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How sad is this?

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Yes, it's another hokey short nowadays known for its appearance on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". "A Day at the Fair" depicts a bunch of wholesome white people at a state fair, their livestock getting judged. In this short, the fair looks as enjoyable as a root canal; that's how much fun the short is, anyway. What better - or is that worse? - fodder is there for Mike and the 'bots? The movie shown after the short (Code Name: Diamond Head) was infinitely more fun, even though it was a convoluted mess.My point is that the short itself is a big zero, but MST3K's presentation is a ten. To my knowledge, that's the only availability.

The corn-fed Olsen family bring their flora and fauna to the fair. Watch as "Brisket" Olsen walks his home grown veal around in front of a pasty and moist group of revelers at the cow show. Over in the "That's Boring" tent, 4-H girls show that if you put a light next to a chair, you can read at night.Now "Pa" Olsen shows off his prize corn, proving once again that if you plant a seed and water it, stuff grows. The Olsen kids run off for a hot dog. "Weeble" Olsen has 3 because he knows that the first 300 pounds don't come easy. The girls then head over to the rides. Thelma Olsen knows the Bulimiator will bring up that hot dog, lickity split.Now the winning calves from the cow show are off to auction. The winners get the honor of being slaughtered first, so they don't have to deal with the blood-slick kill floor..........Sorry, some of the above was not actually in this short, but I got a bit bored thinking about it. This was a rather blah movie short about a rather blah county fair. And after watching it, you'll feel blah too.

There is a short called "Johnny at the Fair", that does a much better job at showcasing the world fair than this one does of most likely a state fair. Unless, of course, you have a keen interest in livestock! I do not, the thought of being in a barn with that many animals when it is most likely burning hot outside is not appealing to me now, nor would it have been when I was a child. This short does not help the fair's case as we get a very unexcited narrator telling us about a family that have a few animals and some corn to showcase. Sure, they get to look at bass and butterflies too, but this is seriously dull. The one featuring Johnny was dated, but it at least made me think that visiting that fair would be interesting. This one makes me think that if I was there I would want to find the nearest lemonade stand away from animals so that I may hydrate myself without the smell of thousands of animals! After the animal showcase the kids are finally allowed to have a bit of fun and get to go on a whole two rides before it is time to go home. Just not a huge fan of fairs such as these, I can not stand the smell of animals in the summer heat.

A fair like this was probably a lot of fun in 1947; today everything about it looks creaky and slapdash. Beyond the physical appearances, it looks like the sort of thing you'd have enjoyed if you'd lived out in the sticks like the Olsens and had nothing else to look forward to in terms of thrills.Filmed in beautiful black-and-white in the Louisville, Kentucky, area.