I remember Mama 1948 - An affecting portrayal of family life

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IMDB rating: 8,4

Director: George Stevens
Main Cast: Irene Dunne, Barbara Bel Geddes, Oskar Homolka, Philip Dorn, Cedric Hardwicke, Rudy Vallee, Barbara O'Neil

"George Stevens's charming film version of Kathryn Forbes' collection of short stories entitled Mama's Bank Account features Irene Dunne as Mama in one of her finest and most ingratiating performances. The film is narrated by Mama's daughter Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes), recalling the trials and tribulations of her family in turn-of-the-century San Francisco.
Stevens was occasionally taken to sentimentality in even his most dramatic films, and here, if no different, it is at least more appropriate. The movie is another excellent example of how films centered on women became increasingly important in the post-WWII era. Nicholas Musuraca's cinematography captures the feel of turn-of-the-century San Francisco, and the production values are adequate without being showy - somewhat better than average for an RKO picture from this era." - www.allmovie.com

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Meet me in St. Louis 1944 - Sweet nostalgia for an idealized America

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IMDB rating: 7,7

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Main Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Leon Ames, Tom Drake, Marjorie Main, Harry Davenport, June Lockhart

"Sally Benson's short stories about the turn-of-the-century Smith family of St. Louis were tackled by a battalion of MGM screenwriters, who hoped to find a throughline to connect the anecdotal tales. The highlight of the film is Judy Garland's singing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'. Meet Me in St. Louis was the first team-up for Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, whose talent for handling complex set pieces works well in this film, as does the lively Technicolor cinematography of George Folsey. At least some of the credit should go to songwriter turned producer Arthur Freed for his excellent work in bringing together the proper talent. Margaret O'Brien won a special Oscar for her remarkable performance. The songs are a heady combination of period tunes and newly minted numbers by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, the best of which are The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song and the above-mentioned Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." - www.allmovie.com

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