Daydreaming On The Yellow Brick Road Quiz

Answer: Both were known for popular turns on Broadway - in musicals!

The late Jerry Orbach (Briscoe) and Jesse L. Martin (Green) each showed evidence of the ability to carry a tune and also to soft-shoe a little. Martin's break came in "Rent" (at first on stage and later in the film) while Orbach was a real Broadway favorite winning a Tony award for "Promises, Promises" (1969) and then being nominated from the original cast of "Chicago" (1976). Martin was born in Virginia (Orbach in The Bronx) and Jesse is unmarried.

As for dyslexia/diabetes? If true it is a private matter that has never been disclosed. Sadly, Jerry Orbach passed away in 2004 after a bout with cancer and, at least to this viewer, took a relevant piece of the "Law And Order" dynamic with him.

Answer: Martin Scorcese

This was Scorcese's fourth film and was a bit away from what he became known for, style and theme-wise. It was a good feature, however, starring Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter and Jodie Foster. In name only (and with just a shadow of the film included) it spawned the 70s sitcom on TV "Alice" - the most notable thing about it being that Vic Taybeck played the blubbering Mel, Alice's boss at 'Mel's Diner', in both projects.

The film was mostly a serious one with the widow having a very hard time laying roots in a new place with a small son in tow.

Naturally, Kris Kristofferson sweeps her off her feet at the end of things - after doing battle like two wildcats for the better part of 112 minutes on screen. All's well that ends well, though, I guess.

Answer: Dr. Douglas Ross in "ER"

Dr. Ross, as played by the now Oscar-winning George Clooney, was many things but one of them wasn't being alcoholic. Sexually addicted? Yes, I'd say so. Sociopathic? More or less. Kind of a rat? Up until he had to straighten up, yes, he was a rodent usually. Ross's back story was puzzling, to say the least, so it was no wonder his character was a little left-of-center. Disfunctional parents, suicidal ex-girlfriends, piles of commitment challenges.

The one decent thing about Ross, though: he loved kids and was an earnest pediatrician.

He even loved his own twins finally - but he had to move from Chigago to Washington state before he realized it.

Answer: Loretta Young

Judy Young Lewis was born in 1935 in Europe where Loretta Young devised (and solidified) the notion that her daughter was adopted. Why? Two reasons: Gable was married and, perhaps more urgent, both stars had a morals contract and ill-begot offspring would have caused quite a stink (to say the least). Judy met her father only once and didn't even know he was her Dad until in adulthood.

She might have suspected it earlier had Loretta Young not had the child's ears surgically 'repaired' when she was just 7. Yes, those trademark ears of Gable's passed down to her (otherwise she looked much like Young). Lombard, the avowed love of Gable's life, was his wife briefly before being killed in a plane crash but they had no children.

He had a fling with Jean Arthur, too, but no pregnancy. Clark Gable was married 5 times and had one legitimate son, John Clark Gable, who was born 4 months after his father's death.

Answer: The Czech Republic

I really gave it away there (it was a hard question, though) by naming only one 'European' answer. This film was startling but, I have to say so, somewhat brilliant. It wandered the streets with these 15-18 year-old boys who plied their trade, mostly with tourists, in Prague.

The lads were just like boys from anywhere. Some smart, some not. Some articulate, some nearly incoherent. Some very dapper looking, others very scruffy. Their common bond was ONLY the way they made their money and that what they did, to nearly all of them, was about their bodies and not their souls/minds. Societal questions were rapid-fire and real answers or solutions did not happen at all.

The "mortician", who was sadly too accustomed to dealing with the dead, was really just a small representation of a much bigger monster. Corruption perhaps? Capitalism? The movie lets the audience decide.

The film was directed by the acclaimed Wiktor Grodecki and, while not even close to a walk in the park, I recommend the film's attempts to open our eyes to that which we forcibly choose not to think about, much less look at.

Answer: Prof. Gary Shepherd (unconventional English teacher played by Peter Horton)

The show ran from 1987-1991 and Prof. Shepherd never quite made it to the end of the road as his character was killed in an auto accident that final year. Shepherd, as played by Mr. Horton, was a great part - Gary was bright, dashing, emotionally irresponsible and a shameless ladies man. Nancy Weston endured an Emmy Award winning story arc when the character was diagnosed with ovarian cancer (Wettig won the award). Nancy, however, did not die during the course of the series.

The decision for Peter Horton to leave the show was no surprise to him; in fact he asked for it to happen so that he could pursue his directing career. Also, he never left completely and showed up occasionally as Gary's ghost.

Answer: Blazing Saddles

Rogers (1911-1998) made 100+ films over time but the western spoof "Blazing Saddles" wasn't one of them (although the temptation might be to think that he might have had a cameo in it, trust me, he didn't). Roy was a singer first, having hits with "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" as part of the group Sons Of The Pioneers.

His first film, as a solo act, came in 1938 and his popular TV show (with third wife Dale Evans) lasted from 1951-1964. Then there was Trigger, Roy's esteemed horse and the only one Rogers ever rode in a movie. Roy Rogers wasn't the first celebrity to mount Trigger, however.

The one that got that honor was Olivia deHavilland in 1938's "The Adventures Of Robin Hood". Trigger died in 1965 at the age of 33, quite a movie star in his own right.

Answer: Quinn, as Gauguin, was only on screen for 12 minutes and won an Oscar for it !

It didn't take Anthony Quinn a whole lot of time to give an Oscar-worthy performance and the film brought him his second statuette, the first being for "Viva Zapata" a few years before. Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), even though he isn't explored too fully in this movie, was an interesting man.

Initially a stockbroker he just dabbled in art but his passion for it eventually grew. He bored with Impressionism (he thought the work in it tended to repeat itself as it went) and finally drifted toward what he called Cloissonism (highly influenced by folk art and Japanese prints).

He and his friend, aside from their common bond of mental illness and suicidal tendencies, maintained a rocky comraderie for life - abbreviated as those lives were. Gauguin said one of my favorite quotes at some point in his history: "Art is either plagiarism or revolution." The majority of opinion puts Gauguin somewhere in between those two things.

Answer: Daktari

Moran appeared in all the shows listed but was only a regular cast member in "Daktari" when she was just 7 years old. The show was interesting with Hunter Thompson playing Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian running an animal study center in Africa. The biggest job, as the series went, was for the doctor and friends to protect the wildlife from poachers and other threats - all the while being upstaged by Judy The Chimp and the ever-endearing Clarence The Cross-Eyed Lion (who lived safely on the compound).

The program only lasted for three season (1966-1969).

Answer: The dog that played Toto was paid twice as much as any human who played a munchkin!

Toto got $150/week while a munchkin rated a mere $50. Actually, Judy Garland didn't exactly cash in in the paycheck department, either. She was paid only $500/month (300 of which went to her Mother for services rendered). The Scarecrow and Lion and Tin Man got along just fine, Margaret Hamilton (that horrific witch) was not permanently damaged (but did get burned and hospitalized for it when a scene with fire went awry; serves her right, the old shrew).

As for teenaged gymnasts? The biggest lie I've told today. I hope you enjoyed the quiz. I hope those old Elton John albums of yours, mine and ours have minimal scratches, too. And, remember! Next time you're bored and hating an afternoon trapped in the house, reflect on what Dorothy Gale learned: "There's no place like home"...