Holiday Film Classic: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

With the holidays soon approaching how about a feel-good classic to warm the heart and celebrate the family - Meet Me In St. Louis  (1944) - one of the greatest musicals ever made, starring Judy Garland and directed by her future husband Vincente Minnelli. Esther (Garland), the second eldest daughter of Alonzo (Leon Ames) and Anna Smith (Mary Astor), falls for her new next door neighbor, John Truitt (Tom Drake), and initially has difficulty winning his affections. When their romance begins to blossom, however, Esther learns that father's employer is transferring him to New York where he plans to move the family. It soon becomes clear how much the move will affect his four daughters and son, and, what's more, it means they will miss the World's Fair. The film includes the songs 'Meet Me in St. Louis', 'The Trolley Song' and 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'. Filmed during WWII, this gem of cinematic, picture-postcard Americana and youthful romance, is richly filmed in Technicolor. It marked the beginning of the golden age of MGM musicals, and ultimately became the second most successful film for MGM (behind Gone With the Wind).  The story is based on the book of the same name from Sally Benson's memoirs of her life in St. Louis, Missouri from 1903-4.The book's charming stories are expressed in the film by its musical numbers. The film abandoned the 'put-on-a-show' mentality of so many other backstage song/dance films. Its songs and wonderful performances are carefully and naturally integrated into the story of the close-knit family's day-to-day life, and serve to advance the action and plot from one season to the next. Structurally, the film is a series of coming-of-age vignettes (four in number): different acts representing the seasons from summer 1903 to spring 1904. Each segment marks changes and rites of passage - and is introduced by a filigreed tintype from the Smith family album - each static, initially sepia-toned image turns into color and comes to life. Although the Winter segment is one of the shortest vignettes, the film is considered a favorite Christmas movie. Meet Me in St. Louis was nominated for four Academy Awards (without any Oscar wins): Best Screenplay, Best Color Cinematography, Best Song ("The Trolley Song" ), and Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. However, young star Margaret O'Brien was awarded a Special (miniature) Oscar as the most outstanding child actress of the year. Richard Miami will introduce the film with stories on the film's production, casting, behind-the-scenes drama and its beloved song score. The Napa Valley Opera House will be on hiatus from late December until April 2014. Please check the Napa Valley Opera House website for updates. Tuesday Night Flicks will return on April 29th with An American in Paris (1951) starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.