State Fair

I think this 62' remake of STATE FAIR doesn't deserve the bad rap it's been getting and has in the past. While it is not a great musical, it certainly has its credits. Yes, the original is better, but let's give credit where credit is due for this re-make. First of all it was great to see Alice Faye back on screen. She did a more than admirable job, as did Tom Ewell as Abel. They are definitely on par with the orginials. Pat Boone is quite wonderful as Wayne, better that Dick Haymes. Bobby Darin was his usual egotistical self which fits the character well, although I like Dana Andrews a bit more. The real standout is Ann-Margret. Not only is her one splashy number great, but she really shows her acting chops, especially in her final scene with Pat Boone. You can certainly see why she became a huge star and has been working for over 40 years and still is. Sorry to see her in her drunken frumpy roles, however. The only real disappointment is Pamela Tiffin. She looks the role but is unlovable as Margy. She looks and acts a bit snooty. Jeanne Crain was terrific in the original. The new songs that were added were good to great. The story changes were also interesting, although it looks like bits and pieces might have landed on the cutting room floor. Interesting that in both versions of the film, the parents never meet or have scenes with the kids boy/girlfriends. Now that this movie is on DVD, it should be a must seeing for all fans of STATE FAIR. Stero sound, wide screen a real fair as opposed to the orginals matte studio sets. A nice commentary by Mr. Boone as well.

I was in the 2nd grade at Lakewood Elementary and I can remember a man coming into our classroom and telling us he was going to make a movie at the State Fair and he needed kids to ride the merry-go-round, and who wanted to be in it? We all raised our hands. I ran all the way home from school and ran into the house shouting to my Mom that "I am going to be in a movie". And I was! Our job was to ride the merry-go-round and sing. We sat underneath a tent, while we were taught the words to the song (of course professional child singers were who you heard). I can name almost every one of the kids you see in the move, including me.

My Dad had to get me a social security number so I could get paid $25.00 per night for two nights. The cool thing is that my social security number is listed out of California. My Mom took me shopping and let me buy a doll with the money I made.

Oh, the memories! Our State Fair is a great State Fair, don't miss it, don't even be late. Its dollars to donuts that our State Fair is the best State Fair in our State! Vicki A.

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 know this film received less than favorable reviews at the time of its release, but I have always enjoyed it and watch it at least once or twice a year....there is something about the hominess and wonderful music that draw me to it in this day of mostly special effects in movies.

It is a tired old story and as others have stated, it has been filmed several times before, although, I think the array of young stars and their talents are well displayed and it was nice to see a couple of "old timers" like Tom Ewell and Alice Faye liven up the proceedings, which concern a family's adventure at the Texas State Fair; when I do compare it to the 1945 version, both seem very appropriate for the time they were filmed; Vivian Blaine made a wonderful Emily, as Ann-Margret does in the 1962 version, and both are "knockouts." Ann-Margret holds a special place in my heart, as she is originally from the Chicago area, and went to high-school with a good friend of the family; he told us that all eyes would turn when she entered a classroom, as she was such an imposing radiant figure and this was at seventeen or eighteen years of age....

For 45 years or so, this remake of State Fair has been unfairly judged going back to the original reviews. In spite of that, it was a hit then and it should be a hit today. It's a great family film, the kind they don't make anymore, plus morals - something we don't have in movies today!! Jose Ferrer really outdid himself as a director. He keeps his young actors in line and the cute little plot moving along. It's got beautiful photography and wonderful choreography from Nick Castle.

For even longer than 45 years, the world has been pretty critical of Pat Boone which has been undeserved. Well, he shines in this one! Those acting lessons from Sandy Meisner really paid off in his scenes with Ann-Margret. He's simply terrific and "in the moment". Not only does he have a great set of pipes, he looks wonderful without his shirt, he does acrobatics and that duet with Ann "Willing and Able" is just about the sexiest... no, the hottest number to come out of a musical from that era. West Side Story didn't have a number like that! Wow-wee! Pat should have been a big movie star based on what I saw in this movie as well as a the great recording artist he was at that time.

Ann looks awesome is shorts and her big number, "Isn't it kind of fun" is really well done.

All in all, the movie has really aged well and people should check it out with their families and decide for themselves. Don't listen to those grumpy people who don't like this movie (or Pat).