The movie was adapted by Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe from the novel by Sally Benson. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli. Minnelli and Garland married the next year.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Color, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Music, Song (Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin for The Trolley Song) and Best Writing, Screenplay.
Meet Me in St. Louis was remade in 1959 for television, starring Kelly Brown, Jeanne Crain, Patty Duke, Tab Hunter and Myrna Loy. It was directed by George Schaefer from the original Brecher and Finklehoffe screenplay.
It was remade again for television in 1966. This was a non-musical version starring Shelley Fabares, Celeste Holm, Larry Merrill, Judy Land, Rita Shaw and Tommy Locke. It was directed by Alan D. Courtney from a script written by Sally Benson herself.
The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.