State Fair (1933 film)
State Fair (1933) is an American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew Ayres.[3] The film tells the story of a farm family's multi-day visit to the Iowa State Fair, where the parents seek to win prizes in agricultural and cooking competitions, and their teenage daughter and son each find unexpected romance.[4] Based on the bestselling 1932 novel by Phil Stong, this was the first of three film versions of the novel released to theaters, the others being the movie musicals State Fair (1945) starring Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews, and State Fair (1962) starring Ann-Margret and Pat Boone.[3] The 1933 version was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and another for Best Adapted Screenplay, losing to Cavalcade and Little Women respectively.
| State Fair | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Henry King |
| Screenplay by | Sonya Levien Paul Green |
| Based on | State Fair by Phil Stong |
| Produced by | Henry King |
| Starring | Janet Gaynor Will Rogers Lew Ayres |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
| Edited by | Robert Bischoff |
| Music by | Louis De Francesco |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Budget | $600,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,208,000 (rentals)[2] |
Though the adaptation deleted a storyline about a sexual relationship between the daughter and a journalist, it retained a similar storyline about the seduction of the son (Norman Foster) by a trapeze artist (Sally Eilers). This caused trouble with the Hays Commission when Fox re-released the film in 1935. The censors insisted on the deletion of a scene where Foster and Eilers are heard talking off screen while the camera shows a rumpled bed and a discarded negligee. The cut scene has never been restored.[5]
Rogers was accorded top billing on some posters, but Gaynor was billed above Rogers in the film itself. In 2014, State Fair was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[6][7]
Cast edit
- Janet Gaynor as Margy Frake
- Will Rogers as Abel Frake
- Lew Ayres as Pat Gilbert
- Sally Eilers as Emily Joyce
- Norman Foster as Wayne Frake
- Louise Dresser as Melissa Frake
- Frank Craven as Storekeeper
- Victor Jory as Hoop Toss Barker
- Frank Melton as Harry Ware
- Erville Alderson as Martin (uncredited)
- Hobart Cavanaugh as Professor Fred Coin (uncredited)
- Harry Holman as Professor Tyler Cramp (uncredited)
References edit
- ^ "Film Costs Hit Both Extremes: Poverty Row Spends Less, Big Studios More Million-dollar Features 'Shoot the Works' Inexpensive 'Arty' Hit Due to Make Appearance" Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times, October 16, 1932: B13.
- ^ "All-Time Film Rental Champs". Variety. October 15, 1990. p. M150.
- ^ a b Filmfacts: 1962. Vol. 5. 1962. p. 75.
- ^ Mike Whye (2020). Detour Iowa: Historic Destinations. Arcadia Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 9781467143455.
- ^ . Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "Cinematic Treasures Named to National Film Registry". Loc.gov. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
External links edit
- State Fair is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- State Fair essay [1] by Aubrey Solomon at National Film Registry
- Flyrope.com page (stage version)
- State Fair at IMDb (1933 version)
- State Fair at AllMovie
- State Fair at the TCM Movie Database
- State Fair at the American Film Institute Catalog
- State Fair at Rotten Tomatoes
- State Fair on Theatre Guild on the Air: January 4, 1953
- State Fair at Theatre Guild on the Air December 31, 1950