The life and career (the high-highs and low downs) of versatile, charismatic actress-singer-dancer Judy Garland is profiled in this informative, well-researched and produced segment for "American Masters". While eventually not quite the thorough examination of the iconic performer one might have hoped for, this comes as close to revealing the real Judy as any other film biography to date. Using old photographs--and Isabel Keating's uncanny readings of Judy's unfinished memoirs--we get a good sense of what Garland thought of herself, and why she became addicted to those pep pills and weight loss techniques from her youthful years at M-G-M. With focused narration and voice-tapes from others in Judy's life, director Susan Lacy is able to put into perspective the ill-fated early marriages, the on-set troubles, and the succession of comebacks. Still, once Lacy makes headway into Garland's fascinating movie career, she has a tendency to then double-back and give us more of the old stuff. We are to understand that the Garland-Gene Kelly musical "The Pirate" was a box-office flop, but are then told a moment later that Garland was nothing short of movie-gold. Her later marriages are ignored, as is the birth of her son Joey, but we are shown a plethora of lost or unused footage, lots of song numbers from Judy's unjustly-neglected television show for CBS, and moving newsreel footage of Garland's funeral procession in front of thousands. For fans, it's a must-see.