The Misplaced Colours Quiz

Answer: Scarlet

"The Scarlet Letter" is an 1850 novel by the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story concerns a puritan woman, Hester Prynne, who conceives a child out of wedlock. The story has been filmed at least seven times, in the silent era notably in 1926 with Lillian Gish. There was a good version in 1934 with Colleen Moore, a version by Wim Wenders in 1973 with Senta Berger and a very poor version in 1995 with Demi Moore.

Three versions were filmed over the years in France, plus an episode of the Kraft Theatre in 1954 with Kim Stanley and a TV mini series. The novel was quite scandalous and considered risqué when first published but seems quite tame by today's standards.

Question submitted by Desimac

Answer: Formaggio verde (Italian)

It would seem that many languages take the colour 'blue' from the French 'bleus', but the Italians, being Italian, see things differently and call it green. Blue in Spanish is 'azul', and in German it's 'blau'.

The arguably most famous 'formaggio verde' is Gorgonzola, which is named after the town in Lombardy where it originated. Personally, I think it is one of the wonders of the world.

The German blue cheese Cambozola is a portmanteau name of the mighty Italian cheese and the French cheese Camembert.

Question submitted by thula2

Answer: The Blue Dahlia

In "The Blue Dahlia" (1946), Alan Ladd plays Johnny Morrison, a United States Navy aviator, returning after WWII only to find that his wife Helen (Doris Dowling) is involved with gangster and club owner Eddie Harwood (Howard Da Silva).

Morrison's wife is later murdered and he is the chief suspect until he and two buddies who flew with him during the war, Buzz Wanchek (William Bendix) and George Copeland (Hugh Beaumont), try to find the murderer. During the investigation Morrison gets involved with the gangster's wife Joyce Harwood (Veronica Lake).

Question submitted by shipyardbernie

Answer: Harold and the Purple Crayon

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" is a beloved children's book released in 1955 and written by Crocket Johnson.

It's the story of a Four year old who uses his imagination and his purple crayon to draw things that become real, to him. He has many adventures before finally ending up in his own bedroom and going to sleep.

Just remember, when reading this story to young children, to remind them it's make-believe and not to actually write on the walls!

Question submitted by dekeaunt

Answer: Deep reddish-purple

Despite its name, byzantium isn't an ancient colour. Having only been registered in 1924 it bears little resemblance to the colours used in ancient byzantine art.

It is a mixture of extremely deep, dark red and purple, edging towards maroon but not quite getting there.

Question submitted by Waitakere

Answer: Toronto Blue Jays

Halladay's number 32 was retired by the Blue Jays organization on March 29th, 2018. His number 34 was retired by the Philadelphia Phillies on August 8th, 2021.

On January 22nd 2019, it was announced that Roy Halladay would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the first posthumously elected player since Deacon White was inducted in 2013.

Question submitted by TriviaTempest

Answer: 'Yellow Flowers' by Van Gogh

The famous Van Gogh painting of yellow flowers is called 'Sunflowers'. It's one of his most iconic paintings, and one I recall from my youth as it was on the stairs at my gran's house. I think it was the first time I saw sunflowers.

Warhol's 'Red Lenin' from 1987 is not as iconic in popular culture as much of his other work, but it's equally as potent in my opinion.

An interesting thing about 'The Blue Boy' is that nobody really knows who the boy is.

What's interesting about Goya's 'Black Paintings' is how dark they are. He was not always a barrel of laughs in his mainstream paintings commissioned by the wealthy, but these ones really show how pessimistic he was about the world.

Question submitted by thula2

Answer: Orange

The Orange River is in Africa and rises in Lesotho. The river forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho and South Africa and Namibia. It is the largest river in South Africa stretching 2430 kilometres (just over 1500 miles) and flows westward to the Atlantic Ocean.

The White and Red Rivers are connected to the mighty Mississippi River while the Green River is a tributary of the Colorado River.

Question submitted by Desimac

Answer: Blue John

Blue John is found in Derbyshire, the only place it is found in the UK. It is also known as Derbyshire Spar and is a rare form of fluorite with bands of purple-blue or yellowish colour.

It is said that the Romans discovered Blue John in the UK but the earliest known reference to it is in the 18th century. After mining, the Blue John goes through a complicated process involving heating, placing in epoxy resin and heated again in a vacuum oven before being worked on. In 2015 the first new vein for 150 years was discovered in Treak Cliff Cavern.

Question submitted by shipyardbernie

Answer: The Lady in Red

Chris de Burgh released the song "The Lady In Red" in 1986 on the album "Into The Light". The song reached number one in five countries, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway, South Africa and on the U.K. Singles Chart.

"Pale Blue Eyes" released in 1969, was written by Lou Reed and recorded by The Velvet Underground.

"Grey Streets" released in 2002, was written by Dave Matthews and recorded by The Dave Matthews Band.

"I See Red" released in 1978, was written by Tim Finn and was recorded by the New Zealand group Split Enz.

Question submitted by dekeaunt