An Iowa family finds adventure, love, and heartbreak when they spend a week at the state fair.
The Frake family attends the Iowa State Fair. Father Abel enters his Hampshire boar Blue Boy in the hog contest, mother Melissa enters the mincemeat competition, and their young-adult children Margy and Wayne find love with newspaper reporter Pat Gilbert and trapeze artist Emily Joyce. Will everyone return home safe and happy or will hearts be broken?—L. Hamre
The Frakes--father Abel, mother Melissa, and young-adult children Wayne and Margy--are an Iowa farm family getting ready to go to the week-long Iowa State Fair taking place just over 100 miles away. Wayne isn't looking forward to going; his girlfriend Eleanor won't be going as they've just had an argument, and he's still stinging from being cheated at last year's fair by the ring-toss-booth operator. On the other hand, Margy is secretly looking forward to getting away from her unofficial fiance Harry Ware; the boor has actually mapped out their entire lives without even asking her what she really wants. Melissa is confident about the pickles she will be entering for competition, but must decide to go with or against her temperance mentality in adding brandy to her mincemeat, which she and Abel know deep in their hearts would make it taste better. And Abel's potentially prizewinning boar Blue Boy seems lethargic. At the fair, Melissa will learn if she--and, behind the scenes, Abel--made the right decision about the mincemeat. The cure to Blue Boy's woes can be found at the fair, if Abel can just get him in the right position for that cure to work. And Wayne and Margy leave their romantic issues at home behind them as they fall for fair performer Emily Joyce and newspaper reporter Pat Gilbert. Can both Frake offsprings' romances extend beyond the length of the fair, especially considering Emily and Pat's worldly versus Wayne and Margy's sheltered farm-life differences?—Huggo
As his family prepares to leave the small town of Brunswick, Iowa to spend the week at the state fair, farmer Abel Frake (Will Rogers) dotes over his Hampshire boar, Blue Boy, and wagers cynical storekeeper Fred Cramer (Frank Craven) five dollars that the hog will win first prize, that everyone in the family will have a good time and nothing bad will happen, and that they will return home safe. After Abel secretly adds a dose of apple brandy to his wife Melissa's (Louise Dresser) mincemeat preparation, which she plans to place in competition at the fair, Melissa, worried that the mincemeat lacks something, adds the remainder of the bottle, against her principles, when no one else is around. Their daughter Margy (Janet Gaynor), who is angry that her beau since childhood, Harry Ware (Frank Melton), is too occupied with his milk business to accompany them to the fair, taunts her placid brother Wayne (Norman Foster) that his girl Eleanor will choose a more exciting "college fella" over him. At the fair, Abel sulks because Blue Boy acts listless. At a "hoop la" stand, Wayne pitches rings perfectly to the annoyance of the barker (Victor Jory) and meets Emily Joyce (Sally Eilers), a trapeze artist. Margy, left alone by Wayne, meets newspaper reporter Pat Gilbert (Lew Ayres) on a roller coaster. The next day, Blue Boy perks up when Esmeralda, a redheaded sow, passes by. Margy and Pat decide that rather than become involved romantically, they'll see the fair as friends and part as friends. Melissa wins the pickle and mincemeat contests after Pat secretly speaks to one of the judges, who later suffers from having eaten too much of the mincemeat. After watching harness races, Margy and Pat walk through the woods and confess their love for each other. Meanwhile, Emily seduces a willing Wayne. At the hog competition, Blue Boy becomes listless again, but he revives upon seeing Esmeralda and wins first prize. On the last night, Wayne, who has spent the previous three nights with Emily and wants to marry her, is greatly disappointed when Emily, who reluctantly has grown to love him, says that they will never see each other again. Pat, who confesses his past indiscretions to Margy, wants to marry her, but she hesitates because she thinks he will not be happy with one woman and with the loss of adventure that comes with marriage, and that she can live a useful, if less than romantic, life with Harry in Brunswick. On the drive home, Margy cries and Wayne sulks. At home, Wayne breaks out of his depression and visits Eleanor. When Fred Cramer sees Margy brooding, he questions whether she enjoyed the fair. Just then, Pat calls from nearby, and Abel wins his bet as Margy excitedly dashes past Harry and Cramer to meet Pat and they kiss in the rain.
In the fictional town of Brunswick, Iowa, farmer Abel Frake (Will Rogers) plans to transport his Hampshire pig, Blue Boy, to compete at a hog contest at the Iowa State Fair. Confident he will win the first-place prize, and nothing bad will happen, Abel bets five dollars against his storekeeper neighbor Fred Cramer (Frank Craven). Abel's wife Melissa (Louise Dresser), who is also competing in the state fair, is preparing a recipe for pickles and mincemeat. Against his wife's insistence, Abel secretly adds a dose of apple brandy when she steps out of the kitchen. Unsure about her chances of winning, Melissa adds the remaining brandy. Meanwhile, Abel's daughter Margy (Janet Gaynor) reconnects with her childhood friend Harry Ware (Frank Melton). He is unable to accompany the Frakes to the fair because he is preoccupied with his dairy farm. Margy's brother Wayne (Norman Foster) arrives home from college to attend the fair.
After the Frakes arrive at the fair, Abel notices Blue Boy appears to be ill. At a carnival hoop game, Wayne throws the rings perfectly to the disgust of the ring-toss barker (Victor Jory) and meets Emily Joyce (Sally Eilers), a trapeze artist. Later that night, Wayne and Margy venture out to the circus fair. Wayne separates from his sister, and sees Emily perform a trapeze stunt. Meanwhile, Margy goes on a roller coaster ride with Pat Gilbert (Lew Ayres), a newspaper reporter. When the roller coaster descends rapidly, Gilbert holds her tightly. After their ride together, the two bond over their connection to Brunswick, and have lemonade drinks.
The next morning, Melissa notices how emotionally elevated her two children are. Abel inspects Blue Boy once more, in which the hog appears to be healthy again. Back at the circus, Pat reconnects with Margy, in which they decide to be friends rather than romantic lovers. They plan to meet again at Melissa's competition, which Pat is covering for his newspaper. At the cooking competition, Melissa wins the first-place prize for both her pickles and mincemeat. Having fallen in love, Pat and Margy then watch a harness race and walk through the woods later that night.
Back at Emily's place, she and Wayne share drinks. Emily then heads to the bathroom to change clothes, and comes out with her nightgown. The two then sleep together. The next morning, Abel tries to wake up Blue Boy for the hog contest, but manages at the last minute. Professors Fred Coin and Tyler Cramp, the hog judges, both inspect Blue Boy and come away impressed. The first-place prize is given to Abel. Later that night, Wayne apologizes to his father for missing the hog contest. Wayne and Margy both leave for their final night at the fair. Alone with Melissa, Abel reads in the newspaper that one of the food judges is sick from delirium after eating Melissa's brandy-spiked mincemeat.
Despite their love for each other, Emily decides not to marry Wayne. On their final night, Margy tells Pat about her love for Harry back home. That same time, Abel and Melissa enjoy the amusement rides together. The Frakes leave the state fair, in which Melissa notices her children's despondent demeanor. Back home, Melissa confesses she put the apple brandy in her mincemeat. Abel collects his five-dollar bet from Fred. Margy, still depressed, receives a phone call from Pat and runs out into a rainstorm to reunite with him.
