The one hundred eighth TV show: #81 The Judy Garland Show
We've been getting a couple of episodes of this show in, a variety show that for the most part focuses on the songs by Judy Garland and her guests, punctuated by occasional conversations and short sketches. It's not the most complicated formula, and as you'd expect relies heavily on the charisma of the host.
And the best parts of the show are when Judy Garland can be herself - performing a great song, doing a monologue about her time in showbusiness (the trunk sections show she's a good storyteller and they lead into songs well) or enjoying everyone around. It's probably partially faked, sure, but it feels like she's having a good time when she's on stage and it really makes her come across well.
Where it gets marred is when the show feels the need to put her down. While it's not Jerry van Dyke's fault, the segments he's in tend to drag the show down - there's nothing funny about the way they keep putting her down in it, and some of it drags too long anyway. He doesn't stick around, but the Christmas special especially shows how charming Judy can be when she gets the chance to do what she seemed to love doing (and enjoy it when others are doing the same)