Cool Zooms, Part LVIII Trivia Quiz

Answer: Yes

Researcher and neuroscientist, Jaak Panksepp, published a position paper in the Behavioural Brain Research publication. He felt that he heard similarities in a rat's response to playful handling, similar to that of humans experiencing rough and tumble play. He invited his undergraduate assistant to play and tickle the rats and corroborate his theory.

Rats' 'laughter' doesn't sound the same as human laughter. It is a rather high-pitched chirruping sound. They are apparently ticklish behind the ears.

In "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly", the character called Tuco, is referred to as 'The Rat' by 'Blondie / The Man with No Name' (Clint Eastwood)

smpdit now really needs to find a rat to tickle which is different to a rat-to-touille.

Answer: Dollar

Bill paid for the "Two MagnifiCENT Tramps" iDOL, LARgely using US currency.

Until the Coinage Act of 1857 was passed, the American dollar as well as the Mexican Peso and the Spanish Real were all legal tender in the United States. After this, the American dollar was the only legal tender. The American dollar is the most commonly used currency in international financial transactions and is also used to measure the value of other nation's currencies. Originally, the one dollar was a coin, but once the coins were minted without the use of precious metals, the public eschewed them, preferring to use the bank notes.

The movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", which was almost called 'Two Magnificent Tramps', was the final movie in the "Dollars Trilogy" of spaghetti westerns. The others were, "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) and "For a Few Dollars More" (1965).

Phoenix Rising's leith90 minted this question and banked it into the quiz.

Answer: Charles Bronson

Jack Klugman paid tribute to Charles Bronson (after the latter's passing) in a column in Entertainment Weekly in December of 2003. In it he describes how he first met Charles while working for Ed McMahon's father in a bingo hall in Atlantic City. When Bronson indicated that he wanted to be an actor, Klugman encouraged him to share an apartment with him. He then paints a picture of two struggling actors living in one room on 113th and Broadway for "seven bucks a week" and selling blood for five dollars, just to get by during 1948 and 1949. In a nod toward his TV series "The Odd Couple" (1970-75) he indicated that Charlie was the "Felix" "very neat and clean" and that he was "a damn good ironer".

The Charles Bronson connection to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (GBU) is multi-layered. In "The Magnificent Seven" he plays the ill-fated professional gunman in need of a fee. It is here that he (Bronson) works alongside Eli Wallach (Calvera in "Seven" and the Ugly in "GBU") for the first time. The pair were slated to work together on "GBU" as Leone was keen on Bronson to play the part of Angel Eyes (the Bad) in the movie. Bronson turned down the role as he was tied up filming "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) in England and the role would go to Lee Van Cleef. Ironically, the role of Harmonica in Leone's next film, "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968), was offered to Clint Eastwood, however, Eastwood had had enough of Leone's perfectionism at this point and turned it down. The role went to Bronson.

This question was shot up by Phoenix Rising's gunslinger bear, pollucci19.

Answer: Scottish-American

"Archie's Weird Mysteries" is an animated TV series that aired in 1999/2000. In episode 27, "The Day the Earth Moved" Archie is urged by his father to maintain the family traditions. This includes wearing a kilt while ringing the school bell at Riverdale High. Archie refuses. There's no way he was going to parade around among his friends in a kilt... that is, until he learns that these family traditions are the only thing that keep Riverdale from being destroyed by a giant worm.

Whilst Archie's heritage is never "definitively" revealed, this, coupled with his fair skin and red hair certainly do carry the appearance that he may have a strong Scottish link.

So, what is Archie's connection with the film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"? The grave that Tuco (Eli Wallach) is feverishly looking for, that he believes holds a fortune in gold, is that of Arch Stanton.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who has never been kilted.

Answer: Spain

Spain takes up the majority of the Iberian Peninsula in south-west Europe and covers an area of around 500,000 square kilometres (or just under 200,000 square miles). Its neighbour France is the third-largest European country at around 550,000 square kilometres, while the Ukraine is the second-largest at about 600,000 square kilometres. Russia is by far the largest European country despite the fact that only around 40% of its 17 million square kilometres of territory is actually in Europe. Flamenco is a rhythmic dance characterised by flowing arm movements, plus a range of clapping, clicking and stomping, and is particularly associated with the Andalusia region of southern Spain.

Spain was also where most of the filming for the film "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" took place.

This question was whirled into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81.

Answer: Bounty

Ghost towns are towns in which a once considerable population has dwindled to nothing or next to nothing. Bounty in southwest Saskatchewan is one such town, having been downgraded from village status in 1997.

Bounty is also a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars Inc. Its coconut-flavored filling is covered in milk or dark chocolate, and the confection is marketed as "the taste of paradise".

Finally, the HMS Bounty was the merchant vessel taken in one of the most well-known mutinies in history. In what is now known as "The Mutiny on the Bounty", Acting Lieutenant Fletcher Christian wrest control of the ship from Commanding Lieutenant William Bligh. Bligh and a company of loyal crew were set adrift in the ship's boat.

In "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", Clint Eastwood plays the role of a bounty hunter referred to as "Blondie".

On turning this question in, Phoenix Rising member JCSon will waive all claims to compensation in exchange for a bounty of chocolate.

Answer: Sierra Leone

The Cotton Tree is over 350 years old and holds a special place in the hearts and history of the country. Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone, and was founded in the late 18th century, by freed slaves. When they landed, they congregated under the tree, and since then, Freetownians consider the tradition as part of their heritage.

Connection: Director of the film is Sergio Leone.

Ozzz2002 branched out and planted this question into the Zoom quiz.

Answer: Chile

This was a dispute over territory, in particular the resource rich northern Atacama Desert, which was shared between Peru, Bolivia and Chile. On February 14, 1879, the Chilean army occupied the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta which caused Bolivia to declare war on Chile on March 1, 1879. Peru, supporting its ally, Bolivia, was also drawn in with war being declared between Chile and Peru a month later. Battles, both army and navy, were fought in the Pacific Ocean, the Atacama and Peruvian deserts, and in the Andes. Bolivia signed a truce with Chile in 1884 which gave Chile the Peruvian territory of Tarapaca, and the disputed Bolivian department of Litoral. This made Bolivia a landlocked country, rendering the title of "The Pacific War" somewhat ironic.

The connection to the movie was that the full name of Eli Wallach's character is Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez.

This question was shot into the quiz by Phoenix Rising Team Member 1nn1

Answer: Jackson

The reason being is that Andrew Jackson's (the seventh President of the United States) portrait appears on the obverse of the note. His portrait has been on there since 1928, replacing that of Grover Cleveland. As to why his portrait was chosen is not known, though 1928 did represent the 100th anniversary of Jackson's election to the presidency. One also has to wonder if there was a sense of irony amongst those that chose Jackson's portrait for the note because, during his tenure as President, Jackson did what he could to try and bring down the National Bank and, in his farewell address, cautioned the nation about the use of paper money.

In "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" the cache of Confederate gold that the three main characters are pursuing was initially stolen by a man named Jackson. That is also the name of the man that Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) is contracted to hunt down and kill.

This question was minted by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who considers himself more of a coin spender than a coin collector.

Answer: Stand-off

As a 'duel' takes place between two people, a truel is a struggle or conflict between three people. While it is theoretically possible to approach a truel strategically, there's always an element of hope or luck in such a contest, unless you are clearly the strongest opponent. Technically, a truel is a confrontation in which no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory.

In the movie film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" the final confrontation in the film, between Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, is a truel.

VegemiteKid's hat was thrown into the ring for this question, although it's hard to decide whether VK is good, bad or ugly.

Answer: The Dark Tower

Roland Deschain is the main protagonist in the "The Dark Tower" series by the prolific US author Stephen King. The series is a mixture of genres, including Western, fantasy and science fiction alongside King's trademark horror. Deschain is the last "gunslinger" of an apocalyptic feudal future society and the plot of the eight novels (and one short story) follows Deschain's quest to find the titular Dark Tower and the secrets and lost knowledge that it may hold. King wrote most of the series between 1982 and 2004, but an additional eighth novel (subtitled "The Wind Through the Keyhole"), set between books 4 and 5, was released in 2012.

The character of Roland Deschain was heavily influenced by the "Man with No Name" concept from the film "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly".

Fifiona81 slung this question at the quiz after failing to find any mention of a phoenix in the story.

Answer: A cemetery

When Sergio Leone put together his iconic "spaghetti" westerns, most of the filming was done in the town of Almeira in Spain. The reason being that the desert environment there best resembled the deserts of the American West. In documentaries of these films, it is Almeira that is constantly mentioned. This incensed the people of the region of Burgos because it was here that one of the most iconic scenes in all of Leone's westerns, the discovery of the gold and the final showdown between the three main characters at the Sad Hills cemetery in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966), was shot. Predominantly, in the triangle of towns near Burgos, Contreras, Carazo and Santo Domingo de Silos.

In "Sad Hill Unearthed", director Guillermo de Oliveira follows the story of a group of Burgos cinephiles who set out to recreate the cemetery as shown in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" including graves, grave-stones and the central arena where the showdown takes place. An interesting footnote to this documentary is that there is an interview with the band Metallica at the start. Metallica, for years, have used Ennio Morricone's theme, "The Ecstasy of Gold", to open their live shows.

This question was unearthed by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who wants to die in his sleep, just like his grandfather... and not screaming like all of grandad's passengers.

Answer: French Kissin'

Blondie hit the world stage in 1974 with their first hit, "In the Flesh" charting well in Australia. "Rip Her to Shreds" was off the same album "Blondie", but only had a minor impact on the charts.
"Picture This" and "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence Dear" were both released in 1978.

The band broke up in 1982, under acrimonious circumstances. "French Kissin'" was a Debbie Harry solo single from 1986. The band reunited in 1997, and they were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Connection: Blondie is the name that Clint Eastwood's character is called by Tuco (Eli Wallach) in the film.

This question was written by ozzz2002, who was in 'raptures' when he selected this question.

Answer: Ilich Ramírez Sánchez

Carlos the Jackal was a notorious terrorist most active in the 1970s and 1980s when he was one of the most wanted men in the world. He was born Ilich Ramírez Sánchez. His father was a Marxist lawyer in Venezuela who named him Illich after Vladimir Illyich Lenin.

Carlos was the code name given to Sanchez by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the first terrorist organization he joined. His nickname was given to him by "The Guardian" after one of its correspondents spotted a copy of Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel "The Day of the Jackal" among his belongings while he was a fugitive.

Carlos has been in a French prison, where he is serving multiple life sentences for his various crimes, since 1994 when he was turned over to French intelligence by the Sudanese.

In the film, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", the 'Ugly' is a bandit known as Tuco Ramirez who is played by Eli Wallach.

The information in this question was provided by Phoenix Rising's own wolfman, tazman6619, who has no liking of jackals or their ilk.

Answer: Pastafarianism

Pastafarianism, or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, was the creation of physics graduate Bobby Henderson. Henderson launched the movement as a satirical challenge to creationism. He first described the "religion" in an open letter to the Kansas State Board of Education to protest the inclusion of Intelligent Design as a viable alternative theory to Evolution in public school science education.

The Church of the Invisible Pink Unicorn was similarly conceptualized in the early 1990s as a parody of organized religion. The First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine is one of many groups religiously devoted to the King of Rock and Roll, some of which lean satirical, and some of which are more cult-like. Jediism takes its inspiration from the Jedi Order as depicted in the "Star Wars" media franchise.

Released in 1966, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is a classic Spaghetti Western (Western films produced in Europe rather than in the United States).

Phoenix Rising's JCSon served this question up al dente. Buon appetito!

Answer: Gold

Gold, given as an injection or oral salts works to reduce the number of antibodies and inflammatory cytokines that cause the swelling and attendant pain associated with some inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Gold is no longer a front-line drug in the treatment of these conditions due to the many, varied, and sometimes severe side-effects. Newer drugs, like methotrexate, have all the benefits of gold therapy but with fewer side-effects. All patients have different responses however, and some respond better to gold than other treatments.

Gold has been used in dentistry for over 1,000 years and due to its non-reactive and reliable properties, is used in the manufacture of surgical instruments and life-support equipment.

In the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" the three main characters are all pursuing a cache of gold coins. Additionally, Ennio Moriconne's film score features a composition entitled "The Ecstasy of Gold", which plays when Tuco (Eli Wallach) is racing through the cemetery searching for the grave that (supposedly) hides the stash.

Phoenix Rising's leith90 claims she is an aurophile, not a gold-digger, despite mining this question and injecting it into the quiz.

Answer: Lou Gehrig

A first baseman and power hitter, Lou Gehrig joined the New York Yankees in 1923. From June 1, 1925 until April 30th 1939, Gehrig played a then-record 2,130 consecutive games resulting in the bestowal of his nickname 'The iron horse" for his durability, playing through injuries including broken bones. His stellar baseball career began to decline in 1938 and was much diminished in 1939. He was diagnosed with the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which resulted in his death a couple of years later. ALS is often still called "Lou Gehrig's disease".

In his only screen appearance, Gehrig played himself in the 1938 western "Rawhide", where he gives up baseball to become a rancher. He joins forces with the local attorney to put a criminal gang behind bars.

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" star, Clint Eastwood, had his breakthrough role in the television series "Rawhide".

This question was pitched into this quiz by baseball fan MikeMaster99, who hopes everyone hits it out of the park!

Answer: Yosemite Sam

Making his debut as a train robber in "Hare Trigger" (1945), gun-slinging outlaw Yosemite Sam was voiced by Mel Blanc until 1989. He was known for sayings such as "Come back here, ya darn idiot galoots!", "Great horny-toads!", and "Say yer prayers ya long eared galoot!", among others. He appeared in a number of guises, including a Confederate Solider, Pirate, Foreign Legion Warrior,

As he was a perfectionist with a very short fuse, like our cartoon friend, Clint Eastwood bestowed the name 'Yosemite Sam' on director Sergio Leone during the making of the "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

This question was shot out of a cannon, marched across a desert and paddled over the Rio Grande on a raft into this quiz by Phoenix Rising's VegemiteKid.

Answer: Fallen Angel

The action role-playing fantasy game is a prequel to the original "Sequel" and is set in the mystic land of Ancaria, where good and evil forces are fighting over control of T-Energy. Play the game, and ride giant spiders while carrying awesome weapons!

Connection: Fallen angel is a bad angel. Lee Van Cleef was Angel Eyes, the 'bad' of the trio in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

This question submitted by ozzz2002, who had fun researching this one.

Answer: Northern Virginia

The Confederacy's first official national flag was the Stars and Bars. It first flew in March 1861, but lasted only two years. This flag featured dark blue canton containing a circle of seven white stars in the representing the seven original confederate states of the South. The field was a horizontal tri-color of red, white, red.

However, it was the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia that became known as the Confederate flag even though it had no official standing. It soon became a recognized symbol of the American South. Also known the "rebel flag", "Dixie flag", "Confederate battle flag", its use in the 21st century is quite controversial: it has come to represent racism, slavery, segregation and white supremacy. Consequently, its incorporation into Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi's state flags has been removed. The design was square. On a red field there was a blue saltire (diagonal cross). Within the cross were 13 white stars equally spaced.

The movie reference in this question is that it is set during the American Civil War and the gold that is being pursued is Confederate gold.

This question was inspired by Phoenix Rising team member, JAM6430.