Fox Studios won a pair of well deserved Oscar® nominations, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, for State Fair (1933), an affectionate slice of Americana. The film would inspire two musical remakes -- in 1945 and 1962 -- but true connoisseurs consider the original the perfect rendition of Philip Stong's tale of a family that finds love and adventure at the Iowa State Fair. Stong based his first hit novel on his own childhood growing up in Pittsburg, Iowa, where his father ran a general store. Fox quickly bought the rights for $15,000 and even offered him the chance to pen the film adaptation. Instead, it was written by Sonya Levien, who already had written such Janet Gaynor vehicles as Daddy Long Legs and Delicious (both 1931), and playwright Paul Green, known for such rural dramas as his Pulitzer Prize-winning In Abraham's Bosom and The House of Connelly. Their backgrounds came in handy when the studio cast their top female star, Gaynor (number two on the exhibitors' list of top box office stars for 1932), and homespun humorist Will Rogers, whose star at the studio had been steadily rising since the coming of sound. The writers crafted a tale perfectly suited for both, with daughter Gaynor falling for slick newspaperman Lew Ayres, while father Rogers hopes to lead his 900-pound hog to a blue ribbon. Rounding out the family are Louise Dresser as the mother who competes in the mincemeat competition with the help of a generous dose of apple brandy and Norman Foster as the son who falls for a beautiful trapeze artist (Sally Eilers). Blue Boy, Rogers's hog in the film, was played by the grand champion boar from the actual Iowa State Fair, Dike of Rosedale. State Fair was the first Fox film to open at the prestigious Radio City Music Hall and brought in $1.5 million at the box office, a big figure at that time and enough to earn it a place among the year's box office top ten. Ultimately, the film's popularity cost it a scene. State Fair had been made a year before the institution of strict Production Code enforcement in 1934. Although the writers had cut the novel's depiction of a sexual affair between the daughter and the reporter, they had kept the son's seduction by the trapeze artist. When Fox re-issued State Fair in 1935, the film industry's self-governing board insisted the scene be removed. The cut has never been restored. http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/455912%7C463931/State-Fair.html

In anatomy, heterochromia refers to a difference in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair or skin. Heterochromia is a result of the relative excess or lack of melanin (a pigment). It may be inherited, or caused by genetic mosaicism, disease, or injury. Eye color, specifically the color of the irises, is determined primarily by the concentration and distribution of melanin. The affected eye may be hyperpigmented (hyperchromic) or hypopigmented (hypochromic). In humans, usually, an excess of melanin indicates hyperplasia of the iris tissues, whereas a lack of melanin indicates hypoplasia. In complete heterochromia, one iris is a different color from the other. In partial heterochromia or sectoral heterochromia, part of one iris is a different color from its remainder. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterochromia_iridum

James Coleman (born 1949) is an American painter who has worked for Disney as a background artist on numerous animated features. In 1991, after twenty-two years working for Disney, James left to pursue the true passion in his life, fine art. Find selected filmography and links to three sites at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Coleman_(American_artist)

Franklin Court Museum and exhibitions dedicated to Benjamin Franklin
318 Market Street Philadelphia, PA
Inventor. Publisher. Diplomat. Statesman. Scientist. The life and accomplishments of America’s favorite Renaissance man are celebrated in a museum complex tucked behind the city’s busy streets. A steel frame structure, nicknamed the “ghost house,” rises up from the ground, outlining the shape and dimensions of Franklin’s home. Like any couple, Benjamin and his wife Deborah had strong opinions about their home’s design and décor and excerpts from their correspondence about the topic are embedded in the walkways surrounding the house. Descend into the adjacent underground museum to discover some of Franklin’s many inventions including his glass “armonica” (a musical instrument), library chair and music stand. A 20-minute film narrated by David Hartman tells the story of Franklin’s amazing life. Architects Robert Venturi and John Rauch created Ghost Structures, steel frameworks tracing the outlines of Ben Franklin’s vanished house and print shop.
See a picture of Ghost Structures at: http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/franklin-court/

Feb. 9 events
1775 – American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
1825 – After no presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes in the election of 1824, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams President of the United States.
1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama.
1870 – President Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau.
1895 – William G. Morgan creates a game called Mintonette, which soon comes to be referred to as volleyball.
1942 – Year-round Daylight saving time is re-instated in the United States as a wartime measure to help conserve energy resources.
1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a "record-busting" audience of 73 million viewers.
1965 – Vietnam War: The first United States combat troops are sent to South Vietnam.
Feb. 9 births
1645 – Johann Aegidius Bach, German violist (d. 1716)
1737 – Thomas Paine, English radical liberal philosopher, American revolutionary (d. 1809)
1773 – William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States (d. 1841)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_9