Episode 78 – Revisiting MGM’s“Summer Stock” With Authors David Fantle & Tom Johnson – Part 2

During the second half of Tony’s informative conversation with authors David Fantle and Tom Johnson they discuss what has been the reaction they’ve gotten from critics and film lovers since the book came out, which actor - Eddie Bracken or Phil Silvers - was the true comic release in the film, how generous Judy Garland was with her friends, how much she disliked the studio suits like up-and-coming head of production of MGM Dore Shary, the fascinating history of each musical number featured in the film including Gene Kelly’s favorite solo dance routine (the Squeaky Board/Newspaper number) and Garland’s signature number “Get Happy”, why MGM didn’t renew Judy’s contract after the film was released, what happened to Judy and her career after she was released from MGM, the “Taking Stock” chapter that brims with fresh insight on the film, from contemporary artists like Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft, Michael Feinstein, Kerry Kelly Novick (Gene Kelly’s daughter) Marilyn Michaels, Mario Cantone, Ben Vereen and Mikhail Baryshnikov, among others, what were the pros and cons of writing a book like this for the authors, and what their next book will be about.

DAVID FANTLE & TOM JOHNSON

David Fantle has interviewed more than 250 show business personalities over the past 40 years, including such legendary names as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, James Cagney, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, George Burns, Milton Berle, Charlton Heston, Rod Steiger and Gregory Peck. In 2004, a compilation of his interviews were published in the book, Reel to Real: 25 years of Celebrity Profiles from Vaudeville to Movies to TV. The book was recognized by Turner Classic Movies as its May 2004 “Book of the Month.” His latest book, written with his longtime collaborator Tom Johnson, titled C'mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock will be published in October 2023 by the University Press of Mississippi. Their second book of celebrity interviews, Hollywood Heyday: 75 Interviews with Golden Age Legends was published by McFarland and Company in 2018. Fantle is an adjunct professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee where he teaches courses in film, television and popular culture. He is also the former Deputy Secretary of Tourism for Wisconsin and a popular speaker on the cruise ship circuit.

Tom Johnson began his collaboration with David Fantle in 1978 as a student journalist at the University of Minnesota by co-writing an award-winning arts and entertainment column for the Minnesota Daily called “Entertainment Ltd.” Johnson was a senior editor at Netflix and has written movie reviews and features for E! Online, Moviefone and People magazine, among other publications. Johnson’s entertainment writing has been recognized with a Minnesota Newspaper Association achievement award and a National Hearst Foundation award for news writing.

To Find Out More About The Book - ⁠https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/C/C-mon-Get-Happy⁠

To Purchase A Copy Go to Amazon -

⁠https://www.amazon.com/Cmon-Get-Happy-Making-Summer/dp/1496838394⁠

Tom Johnson’s Facebook Page - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tom.johnson.543908⁠

David Fantle’s Facebook Page - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/dfantle⁠

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