Alright, let’s gab a bit about that “House in Meet Me in St. Louis” movie. You know, the one with that little Judy Garland gal singin’ and dancin’.
Now, I ain’t no fancy movie critic or nothin’, but I do know a thing or two about houses and families. This here movie, it’s all about this Smith family livin’ in St. Louis, back in the old days, around the time of that big World’s Fair they had. They got this big ol’ house, see? Supposed to be at 5135 Kensington Avenue, that’s what they say. But listen here, that house ain’t there no more. Nope. Tore it down, they did, way back in 1994. Imagine that! A house so famous, just gone like dust in the wind.
That Judy gal, she played this Esther girl, a teenager all twitterpated over the boy next door. But Judy, she weren’t no teenager then. She was a grown woman, 21 years old! They had to make her look younger, you know, with the makeup and the clothes. Movie magic, they call it. Heck, they can do anything with them cameras and lights these days, or back then too, I guess.
- The movie house address, 5135 Kensington Avenue, was a real place, near where they had that World’s Fair.
- But like I said, the real house is gone now. They didn’t take care of it, and it got all run down, so they had to knock it down.
- Judy Garland, she almost didn’t do the movie. She was already a big star and didn’t want to play no teenager. But they talked her into it, lucky for us.
And that little Margaret O’Brien, the one who played Tootie? She was a real pistol, that one. Her mama, she was a shrewd one, always lookin’ to get more money for her little girl. Caused a bit of a fuss on set, I heard. But that’s show business for ya, always some drama goin’ on behind the scenes.
They say the director, this Vincente Minnelli fella, he wanted everything to be just right, you know, like it really was back then. He paid attention to all the little details, the clothes, the furniture, everything. He even made sure they turned off the lights the old-fashioned way, by closin’ them blinds. That’s what they did back in them days, before they had all these fancy electric switches.
And you know what else? That movie, that’s where Judy met that Vincente fella. Yep, they fell in love right there on the set and got hitched. Ain’t that somethin’? A movie about family and love, and it brought them together. Though, I heard it didn’t last forever, which is a shame. Love’s a tricky thing, just like show business.
Speaking of tricky things, there was this story about a lightin’ man, see? He dropped a big ol’ spotlight on purpose, almost hurt little Margaret. Can you believe that? Some folks are just plain mean, I tell ya. But little Margaret, she was alright. Tough as nails, that kid.
This here “Meet Me in St. Louis” movie, it ain’t just about a house, though the house is important. It’s about family, about love, about growin’ up and changin’. It’s about a time when things were simpler, maybe. Or maybe not. Every time has its troubles, I reckon.
They built that house, or least the insides of it, on a soundstage, you know. Not a real house at all. But it sure looked real on the screen. That’s the magic of movies again. They can make you believe anything. They can make you feel like you’re right there with the Smiths, laughin’ and cryin’ with ’em.
And that’s why folks still love this movie, even after all these years. It reminds us of home, of family, of the good times and the bad. It reminds us that things change, but some things stay the same, like the love of a family. And even though that house on Kensington Avenue is gone, the memories of it, the feeling of it, that lives on in this movie.
So, if you ain’t seen “Meet Me in St. Louis”, go watch it. And if you have seen it, watch it again. It’s a good one, I tell ya. A real good one. It’ll warm your heart and maybe make you shed a tear or two. And that’s alright. Sometimes a good cry is just what a body needs.
