Meet Me in St. Louis Overview:

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) was a Family - Musical Film directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Arthur Freed and Roger Edens.

The film was based on the short stories 5135 Kensington written by Sally Benson published in The New Yorker and as a Novel (June 14, 1941 - May 23, 1942 (magazine) and 1942 (novel)).

SYNOPSIS

On nearly every list of the best Hollywood musicals of all time, Minnelli's slice of Americana set during the 1904 World's Fair was unusual for its failure to employ a "backstage" plot device to set up the songs More important, it served to reestablish Garland's career and established Minnelli (Garland's future husband) as a major American filmmaker. The story of the well-to-do Alonzo Smith (Ames) and his family is a nostalgic portrait an idealized happy American household, where the biggest worries concern the romantic futures of daughters Garland and Bremer and a possible move to New York. With songs like "The Boy Next Door," "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas," and the famous "Trolley Song," this soon became MGM's second most successful film, bested only by Gone With the Wind.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Meet Me in St. Louis was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1994.

Academy Awards 1944 --- Ceremony Number 17 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best CinematographyGeorge FolseyNominated
Best Music - ScoringGeorgie StollNominated
Best Music - SongMusic and Lyrics by Ralph Blane and Hugh MartinNominated
Best WritingIrving Brecher, Fred F. FinklehoffeNominated
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BlogHub Articles:

Win Tickets to see ?TCM Big Screen Classics: Meet Me in St. Louis? (Giveaway runs now through Nov 24)

By Annmarie Gatti on Nov 18, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Win tickets to see ?TCM Big Screen Classics: Meet Me in St. Louis (75th Anniversary)? on the Big Screen!In Select Cinemas Nationwide Sun Dec 8 and Wed Dec 11 ?But the main thing is, Tootie, that we’re all going to be together, just like we’ve always been. That’s what really coun... Read full article


The Saint: Mary Astor in "Meet Me In St. Louis"

By Vanessa Buttino on May 2, 2013 From Stardust

The Saint: Mary Astor in "Meet Me In St. Louis" The Smith House at 5135 Kensington Ave, St. Louis When I was around the age of 13 or so, I desperately wanted to live in the Smith household. Full of jolly family members, a crotchety old maid, and lovely Victorian decor, the Smith house conj... Read full article


Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and Margaret O'Brien at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival

By Raquel Stecher on Nov 30, -0001 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

I had the pleasure of attending a very special screening of Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). It took place in the TCL Chinese Theatre (Grauman's Chinese) and actress Margaret O'Brien was in attendance. Seeing O'Brien at the TCM Classic Film Festival was an experience I'll never forget. In fact, I saw he... Read full article


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Quotes from

John Truett: Gosh, Miss Esther, I hope I'm not too presumptuous, but you don't need any beauty sleep.
Esther Smith: What a nice compliment.


Esther Smith: I'm going to let John Truett kiss me tonight.
Rose Smith: Esther Smith.
Esther Smith: Well, if we're going to get married, I may as well start it.
Rose Smith: Nice girls don't let men kiss them until after they're engaged. Men don't want the bloom rubbed off.
Esther Smith: Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.


Agnes Smith: Katie, where's my cat?
Katie the Maid: I don't know... a little while ago, she got in my way and I kicked her down the cellar steps. I could hear her spine hitting on every step.
Agnes Smith: Oh, if you killed her, I'll kill you! I'll stab you to death in your sleep, then I'll tie your body to two wild horses until you're pulled apart.
Katie the Maid: Oh, won't that be terrible, now? There's your cat.


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Facts about

Producer-lyricist Arthur Freed dubbed the singing for Leon Ames singing the song "You and I" that was written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed.
This film was a box-office smash, grossing more money than any prior MGM release in 20 years - with the exception of David O. Selznick's Gone with the Wind.
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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National Film Registry

Meet Me in St. Louis

Released 1944
Inducted 1994
(Sound)




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Also directed by Vincente Minnelli




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Also produced by Arthur Freed




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