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June 22, 1969It is her eyes.

Those eyes so dark, but with the unmistakable spark of light that shines out from them.Searching. Always searching. Even more than the voice--at full force an emotional holocaust --it

is the eyes that draw you in and never let you go. And when coupled with the former's clarioncall, well, you are hers and hers alone. That is the unmistakable allure of Judy Garland. If

Garbo's mysterious pull is her divine detachment, Garlands is the polar opposite. She needs--

craves -- the consolation of a human contact. Even as a shadow on a movie screen, she reachesout to us, her desire for our assurance almost palpable. This is her allure. It's quite simply, what

made us love her.

Judy Garland died forty two years ago today. But, as with great personalities who left an

indelible mark on our culture, she has never

really left us. The melody lingers on. This isparticularly true of Garland, as her death notonly created the standard cottage industry, but

the grief over her loss has been credited as the

catalyst for an entire human rights movement.And whether or not it you believe it was so,

whether it was indeed grief combined with

rage, or gin combined with tonic that fueled

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the riot at the Stonewall Inn forty-two years ago, what is indisputable is that Judy Garland

touched, and continues to touch, a profound place in the hearts of the disenfranchised and

disconnected everywhere. So, what is it about this diminutive woman with the great big voicethat is almost sacred to so many then, as

well as now? Well, the answer is in her

eyes.

Those huge, liquid brown eyes give us

access; they are our point of entry intointimate connection. This symbiotic

relationship between actor and audience is

the essence of film acting, and at the

pinnacle of her film career, from 1943through 1948, no one was a better

practitioner than Judy Garland. Look at

1945's The Clock. In this simple story of a

young couple who meet, fall in love, wed,and part in the space of the young man's

48 hour leave, she is a revelation. Through her deceptively simple performance, we experienceevery emotional crest of a young woman bewildered, elated, fearful and courageous in the onset

of sudden and improbable love. It's even more astounding when we realize that she, always

promoted as MGM's great musical comedy star, does not sing a note in the film. She doesn't need

to; she communicates all through her large,searching eyes.

What is it she is searching for? Recognition?

Approval? Comfort? Hope? Love? How about all of

the above. We recognize the longing in the eyes ofthe girl/woman as our own. Because of this

powerful connection she became the most "human"

of movie stars; she was little sister, best friend,emotional lover and finally, survivor. We looked to

her for recognition and comfort, because we know

that she is struggling, too. In her reel life, she

always persevered. In herreal life, she did not. Andit is the realization of this ironic and ultimately

tragic truth that gives her legend its bittersweet,

and ultimately most human quality.

Of course, true to form, she never saw it that way. For her, this "tragedienne" aspect of herpersona was a bit silly. Being the incredibly perceptive woman that she was, however, she knew

it was one of her most saleable attributes. When her adolescent daughter asked her why it was

she received sympathy cards even during her most jubilant periods, her response a was a wry:

"Sympathy is my business". Her sardonic acknowledgement that her "tragedies" sold tickets,

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however, belied the real affection that she

held for her admirers and the special

connection that they shared (she oncerefused to sing a comic send-up of "Over

the Rainbow" for fear it would offend those

who held the song in such reverence). Bythe time of her death, it was difficult to

believe that she was a mere 47 years old;

not merely because a life of excess left itsundeniable imprint on her features, but also

because she spent all but two of those years

in the eyes of her adoring public. She knew

no other life than one that was played out infront of a rapt audience. They could be

ecstatic or disapproving, but they were always there. They were as essential to her as breathing,

and it is no small coincidence that, in those final years, as she felt them slip away, she slipped

away too. Quietly, slowly, with little fuss or distraction. She knew we would have her forever.

In the final moments of 1954's A Star Is Born, which contains her greatest screenperformance, Norman Maine, about to make his grand exit, stops her as she is walking away

from him. "I just want to have another look at you", he says to her. She smiles, pauses, turns, and

walks out of frame. We are so much luckier than Norman Maine. We know that, thanks to the

magic of movies, we can always have another look at Judy Garland.

Her melody lingers on...