GrooveCentralLA

Groove Central LA Quiz Masters Tourney

It is time again for the 2nd annual Groove Central LA Quiz Masters tourney. After a long journey the two winners from the last contest, the noble Nelson Holdo and the superlative Tom Collins, have been paid in full. Both wore the crown with dignity and both wore it well. If you remember, the first two contestants who answer all of the questions correctly will win 3 drinks to be purchase by the Groovemaster himself at an appropriate venue. This also includes a limited amount of witty conversation and a hearty hand clasp thrown in as a bonus. Best of luck, but as the great Branch Rickey said “Luck is the residue of design.”

1)  Herb Alpert (of Tijuana Brass fame and A & M Records (A meaning Alpert, M for Jerry Moss )    

• a) was born in Tijuana, Mexico and would often perform at the famous ” Long Bar ” bar in downtown TJ
• b) comes from a Jewish family that came to the US from the Ukraine
• c) Father worked on the presidential sculptures on Mount Rushmore
• d)  Mother was a famous flagpole sitter during the 20’s.

2)  We all groove on Duke Kahanamoku, a pioneer of surfing and 3 time Oly gold medal winner. Duke was also

• a) instrumental in bringing  ” beach Volleyball ” here to California and was also the athletic director at Santa Monica’s “Beach Club”
• b) was an amazing dancer to the point of being admired by Fred Astaire.
• c)  refused to eat anything red
• d) starred in a Tarzan movie along with friend and swimming champion Johnnie Weissmuller playing the part of  “Mombobo”, a tribal chieftain.

3)  In ” Mein Kampf ” (My Struggle) , Adolf Hitler’s 1925 memoir, the only American who was mentioned favorably is

• a) Al Capone
• b) Charles Lindbergh
• c) Henry Ford
• d) Ryan Braun

4)  Which one of these items were NOT originally made in Switzerland ? 

• a) electric toothbrush
• b) LSD (not talking about the great new band Lake Street Dive)
• c) cellophane
• d)  rotary phone dial

5)  Marlon Brando’s son said “the last time my father left his house to go anywhere it was with ………    He was instrumental helping my father through the last years of his life.”   Was he referring to

• a) Jack Nicholson
• b) Dean Martin
• c) Michael Jackson
• d) Johnnie Carson

6)  We all know and groove on the early 20th century writer Zane Grey (whose first name was Pearl), who appeared to be a

Zane

pleasant and unassuming dentist from Ohio who wrote adventure stories, mostly cowboy, then hit it big with “Riders of the Purple Sage.”  He also had a big pad in Catalina overlooking Avalon harbor which is now a hotel.  Over the years, 112 films have been made from his works and in his peak he made $500,000 in one year. By comparison, F.Scott Fitzgearald, in his best year, made $37,500.  But Zane had a secret. It was :

• a) His books were written by a blind and deaf brother who never knew of his brother’s success or fame
• b) He kept an enormous cache of pornography sometimes with Zane as the star performer
• c) Was arrested, but not convicted, of a string of murders of young girls in Mexico City
• d) was a cross dresser preferring Angora sweaters, tight black dresses, and red pumps.

7)   After refusing surgery this person  said: “I want to go when I want. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially. I have done my share. I will do it elegantly. ”

• a) Eleanor Roosevelt
• b) Steve Jobs
• c) Albert Einstein
• d)  Walter Cronkite

8)   Here, I will lob you a beach ball right across the plate. Sandy Koufax, Dodger great and one of the coolest cats around, could hold how many baseballs in one hand ?   (Try it yourself…)

• a ) 4
• b) 5
• c) 6
• d) 7

9)  If you fell off a 30 foot building would you wildly scream, utter a quick yelp, or silently face your fate?   This is NOT part of the quiz. I’m just asking.

10)  Which of these records was established way back in 1978 and has yet to be broken

• a) the Men’s long jump
• b) the top speed on water
• c) the top speed on land
• d) the Women’s discus throw

11) Boston Corbett was the man who shot and killed John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln’s assassin) in a barn in Virginia 12 days after Lincoln’s assassination.  Henry Rathbone was with Abe and Mary in the booth at Fords theatre when the dastardly deed was done, sustaining a serious wound from Booth’s Bowie knife.  Beside being part of this American trajedy what else did these two men have in common?

• a) both were placed in an asylum for the insane
• b) both died in the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 which killed 21 people
• c) both played for Abner Doubleday’s ” Knickerbockers ” baseball team
• d) both played at the 1st Nick Talent Full Throttle Wide Open.

12) Who said that he “half-regretted the demise of so many of the valley’s orchard trees, because now there are no longer enough trees to hang all the troublemakers who live there. ”

• a) George Armstrong Custer
• b) William Sheridan
• c) Gutzen Borglum
• d) William Mulholland

Well there you have it. Good times await a couple of wonderful souls who will have the great fortune of consuming alcohol with the Groovemaster.   Nelson and Tom, do you have the juices for a repeat?    Thanks and Groove.

With Tom

With Nelson