7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, Friday, October 13, 2023
C’MON, GET HAPPY: THE MAKING OF SUMMER STOCK
David Fantle and Tom Johnson
In the Hub
Film historians David Fantle and Tom Johnson will give an in-person talk on their latest book: C’mon, Get Happy: the Making of Summer Stock. Summer Stock is a 1950 MGM musical starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly and it was Garland’s final film at the studio she called home for 15 years. They will trace the history of this “troubled” production as well as provide insights into the mechanics of MGM’s famous musical film factory system.
About the Authors
David Fantle, mostly in collaboration with Tom Johnson, has been interviewing, writing and speaking about Hollywood’s Golden Age stars for 40 years where their work has appeared in media outlets throughout the world. Fantle’s career also includes more than three decades working as an award-winning marketing and public relations professional, including a tenure as Deputy Tourism Secretary for Wisconsin. He resides in Milwaukee, WI and is an adjunct professor in film at Marquette University. Tom Johnson began his collaboration with David Fantle in 1978 as a student journalist at the University of Minnesota by co-writing an award-winning arts and entertainment column for the “Minnesota Daily” called “Entertainment Ltd.” Johnson was a senior editor at Netflix and has written movie reviews and features for E! Online, Moviefone and People magazine, among other publications. Johnson’s entertainment writing has been recognized with a Minnesota Newspaper Association achievement award and a National Hearst Foundation award for news writing.
