Meet Me in St. Louis

I recently saw this kinescope at the Museum of TV and Radio in NYC. This was a live TV remake of the 1944 MGM movie. It was charming and lively and you would never know it was not a movie, the actors were all perfect with their lines and singing and dancing. Myrna Loy and Walter Pidgeon were the parents, they could practically have been in the original as they were both MGM stars at the time, so it is nice they got to be in this one. THey even sing in one number, You and I. Also there is Jeanne Crain in one of her few live TV performances, very pretty still in her early thirties playing a teenager. But perhaps best of all were Jane Powell in Judy Garland's old role, singing well (Have yourself a merry little Christmas, the Trolley song, the Boy next door, danced and sang well in Skip to my loo), good acting. A special treat is also Patty Duke in the Margaret O'Brian role; she was possibly the best of an excellent bunch, very bratty and cute. All in all a great show, a two hour special from the golden age of television. Too bad it is not available on videotape! Update in 2016. The other reviewer on this TV special indicated that I was incorrect in my review and stated that it was not live and it was videotaped. In reality it was live, it was not videotaped. If you look at Jeanne Crain's TV shows at the time promoting this, on I've Got a Secret and What's My Line, she says that it will be a live special and they were rehearsing it for a month and how much she loves live television. Also in Tab Hunter and Patty Duke's autobiographies they discuss this special and that it was live. In Myrna Loy's autobiography she spends about 2 pages discussing the rehearsals for it, where she ate lunch with Ed Wynn on their lunch breaks, and how upset producer David Susskind was that it would be one of the last live TV specials. She then discusses the production itself and how it was live, how the Christmas tree almost fell on Jeanne Crain while it was live, all the cables and how complicated it was, and how great she felt after it was done, how she felt the feeling should be bottled and sold as it was the best of theatre in that it was live but that since it was on TV at the same time they also had the camera there. So yes, it was live!

Parts of the television remake of Meet Me in St. Louis are quite charming, but with Technicolor, better set productions, and Judy Garland, it's tough to compete with the original. I always appreciate seeing movie stars in live shows, since they don't have the luxury of filming another take. This is definitely a live production. Myrna Loy flubs a line, and Jane Powell covers the fact that she can't hit the high note of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by pretending to be overcome with emotion. But, they're trying their hardest, and if you're not going into it wanting to cut them slack, you're not in the right mind frame.

At the head of the Americana family is Walter Pidgeon, and I always feel sorry for the father's character. He works hard to provide for his family and doesn't get treated very well by anyone. Still, he and Myrna take the backseat as parents. Jane and her older sister Jeanne Crain are the leads, with their turn-of-the-century slow-burning romances. Jane and Jeanne are a bit miscast, for they are both too old for their characters. It feels a little stage-y for them to pretend to be young and insecure - 30 and 35 at the time! And Tab Hunter's interpretation of being shy seems like there is almost something wrong with him. But, when you hear Jane Powell singing "The Boy Next Door" it sounds like a completely different song - it actually sounds like a pretty song! Judy Garland can sell a song and make you cry, but Jane Powell can make it sound the way it was originally written.

With Ed Wynn as the grandfather, a very young Patty Duke as Tootie, and Rita Shaw as Katie the cook, you'll see lots of effort in this production. It's not as good as the original, but if you like live productions, you can give it a shot. If you prefer flawless shows, skip it and stick with the 1944 version.

I viewed this on YouTube in Nov. 2015; someone uploaded a very poor quality videotape of the show. But even a pristine copy, if such a thing existed, would be very inferior in production values of the classic film. The 1959 TV version was shot with that era's primitive video equipment, camera-work was unimaginative and static, lighting bright and bland, sets simple and cramped. The video I saw is in black and white; I'm not sure if the original broadcast was in color, CBS generally did not have color programs in 1959, though they very rarely offered color for special entertainment programming.

Contrary to what the previous IMDb reviewer wrote, the program would have been videotaped, not live, but based on the results it was shot quickly, with minimal time for retakes.

Rather than use the superb musical arrangements from the 1944 film, this version had much cruder, bland, generic 1950's style arrangements, though performed by a full orchestra and chorus. I especially missed Kay Thompson's often intricate, jazz-infused choral arrangements; here often replaced with unison singing.

In my opinion, the only reason to watch the TV version is to compare the acting and singing of the impressive cast to the original performers. Jane Powell sings every bit as beautifully as in any of her MGM musicals, and gives a enjoyable and convincing performance; she plays the role of Esther straight, lacking the delightful comedic touch that Judy Garland brought to the part. Walter Pidgeon as her father is more sympathetic and just plain nicer than Leon Ames tart characterization in the original; both versions are effective. Jeanne Crain and Myrna Loy are given nothing to sink their teeth into in their underwritten parts and do a competent job, nothing more. Patty Duke is a lot of fun as Tootie, and almost as good as Margaret O'Brien in the original.

Tab Hunter, as "The Boy Nextdoor" is Tab Hunter, likable and bland. He gets top billing in the show's credits, over Jane Powell, which is just ridiculous, his is a supporting part, she is the star, but I guess he was a hot property in 1959 and she and Jeanne Crain were sadly not. Tab gets two songs to sing in this version, not in the original; he has a pleasant little voice and sings on pitch. His songs and one other addition to the original score are suitable to the story and the period, but not of the quality of the songs written for the film.

The only acting performance I really disliked was Ed Wynn's. He demonstrates little acting ability as grandpa, and continually uses his standard mannerisms, such as laughing softly to himself. The same year as this TV version, Wynn gave a surprisingly accomplished performance in "The Diary of Anne Frank"; it may have been the greater time and care put into that film vs. this TV show, and it may have been the skill of Anne Frank's director, George Stevens.

I want to say something about Rita Shaw; I always very much enjoy her accomplished light comic turns in the few films I'm aware she made (Pajama Game, Pollyanna, and Mary Poppins). She's just as good here.

This TV version uses the same script as the film, a very good choice. There are a couple of added scenes that I suspect were written for the film but not used, and some very minor alterations.

Live TV is the most difficult medium for an actor.

In film, if you make a mistake, there's always another take. In theater, if you make a mistake, maybe 500 people see it and there always the next show. On live TV, viewers millions of viewers immediately see any mistake and once it's out there you can't take it back.

The actors in the 1959 version of Meet Me In St Louis had 4 weeks to prepare before going on live TV. The product they turned out was more than satisfactory for family entertainment on a Sunday night. Jane Powell had a strong voice and was excellent in the lead role. With an all star supporting cast including Tab Hunter, Myrna Loy and Walter Pidgeon it must have been a ratings bonanza.

I would recommend this film to any family seeking wholesome entertainment.

Have you ever seen a movie...only to think to yourself "why did they EVER make this?!"....well, this is exactly how I felt when I watched this made for TV version of "Meet Me in St. Louis"....why did they bother making this?!?! There are three huge problems with the production. First, the original 1944 film is one of the most perfect musicals ever made....perfect in every way. So why make a remake? And, how can it possibly come close to the original?! Second, if you are going to make a remake of a perfect film, you don't make it practically a word-for-word copy! All throughout the film I knew EXACTLY what everyone was going to say because I'd seen the original several times. And, third, the movie is not better in any way. It's in black & white instead of glorious color, the acting is decent but not an improvement on the original and Jane Powell had a lovely voice but her operatic style is not even close to the wonderful singing of the original lead, Judy Garland. Overall, there is no reason to see this one...just find the 1944 picture instead. And, if you've already seen the 1944 version...well, just see it again and skip this one!!! Ill-conceived and pointless...but if you INSIST on seeing this one, it's on YouTube.