1944 Archives - Casa Bouquet

Film Festival: Christmas classics

I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) is a World War II drama brought to the screen by David O. Selznick. It’s a Christmas story and a love story starring Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotton, and Shirley Temple.

Selznick bought the rights to the 1938 Broadway song I’ll be seeing you. The song was used for the title and provides a theme song for the film.

“I’ll be seeing you / In all the old familiar places / That this heart of mine embraces / All day and through”

We are introduced to the young lovers at a busy train station at Christmas time. Zachary Morgan (Joseph Cotton), a sergeant, is overly hesitant trying to buy a magazine at the stand. We see Mary Marshall (Ginger Rogers) asking for candies that aren’t available and haven’t been for awhile under rationing. There is something mysterious about these 2 people.

Zach and Mary ride on a busy train with lots of GIs traveling for Christmas furlough. They share seats with two young soldiers who are excited and want to talk.

“What do you say we look up the coffee guy and get something to eat? I’m loaded. I’ll buy everybody coffee and sandwiches. No ifs, ands, or buts, the treat’s on me. Papa’s out on leave. I’ll be back in a flash with the trash!” –friendly sailor

Pine Hill

Zach decides to get off at Pine Hill, the town where Mary is visiting her uncle. He says he is visiting his sister, but he moves into the YMCA. He has a healed bayonet wound and he’s on 10-day leave from the hospital to see if he can manage psychologically. He has a Purple Heart hidden in his bag.

Mary arrives at the Marshall home to be greeted by Aunt Sarah (Spring Byington) and her teenage daughter Barbara (Shirley Temple). It’s a cozy home all decorated for Christmas.

“Look, there’s just one thing. We all know that I’ve been in prison and that I’m going back in 8 days. And there’s no use pretending it isn’t so. It just won’t be any good unless everybody says what he thinks and doesn’t try to cover up.” – Mary

Barbara has to share her bedroom with Mary. Barbara is seventeen and very lively. She’s got tennis rackets, pennants, and photos on walls. Barbara has labeled things and divided things so that Mary doesn’t touch her things.

Aunt Sarah is very welcoming to Mary, and trying to help her be optimistic about her future after prison. She makes biscuits, rolling out the dough and cutting them with a jelly jar.

Zach calls and Aunt Sarah agrees to invite him over for dinner. Barbara is very interested in Zach when he arrives and turns up the flirt. Zach admits to Mary that he made up the story about having a sister in Pine Hill. He just wanted to get off the train where Mary was getting off. In another room, Uncle Henry won’t tell Barbara why Mary is serving a prison term.

Zach and Mary’s first date

Mary and Zach go to a war movie and it is very hard on Zach. He can’t really watch it.

“Is the war really like that? –I guess so. –That’s funny. – Why? –I mean that you should only guess so. –Well they have experts making those pictures. I guess that’s the way they see the war. Beach a mile long, thousands of soldiers and tanks and machine guns and everything. I guess that’s the way it is. –But it wasn’t that way for you, huh? –It’s just a difference in size. To a guy that’s in it the war is about 10 feet wide and kind of empty. It’s you and a couple fellows in your company maybe… It’s all kind of mixed up. Sometimes it’s all full of noise and sometimes it’s quiet. It all depends on what you’re thinking about I guess. It depends on how scared you are, how cold you are, and how wet you are. I guess if you ask 100 guys what the war is like they’d all give you a different answer.” –Mary and Zach

Zach feels better after talking to Mary, so he invites her to a diner. The owner gets jazzed up about Zach’s medals and talks about his own time fighting in World War I. Zach freaks and runs out. He can’t explain to Mary and ends up leaving her standing on street.

Once home, Mary decides to tell Barbara her secret.

“One day when I was called into my boss’ office he invited me to a party in his apartment. He was single and I started dreaming. Bosses do marry their secretaries.” –Mary

Zach calls to ask to take Mary out in country so he can explain his behavior. Mary lies to him about being a traveling salesperson.

Christmas and New Year’s Eve

Zach joins the family for Christmas. Aunt Sarah makes a flaming plum pudding. Uncle Henry leads singing at the table with Oh come all ye faithful. They all open gifts together by the tree. This loving family atmosphere gives Zach and Mary lots of feelings.

Zach invites the family to the YMCA New Year’s Eve dance. He brings corsages, camellias for Sarah and orchids for Mary. At the party, Zach and Mary meet a senator who wants the soldier’s point of view from Zach.

“What gives you the idea that just because a fellow puts on a soldier suit he thinks any different than anybody else? … A lot of soldiers have got one idea about what should happen after the war. A lot of soldiers have other ideas.” –Zach

Zach and Mary are two lonely people with secrets. Will Barbara understand what is going on between them? (Have you seen how cute and fashionable Shirley Temple was as a teenager?) Will Zach and Mary manage to find happiness? Tune in to I’ll Be Seeing You for a homey old-fashioned Christmas and a good holiday drama.

Want more Christmas and holidays? See 28 Christmas movies (includes TV specials) and The Holidays film festival.

Resource links for I’ll Be Seeing You

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036940/
- I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) from IMDb
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/39836%7C89287/Joseph-Cotten/biography.html
- Joseph Cotten biography from Turner Classic Movies
http://www.gingerrogers.com/about/biography.html
- Biography from Ginger Rogers’ Official Site
http://www.shirleytemple.com/biography.html
- Biography from Shirley Temple’s Official Website
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-teachers/primary-sources/rationing.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
- World War II rationing from the National WWII Museum
http://www.thepurpleheart.com/history/
- History of the Purple Heart
http://www.irishamericanmom.com/2014/12/17/how-to-light-a-christmas-pudding/
- How to light a plum pudding from Irish American Mom
http://vintagedancer.com/1940s/1940s-teenage-fashion-girls/
- 1940s teen fashion from Vintage Dancer

Affiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

The Bishop’s Wife

Remember the Night

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Film Festival: The Holidays

IN THE SUMMER of 1903, all that the people of St. Louis could think about was the upcoming Louisiana Purchase Exposition: the World’s Fair of 1904. This Fair (coinciding with the Olympics) would present the greatest that America — and the world — had to offer.

Forty years later when this musical was made, people would remember the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair with affection and nostalgia as part of a happier, more innocent time.

“We will dance the hoochie-coochie/ You will be my tootsie-wootsie

If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis/ Meet me at the fair!” – Esther and Rose

Vincente Minelli directed the charming “Meet Me in St. Louis (1944),” starring Judy Garland. Garland and Minelli fell in love and became engaged during the filming of this musical, based on true-life memoirs published in “The New Yorker” about a St. Louis family, the Smiths.

The movie begins in the summer of 1903, as the city of St. Louis is preparing for the World’s Fair. The scenes of day-to-day family life and the holidays they celebrate transport us back to the turn of the century.

“Poor Margarethe, I’ve never seen her look so pale. –The sun ought to do her some good. – I expect she won’t live through the night. She has 4 fatal diseases. –It only takes one. –But she’s gonna have a beautiful funeral, in a cigar box my Papa gave me. All wrapped in silver paper. –That’s the way to go, if you have to go.” –Mr. Neely and Tootie

Halloween is grand fun (and one of the best Halloween scenes in the movies): the children dress as ghosts (or the undead) and their major goal of the evening is to play pranks. They throw flour at people when they answer the door and revel in building a bonfire.

“—I’ll take ’em, I’ll take ’em.I’ll take the Braukoffs. –Let Tootie take ’em. –No, don’t let Tootie take ’em, the Braukoffs have a fierce bulldog. She’ll be torn to pieces. –Yeah, Tootie, you better go home, you’re too small. –I am not, I won’t go home, I’ll take the Braukoffs. –All right, Tootie takes the Braukoffs. But remember, if you don’t hit Mr. Braukoff in the face with flour and say I hate you, the Banshees will haunt you forever!” –Tootie and neighborhood kids

At Christmas, the three oldest children get ready to attend a Christmas Eve dance. In one amusing scene, Esther (Judy Garland) is attempting to don her first corset, and her sister, Rose (Lucille Bremer), tries to help her struggle into it. The family makes a snow family in the yard and Judy twists our hearts around her finger as she wistfully sings, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

“—If Santa Claus brings me any toys I’m taking them with me. I’m taking all my dolls, the dead ones too. I’m taking everything. —Of course you are. I’ll help you pack them myself. You don’t have to leave anything behind. Except your snow people, of course.” –Tootie and Esther

Perfect casting contributes to the beauty and believability of this film. Judy and Lucille play the two eldest sisters, Esther and Rose. Joan Carroll portrays preteen sister Agnes; and the fabulous Margaret O’Brien plays Tootie, the littlest sister. Mary Astor (“The Maltese Falcon”) is Anna Smith, the mother; Marjorie Main (“Ma and Pa Kettle”) plays Katie, the maid; Leon Ames (“The Postman Always Rings Twice”) is Alonzo Smith, the father; Harry Davenport plays Grandpa; and Henry Daniels, Jr. is Lon Smith, the brother. Tom Drake plays an important role as Judy’s love interest, John Truitt, the boy next door.

The art direction is impeccable and totally faithful to the period. Every little detail is present: the huge goldfish bowl on a stand in the parlor, the demi-lune stained-glass window in the attic bathroom, and the mechanical wind-up toys at Christmas; everything filmed in luscious Technicolor.

Irene Sharaff’s costumes are very elaborate and do a fine job of reflecting the Edwardian era. The colors are vibrant and there are ruffles, furbelows, velvets, silks, and laces to die for.

Three of the songs in the film are by Martin and Blane, while the rest are classic songs of the time:

“Meet Me in St. Louis”
“The Boy Next Door”
“Skip to My Lou”
“The Bamboo Tree”
“Over the Bannister Leaning”
“The Trolley Song”
“You and I”
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

Margaret O’Brien and Judy Garland do a charming duet and cakewalk in “The Bamboo Tree.” In the song, Judy and Margaret wave their straw boaters: a classic scene. Judy is unforgettable as she jumps on the trolley to visit the construction site of the fair and belts out, “Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!”

The 2011 Two Disc Special Edition of “Meet Me in St. Louis” includes a bonus: a trailer from the film and a documentary about the making of the movie. It’s fun to go behind the scenes to learn about the background of the story and hear about how Judy and Vincente Minelli fell in love.

Step back in time for a visit to kinder, gentler past with “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

Let’s talk story

I’m a big fan of Judy Garland. She sings wonderful songs in this movie. I love the period touches and the sweetness presented. It’s fun to revisit times past: dance cards, gas lights, homemade ketchup, panama hats, and the trolley! What’s your favorite movie that shows the olden days?