Phil Stong
Encyclopedia
Philip Duffield Stong was an American author, journalist and Hollywood scenarist.http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/Bai/mccown2.htm He is best known for writing the novel
State Fair
, on which three films (1933, 1945
and 1962
) and one musical
by that name were based.
Stong was born in Pittsburg
, Iowa
, near Keosauqua
. His father operated the general store, which is now an antique store. The 1844 brick house where Stong was born is located adjacent to the store and is now a private residence.
Stong scored his first success in 1932 with the publication of his famous novel, State Fair, which was later adapted for the screen as the hit Rodgers and Hammerstein
musical of the same name. In addition to his novels, his short stories were published in most of the leading national magazines of the time, and he wrote several screenplays.
About his writing career, he once said, "Fell while trying to clamber out of a low bathtub at the age of two. Became a writer. No other possible career."
Stong published more than forty books. He died at his home in Washington, Connecticut
, in 1957. Stong is buried at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Keosauqua.
Asked in 1951 to comment on humanism
, Stong responded: "I’ve never gone deeply enough into any of the various definitions of “humanism” to be able to make any intelligent or instructive comment on the subject. When I read any of these tenuous expositions, they remind me (a) of the blind men and the elephant and (b) that I’d better have a glass of beer and get to bed. I don’t see how you distinguish between the humanism of More and that of Dewey or of Aristophanes
or Lackland or Chaucer or Bunyan or Saintsbury or Taine. The boys that practice it seem to me tremendously more effective than the ones who preach it from the varied pulpits."
Juvenile
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
State Fair
State Fair
State Fair is a movie directed by Henry King and starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew Ayres. The film was based on a novel by Phil Stong.The film was adapted as a musical in 1945 and again in 1962....
, on which three films (1933, 1945
State Fair (1945 film)
State Fair is a 1945 film directed by Walter Lang. The film a musical adaptation of the 1933 film of the same name, with original music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The film starred Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Fay Bainter and Charles Winninger...
and 1962
State Fair (1962 film)
State Fair is a 1962 film directed by José Ferrer. The film is a remake of the 1933 and 1945 films of the same name.It was considered to be a financially and critically unsuccessful film. It starred Pat Boone, Bobby Darin, Ann-Margret, Tom Ewell, Pamela Tiffin and Alice Faye.Richard Rodgers wrote...
) and one musical
State Fair (musical)
State Fair is a musical with a book by Tom Briggs and Louis Mattioli, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and music by Richard Rodgers.Rodgers and Hammerstein originally adapted the Phil Stong novel of the same name for a 1945 movie musical, which was remade in 1962...
by that name were based.
Stong was born in Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Iowa
Pittsburg, Iowa refers to two places in the state of Iowa in the United States:*Pittsburg, Montgomery County, Iowa*Pittsburg, Van Buren County, Iowa...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, near Keosauqua
Keosauqua, Iowa
Keosauqua is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,066 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County.-History:...
. His father operated the general store, which is now an antique store. The 1844 brick house where Stong was born is located adjacent to the store and is now a private residence.
Stong scored his first success in 1932 with the publication of his famous novel, State Fair, which was later adapted for the screen as the hit Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
musical of the same name. In addition to his novels, his short stories were published in most of the leading national magazines of the time, and he wrote several screenplays.
About his writing career, he once said, "Fell while trying to clamber out of a low bathtub at the age of two. Became a writer. No other possible career."
Stong published more than forty books. He died at his home in Washington, Connecticut
Washington, Connecticut
Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. The population was 3,596 at the 2000 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civic and cultural life...
, in 1957. Stong is buried at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Keosauqua.
Asked in 1951 to comment on humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, Stong responded: "I’ve never gone deeply enough into any of the various definitions of “humanism” to be able to make any intelligent or instructive comment on the subject. When I read any of these tenuous expositions, they remind me (a) of the blind men and the elephant and (b) that I’d better have a glass of beer and get to bed. I don’t see how you distinguish between the humanism of More and that of Dewey or of Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
or Lackland or Chaucer or Bunyan or Saintsbury or Taine. The boys that practice it seem to me tremendously more effective than the ones who preach it from the varied pulpits."
Books
Adult- Adventures of "Horse" Barnsby (1956)
- Blizzard (1955)
- Buckskin Breeches (1937)
- Career (1936)
- Farmer in the Dell (1935)
- Gold in Them Hills (1957)
- Hiram, the Hillbilly (1951)
- The Iron Mountain (1942)
- Ivanhoe Keeler (1939)
- Jessamy John (1947)
- The Long Lane (1939)
- Mississippi Pilot (1954)
- One Destiny (1941)
- The Princess (1941)
- The Rebellion of Lennie Barlow (1937)
- Return in August (1953)
- State FairState FairState Fair is a movie directed by Henry King and starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew Ayres. The film was based on a novel by Phil Stong.The film was adapted as a musical in 1945 and again in 1962....
(1932) - Stranger's Return (1933)
- Village Tale (1934)
- Week-end (1935)
- Marta of Muscovy (1945)
Juvenile
- Honk, the MooseHonk, the MooseHonk, the Moose is a children's book by Phil Stong. It tells the story of a moose who sets a small town in an uproar during a severe winter. The book, illustrated by Kurt Wiese, was first published in 1935 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1936. In 1970 it won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and...
(1935; Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
Honor Book) - Phil Stong's Big Book: Farmer Boy; High Water; No-Sitch, The Hound (1937)
- Way Down Cellar (1942)