Meet Me in St. Louis: The Making of an American Classic

Meet Me in St. Louis: The Making of an American Classic (1994)

*** (out of 4)

This made-for-TV special takes a look back at the making of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. At just around thirty-minutes there's certainly not enough time to go into great detail but considering when this was made I found it to be quite entertaining and especially for those fans of the film. We start off hearing about the original stories that the film was based on and how MGM had to talk Judy Garland into taking the part. We hear how she was finally getting to play adult roles so the idea of playing a 17-year-old wasn't high on her want list but director Vincente Minnelli talked her into it. Through archival interviews we get to hear Minnelli talk about certain aspects of the film but we also get new interviews with Margaret O'Brien, song writer Hugh Martin and Barbara Freed. It's clear everyone looks back on the making of the film as something very fun. Martin sings his original version of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' and we hear why Garland suggested a few lines be changed. O'Brien also talks about what it was like shooting the movie, the certain rules that were in place and we hear the myth and truth about her famous crying scene with the snowmen. The opening sequence is also extremely nice because we get to see a couple television appearances that Garland made and where she performed some of the songs from the film. Again, this is too short to be called definitive but at the same time it's entertaining enough to be worth watching.