All Quizzes Great and Greater

Answer: The Great Artiste

'The Great Artiste' was a US Air Force Silverplate B-29 bomber. Her nickname was derived from Captain Kermit Beahan who was her bombardier and had an impressive record with his bombing talents. Prior to the atomic bombings she flew twelve practice missions dropping pumpkin bombs on Japan and its occupied Pacific Islands.

Aside from the craft actually carrying the bombs, the missions included six other Silverplates as observation aircraft. These included weather reconnaissance platforms, scientific instruments that measured the effects of the blast, photographic surveillance and backup platforms.

The Great Artiste was a designated blast measurement instrumental plane for the bombing of Hiroshima but was supposed to be carrying the bomb on the Nagasaki mission. Due to bad weather forecasts this was bought forward two days and the Artiste hadn't had its scientific equipment removed so the crews switched planes and the Bockscar went on to drop the Fat Man while the Artiste was once again flown as an instrument support plane.

The photo is depicting a type of artiste at work.

Answer: Perry White

The saying originated from Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" where his ghost appears to Brutus and was one of the phrases used in England in place of various forms of blasphemy. It reached its height of popularity because of its use in the Superman radio program in the 1940s and 1950s.

Perry White was created for this series and first appeared on the second episode in February 1940. He then appeared in the comic books that November and has continued as a character throughout all its following mediums.

He is the editor of the Metropolis newspaper, "The Daily Planet", where Clark, Lois and Jimmy all work. He is portrayed as a highly ethical man and journalist and as a fair boss. His other catchphrase was "Don't call me chief!"

In the 1990s TV series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" Perry was portrayed as a huge Elvis fan and they changed his exclamation to "Great Shades of Elvis!"

Picture is of a pear tree. Pears are used to make the alcohol drink called perry.

Answer: William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan (1860 -1925) was an American lawyer and politician who became an influential member of the Democratic Party. He was the party's nominated candidate for the presidential elections in 1896, 1900 and 1908 but failed to win any.

He was defeated in 1896 and 1900 by William McKinley and William Taft in 1908. He did serve in the House of Representatives for two years from 1913 and as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915.

He was nicknamed 'the Great Commoner' because of his belief in the common people and their wisdom.

Arthur Balfour was the UK prime minster from 1902 - 1905, Wilfrid Laurier was in power in Canada from 1896 - 1911 and Edmund Barton, 1901 - 1903, was Australia's first prime minister.

The image is a reference to the song "The Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams.

Answer: The Great Stone Face

Joseph Frank 'Buster' Keaton (1895 -1966) was an American actor, comedian and director. He was born into a vaudeville family and began performing with his parents at the age of three.

His biggest fame was achieved in the silent movies of the 1920s where he was renowned for comedic roles while keeping a deadpan expression on his face which is what earned him his nickname.

He signed on with MGM in 1928 and lost any artistic licence. His career hit an all-time low throughout the 1930s - he also lost his wife, his house and became an alcoholic during this time.

He made a comeback in the 1940s and had continued success until his death.

Photo is depicting a clock face.

Answer: Grace Slick

Grace Slick had a three year stint as a model at I. Magnin department store before commencing the musical career for which she is known. She created the Great Society with her husband in 1965; it was heavily influenced by the San Francisco psychedelic music scene of the time.

A year later she joined an established group, Jefferson Airplane, when their lead singer left. In 1970 when she was the only original member left she created Jefferson Starship where she continued with great success in the group and as a solo performer for 14 years.

In 1984 the band lost members and a lawsuit led to a name change to simply Starship which existed until 1989 when Jefferson Airplane reformed for an album and tour.

Slick retired after this tour although she has appeared twice, once in 1995 and once in 2001, with a revamped version of Jefferson Starship

Image is an oil drilling platform and is hinting at an 'oil slick'.

Answer: The Great Collaborator

George Simon Kaufman (1889 - 1961) was a humourist, theatre director and drama critic as well as a playwright and producer.

His first newspaper job was as a humour columnist in 1912, followed by a drama reporter and finally a drama editor at the New York Times where he continued working until 1930.

As a playwright he wrote comedies, political satires and musicals for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Awards.

He only wrote one play alone, "The Butter and Egg Man" in 1925. His collaboration with other authors was a winning strategy for him - he had a show either written or produced by him in every year from 1921 to 1958. Revivals of his work have continued to be performed since his death.

Image depicts people holding hands, working as a team.

Answer: Welcome Back, Kotter

"Welcome Back, Kotter" began in 1975 and ran for four years. It revolved around teacher Gabe Kotter who returns to his old high school in Brooklyn to teach a remedial class known as the Sweathogs whom everyone has labelled as idiots and hoodlums. Kotter is only expected to 'babysit' them until they leave the school one way or another but he has other ideas and finds a way to reach the students and actually teach them.

In the pilot episode Kotter challenges the school debate team to a match with his students. He sets the topic about how human beings are naturally aggressive and his team take the pro side.

The Sweathogs dress up in costumes and don't follow the normal rules of debate which causes the other side to get annoyed and mad in return which, of course, proves the Sweathogs' theory and they actually win.

The picture of a school desk obviously referencing a classroom.

Answer: Gene Roddenberry

Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr (1921 -1991) was an American television screenwriter and producer. He wrote many shows but is best known for being the creator of "Star Trek". He wrote the "Original Series", "The Animated Series" and "The Next Generation".

The first run of the "Next Generation" began airing in 1987. Roddenberry had to take a less active role from season two due to poor health but continued to consult until his death four years later.

He was the first TV writer to gain a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

A year after his death his ashes were flown into space on the space shuttle Columbia and six years later, with 23 others, were on a spacecraft launched into the Earth's orbit.

'The Great Bird of the Galaxy' was a mythological creature on the show that was evoked as a blessing. Associate Producer Robert H. Justman used it as a nickname for Roddenberry.

The show's artist, Andrew Probert, created a painting for him for his 66th birthday with Roddenberry's head on a parrot wearing a Starfleet uniform. This image actually appears as a computer display on the show.

Picture is of someone on a trek.

Answer: The Great Impostor

Ferdinand Demara (1921 - 1982) was a famous American imposter, known for both impersonating others and for creating characters for himself. It is believed that he had an extraordinary high IQ and possibly a true photographic memory because of the techniques he could use after just reading textbooks.

His talents were numerous and diverse. He is known to have worked as a prison warden, hospital orderly, childcare expert, psychologist, sheriff's deputy and editor before getting even more ambitious and 'becoming' a civil engineer, a cancer researcher and a lawyer.

He also joined the US and Canadian Navies where he was originally a hospital corpsman and (my favourite) a naval surgeon during the Korean War where he successfully operated on seriously injured men.

He seems to have had an affiliation for the Catholic religious life; he impersonated many different forms from monks in a few different monasteries to priests and teachers of philosophy and psychology.

He did spend six months in prison at one time for impersonating a teacher but most institutions' embarrassment led to him getting away with most of his crimes.

The mask is representative of theatre or masquerades where people's true identities are hidden.

Answer: It's a Wonderful Life

"It's a Wonderful Life" is an American Christmas movie released in 1946. It is based on a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern called "The Greatest Gift" which Stern admits was inspired by Dickens "A Christmas Carol."

The story revolves around George Bailey who has given up his personal dreams time and time again to help other people in his community. When things go badly wrong he is contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve when Clarence Odbody, an angel hoping to gain his wings, intervenes and takes him around and shows him what the world would be like if he hadn't existed.

Of course all turns out well in the end. George lives, Clarence gets his wings and the town is safe.

Image is an angel, referencing Clarence.