Fuel for Thought
Something's Fishy
CT
Classic TV & Movies
Radio
100
The chemical formula for propane.
What is C3H8?
100
What some fish, such as gurnards (or sea robins) use to make sound.
What is the swim bladder?
100
The world's first pay telephone was installed in this city.
What is Hartford?
It was invented by William Gray and developed by George A. Long, installed on a corner outside a bank in 1889. It was a post-pay phone, where coins were deposited at the end of the call.
100
This character's name:
What is Froggy!
Froggy the Gremlin was a character created by Smilin' Ed McConnell and brought to radio in the 1940s and television in 1950s on the Smilin' Ed's Gang show, and later Andy's Gang TV show, hosted by actor Andy Devine after McConnell's death.
100
The name of Lucille Ball's successful radio show before "I Love Lucy."
What is My Favorite Husband?
200
How long propane can be stored without losing any potency, when stored properly.
What is indefinitely?
200
This fish trap has been used for thousands of years and is still employed today.
What is a weir?
200
This is the largest lake in Connecticut.
What is Lake Candlewood? (It's 8.4 square miles!)
200
This famous actor's bit part in an all-star cast gave him just one line: "Trouble, having any trouble?"
Who is Jack Benny?
In a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Jack Benny played "Man in Car in Desert." To his question, Mrs. Marcus, played by Ethyl Merman, responded: "Yes! And we don't need any help from you!"
200
This show featured a private detective and his secretary, Effie.
What is The Adventures of Sam Spade?
You can hear episodes by copying this address into your browser:
300
84,250 BTU of energy are contained in this much Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
What is 1 Gallon?
300
The name given to a feeding frenzy of Atlantic bluefish.
What is a "bluefish blitz?"
300
Connecticut was the first to impose one of these, at just 12 miles per hour.
What is a speed limit?
It was imposed in 1901, when there were fewer than 6,000 automobiles in the entire country.
300
He said: "Don't worry, they don't understand a word of English. This way, dummies. Step this way, dummies."
Who is Walter Matthau, as Zachary Garber, in The Taking of Pelham 123?
300
One of the most popular cowboy heroes on radio was played by actor William Boyd, who also played this character in movies and on television.
Who is "Hopalong Cassidy?
The relationship between Boyd and his character is a fascinating story. Between 1935 and 1948, Boyd played Cassidy in 66 movies. In 1944 the studio lost interest in producing any more Cassidy films, so Boyd mortgaged everything he owned to buy all rights to the character and to the backlog of movies. Over the years Boyd's shrewd investment brought him many millions of dollars in licensing and endorsement deals. In 1949 Hopalong Cassidy became the first Western series on TV, and the next year it started its successful two-year run on radio, always with Boyd playing the hero.
400
The chemical added to propane to give it a detectable odor.
What is mercaptan?
400
Bluefin, yellowfin, albacore, and bigeye tunas all have this unusual feature in common.
What is endothermic, or warm blooded?
400
This is the highest peak in Connecticut.
What is Bear Mountain?
It is in Salisbury, CT, and 2,316 feet above sea level.
400
Sergeant Friday's badge number.
What is 714? Dragnet's Sergeant Friday's badge number was 714.
400
The classic radio show was set in a high school and starred Eve Arden as an English teacher, with Gale Gordon as Osgood Conklin, the curmudgeonly principal.
What is "Our Miss Brooks?"
The show ran from 1948-1957, and had a TV run of 1952-1956. It was enormously popular, and Eve Arden was voted the top ranking comedienne of 1948-1949, beating out the likes of Lucille Ball for the award.
500
Propane is this many times more compact as a liquid than as a gas.
What is 270?
500
Term for fish that live on the seafloor.
What is demersal?
500
The name of the first submarine used in combat.
What was the Turtle?
David Bushnell and Phineas Pratt developed an underwater bomb with a time delayed flintlock detonator in CT. Bushnell invented the Turtle as an afterthought, in order to affix the bomb onto an enemy's hull...specifically the British in their occupation of NY harbor in the Revolutionary War. It was deployed three times in 1776 - never successfully placing its payload.
500
When Professor Hill sets up "Lida Rose," he says: "What's this? Oh.... a testimonial from Madame Rini, the only female bassoon player ever to appear on the Redpath Circuit. Her stage name, of course. Actually she was from Moline. Lida Rose Quackenbush." Madame Rini refers to what real life person?
Who is writer/composer Meredith Willson's wife, Rini Wilson.
500
This show, which aired on NBC radio for ten years, was a quiz show with a twist. Instead of contestants answering questions, people would send in questions for a panel of experts to tackle.
What was "Information Please?"
If the question you sent in got used, you got $2.00. If you stumped the panel, you got $5.00. "Information Please" ran from 1938 to 1948. Regular panel members included Oscar Levant, Franklin P. Adams, and John Kieran, and the moderator was Clifton Fadiman.