Skip to My Lou (1941)
*** (out of 4)
This musical short lasts just three-minutes and would probably be forgotten today if it didn't have a strong connection to one of the most beloved movies ever made. The group known as The Martins featured Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin who would go onto being the songwriters for MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. This short features the title song, which would appear in the same fashion in the classic MGM film with Judy Garland. This short, on its own, is actually pretty good as the two men (and their female dancers) do a very good job with both the dancing and singing. The film appears to be set inside a barn so it's got a country feel to it but the film is quite charming and certainly very fun for its short running time. I think the main interest today is going to be for fans of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS as they can compare the short to the scene in the movie and see that the versions are very close.