Garland’s Esther tries to comfort her little sister, Margaret O'Brien’s Tootie, and sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Getty But when Garland, who died in 1969, got the lyrics ...

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas; let your heart be light,” Garland sang, as she played with the hair of her trembling, teary-eyed co-star, and as toy monkeys spun nearby. “Next ...