'60s Entertainment - Some Interesting Facts Quiz

Answer: Spain

Cliff Richard represented the United Kingdom at the 1968 'Eurovision Song Contest', held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The song 'Congratulations' was written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, who had also written Sandie Shaw's 'Puppet on a String', which won the previous year. 'Congratulations' was one of the favourites to win. Cliff led the voting for much of the contest, but Spain's Massiel overtook him near the end and won by a single point, 29 to 28.

Massiel's victory later became the subject of controversy when a Spanish television documentary alleged that officials connected with Francisco Franco's regime had attempted to influence voting in Spain's favour. The allegation has never been established as fact, and the 1968 result remains officially unchanged.

Answer: Albert Finney

'Lawrence of Arabia' was directed by David Lean. Peter O'Toole played T. E. Lawrence, the British army officer whose experiences during the Arab Revolt of the First World War became the basis for the film. He received the first of his eight Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for the role, although he never won a competitive Oscar. He received an honorary Academy Award in 2003.

Peter wasn't the only actor considered for the part. Marlon Brando reportedly turned down the role and Albert Finney was extensively screen-tested before negotiations failed. Peter took the part and gave the performance that made him an international star. One of the film's famous admirers was playwright Noel Coward, who is often credited with joking about Peter's striking appearance after seeing the film.

Answer: Laurel Canyon

The Mamas & the Papas, made up of John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, were a vocal group of the 1960s. Known for their intricate harmonies, they had major hits including 'California Dreamin'' and 'Monday, Monday'. Their music became closely associated with the emerging California sound. Although they were together for only a few years, their influence lasted much longer.

Member Cass Elliot became one of the best-known figures in the Laurel Canyon music scene. The hillside neighbourhood attracted a collection of musicians during the 1960s and 1970s, including Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, Neil Young and members of The Byrds. Cass's home became a gathering place for musicians and other creative people, which helped make Laurel Canyon a famous musical community of the era.

Answer: Johnny Carson

Twister was invented in 1966 by American toy designer Reyn Guyer. The game was originally developed by him and his colleagues while working on a promotional idea, but they realised that the colourful mat and spinner could form the basis of a new game. Milton Bradley took the idea on, although some retailers were initially reluctant to stock a game that required players to place their bodies on top of one another.

The turning point came when Johnny Carson and actress Eva Gabor played Twister on 'The Tonight Show' in the US in May 1966. Their enthusiastic and rather chaotic demonstration showed millions of viewers exactly how the game worked and generated enormous public interest. Sales soared almost immediately and turned what had initially seemed like a risky idea into a popular party game.

Answer: The assassination of President John F Kennedy

'Doctor Who' made its debut on BBC television at 5:16pm on Saturday 23rd November 1963, later than scheduled, due to ongoing news coverage of an event that occurred the previous day. The first episode, titled 'An Unearthly Child', introduced viewers to a mysterious white haired stranger known only as 'the Doctor', played by William Hartnell, and his remarkable time travelling machine the TARDIS, which was disguised as a London police box. Few watching that evening could have imagined the programme would still be running more than sixty years later.

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on 22nd November 1963 dominated BBC broadcasting and affected the viewing figures for that first episode, which was watched by only 4.422 million people, far fewer than hoped. The BBC took the unusual decision to repeat the episode the following week before the second instalment aired, giving latecomers the chance to catch up. It was the Daleks, which were introduced in the second serial, that really captured the public and made the programme so popular.

Answer: The Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles

Buffalo Springfield were a Canadian-American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966. The founding members were Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin. Neil Young and Bruce Palmer had driven a 1953 Pontiac hearse from Toronto to Los Angeles, and met Stephen and Richie by chance in traffic on Sunset Boulevard. The distinctive hearse, with its Canadian licence plates, helped the musicians recognise one another and led directly to the band's formation.

Stephen Stills wrote 'For What It's Worth' after witnessing unrest on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip in late 1966. A curfew and plans to close the popular nightclub Pandora's Box had led to protests and clashes between young people and police. The song was recorded by Buffalo Springfield and became a major hit. Although it later became strongly associated with the Vietnam War and the wider anti-war movement, the song was actually inspired by the unrest on the Sunset Strip rather than the war itself.

Answer: Jack Nicholson

'Easy Rider' was one of the films that helped usher in the era of New Hollywood. It was directed by Dennis Hopper and starred Hopper and Peter Fonda as two bikers travelling across America. The film was made on a relatively small budget and explored themes of freedom, counterculture and the changing values of American society. It became a huge commercial success and helped demonstrate that unconventional films could attract large audiences.

The role of alcoholic lawyer George Hanson was originally intended for Rip Torn, but Torn and Hopper later gave very different accounts of why Torn left the project after a heated meeting. Jack Nicholson eventually took the role and made the character his own. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and helped turn him into a major Hollywood star.

Answer: Maggie Smith

'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' is one of Muriel Spark's best-known novels. Born in Edinburgh, Muriel set the story in a fictional girls' school in 1930s Edinburgh. It follows the charismatic teacher Jean Brodie and the group of pupils she selects as her favourites, known as 'the Brodie set'. Brodie's unconventional teaching methods and admiration for fascism give the story a darker side.

Muriel based Miss Brodie partly on Christina Kay, one of her own teachers at James Gillespie's High School for Girls in Edinburgh. Kay encouraged Muriel's interest in literature and writing, although the fictional Brodie is very different from her real-life inspiration. The novel was later adapted for the stage and then into the 1969 film starring Maggie Smith. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Miss Brodie.

Answer: Burt Bacharach and Hal David

'Alfie' was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It starred Michael Caine as a charming but selfish London womaniser who frequently breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. The unusual technique allowed viewers to hear Alfie's thoughts while watching the consequences of his behaviour. The film was a major success and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Michael.

The theme song, 'Alfie', was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the film. Cilla Black recorded the British version, which reached number nine in the UK singles chart. Other artists recorded their own versions. Dionne Warwick's recording became particularly well known in the United States.

Answer: Dresden

Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse-Five' is one of his best-known novels and is regarded as an important American anti-war work. Kurt drew heavily on his own experiences as an American prisoner of war during the Second World War. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, he was taken to Dresden, Germany, where he was held in a slaughterhouse known as Schlachthof Fünf.

On the night of 13 February 1945, Allied aircraft carried out a devastating bombing raid on Dresden. Kurt and other prisoners survived by sheltering underground in the slaughterhouse. When they emerged, they found much of the city destroyed. The experience stayed with him for decades, and he eventually transformed it into 'Slaughterhouse-Five'. The novel combines autobiography, science fiction, dark humour and a powerful examination of the effects of war. Modern historical research estimates that around 25,000 people died in the Dresden bombing.