Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Intro.

Lately I've been in the mood for musicals and luckily, TCM has been airing plenty for me!  I was about to watch On the Town, which I had recorded, but when I turned on my television, Meet Me in St. Louis was about to start.  As I had not seen it before, I decided to sit back and enjoy this delightful Judy Garland film.

Overview
Meet Me in St. Louis is a tribute to simple family life at the turn of the century.  It opens in 1903 in the small but growing town of St. Louis.  The World's Fair is seven months away, but that doesn't stop everyone from talking (and singing!) about it.  We hear the second eldest daughter, Esther (Judy Garland) sing it as sweeps into the house where her mother (Mary Astor) and the maid Katie (Marjorie Main) are cooking supper.  Soon eldest daughter Rose (Lucille Bremer) comes home and we learn that she is expecting a call from her boyfriend in Yale and also that Esther is stuck on the boy next door.  The rest of the family includes two young sisters, Agnes (Joan Carroll) and Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), their grandfather (Harry Davenport), teenaged brother Alonzo (Henry Daniels) and the father and head of the household (Leon Ames).  Sadly, Rose does not get a proposal from her Yale beau like she expects, but that doesn't keep her from enjoying a going away party for college-bound Alonzo.  Nor does it keep Esther from having any excuse not to meet boy-next-door John Truett.  Esther and John start a sweet romance that only improves with time (including a horrible misunderstanding caused by the troublesome Tootie!).  Just as everything looks rosy, Dad announces that the family is moving to New York city just after Christmas.  A few heartbreaking scenes later, he must come to terms with the fact that his family's hearts as well as his own will always be in St. Louis, with or without the beautiful Fair.

Highlights

I loved everything about this film - the set designs, the acting, the careful pacing and sentiment are all wonderful.  What makes it work so well is that it is just a simple story about one year in the life of one family.  Sometimes the simplest plots yield the deepest stories and that's what happens on screen with this gem.  The songs are unforgettable; the feeling warm and nostalgic.

Judy Garland is a true standout in this film.  It's also the first one she made with Vincent Minelli, whom she later married, and one of their finest collaborations.  Judy is not only a scene-stealer, but a careful balance of excited, infatuated girl and refined, graceful woman.  Her songs alone could carry the film - she has such wonderful ones (apart from the title song) as: "The Trolley Song", "The Boy Next Door" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (yes, it's from this movie!).  All of that and some great dancing too!

I realize now, after I've watched, that this film was made in 1944.  I wonder if it too was part of the Hollywood war effort - not necessarily in the same way as Thousands Cheer, but with the same feeling of simple American values.  It captured the best part of our innocent past - a part that could still inspire hope for those involved in World War II both at home and abroad.  It reminds viewers (even today) of the youthful optimism of our past, perhaps in an effort to encourage a return of that same spirit.  Think about how powerful that message is in Judy's final song.  It's as if she is speaking to those men and women in the war: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas / Make the Yule-tide gay / Next year all our troubles will be miles away / Here we are as in olden days / Happy golden days of yore [...] / Through the years we all will be together / if the Fates allow."  Not only is she singing about Christmas, but about what we as a nation were feeling.  Now that's what I call a movie.

Review and Recommendation
Truly one of the best films I've ever reviewed for this site.  This film is sweet, simple, beautiful.  A romanticized notion of America perhaps, but a heartfelt one nonetheless.  An interesting reflection not only of 1900's America, but also of 1940's America, Meet Me in St. Louis is a definite must for your list of must-see musicals!