Meet Me in St. Louis/Trivia

*The film was based on the real-life experiences of novelist Sally Benson and the character of Agnes was based on her own vantage point, though her nickname as a young girl was "Tootsie".
*Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli met each other on the set of the film and got married on June 15, 1945; they later divorced in March of 1951. Garland claims that she married him because she felt extremely beautiful during the film.
*For the song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", Judy Garland refused to sing the lyric, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last" to Margaret O'Brien which inspired songwriters Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane to change the lyric to "let your heart be light" instead.
*Initially, Judy Garland was reluctant to star in the film because she didn't want to portray another teenager and her mother even went to MGM head Louis B. Mayer on her behalf; however, she ended up falling in love with the story after Vincente Minnelli convinced her to play the role of Esther Smith. In later years, Garland considered the role of Esther Smith as one of her favorites. 
*Sharon McManus (the daughter of a studio electrician) was originally cast in the role of Tootie Smith after Margaret O'Brien's mother demanded a salary raise for her daughter. The brass at MGM went so far as to fit Sharon with costumes, hoping that it would pressure O'Brien's mother to accept the terms. In the end, MGM gave into the demands for the salary increase and Margaret was cast in the film. Once production on the film began, Margaret was filming a scene when Sharon's father (who was employed on the film) intentionally dropped a heavy lighting instrument from the catwalk to the floor of the sound stage which narrowly missed striking her. The man was taken away and briefly admitted to a mental institution for his actions.
*Judy Garland missed 13 days of work on the film which caused production to take 70 days to complete instead of the originally budgeted 58 days. She also complained of various illnesses and headaches, and often arrived on set late which kept the cast and crew waiting for hours.
*Judy Garland recorded "The Trolley Song" in a single take.
*Producer Arthur Freed dubbed his singing voice for Leon Ames in the song, "You and I." Mary Astor's voice was dubbed by Denny Markas.
*Gloria DeHaven was considered for the role of Rose Smith.
Category:Trivia facts