For their second venture together, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II headed from the plains of Oklahoma to the farmland of Iowa where country folk prepare for the state fair, pop Charles Winninger certain that his prize hog will be top dog, mom Fay Bainter certain that her mince meat is certain to make the judges' eyebrows raise, and their children (Jeanne Crain and Dick Haymes) hope that under the carnival night lights, they'll find romance. "It Might as Well Be Spring", the pretty Ms. Crain sings, and through this Oscar winning song, you see her hopes and dreams, and along with her, you long for her to find them. This, of course, is an adaption of the Philip Stong novel and a remake of a very popular 1933 film which starred the Fox studios sweetheart Janet Gaynor and Will Rogers, the most popular man in America at the time. There would be a third version of the tale, still with Rodgers and Hammerstein's songs attached, in the 1960's, but this middle version is probably the most remembered.Like their previous teaming, Richard and Oscar wrote a tribute song to the state they were praising, and "All I Owe Ioway" is a rip-rousing tribute to one of the gateways to the west. They also contributed a wonderful song celebrating young and old love, with the entire cast singing the merriment of the state fair in "It's a Grand Night For Singing". Of course, the non-singing Crain and Dana Andrews (as the city slicker reporter Crain falls for) are dubbed, but you do get to hear the remainder of the cast's real voices, including Vivian Blaine who would go onto Broadway legendary status with her nasally Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls", here playing the fair's leading lady in a musical show whom Haymes gets to romance.There's also a nice homage to Rodgers and Hammerstein's next Broadway show, "Carousel", as carnival and amusement park rides of all kinds are utilized as part of the action. There's also humor in watching the preparation of ma's mincemeat and judge Donald Meek's reaction to it, which is priceless. Every moment of this home-spun musical is pure joy, and it will be difficult for repeat viewers not to sing along. It's unfortunate that a Broadway version of this show didn't have a long life, but fortunately a recording of that show (utilizing a few songs from lesser known Rodgers and Hammerstein shows) was made. Animal lovers will delight in the sequence where two hogs involved in the contest begin having a conversation here, and you can just imagine the one hog saying to the other, "Lord, what fools these mortals be...."

I've no doubt that on the strength of the blockbuster hit that Richard Rodgers&Oscar Hammerstein had with Oklahoma which was still running on Broadway as this film was being made, that Darryl F. Zanuck offered the team the chance to contribute the songs for a remake of State Fair. Oklahoma in fact was a rural setting and so was Iowa for this second telling of the adventures of the Frake family at the Iowa State Fair.What today's audiences don't appreciate was that in 1946 the Iowa state centennial was being celebrated. Some bright individual at 20th Century Fox must have realized that and a nice musical technicolor remake of the Will Rogers classic State Fair would be a can't miss at the box office. Providing of course Mr. Zanuck could assemble the talent.Though the 1933 cast boasted people like Louise Dresser, Lew Ayres, and Janet Gaynor in support of Will Rogers, the accent there was very much on Rogers as it was HIS picture. Here the accent is on the younger generation. Charles Winninger and Fay Bainter play the older Frakes taking their prize hog, Bainter's mince pie, and children Dick Haymes and Jeanne Crain to the Iowa State Fair. Haymes and Crain, together with Dana Andrews and Vivian Blaine as the respective romantic partners carry the film here.Rodgers and Hammerstein had a lot on their plate back in the day. Besides Oklahoma, Hammerstein was involved in creating a musical version of Bizet's Carmen which became Carmen Jones as we all know. He and Rodgers had another musical open in 1945 that was Carousel and became another American classic. When 20th Century Fox signed them for State Fair, according to a recent biography of Dick Rodgers, they never went west. Rodgers did his music from his estate in Connecticut and Hammerstein wrote the lyrics from his Doylestown, Pennsylvania farm. I guess they met in New York and express mailed the songs to Zanuck in Hollywood.They put together a real nice score, one song It Might As Well Be Spring won the Oscar for Best Original Song from a film. The rest of the score ain't too shabby either with Isn't It Kind of Fun and That's For Me also sung beautifully. My favorite however is It's a Grand Night for Singing, a song so absolutely infectious you will be singing it yourself for days after watching State Fair.Andrews and Crain were dubbed by other singers, but Dick Haymes and Vivian Blaine were seasoned musical performers. Haymes recorded all four of the songs above in an album for Decca that sold very well. Haymes had a smooth, but strong baritone and if scandal hadn't blown his career up a few years later, who knows to what heights he might have risen.Every version of State Fair has something to recommend it. There was even a pilot done in the middle Seventies for a television series based on the time honored Frake family saga. For me however this one cops the prize.

The 1962 version. This one is so much better.Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Harry Morgan, Fay Bainter, and a few quirky characters and animals.Given the subject matter, a state fair where everyone is going to accomplish something for the summer. Fay Bainter as Mom, with her mincemeat pie competition; Dad and his prize hog: Blue Boy. And of course the siblings, who want only to find love. Agreed some of the Rogers and Hammerstein lyrics are a bit hard to swallow "Dollars to Donuts"" etc., but the surroundings give that sense of rural America and Iowa.Another good song is "I owe Iowa"...has a nice feel to it. Dana Andrews and Jeanne Crain make an unlikely but pleasant couple. The visuals of the fair in the evening are effective and somewhat reminiscent of a dream sequence.All's well that ends well. It is a nice story and gives us a slice of Americana that is hard to find these days, although it still can be found in parts of the mid-south, and middle America if you look. Very good film for children and families. 9/10

Due to the ongoing success of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" on Broadway, a film version of that musical couldn't yet be produced (the makers not wanting to rob themselves of potential ticket income that was still flowing briskly.) So R & H were commissioned to musicalize "State Fair" which began as a novel and then was a highly successful straight dramatic film in 1932. The result is a candy box of a musical; a bright, pleasant, cheerful, tuneful tale that exists in its own featherweight atmosphere. It's not for the cynical, but for audiences who just want an hour and a half or so of escapism, it's practically perfect. The film revolves around the Frake family and the upcoming title event at which each family member has a stake. Father Winninger has his hopes pinned on his prize hog Blue Boy, mother Bainter is entering the pickles and mincemeat competitions, son Haymes is gearing up to win back some of the loot he lost to a carnival barker the year before and daughter Crain is just hoping that something, anything, will take her by storm. At the fair, they take turns tackling their respective tasks with Haymes chasing glamorous girl singer Blaine and Crain meeting up with ace reporter Andrews. These couples enjoy whirlwind romances that are in serious danger of deflating by the time the tents are pulled down and the litter is swept away for good. The entire film is bathed in careful lighting and vivid color. Not a moment of it seems particularly true to life, but in war time, it was just what audiences needed. Some audiences are still quite receptive to its charms. Winninger and Bainter present a delightful, loving, but gently bantering, couple. Crain has one of her finest showcases. She isn't the one singing, but most people would have trouble guessing it, so exceptional is the marriage of actress and voice double. All of her outfits lean towards the preposterous, but it only adds to the overriding delicate beauty of the movie. Haymes is too mature and sophisticated for his character (and seems to favor one facial expression above all others: that of someone who just walked by the elephant house at the zoo!), but his singing is warm and wonderful. Blaine sings nicely and gets to wear some lovely evening gowns. Andrews is given fairly little to do, but he and Crain share a nice chemistry together. Some of the vignettes and gags have, by now, become classics (as they were in the original film as well) such as the mincemeat recipe and Blue Boy's affection for a fellow pig. However, the stunning color photography and the addition of a few really pretty songs have elevated this version of the story to the highest rung. This was (rather crudely) remade in 1962 and eventually made it's way to Broadway in the 1990's. The new 2-disc DVD set is exceptional and only disappoints in two ways. One oversight is the failure to include the deleted scene of Haymes reprising one of his songs while showering. It was shown on a special "Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Sound of Their Music", but, sadly, is left out here which is a shame since so many other things are featured. Additionally, in what has become a horrible trend for classic films on DVD, the commentary is handled by two "experts" who frequently overlook key aspects of the material or else have no idea what they are talking about. One extended sequence has them going on and on about the color balancing demands of Technicolor which must have required a group of men to all have to wear similarly colored jackets when anyone with a set of eyes can see that the jackets were the BAND'S UNIFORMS. Still, the presentation of the film is exquisite and its delights are not tarnished to any degree.