The Harvey Girls

The Harvey Girls is a 1946 MGM musical film based on the 1942 novel of the same name by Samuel Hopkins Adams, about Fred Harveys famous Harvey House waitresses. Directed by George Sidney, the film stars Judy Garland and features John Hodiak, Ray Bolger, and Angela Lansbury, as well as Preston Foster, Virginia OBrien, Kenny Baker, Marjorie Main and Chill Wills. Future star Cyd Charisse appears in her first film speaking role on film.

In the 1890s, a group of Harvey Girls new waitresses for Fred Harveys pioneering chain of Harvey House restaurants travels on the Atchison, Topeka amp Santa Fe Railway ATampSF to the western town of Sandrock, Arizona. On the trip they meet Susan Bradley Judy Garland, who travels to the same town to marry the man whose beautiful letters she received when she answered a lonelyhearts ad. Unfortunately, when she arrives, the man turns out to be an old coot who does not at all meet her expectations and he also wants not to get married as much as she wants not to marry him, so they agree to call it off. When she learns that someone else, the owner of the local saloon, Ned Trent John Hodiak, wrote the letters as a joke, she confronts him and tells him off, in the process endearing herself to him.Then Susan joins the Harvey Girls, and she soon becomes their leader in fighting against the attempts by Trents business associate, Judge Sam Purvis Preston Foster, to scare them off and against the animosity of the dancehall girls and, apparently, prostitutes, led by Em Angela Lansbury, who is in love with Trent, and who sees Susan as a rival. Trent visits to see the value of the Harvey House and other trappings of civilization, then he tells Purvis to leave them alone, but Purvis continues with his campaign of intimidation, finally burning down the restaurant. Trent offers his saloon as a replacement, and Em and the dancehall girls leave town. Susan, thinking that Trent too is leaving, gets on the train, but Em, seeing that Susan loves Trent so much that she is willing to give up everything for him, stops the train and points out Trent, riding toward them on his horse. Ultimately, they are wedded in the desert, surrounded by the Harvey Girls. ........

Source: Wikipedia