State Fair (1933)
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68% of users liked it
(169 ratings)
The 1933 State Fair was the first of three film versions of the Phillip Stong bestseller. Some consider it the best of the three because of its stricter adherence to the source material and the presence of star Will Rogers. Rogers plays Abel Frake, patriarch of a family whose individual members are… More The 1933 State Fair was the first of three film versions of the Phillip Stong bestseller. Some consider it the best of the three because of its stricter adherence to the source material and the presence of star Will Rogers. Rogers plays Abel Frake, patriarch of a family whose individual members are affected by the upcoming Iowa State Fair in various fascinating ways. Abel hopes to enter his prize hog Blue Boy and win the blue ribbon. His wife Melissa (Louise Dresser) wants to enter her mincemeat in a food competition, his son Wayne (Norman Foster) wants to get even with a carnival sharpster who'd outsmarted him during the last state fair, and daughter Margery (Janet Gaynor) just wants to get out of the house for a little fun. The parents win their prizes (though it looks for a while that Blue Boy will succumb to a serious illness) the children have brief romances (one happy, one cautionary), and everyone goes home a little wiser for the experience. Footnote: Fox studios offered to butcher Blue Boy and sell his meat to Will Rogers, but Rogers declined, noting that he wouldn't feel right eating his costar. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Henry King
- Genres
- Drama, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Feb 10, 1933 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The first of three versions of the bucolic novel was nominated for Best Picture Oscar, and starred Will Rogers and Janet Gaynor at the peak of their careers.
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Cast
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Will Rogers
as Abel Frake
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Janet Gaynor
as Margie Frake
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Lew Ayres
as Pat Gilbert
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Sally Eilers
as Emily Joyce
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Norman Foster
as Wayne Frake
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Louise Dresser
as Melissa Frake
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Frank Craven
as The Storekeeper
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Victor Jory
as The Barker at the Hoopla Stand
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Frank Melton
as Harry Ware
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Erville Alderson
as Hog Owner
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Hobart Cavanaugh
as Hog Judge
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Harry Holman
as Hog Judge
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Doro Merande
as Metcalfe's Acquaintance
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John Sheehan
as Barker at Aerial Act
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Ruth Warren
as Mrs. Edwin Metcalfe
