Meet Me in St. Louis
All team (56)
Short description
Meet Me in St. Louis follows the Smith family over the year leading up to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The family lives comfortably in St. Louis in 1903, where the household includes the parents, their several children, a grandfather and a maid. Romance runs through the daughters' lives: Rose is involved with more than one suitor, while Esther, the second eldest, falls for a young man who has recently moved in nearby. The family's settled life is disrupted when the father receives a career opportunity that requires a move to New York, a prospect that the mother and children resist. Much of the film's conflict grows out of that planned relocation and how each family member responds to it. The film is a musical, and it introduced the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, the first of 14 features he directed in chronological order; Ziegfeld Follies followed in 1945. Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe wrote the screenplay, and Arthur Freed and Roger Edens produced. Judy Garland stars as Esther, with Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Leon Ames and Tom Drake among the cast; 46 performers and 56 crew members are credited. Made on a budget of about 2 million dollars, it earned roughly 8 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.5 out of 10 from about 31,000 votes, and on TMDB 7 out of 10 from 438 votes, while critics gave it 8.9 out of 10 across 81 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- In the novella “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” Judy Garland (1922-1969) flatly refused to sing the first line, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last,” to Margaret O’Brien.
- Judy Garland detested rehearsals and frequently sneaked away from them. Vincent Minnelli had to call the studio gate from the soundstage to ensure the actress's car was not allowed to leave.
- Margaret O'Brien's mother demanded a larger fee for her daughter's role as Tutti. The studio shrugged it off and decided to cast the daughter of a lighting technician in the role. The costumes had already been altered for her when someone changed their mind, and the role was returned to Margaret O'Brien. At some point during filming, the lighting technician deliberately dropped a heavy spotlight onto the set, nearly crushing the young actress. He subsequently spent some time in a mental institution.
- By the time filming began, Judy Garland was already 21 years old and was very reluctant to appear on screen as another teenage girl. Director Vincent Minnelli (1903-1986) convinced her to play Esther. Garland later described this role as one of her favorites.
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