Meet Me at the Fair
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Douglas Sirk
Dan Dailey
Diana Lynn
Chet Allen
"scat Man" Crothers
Hugh O'brian
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
On the way to Capital City, Michigan in 1904, wonder tonic salesman Doc Tilbee and his partner, Enoch Jones, rescue Tad Bayliss, a ten-year-old boy who has just escaped from the local orphanage. Tad quickly comes to adore Doc, who spins tall tales of his heroism with such gusto that he begins to believe them himself. Meanwhile, orphanage board member Zerelda Wing inspects the boys' home and is horrified by the poor conditions. After learning that Tad has been seen with a con man, she sets out to rescue him, whereupon orphanage head Mrs. Swaile informs corrupt party boss Pete McCoy that Zerelda is out to reform his orphanage. McCoy meets with Zerelda's fiancé, ineffectual district attorney Chilton Corr, and threatens to fire him if he does not "control" her. Zerelda, meanwhile, finds Doc selling his wonder tonic, which is actually made of prune juice, alcohol and bitters. After he denies that Tad is with him, Zerelda, aware that he is lying, swears to call the sheriff and save the boy. Doc, though charmed by her fiery spirit, packs up his wagon and races off. As rain begins to fall, Tad overhears Doc tell Enoch that they will lose their source of income by running away from town, and the boy, loathe to be a burden, sneaks off the wagon. Within minutes, however, he has fallen into the raging river, and Doc, hearing his cries, rescues him. As they dry off in the wagon, Doc listens to Tad's angelic singing and is inspired to travel to Capital City and face the sheriff. There, he and Enoch disguise Tad as a girl and spirit him away to Doc's girl friend, singer Clara Brink, who reluctantly agrees to hide him in her dressing room. Although she tries to convince Doc to settle down and marry her, he remains unconvinced. He then visits his friend, local reporter Billy Gray, and persuades him write an exposé on the orphanage. Billy soon uncovers a scheme whereby McCoy has been embezzling the home's funds. Angered, McCoy threatens to press kidnapping charges against Doc if he does not return Tad and stop the bad publicity. Doc refuses, but when Zerelda informs him that Tad's cousins, the Spooners, have been located, he agrees to let them adopt the boy. Just as he sadly says goodbye to a miserable Tad, however, McCoy and Corr burst in, pay off the "cousins," grab Tad and throw Doc out of town. Zerelda reproaches Corr and tries to talk to Doc before he leaves, but, convinced that she was in on the swindle, he snubs her. He and Enoch sneak into the orphanage that night to steal Tad back, and although they cannot find the boy, kind-hearted Enoch takes the other eleven boys into the wagon. Doc then brings them to Clara, while Corr tells the sheriff that he wants Doc, dead or alive. Soon after, Zerelda, who has rescued Tad herself, brings him to Doc and they agree to work together. To that end, they attend the governor's election night party at Clara's theater. Doc disguises himself as a singer and replaces the slides in their photo show with pictures of the dilapidated orphanage. As the audience reacts in alarm, Doc explains the corruption in the local party and Zerelda supports his story. When she produces the Spooners' falsified adoption papers, which prove that McCoy is guilty of a felony, the governor fires Corr and McCoy and makes provisions for a new, improved orphanage. Days later, Zerelda sees Doc, Enoch and Tad off, but as Doc relates one of his wild stories, she grows enamored of the fantasy, and, unable to part, they kiss.
Director
Douglas Sirk
Cast
Dan Dailey
Diana Lynn
Chet Allen
"scat Man" Crothers
Hugh O'brian
Carole Mathews
Rhys Williams
Thos. E. Jackson
Russell Simpson
George Chandler
Virginia Brissac
John Maxwell
Doris Packer
Edna Holland
George L. Spaulding
Paul Gordon
Johnson & Diehl
The Black Brothers
George Riley
Iron Eyes Cody
June Evans
Max Wagner
Phil Arnold
Donald Kerr
Robert Shafto
George Arglen
Jon Gardner
Sam Pierce
Franklyn Farnum
Harte Wayne
Roger Moore
Jack Gargan
Brick Sullivan
Dante Dipaolo
Dick Ryan
Jack Mower
John O'connor
Robert Strong
Alice Richey
Roy Butler
Mike Portanova
Wally Walker
Crew
Martin Berkeley
Phil Bowles
Hughie Cannon
Leslie I. Carey
Albert J. Cohen
George Cooper
"scat Man" Crothers
Jack Daniels
Bill Egan
Stephen Foster
Fred Frank
Stan Freeberg
William Fritzsche
Russell A. Gausman
Joseph Gershenson
Maury Gertsman
Frederick Herbert
Bernard Herzbrun
Joe Lapis
Ruby Levitt
F. E. Miller
Rosemary Odell
Eric Orbom
Milton Rosen
Russell Schoengarth
Franz Schubert
Art Siteman
Joan St. Oegger
Henry Tucker
Irving Wallace
Bud Westmore
Kenny Williams
Kenny Williams
Harry Wolfe
Marvin Wright
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was The Great Companions. Hollywood Reporter reported in March 1951 that Aubrey Schenck would produce the film, and stated in September of that year that Lou Breslow would direct. In March 1952, Los Angeles Times stated that Ann Blyth was to star as "Zerelda Wing." According to a March 1951 Variety article, some scenes were to be shot in Saratoga Springs, MI, but it has not been determined if this location was used for the final film.
Dan Dailey was borrowed from Twentieth Century-Fox for his role as "Doc Tilbee." An August 1951 Hollywood Reporter article expressed surprise that Dailey, known for his dancing, would not dance in the film. Chet Allen, who played young "Tad Bayliss," was a singer with the Columbus Boychoir of Princeton, New Jersey. Actor Hugh O'Brian was switched from a role in Universal's Cattle Kate, which was filming simultaneously, for a larger role in Meet Me at the Fair. A scene in the film includes a 1904 newsreel detailing the opening of New York City's Rapid Transit Subway and the Indianapolis Racetrack.
