State Fair (1962)

A wheat farmer (Tom Ewell) is taking his hog to the 1961 Texas state fair in the hopes of winning a blue ribbon for best in show. His wife (Alice Faye) is taking her mincemeat in the hopes of getting a blue ribbon. Their son (Pat Boone) is going to enter the fair's auto race and their daughter (Pamela Tiffin) is just going. This remake of the Oscar winning 1945 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical (the 1933 film version wasn't a musical) lacks the earnestness of the 1945 version which in itself was fairly hokey. But it did have those wonderful Rodgers & Hammerstein songs (including the sublime It Might As Well Be Spring) of which this version retains only five with Richard Rodgers penning five new ones (Hammerstein had passed on by this time), none of which are memorable. Alice Faye, in her first film in 17 years, looks rather glum as if she didn't want to be there and paired with Ewell, I wouldn't want to either. But Ann-Margret in only her second film sizzles, no wholesome family musical is going to water her down. The great Alfred Newman is responsible for the musical score's supervision as well as conducting so naturally the songs sound marvelous. Directed by Jose Ferrer (yes, the actor). With Bobby Darin as Tiffin's love interest and Wally Cox.