Isn’t it annoying when you are a prolific and relatively well received author in your time; you win two major (and I mean major) literary awards; but then you are best remembered by contemporary audiences for the film versions of your two award winning novels? An author who was born this week in 1869 in Indianapolis would probably be furiously nodding his head in agreement right around now if he hadn’t died in 1946.
Can you name this frustrated author? Can you name his two most famous books/movies? If you can do any of these things then please let me know.
Last week I wanted to the names of the still dynamic duo of entertainers who defeated the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game by appearing in a movie together in 2000. The unlikely couple? Phyllis Diller and Art Linkletter who rack up almost 200 years between the two of them. The name of the movie? Let me in, I hear laughter which is a documentary about the Friars Club that features a veritable who’s who of the biggest names in comedy circa 1930 – 1950.
I had some people who knew at least one name, but the closet Vaudevillians who got both names are –
Peter Erickson
Jan Pinkerton
Thanks everyone who played
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Andrea Koeppe
Looking at a list of people celebrating birthdays on July 17th two names caught my eye. On the surface these two people don’t seem to have anything in common besides both being entertainers in their 90’s. My first reaction was “Cool!” I thought I could finally beat the whole Six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon-thing by coming up with the names of two people who could not possibly be linked by six movies. Right?? Wrong!! It turns out that this couple who rack up 187 years between the two of them appeared in the same movie in 2000. Now I am not saying this was a big movie, I am not even sure it came out in the theaters, but in all fairness how many documentaries about venerable private clubs for comedians that have gone on to become summer blockbusters can you name?
So with the precious few clues I have dribbled before you, can you name the seemingly incongruous duo with only one degree of separation between them? If you can let me know. And while you are at it throw in the name of the movie because it actually looks pretty interesting.
Last week’s question revolved around a famous French author who did wonders for marketing a real cemetery in Paris by including it as the location for the burial of some of his fictional characters. The author? None other than Honoré de Balzac. The cemetery? None other than Père Lachaise Cemetery which now boasts such famous ‘residents’ as Isadora Duncan, Édith Piaf and Jim Morrison. I really appreciate the people who took the extra time to research this question when all you really had to do was to watch this funny video for the answer. The French history scholars and Cher fans on campus this week are –
Marianne Hageman
Matthew Koenen
Peter Erickson
Thanks to everyone who played!
July 8th marks the city of Paris’ 2057th birthday and the city’s rich cultural history is apparent in its landmarks, architecture, museums and graveyards. One Parisian graveyard in particular was made famous by a 19th century author who ‘buried’ the title character of one of his most famous books there making it an instant tourist destination. Talk about product placement! Ever since then it is one of the most ‘in’ places to be buried and the roster of who is resting there reads like a ‘Who’s who’ of modern French history, although the occasional Brit and American has snuck in. Speaking of Americans, in 1999 Cher reserved a plot there as her final resting place. I suppose her impact on French culture is greater than I initially thought.
Long story short, I would like to know the name of this graveyard and if you can come up with the name of the author of many classic works of realism then all the better for you.
There are two ways to tackle this question, you can go the highbrow history of French literature route in some of our literature or history databases, or you can approach it from the Cher angle and look for newspaper stories from that time. I promise to not judge your methods on finding the answer.
I was not yet around in 1962, but I do know that ‘Where were you in ‘62’ was the tagline to ‘American Graffiti’ and the personality I was looking for from that movie was DJ and all around fixture of 1970’s popular culture – Wolfman Jack. The campus 70’s nostalgia buffs are
Marianne Hageman
Jan Pinkerton
Peter Erickson
Matthew Koenen
Thanks to everyone who played.
This week in 1995 a famous personality whose real name was Robert Smith died from a heart attack at the age of 57. This person was much more famous under his stage name and will always be remembered (well… at least in my household) for a small but pivotal role in an early film by some guy named George Lucas. I know, I know, I haven’t heard much about him lately either but humor me. Can you name this famous person? And then while you are at it you might as well name the movie. When you have completed all of these tasks let me know.
Last week I wanted to know the not-as-famous-term-as-‘flying-saucer’ that was coined by World War II pilots for unexplainable airborne phenomena. Players also got brownie points if they knew the alternative band who used that name on themselves. I am of course referring to foo fighters and the Foo Fighters. The winners whose names as promised will not be reported to the government are –
Peter Erickson
Matthew Koenen
David Smith
Christine Wayne
The rest of you all…well…I’m sorry.
Thanks for playing!
This week in 1995 a famous personality whose real name was Robert Smith died from a heart attack at the age of 57. This person was much more famous under his stage name and will always be remembered (well… at least in my household) for a small but pivotal role in an early film by some guy named George Lucas. I know, I know, I haven’t heard much about him lately either but humor me. Can you name this famous person? And then while you are at it you might as well name the movie. When you have completed all of these tasks let me know.
Last week I wanted to know the not-as-famous-term-as-‘flying-saucer’ that was coined by World War II pilots for unexplainable airborne phenomena. Players also got brownie points if they knew the alternative band who used that name on themselves. I am of course referring to foo fighters and the Foo Fighters. The winners whose names as promised will not be reported to the government are –
Peter Erickson
Matthew Koenen
David Smith
Christine Wayne
The rest of you all…well…I’m sorry.
Thanks for playing!
On June 24th 1997 the United States Air Force released a report on the 1947 Roswell Incident stating that the alleged UFO was in fact a military balloon and the alien bodies were life sized dummies. We may never know for sure what really happened on that day in 1947 but what we can be sure is that the incident still resonates through pop culture to this day.
While the term ‘flying saucer’ came into common parlance after that event there was another term for UFO’s that allied pilots coined during World War II that did not quite capture the collective imagination in the same way. Can you give me the two word phrase for a mysterious airborne phenomenon that I am looking for?
If you can let me know and the ‘prize’ for a correct answer is me not reporting your name to the government.
Last week I wanted to know the momentous event in Berlin on June 12th 1987 that Ronald Reagan made even more momentous with his challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev to ‘tear down this wall.’ The ‘official’ answer is Ronald Reagan was commemorating the 750th anniversary of Berlin. I thought I was being very clever to trick people into thinking that it was the anniversary of John Kennedy’s momentous ‘ich bin ein berliner’ speech, but the joke was on me. It turns out that Kennedy did make that speech on June 12th because he too was speaking on the anniversary date of Berlin. The campus historians who knew at least one of the correct answers last week were
Jan Pinkerton
Peter Erickson
Matthew Koenen
Long story short I need to take a little bit more of my own advice about conducting better research that I dish out to you all.
Thanks as always for playing!
On June 12th 1987 Ronald Reagan in Berlin famously called upon Mikhail Gorbachev to ‘tear down this wall.’ What has been forgotten is the original historic anniversary he was commemorating when he made that challenge. Do you know what the special occasion was? If you do let me know. As always there are no prizes, just the satisfaction that comes from conducting stellar research on this query or being old enough to remember this event first hand.
The last question I posed had to do with the very influential, yet very stuffy movie critic from the New York Times who was notoriously behind the times in understanding the newer, grittier films that Hollywood started to produce in the late 1960’s.
The answer is Bosley Crowther. The campus film critic experts are
Peter Erickson
Matthew Koenen
Thanks to all who played!
Charles J. Keffer Library
'They're young, they're in love…and they kill people' edition of weekly trivia
This week in 1934 a famous gang of outlaws was infamously ambushed and nearly wiped out in a massive hail of bullets. A movie that came out in 1967 about the exploits and demise of the gang leaders shocked and enthralled movie goers. However not everyone was impressed and some influential critics scorned the cavalier attitude towards violence that the film portrayed.
If you think the question is going to be ‘name this famous gang and their leaders…’ you are sadly mistaken. That would be too easy because I am sure you have guessed it by now. What I want to know is the name of the influential New York Times movie critic at the time who seemed to make trashing this movie based on the gang his life’s work?
If you can let me know.
If you don’t know off your head why not go to the source? The UST libraries have a subscription to The New York Times historical database that contains the full text scanned in version of the New York Times going back to 1851. You can find a link to this database and other full text newspaper databases here. If you need a friendly librarian with this or any other search please feel free to contact us.
I must be thinking too much about movies these days because last week I wanted to know the name of the historic hotel in Los Angeles where the very first Academy Award ceremony was held. The hotel is the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and that I have since learned it was held in the Blossom Room. The fellow campus film enthusiasts who knew the answer are
Karen Batdorf
Peter Erickson
Marianne Hageman
Thanks for playing!
Charles J. Keffer Library
'They're young, they're in love…and they kill people' edition of weekly trivia
This week in 1934 a famous gang of outlaws was infamously ambushed and nearly wiped out in a massive hail of bullets. A movie that came out in 1967 about the exploits and demise of the gang leaders shocked and enthralled movie goers. However not everyone was impressed and some influential critics scorned the cavalier attitude towards violence that the film portrayed.
If you think the question is going to be ‘name this famous gang and their leaders…’ you are sadly mistaken. That would be too easy because I am sure you have guessed it by now. What I want to know is the name of the influential New York Times movie critic at the time who seemed to make trashing this movie based on the gang his life’s work?
If you can let me know.
If you don’t know off your head why not go to the source? The UST libraries have a subscription to The New York Times historical database that contains the full text scanned in version of the New York Times going back to 1851. You can find a link to this database and other full text newspaper databases here. If you need a friendly librarian with this or any other search please feel free to contact us.
I must be thinking too much about movies these days because last week I wanted to know the name of the historic hotel in Los Angeles where the very first Academy Award ceremony was held. The hotel is the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and that I have since learned it was held in the Blossom Room. The fellow campus film enthusiasts who knew the answer are
Karen Batdorf
Peter Erickson
Marianne Hageman
Thanks for playing!
This week in 1929 the very first Academy Awards Ceremony was held in Hollywood and was hosted by Douglas Fairbanks. My question to you is in which historic hotel replete with a David Hockney underwater mural in the swimming pool did this event take place.
Think you know the answer? Let me know.
Would you like to find the answer along with other interesting facts about movie history and full pictures? Try browsing for books at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey library in the motion picture section which starts with the call numbers PN 1993 and with a book like this. Browsing books is sort of like surfing the web but with physical objects. If you ever need any kind of assistance please feel free to alert a librarian.
Last week I wanted to know the name of a very controversial self help book that doubles as a science fiction novel and the basis of a questionable cult/religion. There is nothing else that fits this discription but the book
Dianetcs written by L. Ron Hubbard and yes…I am fully aware that I will be sued any minute now.
The friends of Xenu who knew the answer are
Peter Erickson
Jim Pinkerton
Thanks to everyone who played!