Spotlight at the Fair (1951) | BFI National Archive

The arrival of the travelling fair brought all the entertainment, thrills and 'foreign' delights of an exotic holiday to your town. Today's versions are often just a faded impression, but this is the real thing, complete with boxing booths, freak shows, and dodgem cars that look fresh from a child's dream. Some of these scenes are clearly staged, but the film is ahead of its time in making the viewer feel they have privileged access to another world.

The film mostly covers the Mitcham Fair and the Stratford-Upon-Avon Mop, along with the impressive break up of the stalls and rides, and the convoy in-between. The last part of the film looks at the rooted cousin of the fair, the amusement park at Blackpool. Rayant Pictures' 'Spotlight' series looked at a diverse range of subjects, from ghosts to the night mail service, between 1947 and 1951.

[tommyhatcher]

I don't care much for the fair but their three trucks are a work of art.

[senianns]

I remember seeing the Mayor opening the Mitcham Fair in the late 60's. If the Mayor chose to ride on any show, the custom was all around if space available could ride for free ! happy days!

[neilmccormick]

My dad's uncle Eddie fought in the boxing booths in the 1940s. Eddie's brother Daniel had a gym in Luton and few fighters on his books.

[rmcinuk]

In the days before the nanny state controlled everything, lovely peaceful roads too. Modern medicine is about the only improvement since those times most other changes are retrograde steps.

[jordanclews]

just brill the best i have seen in along time loed it

[KanyonBair]

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