state fair

With all due respect to recent musical efforts like La La Land, there's simply nothing like the resources and talent involved in films made during the studio era, even waning years that produced 1962's remake of Rodger's and Hammerstein's State Fair, an eager-to-please extravaganza that does its best to update the aw-shucks appeal of the original with a fresh and modern approach courtesy of sex kitten Ann-Margret.

Like the rest of the state of Texas, the Frake family's life seems to revolve around their annual trip to the state fair. Patriarch Abel Frank (Tom Ewell) is pampering his prize hog in hopes of winning Best in Show; eldest son Wayne (played by straight-arrow crooner Pat Boone) is racing his custom hot rod against some stiff competition; daughter Margy is waiting for a grown-up whirlwind romance while level-headed mom Melissa Frake (Alice Faye) is the glue holding them all together. And from that first day on the midway, this year's trip promises to be more eventful than ever!

Wayne falls head over heels for Emily (Ann-Marget), a redheaded showgirl whose disdain for rural life softens as their relationship gives her a taste of true love. Margy gets swept off her feet by Jerry (Bobby Darin), a TV personality with a list of romantic conquests in every major market. Abel goes overboard to soothe his pig's emotional distress while Melissa takes home a major prize courtesy of her spiked mincemeat pie. As the life lessons cross from generation to generation, a handful of new songs are added to the mix, including a swinging '60s showstopper that would make even the stoutest Texan break into a nervous sweat.

Every member of the cast is a consummate pro. Even the bit parts like Wally Cox's stuffy food critic, who gets sloshed after eating too much of the prize-winning mincemeat, make a wonderful first impression. But it's Ann-Margret who walks away with the picture, snarling her way through every musical number with a next-level charisma and hips that put Elvis to shame. It's a star-making performance in a movie that was designed as an ensemble. And it's the first sign that director Jose Ferrer's production is veering in a desperately edgy direction.

State Fair hits all the right notes musically, but the more "mature" elements of the script (which includes pre-marital sex and hints of promiscuity in general) seem out of touch with its nostalgic origins. A shirtless Pat Boone slobbering over Ann-Margret just feels wrong on so many levels. And this manufactured attempt to modernize the film is at odds with the source material, which feels far more at comfortable singing ballads to depressed swine. That doesn't detract from the talent displayed on screen or behind it - William C. Mellor's cinematography beautifully captures the lone star state - but it does leave a bit of an aftertaste.

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray offers a nearly impeccable transfer and some terrific extras, including an isolated score track, liner notes, commentary with Pat Boone, Making Of featurette, trailers and the 60-minute State Fair TV pilot episode starring Vera Miles.