Judy by the Numbers: "The Faraway Part of Town"
Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at 8:30AM 
After the critical and financial disappointment of A Star Is Born (1954), Judy took another hiatus from moviemaking. While she continued an active concert touring schedule, and began popping up on television on occasion, exhaustion, disappointment and illness kept her from another film. It took an old friend to coax her back into movies, in the weirdest cameo of her career.
The Movie: Pepe (Columbia, 1960)
The Songwriters: Dory Previn (lyrics), Andre Previn (music)
The Cast: Cantinflas, Shirley Jones, Dan Dailey, directed by George Sidney
(A cleaner version with proper aspect ratios can be found here.)
The Story: Cantinflas was already a beloved megastar of Mexican cinema by the time he made a splash in Around the World in 80 Days. Hoping to capitalize on a new opportunity, Columbia cast him in Pepe, and added cameos by 35 Hollywood stars just in case the Mexican comedian didn't pan out.
Judy was one of the 35 cameos. Originally coaxed on board by her former director, George Sidney, Judy was just recovering from hepatitus when the movie began shooting. Columbia reduced her cameo to a singing one, either for health reasons or because they were afraid she'd gained too much weight. At any rate, this may have inadvertently saved Judy - the movie bombed, but she ended up with an Academy Award nominated hit.
Regardless of the rest of the film's legacy or reception, there is something truly trippy in the best way about watching a Mexican comedian dance with the current Hollywood "it" soprano (and future Mrs. Partridge) to a Judy Garland number. It sums up the strange transition period that was early '60s Hollywood better than any other clip I can think of. It worked in Judy's favor, too. The next year, Judy Garland was awarded a Golden Globe for lifetime contribution to American film. However, her contributions weren't over yet. She was about to give one of the most devastating performances of her career.
Reader Comments (7)
Pepe is a goofy mess of a movie but ANYTHING is better than the torturous Around the World in 80 Days, in my mind the absolute worst Best Picture winner, and Cantinflas has his charms but overall it boils down to a case of spot the star.
This is a pretty song which Judy sings in a lovely way but it's a mere blip. I know that before that near fatal bout with hepatitis she was so swollen as to be almost unrecognizable and afterwards for a while at least extremely frail so that probably does explain why she is only heard on the soundtrack.
A nice obscure number to point out though. Thanks Anne Marie!
Is next week going to be Judgment at Nuremberg?
Craver - It is!
this series has been so interesting. you never fail us! I had NO idea about any of this.
That song could be a great title for some a gay period melodrama.
Pretty right-on, except Shirley Jones doesn't actually dance with Cantinflas but with Dan Dailey...
Judy was in marvelous voice when she recorded The Faraway Part of Town. It’s a beautiful song and wonderfully scored. I think that she recorded her studio album, That’s Entertainment. Pepe is a mess - pretty awful movie but it made plenty of money. I think the copy you can see on TCM had been cut. There is lots on the soundtrack album that is not in the TV print ???? Never released on DVD.