La foire aux illusions

"State Fair" continues the trend of films that wanted the songs to be integrated into the plot without stopping the action--much the way Rodgers & Hammerstein did when they produced "Oklahoma" on Broadway. So they start the picture with "Our State Fair" sung by various characters and it goes on from there. Trouble is, there is almost no plot to speak of--the only suspense being, who will win the top prizes at the Fair and we all know the answer to that anyway. And who will end up with who at the finish--another easy one.

Despite the lackluster plot, it does give us a chance to view the young and gorgeous Jeanne Crain (then at the height of her popularity), Dana Andrews, Vivian Blaine and Dick Haymes--a pleasant enough foursome to carry any picture. And, of course, there are a couple of splendid songs by the famous songwriting team--including "It Might As Well Be Spring", dubbed for Jeanne Crain by Annette Warren (I believe), and "It's A Grand Night For Singing". Vivian Blaine gets a chance to sing "That's For Me" and is charming as the girl singer Dick Haymes takes a shine to. To complete the "American as apple pie" image of the story, we have Fay Bainter being motherly in the kitchen and fussing about her jams and Charles Winninger for comic relief.

No matter what anyone says, it's a pleasant film to watch, beautifully photographed in the rich Fox color of the mid-40s--and, after all, it does contain the Oscar winning song, "It Might As Well Be Spring."

Much better than the awful 1962 remake--and easier to take than the earlier 1930s version with Janet Gaynor.

A wonderful look at an America we will never see again-tuneful, romantic and a Happy Ending! State Fair never claims to be the end all and be all, just a sweet look at the tradition of the State Fair put to music. This movie (and the ensuing Broadway Musical) stand on their own next to Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, King and I, Sound of Music, etc.

Jeanie Crain and Dana Andrews play their scenes so effortlessly, you forget its just a 3 day romance. Dick Haymes and the eternal Vivian Blaine have a chemistry that works much better then the Pat Boone version.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a break from the tired old action/violence/cheesy comedies of today-it's as much an image of summer as cotton candy and candy apples!

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.

Let me start by saying this film is not meant to make you think long and hard about the problems of the world. It is a 'feel-good film'in the best sense of the phrase. The songs are, perhaps, not as instantly memorable as those from other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, such as Oklahoma or The Sound Of Music, but they are wonderful in their own right. "It Might As Well Be Spring" won a well-deserved Oscar and "It's A Grand Night For Singing" will have you humming right along. Jeanne Crain, lovelier than ever, gives a top performance as the restless daughter, wanting something 'more' though with no idea what 'more' is. Dick Haymes tackles the role of the son handily, with some very fine singing to go with it. Fay Bainter, all warmth and kindliness in another of her patented mother roles makes you wish she were your mother. Charles Winninger, surely one of the best character actors ever, brings the necessary comic ability to the role of the father, completely preoccupied with his prize hog. Vivian Blaine plays the band singer who catches the son's attentions at the Fair and does some nice singing on her own and in a couple of duets. Dana Andrews, something of a shock in a musical plays Jeanne Crain's love interest and shares tremendous chemistry with her, making their love story believable. This film is a pretty Technicolor musical that will leave you with a song in your heart and a happy feeling to go with it.

I've never seen the 1933 film version of this; I wish I could say the same about the 1962 mistake, the one with that Black Hole of movies, Pat Boone, a man so bland, he sucks the color from anything he's near. THIS version, however, while certainly not up to what many would probably consider Rodgers & Hammerstein 'standards' (MGM, desperate to release a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, but stymied by the continuing run of "Oklahoma!", quickly made this new version of "State Fair", according to information on the DVD), is gloriously corny, old fashioned, innocent, warm, romantic, those-were-the-golden-days fun, with at least two songs that have truly entered the realm of 'classic': the Oscar-winning "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "It's A Grand Night For Singing". The story is simplicity personified: a mid-western farm family heads to the State Fair. The parents have their eyes and ears on winning their respective competitions (he, for his prize pig, Blue Boy; she, for her pickles and mincemeat), while the children, both young adults, find love and heartache along the way. As the parents, Fay Bainter, born to play mothers, is her reliably warm self, while Charles Winninger brings solid humor to every scene. Dick Haymes plays the son, and gets to sing a few tunes, quite capably, and has a bittersweet romance with Vivian Blaine. (Alas, their union is the only unsatisfactory note in the entire movie: it is established Haymes' character has a sweetheart he's hooked on but when she cannot accompany him to the Fair, he almost immediately falls for Blaine and is straight-away promising his undying love for her, seemingly forgetting about his love back home...until the final moments, when he suddenly has her in his arms. It's a false, almost jarring note.) But Jeanne Crain, despite this being an ensemble piece, easily steals the show, and though it's a shame she didn't do her own singing, she still manages to ably give the impression of a restless young woman yearning for something 'more'. Her romance, perhaps the real core of this film, with Dana Andrews, seems much more real than that between Dick Haymes and Vivian Blaine, and they have definite chemistry, which makes the required "happy ending" a delight. Do I wish it had more weight, more heft, to it, like "Oklahoma!" or "The King & I"? Well, the movie is what it is: a light, airy, corny piece of Americana. Were R & H pandering to the tastes of the common man with this movie? Sure they were! But what's wrong with feeling good? Who exactly is harmed by classic songs, winning performers, a simple story line, and a happy ending? If you're looking for weightier or darker fare, there are any number of musicals to whet your appetite; however, if you're looking for pure fun - and for great tunes that'll stick in your head all day long - look no further: here it is! You'll have a terrific time at THIS "Fair".