Iowa History Daily: On February 10, 1933 the original film version of “State Fair” debuted in theaters. Starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew Ayres, the film tells the story of a farm family's multi-day visit to the Iowa State Fair.
Based on the bestselling 1932 novel by Van Buren County native Phil Stong, the plot follows as the parents seek to win prizes in agricultural and cooking competitions, and their teenage daughter and son each find unexpected romance.
The 1933 version represents 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 and another for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2014, State Fair was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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