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C'mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock Hardcover – October 10, 2023

by David Fantle (Author), Tom Johnson (Author), Savion Glover (Foreword)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
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In their third and final screen teaming, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly starred together in the MGM musical Summer Stock. Despite its riveting production history, charismatic lead actors, and classic musical moments, the movie has not received the same attention as other musicals from MGM’s storied dream factory. In C’mon, Get Happy: The Making of “Summer Stock,” authors David Fantle and Tom Johnson present a comprehensive study of this 1950 motion picture, from start to finish and after its release.

The production coincided at a critical point in the careers of Kelly and an emotionally spent Garland. Kelly, who starred in An American in Paris just one year later, was at the peak of his abilities. On the other hand, Summer Stock was Garland’s final film at MGM, and she gamely completed it despite her own personal struggles. Summer Stock includes Kelly’s favorite solo dance routine and Garland’s signature number “Get Happy.”

The authors discuss in rich detail the contributions of the cast (which included Gloria DeHaven, Eddie Bracken, Phil Silvers, and Marjorie Main); the director (Charles Walters); the producer (Joe Pasternak); the script writers (George Wells and Sy Gomberg); the songwriters (which included Harry Warren and Mack Gordon); and top MGM executives (Louis B. Mayer and Dore Schary). The volume features extensive interviews, conducted by the authors, with Kelly, Walters, Warren, and others, who shared their recollections of making the movie. Deeply researched, C’mon, Get Happy reveals the studio system at work during Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Additionally, the authors have written a special section called “Taking Stock” that buttonholes numerous contemporary dancers, singers, choreographers, musicians, and even Garland impersonators for their take on Summer Stock, its stars, and any enduring legacy they think the film might have. Artists from Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ben Vereen, and Tommy Tune to Garland’s and Kelly’s daughters, Lorna Luft and Kerry Kelly Novick, respectively, offer their unique perspective on the film and its stars.

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  1. Print length
    312 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University Press of Mississippi
  4. Publication date
    October 10, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6.22 x 0.88 x 9.32 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1496838394
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1496838391
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Gene Kelly in the "squeaky board" dance routine

Tommy Tune, ten-time Tony Award–winning director, choreographer, and dancer says

“Just like the dance Gene Kelly does on a squeaky board and newspaper that builds from a hesitating start to an explosive finish, Dave and Tom expertly chronicle the making of Summer Stock from uncertain beginnings to its ultimate triumph on the screen.”

Gene Kelly and Judy Garland dancing Courtesy of Kim Lundeen Collection

Lorna Luft, singer, author, and daughter of Judy Garland says

“Thank you for your insightful and loving book about the movie, Summer Stock. I’m sure that, without a doubt, it will make your readers forget their troubles and just Get Happy!”

Phil Silvers and Gene Kelly dressed as Hillbillies in Summer Stock, courtesy of Photofest

Rob Marshall, film and Broadway director and choreographer of Chicago, Nine, and Into the Woods says

“Shout ‘HALLELUJAH!’—Fantle and Johnson have given us a rare peek into the miracle that is filmmaking. Their love for movie musicals of the Golden Age comes through in every glorious and riveting detail.”

Seated L-R: Gene Kelly, Al Jennings, Judy Garland and Chuck Walters, courtesy Photofest.

Michael Feinstein, singer, songwriter, and ambassador of the Great American Songbook says

“This very special book is entertaining and meticulously researched. It offers a clear sense of how they created a musical during the Golden Age of Hollywood and connects the dots of the process, combining the strands of many important voices, leaving the modern reader agog at the wonders of the MGM factory and the studio system. I thoroughly enjoyed it!”

Book cover C'mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock

Susan Stroman, five-time Tony Award–winning choreographer and director of the Broadway and film versions of The Producers says

“I know every step in Summer Stock like the back of my hand, and David and Tom have done a brilliant job capturing the magic of this beloved classic. What a thrill to be taken behind the scenes to glimpse the extraordinary talents who brought to life one of the all-time greats from the MGM era. An absolute must-read!”

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fascinating new book. . . . Coauthors David Fantle and Tom Johnson did extensive research and conducted many new interviews to bring us an in-depth account of the making of this musical. -- Alicia Malone ― Turner Classic Movies

Fans of Garland, Kelly, and the golden age of movie musicals will enjoy this exploration. -- Zhui Ning Chang ― Library Journal

David Fantle and Tom Johnson have written the book on the movie. -- David Luhrssen ― Shepherd Express

Through their discerning approach, [Fantle and Johnson] unpack long-held myths about Garland's role in production delays, as well as analyze the genius of her iconic 'Get Happy' number and Gene Kelly's choreography and performances. If you need a reason to forget your troubles this fall, look no further than this book. -- Maureen Lee Lenker ― Entertainment Weekly

A marvelous grab bag of facts, tidbits, and insights, including from some modern-day showbiz folk. What Fantle and Johnson say about Kelly's films can be said about golden age musicals in general: their ‘sunny, can-do optimism. . .helped define the American century.’ C’mon, Get Happy enhances that definition. -- Nell Beram ― Shelf Awareness

A 1950 musical with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland finally gets the credit it deserves in [this] new book. ― Parade

C'mon, Get Happy: The Making of “Summer Stock” sets the standard for books about the history of a motion picture, though I doubt anyone will be able to rival the achievement of this group biography. -- Carl Rollyson ― The New York Sun

The book will make fans of Garland, and film musicals in general, very happy, indeed. -- Paul Freeman ― Pop Culture Classics

Thank you for your insightful and loving book about the movie Summer Stock. I’m sure that, without a doubt, it will make your readers forget their troubles and just Get Happy! -- Lorna Luft, singer, author, and daughter of Judy Garland

Just like the dance Gene Kelly does on a squeaky board and newspaper that builds from a hesitating start to an explosive finish, Dave and Tom expertly chronicle the making of Summer Stock from uncertain beginnings to its ultimate triumph on the screen. -- Tommy Tune, ten-time Tony Award–winning director, choreographer, and dancer

This very special book is entertaining and meticulously researched. It offers a clear sense of how they created a musical during the Golden Age of Hollywood and connects the dots of the process, combining the strands of many important voices, leaving the modern reader agog at the wonders of the MGM factory and the studio system. I thoroughly enjoyed it! -- Michael Feinstein, singer, songwriter, and ambassador of the Great American Songbook

Shout ‘HALLELUJAH!’―Fantle and Johnson have given us a rare peek into the miracle that is filmmaking. Their love for movie musicals of the Golden Age comes through in every glorious and riveting detail. -- Rob Marshall, film and Broadway director and choreographer of Chicago, Nine, and Into the Woods

I know every step in Summer Stock like the back of my hand, and David and Tom have done a brilliant job capturing the magic of this beloved classic. What a thrill to be taken behind the scenes to glimpse the extraordinary talents who brought to life one of the all-time greats from the MGM era. An absolute must-read! -- Susan Stroman, five-time Tony Award–winning choreographer and director of the Broadway and film versions of The Producers

Whenever a film scoring assignment took me to MGM, I looked forward to eating lunch in the studio café where Gene Kelly and Judy Garland dined, peeking into soundstages 26 and 27 where they rehearsed and filmed the great musicals of MGM’s Golden Age. ‘If only these walls could talk,’ I wondered. Well, it’s as if they spilled all they had seen and heard to David Fantle and Tom Johnson who have given me and all you lucky readers this fascinating, meticulously researched, mega-readable book. I ate it up and couldn’t wait to watch Summer Stock again, only this time as a privileged insider. -- David Shire, Oscar-winning songwriter, composer, and arranger for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Conversation, and All the President’s Men

The authors have done us a great service. They bring us into the world of the creation of an MGM musical, Summer Stock, in the waning days of the studio system and let us see the process in ways we seldom get to know. They take us behind the scenes and show us what went into creating these moments, and all the others, while at the same time giving us a glimpse into the lives of the wildly talented actors and artists―people who were doing the creating. This is the present the authors have given us in this remarkable and delightful book―a full tour of how an MGM musical was really made. In Fantle and Johnson’s hands, the making of Summer Stock is touching―and ultimately moving. -- Richard Maltby Jr., Tony Award-winning director and lyricist of such shows as Ain’t Misbehavin’, Fosse, and Miss Saigon

The book brings to life every detail of the making of this movie, and I enjoyed it immensely. The research and the result should be applauded. -- Alan Bergman, multiple Oscar-, Emmy-, and Grammy-winning songwriter

About the Author

David Fantle, in collaboration with Tom Johnson, has been interviewing, writing, and speaking about Hollywood’s Golden Age stars for forty-five years. Fantle is adjunct professor of film at Marquette University.

Tom Johnson is former senior editor at Netflix and has written movie reviews and features for E! Online, Moviefone, and People magazine, among other publications. His entertainment writing has been recognized with a Minnesota Newspaper Association achievement award and a National Hearst Foundation award for news writing.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Mississippi; Hardback ed. edition (October 10, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 312 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496838394
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496838391
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.36 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.22 x 0.88 x 9.32 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

About the author

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David Fantle

David Fantle

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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.

https://www.cbs58.com/news/sunday-morning-spotlight-dave-fantle-hollywoods-heyday

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
51 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mark Peterson
5.0 out of 5 stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly and a fascinating history
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
Extremely well researched book about the making of a classic MGM musical. I enjoyed learning about the film making craft, the writing and selection of the music, the many fine actors, and the many people and their roles behind the scenes. Just a very well written history with fascinating people involved with the making of classic movies.
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DEWEY M.
4.0 out of 5 stars "How dare this look like we're having any fun!": The Troubles And Miracle Of Summer Stock"
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Several books have been written about Judy Garland's two great cinema masterpieces "The Wizard Of Oz" (1939) and "A Star Is Born" (Warner Brothers: 1954). But, "Summer Stock" (1950)?? It is a pleasant enough, if innocuous, MGM musical. Judy brings her troubled tenure at MGM to a triumphant end with the knockout number "Get Happy" as a fitting finale.
"Summer Stock" was a mere stopgap in Gene Kelly's career. Gene felt he owed his good friend Judy a few favors. He had just finished "On The Town" and was anxious to get started on "An American In Paris." He was two years away from "Singin' In The Rain."
Authors David Fantle and Tom Johnson make a strong case that "Summer Stock" is, at the very least, an under- appreciated musical. And we learn there was much more at stake than a terribly damaged Judy Garland trying to save her professional reputation.
By 1949-1950, the movie industry was quickly changing, and there was a power struggle going on inside MGM between Dore Schary and L.B. Mayer. Schary hated musicals, the genre that had been MGM's bread and butter for decades. Judy wisely surmised that her days at MGM were numbered when she was unceremoniously fired from the film version of "Annie Get Your Gun" in May, 1949. Judy was finally released from MGM in September, 1950, but L.B. Mayer would also soon be out just two years later.
By 1949, Mayer was beginning to feel some late-stage guilt for the studio's part in Judy's unraveling emotional and physical condition. She had arrived at MGM in 1935, barely 13 years old. Mayer ordered that Judy be put on pills to keep her weight down and energy up for the cameras. When you give an adolescent pills, you end up with an addicted adult, which everyone realized much too late. After the "Annie Get Your Gun" nightmare, Judy, no surprise, suffered a nervous breakdown, and MGM paid the bills for her subsequent hospital stay in Boston. Judy wanted to come back to complete a film in good faith and in a decent manner rather than exit in disgrace. Even after several people suggested that it would be in everyone's best interest to shut "Summer Stock" down, Mayer refused in order to give her one last chance.
Everyone involved (Judy, Gene, and director Charles Walters particularly) realized "Summer Stock" was trite, silly, and old-fashioned. Whereas "The Wizard Of Oz", "An American In Paris", "Singin' In The Rain" and Judy's 1954 "A Star Is Born", moved the film musical forward, "Summer Stock" took several steps backwards. Judy's character was, once again, "putting on a Broadway show in a barn."
The making of "Summer Stock" was long and arduous, and a testament to everyone's admiration for, and steadfast support of, Judy Garland. Charles Walters had to act as director, and Judy's constant cheerleader and psychiatrist. Walters remembered "Summer Stock" as a terrible time when he lived on cigarettes and coffee.
Gene and Judy shared a deep and abiding friendship, as well as a potent on-screen chemistry. Gene also did his best to get Judy to the "finish line", and Eddie Bracken, Majorie Main, and Phil Silvers were on hand to keep Judy laughing and in high spirits. Out of all the trouble and strife, "Summer Stock" looked and played like it was (is) a happy movie, and a stunned Walters quipped, "How dare this look like we're having any fun!" That miracle is best summed up in this quote: "(Judy) looked so happy in the picture that the audience, if it hadn't read all about it in the papers, never would have guessed the tough time she had working in Summer Stock."
4 people found this helpful
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Colleen Stroup
5.0 out of 5 stars Judy garland fans will like it
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
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If you are a fan you'll enjoy it
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johnkenrick
5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to "Get Happy"!
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023
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The authors have done a ton of research, including a massive number of interviews, making this look back at the making of Summer Stock a delightful and info-packed trip back to the golden days of the MGM studio. We get Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, their genius as well as their flaws, in the last of their three films together. We get all the dish on how the old song "Get Happy" wound up the highlight number in an otherwise original score by other songwriters. And we see how Hollywood's greatest hit factory turned out the musicals that remain MGM'S greatest claim to fame. Fans of the two stars will find this a must read - I've been lecturing on MGM for many years, and I learned quite a bit I've never heard or read about before. If you are into musicals and the studio era, I suspect that you will enjoy this as I did.
10 people found this helpful
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Brian L. Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars A delight!
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2023
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A joyous, well-written, impeccably researched, and insightful examination of what makes Summer Stock (the Judy Garland/Gene Kelly pairing from 1950) such an enduring classic. Filled with insider information and interviews not only with those involved in the production but with more contemporary voices, C’mon, Get Happy is perfect for those who love films from Hollywood’s golden age and especially those who can’t get enough of its incredible stars—athletic and masterful Kelly and the luminous, one-of-a-kind Garland. Read the book! See the movie!
One person found this helpful
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William Edward
4.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Judy Garland and Gene Kelly Fans
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
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I had to have this book right away. I not only am a big Hollywood "Golden Age" musical fan, but I have several "the making of . . ." books about movies. This one is a little different, however. It is not a straight narrative, but almost more or a reference book with briographies of all the actors, the writers, the director, etc. There are excerpts from contemporary reviews of the movie, and a lot of data about the budtget andk revenue. Then there is a section where current celebrities and critics write short pieces about the film. There is so much discussion of the music and lyrics that I kept thinking the book should have included a CD. But I enjoyed it and there were several nice photos.
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Just_A_Girl17
5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE GENE KELLY
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2023
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Oh was there ever a man before or since as amazing as Gene Kelly?

No, there was NOT.

I bought this to learn the secrets of Summer Stock, one of my favorite movies. So far I’ve learned a lot, well written and informative, but it does focus on Just Garland a lot but it would, she was a big piece of summer stock.

Not many pictures in the book, may e one to two, but it’s worth it even without to be told the secrets behind production.
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Top reviews from other countries

Hugh Ball
5.0 out of 5 stars For Judy fans!
Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2024
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I have loved “Summer Stock” sinceI first saw it decades ago. The back story of all the participants is very well researched and the glimpse into the workings at MGM was intriguing. Not a wealth of new information (if you’ve read anything about Judy before) but it was lovely to see how much she was admired by her peers and the care that they took to help her through a difficult shoot. Howdy Neighbour!
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professor tiki
3.0 out of 5 stars A worthy effort
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2024
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Always good to have an in-depth reading of one of Garland's films, particularly one as genially entertaining as "Summer Stock". Not much if any new information to be found here, however and marred by a rather nasty and somewhat self-serving 'Forward' by professional dancer who admits never having seen the film before being asked to write a preface to the volume.
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