Centennial celebrations for the City of Courtenay’s 100th birthday continue on Feb. 15 at the Sid Williams Theatre, with the second classic film in the Bickle Theatre Originals series, a tribute to the theatre’s beginnings as a cinema when it first opened as the Bickle Theatre back in 1935.
Judy Garland stars in Vincente Minnelli’s classic musical Meet Me In St. Louis, a film following the middle-class Smith family in the lead-up to the 1904 World’s Fair hosted in St Louis. Esther (Garland), the second eldest daughter of Alonzo (Leon Ames) and Anna Smith (Mary Astor), falls for her new next door neighbour, John Truitt (Tom Drake), and initially has difficulty winning his affections.
When their romance begins to blossom, however, Esther learns that Alonzo’s employer is transferring him to New York where he plans to move the family. It soon becomes clear how much the move will affect his four daughters and son, Lon Jr. (Hank Daniels), and, what’s more, it means they will miss the World’s Fair.
The film includes the songs Meet Me in St. Louis, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and The Trolley Song. One of the greatest musicals ever made, Meet Me In St. Louis was released in 1944.
Admission is by donation. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the film begins at 7 p.m.
The audience is encouraged to dress up for the evening in 1940s attire or in the early 1900s period of the film.
There will be a door prize for two tickets plus transportation to see Stars On Ice in Victoria on May 19, courtesy of Courtenay Recreation and the Evergreen Club.
For more info visit www.sidwilliamstheatre.com.