Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Winston Churchill was a man who liked his liquor. According to the Winston Churchill Center, he cultivated the impression that he drank more than he did, and was seldom, if ever, visibly impaired. Which makes the following exchange funnier. He was once approached by Bessie Braddock, who said "Sir, you are drunk." What was his devastating response?
2. Dylan Thomas liked a whisky (to use the British spelling), but he liked several of them more. On November 3, 1953, despite suffering from bad health, he went out to the White Horse Tavern in New York City (where he was performing in "Under Milk Wood"), where he had a few of his favorite adult beverages. When he returned to his hotel, he made a famous announcement. What was it?
3. W.C. Fields also liked his booze, although he got a late start. He first became famous as a Vaudeville juggler and eschewed alcohol because of concerns that it would hurt his performance. Later, he was able to overcome this concern, saying, " 'Twas a woman who drove me to drink," but he added a famous regret. What was it?
4. While we're on the subject of W.C. Fields, he often alluded to the fact that alcohol is sometimes offered as a restorative to someone who suffers a shock. He said "I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a snake..." adding what caveat, allowing him to imbibe at will?
5. Raymond Chandler, in the words of Ross McDonald, wrote like "a slumming angel" and produced some of the classics of pulp fiction. One of his books, "The Big Sleep," was made into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and stands as one of the classics of "film noir." Unfortunately for the complex plot of "The Big Sleep," Chandler habitually wrote with a bottle of whiskey next to the typewriter, accounting for a rather cavalier attitude towards plotting. When the novel was adapted into a screenplay, someone noticed that one of the murders in the novel went unsolved. So, they asked Chandler who had done it. What was his response?
6. Dorothy Parker was another one of those people who got a little too socially lubricated for their own good (it eventually killed her). But, before it got out of hand, it sharpened her wit to a stiletto point. She once observed that she'd left a party because of what potential problem?
7. Another person more famous for appearing to drink all the time rather than actually drinking all the time was Dean Martin. According to Shirley MacLaine, although Martin had an omnipresent glass when performing, it held apple juice, not liquor. Anyway, Dean Martin had what famous piece of advice for drinkers?
8. Benjamin Franklin isn't well known for his insights into theology. That's because Franklin didn't express a lot of insights into theology. He did, however, make a statement speculating on the connection between alcohol and God. What was it?
9. Sometimes the witty remark comes long after the fact. Comedian Denis Leary once summed up a particular rock musician's career in three short sentences: "I'm drunk, I'm nobody. I'm drunk, I'm famous. I'm drunk, I'm dead." Who was the semi-mythic figure he dismissed with twelve words?
10. There is a long-standing rumor that Ulysses S. Grant was a drunk, or as we'd say it today, an alcoholic. The reason I say "rumor" is because there wasn't a lot of evidence for it at the time and no new evidence has emerged over time. Anyway, the rumor reached Abraham Lincoln, who responded with a remark typical of Lincoln's focus on results rather than appearances. What did Lincoln say?
Source: Author
Correspondguy
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Snowman before going online.
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