Not So Happy Holidays-Famous Untimely Deaths Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Holiday: Christmas Dean Martin, a native of Steubenville, Ohio met his demise on Christmas Day, 1995, at the age of 78. He was a prolific singer and actor, having recorded over 100 singles and more than 30 albums between 1948-1985. He also made over 40 Hollywood films. In four of those flicks, he played a government hit man. Can you recall the character's moniker?

Answer: Matt Helm

The Matt Helm series consisted of "The Silencers" (1966), "Murderer's Row" (1967), "The Ambushers" (1967), and "The Wrecking Crew" (1969).
In addition to the Helm capers, Dean Martin co-starred in 17 films with Jerry Lewis, in one of the world of entertainment's all-time most famous pairings.

Martin was born Dino Crocetti in 1917, and by the time his career ended, he had three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Stars (TV, Movies, and Recording).
On TV, he hosted "The Dean Martin" show from 1956-1974.
His most remembered recording may be "That's Amore", which made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, but he did have a brace of tunes which reached numero uno; "Memories Are Made of This" (1955) and "Everybody Loves Somebody" (1964).

Sean Connery was Ian Fleming's spy, James Bond (who preferred his martinis shaken, not stirred). Jason Bourne has been played on the big screen by Matt Damon. Napoleon Solo was portrayed by Robert Vaughn on the TV series, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.".

Interesting fact: Dean Martin was known by the sobriquet, "King of Cool" in life, and death did nothing to disclaim that, as he had the epitaph, "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", inscribed on his tombstone.

2. Holiday/Special Day: Halloween Even though he died in 1926, the first name many people think of when asked to name a famous magician is still the great Harry Houdini. He was born in Europe, later became an American citizen, and plied his craft from 1891-1926. Houdini was quite famous for his escapes from all sorts of places. He even appeared in a few forgettable films. What was Harry Houdini's birth name?

Answer: Erik Weisz

Erik Weisz was born in Budapest, Hungary on March 24, 1874. He began performing acts of ledgerdemain as a youth, and practiced magic for 35 years. Houdini was elected president of the Society of American Magicians nine straight years (1917-1926) and, in addition, he was an accomplished pilot.
Even the Great Houdini couldn't escape death...on the night of his final show, October 26, 1926, he passed out on stage, and died from a ruptured appendix five days later eerily on Halloween, October 31, 1926, in a Detroit hospital.

Bernie Schwartz is the birth name of actor Tony Curtis who was "Houdini" in the biopic of the same name (1953).
Harry Blackstone was an American magician, back in the day, and Wayne Dobson has performed his wizardry in England for over 40 years.

3. Holiday: New Year's Day Ray (Herman Raymond) Walston was a versatile and prolific actor. A native of New Orleans, LA, he acted in the theatre, on TV and in many Hollywood films. His first Broadway show was "Hamlet" in 1945. Between 1957-2001, he appeared in over 40 movies, two of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Despite his success on the big screen, his most famous role came on a 1960's TV sitcom. What was the name of that show, which ran from 1963-1966?

Answer: My Favorite Martian

Ray Walston enjoyed great popularity in the sitcom as Uncle Martin, the out-of this-world creature who fell to Earth when his spacecraft from Mars crash-landed on Earth. "My Favorite Martian" ran from 1963-1966, and co-starred Bill Bixby (Tim O'Hara), who let the extraterrestrial he passed off to his friends, as his Uncle Martin crash (no pun intended) at his pad. Walston's two Academy Awarded winning Best Pictures were, "The Apartment" (1960), with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, and "The Sting" (1973), with Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Jackie Gleason.

A few of his other popular films were "South Pacific" (1958), "Damn Yankees" (1960), and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). Lupus claimed our favorite Martian on New Year's Day, 2001 at the age of 86, (in human years).

4. Holiday/Special Day: St. Patrick's Day Helen Hayes, whose career spanned nine decades (1905-1985), is often referred to as, The First Lady of the American Theatre. Ms. Hayes graced stages around the world in more than 80 plays. She also appeared on dozens of TV shows and somehow found time to appear in over 20 movies. She won two Oscars, the first coming in 1931 and, 39 years later, she won another. In which 1970 film did Ms. Hayes win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress?

Answer: Airport

Airport was an adventure/disaster film, starring Burt Lancaster as a Midwest airport manager who was trying to handle a raging snowstorm, and a damaged inbound flight. Ms. Hayes, who plays a serial stowaway named Ada Quonsett, has a key role. Helen Hayes won the Oscar for Best Actress in "The Sin of Madelon Claudet" (1931). Among her many awards were winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Ronald Reagan in 1986, and having a Broadway theatre named in her honor.

She also was one of the first 11 artists to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony Award. (In all she won three Tony's).

The First Lady of the American Theatre made her final appearance on an American theatre in a 1970 revival of "Harvey", alongside Jimmy Stewart.

She went out with a bang, gaining another best actress nomination. Helen Hayes was inducted into the National Woman's Hall of Fame in 1973. When the grand Irish lady passed away on the feast of the Emerald Isle's patron saint, on March 17, 1993, The Great White Way went black for 60 seconds as all the theatres on Broadway dimmed their lights at 8 P.M. for a moment in her honor.

5. Holiday: New Year's Eve Ricky Nelson was a young heartthrob from the 1950s-1970s. A versatile performer he sang, wrote music, and acted on both TV and in Hollywood films. He was first known for appearing in a family sitcom from 1952-1966. What were the first names of his parents on that show?

Answer: Ozzie and Harriet

"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" was a long-running family sitcom, which followed a typical suburban American family. For 425 episodes, from 1952-1966, America watched parents Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, as they saw their sons David and younger sibling Ricky, grow from high school students to husbands.

Between 1957-1979, Ricky recorded more than 85 singles, two of which reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. They were, "Poor Little Fool" (1958), and "Travelin' Man" (1961). Another popular Ricky Nelson song was "Garden Party", which climbed to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1972. Among his movies were "Rio Bravo" (1959), with John Wayne, and "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" (1960), which starred Jack Lemmon.
Ricky Nelson, who was tragically killed on a plane crash headin' for a gig in Dallas, TX on December 31, 1985, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

6. Holiday/Special Day: April Fool's Day Marvin Gaye was one of the most popular American singers of the 1960s through the 1980s. He sang rock & roll, gospel, rhythm & blues and had numerous huge hits. His "Sexual Healing", won him two Grammy Awards (1983), and the song was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His signature song, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1968. Marvin Gaye's life was tragically cut short when he was gunned down on April 1, 1984, a day before his 45th birthday. Who pulled the trigger?

Answer: His father

Marvin had sided with his mom during a family squabble, just outside of Los Angeles, something his dad didn't take kindly to.
The gun his father killed him with was a Christmas gift...from Marvin.

In 2004, Marvin Gaye had four songs included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. They were his Grammy winning, "Sexual Healing" (1982), the Billboard chart topper, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968), along with, "What's Going On"? (1971), and "Let's Get It On" (1973). His first big hit was 1964's, "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You"), which made it to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
Marvin Gaye was the recipient of many well deserved awards and honors. Among those were a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1990), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1996), and in 1987 he was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

7. Holiday: Christmas James Brown enjoyed a career of over 50 years (1954-2006). During that time he regaled music fans with soul songs, rhythm & blues (R&B) tunes, and a lot of funky numbers. He began his vocal performances with a group called The Avons, (who later became The Famous Flames). Brown tallied 17 number one songs on the R&B charts, and his "I Got You (I Feel Good)", reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. What was James Brown's popular sobriquet?

Answer: The Godfather of Soul

The Godfather of Soul has received almost as many honors and awards than Ben & Jerry have ice cream flavors. Among the more noteworthy, in chronological sequence, are:
1986 Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1992 Received a Lifetime Grammy Achievement Award
1997 Awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2000 Inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame
2003 Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors
2013 Posthumously inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame
After releasing over 140 singles and more than 100 albums, James Brown died of heart failure and pneumonia, in Emory Crawford Long Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA, on December 25, 2006.

Interesting fact: On "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, James Brown is ranked number seven.

8. Holiday: Christmas America has been blessed with an abundance of great old-time comic actors. Most of them started in burlesque, as our mystery guest did. He also starred on Broadway, radio and in over 40 Hollywood films. He was born in the Keystone State, PA, on January 29, 1880. His birth name would not have had as much marquee appeal as did his adopted moniker. Ah yes, he is best known by which of the following stage names?

Answer: W. C. Fields

After being born William Claude Dukenfield, he definitely needed a stage name, and chose to become the irascible W.C. Fields. He was known for his dislike of dogs and children equally, although in real life he was quite charitable to children's causes. W.C.F. was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the late 1930s and 1940s, starring in dozens of memorable films, playing many memorable roles. Among some of his more popular flicks were, "My Little Chickadee" (1940), in which he co-starred with another comic great, Mae West. He was the boozy Egbert Souse in "The Bank Dick" (1940), and starred in "Never Give A Sucker An Even Break" (1941). Fields turned down the opportunity to be the man behind the curtain in 1939's, "The Wizard of Oz".
W.C. Fields was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of fame (Radio and Motion Pictures). William Claude Dukenfield met his maker on December 25, 1946.

Interesting fact:
Although they both starred during the same time period, the pairing of Mae West and W.C. Fields (who despised each other), only occurred once...in the aforementioned, "My Little Chickadee".

9. Holiday/ Special Day: April Fool's Day John Forsythe was an American actor who enjoyed a career of over 60 years (1943-2006). He performed on Broadway, in Hollywood films and on many TV series. In 1983-1984 he won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor. What was the long-running program for which he received those awards?

Answer: Dynasty

John Forsythe won the Golden Globes for his portrayal of Blake Carrington on the multiple Golden Globe winning, "Dynasty", the long-running (1981-1989) soap-opera/drama of a Colorado family patriarch (Forsythe), his wife, Krystle (Linda Evans), and his ex-wife and business adversary, the scheming Alexis, played by Joan Collins (a role which Sophia Loren declined to play).
Prior to "Dynasty", Forsythe appeared in "Bachelor Father" (1957-1961), and was the voice of Charles Townsend, the man who gave "Charlie's Angels" their assignments from 1976-1981. Born in New Jersey, he matriculated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was in the first graduating class of the famed Actor's Studio in N.Y. (1947). Forsythe made 25 films and before headin' to Hollywood, he had made his Broadway debut in "Vickie" (1942). He landed a great role on the Great White Way in 1950, when he replaced Henry Fonda in the title role of "Mr. Roberts". John Forsythe, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, died on April 1, 2010 at the age of 92.

Interesting fact: For a short time at the age of 18, John Forsythe was the public address announcer at Ebbets Field, home of the beloved Brooklyn (N.Y.) Dodgers National League baseball team.

10. Holiday: Christmas Eartha Kitt (born Earth May Keith) was an American singer, dancer, actress and activist, whose career spanned seven decades. She began her career with the first African-American Modern Dance ensemble, The Katherine Dunham Company (1943-1948). Ms. Kitt made over 25 movies, but is best remembered for her sultry voice and distinctive singing style. Eartha Kitt released over 50 singles. Which of the following was her highest charting tune?

Answer: Santa Baby

"Santa Baby" (1953), was a song about a spoiled young woman who wanted Santa to bring her everything but the kitchen sink, when she told him to "hurry down my chimney tonight". The song climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Fluent in French, Ms. Kitt took "C'est Si Bon" to the eighth spot on the chart, also in 1953. She could sing pop songs, gospel music, torch tunes and belted out jazz numbers with the best of them. Eartha Kitt was an outspoken opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and after a lengthy, contentious "discussion" with Lady Bird Johnson, her career began to wane.
She will be remembered for her 65 year entertainment career and has rightfully been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Eartha Kitt passed away from colon cancer December 25, 2008 at the age of 81.

Source: Author paulmallon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Every year billions of people around the world happily celebrate joyous holidays and other special days. Unfortunately, death knows no holiday and has claimed many people on such occasions. Here are 10 who failed to make it through a final special day.

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