State Fair

Released Feb 10, 1933

1h 36m

Comedy

Drama

List

100%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

53%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

An Iowa farmer (Will Rogers) and his wife bring their son, daughter (Janet Gaynor) and prize hog to a fair.

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Critics Consensus

Possessing a palpable sense of place and a large ensemble of vivid characterizations, State Fair easily nabs the first place ribbon for fulsome family entertainment.

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Mae Tinee

Chicago Tribune

State fair, adapted from the popular novel by Phil Stong, is wholesome, homely, astute comedy drama. It abounds in clean humor, bunkless performance and interesting incident.

Nov 10, 2023

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Robert Randol

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

Its gay trappings are alluring to youth and although many of its pleasures prove to be as senseless as a ride on the merry-go-round, when the band stops playing and tents are struck one is loath to leave all of its excitements behind.

Nov 10, 2023

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H.H. Niemeyer

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

[State Fair] is one of those agreeable little plays which doesn't get anywhere in particular but, being delightfully played by a big cast of favorite stars, it goes over with a real bang.

Nov 10, 2023

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Jack Moffitt

Kansas City Star

State Fair comes along at an auspicious moment to remind you that simple joys are fun as well as poetic and that you will find the most pleasing sort of amusement valentines both comic and sentimental among the situations.

Nov 10, 2023

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Pare Lorentz

Judge

As it uses also genuine Americana seldom dramatized in any form, State Fair becomes one of the few important productions of the year. And in case this academic discussion of it has wearied you, I might add that it is good-humored and even funny.

Nov 10, 2023

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Rollin Palmer

Buffalo News

This picture is mainly dependent for its entertainment value on its depiction of the scenes at the state fair and the good-natured shirtsleeve humor of Will Rogers... For [most] of its length, the picture is a rarely sensible and satisfactory production.

Nov 10, 2023

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Audience Member

Not much there. At the old State fair.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

These types of films are rare these days. In the 1930s Janet Gaynor was a huge star, veteran of a number of silent features with Charles Farrell while Will Rogers was one of the best loved actors. State Fair teams them up as father and daughter and adds Norman Foster as her Brother and Louise Dresser as the mother. It was a film with high production value and would look great if it were cleaned up a bit.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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steve d

It is still quite charming.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

It plays like a tv family sitcom. The parents are funny and the two teenage children have romance back stories. Reminded me of how big the state fair was when I was a kid growing up in a rural area. Nowadays the state fair isn't so much a big deal, but I can see why it was back then esp in rural, small towns. Also, the movie seemed a little sexist like the teenage guy could go out n sow his oats and so could the reporter guy, but not any respectable woman. Its a decent family movie and kept my interest for most of the time, but def is hammy and wreaks of 1950s mentality.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The story in State Fair is about as bare bones as you’ll ever find. It is simply the story of a small-town farming family that takes a trip to the Iowa State Fair. At times it feels like a simple travelogue as these characters move from one attraction to the next, exploring all the fair has to offer. There is some story to tell in their adventures, though. The two older members of the family have entered a number of competitions, and are hoping to win a blue ribbon. A lot of laughs in the film come from Will Rogers and his relationship with his pig. While you could see where that whole story was headed, it still had a lot of laughs because he was so close with his prized hog. It’s interesting how much I found myself rooting for these characters I just met to win the prizes, even though we don’t even see them do the work that led to the win. The kids have bigger and more interesting stories, because they find love at the fair. These romance stories parallel each other nicely, but also feel unique from one another. I liked how the naïve kids from the country were attracted to more savvy people, and yet it wasn’t a dark tale about them being exploited. The fibs they told in order to hide their secret assignations were humorous. I was also surprised how far they went with the innuendo about what might go on in these meetings, but I suppose this movie was before the production code, so they could get away with it. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this film is how the love stories end. There’s a certain way you expect things to go in a movie like this, and it wasn’t quite like that. In fact, both relationships had different resolutions. State Fair is an extremely simple film, and I’m afraid over time I will forget it. It was enjoyable enough, but not something I would seek out again in the future.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/25/19

Full Review

david l

State Fair has its charming romantic moments for sure and it's certainly very well shot, but the overall plot is a rather uninteresting and slight stuff. The cast is strong, but they weren't given much to do owing to a weak script and characterization. Henry King's unremarkable direction and the film's obviously dated material led to what is probably the worst Best Picture nominee from this year.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Henry King

Director

Will Rogers

Abel Frake

Janet Gaynor

Margy Frake

Lew Ayres

Pat Gilbert

Sally Eilers

Emily Joyce

Norman Foster

Wayne Frake

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Synopsis

An Iowa farmer (Will Rogers) and his wife bring their son, daughter (Janet Gaynor) and prize hog to a fair.

Director: Henry King
Distributor: Fox
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 10, 1933, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 21, 2014
Runtime: 1h 36m

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