A New Challenge

Your Current Challenge:

1.In 1 degree or 2 degrees (if you include the character) of separation how is WKRP (in Cincinatti) related to Stephen King. (hint: WKRP was mentioned in one of his books.)

2. In 2 degrees of separation how are Adam Sandler and Julia Roberts related (and here's one hint at least -- I'm not using Drew Barrymore).  The third actor or actress has a similar role in both movies.

3. in 2 degrees of separation how are Scott Bakula and Tim Allen related. Hint: The year 1991, and the day September 9, 1959 is involved. 

Submitted by Ryan Poole: 3/4/05  Revised

Now for the Rules and History

Come up with a trivia question nobody can answer.

(Lower case n. Stump everyone else who comes to this site.)

The first person to provide the answer gets to come up with a trivia question of their own. Until somebody achieves the goal.

It has to be about something publicly accessible. That is, no "What's the name of my pet iguana." Books, Movies, History, Science, Sports....stuff you might find in Trivial Pursuit.

Of course, yes, its possible for someone to use google. Since we don't want you to be the one to stump all others, and you don't want us to be, you and we are likely to use all resources to answer the question.

So it probably makes sense to plug your question into Google first and see what appears. Because it may be possible to phrase the question in such a way to make it more difficult to research.

We're not sure what the suitable length of time is to wait before we declare someone has stumped everyone else. We're open to suggestions.

Nobody will start this off:


A famous big name poet once wrote a poem addressed to the son of a colleague, when the kid was only six. The poet and the colleague, together, wrote a seminal work in poetical history published in the late 18th century. The kid later on wrote some poetry himself, though he wasn't as well known as his father, or his father's colleague.  Ironically, one of his better known poems is about his father's colleague.


Name the three, and one poem written by each.

Puzzle Solved by Christy

William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (father), David Hartley Coleridge (son).  Several poems could have been chosen for each.   Wordsworth and Coleridge published Lyrical Ballads in 1798 - which is usually seen as the start of the Romantic Period.  Wordsworth wrote "To H.C. - Six years Old", and DH Coleridge wrote "Wordsworth Unvisited."

Christy's Challenge

Solve the following Patented Wacky Equation to find the name of an establishment East of the Mississippi.

A = first word in a Lorraine Hansberry title (the word under which the title would be alphabetized--a, the, an, etc. don't count)

B = the undersurface of a foot

C = artistic or literary material held to be of low quality, and marked especially by sentimentalism, sensationalism, and slickness

A1 + B + C + A2

The correct answer will include the name, address and city of the checkpoint, plus a bonus phrase. You can construct the bonus phrase with the first three letters of the establishment's name, plus the name of the river that runs north of the establishment.

 Puzzle Solved by hanna

"Ray's Soul Kitchen", which is located at 239 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA (kind of Boston).  Bonus Phrase: Ray Charles

Lorraine Hansberry work: A RAISIN in the Sun
The underside of a foot: SOLE
artistic or literary material held to be of low quality, and marked especially by sentimentalism, sensationalism, and slickness: KITSCH

First 3 letters of establishment: RAY
River North of establishment: CHARLES

RAIS + SOLE + KITSCH + IN
Hanna's Challenge
One of Joanna May’s ”sisters”, the one who drives the Porsche, shares her first name with a children’s book heroine. In the most famous book about this heroine, you can learn what to do with children who sneeze. This action gives associations to a literary grouping who originally found the inspiration for their “group name” from a slang word used by a hustler in Times Square. This hustler, who (according to an autobiography written by a famous author with the middle initial S) used to wear heavily applied pancake make-up, has the same first name as an Austin philosopher. This Austin philosopher was once a visiting scholar in a European country. In the late 1970s, the “Secret Service” of this country had a postman who didn’t ring twice, but always arrived at a certain hour. Add this time (two digits) to the number of “sisters” Joanna May had, add the number of books published by the Austin philosopher, and add the two last digits of the birth year of the hustler (a number between 01 and 99). If you thus add time+sisters+books+year, the sum is also the name of a major US Interstate road. Name a major city located along this Interstate road that begin with the first letter in the name Johanna May’s sister (the one with the Porsche). The city name is your answer.
Puzzle solved by Christy
Joanna May, the protagonist of Fay Weldon’s novel “The Cloning of Joanna May” (1989) has 4 sisters, or rather clones. ne of them, Alice, drives a Porsche, since she prefers to drive something more expensive than her brothers do. In “Alice in Wonderland” (1866) by Lewis Carroll you learn to “Speak roughly to your little boy / And beat him when he sneezes”. The Beat Generation, with authors like Kerouack, Ginsberg, and Burroughs, found inspiration from the slang word “beat” (originally meaning “exhsted, at the bottom of the world, looking up or out, sleepless, wide-eyed, perceptive, rejected by society, on you own, streetwise”), as it was used in 1944 by the Times Square hustler Herbert Huncke, who is mentioned in William S. Burroughs autobiography “Junky: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict” (1953). There is an Austin philosopher named Herbert Hochberg, who once was a visiting scholar in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the late 70s and early 80s “Secret Service” was a very popular band in Sweden, and in 1979 they had a big hit called “Ten O’Clock Postman”. Johanna May has four “sisters”, Herbert Hochberg has published six books, and Herbert Huncke was born in 1915. So that’s 10+4+6+15, which equals 35. I 35 runs from Laredo, TX, to Duluth, MN. The only major city along I 35 that starts with an A (for Alice) is Austin, TX.

Christy's 6/21 Challenge

Similar (but not exactly like) 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon, connect Dick Van Patton with REM in as few steps as possible, but your "trail" MUST consist of, at least:

1 TV show
1 familial relationship (father/son, aunt/uncle, etc.)
1 album (or song)
1 songwriter

Solved by Scuzz

Christy's Answer:

DVP was in EiE with Lani O'Grady

Lani O'Grady's real-life brother is Don Grady

Don Grady (Don Agrati) played on Gary Zekley's (producer/songwriter) Yellow Balloon in the 60's (many of the tracks of this album, including the title track were also recorded by Jan and Dean, but that's just an aside).

Gary Zekley wrote "I am Superman" which was recorded by REM (Life's Rich Pageant).

But she accepted Scuzz' answer:

1. REM has a song called The Stand

2. Songwriter Steven Cavanaugh wrote a parody called Han for "Star Wars: The Musical"

3. Mark Hamill played Luke in Star Wars episodes 4-6

4. Mark Hamill played David Bradford on Eight is Enough for one season - 1977

5. David Bradford's father was played by Dick Van Patten

Scuzz's Challenge

Identify the kid smoking the cigarette in this picture (First and last name)

Puzzle solved by Christy

Dennis Cuzinski (Scuzz) from the comic book D.P. 7 (1986-1989)

Christy's 6/22 Challenge:

1) A certain cartoon character, who had his own cartoon in the 60's
shares his name with a character drawn by Charles Schultz.  The person
who voiced this character, concurrently co-produced a well-known
program of the 60's along with a man who lended his voice to the
cartoon above.

2) The well-known program above has something in common with another 60's sitcom,
which aired from 61-65.  The star of THIS sitcom, in real life, was a
member of a well-known group which shares its name with a particular
animal.  On the show, his character lived in an apartment building
which has the same name as a never-seen character on a popular 70's
spin-off of another popular 70's show.

3) The actor who played this unseen character has something in common
with #1.  Figure that out and his other famous role should be clear.

Name both men in #1
Name all programs in #2 (4 total)
Name the actor and his other famous role in #3.

Puzzle solved by Larry Lymon

1. Carl Reiner & Sheldon Leonard
[both were voice talent for Linus (schultz character) the Lion-Hearted}
2. The Dick Van Dyke Show (reiner and leonard production)
Joey Bishop lived in the Carlton Arms in the Joey Bishop Show. Carlton was the never-seen doorman on Rhoda which was a spinoff of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. I'm guessing that they both revolved around the workings of a TV show.
3. Carlton was played by Lorenzo Music who also voiced a famous cartoon cat on TV...Garfield.

6/24: Larry Lymon's Challenge

Solve the series:

1. Created by a vaudeville performer in the early 20th century, this practice was made famous by a couple whose lives were immortalized in a little-seen 1939 film. Barney's distant antipodean relative would approve.

2. (foie gras ingredient + 80's movie w/ early Ace-Truman cameo starring the Daymaker...well actually he typically relies on others to play the role of the Daymaker but Daymaker sounded too cool not to use) - (deceased duck's larger relative) = home of this band led by a musicalIan moper. keep it professional professional but drop the Captain's bespectacled companion.

3. this is the ride of choice for all kinds of long distance travellers. past/future riders: The Messenger, Sir T(homas) F(ranklin)?, Aqua, and a bunch of folks headed to chill with Schiaparelli. Drop deuce on this ride and you'll be there.

4. ???

figure out what "this" refers to in 1,2,3 then 4 will be child's play.

Puzzle solved by Christy

The answers are:

1. Foxtrot
2. Echo
3. Delta
4. Charlie

Christy's 1/6/05 Challenge

What was the phone number of Lilly (or Lily) Anheuser Busch (widow of Adolphus Busch) in 1925?  (#1 Busch Place, now the address of AB HQ)

Note:  Though not a Goozle, this *can* be found on the internet.

Puzzle solved by John/Gavroche

Lilly's phone number was 636 Victor

This was found on the St. Louis Social Register for 1925

Gavroche's 2/16/2005 Challenge

Connect William Shatner with Drew Barrymore in 2 degrees of separation, without using "voice-only" roles.  (That is, no animation).  Nineteen years separate the two films.

In other words:

William Shatner was in movie X with Y.

Y was in movie Z with Drew Barrymore.

Fill in X, Y and Z.

Puzzle solved by Ryan Poole

William Shatner was in "Airplane 2-The Sequel" (1982) with Julie Hagerty

Julie Hagerty was in "Freddy Got Fingered" (2001) with Drew Barrymore

(Gavroche/John intended the answer to be: Shatner was in Incubus (1965) with Eloise Hardt, and Eloise Hardt was in Irreconciliable Differences (1984) with Drew Barrymore.  But both answers fit the requirements.)

Posted by: nobody on 3/4/2005 6:13:48 AM , 140 comments

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