Having seen the rather sappy 1962 version of this story, I was intrigued by the cast of this film and decided to check it out. I knew I was in for something special when Janet Gaynor as Margy asks her brother Wayne, played by Norman Foster, if he ever feels like " raising hell " on the eve of their departure for a week at the state fair. Meanwhile Pa Frake ( Will Rogers ) obsesses over his prize pig Blue Bell and Ma Frake ( Louise Dresser ) spikes the mincemeat recipe in anticipation of scoring blue ribbons. Upon arrival at the fair, the Frake Family goes full Merry Prankster mode, setting up a tent and diving into the free love and entertainment festival full bore ( boar? ). Both kids are given loose rein by Ma and Pa who are hip to the fact that animal husbandry may necessarily involve human breeding as well as the four legged kind. Ma's mincemeat trips out a judge who lands in the psych ward while Blue Bell gets turned on by a hot sow and goes hog wild. A story this cool could only exist in pre - Hayes Hollywood and the sophisticated outlook of the Frakes runs counter to farm family character expectations. At the heart of this movie are fully developed, endearing figures who get lost in lust, love and longing just like real people. The conclusion of the fair features some fantastic cinematic shots of carnival barkers who remind us that, along with this movie, the good stuff has to wrap up eventually, like it or not.
Review of State Fair
