Meet Me in St. Louis (1940)

 Production Company : MGM

Directed : Vincente Minelli

Starring : Judy Garland, Tom Drake, Margaret O'Brien

Plot : The well-off Smith family has four beautiful daughters, including Esther (Judy Garland) and little Tootie (Margaret O'Brien). 17-year old Esther has fallen in love with the boy next door who has just moved in, John (Tom Drake). He however barely notices her at first. The family is shocked when Mr. Smith (Leon Ames) reveals that he has been transfered to a nice position in New York, which means that the family has to leave St. Louis and the St. Louis Fair

Trivia : *Judy Garland scoffed at the idea of portraying yet another teenager (She was 21 when filming began.) and wanted nothing to do with the film. Her mother even went to MGM chief Louis B. Mayer on her behalf. However, Vincente Minnelli convinced her to play the part of Esther Smith, and Garland later fell in love with the story. In her later years, she considered it one of her favorite roles.Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland met on this movie, and married soon afterwards.

*The success of the film encouraged MGM to create further movies involving the Smith family and was to be based on further tales of Sally Benson's family.

*For many, this movie is considered essential Christmas Eve viewing. If the film is begun at precisely 10:22:30 p.m., the church bell that tolls midnight during John's Christmas Eve proposal to Esther coincides perfectly with the real-time stroke of midnight, thus allowing die-hard fans to ring in Christmas morning with the characters in the film.