State Fair (1945 film)
| State Fair | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Walter Lang |
| Produced by | William Perlberg |
| Written by | Paul Green Oscar Hammerstein II Sonya Levien Philip Stong |
| Based on |
State Fair by Philip Stong |
| Starring |
Jeanne Crain Dana Andrews Dick Haymes Vivian Blaine |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Edited by | J. Watson Webb Jr. |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4 million (US/ Canada rentals) |
State Fair is a 1945 American musical film directed by Walter Lang. It is a musical adaptation of the 1933 film of the same name, with original music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The film stars Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Fay Bainter, and Charles Winninger. State Fair was remade in 1962, that time starring Pat Boone and Ann-Margret.
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", which won the Academy Award for Best Song. Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted the film for the stage in 1969 for a production at The Muny In Saint 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.
The Frake family is getting ready for the Iowa State Fair – each with their own hopes for the trip ("Our State Fair"). Father Abel (Charles Winninger) tends to his pig Blue Boy and bets his neighbor Dave Miller (Percy Kilbride) 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 (Jeanne Crain) is in a melancholy mood as she packs for the fair ("It Might As Well Be Spring"). 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 fiance, 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.
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