WEEK OF MAY 5, 2008
Word of the week: "fax potato." A first cousin to "couch potato," it is a term for an office worker who sends a fax from one floor of a building to another, to avoid the effort involved in delivering the document in person.
Trivia Detective Alert: The trio of Bette Davis, Claude Rains and Paul Henreid appeared in the films "Now, Voyager" and "Deception." The trio of Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Alan Hale appeared in four films together. Are there any more contemporary trios of stars who have appeared in two or more films together, each in different roles each time? If you can think of any, please let us know.
Many trivia fans will recognize the name of actress Jean Vander Pyl, best known as the voice of Fred's wife Wilma on the '60s animated sitcom "The Flintstones." She recounted in a 1995 interview that she received $250 for each "Flintstones" episode, and enthusiastically (but unfortunately) accepted a $15,000 payment at the series' end, in lieu of future residual payments from syndication.
"Tequila" update: 1970s rock duo Seals & Crofts first recorded together in the late 1950s, as members of the "Tequila" group, the Champs. When Dash Crofts was drafted in the early '60s, he was assigned to Ft. Bragg, N.C., where he was assigned as a clerk for future Vietnam commander Gen. William Westmoreland, because of his high typing speed.
Charles Van Doren speaks! According to a July 2006 article in Connecticut's Litchfield County Times, Mr. Van Doren has completed a memoir entitled "Second Chance," covering the quiz-show period in his life and beyond. He talks a bit about the game-show scandal in the article, the first time we know of that he has spoken publicly about it since the 1950s. The article can be found online at www.litchfieldcountytimes.com.
Roberta Horton of Concord, Calif., remembers that brothers Robert and Ted Kennedy served in the U.S. Senate at the same time (1965-68), and wondered if any other sibling pair ever did. According to a page on www.senate.gov, this happened only one other time: From 1800-03, brothers Theodore (R.I.) and Dwight (Mass.) Foster were U.S. senators. Related tidbits in a future column.
Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Byron, in northern Illinois (current population about 4,000). Baseball Hall of Famer and sporting-goods entrepreneur Albert Goodwill Spalding was born there in 1850. Impressionist painter Wilson Irvine was also born in Byron in 1869.
You may have noticed Easter Sunday was unusually early this year -- March 23, to be exact. That's unusual, all right. The last time Easter was this early was in 1913 and the next time will be in 2228. Based on the precise formula (the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox), March 22 is the earliest that Easter can be. That last happened in 1818 and will happen next in 2285. (Thanks to Dave Evans of Bellingham, Wash.)
The word "fiasco," as in "spectacular failure," means "flask" in Italian. Specifically, the flask commonly used for Chianti that is enclosed in a straw basket. The word took on its unpleasant connotation as an Italian theatrical term, as part of the Italian phrase literally meaning "make a bottle," in the mid-19th century, but word-history experts aren't exactly sure of the connection.
Happy 150th birthday to Big Ben, the bell built for the Clock Tower in London's Parliament complex. Formally known as The Great Bell, it was cast in April 1858 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which is recognized by Guinness as Britain's oldest manufacturing company (founded in 1570). It first rang in the new tower on May 31, 1859.
TRIVIA
1) In 1936 in Dorset, England, a 220-yard track opened for business, devoted to the racing of what animals?
A) Frogs
B) Cats
C) Skunks
D) Parakeets
2) If you're a normal, healthy adult giraffe, about how many hours a day do you sleep?
A) 2
B) 8
C) 14
D) 20
3) Before becoming a mega-selling author of political thrillers, what was Tom Clancy's day job?
A) FBI agent
B) University professor
C) Commercial artist
D) Insurance broker
4) You all know about the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys and Grammys. Maybe even the Obies (off-Broadway awards) and the Razzies (awarded for the "worst" in film). Presented for the first time last year, a recipient of an annual Augie Award is most likely to be a:
A) Cartoonist
B) Car designer
C) Chef
D) Composer
5) How many times in Oscar history has the entire credited cast of a film been nominated for Academy Awards?
A) Never
B) Once
C) Twice
D) Five times
ANSWERS
1) The feline racetrack that opened in 1936 in Dorset, England, was equipped with electric mice for the cats to chase. Not surprisingly, the kitty contests failed to catch on.
2) The adult giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, averaging about two hours per day.
3) Before becoming a novelist, Tom Clancy ran an insurance agency.
4) The annual Augie Awards are presented annually by the Culinary Institute of America and are named for famed French chef Auguste Escoffier.
5) The two films whose entire credited cast was nominated for Academy Awards: "Give 'em Hell, Harry!" (James Whitmore) and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis). (Thanks to Alan Dunn of Bellingham, Wash.)
STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 84
What famous name from 19th-century world history was once the president of three countries simultaneously?
HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-mail to TriviaBits@gmail.com, or on a postcard to Stan Newman's Trivia Challenge No. 84, P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Only one submission per person, please. Answers must be received within seven days of publication. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries, who will receive a copy of Stan's new book "15,003 Answers: The Ultimate Trivia Encyclopedia," courtesy of Random House. Answer and winner will be announced in a future issue.
ANSWER TO TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 77
The two film stars with identical first and last names that have their own stars on the Walk of Fame are Harrison Ford (of "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" fame) and Harrison Ford (star of silent films). Winner: Anne Mott of Tacoma, Wash.
