Lorna Luft
Born to the legendary Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft, Lorna began her career on her mother’s TV show at the age of 11. She went on to perform on Broadway in Promises Promises, Snoopy, the Musical and Extremities. She has performed in domestic and international productions of They’re Playing Our Song, Guys and Dolls, Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Holiday Inn and White Christmas. She appeared on film and TV in Grease 2, Where the Boys Are and Trapper John, M.D.
Lorna co-produced Life with Judy Garland, the Emmy-winning miniseries based on her memoir "Me and My Shadows." Her latest book, "A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film that Got Away" was released on September 18 to rave reviews. She also celebrates her mother’s songbook in a one-woman show and CD, Songs My Mother Taught Me.
The Golden Age of Movie Musicals
Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein and Judy Garland all wrote their own chapters in the history of show business. Todd Purdum and Lorna Luft have expanded those chapters into books that Richard Hanson will open today. Purdum and Luft will discuss how Rodgers, Hammerstein and Garland (who starred in the first music-based A Star Is Born) launched a Golden Age for musicals as movies.
Social Sciences Auditorium (Seats 500)
Sat, Mar 2, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Book / Movie Biz
Signing area: Social Sciences Auditorium Special Signing (following presentation)
Panelists:
Lorna Luft,
Todd Purdum
Moderator: Richard Hanson
Remembering Robin Williams and Judy Garland
Authors discuss the lives of iconic figures Judy Garland and Robin Williams.
UA Mall Tent (Seats 250)
Sun, Mar 3, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Multigenre
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Central Mall (following presentation)
Panelists:
Dave Itzkoff,
Lorna Luft
Moderator: Kirk Ellis
Book:
A Star Is Born (Turner Classic Movies): Judy Garland and the Film that Got Away
Book / Movie Biz
Running Press Adult
September 2018
ISBN 9780762464814
248 pages
$28.00, INSTORE
Buy nowNew York Times bestselling author and daughter of Judy Garland tells the story of A Star Is Born -- at once the crowning achievement and greatest disappointment in her mother's legendary career.
This is a vivid account of a film classic's production, loss, and reclamation. A Star Is Born -- the classic Hollywood tale about a young talent rising to superstardom, and the downfall of her mentor/lover along the way -- has never gone out of style. It has seen five film adaptations, but none compares to the 1954 version starring Judy Garland in her greatest role. But while it was the crowning performance of the legendary entertainer's career, the production turned into one of the most talked about in movie history. The story, which depicts the dark side of fame, addiction, loss, and suicide, paralleled Garland's own tumultuous life in many ways. While hitting alarmingly close to home for the fragile star, it ultimately led to a superlative performance -- one that was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost in one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history. Running far too long for the studio's tastes, Warner Bros. notoriously slashed extensive amounts of footage from the finished print, leaving A Star is Born in tatters and breaking the heart of both the film's star and director George Cukor. Today, with a director's cut reconstructed from previously lost scenes and audio, the 1954 A Star is Born has taken its deserved place among the most critically acclaimed movies of all time, and continues to inspire each new generation that discovers it. Now, Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy Garland and the film's producer, Sid Luft, tells the story of the production, and of her mother's fight to save her career, as only she could. Teaming with film historian Jeffrey Vance, A Star Is Born is a vivid and refreshingly candid account of the crafting, loss, and restoration of a movie classic, complemented by a trove of images from the family collection taken both on and off the set. The book also includes essays on the other screen adaptations of A Star Is Born, to round out a complete history of a story that has remained a Hollywood favorite for close to a century. More/less
