After a triumphant win for their prized hog, Abel and his family express pride and admiration for their home state. Soon everyone joins them in honoring the great state of Iowa.
It’s a Grand Night for Singing
On the last night of the fair, romance fills the air at the Starlight Dance Meadow, where couples twirl on the dance floor and sing along with the band.
Isn’t It Kinda Fun?
Margy meets a worldly reporter named Pat, who wishes for something more exciting to report on. But Margy loves the fair, saying it’s how all of Iowa takes pride in what they do with their lives. Margy and Pat don’t exactly get along, but they do seem to enjoy one another.
That’s for Me
When a glamorous and somewhat mysterious woman rescues him from a corrupt carnival barker’s scam, headstrong Wayne is smitten.
It Might as Well Be Spring
Margy, unsatisfied with her life, is eager for a change. Though she can’t seem to figure out why, she’s “as restless as a willow in a wind storm.” This Academy Award-Winning Best Original Song was performed by Jeanne Crain in the film State Fair, but her voice was dubbed by Louanne Hogan. In his biography of Richard Rodgers, William G. … Read More
1996 Original Broadway Production
Released on June 18, 1996, a few months after the Broadway premiere of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair, this recording is performed under the musical direction of Kay Cameron. The cast includes Andrea McArdle, Donna McKechnie, Scott Wise and John Davidson.
1962 Motion Picture
This recording of the 1962 remake of State Fair, starring Ann-Margret, Bobby Darin, Alice Faye and Pat Boone, includes new songs written by Richard Rodgers, as Hammerstein had died in 1960. In 2016, Stage Door Records re-released the soundtrack recording with 15 bonus tracks, including instrumental recordings and pop versions of the songs sung by the film’s stars.
1945 Original Motion Picture
The soundtrack to Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1945 musical remake of 20th Century Fox’s 1933 film State Fair includes celebrated songs like “It’s A Grand Night for Singing” and “It Might As Well Be Spring.” The film’s cast included Fay Bainter, Vivian Blaine, Dick Haymes, Percy Kilbride and more. At the time, Dick Haymes and Vivian Blaine were well-known big band … Read More
1996 Original Broadway Production
Sixty-one years after its film premiere, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair finally made its way to the Broadway stage. Starring Kathryn Crosby, John Davidson, Andrea McArdle, Donna McKechnie and Scott Wise, State Fair opened at the Music Box Theatre on March 27, 1996. With a new book adapted from Hammerstein’s screenplay by Tom Briggs and Louis Mattioli, the Broadway production … Read More
1962 Motion Picture
Seventeen years after Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1945 movie musical (which had been adapted from the 1933 non-musical film State Fair), a new film version of State Fair was created using most of the pair’s original music. With its setting moved to Texas, the 1962 film starred Ann-Margaret, Pat Boone, Bobby Darin and Pamela Tiffin. Since Oscar Hammerstein had passed away … Read More
1945 Original Motion Picture
After the massive success of Oklahoma!, Rodgers & Hammerstein were asked to write a musical film adaptation of 20th Century Fox’s 1933 family comedy State Fair. With Oscar Hammerstein II penning the screenplay and lyrics, Richard Rodgers composed a rich score, sweeping audiences to the Iowa State Fair alongside the eager and excited Frake family. Starring Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, … Read More
State Fair
Following the success of 1943’s Oklahoma!, 20th Century Fox offered Rodgers & Hammerstein the opportunity to write a musical version of their 1933 film State Fair. When the film premiered in 1945, so did multiple songs now regarded as American Standards, like “It’s A Grand Night For Singing,” “So Far” and “It Might As Well Be Spring,” which won the … Read More