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Ben Fernandez

Trivial Matters – October 2012

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It was so long ago that I was a kid, it is hard to remember being scared by Halloween, but we were. Radio shows and movies supplied a regular diet of well written horror stories that kept us awake at night. I can remember seeing a double feature of “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” on Christmas Eve. I wasn’t sure who I heard walking the house late that night—Santa Claus or a Universal Studios monster. I survived. You will too.

  1. Who played Dr. Frankenstein in the 1931 classic “The Bride of Frankenstein?”
  2.  What Oakland Raider Hall of Famer was famous for the play “Ghost to the Post?”
  3.  “Jeepers Creepers” was the name of a horse and a song from a movie “Going Places.” What famous musician sang the song “Jeepers Creepers” in the movie?
  4. We were told to turn the lights out before listening to this classic radio show, most of which scripts were written by Arch Oboler. What was the show?
  5. Who played Mrs. Muir on the TV series “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir?”
  6. What band leader turned singer made a hit of the song “Ghost Riders in the Sky?”

September Answers

  1. “Godfather” and Godfather Part II.” Vito Corleone. Marlon Brando and Robert DeNiro
  2. Alvin Dark
  3. North Carolina
  4. Raymond
  5. John Sparkman and Estes Kefauver
  6. Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer

SEPTEMBER WINNER: MR. NOBODY!

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate for Restaurante Forli in downtown Alamo, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by OCT. 20, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random.

Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters – September 2012

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Just some random nonsense while we try to outlast the hot weather.

  1. Two actors received Oscars for playing the same fictional character two years apart. What were the movies, name of the character and the Oscar winning actors?
  2. Dick Williams was the manager of the World Champion A’s in 1972 and 1973. Who was their manager when they won again in 1974?
  3.  We will miss Andy Griffith. We loved him as the sheriff of Mayberry RFD. In what state was Mayberry located?
  4. A creaking door would announce the beginning of the radio show “The Inner Sanctum” each week. Who was the sinister fictional host of the show?
  5. Who were the two different Vice Presidential running mates of Adlai Stevenson in his unsuccessful runs for the White House in 1952 and 1956?
  6. Who composed the lovely song “Days of Wine and Roses” and who wrote the lyrics?

 

 August Answers

  1. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
  2.  Jimmy Davenport
  3. Irving Berlin
  4.  Carroll O’Connor
  5.  Newscaster
  6. “Hot Stove League”

AUGUST WINNER:
LANNY MIDDINGS OF SAN RAMON

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate for Restaurante Forli in downtown Alamo, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by Sep. 20, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters – August 2012

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Sure is hot! We always think the current summer is the hottest, but finally, I think we are right?

  1. What famous husband and wife starred in the movie “The Long Hot Summer?”
  2. Who played in the first SF Giant game in 1958 at the “hot corner”, third base?
  3. Who wrote the song “We’re Having a Heat Wave?”
  4.  What veteran TV actor played the lead in the series “In the Heat of the Night?”
  5. What was Gabriel Heatter’s role in radio in the 30’s and 40’s?
  6.  When we talk baseball in the winter, what is that referred to?

 July Answers 

  1. Sir Sebastian Coe
  2. Tower of London
  3.  Doritos
  4. Jackie Cooper
  5.  Jose Feliciano
  6.  Eddie Cantor

JULY WINNER:
IRA WEINER OF ALAMO

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate for Restaurante Forli in downtown Alamo, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by August 20, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random.

Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters – July 2012

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Punishment for finishing second in the annual Kings X Trivia Tournament fell on me last month, when I had to prepare the questions for our monthly get together. Having done the work, I should share the nonsense with you folks. Here we go:

  1. What former distance runner is the chairman of the 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in London this year?
  2. At what famous location would you find Traitor’s Gate?
  3. What popular snack food was introduced at Disneyland in the 50s and 60s as a way to make use of certain leftovers?
  4. Who was the youngest actor to receive an Oscar nomination for a starring role?
  5. Who sang a controversial version of the “Star Spangled Banner” before a game in the 1968 World Series?
  6. Parkyakarkas was a comedy performer on whose radio show of the 40’s?

June 2012 Answers

  1. Indiana Pacers
  2. “Sands of Iwo Jima”
  3. Lake Titicaca
  4. Bailey and Spencer
  5. Ted Weems
  6. Zihuateno

JUNE WINNER: NONE!

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate for The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by July 20,
2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random.

Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without
notice.

Trivial Matters

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The umpteenth annual Kings X Trivia Tournament was held a couple weeks back at WPLJ in Walnut Creek. We still use the Kings X name to honor our log time headquarters in North Oakland, the famous “home of trivia.”

Unfortunately, my team lost in the finals to a good friend, Darrel Garrison and his team of stalwarts. Fortunately, we lost, so I do not have to host next year’s tournament, Darrel does. This year’s host was Rich Berkery, who did an exemplary job. You know the moderator has done well when there are no complaints afterward. Here a few of Rich’s gems.

  1. What team was the winningest in ABA history before they merged with the NBA?
  2. John Wayne won an Oscar for “True Grit.” For which other movie was he nominated for Best Actor?
  3. What lake is called “Lake in the Clouds?”
  4. What was the name of the detective agency on the TV show “77 Sunset Strip?”
  5. “Heartaches” was the song. Whose band played it on the popular recording of the 40’s?
  6. Morgan Freeman reunites with Tim Robbins in the final scene of “Shawshank Redemption” in what Mexican city?

 May Answers:

  1. Dreamt
  2. Berlin, Germany
  3. The Holy Roman Empire
  4. “The Color of Money”
  5. “Thieves”
  6. England and Scotland


MAY WINNER:
Joyce Granville of Pittsburg

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate for The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by June 20, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random.

Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters

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Just finished a wonderful cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii and back. Trivia games were played every day and were well attended. It goes to show you that elderly people have fun too. Let’s try some of Princess Cruise Lines’ questions. I am sure there is no licensing problem.

  1. What is the only word in the English language that ends with the letters “mt”?
  2. Where were the 1936 Summer Olympics played?
  3. Hitler coined his oppressive society as the Third Reich. What was the First Reich?
  4. In what movie did Paul Newman play “Fast Eddie Felson” and win an Oscar for doing so?
  5. Cher sang a song devoted to “Gypsies, Tramps and who?
  6. What two countries fought in the 1600s in the “Bishop’s War?”

April Answers

  1. Alvin Dark
  2. Buddy Ebse
  3. Jose Feliciano
  4. Jack Kemp
  5. Edie Hart
  6. Fibber McGee and Molly

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate for The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by May 20, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507.
Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters

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The umpteenth annual Kings X Trivia Tournament will be held at WPLJ in Walnut Creek on Sunday April 29, 2012 at noon. The tournament was first held at the historic Kings X restaurant in Oakland in 1978. The moderator will be a local Trivia superstar, Rich Berkery. Come down and watch, or, if you would like to join a team, contact me through ALIVE.

  1. Who played for the NY Giants in the ’51 World Series, managed the SF Giants in the ’62 World Series and managed the A’s in the ’74 World Series?
  2. Who played Audrey Hepburn’s husband in “Breakfast at Tiffanys”?
  3. Who played a controversial version of the “Star Spangled Banner” in the ’68 World Series?
  4. Who was Bob Dole’s Republican VP running mate in 1996?
  5. What was the name of Peter Gunn’s girl friend, played by Lola Albright, on the old TV show?
  6. Every time he opened the closet door on the old radio show, mountains of junk would pour out. What was the name of the show?

March Answers:

  1. Robert DeNiro
  2. Ralph Houk
  3. Dan Reeves
  4. Lonard Bernstein
  5. Sully Sullenberger
  6. Grand Central Station

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate at The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez!
Entries must be received by April 20, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible.
Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters

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I was in New York City when I received our editor’s request for material. So, with a New York state of mind, I submit the following:

  1. Who was the male lead of the movie “New York, New York?”
  2. Who managed the New York Yankees following Casey Stengel in 1960?
  3. Who was the coach of the New York Giants when they lost the Super Bowl to Baltimore in 2001?
  4.  Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra were sailors on leave in “On the Town.” Who wrote the music for that show?
  5. Who was the pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson River?
  6. A famous old radio show took its title from a famous NY destination. What was it?

February Answers

  1. “House of Blue Lights”
  2. “The Light that Failed”
  3.  “Blue Moon”
  4. “Blue velvet”
  5. Blue Laws

FEBRUARY WINNER:
BOBBY YOUNG OF SAN RAMON

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate at The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez! Entries must be received by March 20, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible.
Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters

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Last month, I contacted our editor, Eric, from a KMart in Scotts Valley, California. Eric accused me of characterizing this drivel as a “Blue Light Special.” I’ll show him!

  1. In the 40’s, there was a song that advertised “Fryers, broilers and Detroit Barbecued Grits. What was the name of that eating establishment?
  2. Westinghouse sponsored the TV show “Studio One” in the 50’s. They refused to air a Kipling classic due to the possible reflection on their product. What was the name of that Kiplng work?
  3.  What was Johnny Odom’s nickname as an Oakland A’s pitcher?
  4.  It was the weirdest movie of the late 70’s, directed by David Lynch and featuring Dennis Hopper as a hopped up Gangster. What was it?
  5. What were the laws that existed in several states that did not allow alcohol to be dispensed on Sundays?
  6. Speaking of Scotts Valley, who was the famous movie director who owned a house there that overlooked Monterey Bay?

January Answers:

  1. Will Ferrell in “Elf”
  2.  Hank Bauer
  3.  Bob Dylan
  4.  The tattooed man
  5.  Orson Welles
  6.  Arnold Johnson

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate at The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez!

Entries must be received by Feb. 15, 2012. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200 A Danville Blvd., Ste. 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Trivial Matters

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Congrats to ALIVE for starting their 7th season. Keep up the good work. In keeping with this theme we submit the following:

  1. Who was the Oscar winning actor who played the killer in an unbilled part in “Seven?” (displayed as Se7en on the marquee)?
  2. The most famous starting line in the late 30’s (they played both offense and defense in those days) was the Fordham line of 1939. One of their players was Vince Lombardi. What were they called?
  3. Colossus of Rhodes and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are members of what famous group?
  4. “Seven, that’s the time we leave at seven” are lyrics from a Doris Day hit song. What is that song?
  5. When do baseball fans take a stretch during a game?
  6. What was the name of the misfit gunmen hired to save a Mexican town, led by Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen?

November Answers

  1. Anaheim, Azusa and Cucomonga
  2. Senator Claghorn
  3. Edgar Bergen
  4. Hudson High
  5. Cecil B. DeMille
  6. The Mystic Knights of the Sea

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate at The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez!
Entries must be received by December 20, 2011. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 3200A Danville Blvd., Suite 204, Alamo, CA 94507. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible.
Restaurant may be changed without notice.

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