Directed By: Vincente Minnelli
Starring: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor
Tag line: "A cast of favorites in the Charming . . . Romantic . . . Tuneful Love Story of the Early 1900s !"
Trivia: The book on which this film is based originally ran as a weekly feature in New Yorker Magazine in 1942
The Wizard of Oz is a beloved movie classic that has stirred the imaginations of countless millions over the years. That said, I do not consider it the best film to feature Judy Garland (who played Dorothy in Wizard). For me, her finest hour (make that hour and 53 minutes) was 1944’s Meet Me in St. Louis. Set at the turn of the 20th century, Meet Me in St. Louis saw Garland play a vivacious young girl on the verge of becoming a woman.
And she was marvelous in the part.
The year 1903 would prove to be a pivotal one in the lives of St. Louis’ Smith family. Rose (Lucille Bremer), the eldest daughter of Mr. Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames) and his wife Anna (Mary Astor), is expecting a marriage proposal any day now from boyfriend Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully), even though he is working hundreds of miles away, in New York City. The next-eldest Smith daughter, Esther (Garland), also experiences her first romance, having fallen in love with the boy next door, John Truett (Tom Drake).
We follow the exploits of the Smith clan over the course of several months, from the warmth of summer to Halloween night - when youngest child Tootie (Margaret O’Brien) gets into all sorts of mischief - and straight through to Christmas.
Their lives take an unexpected turn, however, when Mr. Smith announces he has accepted a position in New York City, and the entire family will be moving soon after the first of the year. Naturally, the Smith ladies are less than enthusiastic, especially since they were all looking forward to the World’s Fair, which is set to open in St. Louis in the Spring of 1904.
Are the Smiths really heading east, or will fate intervene?
With all due respect to The Wizard of Oz's "Over the Rainbow", I think Judy Garland’s rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which she sings at a key moment in Meet Me in St. Louis, is her finest on-screen musical performance. This is followed closely by another number from this film, "The Trolley Song", where her Esther, upset that new beau Joh Pruett has seemingly missed the trolley, gets over her disappointment by belting out this lively tune.
In addition to the music (which also includes the title song, performed at different intervals throughout the movie), Meet Me in St. Louis is a beautifully shot motion picture, with lush period costumes and gorgeous set pieces that perfectly capture the time and setting of its story, as well as the innocence and charm of turn-of-the-century America.
A movie musical of the highest order, Meet Me in St. Louis is a shining example of what Hollywood was capable of during its Golden age: taking a simple story and a few catchy tunes and spinning them into cinematic gold.
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