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

Esther Smith: John Truett. I've come here to ask you something... What do you mean hitting a five-year-old child?... The next time you want to hit somebody, pick on somebody your own size. If there's anything I hate, loathe, despise, and abominate, it's a bully.
[punches and kicks him]


Mrs. Anna Smith: Sure, don't mind what happens to your family. At a time like this you think about the chickens.


Esther Smith: Oh, Katie, they were just little white lies.
Katie the Maid: A lie's a lie. Dressin' it in white don't help it. And just why was I lying this time? Why must we have dinner an hour early?
Esther Smith: Because Rose is expecting...
Katie the Maid: Now don't go blaming your sister.
Esther Smith: Blaming her? Why, we're doing this for her. You know Rose's problem. Warren Sheffield has been writing to her for six months without one word that even smells like a proposal.
Katie the Maid: What's that got to do with having dinner an hour early?
Esther Smith: Warren is telephoning Rose long-distance from New York at half-past six.
Katie the Maid: Long-distance?
Esther Smith: Yes, and if the whole family is sitting here drinking in every word, she may be loathe to say the things a girl's compelled to say to get a proposal out of a man. If that man, unfortunately, is Warren Sheffield.
Katie the Maid: Personally, I wouldn't marry a man who proposed to me over an invention.
Esther Smith: Well, we can't be too particular. While we love Rose, the brutal fact is that, well, she isn't getting any younger.
Katie the Maid: There's the poor old maid now!


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Facts about

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.
Margaret O'Brien was awarded a Special Oscar for Best Child Actor.
The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition has been claimed by some to be the birthplace of the ice cream cone.
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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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