State Fair
Directed by Walter Lang
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Green, and Sonya Levien from a novel by Philip Strong
1945/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Co.
Repeat viewing/Netflix
I’m as restless as a willow in a windstorm,/
I’m as jumpy as a puppet on a string./
I’d say that I had spring fever,/
But I know it isn’t spring. — “It Might As Well Be Spring”, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
I probably like this more than it deserves. Don’t think anyone can argue with the songs though.
The Iowa State Fair is just around the corner and, on their farm, the Frack family is readying some entries into the competition. Mother (Fay Bainter) is putting the finishing touches on her pickles and mincemeat and Father (Charles Winninger) is babying his prize boar, Blue Boy. Daughter Margie (Jeanne Crain) has a severe case of spring fever in late summer and is suffering terminal boredom with the nerdy farmer who wants to marry her. Son Wayne is disappointed because his girlfriend cannot accompany the family to the festivities.
Margie and Wayne both meet someone interesting at the Fair. For Margie, it is cynical newspaper man Pat (Dana Andrews) and Wayne hooks up with big band singer Emily (Vivian Blaine). Even Blue Boy meets a sow to flirt with. I won’t spoil the dramatic suspense of how the mincemeat and pig contests come out. With Frank McHugh as a song plugger and Percy Kilbride as a neighbor.
OK, so nothing much happens and what does is utterly predictable. A couple of the songs make my heart skip a beat though and the acting, particularly by Bainter and Winninger, is quite good. It’s not too long and doesn’t have any really overblown numbers. I don’t ask for anything more in my musicals.
Rodgers and Hammerstein won the Oscar for Best Music, Original Song for “It Might As Well Be Spring.” Charles Henderson and Alfred Newman were nominated for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.
“It’s a Grand Night for Singing”
