State Fair 1945 film on DVD

The immediate follow-up to Oklahoma! for the burgeoning song-writing team of Rodgers & Hammerstein was not Carousel, but a musical film. There was another version of the film created in 1962 with Pat Boone and Ann-Margaret, but that version doesn't have nearly the midwestern charm of the original 1945 State Fair.

Set in Iowa, rather than Texas in the later remake, the story follows the coming of age of brother and sister Wayne and Margy Frake. Literally right off the farm, each sibling is looking to see what the wider world may have to offer at the Stage Fair. And they find a lot. There is love for everyone in this film, including the prize-winning pig, Blue Boy. He's blue no more!

The two most famous songs from this film score are "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing", both of which remain regularly performed as part of the R & H catalogue--and deservedly so. They are memorable tunes with good lyrics. I was surprised that "Grand Night" is sung by a secondary character of the film--a boy singer with the band on the Fair's Midway--although, both Dick Haymes and Vivian Blain have verses, along with the chorus.

Ms. Blaine will go on to originate the role of Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls in 1950, and if that is the persona you are most familiar with, Blaine is hardly recognizable in State Fair. A redhead to beat all the henna-hens, Ms. Blaine displays a contralto-like, sultry singing voice. Dick Haymes has a likeable, lyric baritone, but is a bit of a disappointment in the acting department.

Sister Margy is played by Jeanne Crain, who meets Des Moines Register reporter Pat Gilbert played by Dana Andrews. Both actors are dubbed by others when singing, even though Mr. Andrews was trained as an opera singer.

State Fair
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
20th Century Fox film released in 1945
Directed by Walter Lang
Cast: Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Charles Winninger, Fay Bainter

Carousel film on DVD

Carousel has to be my favorite of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals; I've seen the film version many times and actually been involved with three stage productions of it. I am very biased, but I think it has the best score of any R&H show. The music really reaches a new level, and the way the book leads right into the lyrics is masterful. If the story is a bit far-fetched at times, I don't mind when I get to hear "If I Loved You" or the "Soliloquy." Even the character songs like "When I Marry Mister Snow" and "When the Children Are Asleep" are high and away better than your average show's best songs.

The filming in Cinemascope works well in this film, with blocking and sets designed to take advantage of the wide angle, allowing for two-shots that don't seem static. And it shows off more beautiful wooden sailboats in the harbor, which is almost as important to me as the show itself!

Dance again is a big part of this show, which was originally choreographed by Agnes de Mille. The dream ballet works the best, but the chorus dancing is demanding stuff for the musical's chorus.

Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones are paired again as they were in the film version of Oklahoma! Rather than a happy ending, as in their first film, Carousel has a much darker side to its love story. If the perennially perky Jones doesn't give the most nuanced performance, I'll forgive her because her singing has just the right balance of legato in the more lyrical portions of the score. And later in her career, Jones will prove her acting chops in Elmer Gantry, for which she won an Oscar. I like to think that her efforts in Carousel lead to a more successful result in the later film.

Robert Rounseville as Enoch Snow is an interesting performer, who played quite a bit on Broadway as well as on more "legit" stages. He originated the role of Candide in Bernstein's operetta, and well as being in the original casts of Babes in Arms (Rodgers & Hart), Knickerbocker Holiday (Weill), and Man of LaMancha (Mitch Leigh). Not a bad career by that list of credits, and this doesn't even count his New York City Opera performances. Do cross over performers like that exist today? Maybe Audra McDonald?

Carousel
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
20th Century Fox Film from 1956
Directed by Henry King
Cast: Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Barbara Ruick, Cameron Mitchell, Robert Rounseville