The family surname in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis is Smith. The story follows the Smiths, a comfortable upper-middle-class family living at 5135 Kensington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, during the year before the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, better known as the St. Louis World's Fair.
The household is led by Alonzo Smith and his wife, Anna. Their children are Lon Jr., Rose, Esther, Agnes, and Tootie. Judy Garland plays Esther, whose romance with the boy-next-door, John Truett, provides much of the film's emotional story. Margaret O'Brien plays the mischievous youngest daughter, Tootie.
The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Rather than using a single conventional plot, it is arranged as seasonal episodes, moving from summer 1903 through the family's preparations for the World's Fair. Its warm family setting, Technicolor photography, and songs such as "The Trolley Song" helped make it one of MGM's best-loved musicals.
A common mix-up is confusing the fictional Smith family with the real-life Benson family whose stories inspired the film. The original stories were based on Sally Benson's memories of growing up in St. Louis.