Johnny At the Fair

A promotional short film, following the exploits of a free-range toddler wandering around the 1947 Canadian National Exposition.

The fun starts when Johnny's parents, having gone to the trouble of crossing the Canadian border to bring Johnny to the Expo, can't decide what to see and, in the heat of their argument, apparently forget the boy even exists. Johnny takes advantage and makes good his escape, hopping a nearby tram to start his own exploration.

Throughout the short, Johnny experiences a number of the fair's feature exhibitions whilst having Forrest Gump-ish encounters with a slew of celebrities of the day. Among the people and events he sees are:

  • boxing legend Joe Louis
  • an FFA-style horse show
  • the "Chemical Wonderland" (where he gets a rubber ball)
  • an acrobatics show
  • Former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
  • a heel-o-copter airplane!

Narrator: "Jiminy", thinks Johnny, "If only I could get a ride in one of those!"

  • champion figure skater Barbara Ann Scott's bosom.

Crow: "Jiminy", thinks Johnny, "If only I could get a ride in one of those!"

  • the international speedboat race
  • comedy duo Olsen and Johnson, famous for Hellzapoppin'

After a while of this, though, Johnny gets tired and, finally, is taken to the Department of Lost Children where he is at long last reunited with his parents.

For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode see here.

Tropes used in Johnny At the Fair include:
  • Adults Are Useless: It takes an inordinate amount of time for Mom and Dad to notice Johnny's absence (in their defense, this is entirely plausible), and none of the people Johnny encounters ever wonder where this child's parents are.
    • Police Are Useless: Averted. The "friendly policeman" is the only person who seems to think taking a lost child to the Lost Children area is a good idea.
  • Free-Range Children: Almost no one seems to think a toddler wandering around Canadian National Exposition by himself is anything odd or worrisome.

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