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State Fair

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State Fair

Released Aug 30, 1945

1h 40m

Musical

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

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6 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

The small-town Frake family attend the Iowa State Fair, the annual highlight of their summer. Son Wayne (Dick Haymes) plots revenge on a midway barker (Henry Morgan) who had embarrassed him the summer before and falls for the beautiful singer Emily (Vivian Blaine), while his melancholy sister Margie (Jeanne Crain) becomes smitten with slick city-boy reporter Pat (Dana Andrews). Meanwhile, mother Melissa (Fay Bainter) and father Abel (Charles Winninger) plot to win their respective competitions.

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Maybe the romantic elements are pretty corny and very predictable but... I think the the the actors have enough personality to pull it off.

Jul 2, 2019

Full Review

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

Even among dyed-in-the-wool fans of R&H, this one's largely remembered, if remembered at all, as a dud.

Rated: 1.5/4

Feb 11, 2007

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rodgers and hammerstein's songs are great, but this musical version of the 1933 Will Rogers' vehicle is poorly directed by Walter Wang and poorly acted by Jeanne Crain, whose voice is dubbed by Louanne Hogan.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 21, 2005

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Linda Cook

Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Rated: 4/5

Aug 7, 2005

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Brandon Judell

PopcornQ

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2005

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Carol Cling

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Rated: 4/5

Sep 5, 2003

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Dale F

Really loved the music, dancing and lovely ladies clothing. And the huge hogs really made it :)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

Full Review

Deke P

1945! The ROGERS & HAMMERSTEIN music is iconic & wonderful. It's a musical! JEANNE CRAIN is young, adorable & gorgeous! I admit i was totally confused (until I read the synopsis) cuz there are two main starlets falling in love, and they look almost identical, so i thot they were the same gal Crain. HARRY MORGAN (many years later in the DRAGNET tv series) is really good in his short carnival scene. Never heardo until saw it on the telly, the Movie Channel, 13.3, July 25, 2022. I was induced to see it cuz the 'OnTVTonite' tv guide site listed COLEEN GRAY, but it lists even the caterers, & I couldn't notice her, so she mustabeen a very minor part.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Ok so it's predictable and poorly acted and poorly dubbed and a rubbish plot and it has annoying songs but…. I really needed a feel good schmaltzy film in a Sunday evening and I really enjoyed watching it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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joel h

State Fair is a cute, innocent movie that presents a world long-since passed. The characters are sufficiently endearing, and the simple story is entertaining enough, but the music is forgettable—even though my mom recognized some of them and "It Might as Well Be Spring" won an Academy Award. I'm happy to have seen this classic musical, but I think it will soon pack up and leave my memory like a fair departing from the fairgrounds, leaving only a few scattered remnants behind.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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steve d

It just might be great. Fun family film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

The best musical movie ever made! With the best movie song ever sung: It Might as Well Be Spring!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Walter Lang

Director

Jeanne Crain

Margy Frake

Dana Andrews

Pat Gilbert

Dick Haymes

Wayne Frake

Vivian Blaine

Emily Edwards

Charles Winninger

Abel Frake

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Synopsis

The small-town Frake family attend the Iowa State Fair, the annual highlight of their summer. Son Wayne (Dick Haymes) plots revenge on a midway barker (Henry Morgan) who had embarrassed him the summer before and falls for the beautiful singer Emily (Vivian Blaine), while his melancholy sister Margie (Jeanne Crain) becomes smitten with slick city-boy reporter Pat (Dana Andrews). Meanwhile, mother Melissa (Fay Bainter) and father Abel (Charles Winninger) plot to win their respective competitions.

Director: Walter Lang
Producer: William Perlberg
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 30, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2013
Runtime: 1h 40m

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