The Adventures of Nick Danger, Third Eye Quiz

Answer: How Can You Be In Two Places At Once, When You're Not Anywhere At All?

Released in 1969, this sophomore endeavor took the humor of their first outing in 'Electrician', and brought comedy on the stereo album to new heights. As Nick enters his office to answer the phone ('I wanna order a pizza to go and no anchovies'), the other end of the conversation can be heard on the group's next album, 'Dwarf'.

Answer: the Unknown

The announcer continues, 'At 4th and Drucker he turns left. At Drucker and 4th he turns right. He crosses MacArthur Park and walks into a great sandstone building (the sound of a smack, followed by 'Ow, my nose').

Answer: Phil Austin

Austin (b. 1941) has been the only constant member of the Firesign Theatre. After attending colleges in Maine and California, he finally settled at radio station KPFK in Los Angeles, where he met the other members of the troupe. He released one solo comedy effort, called 'Roller Maidens from Outer Space'.

Answer: Rocky Rococo

Rococo sneaks into Danger's office, but the gumshoe is alerted by the smell of Roccoco's perfume, 'Pyramid Patchouli'.
Danger's constant criminal element, the 'slimy weasel' Rococo (voiced by Phil Proctor), was an homage to actor Peter Lorre. The name, as with lots of characters and jokes throughout the skit, are lampoons of the Beatles (Rococo itself is a take-off of the song 'Rocky Raccoon' from the 'White Album').

Answer: Harry Ames

She (voiced by Phil Proctor) is also known as Melanie Haber, but 'everyone knew her as Nancy' (another Beatles in-joke from 'Rocky Raccoon'). In 'Cut 'Em Off At The Past', we learn Nick proposed to Nancy years ago during Pig Nite at the Om Mane Padme Sigma House, but she turned him down (not disclosing she was already married). Ames is the fictional name of the actor who plays Lt. Bradshaw.

Answer: The Same Mansion

Danger gets directions from a gas station mechanic:
Danger: Where am I?
Mech: You can't get there from here.
Danger: But I'm looking for the same old place.
Mech: Oh, you must mean the old Same place, sonny. Right out back. Here's the key.

Answer: How do I make my voice do this?

When Danger speaks to the listening audience, he puts his voice through a filter that is distinct from when he is in actual dialogue with the other actors. This is brought up several times. After one other such bit, Nancy asks the other actors, 'Who is he talking to...and how does he make his voice do that?'

Answer: He is Lt. Bradshaw in disguise

Many years ago, Dan Catherwood married Nancy around the same time as her first meeting with Nick (another Beatles reference to 'Rocky Racoon' as Nancy's boyfriend in the song was also named Dan). Shortly thereafter, he invented a time machine out of a grandfather clock to go to ancient Greece.

When he returned, he was 1,000 years old, despite the fact the trip took only a minute. From then on, Dan masqueraded as Nancy's elderly butler. Their relationship was discovered by Rocky, who had been blackmailing them ever since.

Answer: Fantastic Cigarettes

'Long in the leaf and short in the can', this sponsorship was long before cigarette ads were removed from broadcast. 'Ralph Spoilsport Motors' can be heard on the other side of the record. 'Bear Whiz Beer' (it's in the water...that's why it's yellow) and 'Dead Cat Soap' (a free dead cat in every bar) are two other Firesign comedy commercials.

Answer: Cornstarch

When Catherwood invites Nick into the house he advises, 'Come in out of the cornstarch and dry your mukluks by the fire', then later warns him to 'pull them out of the cellophane before they scorch'.

Answer: If it were flat, all the Chinese would fall off.

After she faints, Nick responds with the famous line, 'Why, she's no fun. She fell right over'. He then flips the record over to ensure they're still speaking Chinese (he is, in fact, hearing the other side of the record in reverse).

Answer: Killing Rocky Rococo

As Catherwood tells Bradshaw, 'Nancy and I were engaged in a friendly game of Spin the Pickle with Mr. Rococo, when this drunken madman flew through the door and headed straight for us. At the very last minute he stopped on a dime...unfortunately, that dime was in Mr. Rococo's pocket.' Bradshaw, of course, is all set to arrest Nick right then and there because he hated playing second fiddle every week while Nick got all the girls. Nick, however, breaks free and forces Catherwood to confess to the crime.

Answer: Fade your voice and cue the organist

As Nancy's 'dreadful secret' was unveiled, Nick Danger breaks into the flashback, but can't get himself out. He tries to get everyone into the time machine before Catherwood suggests the proper procedure. However, this only serves to return to the present with two of everyone.
This is another homage to the days of old-time radio and what actors and studio technicians did to keep the listening audience enthralled in the storyline.

Answer: The show is interrupted by a message from the President

The high point to the show is interrupted by someone sounding a lot like President Franklin Roosevelt announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor, followed by America's immediate and unconditional surrender. The play then resumes mid-track into the epilogue with no idea of how the resolution was reached.

Answer: Nick Danger Meets The Arab

'Arab' was hinted at towards the end of 'Cut 'Em Off At The Past', but was never acted upon. 'Shoe' was a compilation of radio shorts that were put together on an EP (extended play record), 'Three Faces' has the distinction of being the first spoken word album ever released on CD, way back in 1984.