I’m watching Meet Me in St Louis for Christmas Eve

I think it's very entertaining, OP. I was surprised at how much I loved it because I'm a snob about movies and not a musical fan. Judy was incandescent and the family seemed kind of real for the time and place.

Other songs get more airplay but it’s “You and I” that warms the heart.

[quote]I’m very excited. I’ve never seen it.

Don't be. Tootie is not who you think it is.

Beautiful movie.

It has the perfect Christmas song for 2020 in it. (Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas) I am getting teary-eyed just thinking about the song and film. Enjoy!

If you need a little more Christmas, make it a double-bill with "Mame".

A great movie musical with plenty of hit songs, elegant costuming, gowns by IRENE, and a focused Judy.

Greatest movie musical of all time! R2 is right - prepare to get a lump in your throat. Also, Tom Drake is hot, and gay!

Tootie is a socipath.

It's a terrific film. It was the first film we watched in film school.

I think it's Judy's best performance. She is just perfect. Looks gorgeous and sings beautifully. All of her numbers are outstanding.

And I agree, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is more resonant this year.

OP's trolley has never been clanged.

[quote] OP's trolley has never been clanged.

Unfortunately for OP time, tide and trolley stop for no man.

If this story happened today, Tootie would have been in a young offender's home or maybe psych ward for her violent tendencies.

Is that a whalebone or steel ribbed corset, you ask?

Enjoy, OP, I wish I could watch it again for the first time.

The brother and the boy next door are both gay, right?

How come nobody ever talks about my performance?!

A wonderful film. My first film in film school also. A trumy great film. You’ll enjoy it.

It was my late mother's favorite film. She saw it in original release on her 14th birthday.

Her birthday was on Christmas, so I always get a little sad when I watch......especially this time of the year.

Exquisite on every level. I simply cannot watch the Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas scene. The most heartbreaking Christmas song I know of with the possible exception of I’ll Be Home for Christmas. Both war time songs.

Mary! me all you want, but I love that headscarf that Judy wears.

Tootie is basically Wednesday Addams. Weird little girls have been around for a long time you know.

*kisses doll

The talent in this picture -- Garland, Minnelli, the Hugh Martin score, Roger Edens, Arthur Freed, the MGM musical magic. Just sit back and let all that talent wash over you.

You're competing with an Eastern girl. I'll wager Lucille Ballard doesn't make a move without a corset.

Great movie, lots of fun.

It was nice to see Margaret O'Brian have a scene singing with Judy and not being forced into hysterical antics.

Too bad Tootie dies at the end. Sad.

Don’t forget IRENE, r23.

You’re mean, r27.

I’m all in on Tootie. Margaret O’Brien is great in the movie, particularly that Halloween scene!

Some of the original lyrics that were penned by Martin were rejected before filming began.

When presented with the original draft lyric, Garland, her co-star Tom Drake and director Vincente Minnelli criticized the song as depressing, and asked Martin to change the lyrics. Though he initially resisted, Martin made several changes to make the song more upbeat.

For example, the lines "It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past" became "Let your heart be light / Next year all our troubles will be out of sight". Garland's version of the song, which was also released as a single by Decca Records, became popular among United States troops serving in World War II; her performance at the Hollywood Canteen brought many soldiers to tears.

n 1957, Frank Sinatra asked Martin to revise the line "Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow." He told Martin, "The name of my album is A Jolly Christmas. Do you think you could jolly up that line for me?" Martin's new line was "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough." Martin made several other alterations, changing from the future tense to the present, so that the song's focus is a celebration of present happiness, rather than anticipation of a better future

Judy Garland's 1944 version of the song reached No. 27 on the Billboard charts.

In 1995, American singer Lorna Luft recorded a cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" which was reworked as a "virtual duet" with her mother Judy Garland. Luft's version of the song peaked at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart on December 16, 1995

Boring film. It didn't even have a fucking plot and the 3-strip technicolor looked so garish it made my eyes bleed.

[quote] Judy Garland's 1944 version of the song reached No. 27 on the Billboard charts

That's not that impressive, and that was probably one of her biggest hits. Despite all her fame as the "greatest singer" she really never had any chart "hits". No top ten, let alone number 1's. She did fill up concerts and made songs popular in movies, however.

Loved that Victorian house.

r33 Yeah she wasn't a hit maker

[quote]Too bad Tootie dies at the end. Sad.

I think you must have seen it on a double-bill with "Little Women."

JG’s live album from Carnegie Hall was #1 for 13 weeks in 1961 but that appears to be one of the few times she charted.

r37

When Michael Jackson died all his records hit the charts again, did they do that when Judas died?

Love that movie! Not a lot happens but it’s so entertaining for some reason

[Quote] Despite all her fame as the "greatest singer" she really never had any chart "hits". No top ten, let alone number 1's. She did fill up concerts and made songs popular in movies, however.

I think she’s one of those vocalists who sounds amazingly better live

Judy Garland had 17 charted singles, mainly with Decca, in the Top 30 between 1939-55, with 6 of those being Top Ten.

Capitol considered her an "album artist" not a "single artist", they didn't aggressively release singles from her albums: one from the Grove album, two from The Letter, and one each from Carnegie Hall, Garland Touch, I Could Go On Singing, and the Palladium. The polar opposite of label mates like Peggy Lee or Nat Cole who didn't have Judy's film career but were pushing singles all the time and did multiple studio albums each year.

As noted, Carnegie Hall sat at #1 for 13 weeks. Plus A Star is Born at #5, Meet Me in St. Louis at #2, Miss Show Business at #5, and Alone and Judy both at #17.

So that's 6 charted albums and 17 charted singles. It may pale by comparison to some contemporaries, but her career in other areas (especially film) likely equals or outshines theirs. She also commanded top concert fees.

That remix of The Man That Got Away was her most recent chart hit.

I wish she had done more studio albums at Capitol that weren't re-records.

r41 Yeah OK

It's on TCM tonight!

12:30 am Eastern, 9:30 pm Pacific.

Get ready to be annoyed by little Margaret O'Brien!

Get ready to be annoyed by l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶g̶a̶r̶e̶t̶ ̶O̶'̶B̶r̶i̶e̶n̶ the fake Tootie

I love this movie.

I can watch it over, and over again!

Whoops, at R43.

It doesn't start until 12:45 am Eastern, 9:45 pm Pacific.

The Music Man is on right now.

Starting now!

My favorite part is when Agnes threatens to stab Katie in her sleep, and then have wild horses drag her dead body through the streets.

And yes, it's an actual scene in the movie.

I've seen MMiSL countless times and actually a lot happens. It just has an unconventional plot, but it is not without one.

The scene following the dinner blow up with the song "You and I" (basically the Act 1 closer) is some of the most character-driven, sophisticated storytelling I can recall and I never tire of it. It is as good as everyone says, even Martin Scorsese talks about how it influenced him, and it used to be on his list of "essentials".

This movie reminds me of a terrible year I had in 2008. First of all, I was stood up at the alter? Can you fucking believe this bum? It was six years of on again, off again but we finally decided to do it. On top of that, I had a luxury honeymoon already prepaid on my credit card, which there was no getting out of. I wanted to crawl under a bottle of vodka and die, but my selfish, whorish friends decided they wanted to go party in up in Mexico and drag me along in the guise of making me feel better, Anyways, when I got home, I was depressed. So depressed that I couldn't even bother responding to parties, invites, and other extensive. I hired a saintly assistant from St. Louis, aptly named Louise. Louise from St. Louse - how fun! Long story short, for Christmas I bought Louise a bright (last season) LV bag in hideous purple and red patchwork I got from a sample sale at the Vogue closet. Louise got me the Meet Me in St. Louis DVD. I smiled and threw in the trash once she left to go home for the holidays. I was drunk, alone, and decided to watch the damn thing while sending hateful texts to my ex over new years eve. Anyways, that's my Meet Me in St. Louis story. I thought it sucked balls. Oh, and I fired that piece of trash Louise. Get a clue, bitch. That gift wasn't cute and I wasn't amused.

It's on TCM today at 3:30 pm Eastern and 12:30 pm Pacific.

I always love when Judy sings "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

Is this the movie where Esther pines after Charles Lindbergh, who lives next door? And she tries to get him to notice her but he's too busy trying to plan the world's first solo transatlantic crossing by airplane? But he finally agrees to meet her at his airplane (hence the title, "Meet Me At The Spirit of St. Louis") but she is late because the trolley broke down and he flies off into the sky?

For anyone who has HBOMax, you can watch it anytime you want. It's under the TCM banner.

Nothing happens except one thing is supposed to happen and it doesn't. The first concept musical.

Alonso Jr. was the best looking guy in the movie.

There, I said it!

Have yourself a merry little christmas is on now!

My favorite scene was the one where Tootie got run over by a train!

I'm watching Meatmarket in St. Louis for Christmas Eve. I'm very excited-- I douched and cracked open a new tub of vaseline.

I worked at a film library and this was the favorite film of the other lady who worked there. There was a little monitor with a built-in VHS player and all December long she would play it on endless repeat. She would sit looking at it with her fingers intertwined beneath her chin and a Down's Syndrome expression on her face. I can't watch it without thinking of her.

I’m partial to Warren Sheffield, R55.

R17 Because you wouldn't have gotten the part without sleeping with the producer?

[quote]Boring film. It didn't even have a fucking plot and the 3-strip technicolor looked so garish it made my eyes bleed.

R32 = Deanna Durbin.