Colorful County Fair Scenes Enliven “Dear To My Heart”

Colorful County Fair Scenes Enliven “Dear To My Heart”.

Trotting races have again become a great American passion and pastime.

Log cabin quilts are being stitched again.

The pleasant reek of prize stock pens rises annually under gala flags in the County Fairs in every one of the United States.

Merry-go-rounds and thrill-ride machines, popcorn stands and cider mill, shooting gallery and dance pavilion exert their ancient spell at the County Fairs.

Moreover, the County Fair is a focal point and highlight in Walt Disney’s “So Dear to My Heart”, colour by Technicolor, picturing the life and adventures of a rural boy of a generation ago, interpreted in cartoon and live action.

The Pike County Fair, in Brown County, Indiana, as Sterling North describes it in his book from which the Disney picture is derived, awards a prize blue ribbon to the young boy of the story for making a champion of a discarded little black ram lamb, thus “doing the best he could with what he had” to confirm the theme of the story.

County Fair scenes, with all their colour and excitement, culminate a clash of wills between young Jeremiah Kincaid and his austere but lovable Granny Kincaid, whose problem was to raise the boy.

The action, predominantly by livings players, although there is some cartoon animation to embellish the main narrative, is centered upon Bobby Driscoll, Disney’s 11 year old star, as the ambitious, headstrong farm lad; Beulah Bondi, as the pious but practical grandma; Burl Ives, as the village blacksmith who sings half a dozen new songs especially written for the picture; Harry Carey (in his last role) as a shrewed Judge of livestock and human nature, and Luana Patten, the devoted comrade of Jeremiah in all the boy’s adventures.

Hundreds of extra players bring authentic atmosphere and interesting bits to the action. The story of fond recollection is told via the voice X who was the boy一out of his family X and scrapbook, in animated cartoon treatment. It is rich in music as well as humour and tenderness and the nostalgic note of the American scene of a recent yesterday.