Deaths in the News, 2010 (Part 2) Quiz

Answer: The Poseidon Adventure

The son of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable, Leslie Nielsen trained as a gunner in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II before going to study radio arts under Lorne Greene (star of the TV show "Bonanza") in Toronto. During his career, he compiled an impressive body of work on television and in the movies.

TV appearances included "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"; the Disney TV miniseries "The Swamp Fox" (as Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion); "Cocoon", the pilot movie of the legendary TV crime drama "Hawaii Five-O"; and "Police Squad", the short-lived crime-show comedy spoof that formed the basis of "The Naked Gun" series of movies.

Other movie work included the science-fiction drama "Forbidden Planet" (1956), the Don Knotts comedy "The Reluctant Astronaut" (1967), and the disaster movie "City on Fire" (1978). In "The Poseidon Adventure", Nielsen portrayed Captain Harrison, the man in command of the ocean liner SS Poseidon, on its final voyage. His character dies when a rogue wave strikes the ship and capsizes it.

Answer: Rick James

Born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California in 1956, Teena Marie's stage name likely derived from the name she was credited under when she appeared on an episode of "The Beverly Hillbillies" in 1964 - Tina Marie Brockert. Raised in a family with a strong African-American influence, Marie made history in 1976 when she was signed by Motown, a company known for its African-American musical acts but which had also signed Caucasian bands like Rare Earth and Stoney & Meatloaf under Motown's Rare Earth label. Her debut album, "Wild and Peaceful", released under Motown's Gordy Records label, did not have her picture on it, for fear that the album wouldn't sell if people knew Marie was white.

Rick James initially intended to produce the album for another R & B legend, Diana Ross, but decided to work with Marie instead. "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love" wound up peaking at number-8 on the Black Singles Chart. Her best-known hit, however, came after she moved over to Epic Records. "Lovergirl", from the album "Starchild", peaked at number-4 on Billboard's Hot 100 list and at number-9 on the R & B charts in 1985. Even after parting ways from Motown, Marie and James maintained a friendship that lasted until James died in 2004.

Answer: Commerce

By the time President Carter tapped Juanita Kreps to be his Secretary of Commerce, she had already compiled an impressive resumé as an educator. She earned her master's degree in economics at Duke in 1944 and her PhD there in 1948. After teaching at several other schools, she returned to Duke in 1955 to serve as a professor and administrator, making history in 1973 when she became the school's first female vice president. She became the first woman to serve as a director of the New York Stock Exchange, in 1972. She published numerous books and scholarly articles, particularly on the labor demographics of women and older workers.

In her role as Commerce secretary, Kreps negotiated a major trade treaty with China, worked to strengthen consumer privacy and credit dispute processes, and worked with the president to help companies map out anti-inflation strategies. Kreps resigned her post in 1979 when her husband, a professor at North Carolina, apparently tried to commit suicide.

Answer: USS Alabama

Iowa-born Bob Feller is among a select group of Hall of Famers who never played in the minor leagues before jumping to the majors - a group that includes fellow pitchers Jim "Catfish" Hunter and Sandy Koufax, and former pitcher Dave Winfield (who was converted to be an outfielder by the San Diego Padres because of his bat). Feller joined the Cleveland Indians in 1935 and played for six seasons, before volunteering for the U.S. Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During his time of service, Feller received several campaign ribbons and battle stars. He played 12 more seasons after returning from the war, starting in 1946, and spent his entire career in Cleveland.

Feller notched many accomplishments during his career. He threw the first Opening Day no-hitter (1940), one of three no-hitters he threw during his career; pitched 12 one-hit games; led the American League in wins six times; led the league in strikeouts seven times; appeared in eight All-Star games; and when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, in his first year of eligibility, became the first Chief Petty Officer from the U.S. Navy to be enshrined.

Answer: Portnoy's Complaint

"Portnoy's Complaint" became a bestseller for author Philip Roth in 1969 and ignited a firestorm of controversy for its frank treatment of sexuality, through the eyes of its protagonist, Alexander Portnoy. The novel focuses on Portnoy's confessions to his psychoanalyst about his life and his problems when it comes to women. In the motion picture adaptation, released by Warner Bros. in 1972, Richard Benjamin played Portnoy opposite Jill Clayburgh, who plays one of his love interests, a woman named Naomi.

Clayburgh's appearance in "Portnoy's Complaint" came four years before the role that vaulted her into the spotlight - Hilly Burns, art secretary and love interest to weary traveler George Caldwell (Gene Wilder) - in the comedy-thriller "Silver Streak". She earned two Academy Award nominations for her work in the movies "An Unmarried Woman" (in which she picks up the pieces of her life after her husband leaves her for another woman) and "Starting Over" (in which she plays a teacher attracted to a recently-divorced man played by Burt Reynolds).

Answer: Cheez Doodles

A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Morrie Yohai took flight training during his time in the U.S. Navy and flew aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. In 1949, he took control of King Kone, the snack-food company his father founded, and during the 1950s developed the tasty cheese snack that has, among its rivals, Cheetos. Yohai sold King Kone, which was renamed Old London Foods in 1960, to Borden in 1965 and became an executive with that company. Among his duties there was helping determine which prizes to put into boxes of Cracker Jack.

Answer: Washington Redskins

In his last two years at Kentucky, George Blanda played for the legendary coach Bear Bryant, who coached the Wildcats from 1946 to 1953 and led them into the national spotlight. The Chicago Bears drafted Blanda after his college days, using him primarily as a kicker, but also letting him see time at both quarterback and linebacker. Frustrated with his role, Blanda retired after the 1958 NFL season, but came back in 1960 when the American Football League was founded. He played with the Houston Oilers as both a quarterback and kicker from 1960 to 1966, setting a pro-football record (later tied by New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle) with 36 touchdown passes in a single season - a mark that Miami's Dan Marino shattered years later.

When he joined the Oakland Raiders in 1967, he was used primarily as a kicker, but also saw action at quarterback as a backup. When he played his final game, the 1975 AFC Championship Game, Blanda was 48 years and 109 days old, making him the oldest player ever to play in an NFL game. During his career, he scored 2,002 points, also an NFL record at the time he retired. And he threw 277 interceptions - an NFL record that stood until he was passed by Brett Favre. Blanda was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 1981.

Answer: Breast cancer

Born Mary Elizabeth Anania on July 3, 1949, in Jacksonville, Florida, Elizabeth Edwards was the daughter of a naval aviator, coming of age while her father was fighting during the Vietnam War and moving around the world as a result. After attending high school in Alexandria, Virginia, she transferred from Mary Washington College (later known as the University of Mary Washington) to the University of North Carolina's flagship campus at Chapel Hill. She earned her bachelor's degree there and met her husband, future U.S. Senator John Edwards, while working on her Juris Doctor.

During her professional career, she worked as a law clerk for a federal judge, as an attorney in private practice, and in the office of North Carolina's attorney general. She was a key advisor to her husband during his 2004 vice-presidential bid, as fellow senator John Kerry's running mate, and during his 2008 presidential bid.

It was after the 2004 election that Edwards announced she had breast cancer. The cancer returned in 2007, and her initial optimism about fighting the disease waned. At the time of her death, she was legally separated from John Edwards for the purpose of pursing a divorce, under North Carolina law, due to the disclosure that he had fathered a child with film producer Rielle Hunter. She was buried near the North Carolina State Capitol beside her oldest child, Wade, who was killed in a traffic accident in 1996.

Answer: 1957

At the time she represented Maryland at the Miss USA Pageant in Long Beach, California, Mary Leona Gage was already twice married - her first marriage was annulled, and she was still married to her second husband - and had two children. And she was also underage, according to pageant rules - 18 instead of 21. After winning the competition, rumors began to surface that she was married. Despite spending a day deflecting those rumors, she ultimately had to confess.

Miss Utah, Charlotte Sheffield, the first runner-up, was declared the new Miss USA, but that created an unusual situation. In 1957, the Miss Universe Pageant, the companion contest to Miss USA, began the next day. Sheffield missed the preliminaries for Miss Universe, leaving the United States without a representative in the competition. Today, of course, there is time between both competitions.

The scandal earned Gage attention both negative, in the form of hate letters, and positive, in the form of some television roles, including an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". She also had relationships with singer Frank Sinatra, actor John Drew Barrymore (father of actress Drew Barrymore), and Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay (father of actress Mariska Hargitay). And though she worked as a showgirl and dancer, had a couple of film roles and did some TV commercials, she never managed to get her showbiz career into full swing.

In all, Mary Leona Gage had six husbands and five children. In her last years, she dealt with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and had to use oxygen.

Answer: Miami

A native of the south-central Wisconsin village of Randolph, Jack Horkheimer battled constant pain due to his condition until he was 18, when it was finally diagnosed. Because of it, he was never able to become the athlete that his father wanted him to be, leading Horkheimer to say in an interview with The Miami Herald back in 1982 that "I was always a failure in my father's eyes."

After Horkheimer got his degree in drama at Purdue in 1963, he moved to Miami for his health. But it was a meeting with astronomer Arthur Smith, the president of the Miami Museum of Science and head of the Southern Cross Astronomical Society, that led him to volunteer at the museum's planetarium. His interest in the stars acted as a substitute for the Catholic faith he abandoned.

Horkheimer became executive director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium in 1973, writing shows that helped change the face of teaching astronomy - from staid lectures to elaborate productions complete with music and narration - and turned the planetarium into a money maker. One such show featured talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael as the voice of the Solar System. Horkheimer's public television show debuted in 1976 on Miami's PBS affiliate, then went on to national distribution to PBS affiliates in 1985. The show's title was changed from "Star Hustler" to "Star Gazer" in 1997, to avoid confusion in Internet search engines with the adult magazine, "Hustler". Horkheimer signed off each five-minute broadcast by telling his audience to "keep looking up!"