First contender up this week was Richard Heller. Richard Heller is a well known and respected writer, but in Mastermind terms he's best known for reaching the final of the 2006 series, where he lost to the Reverend Richard Sturch. He was answering questions on W.C.Fields, and did well to score 14 and 2 passes. Not as well as Beth Maclure, though. Beth, who has described herself in the past as a serial Mastermind contender, answered on Magritte in the last series. This year she took a completely different tack, answering brilliantly on the TV series Jonathan Creek, to score 16 and 1 pass. Two newcomers , Norman Macgregor-Edwards on Tacitus, and Adam O'Brien on Keith Moon, completed the round. Mr. Macgregor-Edwards struggled somewhat to score 9 , on what seemed to my layman's ears to be a very fair set of questions. Mr. O'Brien did rather better, scoring 14 and no passes.
I did feel Mr. Macgregor-Edwards had a tough set of general knowledge questions, to take him to 18, and Mr. O'Brien reached 21. Then Richard Heller put on quite a virtuoso display to score 14 to take him to 28. Beth Maclure kept her composure well, but ran out of time, and finished on 25. Hard lines on Beth to be drawn against a former finalist.
John Humphrys himself seemed very impressed with Mr. Heller's score, calling it a very high score at the end of the show. And who's to say that he won't reach a second final ? At the very least, we have the interesting situation of 2 previous finalists- Richard Heller and Mel Kinsey - already reaching this years semis. Both of them scored 28 in the heats this year as well. What are the odds of both of them getting to the final again ? Heart says yes - head says unlikely.
The Details
| Richard Heller | W.C.Fields | 14 - 2 | 14 - 0 | 28 - 2 |
| Beth Maclure | Jonathan Creek | 16 - 1 | 9 - 1 | 25 - 2 |
| Norman MacGregor-Edwards | Tacitus | 9 - 1 | 9 - 3 | 18 - 4 |
Adam O'Brien | Keith Moon | 14 - 0 | 7 - 5 | 21 - 5 |
Great excitement this week when I received an email from David Bodycombe, Question Editor for Only Connect. Yes, he must read this blog ! So you see, gentle reader, you are in very good company indeed. And this is the reason why I am asking for you, the reader, to help. According to Mr. Bodycombe,
"There's no news on a second series yet, but if you want to "do your bit" then you can add your voice to BBC Four's Have Your Say page:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/yoursay/only-connect.shtml
So please, if, like me, you're a regular viewer, please add your voice, and you never know, we may even persuade them to give it an airing on terrestrial TV.
This week Dave Roberts and Nigel Lewis of the Country Walkers - and also Double Trouble in the Dynevor Arms Quiz in Groesfaen - lost out on another close contest. It seemed to me that they were shading the contest, especially on the connections wall, but the missing vowels round did for them in the end. Hard lines guys - but well done for a damn good game.
Are You An Egghead ? Tuesday 2nd December
I haven't got a lot to add to my earlier post from this week, where I explained how a BBC2 continuity announcer managed to rob me of any pleasure in watching the final. It turns out that on internet and other listings the Tuesday edition of Eggheads had been advertised all day as featuring the newest Egghead, Barry Simmons. It was possible to read this before the final was even shown ! Well done BBC !
It struck me as a little odd changing the format for the final. They hadn't mentioned this would happen before we actually got to the final. Oh well. Once again, congratulations to Barry. I have to say, I pity the poor teams who have to play on the occasions when Barry , Chris , Daphne and Kevin are all on the same day.
University Challenge
Before we get on to the this week's show, a quick mention of the Archergate controversy. James Archer, who appeared last week on the losing King's College Cambridge team, has apparently been interviewed by the police for wearing an RAF style greatcoat with medal ribbons. Apparently viewers rang to complain that he was impersonating an RAF officer, which is an offence. I can't help thinking that maybe someone at the BBC might have thought to suggest to Mr. Archer that , just for the show, a different form of dress might be appropriate.
Well, back to this week's show. I'm afraid that for the second week running we saw a team on the absolute top of their game give a good old British style six of the best, trousers down, to the opposition. Corpus Christi Oxford almost reached the magic 300 points against Edinburgh, defeating them by 295 points to 85.Edinburgh, you may recall, won the very finest match in the first round when they defeated King's ( and Mr. Archer ) by 190 points to 180.One more point to finish. All four winning teams in the second round so far have scored more than 250. That's a hell of a good standard - and promises some great semi finals.
Thank you
A special thank you this week to Will Jones , who emailed me this week to inform me that he was going to plug this blog in "Team Times", the Newsletter of the very prestigious Quiz League of London. Mr. Jones has been as good as his word. So welcome to any new readers, and thank you very much !
Thursday, 4 December 2008
The Question Master Is Always Right - continued
Sports Department
Whose hand did Hitler refuse to shake on the Opening Day of the Berlin Olympic Games of 1936 ?
If its the 1936 Olympics, then the answer must be :-
Jesse Owens
After all, he won 4 gold medals, so there are 4 chances for you to be right. All the more pity then, that its not true. Its easy to see how the confusion has arisen. This is what really happened. Hitler personally congratulated the winners of the first few events on the first day, inviting them up to where he was sitting in the stands. Seeing that the High Jump event was obviously being fought out between two black american athletes, he left the stadium before it was won by
Cornelius Johnson
IOC president Henri de Baillet Latour, very unhappy about this behaviour, informed Hitler that if he was going to congratulate any of the winners on a particular day, he should congratulate all of them on that day. So from then on, Hitler did not personally congratulate any of the winners. He didn't snub Owens any more than he snubbed almost all of the other gold medal winners. The only person you can really say that he snubbed was Cornelius Johnson. But its a better story if you bring Owens into it.
Advice : - If you want to ask about Owens, ask how many golds he won, or what events he won them in. If you want to ask about Cornelius Johnson, then don't bother, because no one will get it right.
Who was the first person to knock down Muhammed Ali ( Cassius Clay ) in a professional fight ?
I don't think that the person who asked this got the answer from a quiz book, I think he just assumed that his answer was correct, which is a dangerous thing for any of us to do. Naturally he gave the answer -
Henry Cooper
as did every single team in the quiz. Me included. I was 'playing the man and not the ball' since I thought it was highly unlikely that the question master would have the correct answer, which is :-
Sonny Banks
who knocked Ali/Clay down in the first round of their 1962 fight.
Advice: - the coin is in the air in this one. If you know the question master , then make your mind up - would he be likely to know this ? If not, then play the percentages.
Section 5 : Science, Technology and Business
Who Invented What ?
Invention rarely happens in a vacuum. Unless its a hoover or a thermos flask . Sometimes, its more difficult than you think to trace the precise stage in its development that something became what we think it is today. This of course provides fertile ground for wrong'uns to proliferate.
Who invented the steam engine ?
Any schoolboy ( well, any schoolboy of the 50s, 60s or 70s ) can tell you that the inventor of the steam engine, inspired by watching steam lift the lid off a kettle, was
James Watt
This begs the question - how is it that
Thomas Savery
built a practical working steam engine to pump water out of a mine some 30 years before James Watt was even born ? The fact is that both Newcomen, and later Watt refined the design of the steam engine, in Watt's case making it hugely more efficient, and practical for use in factories and mills. But as for Savery, he is the first known to have built an engine powered by steam, but he can't claim to have invented the principle of using steam to produce power. That title goes to one
Hero of Alexandria
and he drew up plans for a working steam engine a little earlier than Savery's machine. Two thousand years earlier, in fact. Working models based on Hero's plans have been made.
Some people say steam engine when what they really mean is steam locomotive. So if you really mean : -
Who invented the first steam locomotive ?
then that would surely be
George Stephenson
wouldn't it ? After all, he was the one on the £5 note for a few years, wasn't he ? Well, he was on the fiver alright, but he never invented the steam locomotive at all. So why does he get credit ? Well, his locomotive, The Locomotion Number 1 , pulled the first train on the world's first steam powered passenger train line. While we're stripping away myths from poor old George, its probably unfair to say that he created Stephenson's Rocket. Although he was involved, the bulk of the credit should probably go to his son Robert.
So then the credit for the first steam locomotive goes to Cornishman
Richard Trevithick
To be fair it normally does. Trevithick's machine was the first steam powered vehicle to run under its own power along a railway, constructed at the Penydarren Iron works near Merthyr Tydfil.
However, its not quite as simple as that. Prior to building his railway engine, Trevithick had built a steam road vehicle, which amazed onlookers as it chugged its way up Cambourne hill, and then scared the living daylights out of them when it exploded while Trevithick was in the pub. But if this vehicle counts, then surely so does the steam powered car of French engineer
Nicolas Cugnot
He invented the world's first self propelled vehicle , a steam powered car for moving large artillery pieces. Its first, and last demonstration was in 1768. The thing was so hard to control that it crashed into a wall. However it did move itself.
Advice: - Approach with caution. If you mean engine, say engine, not locomotive. Define whether you want to people to tell you the one who invented the idea, or the first working engine. If you mean locomotive, say locomotive, and probably better still, say railway locomotive. Then the answer is Trevithick, and your conscience is clear.
What was the name of the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean ?
This is a question which can always raise a groan from a serious quizzer. Its something of an oddity, in that there are several plausible answers, yet the answer most often given by question masters , namely
Brunel’s SS Great Western
isn’t one of them. It works like this. The first steamship to cross the Atlantic is usually accepted to be the
SS Savannah
Which crossed from Savannah, Georgia to Liverpool in 1819, some 18 years before the Great Western. However its fairly certain that it did not use steam power for the whole journey, or anything like it. So The question is really which was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic using steam all the way ? But then even if you ask the question this way, the answer is the
SS Sirius
Setting sail four days before the Great Western, she crossed solely under steam power, and arrived in New York the day before the Great Western. The Great Western stole the headlines for making the faster crossing, but the Sirius got there first.
Advice : Make it crystal clear what you want in the way you ask the question. Actually say that you want the first steam ship to cross , however much or little it used steam, or the first steamship to cross totally under steam power. And however you ask it, the answer can’t be The Great Western.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Stop Press - Are You An Egghead ?
Congratulations to Barry Simmons, television's newest Egghead.You have to say he never looked like losing any of the matches he was involved in.Commiserations to Shaun Wallace, 2004 Mastermind Champion, who had played so well to reach the final.
A huge raspberry to the BBC. I got home at about 5:45 this evening. It was too early tobe able to get the final on the iplayer. So my wife and I watched the celebrity Bargain Hunt on BBC2. Immediately afterwards, the BBC2 continuity announcer told us that Eggheads was to follow featuring newest Egghead Barry Simmons ! Thus completely ruining the final for me, and I am sure plenty of others. Thanks a lot !
A huge raspberry to the BBC. I got home at about 5:45 this evening. It was too early tobe able to get the final on the iplayer. So my wife and I watched the celebrity Bargain Hunt on BBC2. Immediately afterwards, the BBC2 continuity announcer told us that Eggheads was to follow featuring newest Egghead Barry Simmons ! Thus completely ruining the final for me, and I am sure plenty of others. Thanks a lot !
Sunday, 30 November 2008
The Question Master Is Always Right - Part Three
Religion, the Bible, Mythology and the classical world
Religion, the Bible, and Mythology is an ever popular subject for quiz setters. Its also a subject with huge scope for getting it wrong. Confusion over which names are Greek , and which are Roman alone is enough to keep you supplied with wrong’uns for months.
Norse Mythology. What name did the Vikings give to Heaven ?
If you ask it like that, this is a horrible question. The normal answer given to this question is
Valhalla
Now, in Norse mythology Valhalla ( literal translation Hall of the slain ) was situated in the heavens. But Valhalla was only part of the Norse heavens. It was the building where the souls of men slain in battle were taken by the valkyries, and it formed one part of the home of the Gods. However the whole of the home of the Gods, which is the closest idea that the pagan Norse had to Heaven, was called
Asgard ( or Asgarth )
This is far more accurate.
Advice :- If the answer you want them to give is Valhalla, then make sure you mention that it’s the place where the souls of dead warriors went, then there’s no confusion.
If you want Asgard as the answer – then ask what the Vikings called heaven, which contained Valhalla.
Norse Mythology. What did the Vikings call the Underworld ?
This is similar to the previous question. Except that the usual answer – which is again
Valhalla
is totally wrong. The dead souls of the ordinary Joe and Josephine Public were sent down to a place presided over by the Goddess Hel – which is where we get the word Hell from. However this is not the correct answer. The correct answer is
Niflheim ( pronounced Niffle-hime )
and anything else is wrong.
Advice: - Only ask this one if you are looking for a particularly hard question, and when you ask it say ‘Valhalla is NOT the answer ‘
Greeks and Romans. Who was who ?
Greek Roman Gods were pretty much equivalent, and yet they had different names. If you’re asked :-
Who was the king of the Gods in Greek Mythology ? –
then some of the time the answer given will be :-
Jupiter
This is wrong. Jupiter was the Roman one.
Advice : - It doesn’t take a lot to spell it out clearly what you want. If you want the Roman name, then give them the Greek one in the question, or vice versa.
The Seven Wonders of the World
Whose temple at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the World ?
Oh dear. This is a prime example of a question which requires you to play the man not the ball. Ask yourself - is your question master the type of person to say
Diana
If that's the answer he gives, I'm sorry, but he's wrong. Ephesus, though in modern Turkey, was part of the Greek Hellenic world when the temple was built, and they built it to worship
Artemis
Now, I grant you that Diana is the roman equivalent of Artemis. But does your question master know that ? If he doesn't , then he may have Diana, and you'll get nothing for putting Artemis.
Advice: It doesn't take much effort to get it right. The answer is Artemis - but allow Diana.
Whose Temple at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the World ?
Almost a carbon copy of the previous question. Olympia was and is still in Greece, and they worshipped the greek Gods, not their roman equivalents. So
Jupiter
is , at best, inaccurate. The correct answer is
Zeus
but will your question master know that ?
Advice: Look for Zeus, but allow Jupiter as well. Even better, ask it like this : -
The temple at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the world , was dedicated to which God, whose roman equivalent is Jupiter ?
Which of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World are situated in Greece/Turkey ?
That's an unanswerable question in the way that its been asked. Two of the wonders in Turkey today - The Temple of Artemis - , and the Mausoleum were actually in what was Greece when they were built. So is that Greece or Turkey ?
Advice: Make it clear in the question . Ask - which of the 7 wonders of the world are to be found in modern day Greece/Turkey.
Who was responsible for Santa Claus being depicted with a red suit ?
I'll bet you always thought that this was
Coca Cola
So did every question master who has ever asked the question. The fact is that in the USA, depictions of Santa Claus through the 20s had settled on red for the standard colour of Santa's robes, and this was ten years before the first time that Santa was used in a coke advert.
Advice : - there's no alternative answer, but its a wrong'un, I'm afraid.
There is a certain type , a certain sub genre of wrong'uns which I like to think of as the "name a hairy dog " questions. This name comes from the old Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer spoof game/quiz show, which used to end with a quick fire round of questions such as -
"Name a hairy Dog ?"
"Old English Sheepdog "
"No, I'm sorry, it was an alsatian."
These are questions where the question master implies that there is only one correct answer - when in fact there are several possibilities, and unless you can read his mind, there's no guarantee that yours will be the one he wants. Here are some examples.
Which animal or creature was sacred to the ancient Egyptians ?
Ninety nine times out of a hundred you can be sure that the question master will give you the answer:-
cats
Quite right too, they were sacred in Ancient Egypt. The trouble is, so were a lot of other creatures. Egyptian society was polytheistic - worshipping many deities, and different ones were sacred to different gods. So while cats were sacred, so too were others, including :-
scarlet ibis - bull - jackal - crocodile and even dung beetle ( scarab ) .
this is to name just a few examples.
Advice - if you hear the question asked in a quiz - your safest bet is to give cat as the answer. If you're the one setting the quiz, then don't ask this one unless you're prepared to qualify it - eg - In Ancient Egypt, which creatures were sacred to the goddess Bast ? ( Now that was just cats )
In the Old Testament, which wood was the Ark made from ?
There are two possible answers to this question. Remarkably, neither of these is the answer usually given by question masters. On more than one occasion the answer has been given in a quiz as
Cedars of Lebanon
This is just pure laziness, since the correct answer can be found in the Old Testament if the question master bothered to look. It was the Temple of Solomon, the first temple in Jerusalem that was built from the Cedars of Lebanon.
Still , taking it for granted that the question master has the correct answer down, you confidently jot down your answer ,
Gopher wood
Then when he tells you that the answer is
Acacia
you start to become very annoyed. Yet both of you are right. Noah's Ark was built of gopher wood - it says so in the Book of Genesis , even though nobody really knows what gopher wood was. But The Ark of the Covenant was built of acacia. So you are both right - only you don't get the point for it. Why ? Because the question master has failed to specify what he wants from you.
Advice - to the Question master - say which one it is that you want - Noah's or Covenant. to the quizzer - if the question master can't or won't specify, then write down both eg - Noah's= gopher wood and Covenant = acacia.
Religion, the Bible, and Mythology is an ever popular subject for quiz setters. Its also a subject with huge scope for getting it wrong. Confusion over which names are Greek , and which are Roman alone is enough to keep you supplied with wrong’uns for months.
Norse Mythology. What name did the Vikings give to Heaven ?
If you ask it like that, this is a horrible question. The normal answer given to this question is
Valhalla
Now, in Norse mythology Valhalla ( literal translation Hall of the slain ) was situated in the heavens. But Valhalla was only part of the Norse heavens. It was the building where the souls of men slain in battle were taken by the valkyries, and it formed one part of the home of the Gods. However the whole of the home of the Gods, which is the closest idea that the pagan Norse had to Heaven, was called
Asgard ( or Asgarth )
This is far more accurate.
Advice :- If the answer you want them to give is Valhalla, then make sure you mention that it’s the place where the souls of dead warriors went, then there’s no confusion.
If you want Asgard as the answer – then ask what the Vikings called heaven, which contained Valhalla.
Norse Mythology. What did the Vikings call the Underworld ?
This is similar to the previous question. Except that the usual answer – which is again
Valhalla
is totally wrong. The dead souls of the ordinary Joe and Josephine Public were sent down to a place presided over by the Goddess Hel – which is where we get the word Hell from. However this is not the correct answer. The correct answer is
Niflheim ( pronounced Niffle-hime )
and anything else is wrong.
Advice: - Only ask this one if you are looking for a particularly hard question, and when you ask it say ‘Valhalla is NOT the answer ‘
Greeks and Romans. Who was who ?
Greek Roman Gods were pretty much equivalent, and yet they had different names. If you’re asked :-
Who was the king of the Gods in Greek Mythology ? –
then some of the time the answer given will be :-
Jupiter
This is wrong. Jupiter was the Roman one.
Advice : - It doesn’t take a lot to spell it out clearly what you want. If you want the Roman name, then give them the Greek one in the question, or vice versa.
The Seven Wonders of the World
Whose temple at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the World ?
Oh dear. This is a prime example of a question which requires you to play the man not the ball. Ask yourself - is your question master the type of person to say
Diana
If that's the answer he gives, I'm sorry, but he's wrong. Ephesus, though in modern Turkey, was part of the Greek Hellenic world when the temple was built, and they built it to worship
Artemis
Now, I grant you that Diana is the roman equivalent of Artemis. But does your question master know that ? If he doesn't , then he may have Diana, and you'll get nothing for putting Artemis.
Advice: It doesn't take much effort to get it right. The answer is Artemis - but allow Diana.
Whose Temple at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the World ?
Almost a carbon copy of the previous question. Olympia was and is still in Greece, and they worshipped the greek Gods, not their roman equivalents. So
Jupiter
is , at best, inaccurate. The correct answer is
Zeus
but will your question master know that ?
Advice: Look for Zeus, but allow Jupiter as well. Even better, ask it like this : -
The temple at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the world , was dedicated to which God, whose roman equivalent is Jupiter ?
Which of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World are situated in Greece/Turkey ?
That's an unanswerable question in the way that its been asked. Two of the wonders in Turkey today - The Temple of Artemis - , and the Mausoleum were actually in what was Greece when they were built. So is that Greece or Turkey ?
Advice: Make it clear in the question . Ask - which of the 7 wonders of the world are to be found in modern day Greece/Turkey.
Who was responsible for Santa Claus being depicted with a red suit ?
I'll bet you always thought that this was
Coca Cola
So did every question master who has ever asked the question. The fact is that in the USA, depictions of Santa Claus through the 20s had settled on red for the standard colour of Santa's robes, and this was ten years before the first time that Santa was used in a coke advert.
Advice : - there's no alternative answer, but its a wrong'un, I'm afraid.
There is a certain type , a certain sub genre of wrong'uns which I like to think of as the "name a hairy dog " questions. This name comes from the old Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer spoof game/quiz show, which used to end with a quick fire round of questions such as -
"Name a hairy Dog ?"
"Old English Sheepdog "
"No, I'm sorry, it was an alsatian."
These are questions where the question master implies that there is only one correct answer - when in fact there are several possibilities, and unless you can read his mind, there's no guarantee that yours will be the one he wants. Here are some examples.
Which animal or creature was sacred to the ancient Egyptians ?
Ninety nine times out of a hundred you can be sure that the question master will give you the answer:-
cats
Quite right too, they were sacred in Ancient Egypt. The trouble is, so were a lot of other creatures. Egyptian society was polytheistic - worshipping many deities, and different ones were sacred to different gods. So while cats were sacred, so too were others, including :-
scarlet ibis - bull - jackal - crocodile and even dung beetle ( scarab ) .
this is to name just a few examples.
Advice - if you hear the question asked in a quiz - your safest bet is to give cat as the answer. If you're the one setting the quiz, then don't ask this one unless you're prepared to qualify it - eg - In Ancient Egypt, which creatures were sacred to the goddess Bast ? ( Now that was just cats )
In the Old Testament, which wood was the Ark made from ?
There are two possible answers to this question. Remarkably, neither of these is the answer usually given by question masters. On more than one occasion the answer has been given in a quiz as
Cedars of Lebanon
This is just pure laziness, since the correct answer can be found in the Old Testament if the question master bothered to look. It was the Temple of Solomon, the first temple in Jerusalem that was built from the Cedars of Lebanon.
Still , taking it for granted that the question master has the correct answer down, you confidently jot down your answer ,
Gopher wood
Then when he tells you that the answer is
Acacia
you start to become very annoyed. Yet both of you are right. Noah's Ark was built of gopher wood - it says so in the Book of Genesis , even though nobody really knows what gopher wood was. But The Ark of the Covenant was built of acacia. So you are both right - only you don't get the point for it. Why ? Because the question master has failed to specify what he wants from you.
Advice - to the Question master - say which one it is that you want - Noah's or Covenant. to the quizzer - if the question master can't or won't specify, then write down both eg - Noah's= gopher wood and Covenant = acacia.
On the Subject of Subjects : -
Specialist Subjects
If you read my last entry, you'll know that I commented that Friday's Mastermind featured my favourite unusual specialist subject of this series so far - Rare Breeds of British Farm Animals. This led me to thinking about the whole issue of specialist subjects. Every year since the BBCTV revival in 2003 we've had to endure the same old 'dumbing down ' controversy, and the same complaints that too many 'popular' entertainment or popular culture based subjects are being allowed.
In 2007, in my first round heat, Stacey Mitchell answered questions on the Life and Career of Jennifer Aniston. For the amount of national comment this raised, you'd think that Stacey had committed some gross outrage to decency.
I've tried to categorise the specialist subjects we've seen so far this year. This isn't always easy since some specialist subjects sit comfortably in two categoris - eg - Genghis Khan is both biographical and historical. In cases where it is the life of a single person I have always counted it as a biographical subject. Likewise, The Mod Movement in britain is certainly social history, but I have included it within Popular Culture and Entertainment, rather than History. This is purely a personal decision. So , here we go: -
looking at this its easy to see that the 'traditonal Mastermind subjects - History - biographical subjects - books - are still very much to the fore. Even sport, which has its own specialist series now - has so far provided more specialist subjects than Entertainment and Popular Culture.
As regards the argument that a Popular Culture Entertainment subject gives you a better chance of winning - well of the 13 heat winners so far, sport - history - biographical - and pop culture/entertainment have each provided 2 winners. Literature and books have provided 5 winners. So - just using this series so far as our guide, you could say that these are your chances of winning a heat, based on your choice of specialist subject:-
So if you go by this, there is nothing like the advantage from taking a popular culture/entertainment subject that there is from taking literature/books.
Of course, this is open to question. For one thing it doesn't take in the actual scores in the subjects. For another thing , performance in the specialist subject is clearly only one factor in deciding whether a contender does or doesn't win - quality of general knowledge and quality of opponents being every bit as important. However it does tend to back up my personal feelings on the subject - that a contender certainly does not receive any unfair advantage from choosing a pop culture/entertainment specialist subject. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there are occasions when it works in the opposite way. In my opinion the hardest set of specialist questions to prepare for in the 2007 Grand Final were those of Sandra Piddock. Her specialist topic ? 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum '. I don't believe for one moment that anyone who chooses a topic from this category has to do any less work, or put in any less dedication time and effort than any of the other contenders. So why do people moan about it then ? I'm guessing, and this is only a guess, I admit, but I'm guessing that elitism has a lot to do with it.
One final word on this subject. Go to any pub quiz, any League Quiz - watch any quiz on television. Pop culture questions will feature. They are an accepted - even important - genre within the quizzing world. As a genre, it has no more, and just as importantly , no less value than any other.
If you read my last entry, you'll know that I commented that Friday's Mastermind featured my favourite unusual specialist subject of this series so far - Rare Breeds of British Farm Animals. This led me to thinking about the whole issue of specialist subjects. Every year since the BBCTV revival in 2003 we've had to endure the same old 'dumbing down ' controversy, and the same complaints that too many 'popular' entertainment or popular culture based subjects are being allowed.
In 2007, in my first round heat, Stacey Mitchell answered questions on the Life and Career of Jennifer Aniston. For the amount of national comment this raised, you'd think that Stacey had committed some gross outrage to decency.
I've tried to categorise the specialist subjects we've seen so far this year. This isn't always easy since some specialist subjects sit comfortably in two categoris - eg - Genghis Khan is both biographical and historical. In cases where it is the life of a single person I have always counted it as a biographical subject. Likewise, The Mod Movement in britain is certainly social history, but I have included it within Popular Culture and Entertainment, rather than History. This is purely a personal decision. So , here we go: -
| Category | Number of contenders |
| Biographical | 11 |
| Literature- books | 11 |
| History | 10 |
| Sport | 7 |
| Popular Culture and Entertainment | 6 |
| Science and Technology | 2 |
| Geography | 2 |
| Politics | 1 |
| Religion | 1 |
| Natural world | 1 |
looking at this its easy to see that the 'traditonal Mastermind subjects - History - biographical subjects - books - are still very much to the fore. Even sport, which has its own specialist series now - has so far provided more specialist subjects than Entertainment and Popular Culture.
As regards the argument that a Popular Culture Entertainment subject gives you a better chance of winning - well of the 13 heat winners so far, sport - history - biographical - and pop culture/entertainment have each provided 2 winners. Literature and books have provided 5 winners. So - just using this series so far as our guide, you could say that these are your chances of winning a heat, based on your choice of specialist subject:-
| Subject | % chance of winning |
| Literature | 45% |
| Pop culture/entertainment | 33% |
| Sport | 29% |
| History | 20% |
| Biographical | 18% |
| Others | 0% |
So if you go by this, there is nothing like the advantage from taking a popular culture/entertainment subject that there is from taking literature/books.
Of course, this is open to question. For one thing it doesn't take in the actual scores in the subjects. For another thing , performance in the specialist subject is clearly only one factor in deciding whether a contender does or doesn't win - quality of general knowledge and quality of opponents being every bit as important. However it does tend to back up my personal feelings on the subject - that a contender certainly does not receive any unfair advantage from choosing a pop culture/entertainment specialist subject. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there are occasions when it works in the opposite way. In my opinion the hardest set of specialist questions to prepare for in the 2007 Grand Final were those of Sandra Piddock. Her specialist topic ? 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum '. I don't believe for one moment that anyone who chooses a topic from this category has to do any less work, or put in any less dedication time and effort than any of the other contenders. So why do people moan about it then ? I'm guessing, and this is only a guess, I admit, but I'm guessing that elitism has a lot to do with it.
One final word on this subject. Go to any pub quiz, any League Quiz - watch any quiz on television. Pop culture questions will feature. They are an accepted - even important - genre within the quizzing world. As a genre, it has no more, and just as importantly , no less value than any other.
Friday, 28 November 2008
TV Watch - 28th November
Mastermind - Heat 13/24
So we begin the second half of the heats.We've yet to see a score of 30 or more this series, but alas, no such pyrotechnics await tonight. I think we have 4 Mastermind virgins in this all male line up. However, the third contender, Martin Nichols, has the same name as a contender from 1976. Are they one and the same person ? Its possible, but then Mr. Nichols would have been an extremely young contender at the time if indeed 'twas him. So on balance I think not.
So, on to the show. Stuart Macdonald raced off to lead at the halfway stage with 14. Poor Mr. Nichols found his knowledge of the Arthur C. Clarke ( and Gentry Lee ) Rama novels melting into oblivion, and it was only on the last question that he managed to score his 4th point. Worthy of mention too is my favourite unusual specialist subject of this series so far - as Karl Byrne answered on Rare Breeds of British Farm Animals.
In a week when all of the general knowledge rounds seem very fair and balanced nobody really impressed. Mr. Nichols found a little redemption, getting into double figures to score 11 for the round and 15 overall. At least this meant that for a couple of minutes he was actually in the lead. Mr Geoffrey Lim, a very well travelled student originally from Singapore struggled his way to 16. Karl Byrne then pushed the target to 19, but Stuart Macdonald powered his way past this, levelling out at a combined score of 26. So he has a chance - although I think he'll need to do a bit better on GK to have a good chance of reaching the finals.
The details
University Challenge
An all-Cambridge match up this week. St. John's - so impressive in the first round, took on Kings. Actually it wasn't much of a match, since the rampant St. John's team scored 345 to Kings' 125. At least JP had the decency to thank them for the enjoyment their earlier performances had given us in this series. On this kind of form you would fancy St. John's have as good a chance of winning the series as any, and a match between them and the LSE would be very worth watching.
Only Connect
This week's second round match saw The Bankers take on the IT Supporters. Much as I like this show - and I really do - I have to admit that often I'm a little way behind the teams in working out the connection, but tonight I thought that the teams made a little heavy weather out of some of the connections, and the wall. Still, it was another exciting match up, with a tie break to finish, which saw the captain of the Bankers clinch the win by recognizing the phrase - Veni Vidi Vici with the vowels removed. Its got to the stage with this show that I make sure that I never miss it - although I will miss it very much when the series ends. I can only hope that the Beeb will make another series, and give it a chance to find an audience on terrestrial TV.
Are You An Egghead ?
Well, its getting serious now. After tonight's show we're down to 3 contenders. Mark Kerr took a huge step towards the prize by beating Pat Gibson to earn his place in the semi. This will be the next to be shown next week, when he will face 2004 Mastermind champion Shaun Wallace. Shaun keeps winning, and even though he does drop the odd clanger in his explanations to some of his answers - eg - "There are only three men who've won the Tour de France 5 times " - there's actually 5 - even despite this he is a formidable competitor in this quiz format. So who will get to the final is anybody's guess. Still, after tonight we know that he'll be facing the might of Barry Simmons, who beat David Rainford, the People's Favourite, tonight. Whoever wins , you certainly can't begrudge them their success. This show must be hard going for the contestants - and I'm sorry to say it, but at times its pretty hard going for the audience. Are they going to do anything different for the Final, I wonder ? Oh well, I'm guessing that by this time next week it will all be over.
So we begin the second half of the heats.We've yet to see a score of 30 or more this series, but alas, no such pyrotechnics await tonight. I think we have 4 Mastermind virgins in this all male line up. However, the third contender, Martin Nichols, has the same name as a contender from 1976. Are they one and the same person ? Its possible, but then Mr. Nichols would have been an extremely young contender at the time if indeed 'twas him. So on balance I think not.
So, on to the show. Stuart Macdonald raced off to lead at the halfway stage with 14. Poor Mr. Nichols found his knowledge of the Arthur C. Clarke ( and Gentry Lee ) Rama novels melting into oblivion, and it was only on the last question that he managed to score his 4th point. Worthy of mention too is my favourite unusual specialist subject of this series so far - as Karl Byrne answered on Rare Breeds of British Farm Animals.
In a week when all of the general knowledge rounds seem very fair and balanced nobody really impressed. Mr. Nichols found a little redemption, getting into double figures to score 11 for the round and 15 overall. At least this meant that for a couple of minutes he was actually in the lead. Mr Geoffrey Lim, a very well travelled student originally from Singapore struggled his way to 16. Karl Byrne then pushed the target to 19, but Stuart Macdonald powered his way past this, levelling out at a combined score of 26. So he has a chance - although I think he'll need to do a bit better on GK to have a good chance of reaching the finals.
The details
| Stuart Macdonald | Genghis Khan | 14 - 0 | 12 - 2 | 26 - 2 |
| Geoffrey Lim | Gothic Architecture of the 12 and 13th centuries | 10 - 2 | 4 - 2 | 16 - 4 |
| Martin Nichols | The Rama Novels of Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee | 4 - 3 | 11 - 2 | 15 - 5 |
| Karl Byrne | Rare Breeds of British Farm Animals | 12 - 4 | 7 - 5 | 19 - 9 |
University Challenge
An all-Cambridge match up this week. St. John's - so impressive in the first round, took on Kings. Actually it wasn't much of a match, since the rampant St. John's team scored 345 to Kings' 125. At least JP had the decency to thank them for the enjoyment their earlier performances had given us in this series. On this kind of form you would fancy St. John's have as good a chance of winning the series as any, and a match between them and the LSE would be very worth watching.
Only Connect
This week's second round match saw The Bankers take on the IT Supporters. Much as I like this show - and I really do - I have to admit that often I'm a little way behind the teams in working out the connection, but tonight I thought that the teams made a little heavy weather out of some of the connections, and the wall. Still, it was another exciting match up, with a tie break to finish, which saw the captain of the Bankers clinch the win by recognizing the phrase - Veni Vidi Vici with the vowels removed. Its got to the stage with this show that I make sure that I never miss it - although I will miss it very much when the series ends. I can only hope that the Beeb will make another series, and give it a chance to find an audience on terrestrial TV.
Are You An Egghead ?
Well, its getting serious now. After tonight's show we're down to 3 contenders. Mark Kerr took a huge step towards the prize by beating Pat Gibson to earn his place in the semi. This will be the next to be shown next week, when he will face 2004 Mastermind champion Shaun Wallace. Shaun keeps winning, and even though he does drop the odd clanger in his explanations to some of his answers - eg - "There are only three men who've won the Tour de France 5 times " - there's actually 5 - even despite this he is a formidable competitor in this quiz format. So who will get to the final is anybody's guess. Still, after tonight we know that he'll be facing the might of Barry Simmons, who beat David Rainford, the People's Favourite, tonight. Whoever wins , you certainly can't begrudge them their success. This show must be hard going for the contestants - and I'm sorry to say it, but at times its pretty hard going for the audience. Are they going to do anything different for the Final, I wonder ? Oh well, I'm guessing that by this time next week it will all be over.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
The Question Master is Always Right - part 2
Who was the father of film star Clint Eastwood ?
This one is also brought to you from the Department of Tenacious Urban Myths. If you hear the question asked, the answer required will invariably be
Stan Laurel
This is such a wonderful thought that its almost irresistible to a certain type of question master. Unfortunately , there is not the slightest shred of truth in it ! The fact is that Clint Eastwood was actually born at the same time that Stan Laurel's real son was born, and sadly, this child died when it was just a couple of months old. However there is no doubt that Clint Eastwood's father actually was : -
Clint Eastwood ( senior )
Advice : - resist the temptation and don't ask the question, even if you are intending to catch people out, by giving the correct answer. Its not worth it.
Who played the saxophone on Gerry Rafferty's record "Baker Street "
I honestly have no idea why anyone would ever have thought that the answer to this one should be
Bob Holness
Legend has it that this urban myth was started by broadcaster Stuart Maconie. Bob Holness does not play, and never has played the saxophone. On the record, the saxophone was played by
Raphael 'Raff' Ravenscroft
Advice : - Would you ever have asked the question if you'd never heard the Holness myth ? No ? Well don't ask it now that you know the truth, then.
What were the names of the crew of Captain Pugwash's ship "The Black Pig ?
Overgrown schoolboys and very naughty question masters will tell you that the names were
Master Bates, Seaman Staines and Roger the Cabin Boy
This is highly irresponsible, and also probably legally actionable ! John Ryan , the creator, successfully took action against newspapers who printed this allegation as a fact. The BBC would never have allowed such outright crudery on a children's show. The names were in fact,
Master Mate, Pirates Barnabas and Willy ( oooh , Matron ! ) and Tom the cabin boy
Victor Lewis Smith claims to have started the rumour, but its one of those ones I'm sure a lot of people would like to claim credit for.
Advice : - A little smut has its place in a social quiz, but not when its a wrong’un. Don’t touch this one - at the end of the day, the funny answer is wrong, and the right answer is dull.
Tinkerbell in Disney’s "Peter Pan " was based on which real life actress ?
Ah, yes, this is one we know , isn't it ? Of course, its
Marilyn Monroe
Thank you very much, one point in the bag. The problem is, though, that she was not based on poor old Norma Jean at all. Disney archives show that she was based on a little known actress model called
Margaret Kerry
At one time she was voted the actress with the Best Legs in Hollywood. And that's about it for Margaret Kerry.
Advice : - Its not worth asking it when you know Margaret Kerry is the answer. Not unless you say it along these lines - Many people think that Marilyn Monroe was the model, but actually Margaret Kerry was really the model for which Disney character ? Its not as snappy, but its more accurate for the purists.
Which actor played Frankenstein in the 1931 movie of the same name ?
This is a question guaranteed to raise many a furrow in the hardened quizzer's brow. This is because there is an easy wrong answer, and a more difficult correct answer. The problem with this is that the question master is just as likely to have the right answer down, as he is to have the wrong answer. Years ago, when this question was asked, the answer the question master would almost always give was the wrong one, ie -
Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff played the monster, which was always called just that - the Monster. Frankenstein was the name of the man who created the monster - Victor Frankenstein, and he was actually played by
Colin Clive
I'm sorry ? Colin who ? Colin Clive was a film actor of the 30s, never a great star, and Frankenstein was probably his most memorable role. Except that hardly anyone remembers it . However, over the years a certain class of wily quizmaster has taken to asking the question to deliberately catch players out, by giving the right answer. The result of this is that whenever one hears the question being asked, you have to quickly weigh up whether your question master is likely to have the right answer or the wrong answer. This calls for 'playing the man, and not the ball'
Advice: - If you ask the question, with Colin Clive as the answer, then say " be careful " when you ask it. This is the best way of showing that you want the correct answer, rather than the easy one. Don’t ask it if Boris Karloff is your answer – its wrong.
Who was the first person to play who on film ?
Its not uncommon to find this sort of question being asked in a quiz. These questions attract wrong'uns like moths to a flame. The problem is that the first person to play a well known character on film is rarely the most famous one. Just a quick glance of a small selection of some of the most well known screen characters should convince you of that.
James Bond
Everyone knows that the first James Bond was
Sean Connery
Except that he wasn't. Sean Connery was the first actor to play James Bond on film. However, he wasn't the first person to play James Bond on the screen. A little known TV actor played Bond in a CBS TV adaptation of Casino Royale in the 1950s, and he was called
Barry Nelson
Yet he was only the first James Bond on screen. The first performance of James Bond was in a radio adaptation, and was by none other than
Bob Holness
who of course never played the saxophone on “Baker Street”
Advice : - if you want to ask this question, then define your terms. If you want Sean Connery as your answer, then you have to say its the first Bond on the big screen. If you want Barry Nelson, then say on screen, or if you want to be kind, who played him on Television before he was played on film. If you want Bob Holness, then say the first ever person to play James Bond, and give the obligatory warning to be careful.
Superman
A very poor question master will give the answer
Christopher Reeve
This is just a category 1 wrong’un, since there is nothing which could ever make it a correct answer. He was the first to play Superman in the Alexander and Ilya Salkind series of films, but that's about it.
A more painstaking and careful quiz master may give the answer
George Reeves
but there is a problem with this answer too. George Reeves played Superman in the 1950's american TV series, and very successful he was too. However this is TV, not film. Moreover, Superman was played in a film serial in the 1940s, by a man called
Kirk Alyn
So does that count, even though its in a serial rather than a feature film ? Its all a question of interpretation once again.
Advice : If you really must ask this question, then be very specific what you mean. If you want George Reeves, then mention its TV. If you want Christopher Reeve, then say its the series of films by the Salkinds. If you want Kirk Alyn, then ask it the other way round- which famous character was first played on film by Kirk Alyn - or nobody will have a chance of getting it right, which means there's little point asking it.
Supplementary
What is the name of the actor who played Superman, and became so obsessed with being Superman that he actually thought he was Superman, and died when he threw himself off the roof of a building believing he could fly?
I've heard this one asked before, and the answer be given as
George Reeves
Complete tosh. Actually George Reeves was killed when he shot himself through the head in his home.
Advice - this is a wrong'un which can never be a right'un. Dump it like a cheating girlfriend and move on.
Tarzan
To be fair, many question masters do know that the first person to play Tarzan on film wasn't
Johnny Weissmuller
although lazy ones still give this as an answer. But back in the silent movie days, the first person to really play Tarzan was called
Elmo Lincoln
Between ourselves he looked a little overweight in his loincloth, but he must have been successful since they made a sequel.
Advice ; - The answer is Elmo Lincoln. Get over it.
Dracula
This is a tricky little one. For once, the usual answer , that is : -
Bela Lugosi
is technically probably the fairest answer. He was the first to play the actual character Dracula. However a famous german film, called Nosferatu was made several years earlier than the Lugosi version, and it was actually Dracula, just with the names changed to avoid copyright issues. It didn't work, because Bram Stoker's widow successfully sued the producers. In this film, the vampire, Count Orlok, who was Dracula in all but name, was played by an actor called
Max Shreck
Interestingly enough, Shreck is the german word for terror.
Advice ; - stick with Lugosi - its technically correct, and far easier.
Frankenstein's Monster
Yes, once again we dip our toe into the dangerous waters of questions about Frankenstein. If you're asked who was the first man to play Frankenstein's monster on film, then you can be almost 100% certain that the answer wanted will be
Boris Karloff
This is a great pity, since Karloff's definitive performance of 1931 came over 20 years after a very early silent version of the story, made by the Edison company, in which the monster was played by one
Charles Ogle
Ogle wore the most extraordinary makeup and costume, which made him look as if he was wearing a giant brillo pad, whereas the make up created by Jack Pierce for the 1931 film has come to define the popular image of the monster, even though this is very different from the creature described by Mary Shelley.
Advice: - There's no point asking who was the first to play the monster, because no one will know Charles Ogle. So ask who played the monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein. Come to think of it, I'm getting a feeling of deja vu - or should that be deja -dit - over this.
Sherlock Holmes
Any question about Sherlock Holmes on film should immediately conjure up a mental image of the pipe , deerstalker and aquiline profile of
Basil Rathbone
Yet as we have seen, best , or most popular, is rarely the same as first. The silents got there long before Rathbone. In 1916, british actor manager
William Gillette
committed his performance as Holmes to film. Gillette had been playing Holmes on stage for a decade and a half by this time, and would go on doing so until the 1930s. As a point of interest, one of his Holmes productions saw one of the very first public performances of a young boy in his cast called Charles Chaplin.
Advice : Just don't ask. If you want to ask about Basil Rathbone, just say " Which actor played Sherlock Holmes in a number of films made in Hollywood in the 1930s?"
Supplementary
In which of the Sherlock Holmes stories does Holmes first say “ Elementary, my dear Watson “ ?
Actually , as you’ve probably guessed this is a trick question. The simple fact is that he doesn’t. He says Elementary, but never adds the dear Watson bit to it. The phrase was popularized by Rathbone in the Hollywood films, but its believed to have been first used in the William Gillette stage adaptations.
Who played the title role in “Saving Private Ryan “ ?
There’s a reason why I’ve included this one. I found this in an otherwise excellent quiz book, and couldn’t believe that such a well researched and well written book would ask the question, and then give
Tom Hanks
As the answer. Tom Hanks starred in it – true. Tom Hanks, played the main role – true. But his character was called Captain John Miller – and you can search as much as you like, but you won’t find that name in the title. So the title role of the film is obviously, Private Ryan. And as many of us know, Private Ryan was played by
Matt Damon
The title role means what it says – it’s the character the film is named after. I include this one since it shows how even the most normally reliable sources are capable of propagating a wrong’un.
Advice – look, if you want the star, then ask for him/her.As always, try to be absolutely clear about the answer you want to be provided with.
What were Oscar Wilde’s Last Words ?
Whenever you're given a witty quotation , and asked who said it, normally you can narrow your possible answers down to a very few names. Woody Allen if its about sex, death, or being jewish, and if not, then Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde. So you'd expect Oscar's last words to be appropriately risible. When this question is asked, his last words are usually given as : -
"Either that wallpaper goes, or I do "
As last words go, that's pretty good. Only there is no evidence that he actually said this. There is some evidence that he actually said,
"I am dying beyond my means."
Equally witty, but somehow more poignant than funny.
Advice - ask it backwards if at all. Give the last words you want to go with, and ask whose they were. If you ask what were Oscar Wilde's last words, then you're forcing the players to have to decide whether to play the man or the ball.
This one is also brought to you from the Department of Tenacious Urban Myths. If you hear the question asked, the answer required will invariably be
Stan Laurel
This is such a wonderful thought that its almost irresistible to a certain type of question master. Unfortunately , there is not the slightest shred of truth in it ! The fact is that Clint Eastwood was actually born at the same time that Stan Laurel's real son was born, and sadly, this child died when it was just a couple of months old. However there is no doubt that Clint Eastwood's father actually was : -
Clint Eastwood ( senior )
Advice : - resist the temptation and don't ask the question, even if you are intending to catch people out, by giving the correct answer. Its not worth it.
Who played the saxophone on Gerry Rafferty's record "Baker Street "
I honestly have no idea why anyone would ever have thought that the answer to this one should be
Bob Holness
Legend has it that this urban myth was started by broadcaster Stuart Maconie. Bob Holness does not play, and never has played the saxophone. On the record, the saxophone was played by
Raphael 'Raff' Ravenscroft
Advice : - Would you ever have asked the question if you'd never heard the Holness myth ? No ? Well don't ask it now that you know the truth, then.
What were the names of the crew of Captain Pugwash's ship "The Black Pig ?
Overgrown schoolboys and very naughty question masters will tell you that the names were
Master Bates, Seaman Staines and Roger the Cabin Boy
This is highly irresponsible, and also probably legally actionable ! John Ryan , the creator, successfully took action against newspapers who printed this allegation as a fact. The BBC would never have allowed such outright crudery on a children's show. The names were in fact,
Master Mate, Pirates Barnabas and Willy ( oooh , Matron ! ) and Tom the cabin boy
Victor Lewis Smith claims to have started the rumour, but its one of those ones I'm sure a lot of people would like to claim credit for.
Advice : - A little smut has its place in a social quiz, but not when its a wrong’un. Don’t touch this one - at the end of the day, the funny answer is wrong, and the right answer is dull.
Tinkerbell in Disney’s "Peter Pan " was based on which real life actress ?
Ah, yes, this is one we know , isn't it ? Of course, its
Marilyn Monroe
Thank you very much, one point in the bag. The problem is, though, that she was not based on poor old Norma Jean at all. Disney archives show that she was based on a little known actress model called
Margaret Kerry
At one time she was voted the actress with the Best Legs in Hollywood. And that's about it for Margaret Kerry.
Advice : - Its not worth asking it when you know Margaret Kerry is the answer. Not unless you say it along these lines - Many people think that Marilyn Monroe was the model, but actually Margaret Kerry was really the model for which Disney character ? Its not as snappy, but its more accurate for the purists.
Which actor played Frankenstein in the 1931 movie of the same name ?
This is a question guaranteed to raise many a furrow in the hardened quizzer's brow. This is because there is an easy wrong answer, and a more difficult correct answer. The problem with this is that the question master is just as likely to have the right answer down, as he is to have the wrong answer. Years ago, when this question was asked, the answer the question master would almost always give was the wrong one, ie -
Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff played the monster, which was always called just that - the Monster. Frankenstein was the name of the man who created the monster - Victor Frankenstein, and he was actually played by
Colin Clive
I'm sorry ? Colin who ? Colin Clive was a film actor of the 30s, never a great star, and Frankenstein was probably his most memorable role. Except that hardly anyone remembers it . However, over the years a certain class of wily quizmaster has taken to asking the question to deliberately catch players out, by giving the right answer. The result of this is that whenever one hears the question being asked, you have to quickly weigh up whether your question master is likely to have the right answer or the wrong answer. This calls for 'playing the man, and not the ball'
Advice: - If you ask the question, with Colin Clive as the answer, then say " be careful " when you ask it. This is the best way of showing that you want the correct answer, rather than the easy one. Don’t ask it if Boris Karloff is your answer – its wrong.
Who was the first person to play who on film ?
Its not uncommon to find this sort of question being asked in a quiz. These questions attract wrong'uns like moths to a flame. The problem is that the first person to play a well known character on film is rarely the most famous one. Just a quick glance of a small selection of some of the most well known screen characters should convince you of that.
James Bond
Everyone knows that the first James Bond was
Sean Connery
Except that he wasn't. Sean Connery was the first actor to play James Bond on film. However, he wasn't the first person to play James Bond on the screen. A little known TV actor played Bond in a CBS TV adaptation of Casino Royale in the 1950s, and he was called
Barry Nelson
Yet he was only the first James Bond on screen. The first performance of James Bond was in a radio adaptation, and was by none other than
Bob Holness
who of course never played the saxophone on “Baker Street”
Advice : - if you want to ask this question, then define your terms. If you want Sean Connery as your answer, then you have to say its the first Bond on the big screen. If you want Barry Nelson, then say on screen, or if you want to be kind, who played him on Television before he was played on film. If you want Bob Holness, then say the first ever person to play James Bond, and give the obligatory warning to be careful.
Superman
A very poor question master will give the answer
Christopher Reeve
This is just a category 1 wrong’un, since there is nothing which could ever make it a correct answer. He was the first to play Superman in the Alexander and Ilya Salkind series of films, but that's about it.
A more painstaking and careful quiz master may give the answer
George Reeves
but there is a problem with this answer too. George Reeves played Superman in the 1950's american TV series, and very successful he was too. However this is TV, not film. Moreover, Superman was played in a film serial in the 1940s, by a man called
Kirk Alyn
So does that count, even though its in a serial rather than a feature film ? Its all a question of interpretation once again.
Advice : If you really must ask this question, then be very specific what you mean. If you want George Reeves, then mention its TV. If you want Christopher Reeve, then say its the series of films by the Salkinds. If you want Kirk Alyn, then ask it the other way round- which famous character was first played on film by Kirk Alyn - or nobody will have a chance of getting it right, which means there's little point asking it.
Supplementary
What is the name of the actor who played Superman, and became so obsessed with being Superman that he actually thought he was Superman, and died when he threw himself off the roof of a building believing he could fly?
I've heard this one asked before, and the answer be given as
George Reeves
Complete tosh. Actually George Reeves was killed when he shot himself through the head in his home.
Advice - this is a wrong'un which can never be a right'un. Dump it like a cheating girlfriend and move on.
Tarzan
To be fair, many question masters do know that the first person to play Tarzan on film wasn't
Johnny Weissmuller
although lazy ones still give this as an answer. But back in the silent movie days, the first person to really play Tarzan was called
Elmo Lincoln
Between ourselves he looked a little overweight in his loincloth, but he must have been successful since they made a sequel.
Advice ; - The answer is Elmo Lincoln. Get over it.
Dracula
This is a tricky little one. For once, the usual answer , that is : -
Bela Lugosi
is technically probably the fairest answer. He was the first to play the actual character Dracula. However a famous german film, called Nosferatu was made several years earlier than the Lugosi version, and it was actually Dracula, just with the names changed to avoid copyright issues. It didn't work, because Bram Stoker's widow successfully sued the producers. In this film, the vampire, Count Orlok, who was Dracula in all but name, was played by an actor called
Max Shreck
Interestingly enough, Shreck is the german word for terror.
Advice ; - stick with Lugosi - its technically correct, and far easier.
Frankenstein's Monster
Yes, once again we dip our toe into the dangerous waters of questions about Frankenstein. If you're asked who was the first man to play Frankenstein's monster on film, then you can be almost 100% certain that the answer wanted will be
Boris Karloff
This is a great pity, since Karloff's definitive performance of 1931 came over 20 years after a very early silent version of the story, made by the Edison company, in which the monster was played by one
Charles Ogle
Ogle wore the most extraordinary makeup and costume, which made him look as if he was wearing a giant brillo pad, whereas the make up created by Jack Pierce for the 1931 film has come to define the popular image of the monster, even though this is very different from the creature described by Mary Shelley.
Advice: - There's no point asking who was the first to play the monster, because no one will know Charles Ogle. So ask who played the monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein. Come to think of it, I'm getting a feeling of deja vu - or should that be deja -dit - over this.
Sherlock Holmes
Any question about Sherlock Holmes on film should immediately conjure up a mental image of the pipe , deerstalker and aquiline profile of
Basil Rathbone
Yet as we have seen, best , or most popular, is rarely the same as first. The silents got there long before Rathbone. In 1916, british actor manager
William Gillette
committed his performance as Holmes to film. Gillette had been playing Holmes on stage for a decade and a half by this time, and would go on doing so until the 1930s. As a point of interest, one of his Holmes productions saw one of the very first public performances of a young boy in his cast called Charles Chaplin.
Advice : Just don't ask. If you want to ask about Basil Rathbone, just say " Which actor played Sherlock Holmes in a number of films made in Hollywood in the 1930s?"
Supplementary
In which of the Sherlock Holmes stories does Holmes first say “ Elementary, my dear Watson “ ?
Actually , as you’ve probably guessed this is a trick question. The simple fact is that he doesn’t. He says Elementary, but never adds the dear Watson bit to it. The phrase was popularized by Rathbone in the Hollywood films, but its believed to have been first used in the William Gillette stage adaptations.
Who played the title role in “Saving Private Ryan “ ?
There’s a reason why I’ve included this one. I found this in an otherwise excellent quiz book, and couldn’t believe that such a well researched and well written book would ask the question, and then give
Tom Hanks
As the answer. Tom Hanks starred in it – true. Tom Hanks, played the main role – true. But his character was called Captain John Miller – and you can search as much as you like, but you won’t find that name in the title. So the title role of the film is obviously, Private Ryan. And as many of us know, Private Ryan was played by
Matt Damon
The title role means what it says – it’s the character the film is named after. I include this one since it shows how even the most normally reliable sources are capable of propagating a wrong’un.
Advice – look, if you want the star, then ask for him/her.As always, try to be absolutely clear about the answer you want to be provided with.
What were Oscar Wilde’s Last Words ?
Whenever you're given a witty quotation , and asked who said it, normally you can narrow your possible answers down to a very few names. Woody Allen if its about sex, death, or being jewish, and if not, then Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde. So you'd expect Oscar's last words to be appropriately risible. When this question is asked, his last words are usually given as : -
"Either that wallpaper goes, or I do "
As last words go, that's pretty good. Only there is no evidence that he actually said this. There is some evidence that he actually said,
"I am dying beyond my means."
Equally witty, but somehow more poignant than funny.
Advice - ask it backwards if at all. Give the last words you want to go with, and ask whose they were. If you ask what were Oscar Wilde's last words, then you're forcing the players to have to decide whether to play the man or the ball.
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About Me
- Londinius
- BBC Mastermind Winner 2007
(Broadcast 2008) Married with 5 children,two grandsons and one granddaughter. Serial TV/Radio quiz contestant. Total quiz obssessive.