Trivia Night, 'Ol Blue Eyes and a Squirrel

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As I have mentioned previously, on Wednesday nights I am a member of a trivia team hosted by Mr Trivia, Graham. At Club Ashfield. Our team meets a bit earlier, we have a meal in the bistro and some conversation, then we do battle against the other teams.

The way the trivia is structured is that there are 2 rounds. At the end of the 2 rounds there is a final, multiple-choice question with 4 choices. Teams can wager as many of the points they have built up on the last question. Get it right and double the number of points wagered are added to the original score. Get it wrong and you lose what you have bet. 

On the principle of “no guts, no glory” we always wager everything we have.

The last question is usually so difficult or little known that it is a guess and invariably we get it wrong, blowing all our points.

Still, it’s all good fun.

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Some items from last night’s weekly Trivia evening:

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Q: Who was the first singer to record in the new Apple studio in 1968?

A: Frank Sinatra

Comment:

The first single to receive an Apple catalogue number was ‘Those Were The Days’ by Mary Hopkin, being Apple 2. Apple 1, however, was a one-off re-recording of ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’ sung by Frank Sinatra in 1968 for the birthday of Ringo Starr’s Maureen, who was a big Sinatra fan. It was retitled ‘The Lady Is A Champ’ and the lyrics were changed for the surprise gift for Maureen’s 22nd birthday.

Opening verse:

“There’s no one like her,

But no one at all.

And as for charm

Hers is like, wall to wall.

She married Ringo

And she could have had Paul.

That’s why the lady is a champ.”

Only one copy was made and then the master tapes were destroyed.

Hear it on YouTube by clicking on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyyF8_cq7SM

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Yesterday’s multiple choice question (we got it wrong):

Question:

Tommy Tucker was a squirrel in a WW2 fund raising campaign in England. 

What did Tommy Tucker wear? Was it

a. An airman’s uniform?

b. A clown’s outfit?

c. Striped pyjamas?

d. Women’s dresses?

Answer:

Women’s dresses.

Comment:

From Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Tucker_(squirrel)

• Tommy Tucker (died June 25, 1949) was a male Eastern gray squirrel who became a celebrity in the United States, touring the country wearing women's fashions while performing tricks, entertaining children, and selling war bonds. A Washington Post columnist called him "the most famous squirrel ever to come from Washington.”

• Tommy was adopted in 1942 by Zaidee Bullis and her husband Mark C. Bullis.

• Zaidee dressed Tommy in women's clothing to avoid the tailoring around his bushy tail that a male wardrobe would entail.

• Following World War II Tommy "married" a squirrel named Buzzy.

• In 1944 Tommy was featured in Life magazine. The article noted that "Mrs. Bullis' main interest in Tommy ... is in dressing him up in 30 specially made costumes. Tommy has a coat and hat for going to market, a silk pleated dress for company, a Red Cross uniform for visiting the hospital."

• Tommy died in 1949 ostensibly due to "a heart attack brought on by old age". His body was stuffed and mounted and he is on view in a display case at a law office in Prince George's County, Maryland.