JohnHowardReid Copyright 29 August 1945 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 30 August 1945. U.S. release: October 1945. U.K. release: 24 December 1945. Australian release: 2 May 1946. 9,288 feet. 103 minutes. U.S. television title: IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER. SYNOPSIS: Fast-talking reporter romances country girl at Iowa State Fair. Her brother meantime has fallen for a red-headed singer. NOTES: Prestigious Hollywood award, Best Song, "It Might As Well Be Spring", defeating the following huge line-up of nominees: "Accentuate the Positive" from Here Come the Waves; "Anywhere" from Tonight and Every Night; "Aren't You Glad You're You" from The Bells of St Mary's; "The Cat and the Canary" from Why Girls Leave Home; "Endlessly" from Earl Carroll Vanities; "I Fall in Love Too Easily" from Anchors Aweigh; "I'll Buy That Dream" from Sing Your Way Home; "Linda" from G.I. Joe; "Love Letters" from Love Letters; "More and More" from Can't Help Singing; "Sleighride in July" from Belle of the Yukon; "So in Love" from Wonder Man; "Some Sunday Morning" from San Antonio. Nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical but lost out to Anchors Aweigh.Third to Leave Her to Heaven and The Dolly Sisters as Fox's top domestic box-office attraction of 1945. Initial domestic rentals gross: $4.1 million.This is the second of Fox's three film versions of the novel. The first starred Will Rogers and was directed by Henry King in 1933. José Ferrer directed a 1962 remake with Tom Ewell, Alice Faye, Pat Boone and Ann-Margret. COMMENT: The score's the thing all right. And it's staged in a very lively fashion. In fact Walter Lang's direction throughout is a great deal more fluid, vigorous and imaginative than is his usual humdrum norm. If you can accept Shamroy's somewhat over-garish Technicolor, production values are great as well. Certainly, Miss Crain, beautifully costumed too, has never looked lovelier. Haymes has charm and sings so agreeably, you'd think he's all set for a major movie career. Ditto Vivian Blaine who handles the femme fatale with passion. Marshall, though obviously dubbed for his songs, plays the heavy with skill. And of course there are marvelous opportunities for character players like Kilbride (who is the first person we see on the screen — singing too!), Winninger, Bainter, Meek, McHugh and Morgan (who has a memorable bit as a surly sideshow chiseler). The director manages to build excellent suspense out of the film's simple pleasures — the judging of a pickle contest and champion boar. The carnival atmosphere is beautifully captured in sets and extra players. Editing is sharp, the staging brisk. But, as said above, it's the songs that make the movie the really top-class entertainment experience it is.

dpb-12 Brandy-spiked homemade mincemeat, patent-leather farmhouses, candy apples, cotton candy, roller coasters, budding romances, and stunning technicolor.....all drenched in Rogers and Hammerstein's unmistakable sound........a recipe for success? You didn't have any doubts, did you?? I rate this 1945 classic a solid ten out of ten stars. The awful remake in 1962 is a prime example of why remakes should never be attempted. This movie follows in the tradition of other great 1940's Fox musicals such as Down Argentine Way and Moon Over Miami. Don't you dare listen to any negative reviews of this wonderful movie. One of the reviewers commented that there wasn't much of a plot. Are you kidding me?? The plot is fantastic. Apparently, some people just don't get it. It's intentionally made to be light and fun. Don't over-analyze it. After all, it's a musical for crying out loud. In my opinion, this movie is simply one of the best musicals ever made. I like it more and more every time I see it if that's even possible! It's right up there in quality with The Sound Of Music. Walter Lang, the director, masterfully captures the magic with incredible flair in this innocent, mid-century gem. The songs are infectious and beautiful....some of the best Rogers and Hammerstein have ever written....and that's the truth! The movie will leave you feeling great. Watch it! You'll see what I mean. After all......it's a grand night for singing!!

sean-893 I'd give this a 7/10 without the 2005 DVD extras. The extras compared the 1933, 1945, and the 1962 movie to the book, why and how the songs came to be made, the background of the actors, and so on. I appreciated the movie on a different level after watching the extras! (This is why DVDs are better than the big screen.)The story and the movie itself are straightforward: boy and girl (and parents and pig) go to fair; boy meets girl, girl meets boy, pig meets pig, and parents re-meet each other. Boy loses girl, girl loses boy, pig loses pig, and parents work hard. Boy . . . well, I won't spoil it, but all comes out pretty well in the end.Good music (but not Oscar material), acceptable acting, and a beautifully put together DVD. Well worth investigating.

Poseidon-3 Due to the ongoing success of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" on Broadway, a film version of that musical couldn't yet be produced (the makers not wanting to rob themselves of potential ticket income that was still flowing briskly.) So R & H were commissioned to musicalize "State Fair" which began as a novel and then was a highly successful straight dramatic film in 1932. The result is a candy box of a musical; a bright, pleasant, cheerful, tuneful tale that exists in its own featherweight atmosphere. It's not for the cynical, but for audiences who just want an hour and a half or so of escapism, it's practically perfect. The film revolves around the Frake family and the upcoming title event at which each family member has a stake. Father Winninger has his hopes pinned on his prize hog Blue Boy, mother Bainter is entering the pickles and mincemeat competitions, son Haymes is gearing up to win back some of the loot he lost to a carnival barker the year before and daughter Crain is just hoping that something, anything, will take her by storm. At the fair, they take turns tackling their respective tasks with Haymes chasing glamorous girl singer Blaine and Crain meeting up with ace reporter Andrews. These couples enjoy whirlwind romances that are in serious danger of deflating by the time the tents are pulled down and the litter is swept away for good. The entire film is bathed in careful lighting and vivid color. Not a moment of it seems particularly true to life, but in war time, it was just what audiences needed. Some audiences are still quite receptive to its charms. Winninger and Bainter present a delightful, loving, but gently bantering, couple. Crain has one of her finest showcases. She isn't the one singing, but most people would have trouble guessing it, so exceptional is the marriage of actress and voice double. All of her outfits lean towards the preposterous, but it only adds to the overriding delicate beauty of the movie. Haymes is too mature and sophisticated for his character (and seems to favor one facial expression above all others: that of someone who just walked by the elephant house at the zoo!), but his singing is warm and wonderful. Blaine sings nicely and gets to wear some lovely evening gowns. Andrews is given fairly little to do, but he and Crain share a nice chemistry together. Some of the vignettes and gags have, by now, become classics (as they were in the original film as well) such as the mincemeat recipe and Blue Boy's affection for a fellow pig. However, the stunning color photography and the addition of a few really pretty songs have elevated this version of the story to the highest rung. This was (rather crudely) remade in 1962 and eventually made it's way to Broadway in the 1990's. The new 2-disc DVD set is exceptional and only disappoints in two ways. One oversight is the failure to include the deleted scene of Haymes reprising one of his songs while showering. It was shown on a special "Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Sound of Their Music", but, sadly, is left out here which is a shame since so many other things are featured. Additionally, in what has become a horrible trend for classic films on DVD, the commentary is handled by two "experts" who frequently overlook key aspects of the material or else have no idea what they are talking about. One extended sequence has them going on and on about the color balancing demands of Technicolor which must have required a group of men to all have to wear similarly colored jackets when anyone with a set of eyes can see that the jackets were the BAND'S UNIFORMS. Still, the presentation of the film is exquisite and its delights are not tarnished to any degree.