- Boston Garden -

Socko or Torchy, Judy a Wow
 Judy Belts Out Oldies; 12,000 Fans Cheer, Sob
 By George McKinnon, The Boston Globe

The trolley clanged and the bells rang for me and my gal, and somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds sang. 

A little woman with a big voice strode onto a stage at the Boston Garden last night and turned a normally-blase audience into a wildly-cheering, foot-stomping, whistling mass of adoring fans.

Judy Garland, apparently tireless, took over the huge auditorium and for more than two hours entranced a sell-out crowd of 13,909.

Judy could do no wrong. The audience applauded at the first bars of each song - long before they could identify the tune. She sipped a glass of water and they applauded.

And at the end when she finished belting out "Chicago" hundreds streamed down the aisle toward the footlights and screamed "more, more."

The Garden probably never rocked to more applause - even from those who had seats behind the stage, and who, for the most part, had only a rear view of Judy.

Outside, ticket scalpers were reported getting as much as $9 a ticket as Garland fans sought vainly to get into the already sold-out auditorium.

Striding out in a black close fitted knee length gown, with a bright red Mandarin jacket, Miss Garland stretched out her arms and said: "I do like appearing in an intimate room."

But the size of the Garden didn't faze the former movie star as she swung out her famous songs.

Miss Garland is somewhat unusual in show business. She made her fame first in the movies and then went into live entertainment, reversing the usual procedure. In this changeover, she has become a sort of female Al Jolson, able to appear in a solo show, backed by an orchestra, and completely entrance and audience with her personality and voice, without props or costumes to back her up.

From her first number, "When You're Smilin'," to the last notes of "Chicago," Judy belted it out.

But it was not all socko. Her "Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather" slow numbers, had women reaching for their handkerchiefs in an emotion-packed show.

"I'm shattered, just shattered" one woman remarked after "Over the Rainbow."

Judy isn't just a stand-up singer. With a portable mike she prances across the stage, does few dance steps, helps the stage hands move the piano and worries about whether the musicians are comfortable.

A little gal, hardly much more than five feet tall, she scampers about during the more lively numbers like a teen-ager. Then, without a change of costume or props she becomes a woman of the world with "Do It Again," and the sad singer of torch songs in "The Man That Got Away."

Cleverly she paces herself - a slow, bluesy number, then a wild jazzy "Who Cares," and next an unfamiliar Noel Coward show tune, "If Love Were All."

What she does with "San Francisco" would make Jeanette MacDonald wish she never entered show business.

Her version of Jolson's "Swanee" and Rock-a-Bye Your Baby" would have the old master among the Garland fans of today.

After some of her numbers, a group near the stage stood up to applaud - something rarely seen outside an opera house and practically never in Boston.

After begging off for an intermission, Miss Garland appeared for the second half in black toreador pants and a sequin jacket. No fancy clothes for Judy. She doesn't need any.

One of Judy's high spots was "You Made Me Love You."

And that's what she did to Boston last night.