MovieChat Forums > State Fair (1945) Discussion > Does this issue bother anyone?

Does this issue bother anyone?


The fact that Wayne cheated on his girlfriend?? I grew up watching this movie and never really though about it, but as a 26 year old, it now really makes me mad.

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Hmm, never thought about it since it was just a silly romantic musical in which the girlfriend had to stay home or the romance couldn't have happened. Think he ever told her?


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I grieved I had no shirt until I met a woman who had no pants.

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[deleted]

I think he was just caught up in the moment. This is a farm boy and this big, glamorous star actually liked him and gave him the time of day. If you fast forward to the end, once he came home and back to reality, he seemed to recover from his crush and got back to what was real with his girl friend.

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I agree with you. But I think it depends on one's definition of "cheating." I consider dancing, getting drinks and kissing another girl, cheating.

Others might think there was nothing wrong since they didn't have sex.

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I just watched this for the first time and was thinking the same thing. He was clearly very into his girlfriend at the beginning but seemed to forget about her as soon as he got to the fair. It would be one thing if the romance between he and Emily had any build up whatsoever but he started pursuing her immediately after they met. They may not have kissed but it still didn't feel right to me.

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"State Fair" is the epitome of the lightweight musical/romantic comedy- the cotton-candy of films. Not something to put much thought into- just sit back and enjoy.

However, when you do think about it then both Wayne AND Margy are a pair of selfish rats.

Wayne's girlfriend can't make it to the fair for a good and honorable reason- she has to take care of her sick mother. Yet, he gets ticked-off about it! So, as soon as he gets to the fair he starts to pursue another woman. He even proposes marriage! And when he's turned down, he returns home and takes-up with his girlfriend as if nothing happened. Regardless of whether he's wearing a nice suit and sings and looks like young Dick Haymes, that's a creep!

Margy is no prize either. Yes, her boyfriend/fiance is a geek and a bore, but they've know each other almost their entire lives. Thus, she's had numerous opportunities to make it clear that she has no interest in him romantically. Yet, she continues to lead him on that marriage is in the cards for them.

Poor Harry. He believes he's got this gorgeous girl lined-up to be his wife. Someone he's known and trusted as a friend since he was kid. And what happens? She kicks him to the curb for some handsome reporter whom she's known for just a few short hours. Regardless if young Jeanne Crain was a stunningly beautiful woman who makes me swoon, Margy is a silly and selfish rat!

Movies then and today still sell the ridiculous falsehood that love (deep and everlasting) can be created within a brief acquaintance. It really is absurd, but we love to see it in the movies.

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