Ish Kabibble to Jack Kerouac Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kay Kyser

Born Merwyn Bogue, he dropped out of law school to join the Kay Kyser band. Besides being the group's best cornet player and comedian, he was Kay Kyser's business manager from 1931 to 1951. Radio with Kyser's "Kollege of Musical Knowledge" brought him to fame. He also appeared in a series of films built around the Kyser band. When the band broke up in 1951, Bogue sold real estate under his stage name Ish Kabibble. He wore his hair the same as Moe of the Three Stooges and built his stage name from a corruption of a Yiddish phase.

Answer: The Trial

Franz Kafka was a German-language Czech Jewish novelist and short story writer, widely regarded not only in his native land but internationally as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work typically features "isolated protagonists faced by bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible social-bureaucratic powers" and explores themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity.

In "The Trial" Josef K on his thirtieth birthday is unexpectedly arrested by two unidentified agents from an unspecified agency for an unspecified crime. He is not told what crime he had committed nor is it ever explained at his 'trial'. He finds out later that his sentence is death. However, he must commit suicide as the assigned executioners are reluctant to complete the task. Eventually, they stab him to death.

Answer: Top Forty

From 1970 to about 2005 Casey Kasem, nee Kemal Amin Kasem, conducted a weekly survey of popular music most known as "America's Top Forty". He also had a long career as a 'voice over' actor, particularly as Shaggy Rogers in the "Shaggy Dog" cartoon TV series.

Kasem was a vegan and a loyal supporter of liberal causes and leaders. In 2008 he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and at his death in 2014 was unable to care for himself or speak.

Local radio stations often run old recordings of the "Top Forty" as an 'oldies' treat.

Answer: Princess

In her seven years as a film star, Grace Kelly completed eleven films,for several of which she was nominated or won for her performances. She won the prized Oscar for "Country Girl" in 1954.

In 1956 she married Rainier III, Prince of the tiny principality of Monaco and did not return to films. She had three children--Caroline, Albert, and Stéphanie. She died in an auto accident in 1982.

Answer: Annie Hall

If anybody was born to play Annie Hall, it was Diane Keaton, nee Diane Hall. In fact the script was tailored around an idealized image of her by her then boy friend Woody Allen. "Annie Hall" (1977) not only won an Oscar as Best Picture but also Allen's screenplay. Keaton won a well deserved award as Best Actress.

Answer: Prairie Home Companion

Just when you thought that video killed the radio star, Garrison Keillor came along with the "Prairie Home Companion" (1974-2016). The show consisted of nostalgia for classic radio, often in the form of satire. Intermixed were live performances by musical groups, but not household names, and stories of the folks in Lake Wobegon where "where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."

During this time it had a dedicated audience of four million even though it was carried on public radio. In 2006 when the film version came out, major Hollywood stars accepted supporting roles to be a part of the project including Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Lily Tomlin, Garrison Keillor, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, and Lindsay Lohan. It achieved an 84% freshness rating from Rotten Tomatoes and four stars from Roger Ebert.

Answer: Lucille

Humans are apt to personify inanimate objects. BB King called his guitar 'Lucille'. In fact, King once ordered eighty Lucilles so he always had a fresh one for his endless tours. He was an acclaimed blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Between 1971 and 2009 he was nominated for Grammy awards twenty-one times, winning fifteen. The thrill was gone when he died at 89 in 2015.

Baldemar Garza Huerta was in need of a professional name so he named himself after his guitar and became Freddie Fender.

Answer: Cuckoo's Nest

If all you know about Ken Kesey is from Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (1968) or Hunter Thompson's "Hell's Angels" (1966), Ken Kesey was not just a 'acid head'. He was recruited as either football or wrestling at the University of Oregon but chose wrestling.

At the 175 pound weight class he was an outstanding Pacific Coast Conference contender. He published two outstanding novels that became major motion pictures--"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1962) and "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1964).

In his later years he became a teacher at the University of Oregon in creative writing. The Eugene/Springfield area has a street named for him and a twenty foot portrait on the side of a building standing in his library.

Answer: McDonalds

Fast food has integrated itself into modern society. Ray Kroc as head of McDonalds has led this proliferation of an alternate food system. Even if one knows the principles of nutrition, circumstances will lead us to the golden arches or its clones. Michael Keaton portrayed Kroc in the 2016 "The Founder".

The movie depicts Kroc's franchise development, nationwide expansion, and ultimate acquisition of McDonald's.

Answer: Presidential candidate

As a politician Dennis Kucinich is a maverick. As Mayor of Cleveland he survived a recall election over his opposition to privatizing the local power company. Later he served eight terms in the House of Representatives. Although a Democrat, he has Libertarian leanings. He ran in the presidential primaries in 2004 and 2008 but had only single digit support.

Answer: Economist

The prevailing thought in economics was that if businesses were flourishing its benefits would trickle down to the general population. John Maynard Keynes challenged this principle. In short Keynes supported government programs to prevent or elevate business cycles. For instance, during the depression in the USA work support programs such as the WPA, NRA, and CCC were initiated and bank and stock market controls were strengthened. "Keynes' key point was that governments should intervene in the economy 'counter-cyclically'. That is, in a depression they should borrow and invest, and in a boom they should raise interest rates to prevent the economy from overheating".

This was a central part of what is referred to as Keynesian economics.

Answer: Duke

Michael William Krzyzewski (nicknamed "Coach K") is an American college basketball coach. Since 1980, he has served as the head men's basketball coach at Duke University, where he has led the Blue Devils to five NCAA Championships, 12 Final Fours, 12 ACC regular season titles, and 14 ACC Tournament championships. Interestingly, his college coach was the controversial Bobbie Knight.

Answer: Daredevil

Another celebrity who needed a better professional name is Robert Craig Knievel. Evil rhymed with Knievel but he did not want to be considered evil hence the alternate spelling.

Not to disparage Knievel's many courageous performances of motorcycle daring, but he is often remembered for his failures. In 1967 put all his resources in promoting a jump over the fountain at Caesar's Place in Las Vegas. He completed the jump but could not land properly. He suffered multiple broken bones and fractures and spent nearly a month in a coma. He did, however, benefit from royalties from the film produced by John Derek and the ensuing publicity.

After a planned jump at the Grand Canyon was rejected on technical grounds, a mixed coalition of interests shifted attention to Snake River in Idaho. Preparations included a special launching ramp and the development of a 500 degree steam engine. After all the planning the safety parachute deployed on launch with the rocket and Knievel crashing into the launch side. He suffered a broken nose.

Answer: Euthanasia

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence of man's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jack Kevorkian might have added the right to die in dignity. It is reported that Kevorkian assisted 130 terminally ill human beings to end their existence.

He paid a high price. On March 26, 1999, Kevorkian was charged with second-degree murder and the delivery of a controlled substance (administering the lethal injection to Thomas Youk). Because Kevorkian's license to practise medicine had been revoked eight years previously, so he was not legally allowed to possess the controlled substance.

He was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison and served over 8 years until paroled in 2007. He spent his remaining years as an advocate of euthanasia. He died in June 2011 of cancer of the liver.

Answer: On the Road

In "Gilmore Girls" a college age student attempts to flirt with the thirtyish Lorelai Gilmore saying that he is passing through town. Lorelai says "You're a regular Jack Kerouac." The perplexed look on the young man's face denotes that he doesn't know who Kerouac is.

Jack Kerouac is the author of "On The Road"(1957) arguably the best novel that defined the so-called "Beat Generation". Largely autobiographical, he and his friends travel back and forth across the United States to discover its culture, its music, its highs and lows, its poetry, its drugs.