Amores de un día

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

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).

The third film version of 'State Fair' (and the second musical version) is only partly successful, although it is nowhere near as bad as reviews of the time would have you believe.

Margy Frake this time round is played by newcomer Pamela Tiffin, who is rather colourless (and has her voice dubbed as Jeanne Crain did 17 years earlier). Her squire at the fair this time round is called Jerry and works for that new-fangled media, the 'tube' or TV. He's played by Bobby Darin who looks far too old to be chasing Tiffin - perhaps that is why a couple of references were added in this version about her age.

Pat Boone, in one of his few film appearances, is really rather good as Wayne Frake, who is now a racing driver, and of course he does his own songs and rather well. As the show singer Emily, Ann-Margret is embarrassing and too trashy; I always find her a bit OTT, as she is here.

The Frake parents, Tom Ewell and Alice Faye are charming and both have songs created for this version which were not in the '45 film, including a charming duet when they are out on the midway.

The new songs, written by Rodgers alone as Hammerstein had died by the time the film was created, are a mixed bunch. 'Never Say No To A Man' is just plain odd, although is a nice number for Faye's voice. 'Sweet Hog of Mine' fits perfectly, although some of the others feel like padding. Now the Sate Fair has relocated to Texas, we have a new song to replace 'All I Owe Ioway', this time it is 'The Little Things In Texas I Love'.

Although watchable, the relationship between Jerry and Margy in particular does not have the easy romance we saw in previous versions; while Emily does not gain the audience sympathy her character should.

A misfire, then, but a fascinating companion piece to the earlier version and it is useful to see them released together on DVD.

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....

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