I Wonder - Were They Wrong For That? Quiz

Answer: Jack Benny

The man we know as Jack Benny was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1894. His father was a Polish Jew who had emigrated to the United States, and his mother had emigrated from Lithuania.

Jack Benny's long-time prop, the violin, had actually served a purpose other than just being a prop. At the age of 17, he played it, and played it well, during appearances at vaudeville theaters.

What prompted the name change?
Well, it seems that a well-known violinist of the time, Jan Kubelik, feared that people would mistake this young vaudeville persona for himself, so he urged him with the threat of a lawsuit, to consider a name change. Benjamin Kubelsky did so, first going by the name Ben K. Benny and later, after still another man, (Ben Bernie) threatened legal action over THAT name, he adopted his final name, "Jack Benny".

Answer: Jean Harlow

The lady we all know as Jean Harlow (Harlean Harlow Carpenter) first signed a film contract with director Howard Hughes before signing with MGM studios. She was one of the most popular film stars of the '30s, and was often referred to as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde".

She died of kidney failure at the age of 26, during the filming of the 1937 hit movie, "Saratoga". Other actresses were used as stand-ins in order to complete the filming. Clark Gable was the other star attraction of the film, with Lionel Barrymore, Frank Morgan, Walter Pidgeon, Hattie McDaniel, and Margaret Hamilton featuring in the movie as well.

Answer: Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers got the name "Ginga" from a younger cousin who had difficulty pronouncing the longer "Virginia". The name stuck, and soon she became Ginger. When she was 9 years old, her mother remarried after having divorced her father, and even though she was never officially adopted, Ginger took the surname of her new step-father, John Logan Rogers.

She and fellow dancer Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz) were a famed duo, often appearing in musical films together as dance partners. Some of those movies include "Swing Time", "Shall We Dance?" "The Barkleys Of Broadway" and "Top Hat".

Answer: Chubby Checker

Ernest Evans was born in South Carolina in 1941, but his family soon moved to South Philly. It was there that he acquired the first part of his "wrong" name, "Chubby" from his supervisor at the Produce Market, where he entertained patrons with songs and impromptu comedic routines.

Later, at a recording session at which Dick Clark and his wife were present, she asked him his name, after he had performed a parody of a popular music artist, Fats Domino. He responded that his friends all called him Chubby. As if on cue, and making a tongue-in-cheek reference to his recent act, she asked him if the "Chubby" should be followed by "Checker". The name stuck.

Although he was probably best known for his signature song which started an early '60s dance craze, "The Twist", (a song written by Hank Ballard in 1959), Chubby Checker also had hits with "Pony Time", "Let's Twist Again" and "Limbo Rock".

Answer: Robert Conrad

Before beginning his acting career, Conrad Robert Falk (Robert Conrad) had billed himself as Bob Conrad when he was performing as a recording artist during the early 1960's.

Best known for his television roles, those of Tom Lopaka on "Hawaiian Eye", as James West on "The Wild Wild West" and later as Pappy Boyington on "Baa Baa Black Sheep", he was also featured in television commercials as well, most notably a 1970's spot for EverReady batteries in which he challenged potential customers to prove the durability of the company's product with the catchphrase, "C'mon; I dare ya."

Answer: Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson, born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, was one of fifteen children born to Lithuanian parents who had emigrated to the U.S.

His father decided to change the family's name to Bronson, in order to sound more "American" and less likely to sound as if the family was of Russian descent, due to Communist scare tactics that were generated by the Joseph McCarthy hearings of the early 1950's.

Charles Bronson joined the United States Air Force in 1943, and received a Purple Heart for wounds received in service. After WW2 ended, he began pursuing an acting career and became quite successful, often being cast in a "quiet tough guy" role.

Answer: Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas' original name was Russian. Issur Danielovitch Demsky, his father adding the surname of Demsky to the family after his arrival in the U.S. He played many and varied roles in the movies, from that of a cowboy to a military man and much more.

"Izzy", as he was known as a child, suffered along with his family, as they struggled to find acceptance as people of Jewish/Russian extraction. It was during high school that he found his passion in life: acting, which he pursued with a vengeance.

He legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas prior to joining the U.S. Navy during WW2.

Answer: Casey Kasem

"Casey" Kasem was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1932. He began his radio career on WJBK in Flint, Michigan during the mid-1950's, after a stint in the U.S. Army where he worked as a disc jockey on the Armed Forces Radio Korea Network.

His sign-off for the popular 1970's-1990's on-again/off again radio program, "American Top 40" was this advice to his listeners: "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

Answer: Lee Majors

Harvey Lee Yeary (Lee Majors) is probably best known for the characters he portrayed on three television series: those of Heath Barkley on "The Big Valley", Colonel Steve Austin in "The Six Million Dollar Man" and later for his role as Colt Seavers in "The Fall Guy".

Born in 1939 in Wyandotte, Michigan, his early years were comprised of the stuff that horror stories are made of. His father, Carl Yeary was killed in an accident just prior to his birth, and ironically, one year later his mother also was also killed in an accident. At the age of two, he was adopted by an uncle and aunt who moved to Middlesboro, Kentucky.

Some of Lee Majors' early roles include an uncredited appearance with Joan Crawford in the movie thriller, "Straight Jacket", an appearance in one episode of the T.V. Western "Gunsmoke", and on an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" which featured a storyline called "The Monkey's Paw - A Retelling".

Answer: Johnny Rivers

John Henry Ramistella was born in New York City in 1942. After his family moved south to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he took the advice of fellow New Yorker, Allen Freed, a disc jockey, and legally changed his name to reflect his new surroundings. Since the Mississippi River flows through Baton Rouge, John decided to become "Johnny Rivers".

Some of his many musical hit songs include "Poor Side Of Town"; "Seventh Son"; a cover version of The Four Tops song, "Baby I Need Your Lovin'"; and of course, "Secret Agent Man".

On June 12, 2009, Johnny Rivers was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.