Entertainment Other Trivia

1. The Rockettes were originally formed in St Louis in 1929. When did they perform their first Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall?

From Quiz The Fabulous Rockettes

Answer: 1933

The Rockettes were inspired by the Tiller Girls, a British precision dance group who performed on Broadway. Choreographer Russell Markert wanted to create an American equivalent, who were taller, had longer legs and could perform eye-high kicks - which are still one of the Rockettes' trademarks today - and tap routines. The Rockettes were originally known as the Missouri Rockets, but changed their name to the Roxyettes when Samuel 'Roxy' Rothafel brought them to the Roxy Theatre in New York. He moved them to Radio City Music Hall in 1932, where they performed at its opening night on 27th December. The first Christmas Spectacular appeared in 1933, with the Rockettes performing alongside the Radio City Symphony and opera singer Jan Peerce. The Rockettes had been performing routines to accompany weekly movie showings at Radio City Music Hall, and the original Christmas Spectacular was accompanied by the Disney short film 'The Night Before Christmas' and the musical 'Flying Down to Rio'. In 1934, the Roxyettes changed their name to the Rockettes after Rothafel parted company with the Roxy.

From Quiz The Generals of Washington

Answer: Philadelphia SPHAs

Klotz was a member of the Philadelphia SPHAs (South Philadelphia Hebrew Association) for four seasons in the American Basketball League (1942-1943, 1945-1948), where they won the 1942-43 title. With the SPHAs, he had 516 career points in the regular season and 65 career points in the playoffs. Klotz was also a member of the 1947-48 Baltimore Bullets (a distinct team from the modern Washington Wizards). The team won the 1947-48 Basketball Association of America title (a predecessor of the National Basketball Association). This makes Klotz, at five feet, seven inches, one of the shortest players to ever have been of a BAA/NBA championship team.

From Quiz Panto Is Magical! Oh Yes It Is!

Answer: At Christmas time - December or January

Pantomime is a Christmas/New Year entertainment. In earlier times the panto season could last for several months, but professional pantomimes nowadays run for about three to six weeks, depending on whether the cast features much loved local performers or stars specially brought in.

From Quiz All Work and No Play?

Answer: His notoriously dreadful acting

Born into a very wealthy family, Robert Coates longed, not to manage the family fortune, but to become a leading dramatic star of the stage. His acting however was so dreadful that he developed quite a following for that instead. Yet, theatre managers continued to hire him - for the simple reason that he bribed them to do so. When he didn't like his lines, he made up others to suit his mood, he ad-libbed all over the countryside, he refused to die on stage without first taking out a handkerchief to carefully dust the floor, or he refused to die at all. He also refused to leave the stage when the directions called for this to happen, but, if he liked a scene he'd been in, he immediately acted it over again, several times in fact - and on and on it went. In short he was a co-star's nightmare. His fellow actors often had to drag him off the stage, actresses detested him as he had a habit of slinging them over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. One actress playing Juliet actually refused to leave the stage with him at all in one production and clung desperately to a pillar instead. He often rewrote Shakespeare's great scenes, such as in one version of "Romeo and Juliet" where he dashed back onto stage and tried to prise open the Capulet tomb with a crowbar. Audiences jeered and booed him wherever he performed, but also continued to laugh helplessly at his antics as well. One is inclined to believe of Mr Coates that, in truth, he was indeed nothing at all like a great dramatic actor - but a very brilliant comedian instead.

From Quiz Don't Panic! "HG2G" by Douglas Adams

Answer: Doctor Who

Douglas Adams stated, "...I thought the keynote of the character of Ford Prefect was that given the choice between getting involved and saving the world from some disaster one one hand, and on the other hand going to a party, he'd go to the party every time..."

From Quiz The Night of "The Royal Variety Performance"

Answer: 100 years

Symbolic of England, "The Royal Variety Performance" entertains the Royal Family annually. This event started in 1912 and was first performed at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, in the presence of King George V and Queen Mary. The show featured singing, dancing, drag acts, music hall at its peak. In the year 2012, "The Royal Variety Performance" celebrated its centennary.

From Quiz The Glamour Girls

Answer: Billy Zane

Kelly was born in Kent in 1979 and began as a model in advertising, particularly for lingerie and bras. She was persuaded to remove the bra by the Daily Star, one of the two main British newspapers who specialise in this type of picture (the other is The Sun). Kelly has also appeared in various 'lads' mags', including Loaded and FHM, and appeared in Playboy in September 2010. Kelly and Billy split up in 2008. 'Survival Island' was also known as 'Three'. Billy has also appeared in 'Dead Calm' (1989) and 'The Phantom' (1996). He also had a leading role in 'Titanic' (1997) in which all the actors offered as options appeared.

From Quiz Know Your Smart Phone and Tablet Applications!

Answer: "Foursquare"

Available for Android and Apple powered devices, "Foursquare" is a check-in app which allows users to unlock special badges for "checking in" to specific places on a frequent basis. "Mayorships" are awarded to those who check into a certain place several times. Some shops and restaurants have "Foursquare" specials for people that check-in. It also gives users the option to leave tips for other people visiting that area.

From Quiz Facts on Famous Performers No 1

Answer: Minute Waltz

The Polish Chopin (1810-1849) would be highly indignant, one suspects, at this lovely and lively composition of his being labelled and played in this fashion. He wrote it to last approximately two minutes and thirty seconds. Chopin's music is haunting and beautiful and can move one to tears, given the right mood and setting. This piece however was written in a playful style, joyous and happy. Chopin composed it after observing the antics of a little dog trying to catch its tail. He named the piece "The Little Dog Waltz".

From Quiz Viewer Discretion Is Advised...Again

Answer: Two

Manitoba began ratings in 1911 solely in Winnipeg as no one else was showing films at that time. It wasn't until 1916 that the Manitoba Censor Board was established, and similar to the UK's ratings, there were only two. "General" was similar to the "G" rating in the US or the "U" rating in the UK, meaning everyone was admitted. There was no restrictions on "adult" rated films, however, if the filmmaker could not censor the movie to the Board's specifications, the Board banned the film instead. A third rating, "Restricted", was created in 1959, and was the first to have certain ages unable to view.

From Quiz Disney Fairies

Answer: pots-and-pans talent

Tinker Bell is the fairy who fixes all the pots, pans and most metal things in Pixie Hollow. You can find the answer to this in most 'Disney Fairies' chapter books.

From Quiz It's Panto - Oh No It Isn't!

Answer: Pumpkin

The story used for panto is based on the adaptation of a traditional story by Charles Perrault in 1697. It was first performed as a Panto at the Drury lane Theatre in London in 1904. A pumpkin becomes a coach, mice become horses, a rat becomes a coachman and lizards become footmen. Cinderella's rags are turned into a ball gown along with glass slippers. All of this will change back at midnight. There is a theory that the slippers should be fur rather than glass due to a mistake in the original translation from French. Other characters are the Ugly Sisters, Buttons, Dandini, Baron Hardup (Cinderella's father), the Broker's men and, of course, the Wicked Stepmother. The story has been adapted for Ballet, Opera, Film, Cartoon and Musical Theatre and the phrase "Cinderella Story" has entered the English language to tell of someone who goes from rags to riches.

From Quiz Claymation

Answer: Armature

Each object takes shape from the sculpting of clay or of another pliable material such as plasticine. The object is then built around a wire skeleton called an armature. Stop-motion animation is a time consuming project where each sculpted object is moved only ever so slightly for each film frame that is taken. This cycle of movement is repeated over and over until the final desired filming of the animation is complete. The frames are given the wonderful illusion of movement because they are played with a very rapid motion.

From Quiz The Rise and Fall of the Drive-In Theater

Answer: New Jersey

The first drive-in theater, with space for 500 cars, opened in Pennsauken (Camden County), New Jersey. Hollingshead is sometimes said to have "invented" the drive-in theater. It might be a bit odd to think of the "invention" of what is a rather simple concept: showing a movie on a large screen so people can see and hear it while sitting in their cars. Still, he deserves credit for not only conceiving the idea but also developing its feasibility and bringing it to reality. It's nice to picture Hollingshead working in his driveway, makeshift screen nailed to some trees, Kodak projector sitting on his car's hood. He placed a radio near the screen, and went through extensive tests. He needed to find out how much to slope and how to position the parking areas for his eventual theater so all cars could have a good view of the film. He also had to find out how to do the sound so it could be heard inside the cars. After putting all this information together, he was granted a patent in 1933. Unfortunately, the patent was eventually ruled invalid. Interestingly, the first drive-in theater for airplanes was opened in June 1948, also in New Jersey (Asbury Park). It could handle several hundred autos and 25 airplanes which landed nearby and then taxied to the last row of the drive-in!

From Quiz Harlem Globetrotters

Answer: Chicago

The Globetrotters first appeared in the Chicago area in 1926-1927. Abe Saperstein, the Jewish business man who first organized the squad, chose the name Harlem because it was symbolic of African-American culture. It wasn't until 1968 that the Globetrotters would play their first "home game" in Harlem.

From Quiz Are Those Flashing Lights Behind Me?

Answer: To give me a speeding ticket.

Although none of these are beyond the realm of possibility, it's most likely I'm getting a speeding ticket.

From Quiz The History of "Ripley's Believe it or Not".

Answer: Champs and Chumps

The New York Globe published Ripley's first comic December 19, 1918 under the title "Champs and Chumps". It dealt with sports trivia. By 1919 he had added other topics and changed the name to "Believe It or Not".

From Quiz Pixar Animation Studios

Answer: Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group

After graduation, John Lasseter worked as a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland in Anaheim. He went on to a job animating for Walt Disney Productions. While there he realised that computers could be used to make movies with three-dimensional backgrounds. He left Disney to work for Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group where he worked on the stained-glass window knight from the film "Young Sherlock Holmes".

From Quiz Meadow's Maze

Answer: A bear catching a fish

Later mazes included moose, beehives, a squirrel, and a frog. Each maze was many kilometers long.

From Quiz "This Land" Political Parody

Answer: Mass-uh-chew-sits

Bush is commonly criticized for what his rivals call lack of intelligence. After the crayon-writing, "Don't Mess with Texas" is seen.

From Quiz Wondrous Warner Bros.

Answer: My Four Years in Germany

"My Four Years in Germany" was a semi-documentary about the ambassador from the United States to the Kaiser. It was released in 1918. The Sea Beast was released in 1926 and starred John Barrymore, "The Hills of Kentucky" came out in 1927, starring Rin-Tin-Tin, and "The Jazz Singer" starred Al Jolson and was produced in 1927.

From Quiz Roller Derby - 1960s and 70s

Answer: 5

There were two jammers, two blockers and a pivotman for each team.

From Quiz Teenage Culture for the Over-60s

Answer: A young person's beat combo

Yes, perhaps surprisingly, "Good Charlotte" are a group of young American boys who play guitars and other rhythmic instruments. Quite why they feel the need to call themselves this I do not know (in my day groups had clear, sensible names, like the "Dave Clark Five", or "Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch). Their music, including "Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money", is quite tuneful, but their hair is rather spiky (what's wrong with a short back and sides?).

From Quiz The History of Television

Answer: Vladimir Zworykin

Russian native Zworykin (1889-1982) studied under Rosing at the Petrograd Institute of Technology. He emigrated to the U.S. and became a citizen in 1924, where he worked with both Westinghouse and RCA (with Sarnoff) in developing the electron microscope.

From Quiz Who Knows The Shadow?

Answer: on radio

Yes, The Shadow first appeared as the narrator for a mystery radio show in the early 30's.

From Quiz The Fabulous Rockettes

Answer: Parade of the Wooden Soldiers

The 'Parade of the Wooden Soldiers' and the 'Living Nativity' are the only pieces in the Christmas Spectacular that have consistently appeared since 1933. The 'Parade of the Wooden Soldiers' has the Rockettes dressed as toy soldiers, complete with felt cheeks stuck to their faces - they get through over 30,000 in a season! - and rather than their usual high kicking, they march in lines. The climax of the piece is the fall, when the dancers topple down one by one following a shot from a cannon. The fall is rehearsed in sections, before the entire line practices it together. At the end, they sit up and salute before the curtain falls.

From Quiz The Generals of Washington

Answer: General Dwight D. Eisenhower

The year of 1952 may be the key clue. The Generals were named after popular World War II commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower (as confirmed via Wikipedia and the team's website), who was elected to his first of two terms as President in 1952. Red Klotz, who founded the team, was also a veteran of World War II, though he served stateside. I have not been able to find a specific reason why the Generals, a barnstorming team, chose Washington as their official "hometown", though I suspect it may have been that reversing the words would almost be the phrase "General Washington".

From Quiz All Work and No Play?

Answer: "My agent was afraid of overexposure."

The great comedian, actor and writer George Burns, master of the quick quip, lived from 1896 until 1996. He performed in all facets of the entertainment business during his long career. These included vaudeville, radio, film, television, and even three recorded albums of his work. Amazingly, he was still performing right up until a few weeks before his death at the age of 100. He appeared in twenty-five movies in all, a number that would have been much higher had he not chosen to work in other areas of his craft. Though he provided the narration for the film "The Solid Gold Cadillac" in 1956, George's previous foray into the world of film, in which he appeared in front of the camera, was the 1939 movie "Honolulu". This light-hearted musical comedy centers around lookalikes switching roles in life, and also features his much loved wife, Gracie Allen (1895-1964). The 1975 "Sunshine Boys", for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, also starred Walter Matthau. The plot is built around two legendary but extremely irascible old comedians who are coaxed into an attempt to appear one last time with their act - with disastrous results.

From Quiz Don't Panic! "HG2G" by Douglas Adams

Answer: Vogons

Douglas Adams got the bad poetry idea from a man he went to school with. Apparently the man wrote dark and just plain awful poems and he decided to make them a part of his book.

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