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