''State Fair'' is a 1945 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

directed by

Walter Lang Walter Lang (August 10, 1896 – February 7, 1972) was an American film director. Early life Walter Lang was born in Tennessee. As a young man he went to New York City where he found clerical work at a film production company. The business piq ...

with original music by

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

. It is a musical adaptation of the 1933 film of the same name starring

Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Gaynor began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (late ...

and

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahom ...

, itself an adaptation of the 1932 novel by

Phil Stong Philip Duffield Stong (January 27, 1899 – April 26, 1957) was an American author, journalist and Hollywood scenarist. He is best known for the 1932 novel ''State Fair'', which was adapted as a film three times (1933, 1945 and 1962) and as a Br ...

. The 1945 film stars

Jeanne Crain Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in '' Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films '' In the Meantime, Darling'' (194 ...

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...

Dick Haymes Richard Benjamin Haymes (September 13, 1918 – March 28, 1980) was an Argentinian singer and actor. He was one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, an actor, television host, ...

Vivian Blaine Vivian Blaine (born Vivian Stapleton; November 21, 1921 – December 9, 1995) was an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of ''Guys and Dolls'', as well as appearin ...

Fay Bainter Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 – April 16, 1968) was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Jezebel'' (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Bainter wa ...

, and

Charles Winninger Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals. Life and career Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger ...

. ''State Fair'' was

remade Bas-Lag is the fictional world in which several of English author China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as "thaumaturgy") and steampunk technology exist, and is home to many intelligent races. It is in ...

in 1962, that time starring

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

and

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

. ''State Fair'' was the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical written directly for film. The movie introduced such popular songs as "It's A Grand Night For Singing" and "

It Might as Well Be Spring "It Might as Well Be Spring" is a song from the 1945 film ''State Fair''. which features the only original film score by the songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. "It Might as Well Be Spring" won the Academy Award for Best ...

", which won the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...

. Joint musical direction was by

Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Aca ...

and Charles E. Henderson of orchestral arrangements principally by

Edward B. Powell Edward Benson Powell (December 5, 1909, Savanna, Carroll County, Illinois - February 28, 1984, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who served as Alfred Newman's musical lieutenant at 20th Century Fox ...

. This Rodgers and Hammerstein's original musical film was first adapted for the stage in 1969, for a production at

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheatre, amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first ...

in St. Louis. In 1996, it was adapted again for a Broadway musical of the same name, with additional songs taken from other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.

Plot

The Frake family is getting ready for the

Iowa State Fair The Iowa State Fair is an annual state fair held in Des Moines, Iowa in August. It began in 1854 and has been held on the Iowa State Fairgrounds since 1886. It is based in the state capital Des Moines, Iowa over an 11 day period in August. ...

– each with their own hopes for the trip ("Our State Fair"). Father Abel (

) tends to his pig Blue Boy and bets his neighbor Dave Miller (

Percy Kilbride Percy William Kilbride (July 16, 1888 – December 11, 1964) was an American character actor. He made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series of feature films. Early life Kilbride was b ...

) five dollars that the pig will win at the fair, and that the Frake family will all have a good time at the fair with no bad experiences. Daughter Margy (

) is in a melancholic mood as she packs for the fair ("

It Might As Well Be Spring "It Might as Well Be Spring" is a song from the 1945 film ''State Fair''. which features the only original film score by the songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. "It Might as Well Be Spring" won the Academy Award for Best ...

"). Margy muses about how the Fair will at least give her a break from seeing and doing the same old things every day on the farm. Later, Harry, Margy's fiancé, tells her he can't go to the fair with her because he has to take care of his cows. He describes the new modern farm he wants to have after they are married, with a farmhouse made out of prefabricated plastic with linoleum floors throughout. Margy, who thinks old houses are charming, is not enthusiastic about Harry's ideas or about Harry himself. Mother Melissa (

) is preparing pickles and mincemeat to enter in the cooking competition. The mincemeat recipe calls for brandy, but Melissa objects to adding it because she doesn't believe in cooking with alcohol, even though Abel disagrees and thinks the brandy is essential to the recipe. When Melissa goes to the phone, Abel secretly puts some brandy in the mincemeat. The phone call is for son Wayne (

), whose girlfriend Eleanor is calling to tell him that she cannot go to the fair with him because her mother has been ill. Melissa comes back from the phone to her mincemeat and, not knowing Abel already added brandy, adds even more. The Frakes head off to the fair. Wayne's first stop is the ring-tossing booth where he lost eight dollars the previous year. Wayne has been practicing all year in hopes of getting even, and he repeatedly wins the game. As he keeps winning, the barker (

Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...

) gets upset and threatens to call the police. A pretty girl (

) defends Wayne, saying she is the daughter of the chief of police, and to prevent a scene the barker refunds Wayne's eight dollars in addition to his other winnings. Wayne tries to make a date with the girl, but she says she is late for an appointment and rushes off, promising that she will be on the midway that evening and Wayne should look for her. Meanwhile, on the roller coaster, Margy gets into an empty seat for two, but a couple ask for the seat in front of her, where a man is already seated. He leaves his seat for the couple and sits next to Margy. When the ride takes fast turns and goes down quickly, she clutches her neighbor. After the ride, the man invites Margy to have a Coke. The man, a reporter named Pat (

) who is covering the fair for the Des Moines newspaper, suggests that he and Margy spend some time together at the fair, and if things didn't work out, they could break it off with no hard feelings. Pat and Margy spend the day together and Margy is fascinated by his stories about the many cities where he has worked. Pat tells Margy of his ambition to get a job on a larger newspaper. They plan to meet again that evening, and Pat tells Margy not to worry about him wanting to break it off, because when he wants to do that, she will know and he "just won't be around." Abel comes to tend to Blue Boy and finds him lying down, breathing hard. He seems to be sick. A friend, Frank, brings in his prize female pig named Esmeralda. When Blue Boy sees Esmeralda, he quickly gets back up and "talks" to her by grunting. That evening on the midway, Pat finds Margy while Wayne looks for the girl he met at the ring toss booth. Wayne finds the chief of police and asks about his daughter, only to find that she is a little girl and has no sister. Then Wayne sees that the girl he was looking for is actually Emily Edwards, the singer with the dance band performing at the fair. After Emily finishes her song ("

That's For Me "That's For Me" is a popular song, written by Richard Rodgers, with the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was published in 1945 and included in the 1945 version of the musical film ''State Fair.'' Popular recordings in 1945 were made by J ...

"), Wayne and Emily have drinks and dance together, while meanwhile Pat and Margy have fun riding the highest airplane ride at the fair ("A Grand Night For Singing"). Although Pat has clearly had many girlfriends, he seems to be genuinely interested in Margy. By the next morning, Margy has fallen for Pat and Wayne for Emily. At breakfast, Abel is so excited about how well Blue Boy is doing that he forgets he has already said the blessing and says it again. Following breakfast comes the pickle and mincemeat judging, which has mother Melissa worried because her biggest competition, Mrs. Edwin Metcalfe, wins the first prizes every year. But Melissa wins first prize for her sour pickles and also a special award for her mincemeat with the brandy. One of the judges likes the mincemeat so much he can't stop eating it. Pat takes Melissa and Margy's picture for the newspaper and then takes Margy to a horse race. Pat's horse wins and he and Margy are so happy that they kiss. Meanwhile, Wayne asks Emily to spend the evening with him, but she declines because she has a previous engagement to host a birthday party for Marty ( William Marshall), the man who sings with her in the band. She invites Wayne to come to the party instead. A song plugger named McGee (

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

) arrives with a new song he wants Emily to sing, but she and Marty brush him off, so McGee gives Wayne a copy of the song and asks him to pass it along to Emily. That night at the party, Emily asks Wayne to sing. Wayne demurs at first but after Marty makes fun of him, Wayne takes out the song McGee gave him ("Isn't It Kind of Fun?") and sings it with Emily to the applause of the guests. Marty, who has been drinking and seems jealous, finds out Wayne got the song from McGee and insinuates that McGee probably paid Wayne to promote the song to Emily and that Wayne is "cashing in" on his friendship with Emily. Wayne gets angry, punches Marty and walks out. Emily runs after Wayne and tells him she will get rid of the party guests and spend the rest of the evening just with him. They kiss and embrace. Margy and Pat sit on a hillside talking as the sun is coming up. Pat asks Margy if she really plans to marry Harry, the man she is engaged to. Margy suggests that she probably will. Margy asks Pat if he thinks he will ever marry and he responds that if he ever found a girl he wanted to marry, he would think too much of her to wish a guy like himself on her. Despite this, he asks Margy to marry him, but she doesn't answer right away. Pat says he would be no good for Margy but she would be awfully good for him. They make plans to meet the next night at the rollercoaster at 8:30, kiss and say goodnight. After Margy starts to walk away, she turns back and tells Pat that she couldn't marry anyone but him, ever. The next day, Abel rushes to get Blue Boy, who has already won the blue ribbon in his senior class, ready for the grand champion boar competition. During the preparations, the owner of Esmeralda, the female pig near Blue Boy, takes Esmeralda out to weigh her and Blue Boy immediately lies down and doesn't want to get up. Abel manages to get Blue Boy out to the judging ring, but in the middle of the judging Blue Boy lies down again and will lose the competition if he doesn't get back up. At the last minute, Blue Boy sees Esmeralda in the stands and the pigs "talk" to each other, and Blue Boy gets back up. The judges announce Blue Boy the winner, and Abel and his family rejoice. That night, the last night of the fair, Margy goes to meet Pat and Wayne goes to meet Emily. Abel reads Pat's newspaper article about Melissa winning the pickle and mincemeat competition, and it says that Mr. Hippenstahl, the judge who couldn't stop eating the mincemeat, had delirium tremens afterwards, presumably from the brandy. Melissa demands that Abel take her out to see the fair. Melissa and Abel go to see the dance band ("All I Owe Ioway"). Mr. Hippenstahl is at the next table getting drunk, and he proceeds to follow Melissa and Abel around the midway, much to Abel's annoyance. While Wayne waits at the stage door for Emily, McGee thanks Wayne for helping him with the song and mentions that Emily will be singing the song the next night in Chicago. Wayne is surprised to hear from McGee that Emily is leaving for Chicago that night because Emily didn't tell him. Emily finally comes out and Wayne tries to convince her to go home to the farm with him instead of going to Chicago with the band. Emily says she can't and starts to confess something to Wayne, but runs away crying. McGee explains to Wayne that Emily is already married, although the marriage is unhappy, and that Emily didn't want to tell Wayne and spoil everything. McGee and Wayne get drunk together and stumble back to the Frakes' camp. At the same time, Pat learns he's being offered a new job writing his own syndicated column and the boss wants to meet with him in Chicago that night about the job. Pat protests that he has Margy waiting for him, but Pat is told that if he doesn't leave immediately to get to Chicago for the meeting, he won't get the job and he'll be "through." Margy ends up waiting all night by the rollercoaster for Pat, who never shows up because he went to Chicago. Margy waits until the midway begins shutting down and packing up, and then walks away sadly, assuming that Pat must have decided to brush her off. The Frake family packs up and drives home. Wayne and Margy are both heartbroken. The next day, Abel tries to collect on the bet with Mr. Miller, but Mr. Miller notices Wayne and Margy don't look like they had a good time, which would mean Abel lost the bet. Wayne leaves in a hurry while Mr. Miller asks the listless Margy if she had a good time at the fair. Before Margy can reply, the phone rings and Margy answers it. It's Pat, who got the columnist job, calling from the nearby town to ask Margy to marry him and come with him to Chicago. Margy accepts and excitedly tells Mr. Miller that she had a good time and it was the most wonderful fair ever. Abel collects his five dollars as Margy rushes off to meet Pat. Pat and Margy embrace in the middle of the road as Wayne, now reunited with his girlfriend Eleanor, drives by happily hugging Eleanor ("A Grand Night for Singing").

Cast

as Margy Frake *

as Pat Gilbert *

as Wayne Frake *

as Emily Edwards *

as Abel Frake *

as Melissa "Ma" Frake *

Donald Meek Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903. Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films '' You Can't ...

as Mr. Heppenstahl, the pickle and mincemeat judge * William Marshall as Marty, the singer with Tommy Thomas` band. *

as McGee, a song plugger *

as Dave Miller * Phil Brown as Harry Ware, Margy's fiancé *

(credited as Henry Morgan) as a barker, who operates the ring toss booth (played in 1933 by Victor Jory) * Blue Boy, a boar that was raised by Ed S. Rennick of Pilger, Nebraska. *

John Dehner John Dehner (DAY-ner) (born John Dehner Forkum, also credited Dehner Forkum; November 23, 1915February 4, 1992) was an American stage, radio, film, and television actor. From the late 1930s to the late 1980s, he amassed a long list of performan ...

as hog contest announcer (uncredited)

Singers

Dick Haymes and Vivian Blaine were well known big band singers of the time who did their own singing. Jeanne Crain's singing voice was dubbed by Louanne Hogan. Dana Andrews's singing voice was dubbed by Ben Gage.

Musical numbers

* "Our State Fair" – Sung by Percy Kilbride, Charles Winninger and Fay Bainter. * "

" – Sung by Jeanne Crain (dubbed by Louanne Hogan). * "

That's for Me "That's For Me" is a popular song, written by Richard Rodgers, with the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was published in 1945 and included in the 1945 version of the musical film ''State Fair.'' Popular recordings in 1945 were made by J ...

" – Sung by Vivian Blaine with Tommy Thomas Orchestra. * "It's A Grand Night For Singing" – Sung by Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Jeanne Crain (dubbed by Louanne Hogan), Dana Andrews (dubbed by Ben Gage) and Chorus. * "That's for Me" (reprise) – Sung by Jeanne Crain (dubbed by Louanne Hogan) and Dick Haymes. * "It's A Grand Night For Singing" (reprise 1) – Sung by William Marshall, Vivian Blaine and Chorus. * "Isn't It Kind of Fun?" – Sung by Dick Haymes and Vivian Blaine. * "All I Owe Ioway" – Sung by William Marshall, Vivian Blaine, Fay Bainter, Charles Winninger and Chorus. * "It's A Grand Night For Singing" (reprise 2) – Sung by Dick Haymes and Chorus

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called the film "no more than an average screen musical, with a nice bucolic flavor here and there." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote: "Coupled with an excellent cast, 'Fair' retains the old charm f the originaland yet adds some of its own. It is an excellent entertainment and should do boff b.o. ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' called it "good, wholesome entertainment, capably directed and well acted."

John McCarten John McCarten (September 10, 1911, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 25, 1974, New York City) was an American writer who contributed about 1,000 pieces for ''The New Yorker'', serving as the magazine's film critic from 1945 to 1960 and B ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' wrote: "'Nice,' I believe, would be the word for it; I don't think you could use anything stronger." The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

in these lists: * 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: ** "

" – Nominated * 2006:

AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals is a list of the top musicals in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute at the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Holl ...

– Nominated

In popular culture

In " The Moon is Not Blue", a 1982 episode of the television series ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. T ...

'', the characters – having heard about the controversy surrounding the film '' The Moon Is Blue'' – attempt to get a copy shipped to their mobile hospital in Korea, but ultimately get ''State Fair'' instead. Actor

, who played Sherman T. Potter for much of ''M*A*S*Hs run, including the episode in question, appears in ''State Fair'' as a carnival barker. When General

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

returned from his frustrating peace mission to China in 1946, he said that ''State Fair '' did more to tell the Chinese about America, “about the heart and soul and about its people than I could possibly have told them in hours of talking."Kerry Segrave, ''American Films Abroad: Hollywood's Domination of the World's Movie Screens from the 1890s to the Present'' (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1997
p. 182

References

External links

* (1945 version) * * * {{Authority control 1945 films 1945 musical films American musical films Musical film remakes Films based on American novels Films set in Iowa Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award Films directed by Walter Lang Films scored by Alfred Newman Films with screenplays by Sonya Levien Musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein State Fair (franchise) 20th Century Fox films Films produced by William Perlberg 1940s English-language films 1940s American films