Quote Challenge 2023: Answer to Quote #10

Answer to Quote #10:

“The youngster has a good, easy reading of a new Johnny Marks Christmas tune. This can get spins in country and pop areas.”

– from the uncredited review of the single “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” in the 11/17/1958 edition of Billboard Magazine

    The ‘youngster’ in question here, as you probably know, was Brenda Lee, who was only 13 years old when she recorded that song. She was only 4’9″ tall, but because of her powerful singing voice (and because of a song she recorded with a related name), she was nicknamed “Little Miss Dynamite”. After that she ended up with dozens of hits on the country charts, with “I’m Sorry” reaching #1 both pop and country. (Marshall Crenshaw once covered a tune called “I’m Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)”.) Her last major pop hit was 1966’s “Comin’ On Strong” – which is actually referenced in Golden Earring’s hit from the 1970s, “Radar Love” – but she stayed on the country charts until the early 1980s. Here’s some footage we posted of her performing her 1958 single and 2023 #1 hit at Mohegan Sun in December of 2016 (probably making this the only time we’ll be posting a performance of a song seven years before it hits #1):

    As for Johnny Marks, he also wrote “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” back in 1949, when Gene Autry had a hit with it. Johnny’s brother-in-law wrote the original story, but Johnny claimed credit on the character when Chuck Berry wrote “Run Rudolph Run” and ended up with a good portion of the royalties. He also wrote “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Silver And Gold” for Burl Ives in 1964, and both songs ended up being included as well in CBS’ “Rudolph” special that same year.

    Thanks to all of you for reading along these past two weeks! Have a great holiday season, and Happy New Year!

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #10 (and the answer to Quote #9)

Quote #10:

“The youngster has a good, easy reading of a new Johnny Marks Christmas tune. This can get spins in country and pop areas.”

– from the uncredited review of the single “____ _____ _____ _____ _____” in the 11/17/1958 edition of Billboard Magazine

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Answer to Quote #9:

“One can hardly imagine anything prettier. … It was a superb exhibition.”

– Redding, Connecticut-born writer William Augustus Croffut, in his 12/23/1882 story for the Detroit Post And Tribune about a display in the New York City parlor of inventor Edward Hibberd Johnson, who would subsequently receive the nickname ‘the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights‘

  During the Christmas period of 1880, Thomas Alva Edison put up a string of lights around the outside of his Menlo Park Laboratory – but it was his business associate, Mr. Johnson, who took the idea a step further and displayed a string of red, white, and blue lights on a Christmas tree inside his home. He had a big picture window there and let passersby look inside to see what he’d set up – and among the people who witnessed it was Mr. Croffut. It would still take many years before these displays were commonplace, though, because electricity (and all the light bulbs) would often be too expensive for people – and some were distrustful about how safe electricity was. However, in the long run it led people to turn away from a potentially greater risk of placing lit candles on trees, as many fires were reported each year for that very reason.

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #9 (and the answer to Quote #8)

Quote #9:

“One can hardly imagine anything prettier. … It was a superb exhibition.”

– Redding, Connecticut-born writer William Augustus Croffut, in his 12/23/1882 story for the Detroit Post And Tribune about a display in the New York City parlor of inventor Edward Hibberd Johnson, who would subsequently receive the nickname ‘the Father of _____ _____ _____ _____’

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Answer to (Double) Quote #8:

“What I thought he did brilliantly was [that] we see him, we connect and we hear him, we feel that he’s Cary Grant, but … he doesn’t play the caricature.”

– screenwriter Jeff Pope, in a 12/7/2023 interview with the L.A.Times’ Emily Zemler about working with actor Jeffrey Isaacs on the Britbox series “Archie“, released that same day

“It showed us everything about Western culture – how people dressed, what they were listening to, what food they were eating – so we all wanted burgers and milkshakes.”

– Zoya Akhtar, in a 12/7/2023 interview with Deadline’s Liz Shackleton about how the original comic strip inspired her to direct and co-wrote the Netflix film adaptation “The Archies“, released that same day

    If you’ve played this game before, you know we usually have one double-quote where the answers are in some way similar to each other. In this case the Cary Grant miniseries and the Indian film that’s connected to the comic book character Archie just happened to be made available for streaming on the same day. (You have to wonder how many people requested the wrong one by accident.)

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #8 (and the answer to Quote #7)

(Double) Quote #8:

“What I thought he did brilliantly was [that] we see him, we connect and we hear him, we feel that he’s Cary Grant, but … he doesn’t play the caricature.”

– screenwriter Jeff Pope, in a 12/7/2023 interview with the L.A.Times’ Emily Zemler about working with actor Jeffrey Isaacs on the Britbox series “____”, released that same day

“It showed us everything about Western culture – how people dressed, what they were listening to, what food they were eating – so we all wanted burgers and milkshakes.”

– Zoya Akhtar, in a 12/7/2023 interview with Deadline’s Liz Shackleton about how the original comic strip inspired her to direct and co-wrote the Netflix film adaptation “____ ____”, released that same day

(Please be sure to provide an answer for each quote. Thanks!)

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Answer to Quote #7:

“There’s a life to this structure. It’s almost unexplainable, but it’s more than just a building.”

– Rich Helfant, executive director and CEO of the committee to save Lucy The Elephant, discussing the appeal of the nation’s oldest roadside attraction with Philadelphia-based WPVI-TV’s Tamala Edwards for a 7/6/2023 story

    Lucy the Elephant was built out of wood back in 1882 in Margate City, New Jersey (about five miles south of Atlantic City), and it was used to attract tourists and promote real estate in the area. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and starting in 2020, people could even stay there overnight through AirBnB. However, the structure has been in frequent need of repair. Last year, Mr. Helfant, a fan of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, got Dean Martin’s daughter, singer Deana Martin, to host a fundraiser for Lucy a little over a year ago. Then in January the city approved plans for a visitor’s center on its grounds – but it will have to be elevated, in order to meet flood rules.

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #7 (and the answer to Quote #6)

Quote #7:

“There’s a life to this structure. It’s almost unexplainable, but it’s more than just a building.”

– Rich Helfant, executive director and CEO of the committee to save ______  ______  ______, discussing the appeal of the nation’s oldest roadside attraction with Philadelphia-based WPVI-TV’s Tamala Edwards for a 7/6/2023 story

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Answer to Quote #6:

“Just as we all love literature and theater, we need to build the same appreciation of puppetry, which is mind-bending in its contribution to theater arts and human artistic endeavor.”

– former UConn president Susan Herbst, interviewed for a 12/13/2023 CT Insider story by Joseph Tucci about how the university offers more degrees in that field than any other in the country

    It turns out that the University of Connecticut has had a Puppet Arts Complex since 2002, and currently 12 undergraduate students and 10 graduate students are pursuing a puppet arts major, with five more making it their minor. The article describes the history of puppetry at the university (which goes back several decades) and features interviews with people who ended up with careers in that field.

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #6 (and the answer to Quote #5)

Quote #6:

“Just as we all love literature and theater, we need to build the same appreciation of ________, which is mind-bending in its contribution to theater arts and human artistic endeavor.”

– former UConn president Susan Herbst, interviewed for a 12/13/2023 CT Insider story by Joseph Tucci about how the university offers more degrees in that field than any other in the country

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Answer to Quote #5:

“Maybe they don’t know what they’re talking about – even though they’re running the country.”

– “Tonight Show” guest Joe Namath, 7/20/1973, shortly after being inexplicably named as one of many celebrities on President Richard Nixon’s ‘enemies list’ (and identified first as an actor!)

    This might be one of the tougher quotes to find this year! Joe Namath decided to speak out after the infamous list was revealed, and it was never made clear why he was included. Richard Nixon was a big fan of the then-Washington Redskins, so some people may have heard him get angry when they played against the Jets. However, the person who added Joe’s name – possibly John Dean – apparently didn’t know much about Broadway Joe: he was labeled as an “actor”, “businessman” (both of which did apply to hm at times), and quarterback for the New York Giants! He told Johnny Carson that he had tried to stay apolitical, and you can find the clip of his appearance that day on YouTube.

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #5 (and the answer to Quote #4)

Quote #5:

“Maybe they don’t know what they’re talking about – even though they’re running the country.”

– “Tonight Show” guest _____ _____, 7/20/1973, shortly after being inexplicably named as one of many celebrities on President Richard Nixon’s ‘enemies list’ (and identified first as an actor!)

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Answer to Quote #4:

“We never thought our super-sundae would be a Super-star. But a little change is good for everybody, isn’t it?”

– from an 11/21/1968 print ad in the New York Times by the makers of Schrafft’s to promote a commercial for its ice cream, directed by Andy Warhol, that would premiere on TV that night

    In an effort to attract more young people to its restaurants, most of which were based in New York City, the Schrafft’s company commissioned Andy Warhol to create a TV spot for its new Underground Sundae. Andy was apparently a fan of the chain, and he created a one-minute ad that had some of the surreal elements that made him famous. (The original ad was lost for many years, and while it’s supposedly since been found, it hasn’t been posted on YouTube or similar sites.)

    Coincidentally, there are plans to bring back the Schrafft’s restaurant chain, and there have been pop-up events in Manhattan this month – with the last one coming up this Sunday – to prepare people for the first reopening, currently scheduled for next month. The website associated with the brand looks like another attempt to attract young and trendy followers.

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #4 (and the answer to Quote #3)

Quote #4:

“We never thought our super-sundae would be a Super-star. But a little change is good for everybody, isn’t it?”

– from an 11/21/1968 print ad in the New York Times by the makers of Schrafft’s to promote a commercial for its ice cream, directed by ________  ________. that would premiere on TV that night

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Answer to Quote #3:

“What he represents is Mr. Ordinary Citizen who can achieve great things. His life should be an incentive to the man who thinks he can’t make it.”

– actor Kevin McCarthy (1914-2010), in an interview with Ray Loynd for the 3/2/1987 edition of the Los Angeles Times about frequently playing Democratic president Harry S Truman in a one-man show

    Kevin McCarthy is a pretty common name, so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that two well-known people share it. The actor Kevin McCarthy portrayed Harry Truman in a one-man play for several years and became associated with it in the same kind of way that Hal Holbrook did with the role of Mark Twain (although he was probably best known for starring in the original “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers”!). While it is an interesting coincidence that the other person with that name is a Republican, the departing politician by that name has a connection to Harry Truman, too: in September of last year, he spoke at a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda when a new statue of Mr. Truman was unveiled.

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #3 (and the answer to Quote #2)

Quote #3:

“What he represents is Mr. Ordinary Citizen who can achieve great things. His life should be an incentive to the man who thinks he can’t make it.”

– actor ________  ________ (1914-2010), in an interview with Ray Loynd for the 3/2/1987 edition of the Los Angeles Times about frequently playing Democratic president Harry S Truman in a one-man show

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Answer to Quote #2:

“It ended up landing in Manitowoc, on Eighth Street, right in front of our museum, coincidentally. … Some people like to be the home to the ice cream sundae, some people to the hamburger, and quite honestly, we haven’t made enough out of it.”

– Kevin Crawford, mayor of the town in Wisconsin that started holding an annual space-themed celebration known as Sputnikfest almost a year after speaking to NPR’s “All Things Considered” for a 10/4/2007 story

   This event came up while researching last year’s clue about this town, which is also known as being the origin of aluminum Christmas trees. It also gained fame when a piece of the Russian satellite Sputnik broke up over its skies in 1958, just as the Cold War was growing more intense. Pieces of it fell into the road, while other retrieved parts were eventually sent back to the USSR. In 2007 the town decided to hold a festival to remember the occasion, including such activities as a Captain Space Debris contest.

Quote Challenge 2023: Quote #2 (and the answer to Quote #1)

Quote #2:

“It ended up landing in Manitowoc, on Eighth Street, right in front of our museum, coincidentally. … Some people like to be the home to the ice cream sundae, some people to the hamburger, and quite honestly, we haven’t made enough out of it.”

– Kevin Crawford, mayor of the town in Wisconsin that started holding an annual space-themed celebration known as ________ almost a year after speaking to NPR’s “All Things Considered” for a 10/4/2007 story

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Answer to Quote #1:

“This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright #154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin’ it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ours, ’cause we don’t give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that’s all we wanted to do.”

– from a statement accompanying the 1940 songbook “Dust Bowl Ballads”, written by Maxine “Lefty Lou” Crissman and her ‘radio partner’ Woody Guthrie

    This showed up during research on the 1988 TV special that paid tribute to him and Leadbelly (for the song “I Ain’t Got No Home”, posted last month). Some sources list it going back a bit further to 1937, as the copyright number referred to another tune of his called “California!”. While he was not concerned about the copyright rules for some of his songs, his daughter Nora has tried to prevent it from being used for purposes she says he didn’t have in mind.