Street-Wise Quiz | Thematic Fun

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The official homes of the Prime Minister of the U.K. and the Chancellor of the Exchequer are to be found on which London street?

Answer: Downing Street

The prime minister lives at number 10 and the chancellor at number 11 Downing Street in Westminster. The street is named after Sir George Downing who built several of its houses in the late 1600s. In the 1960s both number 10 and number 11 were rebuilt behind the old frontages.

2. The White House in Washington, DC is the official residence of the President of the United States. What is its street address?

Answer: Pennsylvania Avenue

The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and has served as the home and office of every US president except George Washington. President and Mrs John Adams became the first occupants in 1800. The other three streets are also located in Washington, DC.

3. Wall Street is famous for being the location of the major financial institutions of the USA including the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank. Even before the American Civil War, Wall Street was recognised as the financial capital of the nation. In which New York borough is it located?

Answer: Manhattan

The famous Wall Street was named for an earthern wall built by Dutch settlers in 1653 to repel an expected English invasion. It is narrow and short, extending only about seven blocks from Broadway to the East River.

4. Who was the artist and puppeteer who created most of the Sesame Street characters such as Big Bird, Bert and Ernie?

Answer: Jim Henson

Jim Henson created most of the Sesame Street characters in response to a request by television producer Joan Ganz Cooney in the mid 1960s and "Sesame Street" finally went to air in 1969. Jeffrey Moss was the composer/lyricist who wrote songs for Sesame Street including 'Rubber Duckie' and 'I Love Trash'. Jim Henson died in 1990 and his son Brian is now chairman of the Jim Henson Company and continues his father's legacy.

5. Which street would you be visiting if you were drinking in the Rover's Return with Ken, Deidre, Vera, Elsie and Rita?

Answer: Coronation Street

"Coronation Street" is arguably the most popular soap opera in Britain. It is certainly the longest-running, the first episode airing in December 1960 and running continuously ever since. It was created by Tony Warren and originally its working title was "Florizel Street".

The Australian soap opera "Neighbours" is set in Ramsay Street. "Shortland Street" is a popular television show in New Zealand.

6. Stephen Sondheim's hit play 'Sweeney Todd' was based on a 1936 movie about a mad barber who has a deal with a baker to provide meat for his pies. Unfortunately for the barber's customers, they provide the fillings for the pies. The movie title referred to Sweeney Todd as being the Demon Barber of which Street?

Answer: Fleet

Believe it or not, in the 1936 movie, the mad barber is played by Tod Slaughter (how apt). Slaughter was a British actor who specialised in playing villains (with a name like that, no wonder he was typecast). According to one movie guide, the movie was based on a real event. According to another, it was based on a French story, 'A Terrible Story of the Rue de la Harpe' (1825).

7. Which 1986 movie was based on Paul Theroux's story, 'Doctor Slaughter'?

Answer: Half Moon Street

'Half Moon Street' starred Michael Caine and Sigourney Weaver. Sigourney Weaver plays Dr Lauren Slaughter, an American researcher in London who moonlights as a call girl and becomes involved with diplomats and an assassination plot. It was not a particularly good vehicle for the talents of Caine and Weaver although it was a moderately successful movie.

8. It is widely known that Sherlock Holmes lived at 221B Baker Street but which Scottish musician had a hit with 'Baker Street', a song famous for its sax intro?

Answer: Gerry Rafferty

From 1968 to 1971, Gerry Rafferty was a member of a trio called The Humblebums (along with Billy Connolly and Tam Harvey). He then went on to form the group Stealers Wheel, best remembered for 'Stuck in the Middle with You', with Joe Egan. That group disbanded in 1975 and he went solo.

In 1978 he had a huge hit with 'Baker Street'. Other well-known hits include 'Bring it all Home' and 'Right Down the Line'.

9. 'Hill Street Blues' first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran until 1987. 'Hill Street Blues' was a very innovative program which broke many of the accepted television "rules". In which city was Hill Street supposedly located?

Answer: The city is never identified

The producers purposely did not identify Hill Street with any given city, partly so they could use controversial story lines without antagonising a particular city. It was mostly filmed in Los Angeles and partly in Chicago. The series co-creator Steven Bochco said that maintaining the 'any city' look mostly required finding suitable streets in Los Angeles that didn't have palm trees, which apparently wasn't that easy.

10. Fans of the original television series 'Perry Mason' (1957-1966) will know that Perry's private secretary was Della Street. Which actress played Della Street?

Answer: Barbara Hale

According to the "Perry Mason TV Show Book", series producer Gail Patrick Jackson turned down Erle Stanley Gardner's request that she herself play Della Street and gave the role to Barbara Hale. Hale won several awards for this role, including an Emmy for best supporting actress in a dramatic series for the 1958-1959 season. Hale became so well known in this role that it is claimed, when one of her children was asked what his mother did for a living, he answered 'She's a secretary'. Sharon Acker played Della Street in the short-lived 1973-1974 TV series. Perry Mason was also assisted by a receptionist, Gertie. Gertie was played by Connie Cezon in the 1957-1966 series and Brett Somers in the 1973-1974 series.

Source: Author MotherGoose

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ozzz2002 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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