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!

The Harvey Girls (1946)

Intro.

This past week the sun finally came out and it felt like spring for the first time this year. And although last month was supposed to be dedicated to musicals, this is the time I really feel like singing.  So a few days ago I watched a film that had been recommended by a friend of mine - The Harvey Girls.  It was bright, enjoyable and perfect for this time of year (or any time, really).

Overview

The Harvey Girls is based on the line of restaurants founded by Fred Harvey in the 1870s which grew along the quickly expanding railroad line, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe.  The all-female wait staff was known for good looks, good manners and good food and brought a sense of civilization to the West.  These are the girls that Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) meets on a train bound for Sandrock, where she is to meet her mail-order husband.  After quite a breath-taking entrance to the town (hence the Oscar-winning song, "On the Atchison, Tokpeka and the Santa Fe"), Susan meets her intended husband Hartsey (Chill Wills) and the two realize that it isn't going to work out.  The main reason is that Hartsey had local dance-hall owner Ned Trent (John Hodiak) write those beautiful, tender letters to Susan.  Susan joins The Harvey Girls and soon their restaurant becomes a big rival to the dance hall, leading to a lot of confrontations, hold-ups and dance-offs between the Harvey Girls and the saloon girls, led by none other than Angela Lansbury.  Susan and Ned also have their own face-off, but in a sort of Pride and Prejudice way, as Susan realizes what Ned's intentions really are.  It all wraps up with the classic "this town isn't big enough for the two of us" scene where the train has to take the losers to the next town down the line.

Highlights

The music in this film is fantastic - proof that the Oscar for Best Song was richly deserved.  I also really enjoyed the color and choreography of all the dance numbers.  All the care and hard work shows in such a polished film.  Not only is Judy Garland outstanding in her singing and acting, but her co-stars shine as well. It's great to see her reunite with Ray Bolger (who has a great dance number!), and wonderful to watch her sparring with Angela Lansbury (who, believe it or not, makes a great mean-girl-turned-sympathetic-rival).  We also get some good humor from Chill Wills and Virginia O'Brien, as well as an early role for the graceful dancer Cyd Charisse.

I think what really got to me about this film was how great it was to see such strong female leads.  In typical Westerns, it's usually the men that do all the fighting, but here it's the women (okay, so some of the men set fire to the restaurant, but that's not direct confrontation).  Part of it goes back to the unusual pairing of the Western and Musical genres - something so traditionally masculine and something so traditionally feminine.  Here the male lead, Ned, is much more subdued and poetic while Judy Garland is the one throwing punches.  It's pretty neat to see such an unusual switch, but that's another topic for another day. 

Review
In Westerns, both women and music have long been regarded as signs of progress and civilization, and the Harvey Girls bring both to the little town of Sandrock.  Not only that, but they also bring great songs, dances, food and a lot of heart.  The Harvey Girls is a great film that anyone can enjoy, and I recommend it as a must-see Musical.

P.S. The story of Fred Harvery is pretty neat - you can read more here at the Kansas State Historical Society.

West Side Story (1961)

Intro.

Each of us has that "list" of films we want to see, but for one reason or another haven't gotten around to seeing.  Whenever someone recommends a movie to us, we say we'll put it on our list.  West Side Story was one of those movies on my list.  I had always been meaning to see it, so when it was featured on TCM a few days ago as part of their 31 days of Oscar marathon, I finally got my chance.  I already knew it was based on Romeo & Juliet, but it surprised me by being unpredictable.

Overview

For the most part, West Side Story does mirror Romeo & Juliet.  The feuding families have been replaced with rival teenage gangs - the American born Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks.  Of course there's a dance at the school gymnasium, where Maria, the sister of the Sharks leader Bernardo, meets Tony, one of the founding members of the Jets.  Tony has since given up the gang life in order to work and make a life for himself.  His best friend Riff now runs the Jets, and has asked him to help with a war council against the Sharks.  Bernardo, furious that Maria danced with Tony, accepts Riff's challenge to a rumble.  The agreement is that one man from each side will fight with only his fists - no weapons.  Meanwhile, Tony and Maria get together, but she pleads with him to stop the fight.  Tony arrives as the rumble begins, and his attempts to stop it only further anger Bernardo.  Needless to say, the fight gets way out of control and ends with both Riff and Bernardo dead.  Bernardo's friend Chino goes after Tony for revenge and after a few fateful twists, the film closes with both gangs realizing just what their hatred has done.

Highlights
The music and choreography are definitely the shining features of this film.  It feels almost like an opera, with its sweeping dance sequences and limited amount of dialogue.  The beginning was a bit difficult for me to get interested in, as it felt a little on the long side.  Also, it took some time for me to really appreciate and accept a bunch of teenage gangsters trying to assert their territory by dancing down the street.  But as soon as we meet Maria and Tony, the film changes both in depth and color.  Everything in the Puerto Rican homes is bright, rich and multi-colored, which makes it the perfect setting for Maria and Tony to reunite and declare their love.  In addition to the wonderful performances of Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno does an outstanding job as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita.  Especially good is the number done by the Sharks and their women called "America", which focuses on the hardships faced by immigrants.

Review
I was surprised that Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer both had their singing dubbed, and I have to confess it took some of the magic away.  The film does feel a bit dated, and as I mentioned before the beginning is a little long.  Still, I can see why the film earned its 10 Oscars, as it beautifully touches such difficult topics as teenage angst and rebellion, fated love, and prejudice.  It is one of the most simple story lines that has produced such a complex and dynamic musical.  If West Side Story is still on your list, move it up to the top and watch it soon.