A Day at the State Fair of Texas (1941)

Duration: 11:43

Year Published: 1941

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: Shot in 1941, this promotional film for the State Fair of Texas opens with Eleanor's mother reading a letter from her friend, Bill's mother, asking for Eleanor to meet up with her son for a blind date at the State Fair. Eleanor is distressed that she must spend a whole day with a strange boy from a farm town, but her mother insists, commenting that "Bill Jackson can't be so terrible; his mother was the best looking girl at SMU, and his dad was a football hero." The next day, both Bill and Eleanor head to their meeting spot, but they both remove the pins they are supposed to wear to identify themselves to each other. The pair begin talking and decide to ditch the people they are supposed to meet to spend the day together without realizing they are each other's blind date. The couple then visits a variety of attractions, rides, and exhibits the State Fair has to offer, learning much about the state, its industries, and the arts along the way. At the end of the day, they realize they were on their blind date after all and comment that mothers "always do know best!" Dallas native and future Miss Texas Charmayne Smith plays Eleanor in the film. At the time of the film, she was studying acting at the Dallas Little Theater. Harry Bleeker, also with the Dallas Little Theater, plays Bill.