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Random Mom's commentary on State
Fair (1945)
Review Copyright Random Mom,
2000
Spoilers ahead
When those chill fall breezes begin to blow (in other words, when the
mercury finally drops below 80), Random Mom and her daughter Bobo enact
their autumnal ritual of watching the 1945 version of State Fair,
a perfect corn-fed evening's entertainment. This is the only musical Rodgers
and Hammerstein wrote directly for the screen, and the story rather overpowers
the songs, instead of the usual reverse. But it does contain the lovely
"It Might As Well Be Spring", lip-synced by the lovely Jeanne Crain.
The Frake family of Iowa are getting ready for the State Fair, at which
Mom wants to win first place with her preserves and Dad wants to win the
Grand Prize for his huge Hampshire boar, while son Wayne wants revenge
on the carny shyster who did him out of $8.00 last year. And daughter
Margie wants - well, she doesn't quite know what she wants, but she knows
it's not on the farm.
And before you can say "corny-dog", Wayne has taken up with the sophisticated
singer of the band at the Fair, and Margie has met a fast-talking Big
City (is Des Moines a Big City?) reporter, who threatens to turn her head
and break her heart. But we know that just as sure as Mom's double-spiked
mincemeat and Dad's boar Blue Boy will be prize-winners, everything will
turn out okay for the kids, too.
Keep a lookout for:
-Jeanne Crain's see-it-to-believe-it farm girl wardrobe. They must have
brought a spare trailer for all those poofy-sleeved, cinch-waisted dresses,
which are worth the rental fee alone. Our favorite - the burgundy velvet
and white crepe number with the bunch of grapes hanging off the bodice
and matching chapeau.
-Vivian Blaine, as the band singer, who went on to fame as the original
"Adelaide" of Guys and Dolls.
-And, yes, that is Harry Morgan, of Dragnet and MASH as
the carny barker.
***WARNING***- there are two other versions of this movie. The 1933
version stars Will Rogers, and is not available on video - Rats! The 1962
version contains Ann-Margret and Pat Boone in the same movie, as each
other's romantic interest. Don't say you weren't warned...
