Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A WORD OF EXPLANATION FOR THE VIDEO BELOW

Judy began work on 'Meet Me in St. Louis' when she was 21 years old. It was during the filming of this movie that she became romantically involved with Vincente Minnelli.
The movie was completed in April 1944, and released in St. Louis on November 22, 1944. It broke box-office records all over the country as not only Judy's greatest hit to date, but MGM's top money maker, second only to Gone with the Wind. Margaret O'Brien won an Oscar for her portrayal of Tootie, and 'The Trolley Song' was nominated for Best Song Academy Award. 'Meet Me in St. Louis' is one of the most beloved musicals ever made, and considered to be one of the best.
Judy initially wanted nothing to do with 'Meet Me in St. Louis' because she was finally being given some adult roles, and she was concerned about being cast as a seventeen-year-old. Mayer was insistent, and Minnelli eventually convinced her to play the part. After she began working on the project, she became enchanted with the story and came to love it.
Courtesy of: http://www.jgdb.com/stlouis.htm
The original lyrics for 'Have Yourself A Merry little Christmas' ,written by Hugh Martin, were considered by many, including Judy, to be too depressing. Although Martin resisted at first, he made the changes to the song ... & it is what we have today as a great American classic Christmas song.
Original lyrics:
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 will all be living in New York.
No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.
But at least we all will be together, if the Fates allow,
From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

I think we all understand why Judy wanted it changed:
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles will be
out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yule-tide gay
Next year all our troubles will be
miles away
Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon, we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

1 comment:

David in North Burnaby BC said...

"It may be your last" -"May your heart be light."
That's a smart change I would suggest.