Esther Smith

Esther Smith is a fictional character portrayed by Judy Garland in the movie and musical Meet Me In St. Louis.

Biography of The Smith Family
The Smith family leads a comfortable upper-middle class life. Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames) and his wife Anna (Mary Astor) have four daughters: Rose (Lucille Bremer), Esther (Judy Garland), Agnes (Joan Carroll), and Tootie (Margaret O'Brien); and a son, Lon Jr. (Henry H. Daniels, Jr.). Esther, the second eldest daughter, is in love with the boy next door, John Truitt (Tom Drake), although he does not notice her at first. Tootie is riding along with iceman Mr. Neely and disputing that St Louis is the best city. Rose, the eldest daughter, is expecting a phone call during which she hopes to be proposed to by Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully). While the call takes place, she is embarrassed when not only does Warren fail to propose but also the entire family is present as she takes the call during dinner. Esther finally gets to meet John properly when he is a guest at the Smiths' house party, although her chances of romancing him don't go as planned when, after all the guests are gone and he is helping her turn off the gas lamps throughout the house, he tells her she uses the same perfume as his grandmother and that she has "a mighty strong grip for a girl." Esther hopes to meet John again the following Friday on a trolley ride from the city to the construction site of the World's Fair. Esther is disappointed when the trolley sets off without any sign of him, but cheers up when she sees him running to catch the trolley mid-journey. On Halloween, Tootie and Agnes are costumed and ready to go to the bonfire, while Agnes and the other neighborhood children discuss who will "kill" (throw flour at) various neighbors, Tootie begs to be included but is ignored because she is "too little." Desperate to prove herself, she volunteers to go after the dreaded Mr. Braukoff. When she succeeds despite her fears, the others proclaim her "the most horrible" and let her toss scrap furniture on their bonfire. Back home, Rose and Esther are talking when all of a sudden they hear Tootie screaming from the direction of the trolley. Esther rushes out and carries Tootie back in. The little girl is crying, with a split lip and a lost tooth, and claims "John Truitt tried to kill me." Without bothering to investigate, Esther runs next door and confronts John, physically attacking him and scolding him for being a "bully." After Esther returns, Tootie and Agnes confess the truth - John was trying to protect them from the police after a dangerous prank of theirs went wrong. Upon learning the truth, Esther immediately dashes to John's house to apologize, and they share their first kiss. That same night, Mr. Smith comes home and announces that he is to be sent to New York City on business and they will all move after Christmas. The family is devastated and upset at the news, especially Rose and Esther whose romances, friendships, and educational plans are threatened. Esther is also aghast because they will miss the World's Fair. Although Mrs. Smith is upset as well, she reconciles with her husband and they sing a tender duet as she plays piano. An elegant ball takes place on Christmas Eve. John cannot take Esther as his date because he was too late to pick up his tuxedo at the tailor's. Initially disappointed, she is soon relieved when her grandfather (Harry Davenport) offers to take her to the ball instead. At the ball, Esther and Rose plot to ruin the evening of Warren's date, Lucille Ballard (June Lockhart) by filling up her dance card with losers. They are surprised when Lucille turns out to be warm and friendly and not "an eastern snob." She suggests that Warren should really be with Rose, allowing her to pair up with Lon. Esther switches her dance card with Lucille's and ends up with the dances in Lucille's place as the clumsy and awkward partners. After being rescued by Grandpa, Esther is overjoyed when John appears in a tuxedo, and the pair dance together for the rest of the evening. Later on, John proposes to Esther and she accepts, but their future is uncertain because she must still move to New York. Esther returns home to find Tootie waiting impatiently for Santa and worrying about whether she can bring all her toys with her to New York. After Esther's poignant rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", an inconsolable Tootie runs out into the cold to destroy the snowmen they have to leave behind. Mr. Smith watches his youngest daughter's tantrum from an upstairs window and changes his mind. The family will not leave St. Louis after all, he announces. Warren rushes into the Smith home, declares his love for Rose, and announces they will marry at the first possible opportunity. On or after April 30, 1904, the family take two horse-drawn buggies to the World's Fair. The film ends that night with the entire family (including Esther and John, Lon and Lucille, Rose and Warren) gathered overlooking the Fair's Grand Lagoon, just as thousands of lights illuminating the grand pavilion are switched on.