Musicals Blog

State Fair - Rodgers and Hammerstein

by Claire J Rottenberg


After composing the scores for two successful Broadway musicals, "Oklahoma" and "Carousel," and while both shows were still playing on Broadway, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the score for a movie musical, "State Fair." The 1945 film score was the only one they ever wrote specifically for a movie.

The plot of "State Fair" was based on a 1933 non-musical film and, unlike many of the other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, it did not address controversial social issues. Instead, it is a light-weight story of a farm family's trip to a state fair.

The 1945 film of "State Fair" had only five songs. However, two of the songs, "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing," became popular songs. The successful film starred Dana Andrews and Jeanne Crain.

In 1962, a second "State Fair" film was made but this second one was a failure. It starred two pop singers, Pat Boone and Bobby Darin, and Ann-Margaret. Some additional songs were written by Richard Rodgers for the film and this version ended up with a total of 10 songs.

A Broadway version of "State Fair" was produced in 1996. It was not successful and it ran for 110 performances.

Although the original "State Fair" film in 1945 was a success, "State Fair" is certainly not one of the best works by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It took four more years for the team to write one of their greatest and most acclaimed works, "South Pacific