Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 7 wins & 7 nominations total
Sidney Barnes
- Hugo Borvis
- (uncredited)
Tom Batten
- Trolley Song Performer
- (uncredited)
Judi Blacque
- Girl on Trolley
- (uncredited)
Victor Cox
- A Driver
- (uncredited)
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis 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 (1939).
- GoofsWhen Esther and Tootie perform "Under the Bamboo Tree", Tootie's bedroom slippers are pink at the beginning of the number but change to blue in the "cake walk" finale.
- Quotes
Rose Smith: Money. I hate, loathe, despise and abominate money.
Mr. Alonzo Smith: You also spend it.
- Alternate versionsJudy Garland recorded a Rodgers and Hammerstein song called "Boys and Girls Like You and Me" for the soundtrack. A scene was filmed with Garland singing the song to Tom Drake after "The Trolley Song" sequence, but the scene was cut after the first preview. The footage no longer remains, but the recording does.
- ConnectionsEdited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)
Featured review
Many would call "Meet Me In St. Louis" to be a classic. I'm not sure I'd rate it that highly, although I'm not suggesting that it's a bad movie by any means. It's a very pleasant movie to watch, full of good old fashioned home town values. It follows the Smith family of St. Louis in the months leading up to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, beginning in the summer of 1903 and focusing very closely on the decision by father Alonso (Leon Ames) to take a new position in New York City and prepare the family for the move that they really don't want to make.
What I found most compelling in this was a couple of the performances. First was that of Judy Garland as Esther, one of the Smith daughters. Garland, of course, had become famous five years earlier with her spectacular turn as Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz" - a role that probably overshadowed everything else she did in her very successful career. This would have been her first significant "adult" role, and she handled it very well. Her success in "The Wizard" was no fluke, and this movie provided her with the opportunity to once again showcase her talent, particularly as a singer. The other performance that struck me was that of Margaret O'Brien as Tootie Smith - the youngest of the Smith sisters. O'Brien became a busy enough actress (mostly in television guest roles) but watching her in this made me surprised that she didn't become a bigger player in Hollywood. She was very good as Tootie - and there's one scene in particular in which she's simply spectacular, set on Christmas Eve 1903 as she breaks down into a raging tantrum over the family's pending move. Garland and O'Brien shared a song and dance scene in a performance of "Under The Bamboo Tree." This was also the movie in which Garland met her future husband, Vincente Minnelli, who was the director. There are a number of good musical numbers, and I was actually surprised to discover that it was in this movie that the song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" debuted.
What's lacking in this movie is any truly compelling story. I suppose the "glue" that holds it all together is the evolution of the romance between Esther and John Truett (played by Tom Drake.) But there's really no single narrative running through this, aside from the family's lack of enthusiasm about their move. But basically it's a series of vignettes moving us through the months from the summer of 1903 to the opening of the World's Fair at the movie's end. And yet, even with a story that isn't all that meaningful, this is an easy movie to watch and enjoy. It features a good cast - including June Lockhart (another well known actress in a very early role) and there's a sense of fun and humour involved in it. I really appreciated the vignettes around Halloween and Christmas in 1903 St. Louis. (7/10)
What I found most compelling in this was a couple of the performances. First was that of Judy Garland as Esther, one of the Smith daughters. Garland, of course, had become famous five years earlier with her spectacular turn as Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz" - a role that probably overshadowed everything else she did in her very successful career. This would have been her first significant "adult" role, and she handled it very well. Her success in "The Wizard" was no fluke, and this movie provided her with the opportunity to once again showcase her talent, particularly as a singer. The other performance that struck me was that of Margaret O'Brien as Tootie Smith - the youngest of the Smith sisters. O'Brien became a busy enough actress (mostly in television guest roles) but watching her in this made me surprised that she didn't become a bigger player in Hollywood. She was very good as Tootie - and there's one scene in particular in which she's simply spectacular, set on Christmas Eve 1903 as she breaks down into a raging tantrum over the family's pending move. Garland and O'Brien shared a song and dance scene in a performance of "Under The Bamboo Tree." This was also the movie in which Garland met her future husband, Vincente Minnelli, who was the director. There are a number of good musical numbers, and I was actually surprised to discover that it was in this movie that the song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" debuted.
What's lacking in this movie is any truly compelling story. I suppose the "glue" that holds it all together is the evolution of the romance between Esther and John Truett (played by Tom Drake.) But there's really no single narrative running through this, aside from the family's lack of enthusiasm about their move. But basically it's a series of vignettes moving us through the months from the summer of 1903 to the opening of the World's Fair at the movie's end. And yet, even with a story that isn't all that meaningful, this is an easy movie to watch and enjoy. It features a good cast - including June Lockhart (another well known actress in a very early role) and there's a sense of fun and humour involved in it. I really appreciated the vignettes around Halloween and Christmas in 1903 St. Louis. (7/10)
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- La rueda de la fortuna
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,700,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $415,008
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $225,684
- Dec 8, 2019
- Gross worldwide
- $502,778
- Runtime1 hour 53 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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