Friday, November 12, 2010

The Imaginarium of the Collective Trivia Quiz

First of all, congratulations to last week’s top players:

In SECOND PLACE with 250 points,DAN OLSON!

And in FIRST PLACE with 650 points,TERRY WIEGERT! Terry also got nine out of ten questions in last week's quiz!



The Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any resource to find your answers: Google, Wikipedia, books, magazines, crystal balls, bribes ... it’s all good to me. Especially the bribes part.

  • Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question (rounded up).

  • Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! (Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.)

  • You do not have to answer ALL the questions to enter. Feel free to answer as many as you know or just guess. You never know when you’ll pull the proverbial flying monkey out yer butt and get it right!

  • By the way, if you want to find out the answers, you’ve got to enter. The answers will be emailed to everyone who enters after the contest is over.
    The contest will end in on November 18th, 2010 at 11:59pm.

  • And please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!



And here’s this week’s All-Picture Quiz:






  1. Picture #1 is a screen shot from a movie. What is the complete name of that motion picture?
  2. What is the name of the healthy young man in Picture #2?

  3. What is the first and last name of the hard-rocking individual in Picture #3?

  4. What is the name of the fictional character in Picture #4? Please give the character’s real first and last name.

  5. The sprightly figure in Picture #5 was featured in advertising for a special contest sponsored by a certain company. What was the brand name of the products that were promoted with that contest?

  6. What is the first and last name of the actor playing the character in the green suit in Picture #6?

  7. Picture #7 shows an obvious hot dog fan. What is the first and last name of this all-pro football player?

  8. What was the first and last name that the man featured in Picture #8 was using when he passed away in 1989?

  9. What is the name of the jauntily-faceless man leaning against the tree in Picture #9?

  10. Picture #10 features a legendary musician and composer with members of one of his bands. What is the first and last name of the happy fellow wearing the hat?

As always good luck, and don’t call me Shirley.



Tuesday, November 2, 2010

The Unbearable Lightness of Being the Collective Trivia Quiz!

First of all, congratulations to last week’s top players:

In THIRD PLACE with 100 points, GARY RENARD!

In SECOND PLACE with 233 points, DAN OLSON!

And in TIED FOR FIRST PLACE with 333 points each, TERRY WIEGERT and JASON BILBREY!

Congratulations to the folks on the podium and thanks to everyone who played!

And now ...

The Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any resource to find your answers: Google, Wikipedia, books, magazines, crystal balls, bribes ... it’s all good to me. Especially the bribes part.



  • Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question (rounded up).



  • Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! (Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.)



  • You do not have to answer ALL the questions to enter. Feel free to answer as many as you know or just guess. You never know when you’ll pull the proverbial flying monkey out yer butt and get it right! If you want to find out the answers, however, you’ve got to enter. The answers will be emailed to everyone who enters after the contest is over.



  • The contest will end in seven days (one week) at 11:59pm on , 2010.



  • And, as always, please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!

And here’s this week’s quiz:


  1. What fictional character represented the Modern Age in the second series of DC Comics/Comic Book Champions pewter figurines?



  2. What is the name of the animated character in the screen shot below?








  3. Joe and his team of sports photographers were high atop the Eiger Pass when they found the Ultimate Shot! Joe carried two cameras, a zoom lens, filters, flashes and extra film, and he told his team what he believed was the key to sports photography. What exactly was that key?



  4. As a child, this author was the member of an impoverished family that made its meager living from both running store that sold china and sporting goods, and from the irregular winnings of a family member who was a bowler. He had little formal education and took up reading after a childhood accident. The author used many of his experiences from his early jobs and apprenticeships in his books. He also became both a student and a teacher at a grammar school. What is the name of this popular author?



  5. They may be veggies but they sure taste like fruit. What are the names of the three vegetables that can be found in a box of VeggieTales Fruit-Flavored Snacks?



  6. This fictional character was a professional two times over, as he was an analyst and a therapist. However he was almost arrested when he touted the fact on his business cards. What is the first and last name of this fictional character?



  7. The picture below was taken from the poster for a popular science fiction movie. What is the title of that movie?










  8. Who is the only fictional character to have received an obituary in the New York Times?



  9. This author created a series of books after being posed a bet by another writer, who said that he or she could not write a good story from a bad idea. To make things even tougher, the author told the writer to pick two bad ideas. The ideas he was given were a particular historical mystery and a popular cartoon series. What is the first and last name of the author who made good on the bet by writing a fairly popular series of books based on those ideas?



  10. My! People come and go so quickly here! What is the first and last name of the ebullient young lady in the photograph below?








Good luck to everyone!







Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz: Final War!

Posted October 28th, 2010.

First of all, congratulations to last week’s top players, both newcomers to the quiz from the ranks of the illustrious CNOF:

In SECOND PLACE with 250 points, CARRIE PFEFFERKORN!

And in FIRST PLACE with 550 points, DAN OLSON!

And without further ado, The Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any resource to find your answers: Google, Wikipedia, books, magazines, crystal balls, bribes ... it’s all good to me. Especially the bribes part

  • Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question (rounded up

  • Do NOT post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at mailto:ivigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! (Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.)

  • You do not have to answer ALL the questions to enter. Feel free to answer as many as you know or just guess. If you want to find out the answers, you’ve got to enter. The answers will be emailed to everyone who enters after the contest is over.

  • The contest will end in seven days (one week) at 11:59pm on Thursday, November 4th, 2010.

  • And please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!


And here’s this week’s quiz: The Not-Quite-Monster-Themed Quiz!

(Why? Simply because I know monsters better than I know Halloween, and Not-Quite because I did it on the fly.)



1. What television show almost always closed with the phrase “keep your stick on the ice”?



2. What is the first and last name of the major league baseball player who is guaranteed to receive a 2010 World Series ring no matter which teams wins the Autumn Classic?



3. What is the name of the gentleman featured in the photograph below?






4. According to radio spots, what company allows you to “save as much as inhumanly possible”?



5. This monster movie begins in the year 1999, after the United Nations Scientifc Committee has established an exploratory base on the surface of the moon. Unknown to Earth, the moon also has a base for an alien race. The alien race has a secret base near Izu. What is the name of this all-star monster movie?



6. What is the name of the comic book character featured in the picture below? Please be exact.





7. Bill Cosby used to relate a tale of his youth in his stand-up routine in which he and his brother Harold were frightened by the telling of a story. This story had actually been broadcast on radio shows in the thirties and forties several times, and is still regarded as a somewhat of a horror classic. Who was the original writer of that terrifying tale?



8. According to a 2010 Limited Edition Card, what member of Cap’n Crunch’s crew weighs 64 pounds and plays the harmonica? Please give the character’s name as it is on the card.



9. A music video features a commercial venue with a number of oddly-named but stereotypical shops. The viewer sees plenty of these as one of the singers rides around the venue on a Segway. These stores include Taco Tustle, the Shoe Palace, Toaster Town, VHS Memories and Teen Dump. The venue also includes a guitar store. What is the name of that store?



10. What is the name given to the monstrous creature in the picture below?





As always, good luck to everyone who plays! And Happy Halloween!





Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Tubes at Penn’s Peak (Jim Thorpe, PA) October 15th, 2010

My wife and I went to see the Tubes play up at Penn's Peak for the fourth time on Friday night. They've been there five times over the past decade, but we hadn't even known the place existed until the first time we saw them there, back in 2007.

The weather was slightly inclement, but it always seems to be something when the Tubes come to town. The first time we saw them, my wife was sick and we had just rescued a bunch of kittens that had been left under a bush in the yard. The next two times it rained horribly before and during the concert, following up with dense fog on the way home. This time, it was much colder and windier than we had expected.

This was the most sparsely attended of any show I've been to while here in Pennsylvania. There were only about 200 people in attendance, and there seemed to be seating available for about double that number. It did mean a much more personal show than usual, I think, especially since there were very few children in the audience. I only saw perhaps two teenage kids. Apparently people have been doing a little research and realized that "She's a Beauty" is not necessarily representative of the band's oeuvre.

There was also no opening band. This was a very pleasant surprise, since Penn's Peak tends to pick bands that don't meld well with semi-headliners like the Tubes. I remember one year there was a very depressing duo on guitar and zither. Last year was the exception, with a band called Night Wind that really had the right chops to open a show.

The show itself was fantastic as always. The previous year, Roger Steen had led the band in "Up from the Deep" sans Fee Waybill on stage, who then came out in costume to segue into "Out of the Business." This year, "Prelude in Black" led into "No Mercy"and "No Way Out", with Fee wearing a preacher's collar (which he soon showed was just a piece of folded paper).

Fee introduced "TV", a song off their new album "Mondo Birthmark", and talked about his obsession with certain parts of Annette Funicello as a kid. One could definitely tell he was playing to an adult audience this time around. Roger then led the group in an excellent rock version of the theme from "I Love Lucy." A quick costume change and "TV is King" was ready to go with Fee wearing a TV set adorned with a black lace bra and panties.

This year Fee's yellow jacket, green shirt and Herb Tarlek pants were from Monty Hall's yard sale (last year it was Howie Mandel) and he's one of the only people who could wear that get-up and still look cool. Naturally, this was the set-up for "What Do You Want from Life?" which was the Tubes' perennial game show theme.

While Fee was changing, Roger led drummer Jonathan Mover and bassist Atom Ellis in a "Rumble." It was one of those numbers that you could tell everyone on stage was having a helluva good time playing. Fee then came out in a green mohawk and Misfits shirt for "I Was a Punk (Before You Were a Punk)" and the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There."

Next up was "Fee Brown" with a medley of funky hits (including "Out of Sight", "Get It Together", "There was a Time" and "Sex Machine"). I'm pretty sure Fee Waybill is the only white boy legally allowed to dress up like James Brown. He didn't bother changing to sing "Tip of My Tongue."

Another quick change into a 1950s white tee and jeans for a trio of songs off "The Completion Backwards Principle" album: "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman" (which I had not heard performed live before), "Amnesia" and "Don't Want to Wait Anymore" (which is one of my wife's favorite songs).

Roger sang "Up from the Deep" while Fee changed, and soon it was again time for Sir Quay Lewd to prance out for our enjoyment. I was only disappointed that he didn't throw in another "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" number this year, but "Boy Crazy" and the ubiquitous "White Punks on Dope" where showstoppers as usual. There were way too many people not singing along though. Remember it's the damn law! You sing the choruses of WPOD, damn it!

Two encore songs this year: "She's a Beauty" and "Talk to Ya Later" (which closes pretty much every Tubes show).

Once again, the band had a meet-and-greet after the show. I have to say that Fee and Roger always seem to be able to talk to everyone like they're completely normal non-rock-star folk. It's almost off-putting how normal these guys seem when they aren't up there blowing our eardrums out. Fee was gracious enough to once again let me get a pic with him. And I asked Roger about who their bassist was (Atom Ellis) and he explained how Rick Anderson was ill and Atom had his blessing to work with the band. I didn't even really know what to say to Jonathan Mover ... he gave one of the best drum performances I have ever seen. As always, autographs abounded.

This was another memorable concert with the Tubes. Every show we've been to has had something different, something original in it. I've now heard them perform everything from "Bali Hai" to "Sex Machine." And I know me and my wife will continue to go to their shows as long as they keep coming to this area. If anyone reading this has the opportunity, get out and see the Tubes when they come to your town. You won't be disappointed ... the Tubes are one of the few bands left that seem to actually have fun when they perform.

The Collective Trivia Quiz: The Year We Make Contact

POSTED OCTOBER 17th, 2010

The Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any resource to find your answers: Google, Wikipedia, books, magazines, crystal balls, bribes ... it's all good to me. Especially the bribes bit.
  • Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question (rounded up).
  • Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! (Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.)
  • You do not have to answer ALL the questions to enter. Feel free to answer as many as you know or just guess. You never know when you'll pull the proverbial flying monkey out yer butt and get it right!
  • By the way, if you want to find out the answers, you've got to enter. The answers will be emailed to everyone who enters after the contest is over.
  • The contest will end in seven days (one week) at 11:59pm on Saturday October 23rd, 2010.
  • And please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!

And here's this week's quiz, courtesy this week of Terry Wiegert:

  1. The wording of this catchy 1976 ballad about a tragedy has been modified at recent live performances by its original writer/singer due to questionable accuracy of the original lyrics. Name the song.
  2. Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger as governors, Sonny Bono as a mayor and Clint Eastwood as a sewer commissioner are obviously all natural fits as celebrities in office. But which football legend, at age 54, ran an unsuccessfully bid to become governor of the state in which he played his entire NFL career?
  3. After the sewer explosion on Himrod Street, Ed is taken to Bushwick Hospital where Ralph graciously offers type A blood if a transfusion is needed. What room did Ed stay in?
  4. What's the name of this Wisconsin born actor who had a short boom of stardom in the 1980's?


  5. Froot Loops with Sprinkles cereal challenges you to "crack the code" to find out which Froot Loops® is like a "book". What's the nine letter code you've cracked when you've finished the game?
  6. What controversial 1983 film opened on "Highway 74, twenty miles from Oklahoma City and four miles from Crescent"?
  7. What two famous actors attended 4th grade together at Illinois' Evanston Elementary?
  8. The guy pictured below was the first US born player to achieve what specific NHL milestone?

  9. In November of 1986, what employee won $5000 in a contest for coming up with the name for their recently merged company beating out nine others who submitted the same name but later?
  10. What's the name of the Mutual Network radio program, launched in 1948, that teamed a studio audience player with a home listener by phone to win up to 3 prizes for answering quiz questions correctly?

Good luck to everyone who plays this week!


Monday, October 11, 2010

Blog #1

I've decided to finally break down and do a little blogging. Like most bloggers, I have precious little of note to actually say, of course. So, I'm gonna simply talk about things I enjoy. This week's topic: Old Time Radio!

If you're in the United States, I'll bet that most of you young whippersnappers out there probably don't even remember when AM radio wasn't primarily all talk and when FM radio wasn't all crappy pop music and whatever rap/hip-hop is supposed to be. I think everyone knows that before TV, radio was the way most people got their entertainment. From around 1928 to 1950, radio was the major medium for households everywhere. It also launched the second phase of celebrity (the first being the advent of Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and their fellow silent screen stars). People would stop everything they're doing and tune in to a Bing Crosby broadcast; movie theatres would halt the picture so the patrons would stay to hear the adventures of Amos 'N Andy over the sound system. If there would've been Q-Ratings back then, some of these performers and shows would leave modern shows softly weeping in the corner over their massive popularity.

I've been a fan of the Old Time Radio (OTR) genre since I happened to latch onto a double-album of the original broadcast of the legendary "War of the Worlds" show with Orson Welles. That is the nigh-mythical show that showed how hapless and non-attentive a good portion of the general public was even back then. Quite a few folks thought that, for a brief time, we were under attack by Martians. I have to say that when I first listened to the opening half of the show, I could understand why. The performance was riveting ... I still can "see" Carl Philips being turned into toasted reporter by the aliens' heat-ray mirror. That lone radio operator at the end of the live portion was haunting. After the break, Orson Welles' Professor Pierson began his walk into a well-written adaptation of the second half of the classic novel. It didn't have the same gravitas as the "live" half, but it was still very good.

Since then, I've been grabbing OTR shows wherever I could find them, usually on cassette tape. With the advent of the internet and CD/DVD, it's been much easier to assemble near-complete runs and storylines on many of the popular shows of yesteryear. We all have our favorite shows and performers, and here's a few of mine:

  • "The Mirth Parade." The "what" you say? Well, the Mirth Parade was a syndicated show that was recorded back in 1933 and lasted (to my knowledge) for only 26 weeks. It was a fifteen-minute show (including locally-added commercials) that featured comic skits and music on a single subject, like farmers, toreadors, or alarm clocks. Bob Burns, the original Arkansas Traveler and Bill Comstock (portraying Tizzie Lish) played numerous characters. The show was hosted by Don Wilson, who would later gain fame (and weight) as Jack Benny's announcer on his radio and television shows. It's a very simple yet very funny show. The quality of the writing and the ad-libs by the cast are excellent.
  • Fred Allen. The esteemed Mr. Allen is probably best remembered for his long-running and popular feud with Jack Benny, one of the most memorable events of the golden age of radio. Fred was one of the more erudite and intelligent comedians of the era, and tried his best not to talk down to his audience. This, of course, impaired his popularity, which never reached the heights of Benny or Abbott and Costello. His shows were also quite topical and haven't aged well for that reason. But intelligent humor is timeless and Fred Allen's shines through on every broadcast.
  • "Dimension X/X Minus Zero." "Dimension X" was a half-hour drama devoted to adaptations of science fiction tales of leading authors of the day. The works of Jack Williamson, Isaac Asimov, Frederick Pohl, Robert Heinlein and even Stephen Vincent Benet were featured. The best known show is probably "Mars is Heaven", which made the rounds of the cassette tape dealers in the seventies and eighties. My particular favorite is "Knock", in which the narrator describes the story as being only two sentences long ("The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door."). "X Minus One" continued along the same lines, using many of the same scripts for stories. "Cold Equations" is one of the highlights of that series for me, as a pilot on a rescue mission has to make an unthinkable decision about a stowaway.
  • Bob and Ray. Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were the radio comedy team by which all others should be measured. The vocal duo had a plethora of recurring characters, such as man-on-the-street reporter Wally Ballou, Lawrence Fechtenberger, Interstellar Officer Candidate, Mr. Science (explosively predating Mr. Wizard), all of which used a variety of off-the-cuff humor that you don't see often today. Sure, every episode of Mr. Science ended up with a massive explosion, but it was hilarious getting to it. Listening to Bob and Ray is like watching SCTV or the good years of Saturday Night Live.
  • "Lum and Abner." Don't ask me why, but I love this show. It's basically about a couple of hicks who run a store in Arkansas, or at least that's the way you'd probably find it described in one-line in a book. But it's really far more - the 15-minute installments get truly engrossing after a while, and there's so many available out there that you can really get a feel for the inhabitants of the town. Think of "The Beverly Hillbillies" if Jed hadn't been shootin' for some food, and then double the IQs of the writers. Think comedic soap-opera. Or don't bother to think and listen to a couple. I recommend the 1935 season, the June 4th, 1942 episode and any of the Christmas shows.
  • Jack Webb. I'm sure everyone's watched "Dragnet" on TV, especially for the episodes with the freaked-out kids on drugs that are so stupid and so hilarious. "Dragnet", while always being a proponent of law and order, was once a fine noir detective show, and was definitely as noir as you can get on radio. But the reason I put Jack Webb on this list of favorites wasn't for that show. It was because of his comedy work. Yes, Jack Webb, the stoic, stone-faced Joe Friday, did at one time smile, laugh, giggle and make us do the same with the best of them. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those particular shows existing anymore, but there are two episodes of "The Jack Webb Show" in circulation, as well as one episode of "The Little Man Inside." His eponymous show was more of a surreal skit show along the lines of Stan Freberg (in fact, when I first heard it, I thought it was the Freberg show, with someone doing a fantastic Joe Friday-impersonation). The second show featured Jack as the voice inside the head of an average white-collar working man that revealed the inner monologue we all have as we go through our daily activities, being sardonic and almost poignant at times.

If you're interested in any of these programs, check out archive.org or otrrlibrary.org to find some of these old shows to download and listen to at your leisure. Believe me, it's worth the time.

Okay, that's all I can really milk out of this right now. I'll think of something to write later when I get bored.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz Goes to Monte Carlo

POSTED ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 10th, 2010

And now, please stand for our National Anthem, and The Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any resource to find your answers: Google, Wikipedia, books, magazines, crystal balls, bribes ... it's all good to me. Especially the bribes bit.
  • Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question (rounded up).
  • Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! (Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.)
  • You do not have to answer ALL the questions to enter. Feel free to answer as many as you know or just guess. You never know when you'll pull the proverbial flying monkey out yer butt and get it right!
  • By the way, if you want to find out the answers, you've got to enter. The answers will be emailed to everyone who enters after the contest is over.
  • The contest will end in seven days (one week) at 11:59pm on Saturday October 16th, 2010.
  • And please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!

And here's this week's quiz:

  1. Historically, what has the "M" in "Shazam!" stood for when the magic word was spoken by Mary Batson?
  2. It's clobberin' time! The gentleman with the unfortunate skin condition in the picture below was featured on the poster for what low-budget science fiction/horror film?



  3. Who was the first major league baseball pitcher to throw a no-hitter both during the regular season and during post-season play of the same season?
  4. What was the name of the venue where the 20th anniversary party of big screen characters Fibber McGee and Molly was going to be held?
  5. What was the title of the album that was the first spoken word recording released in the compact disc format?
  6. If you were to see the following image on television, what is the name of the program you would be watching?





  7. What is the name of the fictional character that is based on fictional character Katherine Beckett?
  8. What was the first and last name of the fictional character who promoted Nerd-Care Bleaching Lotion (which came in pale, whiter shade of pale, and minty green)?
  9. This comic book character had a very strange ability. Every time the character died, the character would be resurrected with a new and usually different super-power. For a while, the character also had a giant robot sidekick, but ended up working with two groups of almost-completely useless characters at the end of his career. What is the name of this fictional character? Please give the character's code-name, and not his given name.
  10. What novel opens with the line "I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar"?

Good luck to everyone! And may the Farce be with you!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz Does Dallas!



POSTED ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 26th, 2010



First of all, here are last week's Top 3 Finishers:



In THIRD PLACE with 157 points, BILL KIEL!



In SECOND PLACE with 203 points, MALCOLM BONDON!



And in FIRST PLACE with 257 points, TERRY WIEGERT!



Congratulations to the folks on our podium, and thanks to everyone who played!

I'd also like to congratulate the winners of Saturday's Trivia Unplugged contest, Rebel Rousers. They're a conglomeration of the Collective and the nigh-legendary CNOF. A great way to start off the Trivia Season proper! Good job, folks!




And now, the starting line-up for your Milkwaukee Brewers, and The Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any resource to find your answers: Google, Wikipedia, books, magazines, crystal balls, bribes ... it's all good to me. Especially the bribes bit.

  • Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question.

  • Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! (Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.)

  • You do not have to answer ALL the questions to enter. Feel free to answer as many as you know or just guess. You never know when you'll pull the proverbial flying monkey out yer butt and get it right!

  • The contest will end in seven days (one week) at 11:59pm on Saturday October 2nd, 2010.

  • And please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!


And here's this week's quiz:




  1. The morning after that lowdown sidewinder Black Pete robbed the Gower Gulch Bank, he calmly sang a song while making breakfast. What song did he sing?

  2. What was the name of the seedy establishment that was owned by big screen character Henry Gutterman?

  3. Yogi Bear has a good friend who lives in the very small town of Hobo Corners. What is Yogi's friend's name?

  4. What is the first and last name of the hoopy frood in the photograph below?










  5. What animated character's motto was "hero work done cheap – all credit cards accepted"?

  6. What is the name of the character represented by the action figure in the photograph below?









  7. What did humorist and actor Robert Benchley describe (in a quote from a book) as "the finely pulverized product resulting from the calcination to incipient fusion of an intimate mixture of properly proportioned argillaeceous and calcareous materials and to which no addition greater than 3 percent has been made subsequent to calcination"?

  8. The Tubes have had a long career in show business. In fact, they once even appeared on a fictional television show broadcast by a fictional television network. What was the name of the song that they performed on that fictional TV show?

  9. What is the name of the fictional ruler of Celesteville, which was named after the ruler's beloved wife?

  10. Y'know, I've heard that the lunatic is in my hall, but the picture below is part of a poster for a popular motion picture. What is the title of that film?






    Good luck to everyone this week! Take care and have fun!



Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz: The Undiscovered Country

POSTED ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19th, 2010

First, here are last week's winners:

In THIRD PLACE with 200 points, TERRY WEIGERT.

And tied for FIRST PLACE with 250 POINTS each, BILL KIEL and KRIS SCHAUT!

Congratulations to everyone on the podium this week!

And now, the regular rigamarole ...

The Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any resource to find your answers.
  • Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question being worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question.
  • Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.
  • The contest will end in at 11:59pm on Saturday 25th, 2010, so get your answers in to me before then!
  • And please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!

And here's this week's quiz:


  1. When television character Dennis Mitchell entered a soap box derby, he got help building his racer from his father and his next-door neighbor. What brand of soap was originally contained in the crates that they used to build the racer?



  2. What are the names of the two adorable little characters in the picture below?




  3. This actor portrayed villains on the big screen who bedeviled two heroes that were featured in Action Comics, led the military forces investigating grave robbers from outer space, and starred in a film serial featuring the son of a master detective (as the movie studio couldn't afford to buy the rights for the father character). What is the first and last name of this actor?



  4. When Barney Fife first auditioned for the Ladies' League Musicale, what song did he tell Andy and Rafe he performed?



  5. What were the names of the twin sisters who were known as the Gypsies of the Air?



  6. According to a popular 80's music video, what performer eventually became the host of a game show called "The $20 Million Jackpot"?



  7. What is the name of the big blue fellow who's giving Ol' Shellhead a hard time in the following picture?




  8. What brand of cookware was noted for having Copper Coats and Perma-Loc Teflon?



  9. It was election time on the radio back in 1939. Who did "Human Chatterbox" Arlene Harris say that both her kid and her husband wanted to vote for in the House election?



  10. What movie was the 1,000,000,000th DVD disc rented from a Redbox kiosk? Please be specific.


Good luck to everyone!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz and the Monster from Hell!

Posted Sunday September 5th, 2010

PLEASE NOTE:

BECAUSE I HADN'T REALIZED THERE WAS A TRIVIA CONTEST THIS FRIDAY TO SATURDAY NIGHTS, THE COLLECTIVE TRIVIA QUIZ WILL BE EXTENDED AN EXTRA WEEK. YOU HAVE UNTIL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH TO GET YOUR ANSWERS IN!

Good Luck!



The Rules of the Game:

• You can use any resource to find your answers. I seem to remember they used to have these things called “books”, but I might have them confused with Victrolas.

• Points are scored on a pari-mutuel basis. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question.

• Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers (and more than likely laugh at you; I know I will). EMAIL your answers to me at
vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions. Also, please send all your answers together in one email! Otherwise, only the answers in the first email I get will count.

• The contest will end in seven days (one week) at 11:59pm on Saturday, September 18th, 2010.

• And please remember that only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!



And here’s this week’s quiz:

1. What was the name of the prehistoric comic strip character that was best known for writing poetry and having an irrational fear of water?

2. What was the name of the spaceship flown by Chris Conway, Rocket Ranger?

3. What is the name of the following song? To listen to it, please right click on the link below and choose “Save as …” and play the song in the mp3 player of your choice.


4. What company uses the somewhat suggestive logo printed below on some of its products?





5. This classic 80’s video follows the adventures of the lead singer of the band on the way to a concert. Instead of riding inside the car with the others, the singer is made to travel in a crate in the trunk. Soon after they start off for that night’s venue, the crate falls out of the trunk. It is hit by a car, lands on a skateboard, splashes in a pool, and lands on a teeter-totter before, miraculously, the crate crashes through the ceiling of the concert hall. The band itself has a cult status and was known for all the members adopting the same last name. What is the name of this rock video?

6. The menace in this movie is as big as a battleship, flies four times the speed of sound and can’t be hurt by atomic weapons. According to the poster for this movie, from what year does this winged monster come from? Naturally, this particular blurb had pretty much nothing to with the actual film.

7. I’m sure most folks have read at least a couple Little Golden Books when they were kids. I know I remember the first one I ever read (which, incidentally, was the first book I ever read) because it was based on one of my first favorite TV shows. After Jonathan Zero and Loonie (his pet Lazoon) helped get the ship they were passengers on off Venus (and getting bags of precious stones to be used to set up a Space School for Earth boys and girls), a big parade was held in their honor. What was the name of the cookie treat that Jonathan and Zoonie munched on while they sat atop the spaceship that led the parade?

8. What motion picture is featured in the screen shot below?




9. What was the first and last name of the fictional character who was known, among many things, for having fists the size of hams and the propensity for breaking out panels of the stoutest wooden doors with those fists?

10. The picture below is an example of the artwork of what legendary cartoonist? Please give his first and last name.



Sunday, August 22, 2010

Abbott and Costello Meet the Collective Trivia Quiz

Posted Sunday August 22, 2010


The Rules of the Game:

And here we go with this week's quiz:

  1. This radio show had a character that was touted as being able to rip a crocodile's jaws apart or break the back of an anthropoid ape. What was the name of this radio show?


  2. This fictional character was known for his brutality and his marksmanship. His very presence caused men to get out of his way and made women seclude themselves. His final, famous battle was noted for two gunshots. What is the first and last name of this fictional character?


  3. What is the name of the animated series in which you would find the characters pictured below?







  4. What is the name of the fictional television series that was canceled after four episodes when the host planned to modernize the garage of homeowner Don Lee (using a backhoe and forty pounds of TNT)?


  5. In what motion picture would you find a character who claimed "I saw two men carrying no man!"?


  6. "Hot Stuff" and "Bummers" were regular features of what magazine?


  7. What was the name of the product, which when introduced in the late 1880's, featured a label that offered a $500 reward for anyone who could provide evidence of any impurity or alteration in the product?


  8. What is the name of the performing group shown in the photograph below?







  9. According to a poster, what motion picture did NASA claim could set the space program back by at least fifty years?


  10. The cover of this classic album features a spindly man in a room that is empty save for a hanging light and the window he is looking out of. A different reflection peers back in the window and a neon sign reading "The Dark" can be seen, along with a crescent moon. What is the title of this album?

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Collective Trivia Quiz II: Electric Boogaloo

Posted Sunday August 15, 2010




The Rules of the Game:



And here's this week's quiz:




  1. What is the name of the big screen character that avowed "I'll run on this river if I'm the only passenger on the boat!" Please be complete and give the character's full name, not his nickname.

  2. Guests say a lot of odd things on The Tonight Show. (You know, the real one with Jack Paar, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson or Conan O'Brien?) In fact, one guest once told Johnny that he was going to be promoting unsportsmanlike conduct for kids in Craters of the Moon, Idaho. What was the first and last name of that guest?

  3. What are the first and last names of the two men featured in the photograph below? Please give their character names, not their actual names. Two unknown guys hanging out with a lady


  4. This fictional super-hero is probably the only one who came into existence because he was a little clumsy and dropped a screwdriver at a very inopportune moment. He was able to retrieve it but wasn't able to get out of the Atlas rocket he was working on before it was launched. After a near-death experience, what was the codename adopted by this fictional super-hero?



  5. Thomas Kinkade is probably the modern master of tacky Christmas ornamentation. His "The True Meaning of Christmas" Narrative Santa Figurine is no exception. Along with recording the narrative that plays with the statuette, he even includes a recreation of one of his own paintings in the piece, hanging on the wall above the fireplace. The fireplace also has a stocking hanging above it as well. What name is on that stocking? Please be complete.



  6. Back in the late seventies, Fan Club Corporation of America had a sweet deal: If you joined the Official Hardy Boys Fan Club AND the Official Nancy Drew Fan Club, you got a free door banner for your room! What a bargain! If you were to have joined both clubs, how much would it have cost to pay for a year's membership?

  7. Leapin' Lizards, Sandy! The still below is from a cliffhanger chapter play of the forties. What is the complete title of that movie serial?

    It's a movie, I think
  8. What were the last number one single of the seventies on the Billboard Hot 100, and the first number one single of the eighties on the Billboard Hot 100? Please be complete.

  9. What is the name of the friendly, gun-toting character who promoted ecological awareness with the motto "Give a larbage, throw out your garbage"? As always, please be complete.


  10. The photograph below shows a section of the play area of a classic TV-themed board game. What is the complete name of that board game?


Some board game




As always, good luck to everyone, and keep 'em flying!










Tuesday, July 27, 2010

2010: A Collective Trivia Quiz Odyssey

Well, well. It’s been a few months now since the Big Show. WWSP’s The World’s Largest Trivia Contest has come and gone, we kinda rocked this year, and by now you should all be trivially rested by now. I think it’s time for a new quiz to make sure everyone’s still got their heads on straight and thinking about the important things in life: Namely, trivia.


We’ve got a couple of little changes for this quiz. First of all, you’ll notice we have fifteen questions instead of ten, so it’s a little bit longer. Secondly, instead of being a weekly quiz, this is going to be one that lasts a whole fortnight. That’s right, you have two weeks ... a mere fourteen (count ‘em, 14) days to finish this one. (Yeah, I know, actually you have about seventeen days with this one. I just decided to start it today after finishing the last question. So sue me.) And lastly, there’s going to be a prize for the winner. Yep, an honest-to-bogey physical prize for the winner. Whoever comes in first place for this quiz will get a DVD crammed full of cool movies. Well, at least I think they’re cool. The disc will be playable on your home computer or any Divx-compatible stand-alone DVD players. So now you at least got a little something to fight over.


And now, please stand for the National Anthem, and the Rules of the Game:

  • You can use any source for your answers: Wikipedia, Google, notes, DVDs, your memory, your grandpa’s memory … anything goes. You can even use those archaic things I think they called “books” back in the day.

  • Points are scored on a parimutuel basis. Each question being worth 100 points, divided by the number of correct answers for that question.


  • Do not post your answers here to the comment section of this blog! People will steal your answers and laugh at you. EMAIL your answers to me at vigilante407@gmail.com. Please make sure you number your answers correctly to correspond with the questions.

  • The contest will end at 11:59pm on Friday, August 13, 2010. So get your answers to me by then.


  • And, of course, only you can prevent Forrest Tucker!

And awaaaay we go!


1. This classic album cover features the artist standing in front of the French doors of a studio. There are several dancers stretching and preparing for a dance class in the same room with him. What is the title of this classic rock album?



2. Only a true Bronco fan would wear that hat. What is the full name of the person in the photograph below?



3. What comic book magazine would you be reading if you were following the adventures of a character nicknamed “the screwball o’ the hills”?



4. Perfect Tommy is, well, decidedly less-than-perfect in some ways. What was the name of the media personality that he initially believed Emilio Lizardo used to be?



5. In print advertising that challenged the consumer, a particular example of this product was advertised as having many features, including universal joint, two-speed adjustable transmission, shock absorber, rack and pinion steering system and crown gear turns rear axle. What was the name of this product? Please be specific.



6. What is the complete name of the motion picture in which you would find the following scene?



7. The only way to positively identify this animated character from the character’s evil twin is the fact that the evil twin sat on a waffle iron as a child. What is the name of this animated character?




8. The “firepower engine” was touted as the sensation of the year it debuted. What were the names of the two radio personalities who once touted the virtues of the firepower engine while eating moo goo gai pan and butterfly shrimp during the broadcast?




9. What television show features the following scene in its opening credit sequence?




10. The front cover of this legendary album features three photographs of the same man. Two images of the man are struggling in a tug of war, one being in a small waterway and the other in a chair in a fairly featureless room. The third has come out of his photograph and is watching the conflict. What is the complete title of this classic record album?




11. This fictional character was the coach of an informal athletic team. He once went down to his neighbor’s apartment to borrow an apple to give to his team captain for hitting a home run. He had run out of apples upstairs and also took two for himself, claiming he had hit a couple of home runs as well. His neighbor’s husband also had tickets to a theatrical production that had a title that had a baseball connotation. The character almost didn’t take the ticket he was offered, as he had been planning to watch a popular children’s show of the day. What was the first and last name of this fictional character?




12. Among the many roles taken by this versatile actor was one in which he was the special guest star on the premiere episode of a television show. In that role, his character was thrown out of a car and stabbed to death, practically before the show started. What was the first and last name of this actor?




13. What is rank and name of the valiant aviator pictured below?




14. This classic low-budget film begins at 2:45 AM, which was about two hours before an important event that occurred in Desert Rock, Nevada. What was the title of this movie?



15. This fictional character looks as though he is always wearing a tie and is a real go-getter in business. He has a great relationship with the women in the secretarial pool at the advertising agency where he works, who seem to just know he is going places. This character also single-handedly invented an important time-keeping device, which enraged people so much he was forced him to flee into the wilderness. What is the first and last name of this fictional character?



Good luck to everyone, and see you in two weeks!. And remember, many Bothan spies died to bring you this trivia quiz.



Monday, February 15, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz #5 for 2010

This week's quiz has been guest-written by Gary Renard, with his own themed questions!

The Rules of the Game:

  1. You can use whatever source material you would like to for finding the answers: Google, Wikipedia, your own notes, books, or most anything else. Even your little gray cells.
  2. DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS TO THE COMMENT SECTION OF THIS BLOG! Email them to vigilante407@gmail.com. Make sure you include your name with your answers so I know who you are and you can get your share of those big trivia points.
  3. Answers are due in by Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 (11:59pm) Eastern Standard Time, or by the time I check my email on Wednesday morning.
  4. The game is scored on a pari-mutuel system, like the WWSP 90FM contest. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of people who get it right. If you're the only one to get the answer, you get the whole 100 points for yourself. If five people get it right, the point value is down to 20 points.
  5. After the quiz is over, you will receive an email with the correct answers, point values and final standings. You can also usually see the final standings on Facebook, posted on my profile.
  6. Have fun with this! Don't be discouraged if you can't find every answer. Remember, we're doing this to keep in practice for the Big Show – the 54-hour long contest held by WWSP 90FM. Hopefully it will also sharpen your research skills for many a trivia contest out there as well.
  7. And as always, remember ... only you can prevent Forrest Tucker.


And now, faster than you can say "Jack Robinson" … this week's quiz!


  1. What happened on October 9th, 1890 to cause Jabez Wilson great consternation?


  2. Who is the rather dastardly fellow in the photograph below?


    Who am I?


  3. Victoria Grant was down on her luck, stuck in France with no money and no prospects. She was behind on her rent and offered to sleep with her landlord, for a price. What did she ask for?


  4. This twenty-four-year-old played a bit of right field for the New York Yankees a year before they signed Babe Ruth. Who is this Hall of Famer?


  5. Flight Lieutenant Peter Marlowe was captured by the Japanese during World War II and placed in a prison camp. What is the name of the real Singapore prison camp that was placed in this fictional story?


  6. One famous director wanted Edward G. Robinson for this role, but the film was given to another director. One studio head insisted on Danny Thomas but was talked out of it. The director who got the job initially wanted Sir Laurence Olivier, but he was too ill to take the job. He then got his second choice. What was the role?


  7. I threw this photo in because this is who my wife and I saw a couple of Saturday nights ago at a comedy show. Name this performer, shown during their successful Broadway debut in "Hairspray").



    Who am I?

  8. San Marino will issue postage stamps to commemorate almost anything. This fictional character, portrayed on radio, TV and movies, was honored on a 150-Lira stamp issued introduced July 12, 1979. Who is this character?


  9. He was arrested for a minor crime and cracked so many one-liners on his way to jail that the arresting officers thought he should be on stage. There were two things that really hurt his chances: His name and a medical condition that wouldn't go well with stand-up comedy. What was his name and what condition did this small-screen character have?


  10. Glenn Allison was the first bowler to ever throw a 900 series for three games in sanctioned league play. What type of ball did he use? Please give the brand name and model.


Thanks to Gary for another great quiz, and good luck to everyone playing this week!


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz: #4 for 2010!

Once again, it's time for this week's trivia quiz, so put your thinking caps on and get those browser fired up and ready to start searching, searching for Celine!

The Rules of the Game:

  1. You can use whatever source material you would like to for finding the answers: Google, Wikipedia, your own notes, books, or most anything else. Even your little gray cells.

  2. DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS TO THE COMMENT SECTION OF THIS BLOG! Email them to vigilante407@gmail.com. Make sure you include your name with your answers so I know who you are and you can get your share of those big trivia points.

  3. Answers are due in by Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 (11:59pm) Eastern Standard Time, or by the time I check my email on Wednesday morning.

  4. The game is scored on a pari-mutuel system, like the WWSP 90FM contest. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of people who get it right. If you're the only one to get the answer, you get the whole 100 points for yourself. If five people get it right, the point value is down to 20 points.

  5. After the quiz is over, you will receive an email with the correct answers, point values and final standings. You can also usually see the final standings on Facebook, posted on my profile.

  6. Have fun with this! Don't be discouraged if you can't find every answer. Remember, we're doing this to keep in practice for the Big Show – the 54-hour long contest held by WWSP 90FM. Hopefully it will also sharpen your research skills for many a trivia contest out there as well.

  7. And as always, remember ... only you can prevent Forrest Tucker.


And now, faster than you can say "Jack Robinson" … this week's quiz!


  1. Rawjaw McClaw was the big outlaw who was so tough he could drink a big beaker of black benzene and boiled brimstone with a shot of shingle stain, a jigger of jump juice, a hunk of horse harness floatin' on top and a chunk of chipped china for a chaser. What was the particular drink that made this tough guy so woozy he fainted?


  2. This fictional character has been around since the late thirties. In this character's various incarnations high technology, a mystical amulet, a special chemical, a magic ring and an alien artifact have been used to battle evil. What is the name of this fictional crime-fighter?


  3. What is the first and last name of the small-screen adventurer depicted in the photo below?


    Who am I?


  4. What three devices are listed as prizes on the front of a Barton's Monopoly Creamy Milk Chocolate Win Instantly candy bar wrapper?


  5. What is the name of the respected journalist in the photograph below?




  6. What is the performing name of the somewhat-nonchalant person sitting in the lower left corner of the photograph below?


    Who am I/we?

  7. What was the first and last name of the Milwaukee Brewer who played in a grand total of twenty-six games because he refused to play baseball on Saturdays because of his religious beliefs?


  8. What was the first and last name of the fictional character who attended Emanuel College in Cambridge, apprenticed with Dr. James Bates and was named surgeon on a ship called the Swallow?


  9. What is the performing name of the television host featured in the screen shot below?



  10. What was the first and last name of the private detective who drove a car nicknamed the Hugemobile?

That's about it for this week! Good luck to everyone! Lock and load, rock and roll!







Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Collective Trivia Quiz: #3 for 2010!

Time for this week's trivia quiz! So pencils up, gray matter to the front and you may begin.

The Rules of the Game:


  1. You can use whatever source material you would like to for finding the answers: Google, Wikipedia, your own notes, books, or most anything else. Even your little gray cells.


  2. DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS TO THE COMMENT SECTION OF THIS BLOG! Email them to vigilante407@gmail.com. Make sure you include your name with your answers so I know who you are and you can get your share of those big trivia points.


  3. Answers are due in by Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 (11:59pm) Eastern Standard Time, or by the time I check my email on Wednesday morning.


  4. The game is scored on a pari-mutuel system, like the WWSP 90FM contest. Each question is worth 100 points, divided by the number of people who get it right. If you're the only one to get the answer, you get the whole 100 points for yourself. If five people get it right, the point value is down to 20 points.


  5. After the quiz is over, you will receive an email with the correct answers, point values and final standings. You can also usually see the final standings on Facebook, posted on my profile.


  6. Have fun with this! Don't be discouraged if you can't find every answer. Remember, we're doing this to keep in practice for the Big Show – the 54-hour long contest held by WWSP 90FM. Hopefully it will also sharpen your research skills for many a trivia contest out there as well.


  7. And as always, remember ... only you can prevent Forrest Tucker.


And now, away we go …




  1. What is the name of the fictional character featured in the picture below?





  2. According to erstwhile cartoon hero Porcupine Pete, it took which member of the Legion of Super-Heroes four attempts to finally become a Legionnaire?



  3. When small-screen character James Bennett demonstrated his incredible forging skills to his mother, he replicated five signatures. One was hers, one was of a religious figure and two were of past Presidents of the United States. The remaining forgery was the autograph of a famous sports figure. What was the first and last name used in that signature?



  4. I just gotta have my Pops! And I'd sure like to have that free limited edition alarm clock, too. I'm sure I can collect the Wake Up to Breakfast tokens I need to get it. What time does that stylish timepiece show on the front and back of the box of Kellogg's Corn Pops that offers it as a premium?


  5. What is the first and last name of the fictional character that was featured in a television series that usually opened with the following screen shot?




  6. Back in the early eighties, a rather strange toy came on the market. The fictional back story of the toy had odd creatures coming from a harsh volcanic planet around a distant red giant star. The monstrous beings had hyper-adhesive properties and the power to reshape their bodies at will, becoming rocks and logs to disguise themselves as they slept. The toys were available in three different styles. Name all three types of this unique, but only moderately successful toy.



  7. This baseball player is primarily famous not for what he did on the field but who he replaced on the field. He was also portrayed in a motion picture by an actual baseball player who played the same position he did. What is the first and last name of this baseball player?



  8. According to the 2,000 Year Old Man, you should listen to many people, including your mother and father, your grandmother and grandfather, an aunt and an uncle, a smart niece and a good-looking cousin. What is the name of the one person you should never, never listen to, because he or she is no good?


  9. Please download the following piece of music and identify the name of the musical piece being played.


    Unknown Song – Please right click and select 'Save as …' to download



  10. What is the name of the motion picture featured in the screen capture below?







That's about it for this week! Good luck to everyone and see you later, alligators!