"Standing in the Rainbow " by Fannie Flagg Quiz

Answer: The Neighbor Dorothy Show

Dorothy Smith broadcast her program from her living room through station "WDOT, number 66 on your dial". She started broadcasting in 1936 and stayed on the air until 1974. She gave out local news, household hints and recipes. She was on the air Monday through Friday from 9:30 am -10:00 am.

Here is the way Nalon Klegg, the announcer at the main station in Poplar Bluff would introduce her show: "And now here she is from that little white house just around the corner from wherever you are, your neighbor and mine, the lady with the smile in her voice, Neighbor Dorothy...with Mother Smith on the organ." Then would come Dorothy's theme song, "On The Sunny Side Of The Street". Dorothy had a huge listening audience and received tons of mail daily!

Answer: He was the town's pharmacist

Doc Smith ran the local Rexall drugstore. He not only filled prescriptions; people often brought sick and hurt animals to him. They also came to him for advice for sick children before calling in the town's only doctor. He and Dorothy had three children, Michael, Anna Lee and Bobby. Sadly, Michael was only four when he developed a bacterial infection.

He died the same day. It was after this that Doc's mother, known as Mother Smith, moved in with them to help take care of them. She lived with them until her death.

Answer: Monroe Newberry

Bobby and Monroe were in the same grade at school, and stayed best friends for years. At the age of ten, Bobby and Monroe dared each other to climb the Elmwood Springs water tower. The idea was to tie red balloons all around the tower to prove to everyone that they had climbed it.

They made it to the platform, but once they saw how high they were, Bobby panicked and went back down. It wasn't until years later that Bobby accomplished the feat alone, red balloons and all!

Answer: At a convention in Memphis, Tennessee

Doc and Dorothy went to Memphis to attend a pharmaceutical convention, where Doc was to win an award. The banquet that evening was to have musical entertainment, but at the last minute, the original performers canceled. A family, known as "The Oatman Family Gospel Singers", which consisted of Ferris and Minnie Oatman and their three children, Bervin, Vernon and Betty Raye, were available and agreed to perform. Dorothy was very impressed, and invited them to be on her radio show.

After the Smiths got to know them better, they agreed to board Betty Raye so that she could quit traveling and finish high school.

Answer: Beatrice Woods

It turned out terrific for everyone. Beatrice, blind from birth, was a daily singer on Dorothy's show, and had always wanted to travel and sing professionally. Since Betty Raye wanted to quit, Beatrice was the obvious replacement. Beatrice could sing much better than Betty Raye, and the Oatman family became much more popular after she joined the group, eventually being inducted into the Gospel Singers Hall of Fame. Betty Raye was so shy, she was extremely happy to be out of show business!

Answer: She was not Ferris and Minnie's natural child

Ferris and Minnie Oatman thought that Betty Raye was their natural child, but she wasn't. The day Minnie gave birth to her baby girl, a woman named Mrs. Katharine Sizemore also gave birth to a baby girl around the same time. Both Ferris's and Minnie's relatives showed up at the hospital.

There were so many of them, and they were causing such a commotion, the nurse got the babies mixed up and put the wrong identification bands on them. Mrs. Sizemore could never figure out why her daughter Carolina Lee was so big boned and had such dark hair, when she herself was slim and tall with light brown hair.

At the same time, Minnie could never figure out why Betty Raye was so slim and had light brown hair, and couldn't sing!

Answer: one

Hamm first saw Betty Raye while she was working at the Three Little Pigs Cafeteria. He hounded her for a month before she finally agreed to go out with him. She didn't see him again for another month, but then he showed up on the Smith's doorstep with an engagement ring for Betty Raye.

At first she turned him down, but after he hounded her again at the cafeteria, she finally agreed to marry him.

Answer: He had Betty Raye run in his place

Although Hamm was not a good husband, he was a great Governor. It was during the 1960s, and the local politics were still rather corrupt. Hamm wanted to keep the campaign promises he had made, but needed more time, so he and his administration decided to run Betty Raye, with the understanding that Hamm would be running the state. Betty Raye ran on the Democratic ticket.

But the Republican candidate's aide was overheard making a snide remark about her; it was printed in the newspapers throughout the state, but the words were put into the Republican's mouth instead. That was all that was needed. Betty Raye won the election, although it was close.

Answer: Yes

Hamm met his mistress, Vita Green, in Kansas City, and they began their affair the same day. It went on for years, until Hamm's disappearance. Although Betty Raye knew, she stayed on with Hamm anyway, not wanting to ruin his political career, and also for the sake of their two sons, Hamm, Jr. and Ferris.

After Hamm disappeared, Vita and Betty Raye became friends (imagine that!), and Vita also became Betty Raye's adviser to help Betty Raye run the state until her term as Governor ended. She also advised Betty Raye financially, and Betty Raye ended up as a very rich woman!

Answer: The boat blew up, killing them all

When the boat docked in New Orleans, Hamm and most of his administrators went to a meeting with the shady character who was to give Hamm the donation. One of his men, who owned a series of funeral homes, managed to buy eighty gallons of formaldehyde at a bargain, and had it loaded on the boat. One of the other men had fifty cases of bootleg rum loaded on as well. What no one knew was that the owner of the boat, another shady character with mob connections, had dynamite in a hidden compartment of the boat. On the way back to Missouri, one of the men threw his Zippo lighter to another man.

It was a freak thing that the lighter opened in midair, hit the side of a box of rum, and caused the straw in the box to ignite. With all of the flammable stuff on board, the boat blew up, killing everyone on board!