Twentieth Century-Fox couldn't make a film version of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's Oklahoma in 1945--that particular Broadway musical would remain a "hot ticket" until the end of the decade--so the studio did the next best thing by hiring Rodgers & Hammerstein to pen the score for the Technicolorful State Fair. Fox had previously made a non-singing movie of Philip Stong's novel in 1933, with Janet Gaynor and Will Rogers in the leads. The musical remake downplayed the older characters in favor of the younger ...
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Twentieth Century-Fox couldn't make a film version of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's Oklahoma in 1945--that particular Broadway musical would remain a "hot ticket" until the end of the decade--so the studio did the next best thing by hiring Rodgers & Hammerstein to pen the score for the Technicolorful State Fair. Fox had previously made a non-singing movie of Philip Stong's novel in 1933, with Janet Gaynor and Will Rogers in the leads. The musical remake downplayed the older characters in favor of the younger members of the cast. Set during the annual Iowa State Fair, the story concentrates on the Frakes family: father Charles Winninger, mother Fay Bainter, and grown-up children Jeanne Crain and Dick Haymes. Each has his or her own reason for attending the fair: Winninger intends to win the "prize hog" ribbon, Bainter hopes to defeat her longtime snooty rival in the food contest (she wins when the judges get schnockered on the alcohol in her entry), Crain falls in love with fast-talking journalist Dana Andrews, and Haymes woos footloose and fancy-free vocalist Vivian Blaine. Musical highlights include the Oscar-winning "It Might as Well be Spring," "It's a Grand Night for Singing," and the title number. To avoid confusion with the 1962 remake, the 1945 State Fair was for many years retitled It Happened One Summer for TV showings. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of State Fair to cart. $4.45, like new condition, Sold by CBExchange rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fontana, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by 20th.
Add this copy of State Fair to cart. $10.99, new condition, Sold by St. Vinnie's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by 20th.
This is a GENTLE film...as warm as a quilt, and as comforting as a mother's hug, and I actually wore out my VHS copy...I love the music, the singers (Dick Haymes is ABFAB) and the actors....especially Charles Winninger, Fay Bainter and Dana Andrews. I also like the soft, rolling fields, and blue skies, and the Frake family's pride and sense of "self". It isn't like that now, and it probably wasn't then...but the spirit was, and we need to see more of it.
My favourite part is the "mincemeat" scene. Being a mincemeat maker myself, I laughed until I cried... As Melissa Frake would tell you, the longer it ripens, the better it gets! (I use BUSHMILLS 10 YR. OLD IRISH!)
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