Meet Me in St. Louis

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.

This is one of my favorite movies with Judy Garland in it (the others being 'A Star Is Born' and 'Easter Parade'). She is so superb in it! Vincente Minnelli's direction is pristine and lushly beautiful. The supporting cast of the film also adds flair to the film. Little Margaret O'Brien plays Tootie, Judy's little sister in the film, who is a real standout. Lucille Bremer (a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, who had a very short career at MGM), plays Judy's older sister who tries flirting with a colonel. The fabulous plot is very simple:

The year is 1903, the town, St. Louis.Tthe Smith family is anxiously awaiting to go to the World's Fair in their hometown. Esther (Judy Garland) has an endless crush on the boy next door Jon Truett (Tom Drake. Then, Mr. Smith (Leon Ames) breaks the news to the family that they are moving to New York City so he can get a job. Mrs. Smith (Mary Astor), Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), Agnes (Joan Caroll), and Esther (Judy), are extremely disappointed. But, on Christmas Eve, they decide not to move after all, and become one of the first visitors to the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.

This movie is one of the greatest movie musicals of all time, and one of Judy Garland's BEST movies! (She sings the legendary "The Trolley Song", the heartwarming "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", the lovely "The Boy Next Door", and the cute duet with Margaret O'Brien, "Under The Bamboo Tree")

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS WHOEVER LIKES MUSICALS! 10/10

This movie is sheer delight from start to finish. I'm sure St. Louis in 1904 wasn't really the same as its depicted here...but it should have been! Only the most jaded cynic imaginable could not be charmed by this film.

The songs are perfect, the cinematography, the set direction, costumes, everything really - MGM movie magic at its best! Vincente Minelli did a superlative job of direction, and the cast simply could not be bettered. Judy Garland gives what I feel is the most relaxed and charming performance of her career, and sings like an angel, not like the jittery bundle of nerves she would become in later life. Tom Drake is very winning as the "Boy Next Door" we should all be so lucky to have. But Margaret O'Brien absolutely steals the picture as the adorable but irrepressibly morbid Tootie, a refreshing change from the normally saccharine moppets of Hollywood's golden years. Marjorie Main also swipes a scene or two as the mouthy cook, and Mary Astor and Leon Ames give sterling support as the parents. Their "make-up" scene at the piano is beautifully done.

What a wonderful antidote this movie is when you need to retreat from the harsh world and have your spirits lifted for a while.

I suspect I didn't give "Meet Me in St. Louis" the attention it fully deserved.

Sometimes, the words Technicolor, musical, Golden Age don't necessarily hit a sensitive chord and I blame it on the Millennial side of me, too blasé and hungry of modern significance. I could watch "The Wizard of Oz" for its status as an iconic classic, "A Star is Born" for its relevance and place in Judy Garland's filmography. But Vincente Minnelli's ode to Saint Louis never caught my attention despite its more than respectable reputation. And now that I saw it, and that I digested it, I realize how misinformed I was and I suspect this is a film I might want to watch again.

This is one of these pitch-proof movie where you keep waiting for something to happen... yet you realize that's not even the point. Indeed, who needs plot when you have the Smithes? This is a family full of such colorful characters that there's no room whatsoever for any plot or pre-written arc. Why should it anyway? Adapted from the happy memories of Sally "Tootie" Benson (yes, told from the little one's standpoint), the film displays such an exhilarating form of happiness that spoiling it with a plot would be a cinematic sin.

So let's visit the family! Leon Ames is Mr. Smith, father of one son and four daughters including Rose (Lucille Bremer), the second oldest Esther (Judy Garland) and the youngest one, Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), Mrs. Smith (Mary Astor) endure their shenanigans valiantly while they can count on the support of their cool and hilarious grandpa (Henry Davenport). These are the Smiths and as soon as they appear on the screen, we're literally caught in their communicative amiability and optimism with the opening theme of the same title.

"Meet Me in Saint Louis" belongs to these vignette family-themed movies such as "Amarcord" or "Radio Days" where it's just about getting a mood and feeling part of a loving community rather than watching something happening. And just when you think something ought to happen, false alarm, a new song pops up again to lift your spirit up and puts you in the most cheerful mood, even the "straight" sister Rose is fun to watch, especially during her shining moment where she gets quite a brush from her correspondent. And everything's in good spirit, no character is laughed at but rather laughed with.

The closest to a plot comes when Mr. Smith announces to the family that they're going to move to New York and the decision is irrevocable, by the time it happens, we got used to the seasonal enchantment of the city and can't imagine the Smiths anywhere outside St. Louis. Even New York resonates like a place of doom for the family, but it's deliberate since the film is a postcard recollection of middle-upper class family, from the perspective of Tootie, only spiced up with adult and romantic subplot and unforgettable musical numbers that were the perfect vehicles for Judy Garland.

If "Meet Me in Saint Louis" is incredibly catchy, it's nothing compared to the "Trolley Song" and of course the "Have Yourself a merry Little Christmas" that became Hollywood standards and among Garland's signatures. The two songs, listed in the AFI's Top 100, convey two opposite emotions: joy and sheer sadness, the excitement of being part of a city and the resignation before living, the Christmas moment is particularly heartbreaking as it allows Margaret O'Brien to implode her full acting power and make thousands of souls cry with empathetic tears. That the comic relief of the film, that bratty little kid could pull off such a masterful performance is one of the unexpected effects of the film. She would deservedly win an Academy Juvenile Award for her incredible performance.

I can go over and over about the film, its merit is to be so blatantly cheerful, never indulging to cheap thrills, even the love stories are sweetly naïve and idealistic, almost surreal but fitting for a fantasy picture whose purpose is to highlight the real thing about th film: family ties, and the bonds between sisters or parents and grandparents, the film is a non-stop delight, that can be regarded as itsch or campy but I find it more straightforward and honest than Minnelli' "An American in Paris". In a way, it's a fine companion piece to Judy Garland's Wizard of Oz with the same conclusion that there's no place like home... and sometimes, we don't cherish enough the place we live in.

My only complaint is Garland's awful hairstyle, was she trying to imitate Katharine Hepburn or what?

Many would call "Meet Me In St. Louis" to be a classic. I'm not sure I'd rate it that highly, although I'm not suggesting that it's a bad movie by any means. It's a very pleasant movie to watch, full of good old fashioned home town values. It follows the Smith family of St. Louis in the months leading up to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, beginning in the summer of 1903 and focusing very closely on the decision by father Alonso (Leon Ames) to take a new position in New York City and prepare the family for the move that they really don't want to make.

What I found most compelling in this was a couple of the performances. First was that of Judy Garland as Esther, one of the Smith daughters. Garland, of course, had become famous five years earlier with her spectacular turn as Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz" - a role that probably overshadowed everything else she did in her very successful career. This would have been her first significant "adult" role, and she handled it very well. Her success in "The Wizard" was no fluke, and this movie provided her with the opportunity to once again showcase her talent, particularly as a singer. The other performance that struck me was that of Margaret O'Brien as Tootie Smith - the youngest of the Smith sisters. O'Brien became a busy enough actress (mostly in television guest roles) but watching her in this made me surprised that she didn't become a bigger player in Hollywood. She was very good as Tootie - and there's one scene in particular in which she's simply spectacular, set on Christmas Eve 1903 as she breaks down into a raging tantrum over the family's pending move. Garland and O'Brien shared a song and dance scene in a performance of "Under The Bamboo Tree." This was also the movie in which Garland met her future husband, Vincente Minnelli, who was the director. There are a number of good musical numbers, and I was actually surprised to discover that it was in this movie that the song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" debuted.

What's lacking in this movie is any truly compelling story. I suppose the "glue" that holds it all together is the evolution of the romance between Esther and John Truett (played by Tom Drake.) But there's really no single narrative running through this, aside from the family's lack of enthusiasm about their move. But basically it's a series of vignettes moving us through the months from the summer of 1903 to the opening of the World's Fair at the movie's end. And yet, even with a story that isn't all that meaningful, this is an easy movie to watch and enjoy. It features a good cast - including June Lockhart (another well known actress in a very early role) and there's a sense of fun and humour involved in it. I really appreciated the vignettes around Halloween and Christmas in 1903 St. Louis. (7/10)