Film

State Fair

Name: State Fair
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 1945
Cast: Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Charles Winninger

Other titles called State Fair: the 1933 film.

Comedy
Light-hearted

A 1945 musical comedy about a farm family's chaotic day at the Iowa State Fair. Warm, gently funny, and genuinely charming, it's built on simple pleasures—competitions, food, romance—treated as genuine stakes. For anyone who enjoys small-town Americana, Rodgers and Hammerstein, or just wants to feel good without cynicism.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like gentle, sunny Americana where the romance is slow and shy, and the pleasure lies in small domestic comedy, pies, prize hogs and a family's easy affection for each other.

Skip it if you need plot momentum or sharp modern wit, since this 1945 musical comedy strolls at its own unhurried pace and its humour is mostly warm and folksy rather than biting.

What it asks of you: Roughly a hundred minutes of patient, sunlit company, with no urgency to keep up; it rewards letting the rhythms of a country fairground settle over you.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Meet Me in St. Louis1944

A musical about midwestern family life and modest ambitions, similarly built on lovely songs and the texture of ordinary joy. Judy Garland anchors a film that finds genuine emotion in simple moments.

But The pacing is leisurely and there's no plot twist waiting. If you need constant narrative momentum, it may feel static.

Easter Parade1948

Astaire and Garland in a musical romance that shares State Fair's warmth and accessibility. It's purely about the pleasure of watching talented people sing and dance, no pretence required.

But The story is gossamer-thin. You're really just there for the musical numbers and charm, which some find insufficient.

Centennial Summer1946

Another 1940s Rodgers and Hammerstein family musical set at an American exposition. It has the same nostalgic Americana vibe and gentle romantic entanglements among the generations.

But It's even more plotless than State Fair. The narrative barely holds together; it's mostly an excuse for songs and period atmosphere.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from State Fair

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Corn Is Green1945

Jeanne Crain's dual performance in 1945 shows her range: charming ingenue in one film, serious dramatic actress in the other. If you loved her in State Fair, The Corn Is Green proves she was more than that lightness.

Made the same year as State Fair, also starring Jeanne Crain, but in a completely different register: a drama about education, class, and a woman's quiet defiance in rural Wales. Crain gives a serious, moving performance as a young scholar.

But It's earnest social drama, not entertainment. The emotional stakes are real and sometimes heavy, which is a total tonal shift from a state fair musical.

It Happened Tomorrow1944

A light fantasy romance from the same era, with Dick Haymes (Wayne in State Fair) in a charming leading role. Same warm 1940s comic sensibility, though with a magical twist.

But The premise gets stretched and the plot contrivances pile up. Suspension of disbelief has to carry you through the second half.

Two Sisters from Boston1946

Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson in a musical about family, ambition, and finding love. Shares the earnest charm and multi-generational dynamics of State Fair without overthinking it.

But It's genuinely frothy and inconsequential. If you need your entertainment to matter, this won't provide it.

The Egg and I1947

Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray in a rural romantic comedy about settling into farm life. Similar blend of domestic comedy, romance, and appreciation for unglamorous American life.

But The humour relies heavily on fish-out-of-water scenarios that feel dated. It can play as trying a bit too hard to be zany.

Pigskin Parade1936

A musical comedy about college and small-town football, with the same earnest energy and mid-American setting. It captures that naive enthusiasm for local achievement.

But It's quite rough around the edges, even for 1936. The pacing is erratic and some performances feel uneven.

High, Wide and Handsome1937

A rural musical romance about oil workers and small-town life, with genuine production numbers and the same appreciation for working people and honest labour.

But The oil-boom plot feels thin, and the romantic elements don't have much spark. It's essentially a vehicle for the musical sequences.

Little Darlings1980

A late-70s comedy that tries to capture the warmth of small-town life and innocent competition. If you like the State Fair's earnestness about ordinary people and modest stakes.

But It's a product of its era in ways that haven't aged well—the humour feels forced and the tone waffles between satire and sincerity without landing either.

Marty1955

Both films honour the inner lives of working-class Americans without irony or condescension. State Fair does it in colour and song; Marty does it in grainy black-and-white drama. Same heart, opposite mood.

A small, tender film about ordinary Americans—a butcher in the Bronx, his mother, his romance. It has State Fair's genuine affection for regular people and local life, but it's shot in black-and-white realism with emotional weight. Utterly unpretentious.

But There's no spectacle, no songs, no colour, and no moment of triumph. It's about acceptance and modest happiness, which some find depressing rather than sweet.

The Straight Story1999

Both films, separated by 54 years, share an almost extinct sensibility: that the interior lives of rural Americans deserve screen time and attention. State Fair is effervescent about it; The Straight Story is contemplative. But the regard is identical.

David Lynch's only G-rated film: a true story about an elderly Iowan who rides a lawnmower across the state to visit his estranged brother. It's meditative, kind, and genuinely interested in small-town Americana and the dignity of ordinary life.

But Almost nothing happens. There is no conflict, no arc in the conventional sense. It's a feature-length walk with an old man, which either sounds peaceful or like punishment.