State Fair (1962 film)

Credits from the American Film Institute. ==Production==

Twentieth Century Fox production head Buddy Adler announced the film in January 1960 with Rodgers and Hammerstein slated to write new songs for it. Charles Brackett was named producer and Walter Lang was named director. It would be the third version of the film produced by Fox. Adler said that he hoped that the film would be ready by Christmas and that it would not be a musical, but "it will have plenty of songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein." Brackett called the story "... a beautiful property. It's a story about people with simple projects with which the audience can get really involved – the man who wants his boy to get a prize, the woman interested in her mincemeat, the girl who wants adventure and finds a fast young man at the fair." Production was delayed when Adler died in July 1960. Hammerstein died the following month, at which point Rodgers decided to write the lyrics himself. José Ferrer had just made Return to Peyton Place for Fox and was eventually signed to direct. He described the project as "entirely a new treatment of a classic" with no "chance of a comparison with a memory or nostalgia." Bound by the terms of an old commitment to Fox, she was paid only $500 a week during her three months of work on the production. Pamela Tiffin was given the role of Margy without any audition, even though none of her films had yet been released at the time, beating the long-time favorite Barbara Eden, who was ultimately deemed too sexy for the part. Andy Williams auditioned for the role of Wayne. The film was shot in September and October 1961. Shooting mainly took place at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. ==Song list==

• "Our State Fair" • "It Might as Well Be Spring" • "That's for Me" • "Never Say No to a Man" (added in the 1962 version) – Lyrics and Music by Richard Rodgers • "It's a Grand Night For Singing" • "Willing and Eager" (added in the 1962 version) – Lyrics and Music by Richard Rodgers • "This Isn't Heaven" (added in the 1962 version) – Lyrics and Music by Richard Rodgers • "The Little Things In Texas" (added in the 1962 version) – Lyrics and Music by Richard Rodgers • "More Than Just a Friend" (added in the 1962 version) – Lyrics and Music by Richard Rodgers • "Isn't It Kind of Fun?" (moved in the 1962 version) A soundtrack album was released briefly on Dot Records in 1962, as Boone had an exclusive contract with the label. The soundtrack was issued on CD by Varèse Sarabande in 1999 as part of a 2-on-1 release with the soundtrack recordings from the 1945 film. Original recording session elements were used for this edition (as opposed to the Dot album masters from the 1962 LP), and due to deterioration of some of the source material, various orchestral and/or vocal cues are missing on some tracks. The soundtrack was reissued on CD again in 2016 by Stage Door Records in a limited edition release that was mastered from a stereo reel-to-reel tape. It contains the album as issued by Dot Records in 1962 with numerous bonus tracks. ==Reception==

According to Kinematograph Weekly the film was considered a "money maker" at the British box office in 1962. However, the native North American box office was markedly disappointing. The film grossed only $3.5 million from a $4.5 million production budget, making the film a box office bomb. Reviewing the film, Diabolique magazine later wrote: It just doesn’t work. It’s not the material. Sure, it’s cheesy, but The Sound of Music (1965) was cheesy and that came along three years later. I feel the main problem is too many key people were miscast. Jose Ferrer was not the right director and most of the cast fall short of their 1945 counterparts. Tom Ewell seems too urban to play “paw” compared to Charles Winninger. Pamela Tiffin looks like an urban ditz rather than a sweet naive country girl like Jeanne Crain. Bobby Darin (another pop star turned actor) comes across as sleazy rather than sharp like Dana Andrews. Ann-Margret was always better as good girls who looked as though they wanted to be naughty (Viva Las Vegas, Bye Bye Birdie) rather than straight-out naughty girls. Alice Faye looks like Alice Faye coming out of retirement (it was her last film) whereas Fay Bainter felt like a character. The one exception is Pat Boone who is far better than Dick Haymes, but he can't save things.The lukewarm reception triggered the end of José Ferrer's film directing career. ==References==