State Fair

source: State Fair

I saw this film in the theater as a nine-year old and loved it. I saw the film again the other night on DVD and what do you know? I still loved it. The silliest criticism that I saw about this film concerned the location filming at a real Texas State Fair. This criticism offered the theory that the people at Fox couldn't afford to build proper sets for the film due to the financial drain of "Cleopatra", so they had to settle for cheaper location filming! The location filming and the wide-screen sweep of the fairgrounds are what add to the appeal of this film. Also, not one review that I read commented on the exciting auto racing sequences which were certainly well-staged. The five additional songs written by Richard Rodgers were lovely and in the tradition of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The performances were uniformly good, especially Ann-Margaret, whose first movie filmed this was. ("Pocket Full of Miracles" was released first but filmed second.)

I watched the 1945 and 1962 versions of "State Fair" back to back. My aim was to heckle them like the characters on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" do to crummy movies. I did so with the first one (namely during the taste-testing scene when I said that someone had put LSD in the punch). I did so to a lesser extent with the second one, just since I'm not inclined to heckle Ann-Margret. I should have heckled the movie a whole lot more given the presence of Pat Boone.* Basically, both versions are totally hokey. Bobby Darin probably spent the last decade of his life regretting that he starred in this. The one good thing about the movie is that Ann-Margret looks really fine in some of those outfits. But that's it. Quentin Tarantino should make his own version. *When Boone appeared in "Roger & Me", he praised GM CEO Roger Smith (even after Smith had ruined the livelihoods of everyone in Flint). After a movement to overturn the infamous Prop 8 arose, Boone equated it with the terrorists who took over a hotel in Mumbai. More recently, he's wedded himself to the Birther movement.

I have, to be honest, not seen State Fair, but finds it very interesting that legendary rock'n roll pioneer Gene Vincent played the role of a crippled singer in State Fair. But unfortunately his part was cut out in the clipping room. Back in 1962 Gene Vincent, the hit recorder of such classics as "Be-Bop-A-Lula", "Blue Jean Bop", "Lotta Lovin'" and "Dance To The Bop" hadn't had a hit in US for nearly five years but in Europe it was something else and he was called "The King Of The Ball-Rooms". Gee, how I wish a DVD release would feature Gene's part of the movie too. It sure would make thousands of rock'n roll enthusiasts -to whom Gene Vincent is God- wanna buy the DVD.

I saw this version upon first suburban release in late 1962 at our local Marina Theatre in Rosebery Sydney Australia. At the time, as kids, aged 8 we thought it was great fun. I think we also saw IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR soon after.....also THE VON TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS and some other Elvis fun. I do remember singing all the way home "our state fair is a great state fair... etc'" so tonight 44 years later it was fun to remember the rest of the song and a few others. But....... STATE FAIR 1962 is really slow and badly filmed. Made during the CLEOPATRA cash drain of '62, the budget constraints are very obvious and Fox's keenness to take advantage of an existing State Fair to avoid set and staging costs can be easily identified. STATE FAIR is just not interesting. To 8 year olds in the 60s it was color and movement and comedy all in a big theater on a big screen. In my 2006 DVD cave by myself (not the intended premium viewing suggestion) it is a tough slog. Some surprises both good and bad: Sluttiness galore from Ann-Margret especially in one of the worst dance numbers of all time to rival both Susan Hayward in VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and the glomesh Ganesh opening from GUMNAAM...it's a rag doll kids number that rips itself apart into some devil dance with star trek guys and A-M in some Cher leggy outfit...... and more startling is the shirtless sexy scenes of Pat Boone (no kissing now... but have some nipples). These minor horror amusements lift the film into watchable, but as a musical of farm folk a-la Oklahoma for us city slickers it does not register now as an adult, as very good at all. Wally Cox appears to judge the brandy laden mince... and eek! Tom Ewell and his beer belly serenade a hog. How did this man ever get a role? He was awful and unappealing in every film he made including The 7 Year Itch and The Girl Can't Help it. Alice Faye just looks like she wishes it was 1945 again. So did I. ...you might too even if like me, you weren't born then. Interesting to see Bobby Darin certain to ride a Vespa scooter after his star turn in Come September. Fox wanted to include that imagery in the trailer for sure. Sorry STATE FAIR lovers. Ann-Margret's legs and Pat's pecs get the gold stars. The fab 60s neons of the time and the Jetson's style fair rides are particularly interesting design of the time. I starting hearing other R&H songs in the background (Iam sixteen... etc) recycled into theme music for this. Have a listen in some drama scenes with theme music. Those lilting riffs do come from other R&H pix.

I liked it, although it is not up to par with it's 1945's predecessor. The 1945 film was absolutely charming, and this one does fall short in some areas. The romances do not seem quite as fulfilling as in the earlier version, yet the musical numbers are something to gawk at. Ann-Margret is stunning at the beginning of her career and practically steals the show. Pamela Tiffin is charming and surprisingly manages a southern accent very well, while the hopelessly miscast Pat Boone is giving it his all to be a Texas farm boy and it just doesn't seem to work out. However Bobby Darin is darling as a self - centered reporter who falls for Tiffin without realizing it. The remake uses all of the songs from the original musical, minus "I Owe Iowa" which was replaced with "The Little Things in Texas" due to the change in setting. Its new songs are very good, and while Margret's jazzy remake of "Isn't it Kinda Fun?" raised a few eyebrows, the musical direction is very well done and fully satisfying. Really the only drawback to this production is in comparison with its two earlier versions. The love stories in the 1945 version were more complete, the acting a little more sincere, and the story more innocent. This 1962 version obviously had a much bigger budget to work with and it comes across in the musical numbers. It is a worthwhile production and a good movie.

If anyone actually follows commentators around from site to site, I remarked somewhere else that R&H musicals tend to be problematic in their film realizations. I mentioned as exceptions The King And I and State Fair. In retrospect, TKAI has the eternal problem of non-native casting (who cares?--you tell me you knew Rita Moreno was Top-Tim the first time you saw it), while Oklahoma is probably as great a movie musical as has ever been filmed. Anyway, to the point regarding State Fair. When I complimented it, I was referring to the cute little entertainment filmed in 1945. This remake is fatally flawed by making the situation between Pat Boone and Anne-Margaret so steamy (way out of character for the time and the genre), and by the re-working of that innocent and tuneful number "Isn't It Kind of Fun," which makes it almost not G-rateable. It is inconceivable that R&H had any artistic control over this movie, or they never would have allowed such a travesty.

I just participated in the stage musical of State Fair, and prior to the performance I watched this particular version. It is awful! For one, they change the fair location from Des Moines, Iowa to Houston, Texas. The directors made the songs less memorable, and they changed almost every person's name. In the process of changing the location, the writers got rid of songs and added songs that are horrible. Plus they had other people singing the songs. The 1945 version would be the better film to see, because the energy of the production seems more upbeat than the dull, annoying, unmemorable 1962 idea.

This was the "updated" version of the original State Fair. The locality of this remake is Texas, not Iowa, as the original version was, which may make it seem "bigger" but not really "better". Alice Faye (who was in the original) is great, and Bobby Darin stole the show as the smooth talking big town guy, while Ann Margaret sparkled as she sang and danced during her production numbers, "Isn't It Kinda Nice". The music is wonderfully done, as always, and I truly wanted to enjoy this film more than I did. Boone was musically at the top of his form in this film and makes a valiant try in the dramatic parts of his role of Wayne, but the dramatic parts were just not as believable as his singing. The musical scenes were very good, and made the movie fun! It's a whimsical look back at a time which probably never was this clean cut. However, I do remember the importance of State Fairs, with its 4-H and farm demonstration, carnivals, family atmosphere, and introduction of young people in domestic and farming activities. To win FIRST in anything at the State Fair is BIG stuff. This part of the film rings very true. The plot is thin, because the music was the important part of the film. A DVD is currently available of both versions of "State Fair" (1942 and 1962 version). Anyone interested in comparing the two should view this DVD. Still "State Fair", whichever version you view does have songs which make it a "grand night for singing". Joyce

I see the reviews, I see the number ratings, I don't understand. In my opinion this is an excellent movie. I'm not a movie critic, I don't have a degree in film arts or even drama. I'm just a retired high school math teacher. That said, I find so many things about this film to be so positive and endearing. Pat Boone is great, Ann Margaret is beautiful and the the rest of the actors were so enjoyable. The songs and music are outstanding and best of all you can understand every word of every song. Yep, you guessed it, I'm an old guy, I'm 63 and I had the pleasure of seeing this film on its first run in the theater in Nashville, Tennessee. I loved it then and I loved it tonight after watching it for the first time in 40 years on the new DVD widescreen Cinemascope release. I still have the LP vinyl 33 1/3 RPM original movie soundtrack. Love it too. Some critics seem to feel that everything is too polite, too sweet, too clean to be realistic, but I'll tell you, that's the way it was where I grew up 40 years ago. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did tonight. 10/10