Ralph Blane; ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ Songwriter

Ralph Blane, 81, who with partner Hugh Martin wrote the hit songs in “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Blane, with Martin and other partners, wrote about 500 songs over the years, mostly for films and Broadway musicals. The two composers met as performers, singing in Broadway musicals of the late 1930s such as “Hooray for What!” and “Louisiana Purchase.” They later sang in a quartet and recorded an album of their sentimental melodic tunes called “Martin & Blane Sing Martin & Blane.” Sidelined by rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, they made something of a comeback in 1960 and in 1989, when their most famous film score was revived and expanded as a musical in St. Louis and on Broadway. Among their most memorable hit songs were the three written for Judy Garland in “Meet Me in St. Louis”: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Boy Next Door” and “The Trolley Song.” They also scored the 1941 musical “Best Foot Forward,” including an extra song, “Wish I Might,” written for the later film version. On Monday in Broken Arrow, Okla.