Why "Meet Me In St. Louis" Still Means So Much Over 70 Years After It's Debut

“Meet Me in St. ‘Louie’ (‘Louie’), meet me at the fair....”

We grow up hearing that song here in “St. Louie” - the Judy Garland classic Meet Me In St. Louis had its world premiere in St. Louis on Nov. 22, 1944, but it still has a large audience in this city and draws quite a crowd for public viewings.

In conjunction with the film’s 70th anniversary and their 250 in 250 exhibit, the Missouri History Museum hosted a Meet Me in St. Louis film screening and sing-a-long a few years ago and I was there to capture the sounds and the mood of the event.

One fan, Linda Poston, appreciates the city’s prominence. “New York has nothing that St. Louis doesn't have, and I just think [the film is] great because they are so loyal to their city and they finally get to stay and see the fair.”

Though Meet Me in St. Louis put St. Louis films on the map, the picture was shot completely outside of St. Louis. A number of other films were filmed here, however - including Up In The Air, Escape From New York, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and Fever Pitch - and there have been several people from St. Louis who made an impact on the industry.

Listen to what the film means to some of the fans attending the sing-a-long.

Audio originally produced for St. Louis Public Radio in 2014.

Meet Me in St. Louis…

Meet Me at the Fair…