Sinatra Didn't Die Alone-10 deaths on May 14 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Henry J. Heinz began his "business career" peddling home grown veggies door to door when he was in grade school. After graduating from Duff's Business College, he spent some time at his father's brick manufacturing company. In 1869, he and a partner started Heinz Noble and Co. They were out of business in six years. What product were they trying and failing to market?

Answer: horseradish

Undaunted, a few years later, his brother and a cousin joined him in founding F & J Heinz Company. Tomato ketchup, which would prove to be "the mother lode", was one of the early products they marketed. What became known as the H.J. Heinz Company started in 1888, and its slogan "57 varieties", entered the lexicon in 1896. Henry became its first president in 1905, a position he held until his death, on you know when, in 1919.

Thanks to the great wealth he accumulated as a businessman, the Sinatra song I think of is "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" (1956) from the film "High Society".

Interesting fact: Having grown up in the area, Heinz chaired a commitee to help Pittsburgh avoid catastrophes from flooding, which was common in the area. He also served on the board of directors for a number of local banks.

2. Actor Hugh Beaumont was born February 16, 1909 and graduated from USC with a Masters in Theology. He will forever be linked with his portayal of Ward Cleaver, the sage father, in one of TV's all-time iconic shows, "Leave It To Beaver" (1957-1963). He also wrote and directed several episodes, including the very last one, "Family Scrapbook". After leaving showbiz in the late 60's, what became his new career?

Answer: He became a Christmas tree farmer

Yup, he owned a little island in MN, and that's where he grew his trees.
He appeared in over 30 films, including "The Blue Dahlia" (1946), with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. He also acted on a few TV shows, such as "Mannix", "Petticoat Junction" and "Wagon Train". He was visiting his son who was a professor in Munich, Germany when he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1982.

Because he was licensed to preach by the Methodist church and was a lay preacher during his distinguished career as an actor, Sinatra's, "I Believe", comes to mind.

Interesting fact: I can't imagine who the 27 guys were who finished ahead of him, but in 2004 "TV Guide" ranked him number 28 in its list of "The 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time". OK, Lorne Greene, Ozzie Nelson and Robert Young I get, but 28th?

3. Larry Stock was an American songwriter/lyricist whose career spanned over four decades. He was born in the Big Apple after his mother emigrated from Hungary. She would later become a cellist with the New York Symphony Orchestra. A number of the songs he wrote became huge hits, and were covered by some of the biggest names in the business. Which of the following songs did he NOT write?

Answer: Go Tell It on the Mountain

"Go Tell It on the Mountain" was written by John Wesley Work (circa 1865).
"Blueberry Hill" originally written in 1940, would become Fats Domino's signature song, when he covered it in 1956. Dean Martin crooned the most popular version of "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You" in 1965, and it was Tommy Edwards who first recorded "Morning Side of the Mountain" in 1951. Stock's first big hit was "Umbrella Man", which sold over 50 million copies and was recorded and played often by bandleader Kay Kyser, starting in 1938. Larry Stock, who passed away in 1984, entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame, posthumously in 1998.

When he retired from writing lyrics and music, he unlike Francis, was left "Without a Song" (1941).

Interesting fact: His "Blueberry Hill" was once turned down by a record publisher who told him that blueberries didn't grow on hills. I kid you not.

4. Broadway producer, David Belasco was one of the most influential figures of the American theater, in a career that played out over 45 years. His first gigs on the "Great White Way" were as a stagehand at both The Madison Square Theatre and the Lyceum Theatre. It was while working at the Lyceum that he began to write the first of what would turn into an amazing body of work. He either produced, directed or wrote in excess of 100 shows. By what nickname was the mercurial David Belasco known?

Answer: The Bishop of Broadway

He earned it as regonition for his custom of wearing almost all black clothes.
Belasco is rightfully known for many things, including his adaptation of the short story "Madame Butterfly" into a Broadway play, which opened in 1900 at the Herald Theatre. He was the writer, producer and director of "The Girl of the Golden West" (1905). (He also penned a novel with the same title in 1911). A 15 year old who was later to become a famous actress named Mary Pickford, appeared in two of his shows. In 1907, she was cast in "The Warrens of Virginia" and six years later played in "A Good Little Devil".

For this dynamic impressario, who lit up the "Great White Way" for decades, I believe The Chairman of the Board's rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1950) is befitting for Mr. Belasco. The song was written by Irving Berlin for the show "Annie Get Your Gun" (1946).

Interesting fact: Over three dozen of the shows he wrote were subsequently made into Hollywood films, including "Seven Chances", with Buster Keaton (1925).

5. Lyle Alzado was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on April 3, 1949. He was drafted out of Yankton College (SD) in the fourth round of the 1971 National Football League draft. He went on to have an outstanding 14 year career as one the best defensive players of his era. He played for the Denver Broncos (1971-1978), Cleveland Browns (1979-1981) and L.A. Raiders (1982-1985). His 1984 Raiders helped him win his only Super Bowl ring. What team did the Raiders demolish to win the 1984 championship?

Answer: Washington Redskins

They manhandled the defending Super Bowl champion Redskins 38-9 in Tampa Stadium on January 22, 1984. (I know you'd be thrilled to know that Barry Manilow sang "The National Anthem" to start the festivities). Alzado played his career with reckless abandon, and was considered one of the hardest hitters in the game. He was voted "The Defensive Player of the Year" in 1977, and after a couple of so-so campaigns, was voted "Comeback Player of the Year" in 1982. He played his last game in '85, but attempted a comeback in 1990, which failed when he blew out his knee and he hung 'em up for good.

When his playing days were over he acted in a few forgettable movies, none of which I can recall. He admitted taking steroids for over a dozen years and believed the cancer that killed him in 1992, at the age of 43, was a direct result of his abuse.

Sadly, here, I have to go with Frankie's: "Call Me Irresponsible" (1963").

Interesting fact: Yankton College no longer exists. On the South Dakota land where it used to be, now stands a federal prison.

6. Harry Bouton was a chip off the old block, actually in his case, the old stone. Better known as Harry Blackstone Jr., he was a master of legerdemain. When he began his career, he developed his own routines and tricks of sleight of hand, rather than just re-cycling his dad's. When he was a kid, which of the following statements is true about his relationship to his father's acts.

Answer: He was used as a prop by his father..

Jr. plied his craft on numerous TV shows, including "The Tonight Show", "Donohue", "The Reading Rainbow" and "The Today Show". He even acted on TV in "Santa Barbara", as the eerie "Dr. Mephisto". He loved to teach others about the art of magic. In fact, he created a quartet of kits for people of various skill levels, and they could "graduate" from one to the next as their knowledge of the tricks of the trade grew. He was twice voted The Academy of Magical Arts "Magician of the Year" (1979 and 1985).

I'm inclined to go with the skinny kid from Hoboken's "Pocketful of Miracles" (1934) for this young, tricky master of magic.

Interesting fact: In an otherwise mostly successful career, he had the worst day of his professional life during the 1987 Orange Bowl football game. Hired as the halftime entertainment, most of his tricks flopped as he worked with local talent and inferior equipment. Where was that trick trap door when he needed it?

7. English author H. Rider Haggard was born on June 22, 1856. He is best know for his tales of derring-do, mostly in the Dark Continent of Africa. One such yarn was "King Solomon's Mines" (1885). It follows a band of intrepid adventurers who, despite unknown perils that may await them, enter mysterious territory to search for a man who has gone missing in his quest to find the legendary mines. Who is the protagonist of this tale? Note: Watch the spelling carefully.

Answer: Allan Quatermain

He is reputed to have written it in between two and four months, after betting his brother that he could write a novel to equal Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" (1883). (In some later movies, Haggard's elephant hunting hero is mistakenly referred to as Quartermain). Other works of Haggard's include a sequel to King Solomon's Mines", simply called "Allan Quatermain" (1887) as well as "She" (1887), and its sequel "Ayesha" (1905).
The character of Quatermain is thought to have inspired the creation of "Indiana Jones" in "Raider's of the Lost Ark" (1981) and several sequels.
Haggard has been honored by being made a Knight Commander of Order of the British Empire (1920). He died at the age of 68 in 1925.

In deference of the cavalier bravery of Quatermain and his intrepid band of would-be rescuers in the wild African bush, I nominate Sinatra's "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" (1940) for Mr. Haggard.

Interesting fact: Haggard made literary history, when he made "King Solomon's Mines" the first English adventure novel set in the Dark Continent of Africa.

8. The sultry dancer, actress and WWII "pin-up" favorite Rita Hayworth, was born Carmen Cansino, October 17, 1918. She made a handful of films under the name of Rita Casino, before changing her name to Rita Hayworth and her hair from brown to red, in the late 1930s. She made over 50 films as Rita Hayworth and she was one of the top box office stars of Hollywood in the 1940's. In what country was she born?

Answer: United States

She was born in the Empire State, New York, to parents who had danced in "The Ziegfield Follies". During a career that covered over 35 years she was married five times including unions with actor, director Orson Welles, Prince Aly Khan and singer Dick Haymes. One of her best remembered films is "Gilda" (1946), which established her as an exotic "femme fatale", and helped bring about her nickname, "The Love Goddess". Others include "The Lady from Shanghai" (1943), "Miss Sadie Thompson" (1953) and her last musical, "Pal Joey" (1957) with "Old Blue Eyes", himself. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in February of 1987 and died three months later at the age of 68.
A TV movie of her life "Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess" (1983) starred Lynda Carter in the title role.

In honor of her bithplace, right across the Hudson river from his own hometown of Hoboken, N.J., I gotta go with one of Frankie's biggies: "New York, New York" (1980).

Interesting fact: She played opposite Fred Astaire in "You'll Never get Rich" (1941) and with Gene Kelly in "Cover Girl" (1944), making her the first dancer to be featured with both popular hoofers.

9. Dave DeBusschere was an eight time National Basketball Association (NBA) All Star, who brought new meaning to the term "power forward". He was as tough a defensive player as there was in the league, and was named to the NBA All Defensive team six times. Over a 12 year career he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds a game. In 1962-63 he also played another professional sport. Which one was it?

Answer: Baseball

He pitched a total of 101 Major League innings for the Chicago White Sox. His "career" stats were 3 wins, 4 losses with a strong 2.90 ERA and even tossed one shutout. He played his first six NBA years (1962-1968) with the Detroit Pistons and his last six with the New York Knicks (1968-1974). When N.Y. acquired him, they thought he would be the final piece of the puzzle that would lead them to an NBA title. He proved them correct when the Knicks won the 1970 championship in a thrilling series against Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and the L.A. Lakers. They would do it again in 1973. The eight time All Star retired in 1974 and was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1983.
A massive heart attack killed #22 in 2003, at the age of 62.

As a tribute to winning his first N.B.A. Championship with the New York Knicks (1970), Frank's, "It Was a Very Good Year" (1965) seems appropriate for Dave.

Interesting fact: In 1964, with Detroit, he became, at age 24, the youngest ever player/coach in league history. It was an experiment that didn't last long, and he soon went back to just doing what he did better than most, score, rebound and win.

10. Actor Robert Stack was born Charles Langford Stack January 13, 1919 in Los Angeles, CA. His father didn't like the name his wife had chosen for his son, and so he changed it to Robert. Not surprisingly, they divorced when he was barely a year old. He spent a lot of growing up time in Europe, before coming back to the U.S. to start his acting career. While best known for his portrayal of Eliot Ness on "The Untouchables", he was also also the long time host of another crime series. Can you name it?

Answer: Unsolved Mysteries

Stack hosted it from 1988-1997. After a tour of duty in WWII, he returned to Hollywood, and his first of over 35 films was "First Love" (1939). He received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for "Written on the Wind" (1956). He also appeared in the comedy classic "Airplane" (1980). Despite his work on the big screen, he will always be most remembered for his work on a hit TV series, "The Untouchables" (1959-1963). His portrayal of the crime-busting, incorruptible Chicago based Eliot Ness, won him an Emmy for Best Actor (1960).
His last film was "Killer Bud" (2001). He died in 2003 at age 84. His autobiography, "Straight Shooting" was published in 1980.

Since Stack is best remembered for chasing Al Capone, Frank Nitti and other mobsters all over The Windy City, in "The Untouchables", I can think of no better song for a finale to this quiz than Francis Albert's famous: "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" (1957). The Chairman of the Board sang it in the movie, "The Joker is Wild".

Interesting fact: Robert Stack was a championship skeet shooter, and in fact he became a member of the Skeetshooting Hall of Fame in in 1971. No, I'm serious, there really is such an entity...who knew?

Source: Author paulmallon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This is my second "Didn't Die Alone" quiz. "The King"/Elvis was first and now, "The Chairman of the Board". Francis Albert Sinatra passed away on May 14, 1998. Here are 10 folks who passed away on the same day in different years.

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