Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Irving Brecher (screenplay) and
Fred F. Finklehoffe (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

January 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Family | Romance

Tagline:

A cast of favorites in the Charming . . . Romantic . . . Tuneful Love Story of the Early 1900s !

Plot:

In the year before the 1904 St Louis World's Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons of life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York.

Plot Keywords:

Americana | Family Relationships | Transfer | Father Son Relationship | Husband Wife Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 13

8:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Judy Garland	...	Esther Smith
Margaret O'Brien	...	'Tootie' Smith
Mary Astor	...	Mrs. Anna Smith
Lucille Bremer	...	Rose Smith
Leon Ames	...	Mr. Alonzo Smith
Tom Drake	...	John Truett
Marjorie Main	...	Katie - Maid
Harry Davenport	...	Grandpa
June Lockhart	...	Lucille Ballard
Henry H. Daniels Jr.	...	Lon Smith Jr.
Joan Carroll	...	Agnes Smith
Hugh Marlowe	...	Colonel Darly
Robert Sully	...	Warren Sheffield
Chill Wills	...	Mr. Neely

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (video rating) | Canada:G (Ontario) | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #10050) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

The movie was based on the real-life experiences of novelist Sally Benson. The character of Tootie was based on her own childhood; she was called Tootie as a little girl.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Various scenes include views of mountains. However, St. Louis does not have any mountain ranges.

Quotes:

[talking on the telephone]
Warren Sheffield: Isn't this great? Here I am in New York, and there you are in St. Louis, and it's just like you're in the next room!
Rose Smith: What was that?
Warren Sheffield: [yelling] I said, IT'S JUST LIKE YOU'RE IN THE NEXT ROOM!
Rose Smith: Oh.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Boy Next Door

Too sweet? Perhaps...but not too syrupy!

If there was no other reason why Judy Garland married Vincente Minnelli, then this film supplies the reason for how he won her hand. It's a valentine to her talents and, as an example of MGM's gilt-edged manufacture, it's a sold gold entry.

Yes, Tom Drake was a bit wan as Judy's love interest but everyone else in the cast, maybe even including the too-glamorous Lucille Bremer, are just right, especially the inimitable Marjorie Main. Mary Astor, already deep in the throes of her extended bout with alcoholism as the family's matriarch shows nary a sign of her illness, such was the wizardry of the makeup artists, costumers, hair dressers and the cinematographer. And Judy, too, already addicted to the medications that her tyrannical studio bosses used to keep her nose to a very demanding grindstone, looks as wholesome and lovely as one could wish, particularly in the "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" number.

It's one of those Golden Age classics that always repays a return viewing and its naysayers are in a rather lonely minority, in my opinion.