County Fair
Cast & Crew
William Beaudine
Rory Calhoun
Jane Nigh
Florence Bates
Warren Douglas
Raymond Hatton
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Nora "Ma" Ryan, who operates a hamburger stand at the county fair, asks her daughter Loretta to place a bet on a horse that Loretta's beau, Tommy Blake, is riding in the next race. Loretta accidentally places the bet on the wrong horse, and when the cashier refuses to exchange the ticket, Peter Brennan, who has been standing behind her in line, buys the ticket and then gives it back to her for good luck. Loretta joins Peter in the box seats that belong to his father Tim, a wealthy racehorse owner for whom Peter works as a trainer, and they watch as Tim's horse wins, making the ticket Peter gave back to Loretta worth nearly $200. Peter asks Loretta to meet him later by the Ferris wheel, but she instead goes to the stables with Tommy to see his new horse. Disappointed, Peter goes to the burger stand, and when Ma tells him that she won a race by accident, Peter realizes that she is Loretta's mother. The next morning, Peter makes a date with Loretta for that evening, and he and Tommy agree to race their horses the next morning. When Peter suggests lunch at the burger stand, Loretta, embarrassed by her humble circumstances, feigns a sprained ankle to avoid accompanying him, and she later has him drop her off at a false address to hide the fact that she lives in a trailer park. Tommy's horse defeats Peter's the next morning, but when Tommy sees Peter lending Loretta his car, he realizes that something is going on between them. Later, Ma's down-on-his-luck friend, Sad Sam, tells her that he is about to lose his horse, Henry the Eighth, because of his debts, and Ma buys the old horse at auction. Peter uses his influence with the racing board to see that Ma is accorded all the status and privileges of an owner, but the expense of owning a horse begins to drive Ma into debt. Peter convinces the board to fix a non-betting harness race to allow Ma to win, and all but one of the drivers, Grattan, agree to cooperate. On the day of the race, Tommy forces Grattan's cart into the rail, and after Henry the Eighth, with Loretta at the reins, wins the race, Tim claims the horse for $1,500. Later, at the Brennan Farm, Peter asks Loretta to marry him, and she happily accepts.
Director
William Beaudine
Cast
Rory Calhoun
Jane Nigh
Florence Bates
Warren Douglas
Raymond Hatton
Emory Parnell
Rory Mallinson
Harry Cheshire
Milton Kibbee
Roy E. Shudt
Joan Vohs
Clarence Muse
George L. Spaulding
Nolan Leary
Sam Flint
Bob Carson
Heinie Conklin
Benny Corbett
Jasper Weldon
Jack Mower
Frank O'connor
Stanley Blystone
Joe Forte
Renny Mcevoy
Crew
Jeffrey Bernerd
Ozzie Caswell
W. Scott Darling
Lee Greenway
Richard Heermance
Wilton R. Holm
Tom Lambert
Otho Lovering
Ralph Mccutcheon
Dave Milton
Walter Mirisch
Edward Morey Jr.
Clifford D. Shank
Ilona Vas
Gilbert Warrenton
Allen K. Wood
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
In the viewed print, the first one or two of the title cards were missing from the onscreen credits. A May 1, 1950 Hollywood Reporter news item stated that Edward J. Kay was working on the score for this film, but his participation in the final film has not been confirmed. Portions of the film were shot on location at the Santa Anita racetrack and the county fairgrounds in Pomona, CA.
