Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

In the year leading up to 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.

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Irving Brecher (screen play), Fred F. Finklehoffe (screen play)

Stars:

Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

St. Louis 1903. The well-off Smith family has four beautiful daughters, including Esther and little Tootie. 17-year old Esther has fallen in love with the boy next door who has just moved in, John. He however barely notices her at first. The family is shocked when Mr. Smith reveals that he has been transfered to a nice position in New York, which means that the family has to leave St. Louis and the St. Louis Fair.

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Plot Keywords:

love | boy next door | turn of the century | telephone call | streetcar | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meet Me in St. Louis

Filming Locations:

La Grande Station, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,707,561 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,566,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A flustered Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames) makes a sarcastic remark about embarking on a new career as a baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles. The major league team known as the Baltimore Orioles from 1901-1902 moved to New York City in 1903 and would eventually become known as the New York Yankees. (The scene in this film takes place in 1903, when the Baltimore Orioles was the name of a minor league team.) Oddly, the St. Louis Browns, a major league club from St. Louis at both the time the movie is set and the time it was made, would relocate in 1954 and become the modern-day Baltimore Orioles.

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Goofs

When Esther and her sister are putting on their corsets, there are garters hanging over their petticoats. Esther already has on hosiery. The petticoats would be in the way of putting on hosiery.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Anna Smith: Best ketchup we ever made, Katie.
[she tries to tasting ketchup, it is too sweet]
Katie (Maid): Too sweet.
Mrs. Anna Smith: Mr. Smith likes it all the sweet side.
Katie (Maid): All men like it on the sweet side. Too sweet, Mrs. Smith.

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Alternate Versions

A rare version, dubbed in Spanish, exists, which was issued on VHS in Spain several years ago. This version features the entire soundtrack dubbed, including the songs, and several scenes deleted involving Margaret O'Brien deleted, dealing with Halloween, immediately after "The trolley song". TNT, in Latin America, after prologue dealing about how this film was restored presented it in its complete version but with the Spanish dubbed soundtrack lifted from that old version, which was not restored. For that reason, after "The trolley song" and during several minutes the films plays in English (after Judy Garland "sung" in Spanish) and then the audio reverts back to the dubbed version. Although that dubbed version was available in Spain, some people believe that it was actually produced in Mexico.

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Connections

Edited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)

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Soundtracks

Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis
(1904) (uncredited)
Music by Kerry Mills
Lyrics by Andrew B. Sterling
Performed by Judy Garland and Lucille Bremer
Played during the opening credits, hummed, whistled, various times throughout and at the end

User Reviews

A Feel Good Movie if Ever There Was One

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.