a couple of weeks ago i asked anna to list her halloween movie choices. now anna is not a horror freak at all, she puts up with my obsessions but i think doesn't approve of them. but she did choose one film that was surprising because it is often thought of a christmas movie and not associated with ghosts, goblins and/or ghouls.

meet me in st louis is a war-time ode to a time long past. director vincente minelli and his then-wife judy garland crafted a charming tale of a year in the life of the smith family at the last turn-of-the-century leading up to the 1904 world's fair in st louis. in the past year i've must've seen this movie about 4 times which is remarkable only in that i don't own a copy of it. everytime it's on tv i think we manage to watch it.

but back to halloween. the little girl of the family, played by margaret o'brien as tootie, is one helluva a macabre child. thru out the entire run of the movie tootie manages bring family discussions back around to death and murder. cut to fall when the family celebrates all hallow's eve. tootie, being the youngest of the children sent out to do the devil's work, is also the bravest and most brash. this scene, which involves a blazing pyre and intrigue among the kids is a real bacchanalia. the kids act like winos around the last bottle.

it is a fantastic scene and one that last just long enough for it's flavor to fully mature. tootie is a nut, but a lovable nut who displays a fear that then is quashed to show how grown-up she is. also, the movie shows how halloween was celebrated before the advent of pop culture becoming the culture. and it is interesting to note that halloween collectibles from this period - mostly pieces that were manufactured in germany - are highly prized among collectors today.

a pity i couldn't find this scene at youtube.com. but you know christmas is just around the corner so when you watch this film on tv during the holidays please pay special close attention the halloween movement, and then clang yr trolley.