State Fair 1945

Abel Frake Charles Winninger bets five dollars with his neighbor Dave Miller that his boar, Blue Boy, will win first prize, and that the entire Frake family will enjoy themselves with no bad experiences at the Iowa State Fair. The stakes are friendly but the mood is lively, as preparations ripple through the house and the farm, setting the tone for a weekend where pride, tradition, and simple pleasures take center stage.

Melissa Frake Fay Bainter is busy with the food competition, her mincemeat recipe renowned for its brandy kick. She confides to Abel that she dislikes cooking with alcohol, though later, unknowingly, she adds the very brandy she claims to avoid. The tension between culinary pride and personal preference threads through the kitchen, hinting at the small tensions that will echo across the fairgrounds.

Margy Frake Jeanne Crain greets the fair as a welcome escape from the rhythms of farm life. Her fiancé, Harry, dreams of a more modern marriage and a more modern farm once they’re together, but Margy’s feelings about him feel tentative at best. Wayne Frake Dick Haymes faces his own disappointment: his girlfriend Eleanor cannot join the family for the trip, leaving him to seek solace in the bustling midway and the company of new faces.

At the midway, Wayne’s luck at the ring-toss booth seems to cheat him no more this year, though last year’s sting lingers. He continues to win with practiced ease, provoking the booth’s angry barker to threaten police action. A pretty girl Emily Edwards intervenes, claiming her father is the chief of police, and the barker refunds Wayne’s money. Wayne tries to arrange a date with her, but she is pulled away for another engagement and promises to be on the midway later that evening, leaving Wayne with a new curiosity and a glimmer of hope.

That same evening, Margy Frake and Pat Gilbert Dana Andrews cross paths. Pat, a Des Moines newspaper reporter, is drawn to Margy’s warmth and intellect, sharing stories of the many cities he has worked in and his dream of writing for a large newspaper. They agree to spend time together at the fair, with the honest caveat that their arrangement could dissolve if one of them decides to move on. Margy finds herself captivated by Pat, while Pat hints that—if he ever decides to disappear from her life—“just won’t be around.”

As the fair hums, a practical worry intrudes: Blue Boy, Abel’s champion boar, seems unwell. Abel’s friend, Dave Miller, brings in his prize sow Esmeralda to bolster the Frakes’ chances. Blue Boy recovers, and the hopeful harvest season seems to tilt in the Frakes’ favor. By the time the pickle and mincemeat judging arrives, Melissa worries she’s up against a perennial winner, but her own sour pickles claim first prize and her mincemeat earns a special award for its alcohol-enhanced spirit, a quiet victory that sweetens the mood at home.

Emily Emily Edwards invites Wayne to a birthday party for a fellow singer, while McGee—a song plugger—has a new tune he hopes Emily will perform. Wayne, initially hesitant to join in, is pressed to sing by Emily and Marty’s jeers, and the duet earns loud applause from the guests. The mood turns uneasy when Marty insinuates that McGee paid Wayne to push the song toward Emily, prompting Wayne to strike back with a punch and walk out. Emily chases after him, and the pair spend the rest of the evening together, their chemistry undeniable even as the party’s undercurrents swirl around them.

The next morning, Pat asks whether Margy truly plans to marry Harry, while Margy wonders aloud about Pat’s future and whether he would ever settle down with someone like her. He answers with a quiet confession: he would not wish a man like himself on someone, but then surprises her with a more tangible possibility. Margy’s heart sways, and the pair agree to meet again, a moment that hints at a deeper bond beyond the fair’s bright lights.

Blue Boy’s grand moment arrives as Abel rushes him into the judging ring, the crowd buzzing with anticipation. The boar initially lies down, threatening defeat, but a last-minute glance toward Esmeralda spurs him upright, and Blue Boy is declared the winner. The victory feels like a shared triumph for the whole family, a signal that their bets and their hopes have aligned, at least for the moment.

That night, Pat reveals a new opportunity: a syndicated column job in Chicago. The editor’s timetable forces Pat to travel, but he also confesses a deeper desire to Margy—an invitation to join him and a proposal that could redefine their futures. Margy accepts the possibility with a mixture of excitement and resolve, though the decision means leaving behind the life she’s known. Pat’s career move puts pressure on their fledgling romance, and Margy’s choice becomes a hinge on which the fair’s memories will turn.

Back at home, Wayne and Margy drift between melancholy and possibility. Abel tries to collect his five dollars from Mr. Miller, but Miller notices the sadness weighing on the family and suggests that perhaps the lesson of the fair is not merely about prizes. Then a call changes the trajectory: Pat confirms the Chicago job, and with it a proposal for Margy to go with him. Margy accepts, and a wave of anticipation sweeps through the Frake household. Abel collects his five dollars with a bemused smile, while Margy rushes off to meet Pat, her heart buoyed by the prospect of a new partnership.

As the final sequences unfold, Wayne, now reuniting with his girlfriend Eleanor Jane Nigh, drives by with a warm embrace for his love. The fair ends not only with the celebration of Blue Boy’s victory but with a sense that life’s crossroads—romance, career, and family—are all within reach when courage, loyalty, and a little Iowa luck come together.