State Fair

State Fair (1933) is an American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew Ayres. The picture tells the story of a farm family's multi-day visit to the Iowa State Fair, where the parents seek to win prizes in agricultural and cooking competitions, and their teenage daughter and son each find unexpected romance. Based on the bestselling 1932 novel by Phil Stong, this was the first of three film versions of the novel released to theaters, the others being the movie musicals State Fair (1945) starring Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews, and State Fair (1962) starring Ann-Margret and Pat Boone. The 1933 version was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The film, made pre-Code and despite its seemingly tame plot, has some scenes that were censored a few years later, when it was re-released due to the Breen Office's Production Code that took effect in 1934. One scene that was cut showed a disheveled bed and a negligee on the floor while Norman Foster and Sally Eilers are heard speaking off-screen. Additionally, a sexual relationship between the daughter and a reporter was eliminated in the adaptation, however the son's seduction by a trapeze artist was kept. Rogers was accorded top billing on some posters, but Gaynor was billed above Rogers in the film itself. Victor Jory also appears as the hoop toss barker at the carnival, at the beginning of a screen career spanning 57 years.