Pink Is The New Black Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pete Seeger

An activist his entire life, Pete was blacklisted in 1953 with the other members of The Weavers: Lee Hays, Fred Hillerman and Ronnie Gilbert. No radio station would play their music, and it was 1955 before they could actually perform on stage again.

As a songwriter, his music reflected his continued role as an activist, writing songs like "Where Have All the Flowers Gone", "Turn! Turn! Turn!", and "Guantanamera".

In 1967, he performed "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" (relating to the Vietnam conflict) on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. CBS network executives had it cut, as they felt the terminology was unflattering to President Lyndon Johnson. It was allowed a few months later when he again appeared on the show, but the damage had been done, with viewers polarizing against the censors.

In his later years, he campaigned to save the Hudson River and restore it, as part of the Hudson River Clearwater Sloop organization.

I have had the privilege of seeing him in concert twice.

Mike Seeger is one of his brothers.

Bob Seger is a singer, with his group The Silver Bullet Band. No relation.

Kyle Seager is a third baseman with the Seattle Mariners. No relation.

Answer: Exodus

(James) Dalton Trumbo was awarded two Academy Awards during the time he was blacklisted. These were for "The Brave One" (won under his pseudonym Robert Rich) and for "Roman Holiday", credit for which was not restored until 2011. The listed winner was a "frontwriter" who was involved with the writing, but was not the actual writer. In 1960, for "Exodus" there was a "frontwriter" who was given the screen credit, although the director Otto Preminger made it quite clear who really did the screenplay. For "Spartacus", the star Kirk Douglas publicly announced that Trumbo was the writer. These actions pretty much ended the blacklisting, as credibility was gone.

Trumbo had nothing to do with the other three choices ...

Answer: Because the writer who allowed Lardner to use his name as the screenwriter was doing him a great favor at the time.

Another member of the Hollywood Ten, Lardner was blacklisted in 1947. Unable to get work in the US, he spent time in England writing television scripts. He was given screen credit for "The Cincinnati Kid" in 1965 by director Norman Jewison and producer Martin Ransohoff, which effectively broke the blacklisting.

Answer: True

H.L. Mencken, satirist and critic, coined the term for her, since her style of stripping was more "dignified". She was, in fact, a member of the Communist United Front, and was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Although subpoenaed by a subcommittee, she refused to testify.

She made laconic remarks about it and the committee head during her performances, getting laughs, and keeping the committee at bay.

Answer: Leonard Bernstein

June 22, 1950 was the date a list called "Red Channels" was published, listing suspected members of the Communist Party. Going beyond Hollywood, the list included singers, musicians, and other performers. Already under scrutiny by the FBI, it was an easy next step to add Bernstein to this list as well. Although now under public scrutiny, and the threat of blacklisting, he was able to continue composing for the movie industry.

The movie "West Side Story" was an adaptation of the Broadway musical, based on a concept by Jerome Robbins. Robbins ultimately choreographed both, the book was written by Arthur Laurents, with music by Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Answer: Walt Disney

Although some sources indicated the more likely cause was the leadership of Disney himself, he was one of the first called to testify as a friendly witness before the HUAC and give up names of supposed communists within the unions operating at the Disney Studios.

Walter Lantz was the creator of Woody Woodpecker.

Chuck Jones was head animator for Warner Bros./Looney Tunes.

Max Fleischer and his brother Dave ran the studio famous for Popeye the Sailor.

Answer: Pogo

It was indeed the wee fountain of wisdom, innocence, and thought-provoking comments, "Pogo the Possum". Throughout its run, it was politically apolitical, sweetly sarcastic, and populated with characters which could have easily been interpreted as certain political figures, without naming names.

In the book "Drawing The Line", author Tom Sito notes, "When an editor from Providence, Rhode Island banned his cartoons, saying 'Politics has no place on the comics page!' Kelly struck back by creating a character called Miss Sis Boombah -- 'a political chicken from R.I.'."

The other three strips listed likely can thank Kelly for their popular status as political comics. "Pibgorn" has been inked by Brooke McEldowney, "Bloom County" by Berke Breathed, and "Doonesbury" by Garry Trudeau.

Answer: Goodbye Christ

These are all poems by Hughes, and all have the patina of social activism. "Goodbye Christ", however, can be viewed in more contemporary times as a diatribe focusing on the idea of Christ not being significant anymore as society reshapes Him into what its own political/ideological bent is.

Answer: Orson Welles

In fact, Red Channels listed several committees and activities which it deemed proof that Welles had Communist leanings. Among them were League of American Writers, Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born and Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee.

Answer: Robert Earl Jones

Although Robert Earl Jones was blacklisted during the 1950s, he was credited for numerous roles between 1960 and 1990. His filmography included features such as "The Sting", "Witness", and "Trading Places".

He passed in 2006 at the age of 96.