asserted agency and control over her career and her life. Triumph or failure, Judy Garland was the person who made the final decisions, even when they were poor ones. Luft’s years with Garland were, quite possibly, the only period in her life where she experienced some inkling of normalcy, and the book provides a window into that all too brief moment in time
Reviewed by Nicholas Beyelia, Librarian
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June 4, 2018Sid Luft’s in-depth look at this relationship with Judy Garland is an interesting read but there are some general flaws which at times leaves the reader lost.
The story of Luft and Judy at the forefront of the biography/autobiography works on many levels. The story of Sid and his early years before Garland works and an enjoyable read which harks to a days gone by. Unfortunately, we do have horse statistics that run through the story that at times over takes the general story. This maybe more of a personal taste circumstance but from my perspective, I found these often tedious and long winded.
I really have no idea about the reputation of Sid Luft, but this story told from his perspective seems he tried to do everything he could do out of love for his wife. This was an impossible task considering the alcoholism, medication abuse and bipolar highs and lows of the wife. He tried to get her career back on track and he was somewhat successful.
The later years as the inevitable does happen to poor Judy seems extremely harsh but she seems to be a victim of her own design. Sid Luft tells this portion with empathy and hatred for the people who lead her down this trail. It was real eye opener as I am not very well versed in the Judy Garland life and times beyond what you read through pop culture.
Overall, the book is well put together and although Sid Luft may not be a literary genius, he does put together a book that is enjoyable and informative. The emotional aspect is there and you find a man who is out of his depth to love a woman who has more problems that will take more than love to cure. Interesting and sad from a man that I now greatly admire.
The story of Luft and Judy at the forefront of the biography/autobiography works on many levels. The story of Sid and his early years before Garland works and an enjoyable read which harks to a days gone by. Unfortunately, we do have horse statistics that run through the story that at times over takes the general story. This maybe more of a personal taste circumstance but from my perspective, I found these often tedious and long winded.
I really have no idea about the reputation of Sid Luft, but this story told from his perspective seems he tried to do everything he could do out of love for his wife. This was an impossible task considering the alcoholism, medication abuse and bipolar highs and lows of the wife. He tried to get her career back on track and he was somewhat successful.
The later years as the inevitable does happen to poor Judy seems extremely harsh but she seems to be a victim of her own design. Sid Luft tells this portion with empathy and hatred for the people who lead her down this trail. It was real eye opener as I am not very well versed in the Judy Garland life and times beyond what you read through pop culture.
Overall, the book is well put together and although Sid Luft may not be a literary genius, he does put together a book that is enjoyable and informative. The emotional aspect is there and you find a man who is out of his depth to love a woman who has more problems that will take more than love to cure. Interesting and sad from a man that I now greatly admire.
January 5, 2020
Luft comes off as insufferable in some ways (sexist, crude, entitled, abusive, and prone to temper), and the first portion of the book comprising his own biography is unremarkable in every regard. By the 50% mark, I was close to throwing in the towel. Luckily I persisted, and latter half of the book is much more interesting as well as humane. I ultimately felt moved by how much he did to save his hopeless marriage, and the lengths he went to for Judy made me more sympathetic toward his mistakes. Having said that, I don’t imagine he was as passive as he indicates in their arguments, and that this was a more mutually abusive relationship than he has admitted. He strikes me as more the codependent type by the close than actually cruel.
In that vein, I get the sense that in the beginning of the relationship, he was in major denial about how serious her psychological and addiction problems were and thought he could “save” her. Sometimes love, however mutual, just isn’t enough.
I think the changes in his tone, which ranged from crude and sexist to penetrating and sensitive, may be attributed to the fact that the book was written over the course of four or five decades and pieced together posthumously. He admits that he did the best he could, but one gets the sense he did not really believe that deep down and probably was plagued by the events of their relationship until he died. I have a feeling that both literally and figuratively, it was just too hard to finish and close the book on this part of his life.
I will also give him credit for owning up to be homophobic in his time and realizing the error of his ways. That takes some level of integrity. He also admits fully that he acted like an ass in certain situations and seems genuinely remorseful.
I will not give him credit, however, for downplaying Judy’s abuse at the hands of her tyrannical mother and failing to understand why she cut ties with Ethel. He understands fully that the studio got her addicted to drugs at 13 (not to mention that they emotionally and sexually abused her). He also knows her mother was her manager and primary caretaker, but fails to understand why Judy refused to speak to her. He also casts doubt on Judy’s stories of emotional abuse from her mother, which are well known to be true as confirmed by other sources. One of Judy’s other sisters killed herself in her 40s. Does he think it’s a coincidence?
I loved some of the stories of interesting people they befriended and crossed paths with, especially his insights into Judy’s friendship with JFK. I thought it incredibly sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking that he often called her during his presidency to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to relax him into sleep. We also learn that Judy shared a close bond with Marilyn Monroe, and that they often talked through the night. I found it very moving that Judy empathized so much with two other people who had suffered abusive childhoods, had serious prescription drug addictions, and had deeply troubled romantic lives plagued by emotional unavailability issues—so much like herself. And, that they just happened to be two of the people she was willing to do just about anything for. Both deaths devastated her severely, as we also discover.
Ultimately, whatever the man’s flaws (and they seem many), this was Judy’s longest marriage and arguably her only deep and mutual one; Luft did more than anyone after her death to defend and uphold her legacy.
I’d give the first half of the book 2 stars, and the latter 4 stars.
In that vein, I get the sense that in the beginning of the relationship, he was in major denial about how serious her psychological and addiction problems were and thought he could “save” her. Sometimes love, however mutual, just isn’t enough.
I think the changes in his tone, which ranged from crude and sexist to penetrating and sensitive, may be attributed to the fact that the book was written over the course of four or five decades and pieced together posthumously. He admits that he did the best he could, but one gets the sense he did not really believe that deep down and probably was plagued by the events of their relationship until he died. I have a feeling that both literally and figuratively, it was just too hard to finish and close the book on this part of his life.
I will also give him credit for owning up to be homophobic in his time and realizing the error of his ways. That takes some level of integrity. He also admits fully that he acted like an ass in certain situations and seems genuinely remorseful.
I will not give him credit, however, for downplaying Judy’s abuse at the hands of her tyrannical mother and failing to understand why she cut ties with Ethel. He understands fully that the studio got her addicted to drugs at 13 (not to mention that they emotionally and sexually abused her). He also knows her mother was her manager and primary caretaker, but fails to understand why Judy refused to speak to her. He also casts doubt on Judy’s stories of emotional abuse from her mother, which are well known to be true as confirmed by other sources. One of Judy’s other sisters killed herself in her 40s. Does he think it’s a coincidence?
I loved some of the stories of interesting people they befriended and crossed paths with, especially his insights into Judy’s friendship with JFK. I thought it incredibly sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking that he often called her during his presidency to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to relax him into sleep. We also learn that Judy shared a close bond with Marilyn Monroe, and that they often talked through the night. I found it very moving that Judy empathized so much with two other people who had suffered abusive childhoods, had serious prescription drug addictions, and had deeply troubled romantic lives plagued by emotional unavailability issues—so much like herself. And, that they just happened to be two of the people she was willing to do just about anything for. Both deaths devastated her severely, as we also discover.
Ultimately, whatever the man’s flaws (and they seem many), this was Judy’s longest marriage and arguably her only deep and mutual one; Luft did more than anyone after her death to defend and uphold her legacy.
I’d give the first half of the book 2 stars, and the latter 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2017
It's talky and Mr. Luft spends a lot of time on himself, but the insights into Judy Garland, whom I knew when Liza Minnelli and I were high school pals, are well worth the read. Never met anyone as amazing as Judy Garland and I'm hanging on every word.
January 19, 2020
It didn't blow me away...
December 5, 2019
I should first state that I am a HUGE Judy Garland fan. I have been since a very young age in fact. So much so that I've even bought memorabilia at auctions. I own quite a few items that Judy owned herself. But my interest in her has always been about the voice and the music...her talent. While I've known a bit about her personal life and her struggle with pharmaceutical addictions, those were never the focus of my attention on her. And to learn from Sid that Judy's father was most likely gay really told me a huge amount about her upbringing and her talent.
This book has changed that a bit. As the kids say, "The struggle is real". And boy, did she struggle with anything from life outside displaying her talent.
The first 1/4th of the book is mostly about Sid. It is his autobiography after all. And while it did give a backdrop for what came later after he met and married Judy, reading about test pilots and horses was a bit boring.
But once he meets and marries Judy, the book really takes off. I won't say Sid was a great producer in general, but it seems he was a great producer of JUDY and her talents. Pretty much everything she did in the 50s can be attributed to his efforts to put her in the limelight and display her talents, including the wonderful "A Star is Born" (although I have a special hatred for Jack Warner for what he allowed to be done to that movie after it was made, all told in this book).
There are many revelations in the book, at least for me. I had no idea she self-harmed and had multiple wrist-slashing and throat-slashing attempts. That was very sad. But Sid kept all or most of it out of the press miraculously. And through Sid's constant diligent efforts, by the end of the 50s he had "mostly" rid her of her dependence on pharmaceuticals.
But then, seeing she was doing better and was healthier, he struck out on a venture for himself and his own career, and Judy brought in the two guys who ultimately would go on to form the CMA talent agency to run her career. Judy called them "Leopold and Loeb", but I just call them disgusting. While they did arrange the outstanding things she did in 61 and 62 that really cemented her as the greatest talent of the ages, they were stealing her blind. And they were not trying to keep her off the pharmaceuticals at all so long as she could still perform. And because of all the stress of the amazing things she was doing (Carnegie Hall, Judgement at Nuremberg, her CBS show, etc.) she did slip back into using pills. And Leopold and Loeb ruined her marriage with Sid. I truly believe that had they not entered the picture, Sid and Judy would have stayed married forever.
The biggest take away I had from the book is that it is very apparent now that they both loved each other very much (despite Judy's antics to destroy in Sid in many ways while she was under the thrall of pills and Leopold and Loeb, some of which shook me to my core), and that her marriage to him was the best of all her marriages, including to Minnelli.
This book has changed that a bit. As the kids say, "The struggle is real". And boy, did she struggle with anything from life outside displaying her talent.
The first 1/4th of the book is mostly about Sid. It is his autobiography after all. And while it did give a backdrop for what came later after he met and married Judy, reading about test pilots and horses was a bit boring.
But once he meets and marries Judy, the book really takes off. I won't say Sid was a great producer in general, but it seems he was a great producer of JUDY and her talents. Pretty much everything she did in the 50s can be attributed to his efforts to put her in the limelight and display her talents, including the wonderful "A Star is Born" (although I have a special hatred for Jack Warner for what he allowed to be done to that movie after it was made, all told in this book).
There are many revelations in the book, at least for me. I had no idea she self-harmed and had multiple wrist-slashing and throat-slashing attempts. That was very sad. But Sid kept all or most of it out of the press miraculously. And through Sid's constant diligent efforts, by the end of the 50s he had "mostly" rid her of her dependence on pharmaceuticals.
But then, seeing she was doing better and was healthier, he struck out on a venture for himself and his own career, and Judy brought in the two guys who ultimately would go on to form the CMA talent agency to run her career. Judy called them "Leopold and Loeb", but I just call them disgusting. While they did arrange the outstanding things she did in 61 and 62 that really cemented her as the greatest talent of the ages, they were stealing her blind. And they were not trying to keep her off the pharmaceuticals at all so long as she could still perform. And because of all the stress of the amazing things she was doing (Carnegie Hall, Judgement at Nuremberg, her CBS show, etc.) she did slip back into using pills. And Leopold and Loeb ruined her marriage with Sid. I truly believe that had they not entered the picture, Sid and Judy would have stayed married forever.
The biggest take away I had from the book is that it is very apparent now that they both loved each other very much (despite Judy's antics to destroy in Sid in many ways while she was under the thrall of pills and Leopold and Loeb, some of which shook me to my core), and that her marriage to him was the best of all her marriages, including to Minnelli.
December 28, 2018
Meandering. Sad. Interesting.
January 19, 2023
Enjoyed reading this account of Judy Garland from Sid Luft, who writes in a fashion that illuminates so much of who he was as a person. Very interesting look at Judy's life from her most longtime husband and business manager.
May 10, 2017
The autobiography of Judy Garland's husband Sid Luft, primarily focused on their time together. Oh my God, he was SUCH an asshole. And she was so damaged. It was like reading about a train wreck. I have no doubt that he did love her, and she loved him, but he was just part of the problem. She was always so worried about being camera slim and even here he was constantly describing her as slim, round, heavy, having her figure back, etc. It was his obsession, too, and that cannot have helped.
The first quarter or so was pretty skippable, as it was about his youth and establishing himself as a tough guy who would get into fights of honor (and win them, of course). Ugh, the macho violence. It fell into a fascinating rhythm once he met Judy. He has a very interesting, almost pot-boilery style of writing, and he was clearly working hard to make himself come out well, even if he had to occasionally throw Judy under the bus to do so. (To his credit, he never did that to any of the children, including Liza whom he seemed to love as much as his others. And he did take full credit for badly handling things like Judy's abortion and some aspects of her suicide attempts and drug use.) I thrilled at the bits incorporated written by Judy in her brief attempt at a memoir. When things started swinging down hard in the late 50s, it got harder and harder to read, as Judy and everything fell apart. You just wanted someone to go back in time and HELP her. A lot reminded me of Britney Spears's breakdown, honestly. I mean, Sid was literally dragging her on stage to perform at times. She loved it and wanted it but was terrified, too, at times, besides having the star's mentality of only performing at places/with people deemed worthy. She thought a lot about what other's thought of her. I don't think anyone ever had her best interests in mind. It's sad. All those pearls covering up scars.
Luft stopped writing once he hit 1960 and he lost control of Judy's career, and the rest was written by a Judy Garland expert, in Luft's first person style, based on tapes and interviews he gave until his death. The writing here was markedly different in how he talked about Judy. There was much less smoothing over. More off the cuff, less deliberately marketing himself as the good guy. You could really feel his frustration and anger with the whole situation.
The first quarter or so was pretty skippable, as it was about his youth and establishing himself as a tough guy who would get into fights of honor (and win them, of course). Ugh, the macho violence. It fell into a fascinating rhythm once he met Judy. He has a very interesting, almost pot-boilery style of writing, and he was clearly working hard to make himself come out well, even if he had to occasionally throw Judy under the bus to do so. (To his credit, he never did that to any of the children, including Liza whom he seemed to love as much as his others. And he did take full credit for badly handling things like Judy's abortion and some aspects of her suicide attempts and drug use.) I thrilled at the bits incorporated written by Judy in her brief attempt at a memoir. When things started swinging down hard in the late 50s, it got harder and harder to read, as Judy and everything fell apart. You just wanted someone to go back in time and HELP her. A lot reminded me of Britney Spears's breakdown, honestly. I mean, Sid was literally dragging her on stage to perform at times. She loved it and wanted it but was terrified, too, at times, besides having the star's mentality of only performing at places/with people deemed worthy. She thought a lot about what other's thought of her. I don't think anyone ever had her best interests in mind. It's sad. All those pearls covering up scars.
Luft stopped writing once he hit 1960 and he lost control of Judy's career, and the rest was written by a Judy Garland expert, in Luft's first person style, based on tapes and interviews he gave until his death. The writing here was markedly different in how he talked about Judy. There was much less smoothing over. More off the cuff, less deliberately marketing himself as the good guy. You could really feel his frustration and anger with the whole situation.
April 23, 2017
This overly-long, repetitive book is way too much about the "I" (Sid Luft) for the first half, and then focuses too much on revolting revelations about Judy in the second half. Completely skip most of the first half of the book--Luft's life before Judy was boring and his ego comes through on every page. The Judy chapters range from hyperbole to fascinating. Luft claims every performance she ever gave brought people to tears and that "every newspaper in America" wrote about her stage resurrection that he led. Every page is filled with over-the-top statements about her voice, their famous friends, her addictions, and the amazing things Luft did for Garland.
There are enough juicy behind-the-scenes revelations that portions of the book are worth reading. He gets very specific about the amount of lying Garland did to the press, proves her to have been terrible to her family, shows them to have been broke for years while living an over-the-top lifestyle, and has no fear condemning people she bedded. (It's surprising some of this passed the publisher's lawyers.) He also has no problem spilling about his own vices and seems to brag about his ability to have sex with other women while he is married. And he thinks nothing of mentioning the pressure he put on Garland to abort their first baby when they were early into their hidden relationship. All of his vices are stated as macho character qualities, not sins or flaws.
In the end it's a pathetic story of a woman who had repeated attempts at suicide. The cutting incidents are frightening, and show how truly insecure Garland was, blaming it on her mother who did want to give birth to her. But even more sad is the man who wrote the book in order to defend himself from all of the criticisms others had piled on him over the years. Despite what he writes, he protests a bit too much and whitewashes himself while painting Garland as a mentally-ill drug-addicted alcoholic.
There are enough juicy behind-the-scenes revelations that portions of the book are worth reading. He gets very specific about the amount of lying Garland did to the press, proves her to have been terrible to her family, shows them to have been broke for years while living an over-the-top lifestyle, and has no fear condemning people she bedded. (It's surprising some of this passed the publisher's lawyers.) He also has no problem spilling about his own vices and seems to brag about his ability to have sex with other women while he is married. And he thinks nothing of mentioning the pressure he put on Garland to abort their first baby when they were early into their hidden relationship. All of his vices are stated as macho character qualities, not sins or flaws.
In the end it's a pathetic story of a woman who had repeated attempts at suicide. The cutting incidents are frightening, and show how truly insecure Garland was, blaming it on her mother who did want to give birth to her. But even more sad is the man who wrote the book in order to defend himself from all of the criticisms others had piled on him over the years. Despite what he writes, he protests a bit too much and whitewashes himself while painting Garland as a mentally-ill drug-addicted alcoholic.
May 9, 2017
Sid Luft was Judy Garland's third husband. Out of all their combined marriages, they were married the longest to each other. Sid writes an entertaining book, filled with famous names from every walk of life. I especially enjoyed the biggest portion of the book which was about his life with Judy Garland. She called herself the black Irish witch. They did truly love each other in spite of all the problems they encountered. Judy was given drugs from an early age when she was in the movies ~ as were many other young stars. She had a huge depression problem which may have been brought on in some ways by her childhood, her mother, and the drinking and drugs. Sid was her confidant, her husband, her manager, her protector, and he tried to keep her away from drugs and alcohol. Of course, it didn't always work and once they were no longer together, she had no one who understood her needs and watched over her. She died at age 47.
August 10, 2018
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book started so promisingly with details about Sid Luft’s first meeting with Judy Garland aged 15 years old. I personally was then disappointed when it then backtracked and he started talking about his own life, his childhood, his time as a pilot and his earlier marriages. I must confess that I found myself skimreadimg those bits as I was not that interested. I of course expected to learn a bit of who Sid Luft was before he met Judy but not in such depth. About 1/3 of the book is solely about Sid and then he starts talking more about his life with Judy. What he has to say is very interesting and if we take everything as gospel truth then there are some shocking revelations. For most of this book I really did not like Sid very much and I found myself getting annoyed with things he said and did. What I will say about him is that he went above and beyond to help Judy in both her private and public life.
August 23, 2017
Although the story of Judy Garland has been told many times, this volume offers an insider's perspective that few have provided. Luft clearly loved Judy and, it seems, tried to protect her. In the end, his efforts didn't succeed. The book has gritty detail - particularly about their relationship in the 1950s - and harrowing scenes showing how drug use took a terrible toll on one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century.
There are some caveats. It appears that Luft's manuscript (he died in 2005) has been extensively reshaped to fit 2017 readers (e.g. what happened to his second wife), and this can be a bit jarring at times. A foreword describes some of this process and explains why post-1960 events are telescoped. There also is some expected score-settling, but that is fairly typical for this type of book.
There are some caveats. It appears that Luft's manuscript (he died in 2005) has been extensively reshaped to fit 2017 readers (e.g. what happened to his second wife), and this can be a bit jarring at times. A foreword describes some of this process and explains why post-1960 events are telescoped. There also is some expected score-settling, but that is fairly typical for this type of book.
May 14, 2017
Honest, forthright and a good read
I never cared for Ms Garland nor her vocalizations, and was totally turned off by her antics, but this account by Mr Luft portrays with his obvious deep love, a flawed but gifted woman-child who although constantly battled great demons, captured many hearts as she tried to claim her 'rainbow"
I never cared for Ms Garland nor her vocalizations, and was totally turned off by her antics, but this account by Mr Luft portrays with his obvious deep love, a flawed but gifted woman-child who although constantly battled great demons, captured many hearts as she tried to claim her 'rainbow"
August 31, 2021
DNF. From the title, I assumed this autobiography would focus more specifically on Sid Luft's life with Judy. But I got tired of slugging through his adolescent sexual exploits and angry outbursts/fights with others, as well as his affairs and marriages previous to Judy. I think I'm fine just reading the Wikipedia highlights of their relationship after all.
October 24, 2019
Yet another take on the wonderful and tragic life of a legend. I, myself, get exhausted when reading about how hard she worked, only to be taken advantage of financially. I also think that she deserved a better working life than she has.
December 18, 2019
After seeing Rene Zwelleger’s no doubt, Oscar wining performance as the comparable Judy Garland, I was compelled to read Sid Luft’s story which did not disappoint.
February 4, 2020
Ugh.
I don't know how I'm going to get through this thing.
He's a beyond self-important, embarrassing douche bag.
I don't know how I'm going to get through this thing.
He's a beyond self-important, embarrassing douche bag.
December 28, 2021
What a bitter bigoted asshole :(
(audiobook - I changed the edition to one with an image to make my challenge page look prettier)
(audiobook - I changed the edition to one with an image to make my challenge page look prettier)
May 4, 2020
If you’re interested in learning more about the life of Judy Garland, skip right past this book. This book provides a rough accounting of Sid Luft’s life with Judy but it has all the depth of a thimble. It’s a cascade of thumbnail sketches: what people looked like; what clothes they wore; what they did for work; what they drank; who they hung out with; what drugs they took. But you never get to know any of the people in Sid’s life. Even his time with Judy Garland feels less like a marriage and more like Sid’s production notes and tips for “handling” Judy. This book has zero intimacy.
I’ll be the one reviewer who actually enjoyed Sid’s pre-Judy bio more than the the depictions of his life *with* Judy. I actually learned things about the pre WWII period in New York City. Growing up Jewish was often fraught, but at ground level, there was perhaps kindness in equal measure to the discrimination Sid experienced. His family dynamic was different than one might expect, as his mother actually owned and operated the more successful business, of his two parents. And the juxtaposition between Sid’s personality and that of his father was handled with a level of empathy that one might always expect from a brawler like the younger Luft.
After Judy’s arrival into Sid’s life she never really escapes the Luft hermeneutic. He doesn’t even try to portray her through some sort of objective lens, it’s all about her impact on him. How did her dependency on drugs effect Sid; her career; her kids; her reception by audiences; the state of her celebrity. Luft gives no indication on how substance abuse actually affected her. In fairness to Luft, Judy Garland shut him out completely, when it came to those issues. Like all substance abusers (I count myself among those ranks, in recovery 5 years) she had a massive edifice protecting her from any criticism about those aspects of her life. Luft just didn’t have the interpersonal skills, nor the will to build enough trust with his wife to address those issues.
Everyone who knew Judy Garland wanted to save her from herself. They knew she was in deep shit, but no one took the time to really know the person at the core of the outsized megastar personality. Ultimately Judy Garland died isolated and alone, despite being surrounded by people who may have genuinely cared for her, but didn’t have to tools to connect with and begin to understand Judy’s grief.
It’s the paradox of ultra-celebrity: when you read the biographies of people like Garland or Micheal Jackson or Marilyn Monroe, you come to recognize that these people are helplessly lonely. They all lived in chronic grief for truncated childhoods and spend the rest of their lives learning on the drugs that served as surrogate parents - often provided by their actual parents, at the most formative stages of life. We begin to see that the period when most young people are developing emotional skills and personality, these entertainment prodigies were developing their performance skills, to the detriment of all else. There was zero work/life balance. They had all the responsibility that comes with being a family’s main provider, but none of the power. And they would never really develop enough personally agency, in later years, to take that power. It sounds unlikely, but the likes of Michael Jackson, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe just never really had a chance.
Sid Luft had no inkling about any of Garland’s demons. The ultimate bummer, for Garland, and for us, reading this biography, is that he didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to every truly know his wife.
I’ll be the one reviewer who actually enjoyed Sid’s pre-Judy bio more than the the depictions of his life *with* Judy. I actually learned things about the pre WWII period in New York City. Growing up Jewish was often fraught, but at ground level, there was perhaps kindness in equal measure to the discrimination Sid experienced. His family dynamic was different than one might expect, as his mother actually owned and operated the more successful business, of his two parents. And the juxtaposition between Sid’s personality and that of his father was handled with a level of empathy that one might always expect from a brawler like the younger Luft.
After Judy’s arrival into Sid’s life she never really escapes the Luft hermeneutic. He doesn’t even try to portray her through some sort of objective lens, it’s all about her impact on him. How did her dependency on drugs effect Sid; her career; her kids; her reception by audiences; the state of her celebrity. Luft gives no indication on how substance abuse actually affected her. In fairness to Luft, Judy Garland shut him out completely, when it came to those issues. Like all substance abusers (I count myself among those ranks, in recovery 5 years) she had a massive edifice protecting her from any criticism about those aspects of her life. Luft just didn’t have the interpersonal skills, nor the will to build enough trust with his wife to address those issues.
Everyone who knew Judy Garland wanted to save her from herself. They knew she was in deep shit, but no one took the time to really know the person at the core of the outsized megastar personality. Ultimately Judy Garland died isolated and alone, despite being surrounded by people who may have genuinely cared for her, but didn’t have to tools to connect with and begin to understand Judy’s grief.
It’s the paradox of ultra-celebrity: when you read the biographies of people like Garland or Micheal Jackson or Marilyn Monroe, you come to recognize that these people are helplessly lonely. They all lived in chronic grief for truncated childhoods and spend the rest of their lives learning on the drugs that served as surrogate parents - often provided by their actual parents, at the most formative stages of life. We begin to see that the period when most young people are developing emotional skills and personality, these entertainment prodigies were developing their performance skills, to the detriment of all else. There was zero work/life balance. They had all the responsibility that comes with being a family’s main provider, but none of the power. And they would never really develop enough personally agency, in later years, to take that power. It sounds unlikely, but the likes of Michael Jackson, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe just never really had a chance.
Sid Luft had no inkling about any of Garland’s demons. The ultimate bummer, for Garland, and for us, reading this biography, is that he didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to every truly know his wife.
March 17, 2017
When Judy Garland married her third husband, Sid Luft, in 1952, he was a low-level agent making deals with poverty row studios like Monogram Pictures, and she was a star without a studio. "She had a track record six miles long of hysteria, attempted suicide, and walking off of movie sets," writes Luft, who became her agent and began repairing her reputation by setting up cross-country concert dates.
During their 13-year marriage, Garland ricocheted between triumphs (two children and two Oscar nominations) and turmoil (pill addiction, numerous hospitalizations and rehab stints). As the producer of Garland's comeback film, 1954's A Star Is Born, Luft offers an insightful look at its making (both Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra wanted to co-star) and unmaking (the greedy studio cut the three-hour film to 100 minutes to gain more daily showings and the movie sunk).
Luft worked on JUDY & I for decades, but only completed the chronology up to 1960 before his 2005 death. Randy L. Schmidt (Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter) shaped the manuscript, sorted through a mountain of research and completed this compelling memoir. It now ends with Garland's overdose death in 1969 at the age of 47. Luft is a controversial figure to many Garland fans. Was he a savior or exploiter? His warts-and-all approach toward Garland ("She was married to the drugs before she met me and she never really got divorced") is equally critical of his younger self. JUDY & I is a gossip-lover's delight, but it's also heartfelt, tough and sad.
Judy Garland's third husband offers an intimate and compelling portrait of a great artist who was depressed, suicidal and addicted to pills and alcohol.
During their 13-year marriage, Garland ricocheted between triumphs (two children and two Oscar nominations) and turmoil (pill addiction, numerous hospitalizations and rehab stints). As the producer of Garland's comeback film, 1954's A Star Is Born, Luft offers an insightful look at its making (both Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra wanted to co-star) and unmaking (the greedy studio cut the three-hour film to 100 minutes to gain more daily showings and the movie sunk).
Luft worked on JUDY & I for decades, but only completed the chronology up to 1960 before his 2005 death. Randy L. Schmidt (Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter) shaped the manuscript, sorted through a mountain of research and completed this compelling memoir. It now ends with Garland's overdose death in 1969 at the age of 47. Luft is a controversial figure to many Garland fans. Was he a savior or exploiter? His warts-and-all approach toward Garland ("She was married to the drugs before she met me and she never really got divorced") is equally critical of his younger self. JUDY & I is a gossip-lover's delight, but it's also heartfelt, tough and sad.
Judy Garland's third husband offers an intimate and compelling portrait of a great artist who was depressed, suicidal and addicted to pills and alcohol.
July 11, 2022
I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could. It's a great book about Garland and her love story with Sid Luft. Unfortunately, I wasn't as in love with Sid, and the stories of his childhood, his teenage boxing, his pilot derring-do, and his first two marriages bored me. I almost ditched it during the first 1/4 or so.
Glad I didn't, though. This is a book about passion and love and talent and addiction. We knew so little about addiction in the 1950s, and it's easy to believe Sid did the best he could with the tools available to him at the time.
He loved his wife and he believed in Judy Garland, the superstar. He also had his children to worry about. He was forced into some tough decisions and, in some Garland biographies, he comes off as a villain. But I don't think he was. I think he was a mortal facing a woman who became personally very powerful by exploiting her own vulnerability. He didn't stand a chance. No one did.
For while Judy Garland was exquisitely talented, very smart, and very funny, she was also very ill. Often, when I watch her best movies and concert performances, I think that we didn't deserve her. It's almost as if her gifts devoured her. I'm sorry she suffered so. I'm sorry Sid and their children suffered so. I wish she'd been born 25 years later and had been able to check into the Betty Ford, or some other clinic that knew how to handle her issues.
A sad, but fascinating book.
Glad I didn't, though. This is a book about passion and love and talent and addiction. We knew so little about addiction in the 1950s, and it's easy to believe Sid did the best he could with the tools available to him at the time.
He loved his wife and he believed in Judy Garland, the superstar. He also had his children to worry about. He was forced into some tough decisions and, in some Garland biographies, he comes off as a villain. But I don't think he was. I think he was a mortal facing a woman who became personally very powerful by exploiting her own vulnerability. He didn't stand a chance. No one did.
For while Judy Garland was exquisitely talented, very smart, and very funny, she was also very ill. Often, when I watch her best movies and concert performances, I think that we didn't deserve her. It's almost as if her gifts devoured her. I'm sorry she suffered so. I'm sorry Sid and their children suffered so. I wish she'd been born 25 years later and had been able to check into the Betty Ford, or some other clinic that knew how to handle her issues.
A sad, but fascinating book.
November 21, 2018
The first third of this book is the story of Sid Luft’s origins. Whilst not showbizzy, it is interesting. I suspect the male mind would generally prefer the exploits of the boxer/pilot to the heady days in theatrical circles.
From the point where his life becomes entangled with Judy Garland’s the story is solid showbiz and name dropping. It shows a man who did his best to cope with an addict who was used to adoration and would accept nothing less. The failed performances and disappointed audiences but mostly the diva in fine form to the public at least.
I remember Liza Minelli saying Sid was a good father to her, his step-daughter, and he seems really fond of their assorted children. Whilst I realise this story is, of necessity, one sided I do think it grabs the essence of their marriage, and the fact that he was still in love with Judy despite her duplicity and untrustworthiness. There are various notes and messages from an apologetic wife, to her long-suffering husband. Notes which the author found amongst his subject’s papers. Which Sid must have retained despite their bitter marriage endings.
Despite having seen not just the monster but the defeated addict it seems he was still very much in love with Judy right to not only her death, but his too.
The book Is very easy to read and much of it is interesting even before the “tabloid” years.
From the point where his life becomes entangled with Judy Garland’s the story is solid showbiz and name dropping. It shows a man who did his best to cope with an addict who was used to adoration and would accept nothing less. The failed performances and disappointed audiences but mostly the diva in fine form to the public at least.
I remember Liza Minelli saying Sid was a good father to her, his step-daughter, and he seems really fond of their assorted children. Whilst I realise this story is, of necessity, one sided I do think it grabs the essence of their marriage, and the fact that he was still in love with Judy despite her duplicity and untrustworthiness. There are various notes and messages from an apologetic wife, to her long-suffering husband. Notes which the author found amongst his subject’s papers. Which Sid must have retained despite their bitter marriage endings.
Despite having seen not just the monster but the defeated addict it seems he was still very much in love with Judy right to not only her death, but his too.
The book Is very easy to read and much of it is interesting even before the “tabloid” years.
August 15, 2020
After watching the movie' "Judy" starring Renee Zellwinger, I wanted to know more about her. I already knew she was a child star, along with Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor, all of whom grew up on screen under scrutiny every day of their lives. It caused Judy much grief as she struggled to lose weight, working continuously & under relentless criticism to perform non- stop. Sid Luft was her 3rd husband and it appears the one husband who truly loved Judy for who she was, good and bad. He was her "fella" and became her producer in charge of her career when she needed a change. He was responsible for the remake of "A Star is Born" staring his multi talented wife and was also thereafter of her two youngest children. Their marriage was a passionate one fraught with many problems, not the least of which was her dependency on drugs and liquor that eventually destroyed her career and their marriage. He gives lots of details on her dislike of her mother, who he liked and felt did not deserve Judy's distain, their friends & relationships, many of whom were stars of that time. Judy was so gifted and so loved by the public. She was also taken advantage of by gold diggers who took her money and, towards the end of her life, left her basically penniless. Her story is a tragic one.
September 17, 2022
I’ve been debating for a few days what I wanted to write in this review. This book captivated me immediately because I’m a huge Judy fan, and I have been since I was old enough to focus on the TV. But I’m a firm believer in knowing our idols’ flaws, and through learning Judy’s this book thoroughly broke my heart.
I almost convinced myself I was going to leave a 3/4 star review for this due to Luft’s long and arduous introduction into his own background. Towards the middle of the book it dawned on me how important it was to understand how this man thought, and whether an intentional move or not, by giving us such a descriptive insight into his pre-Judy life he granted us the tools to decipher his narration as genuinely as possible.
Speaking as someone who has also unfortunately got a lot of experience living and coping with people suffering addiction, the way he retold the events of his marriage (particularly the later years) really struck a chord with me. He writes gut-wrenching accounts of incidents I’d never heard of, drew a cold and honest light on nights which Judy and the press both played a role in romanticising or sweeping under the rug, and he remains relatively self critical of his own forthcomings, which is think is what led me to remain as interested as I did throughout the entirety of the book.
If you love old Hollywood this is a great read.
If you love Judy Garland, it’s a necessity.
I almost convinced myself I was going to leave a 3/4 star review for this due to Luft’s long and arduous introduction into his own background. Towards the middle of the book it dawned on me how important it was to understand how this man thought, and whether an intentional move or not, by giving us such a descriptive insight into his pre-Judy life he granted us the tools to decipher his narration as genuinely as possible.
Speaking as someone who has also unfortunately got a lot of experience living and coping with people suffering addiction, the way he retold the events of his marriage (particularly the later years) really struck a chord with me. He writes gut-wrenching accounts of incidents I’d never heard of, drew a cold and honest light on nights which Judy and the press both played a role in romanticising or sweeping under the rug, and he remains relatively self critical of his own forthcomings, which is think is what led me to remain as interested as I did throughout the entirety of the book.
If you love old Hollywood this is a great read.
If you love Judy Garland, it’s a necessity.
April 9, 2025
I own several authors' books about Judy Garland, so when I saw this book at a garage sale, I had to grab it. I set it on my bookshelf and then forgot about it. I didn't think I would learn anything new about Judy, and, to be honest, I expected this book to blame her for everything that went wrong in their marriage.
This book was excellently written. The author writes in such a way that it isn't hard to see the scene(s) in your mind. While it's obvious that Judy should be the focus of the book, the reader also learns a lot about Sid Luft himself. Unfortunately, Sid did not live long enough to see his book go to print or even to finish the book. Consequently, the book was revived and finished by Randy L. Schmidt.
I liked the fact that this book doesn't make anyone a hero/or without issues. Sid blames himself and Judy for the end of their marriage. While this book was good, I cannot say it was great. It did give some insight into why Judy was a deeply flawed individual. It was also fair in explaining the two people involved. However, the idea that Sid asserts in the book that Judy was the "love of his life" even though he was married FIVE times, does not ring true.
It was a good read and I enjoyed it. It did give a deeper insight into the private life of Judy Garland.
This book was excellently written. The author writes in such a way that it isn't hard to see the scene(s) in your mind. While it's obvious that Judy should be the focus of the book, the reader also learns a lot about Sid Luft himself. Unfortunately, Sid did not live long enough to see his book go to print or even to finish the book. Consequently, the book was revived and finished by Randy L. Schmidt.
I liked the fact that this book doesn't make anyone a hero/or without issues. Sid blames himself and Judy for the end of their marriage. While this book was good, I cannot say it was great. It did give some insight into why Judy was a deeply flawed individual. It was also fair in explaining the two people involved. However, the idea that Sid asserts in the book that Judy was the "love of his life" even though he was married FIVE times, does not ring true.
It was a good read and I enjoyed it. It did give a deeper insight into the private life of Judy Garland.
June 9, 2020
2.5
This book should be called:
My Life:
...with Judy Garland
Nobody's interested in hearing about Sid Luft unless it's associated with the greatest entertainer of all time; and frankly, there isn't any other.
He's a smart man, so he knew it--which is why he took this opportunity to give us his backstory; this book was going to be his only opportunity to set down his privileged upbringing and his time as a pilot (which seems to be his true passion...if you don't count Horses).
Sid was probably the only man ever to see and love her for the human woman she was--and that's the accomplishment of this book: we have an account of one of the greatest artists of our time given in pure love. He's not here to settle scores with anyone. He's here to set it straight. Like it is. With very little fat--which is his...from all the caviar and champagne he ate with his wife.
This book should be called:
My Life:
...with Judy Garland
Nobody's interested in hearing about Sid Luft unless it's associated with the greatest entertainer of all time; and frankly, there isn't any other.
He's a smart man, so he knew it--which is why he took this opportunity to give us his backstory; this book was going to be his only opportunity to set down his privileged upbringing and his time as a pilot (which seems to be his true passion...if you don't count Horses).
Sid was probably the only man ever to see and love her for the human woman she was--and that's the accomplishment of this book: we have an account of one of the greatest artists of our time given in pure love. He's not here to settle scores with anyone. He's here to set it straight. Like it is. With very little fat--which is his...from all the caviar and champagne he ate with his wife.
July 17, 2020
The title of this book should have been I and Judy. It is 80% Sid Luft and 20% Judy Garland. The book also needed an editor and fewer parties. My one positive conclusion about the book is more about Mr. Luft, if what he wrote was accurate, than about the book. Of all the pill pushers, sycophants, users, and thieves that surrounded Judy Garland virtually all of her life Sid seems to be the only person who loved her and actually had her best interests at heart. You can basically skip the first 17 chapters, as this is totally Mr. Luft's autobiography. I really did not read this book to learn about him. He constantly denies that he was an alcoholic, but is drinking on virtually every page. If you want to read a biography of Judy Garland, pick another book. Kristi & Abby Tabby
May 21, 2017
The latter part of the book- I liked. The first half or third of the book- was tedious- very much about Sid Luft - and only Sid Luft.
Luft waits until about a third of the way through the book to write about Judy. Love the memories of Old Hollywood- the business as well as the social.
If what I read is to be believed- then Luft truly loved Garland despite her demons, but he still comes off as a bit of a macho blowhard.
It's a shame that at that time in history, medication to treat bi-polar, anxiety, depression were not to be had. What a difference it would have been for Judy.
Luft waits until about a third of the way through the book to write about Judy. Love the memories of Old Hollywood- the business as well as the social.
If what I read is to be believed- then Luft truly loved Garland despite her demons, but he still comes off as a bit of a macho blowhard.
It's a shame that at that time in history, medication to treat bi-polar, anxiety, depression were not to be had. What a difference it would have been for Judy.
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