- Las Vegas, NV - June 15, 1965 -

"I Feel Fine" -- Judy Arrives, Show Goes On
Las Vegas Sun

Wearing a smile but with traces of her recent 'illness' still showing on her pale face, Judy Garland arrived at McCarren Field Tuesday afternoon aboard a TWA jest from Los Angeles.  After refusing a statement to the press, the star was immediately whisked away by T-Bird officials, a security guard and drivers, to the hotel where a 31 piece orchestra was awaiting the singer to rehearse for her scheduled opening last night.  However, a T-Bird spokesman said Judy was "tired and would nap first."  But when asked how she felt, Judy replied enthusiastically, "I feel fine."  She added, "I was in the hospital for three weeks for just a check-up and it was finished last night."  She was accompanied here by her fiancé, Mark Herron.  Fans at the airport recognized her immediately and crowded around to get a closer look while television and newspaper cameramen shot pictures.  She was wearing a gold and white silk print dress with black shoes and purse.

Judy Garland was in a tough spot Tuesday night when she bounced onstage at the Thunderbird just as if she hadn't spent a miserable weekend in the hospital.  Members of her cult, some of them in tears, gave her a standing ovation, because they weren't sure that the illness two weeks ago in Cincinnati and the one just hours before in Los Angeles would even allow her to show up for this much publicized Las Vegas engagement.  The star, looking in the best of health and smiling radiantly, wore a bright red blouse-jacket beaded white and with oversized collar, comfortable slacks to match, and white boots, an outfit whipped up for the occasion by Ray Aghayan.  With an air of confidence with which she seemed to want to reassure her fans, she grabbed the mike and in the distinctive Garland tones hoped for socked across a memorable WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS.  It was as if she had hit a home run with the bases loaded.  First nighters were swept into the excitement of the occasion, and cheered each number as she sang ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE, THIS CAN'T BE LOVE, SMILE, JUST IN TIME, WHAT NOW MY LOVE, YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU, FOR ME AND MY GAL, TROLLEY SONG, BY MYSELF, CHICAGO and OVER THE RAINBOW.  Nick Perito, conducting the Nat Bradwynne 30-piece orchestra, is a strong assistant to the star.  On the bill with Miss Garland are Chris and Peter Allen, up from Australia with a refreshing approach to singing and dancing.

An enormous crowd of more than 850 persons sat elbow to elbow in the Thunderbird Hotel showroom Tuesday night waiting almost reverently for Judy Garland to make her entrance.  There was a strange calmness in the room.  Naturally, everyone was aware of Garland's 'emotional upset,' which had landed her once again on page one all over the nation.  They were more concerned with the fact that she would follow tradition with a gritty 'show must go on' appearance.  Then again, would she appear?  Then shortly before midnight, the Nat Bradwynne orchestra, under the baton of Nick Perito, went into the familiar strains of tunes made popular by Judy Garland.  And out came Judy herself showing the slight strain of her physical ordeal of the past few days.  Any doubts that she may have had about that opening night audience vanished as a roar of shear affection that flooded every nook and cranny of the large showroom.  Many of the Garland devotees in the room jumped to their feet, and we were watching a unique scene, a standing ovation for a performer before the show started!  Garland only worked 40 minutes, but she did get across some of the blockbusting tunes which have made her the most exciting performer in the entire history of show business.   Never has this writer heard such a continuous roar of affection for a performer.  But it took Judy's closing song, OVER THE RAINBOW, sung with the Garland magic, to bring this huge audience to its feet with a grateful roar never before heard in this city.  Bearing the visible scars of her numerous jousts with life, Judy played the performer to the hilt and gave these fortunate first nighters an evneing they'll long remember and cherish as one of the most thrilling in an American cafe.  By the same token, it'll be a long time before Garland sings before such a worshipping throng, many of whom unashamedly left the showroom tearful, sniffling but utterly overwhelmed by this human American show business legend, Judy Garland, a lady not only physically bent, yet determined that the 'show must go on' come hell or high water.

Singer Judy Garland, making her first Las Vegas appearance in more than three years, received a standing ovation Tuesday night -- just hours after she was released from a hospital.  She was onstage for 40 minutes in the hotel nightspot, curtsying to continuous applause, shouts of 'more, more,' and even hand-clapping from routinely blasé waiters.  Last Vegas show patrons seldom demand encores, standing ovations are few and waiters haven't been known to cheer in recent years, old-timers noted.  The capacity crowd of 750 began applauding minutes before she appeared as the orchestra ran through a medley of songs associated with Miss Garland, including OVER THE RAINBOW and THE TROLLEY SONG.  Then, wearing a bright orange jumper and white boots, she strolled onstage clutching a microphone, sat on the piano stool and began belting out songs in a style that has a vocal and vigorous following.  At one point the audience began singing along with her.  Between numbers she sipped a glass of water, mopped her brow and told the crowd: "I could sing all night for you."  After two encores she went to her hotel room.  she will be in Las Vegas for two weeks.

It was a Judy Garland show all the way, compete with the cheers, hurrahs, shouts for more and spasmodic standing ovations.  The opening night crowd attending a scheduled two-week engagement really loved her and the patrons continued their enthusiasm through the final note.  The first night shows are usually late starting, but with Judy as the star it added a note of tenseness to the evening.  After an opening production number, Nelson Sardelli, borrowed the hotel's 'Girls a la Carte' in the lounge, provided some pretty good comedy routines.  Judy brought the Allen Brothers from Australia for some clever duet work.  Miss Garland's musical agenda included most of the audience favorites.  She opened with THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS, breezed into WHEN YOU'RE SMILING, and ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE.  Then there was SMILE, JUST IN TIME, and there seemed to be a personal emotional ring to WHAT NOW MY LOVE.  Some of the others in her concert like show included BELLS ARE RINGING, TROLLEY SONG, BY MYSELF, followed by shouts for more, and for the encore, CHICAGO and OVER THE RAINBOW.