This is a love letter to World War II New York City with a bit of horrific reality thrown in as an Army private (Robert Walker) on leave in the Big Apple for the very first time finds romance with a sweet young woman (Judy Garland in a non-singing role) after meeting by chance in Penn Station during a Sunday afternoon rush. She's convinced by him to show him around a bit, and they end up on a bus heading uptown on Fifth Avenue, go to the Central Park Zoo, and end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She's already committed for an evening date and breaks it with the promise to meet him under the clock in the Astor Hotel. From there, romance grows gradually as their personalities clash a bit, they fight a bit, make up, and end up on the all night route of a kindly milkman (James Gleason) who simply offered them a ride over to the East Side. By the time their first date is over, love has struck them, and he proposes to her. They only have another 24 hours in which to get a blood test to get the license and find a judge to override New York State regulations to get them hitched before he has to get back to boot camp.
In watching this, it is ironic to see how much has changed in New York City and how much has not. The crowded subway trains seem twice as full here, and when Garland and Walker are separated at Grand Central, you can't help but feel their anguish as they try desperately to find each other in a city of over 10 million people. Every extra or minor character in this sweet romantic drama has a moment to shine, and some of them even shine more then the credited actors. One such delightful moment comes when Gleason, Garland and Walker end up in a diner and encounter the drunken Keenan Wynn who harasses everybody in the joint, most amusingly a very eccentric looking woman (Moyna MacGill). This lady is a combination Beatrice Lillie/Fanny Brice/Hermoine Gingold, and downright hysterical even without saying a word.
Director Vincent Minnelli utilizes with great detail the city as another character in the film, whether it be the Fulton Street market where Gleason is obviously picking up his load of milk, various east side streets and even briefly Times Square. You really feel like you've been transported back to World War II, and in a wonderful follow-up to his similar character in "Since You Went Away", Robert Walker gives you hope that this time will work out. Judy Garland goes from the teenaged years of "Meet Me in St. Louis" to womanhood, and she rises highly above the ability to dramatically prove herself without the benefit of song. Outstanding photography, a touching musical score and sensational editing add to the power of this screenplay, making this valentine to love during wartime (in any city, not just New York) a wonderful trip down memory lane.
In watching this, it is ironic to see how much has changed in New York City and how much has not. The crowded subway trains seem twice as full here, and when Garland and Walker are separated at Grand Central, you can't help but feel their anguish as they try desperately to find each other in a city of over 10 million people. Every extra or minor character in this sweet romantic drama has a moment to shine, and some of them even shine more then the credited actors. One such delightful moment comes when Gleason, Garland and Walker end up in a diner and encounter the drunken Keenan Wynn who harasses everybody in the joint, most amusingly a very eccentric looking woman (Moyna MacGill). This lady is a combination Beatrice Lillie/Fanny Brice/Hermoine Gingold, and downright hysterical even without saying a word.
Director Vincent Minnelli utilizes with great detail the city as another character in the film, whether it be the Fulton Street market where Gleason is obviously picking up his load of milk, various east side streets and even briefly Times Square. You really feel like you've been transported back to World War II, and in a wonderful follow-up to his similar character in "Since You Went Away", Robert Walker gives you hope that this time will work out. Judy Garland goes from the teenaged years of "Meet Me in St. Louis" to womanhood, and she rises highly above the ability to dramatically prove herself without the benefit of song. Outstanding photography, a touching musical score and sensational editing add to the power of this screenplay, making this valentine to love during wartime (in any city, not just New York) a wonderful trip down memory lane.