Speaking of Cows Trivia Quiz

Answer: Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx says the line as Rufus T Firefly in the comedy masterpiece "Duck Soup" (1933). Marx says the line to Margaret Dumont, who was a frequent foil in Marx Brothers films.

Doing something "until the cows come home" is an old expression meaning to do something for an extended period of time, often until dawn.

While the script for "Duck Soup" was written by by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, many of the better ad-libs were improvised by Groucho and Chico.

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (1890-1977) was known for his quick wit, and is regarded as one of the great comedic geniuses of the 20th Century. Groucho and his brothers made a dozen films during the 1930s and 1940s, including "Horse Feathers" (1932), "A Night at the Opera" (1935) and "A Day at the Races" (1937).

Answer: Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld, star of the eponymous show about nothing (1989-1998), is noted for his observational comedy about every day subjects. Food was a very common subject for Seinfeld's comedy, both in his stand-up act and on the show.

Seinfeld starts his McDonald's riff discussing the absurdity of counting sales once they had reached the tens of billions. He suggests they change the sign to "McDonald's, we doing really well." He then suggests a scenario where cows turn themselves in because they are intimidated by the sign.

Starting in 2012, Seinfeld has hosted "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" in which the comedian talks with other comedians while driving around drinking coffee.

Answer: Mark Twain

While there is no evidence he actually said it, Twain is usually credited with the "best hamburger" line. A very similar line is attributed to 1960s activist Abbie Hoffman.The line can for certain be attributed to "The Aardvark," a humor magazine at Roosevelt University in Chicago started in 1962.

Sacred cows refer to political or religious ideas that people hold so dear that they are rarely challenged for their validity. It stems from the Hindu religious tradition of holding cows sacred.

Mark Twain was one of the most quotable authors of the 19th century, and, therefore, is often attributed with things he never said. Twain (1835-1910) wrote several of the best novels in American literature, including "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Twain often challenged sacred cows, most notably militarism and imperialism.

Answer: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson (1803-1882) was one of the foremost philosophers of the 19th Century. He is known as one of the founders of Transcendentalism. A native of Boston, Emerson spent much of his career in nearby Cambridge and Concord. Emerson was a close associate of Thoreau.

Boston is legendary for its irregular street patterns and the difficulty those create in getting around the city.

Answer: Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Award for his performance in "Joker" (2020). His acceptance speech was one of the greatest social justice rants ever delivered at the venerable awards show.

The following is the complete transcript of his comments on cows: "We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby. Even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that's intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal."

McConaughey won for "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013). Casey Affleck won for "Manchester By the Sea" (2016). And Leonardo DiCaprio finally won for "The Revenant" (2015). Leo did bring up global climate change.

Answer: Grant Wood

Grant Wood, the Iowa artist most famous for "American Gothic", commented on the benefits of milking cows for artistic inspiration. While Wood is most noted for the portrait of his dentist and sister, he painted many other subjects. "American Gothic" was painted in 1930, and sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, where it remains a prized part of their American collection.

Wood was a major proponent of regionalism, and many of his works have a midwestern theme. Wood also did a historic paintings on topics such as the American Revolution. In keeping with the theme of this quiz, in 1932, Wood painted "Boy Milking Cow."

Answer: Gary Larson

Gary Larson, creator of "The Far Side", often featured cows in his cartoons. "The Far Side" began in Seattle in 1979 and took off when it was syndicated to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1980. For the next few 15 years, Larson would comment on the human condition, often using animals (including cows) as stand-ins. In one classic "Far Side" Larson has a cow yell "Hey wait a minute! This is grass! We've been eating grass!"

Tom Wilson created "Ziggy." Jim Davis is the creator of "Garfield." Brad Anderson created the cartoon Great Dane "Marmaduke."

Answer: Martina McBride

Martina McBride is the cowgirl in question. She grew up on a dairy farm in Sharon, Kansas, so she does indeed know about cows. McBride had her first big hit in 1992. In the 30 years since, she has become one of Nashville's biggest recording stars, winning the Country Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the Year" four times. She has numerous top ten hits on the Country music charts and has broken into the Top 40 on the Billboard charts.

Carrie Underwood did grow up on a dairy farm in Oklahoma, so she probably knows how to herd cows. The American Idol star did say " I'd rather be tipping cows in Tulsa, than hailing cabs here in New York."

Answer: Deborah Kerr

Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) is probably best known for playing Anna Leonowens against Yul Brynner's King Mongkut in "The King and I" (1956). Kerr was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress six times during her career, but never won. She finally received an Honorary Academy Award in 1994. Other notable films include "An Affair to Remember" (1957), "From Here to Eternity" (1953) and "The Sundowners" (1960). Her honorary Oscar citation called Kerr "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty."

Jersey cows did originate in the Channel Islands of England. As dairy cattle they are valued for the high butterfat milk in their milk. And many Jersey cows do indeed have eyes that appear to be droopy.

Answer: Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Gandhi wrote quite extensively about cow protection during his long political career. For Gandhi, protection of cows was central to Ahimsa, the Hindu principle of the protection of all living beings.

Gandhi is best known of course for his political efforts in both South Africa and India. His thirty year campaign of civil resistance led to the ultimate independence of India in 1947.

Nehru was a close political associate of Gandhi, and the first Prime Minister of independent India. Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature. And Bachchan is the most notable actor in the history of Indian cinema.