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“Meet Me in St. Louis” (Movie Review-11/29/44)
Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 11/29/44 | Bosley Crowther, Sam Zolotow

Posted on 11/29/2014 4:29:51 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson

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TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: history; moviereview; realtime
Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles and the occasional radio broadcast delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.
1 posted on 11/29/2014 4:29:51 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
Clips

Archive material

2 posted on 11/29/2014 4:30:16 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: r9etb; PzLdr; dfwgator; Paisan; From many - one.; rockinqsranch; 2banana; henkster; meandog; ...
Netflix has “Meet Me in St. Louis” on DVD. Other than the two great songs that this movie produced (“The Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) it doesn’t have much to offer, in the opinions of both Mr. and Mrs. Homer. Bosley Crowther is too easily pleased with this one.

Re-issue trailer

3 posted on 11/29/2014 4:31:07 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
Judy Garland sings "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"
4 posted on 11/29/2014 4:39:31 AM PST by Bratch
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
Why didn't Margaret O'Brien make the transition from child star to adult star?. She was very pretty and charismatic. I never understood this.

Also I see that Dragonseed was playing on this day in 1944. The previews scared the wits out of me when I was a small child!

5 posted on 11/29/2014 5:10:45 AM PST by Savage Beast (Hubris and denial overwhelm Western Civilization. Nemesis and tragedy always follow.)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

This movie is about naughty girls.


6 posted on 11/29/2014 5:14:14 AM PST by conservativeimage (I Won't Go Underground http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wema3CNqzvg)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Don`t know if there now. I know, wait for the knuckle draggers to leave.


7 posted on 11/29/2014 6:18:50 AM PST by nomad
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Ironic, given what’s going on there now and all the outsiders who are there protesting.


8 posted on 11/29/2014 6:30:39 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
I absolutely adore Judy garland and she never ever looked more beautiful again as see did in "St. Louis, and I'm not even gay!

I really enjoy seeing these old movie ads from long lost theaters. I'm a few years from retirement, but I do remember as a kid theaters running weekly ads like these, before they theaters became movieplexes. Now I might go to the theater once a year, and maybe rent just a couple of DVD's a year. The Hollywood of today is my enemy.

9 posted on 11/29/2014 6:43:28 AM PST by Lockbar (What would Vlad The Impaler do?)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

My wife and I are of the same opinion - two decent songs, but not much of a movie otherwise.


10 posted on 11/29/2014 8:00:36 AM PST by Charles Martel (Endeavor to persevere...)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

“Meet Me in St. Louis” is the second greatest film ever made.

And America agrees. It was that rare film that enjoyed more than one theatrical re-release because it was so popular.


11 posted on 11/29/2014 8:27:32 AM PST by Blue Ink
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To: Homer_J_Simpson
Thanks for finding the charming review. My wife and I watch that movie at least once a year.

With some trepidation I went to a tech conference in St. Louis late in September. The trip was uneventful for me, though four white guys my age were robbed to the tune of "This is for Michael" a quarter mile from the route I walked back to my accommodations. (I walked in daylight. The robbery happened a couple of hours later, in darkness.)

It will be a long time before I think about meeting anyone in St. Louis.

12 posted on 11/29/2014 9:19:30 AM PST by AZLiberty (No tag today.)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Yes, I see your point of view. It’s just that with my father’s passing, these old flicks have sentimental value. The Wizard Oz was just on and I remember my father telling me it was the last movie he saw from the US before the German Invasion of Holland. You have to admit, compared to the crap that is coming out today’s artists those two songs are masterpieces. ; )


13 posted on 11/29/2014 2:26:03 PM PST by Chgogal (Obama "hung the SEALs out to dry, basically exposed them like a set of dog balls..." CMH)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

FYI, this was on TCM today.


14 posted on 11/29/2014 3:19:31 PM PST by GreenLanternCorps (Hi! I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts! (TM) Ask about franchise opportunities in your area.)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Just noticed the article about “Bonanza”.

A musical won’t work, they should rework it as a western...


15 posted on 11/29/2014 3:21:12 PM PST by GreenLanternCorps (Hi! I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts! (TM) Ask about franchise opportunities in your area.)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

The story is that Judy Garland rebelled against the downer lyrics of the original “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” because she didn’t want to make her little co-star Margaret O’Brien cry. The subsequent edits, including the line “hang a shining star upon the highest bough” were pure genius, IMHO.


16 posted on 11/29/2014 3:26:30 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

BTW they show that on TCM this Christmas I already got TCM newsletter

I am going check out gettv they score the right of rarely seen Frank Sinatra Bing Crosby Christmas special

Sunday, November 30

7:00
PM/PST

Happy Holidays With Bing And Frank
35 min Drama, musical 1957

Join Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra for a swingin’ holiday special featuring all of your festive favourites including Jingle Bells, Deck The Halls and the classic White Christmas all performed with the legendary duo’s inimitable charm. Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank was directed by Frank Sinatra himself, with the music conducted by the legendary Nelson Riddle.

Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby

http://www.get.tv/get-the-channel


17 posted on 11/29/2014 5:42:22 PM PST by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media bases belong to us ,resistance is futile)
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To: DoodleDawg

Now they are doing the sequel, “Beat Me In St. Louis.”


18 posted on 11/29/2014 5:43:55 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: Billthedrill

Lyrics[edit]

Some of the original lyrics that were penned by Martin were rejected before filming began. They were: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas / It may be your last/ Next year we may all be living in the past / Have yourself a merry little Christmas / Pop that champagne cork / Next year we may all be living in New York."[7] 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.[1] 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".[1] 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.[8]

In 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?"[1] Martin's new line was "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough." Martin made several other alterations, changing the song's focus to a celebration of present happiness, rather than anticipation of a better future. On The Judy Garland Show Christmas Special, Garland sings the song to her children Joey andLorna Luft with Sinatra's alternate lyrics.[9]

The lyrics Garland sang in Meet Me in St. Louis have been recorded with only slight variations by a number of artists, including Sinatra himself (in 1950 and 1963 single recordings), Doris Day (in The Doris Day Christmas Album), Ella Fitzgerald (in Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas), James Taylor (in October Road), The Pretenders in the first A Very Special Christmas compilation released in 1987 (which benefits Special Olympics), and Luther Vandross (in This Is Christmas).[1]

In 2001 the 86-year-old composer Hugh Martin, occasionally active as a pianist with religious ministries since the 1980s, wrote an entirely new set of lyrics to the song with John Fricke, "Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas," a religious version of the secular Christmas standard. The song was recorded by gospel female vocalist Del Delker with Martin accompanying her on piano.[10]

In 2002, NewSong lead singer Michael O'Brien noted the line "through the years, we all will be together if the Lord allows," which was part of the original song, was purged and replaced with "if the fates allow" to remove religious reference when the song was released. He noted while a pastor in a California church in 1990, he had met Martin, who played piano at the church where O'Brien was serving for an evening, and the pastor was told, "That's the original way I wrote it, so I want you to sing it this way." [11]



19 posted on 11/29/2014 6:10:20 PM PST by Bratch
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