Musicals tend to be very family friendly fare, which is possibly why Turner Classic Movies has sprinkled several throughout the day and night Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. At the top of my list is Judy Garland‘s great Meet Me in St. Louis.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
I feel like the plot of this story of a large St. Louis family in 1903 does not matter much in the grand scheme of things. The narrative is marked by the romances of Garland’s Ester with the neighbor boy and sister Rose (Lucille Bremer) hopes her long-distance boyfriend will get around to proposing. The family as a whole also struggles with the idea of moving to New York as a year goes by.
The songs in Meet Me in St. Louis are among the reasons to watch the flick. Many famous numbers we still remember today are just as enjoyable out of the context of the film as they are in. Among them is the title song, the Oscar-nominated “Trolley Song” that was filmed in one take and Garland singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
This picture marks the first encounter of Garland and Director Vincent Minnelli. The two feuded on set until Garland viewed the daily rushes and discovered how beautiful Minnelli was making her look. The young star had all kinds of confidence issues about her appearance, some of which stem from Louis B. Mayer’s pet names of “ugly duckling” and “my little hunchback.” The woman had also been reluctant to take the part that returned her persona to that of a teenager because she had finally found success in adult roles, such as For Me and My Gal. The new-found chemistry between the star and director led to a marriage in 1945 and four subsequent films. Despite being gay, Minnelli would father Liza with Judy before the two divorced in 1951.
Meet Me in St. Louis is a great way to see Judy in one of her best roles and to sing along with the family to the memorable songs.
Musicals scheduled on TCM for Turkey Day include:
- Meet Me in St. Louis at 10 a.m. ET.
- The Music Man at 1:45 p.m.
- Anything Goes at 8 p.m.
- Shall We Dance at 3 a.m.
- Flying with Music at 5 a.m.
Source: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clark
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance | Tagged: Bing Crosby, Buddy Hackett, Donald O'Conner, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Lucille Bremer, Mary Astor, Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Vincent Minnelli |
MacGuffin Movies 
Rachel,
I think if I were to watch a musical during the holidays it would be MMISL! Judy was such a powerhouse and she lit up the screen in this film. I’m obviously not a big musical fan but I did enjoy this one.
On, your info about Judy and Mayer, I can only imagine how cruel studio heads, directors were towards these stars with their fragile egos and need to be accepted. With so many stars getting roles due to their sex appeal I’m sure Judy had a major complex and jerks with their pet names didn’t make that any better. There’s is no wonder that Judy had substance abuse issues throughout her life. They create the stars then destroy them. Her story is a very tragic one.
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for sharing your movie watching tradition! We focus more on football then later in the day my dad will sneak off to his bedroom to watch an old Western.
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