Botticelli - December 2014

Thread Games
461

SUMMARY

  1. Real
  2. Male
  3. Last name starts with “S”
  4. Dead
  5. American
  6. Known for the arts, broadly defined
  7. Died after 1964
  8. Widely known for a SORT of “performing art”… but that’s not all I’m known for.
  9. Born East of the Mississippi
  10. Died before 2000 (but not much before)
  11. Widely known for a performing art in which I was NOT seen
  12. Not connected to sports
  13. Last name starts with “SA-SM”
  14. Well known as an author, as well as for my “performing art”
  15. A writer of reality-based fiction
  16. I’ve never voiced cartoon characters, but my speaking voice is well-known from several media
  17. Not a newscaster or talking head/pundit/editorializer/opinion giver
462

Previous IQs:

Did you write “The SantaLand Diaries”? - David Sedaris; it’s the perfect tonic for forced holiday merriment: - YouTube
Did John Belushi play you in a spoof last episode of a beloved TV show? - William Shatner: John Belushi - Star Trek on Vimeo
Did you write Swimming to Cambodia? - Yes, Spalding Gray.

Still not sure who this guy is. What should I ask with my two DQs?

463

#11 is a very important clue- how many “performing art” media are there in which the performer’s face is not seen?

The Christmas connection is very real- millions of people hear this voice every year, but never see his face.

#16 is important, too. The voice has been heard in multiple media.

464

#2 is Richard B. Smith. #3 is Steve Nelson.

DQ: Known from radio?

3 DQs reserved.

465

IQ: Are you Big Bird?
Thinking: What Xmas shows involve puppets/marionettes?

466

Santa Claus is Coming to Town has Mickey Rooney and Fred Astaire. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has Burl Ives. Frosty the Snowman has Jimmy Durante. None of those names start with “S.”

467

Not Carol Spinney

Animation and puppets are not involved.

You’re missing a very obvious medium where a performer would not be seen.

468

Drawing blanks, so here’s more IQs

IQ1: Are you the real name of radio DJ Wolfman Jack?
IQ2: Are you a band leader famous for performing satirical songs as well as “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”?
IQ3: Are you a recording artist with hits in the pop, country, and adult contemporary genres as well as 1974’s “The Streak”?

Did you see Prof’s DQ “Known for radio”?

469

SUMMARY

  1. Real
  2. Male
  3. Last name starts with “S”
  4. Dead
  5. American
  6. Known for the arts, broadly defined
  7. Died after 1964
  8. Widely known for a SORT of “performing art”… but that’s not all I’m known for.
  9. Born East of the Mississippi
  10. Died before 2000 (but not much before)
  11. Widely known for a performing art in which I was NOT seen
  12. Not connected to sports
  13. Last name starts with “SA-SM”
  14. Well known as an author, as well as for my “performing art”
  15. A writer of reality-based fiction
  16. I’ve never voiced cartoon characters, but my speaking voice is well-known from several media
  17. Not a newscaster or talking head/pundit/editorializer/opinion giver
  18. First became famous on radio
470

Not Bob Smith, Spike Jones or Ray Stevens

471

DQ: Last name starts with SA-SE?

472

Can’t figure out who this is.

I still have two DQs. I release them to whoever would like to ask them (one per customer).

473

Ernest Thompson Seton.
Correct on Seville and Saroyan.

Carroll, actually, but close enough.

474

Okay, obviously this person is not as well known as I assumed.

Let me drop a few hints:

He has a lot of fans from radio.

He turned a lot of his radio act into popular short stories.

Some of those stories inspired a very popular seasonal movie (in which he was a major participant, though he remained unseen).

475

IQ: Did you narrate and co-script A Christmas Story?

476

Miss this one?

477

Yes, I’ll bet that’s it. I know the person but not the name.

478

Finally! YESSSSS, I am JEAN SHEPHERD, radio raconteur and short story writer.

I spent much of my career telling comical stories about growing up in Indiana in the 1930s and 40s. Later, I started writing such stories for magazines like Playboy. Some of those stories appeared in the collection In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, which was the basis for the movie A Christmas Story.

Congratulations,. Knowed Out.

But be careful- you’ll shoot your eye out, kid!

479

I’ll keep my tongue away from flagpoles too.

Keeping with the Christmas theme for T!

480

Well done again, KO!

IQs:

  1. Did you say “God bless us, every one!”?
  2. Are you one of the Chipmunks?
  3. Was your pet Mighty Manfred, the Wonder Dog?