See how you do on these questions that range from “really easy” to “pretty obscure” (answers follow).
Television
1. On the old sitcom Rhoda, what were the names of Rhoda's sister and husband?
2. On the original Muppets Show, who were the two hecklers? And do you remember who the commanding officer was on the starship Swinetrek?
3. Going way back, who played Duke Mantee in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of The Petrified Forest?
4. Back in the late ’50s and early ’60s, a detective show called Hawaiian Eye featured a singer named Cricket Blake, and a hotel social director named Phil. Who were the two actors?
5. When westerns dominated television in the ’50s, which horse opera was the first to become the highest-rated show of the year?
Sports and games
1. In lawn bowling, what is the small white ball called?
2. What is the official diameter of a hockey puck?
3. Name the first horse to win the Triple Crown. And, in what year did this happen?
4. Who was the first NHL hockey player to score 50 goals in one season?
5. What baseball player was known as the “Splendid Sprinter?”
History
1. Which Liberal leader did John Diefenbaker defeat to become prime minister in 1957?
2. What reopened in 1975 after being closed for eight years?
3. A printer’s name is used for reports of debates in parliament. What name is it?
4. What early civilization existed in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula?
5. Remember when Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics? What year was that?
Movies
1. We would probably all remember that Barbra Streisand was the female lead in Hello Dolly, but who was the male lead in that movie?
2. What was the first film made in 3-D?
3. What was the name of Ashley Wilkes’ plantation in Gone With the Wind?
4. What was Spencer Tracy’s last film?
5. What role did Sir Alec Guinness play in Star Wars?
Answers
Television:
1. Rhoda’s husband was Joe and her sister was Brenda.
2. The hecklers were Statler and Waldorf, and the starship Swinetrek was commanded by Captain Link Hogthrob. How could we ever forget?
3. Duke Mantee was played by Humphrey Bogart.
4. On Hawaiian Eye, Cricket Blake was played by Connie Stevens and Phil was played by Troy Donahue.
5. When the western was king of the tube, we watched Maverick, Wyatt Earp, Have Gun — Will Travel, Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Sugar Foot, The Rifleman, Bat Masterson, and many others. But, the western that became the first to dominate the entire television ratings year was Gunsmoke in 1957 .
Sports and games:
1. The small white ball in lawn bowling is called the jack.
2. The diameter of a hockey puck is 7.5 centimetres (three inches).
3. The first Triple Crown winner was Sir Barton in 1919.
4. The first 50-goal scorer in one season was Maurice Richard.
5. It was Ted Williams who was called the “Splendid Sprinter.”
History:
1. John Diefenbaker defeated Louis St. Laurent in 1957.
2. The Suez Canal reopened in 1975 after being closed for eight years.
3. The printer’s name used for reports of debates in parliament is Luke Hansard.
4. The early civilization in the Yucatan was the Mayans.
5. Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics in 1976.
Movies:
1. The male lead in Hello Dolly was Walter Matthau.
2. We put on the 3-D glasses for Bwana Devil, the first film that used the three-dimensional process.
3. Remembering Scarlett’s Tara in GWTW is easy. But, the name of Ashley Wilkes, plantation doesn’t jump forward in the old memory bank quite so quickly. It was Twelve Oaks.
4. Spencer Tracy’s last film was Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
5. Alec Guinness played Obi-wan-Kenobi in Star Wars.