I'm going to totally break the rules and post something related to the fair but not an act that played there: ... I am fully expecting the banhammer for this.
Yes, the banhammer, particularly since the movie was moved from Iowa to the Texas State Fair for the 1962 version.
Me too. But to put us in better stead with the B1G, I'll post a few honorary videos of Ann-Margret, who was a 19-year-old sophomore at Northwestern when she auditioned for that movie. She immigrated to the U.S. from Sweden in 1946 and lived in Wilmette, Illinois. She auditioned for the part of the farmer's daughter, but based on the audition, they made her the entertainer instead.
This first song, Isn't It Kinda Fun, is from the 1962 movie. I believe it was filmed at the 1961 Texas State Fair. It heats up some after 2 minutes.
Three songs from her audition, January 1961:
It Might As Well Be Spring, which in the 1945 movie won the Oscar for Best Song
Mack the Knife
Bill Bailey
Her first television appearance was on the Jack Benny Show (with George Burns), below. She is the first performer and sings two songs. The year on this YouTube says 1959, which can't be right based on what she says to Benny (that she is a sophomore at Northwestern). I think it is from April 2, 1961, the date on another YouTube:
Notes:
1. The 1932 book State Fair, which the three movies are based on, 1933, 1945, and 1962, was written by Phillip Stong from the small town of Pittsburg in southeast Iowa. His niece, Norma "Duffy" Lyon, known as “the butter cow lady,” did the butter cow sculptures for many years at the Iowa State Fair. She learned how to sculpt as a student at ISU, where she received a degree in animal science, from the campus artist in residence, Christian Petersen. Her husband, Joe Lyon, who passed away this year, is part of the butter cow sculpture at this year's fair. The Lyon family raised dairy cattle.
2. Ann-Margret was in some hot song and dance numbers in the 1964 movie, Viva Las Vegas, available on YouTube, with her similarly shy but soon-to-be boyfriend, Elvis.
3. She also played Ann-Margrock on a Flintstones episode. I came across this looking for Jimmy O'Neillstone, an Omaha DJ I recalled who prior to that was the host of the television show Shindig. I thought her movements in the cartoon had to be exaggerated, but finding the auditions and so on, I see not so much.
4. In the 1945 movie, from about 11 to 18:10 minutes, you can see the "I" sweater or jersey worn by Wayne Frake, the farmer's son. It was filmed in Technicolor (expensive), so the color is likely still true. Kagavi thought it fairly likely that the studio would have just called someone at Iowa State to have one sent to them, rather than make it themselves.