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Flipper (1963)
Killing Dolphins is Bad Luck
Overall, I very much enjoyed the film and the portrayal of a fisherman's life. I liked the hurricane scene, which felt authentic, and the scenes of Pa and Sandy fishing. The relationship between Flipper and Sandy was very sweet. The actor playing Sandy did a fine job as a "fishing boy".
The only problem I had with the film was with the characters killing dolphins. That made no sense, as maritime superstition is that it is very bad luck to kill dolphins- fishermen simply don't kill them. Dolphins are usually seen as good luck omens in fishing lore. Early on in the film, Pa tells Sandy about a Greek myth about a dolphin saving the life of a poet. Fishermen have known for years that dolphins are good, so the writing was very weak in this respect. When the boy shoots Flipper with a spear, I was aghast. Most people know not to kill dolphins, and have known for thousands of years.
I liked Chuck Connors portrayal as Pa and the actress who plays Sandy's mother. I also liked the plot point of showing the family struggling during a season of red tide- this was very authentic.
Even with the inauthenticity of fishermen killing dolphins, I think this is a fine family film.
Disneyland: Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates: Part 1 (1962)
One of the Few Times a Movie is Better than the Book
I read Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge as an adult. While Hans' story is charming, Ms. Dodge had the unfortunate structure of interspersing a chapter of Hans' story followed by a chapter of Dutch history. I believe her intention was to make Dutch history accessible to youngsters, but she did not integrate the story and the history very well. Disney did a good job of taking out the "boring bits" while preserving the fictional story of Hans Brinker. Disney was able to beautifully integrate a little of Dutch history and culture without it being a thinly disguised history lesson. I like history, and I liked Dodge's book- but I did not particularly like how she wrote her story.
The film is charming and uses a complete Dutch cast, which does much to lend an air of authenticity to the movie. The production was so well done, I was surprised to learn Brinker was a television film and not a theater release. It is a lovely little story about a lovely little family.
State Fair (1962)
These Frake Parents Are Jerks
As much as I liked the 1945 version of State Fair, I disliked the 1962 version. Two aspects of this film really irritated me. One is to do with the plot, the other is the horrendous acting of Pamela Tiffin as Margie Frake.
I could deal with Tiffin's lackluster performance, if the Frake parents were not such jerks toward Ann Margaret's character, Emily Porter. As sexy as Margaret is, she is in no way a conniver or gold digger. She is gentle and kind, a good girl who got on the wrong path and someone Pat Boone's character would be lucky to marry. The Frakes assume Emily is trash before even meeting her, yet Margie ends up going off with the very skeevy Bobby Darin. I see a huge double standard in this film. It is cool if your daughter marries a "bad boy" who sowed his oats, but God forbid your son marry a "girl with a past", even though he slept with her! If the writers wanted to make the character of Emily to be opportunistic, they should not have hired Ann Margaret, who can't help being sweet and lovely.
With that being said, Pat Boone does a great job as Wayne, and Bobby Darin is funny as Jerry- you actually wonder what he sees in a drip like Pamela Tiffin. I love Alice Faye, but she definitely has an "edge" and seems incongruous for her to be a prude about Emily. In truth, you get the feeling that Faye is trashier than Margaret. Tom Ewell does a fine job as Mr. Frake. The songs are catchy, of course.