Three men smiling at the camera, standing closely together. Shelves with toy car models and framed pictures are in the background.

Johnny Trlica’s annual holiday event takes a final bow


By Randall Jobe

“Tradition! Tradition!†Tevye sings in the time-honored musical, Fiddler On The Roof.

He understands and revels in the importance of tradition as a fabric woven of celebrations of life and love to pass from one generation to the next.

Montrose resident Johnny Trlica also knows how traditions are built. Whether his intention was originally there or not, he created an annual experience that has had a life of its own: bringing friends old and new together every Christmas season for 25 (some insist 27) years. His Judy Garland Christmas Party began as a few friends gathered to watch a televised special that had just come out on VHS and included Red Skelton and Ozzie and Harriet specials. However, it eventually became the Garland show of live interviews, song and dance and, in what quickly became apparent in viewing, more than a little holiday spirit. Judy increasingly shows not-so-subtle signs of having hit the eggnog…hard! Though she manages to perform magically with the help of her children and, at one point, a chorus of dancing Santas, it’s the occasional slurring of words and lyrics and a misstep or two that make for added delight. As the annual event grew so did the fun as more and more observations were made and commented on, often to the laughter of the group.

Still. The devotion to the fabulous Garland who, since her days dancing the yellow brick road as the lovely Dorothy Gale, was always present from Johnny and ultimately from his predominantly LGBT guests and others.

The black-and-white, live presentation, first shown in 1963 introduces Judy’s children, a 17-year old Liza Minnelli (in a show-stopping rendition of Steam Heat) , a younger Lorna Luft and their baby brother, Joey Luft. They all speak, sing and dance with rehearsed precision, dressed impeccably and obviously on their best behavior. It was a demanded image of the time—picture perfect—but a stark contrast to the “reality†television we are subjected to today. With cameras looking through the windows of the Garland home, Judy sings the memorable tune, ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ from the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis. Guest stars Mel Torme and Jack Jones join with yuletide favorites. Judy presents the Wizard of Oz classic, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,†delivering a stellar showing despite an unintentional lyric change. Even if she isn’t at her best, she is still better than most. Here there is no distasteful look or word and certainly no bratty or disrespectful behavior. The entire show is resplendent with charm and class.
As the years passed at the holiday gatherings, many repeat guests began to reflect on the last time they had been present and realized that it was often at Johnny’s festively decorated home a year earlier. Some years were better attended that others with Johnny recalling a time when the number was over 50. New faces were added to the mix, introduced to the Garland genius and a quarter century later, in 2017, the group was a huge mix of age, ethnicities, backgrounds and interests. Yet, on this one night, all come together to honor a legend whose own struggles mirrored some of their own.

So a tradition was built that only now has Johnny has decided to draw to a close. He says that the time has come and that it might be time for something new. He won’t say what he has planned, but eludes to another chapter, possibly retuning to the original title of the event: “An Old-Fashioned Christmas Party.†Hopefully, he will inspire another generation to begin their own traditions. Regardless of where he goes from here, the legacy of his party, the bonds that were made, and the good times will have their own life in remembrances kept alive in stories, warm holiday feelings, laughter and the lilting sounds of the incomparable Judy Garland…somewhere over the rainbow.

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