The Clock (1945) is a good-natured comedy-drama starring Judy Garland and Robert Walker as a couple who fall in love and (mistakenly) quickly marry during soldier Walker’s two-day leave. Although some of the humor is feeble, the cast is appealing, and the film is acceptably plotless. It was directed by Fred Zinneman, who was forced to give way to Vincente Minnelli, the credited director of the flick. His work here is as inspired as it was in Meet Me in St. Louis.

The Clock reminds me of a Whit Stillman film, though with less comedy. The moviemakers warm to American institutions and values, especially marriage. Minnelli, wedding Garland in ’45, doesn’t ignore its sanctity.