Calling Elvis Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dire Straits

"Calling Elvis" 1991 was a minor hit for Dire Straits in Australia, the UK and Europe but not the US (although it was released there as a single). The song appears on their 1991 album, "On Every Street". The song is about an Elvis fan who still believes he is alive.

The song references four Elvis songs. There is no reference to been "harder to get hold of, than Elvis" in the song, but at the start of the song a ring tone of a telephone can be heard that precedes the music.

Answer: Declan Patrick MacManus

Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus. His mother was Lilian Alda and his father was Ross MacManus who was a Jazz trumpeter and band leader. His father performed as Day Costello. After Costello junior established his first band, Rusty in the early 70s, Costello adopted the stage name D.P. Costello as a tribute to his father.

When he was signed to independent label Stiff Records in 1977, his manager Jake Riviera, suggested combining Elvis Presley's first name and Costello, his father's stage name.

The name stuck. The other answers are the real names of Sid Vicious, Little Richard and John Denver.

Answer: Elvis was Crockett's pet alligator

"Miami Vice" set new benchmarks in popular culture. It popularised the Armani jacket over T-shirt look (linen pants and sock-less loafers (Crockett), the "designer stubble" look (Tubbs)) and ultra-fast sports cars (Ferraris). With such in-your-face production values, it was no wonder that Crockett who lived on an Endeavour sailboat named the "St. Vitus' Dance", had a pet alligator named Elvis.

The alligator was meant to be something of a watchdog for the boat but he failed miserably. Elvis was a mascot for Crockett's Alma Mater University of Florida Gators' football team.

He was dishonorably discharged from mascot duties after biting a wide receiver from the University of Alabama.

Answer: Yes

Erickson S-64 Air-Cranes are water carrying helicopters used to fight bushfires in summer in Australia. They carry 9500 litres of water and are instrumental in containing or even suppressing bushfires in hot dry weather. Given the manufacturer's name, it seemed obvious if somewhat boring, that the first such helicopter that was landed in Australia was called "Eric the Water Bomber".

When the second helicopter arrived it captured the public's imagination when it was christened Elvis.

Answer: Robert Crais

Elvis Cole is perhaps one of contemporary fiction's most enduring and endearing private investigators. Along with his partner, the enigmatic Joe Pike (who has featured in Crais novels in his own right), the two are a 'marketable' duo.
Elvis Cole is named after Presley, drove a '66 yellow Corvette and did not carry a mobile phone. He has featured in over 25 novels after his debut in 1987's "The Monkey's Raincoat".
Robert Crais, studied mechanical engineering in Louisiana before leaving to become a scriptwriter in Los Angeles. He wrote scripts for television shows such as "Quincy M.E." and "L.A. Law". Wanting to get away from the collaborative nature of script-writing, Crais wrote novels which were not published until Elvis Cole made his debut. He has written other novels, without featuring Elvis Cole. One "Hostage" (2001), was made into a movie starring Bruce Willis. Despite the success of the Elvis Cole novels none have been made into movies. Crais has resisted what would be considered a natural progression because he thought whoever was cast in the role would "pollute" it for those who thought it should have been someone else. This is the reason why Crais has avoided any description of his protagonist's face in his novels.

Answer: True

"Fireman Sam" (1987-2005) was a stop-motion animated children's show based around several firefighters in a Welsh village called Pontypandy. (All the characters had Welsh accents). Elvis Cridlington, a somewhat rebellious character complete with pompadour hairstyle, is meant to be a foil for the sensible protagonist, Fireman Sam.

However the obvious homage to Elvis is somewhat tarnished by this Elvis' stock-phrase which is "Great balls of fire", a phrase associated with Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis' musical rival in the late 1950s. Another children's feature paying tribute to the King is "Elvis", a Swedish comic strip about Elvis Tonysson, a tortoise.

Answer: False

St David's is a small city in Pembrokeshire, Wales. About four miles west of this city is the Parish of St Elvis. In this case Elvis is the Latinised form of the Welsh saint Eilfyw, also know by the Gaelic form of Ailbe. Elvis actually baptised David, the Welsh patron saint, in the fifth century at Porth Clais in Dyfed.

While there is no place St Elvis per se, as it is the name of a parish, there is a St Elvis Farm within the parish. Also the St Elvis' Well provided much needed water for nearby residents in the drought of 1976.

Answer: Shakin' Stevens

Shakin' Stevens, born 1948 fronted a 50s style Welsh rock and roll group called Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets. In the ten years from formation in 1967 to 1977, they earned a record contract where they released an album optimistically called "Legend" (1970) and they were the opening act for the Rolling Stones in a 1969 concert. Stevens, was "discovered" by the "Elvis!" producers and cast him as one of three Elvis characters for the role, with Stevens achieving the plum role of Elvis in his prime years.

After the success of the production, Stevens had a successful solo career, replete with Elvis hairstyle and Elvis "moves". He was successful in several countries including achieving number one hits in the UK and Australia but not in the US.

Answer: Memphis, Tennessee

"Hurricane Elvis" as it was commonly known, was a severe summer storm that affected south western Tennessee and northern Mississippi in 2003. It caused enormous damage and seven people were killed. The storm was not a hurricane but a derecho, which according to the (US) National Weather service, "is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with a land-based, fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms".

The National Hurricane Center had assigned the name "Danny" to a hurricane two days earlier.

The next hurricane was therefore due to have a name starting with "E" and while the storm was never afforded hurricane status, a wind speed of 108mph was unofficially recorded by a barge on the Mississippi, enough to rate the storm as a Category 2 hurricane.

Answer: Shreveport LA 1956, Elvis concert

The quotation was first stated by concert promoter Horace Lee Logan after an Elvis conference in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1956. The quote starts, "All right, all right, Elvis has left the building. I've told you absolutely straight up to this point. You know that.

He has left the building...". The shorter phrase has been captured on Elvis' records several times and Elvis' back up singers used the phrase to calm audiences down after a concert. Frank Zappa, recorded the phrase, it appeared in movies such as "Independence Day" (1996) and in song ("Calling Elvis" by Dire straits [1991]).

A Pittsburgh Pirates' broadcaster used the phrase when a team scored a goal near the end of a game, which meant the other team could no longer win. Today, it now means the equivalent of "That's all folks".

It has become cliche. Sad really.