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Who's Asking?


Today, in a change to my usual output, I thought I’d set a quiz.

I put it together for the one and only time I assumed the role of Question Master, for a quiz at The Croft in Hitchin back in 2013. The owner was stuck for someone to run it, so I put my hand up (not a euphemism).

I really enjoyed compiling it. The main challenge was judging what was difficult and what wasn’t. Just because you know something doesn’t mean it’s general knowledge to everyone else. My tastes are pretty niche (and firmly rooted in the 1960s & 70s) – and I didn’t want my questions to solely reflect that.

I haven’t included my favourite round, which was Guess the Song Intro, for fear of copyright infringement. One thing I will share is the best three incorrect answers of the night:

·      QUESTION: "Who played the title role in Monty Python's 'Life of Brian'?
ANSWER: "The gay one".
·      QUESTION: “Name the Famous Five?
ANSWER: "Peter, Jane, Bunty, Charlie & Scruff".
·      QUESTION: "Name the Famous Five"
ANSWER: "Johnny, Snowy, Jennifer, George, David & Quentin".

…that’s SIX.

I’ll post the answers tomorrow, on the off-chance you don’t Google them first. Enjoy.
 
Round One: Names.

1) Gerald Wiley was a pseudonym for which famous comic actor and writer?  
2) Give the Christian names of the four members of The Beatles, as they appear on their birth certificates.
3) What is the real name of the magician ‘The Great Soprendo’?
4) Who is Richard Wayne Penniman better known as? 
5) What are the first names of the two original Blues Brothers? (Characters, not actors).
6) Name the Three Musketeers.
7) What are the first names of The Famous Five?
8) What is the only letter of the alphabet which does not appear in any of the names of the 50 American states?
9) What are the names of the four stations on a Monopoly board?
10) Under what stage name is John Eric Bartholomew better known as?

  Round Two: Films

1) Who directed the Back to the Future Trilogy?
2) What was the name of the character played by Leslie Nielsen in the ‘Naked Gun’ series?
3) `The Hunt for Red October`, `Patriot Games` and `Clear and Present Danger` are all based on the novels of which author?
4) Name the six films in the James Bond series with one-word titles. 
5) What is the name of the 1985 Disney sequel to ‘The Wizard of Oz’? 
6) Which 1959 comedy classic ends with the line, ‘Well, nobody’s perfect’? 
7) The song ‘Smile’, most widely-associated with Nat King Cole, was co-written by which iconic actor and film-maker?
8) Who played the title role in the final installment of the Carry On series, ‘Carry On, Columbus’?
9) What is the name of the spy that Cary Grant is mistaken for in the 1959 Hitchcock classic, ‘North By Northwest’?
10) What is the title of the sixth film in the original Star Trek franchise?
 
Round Three: General Knowledge

1)    Who was the Teddy Bear named after?
2)    Which Dickens novel starts with the line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”?
3)    How many are there in a Baker’s Dozen?
4)    Which British submarine sunk the General Belgrano during the Falklands War?
5)    Which three teams have won the FA Cup Final the most?
6)    What nationality is Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot?
7)    Who wrote the novel ‘The Woman in Black’, on which both the film and stage show were based?
8)    Who played the title role Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’?
9)    Which Shakespeare play features perhaps the finest unexplained stage direction of all time, “Exeunt pursued by a bear”?
10) What year was JFK assassinated?
 
Round Five: Table Round: 1960s Lyrics

All of the following are taken from the lyrics of a popular sixties hit. You score one point if you can name the correct title, and another if you can name the original artist.

1)    “I was all right for a while, I could smile for a while.”
2)    “Life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting, my friend."
3)    “Over the Bridge of Sighs, to rest my eyes in shades of green."
4)    “Please allow me to introduce myself."
5)    “Imagine me and you, I do."
6)    “On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be."
7)    “The pump don’t work ‘cos the vandals took the handles.”
8)    “Flies are in your pea soup, baby, they’re waving at me."
9)    “And when I'm sad, you're a clown. And if I get scared, you're always around.” 
10) “I know you’ve deceived me, now here’s a surprise.”
11) “I got so much honey the bees envy me."
12) “She makes the Indy500 look like a Roman chariot race now."

This is Magnus Magnussonephgrave, signing off.
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