# Find the common theme **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598 "2007-06-19T16:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/21 "2007-06-20T17:43:53Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] George Lazenby Pope Pius XII Hugh Downs Benjamin Harrison [/QUOTE] I’m guessing it’s the Pope. The answer is that everyone else was succeeded by their predecessor. I’m guessing because I’m not sure about Hugh Downs … I don’t know enough about his career. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/22 "2007-06-20T17:54:49Z")
Right on the nose, **Pochacco**. Excellent. To flesh it out a bit…Hugh Downs was the announcer and sidekick to Jack Paar on _The Tonight Show_. After a joke of his was censored, Paar walked off the show, leaving Downs as the host, and returned about a month later. Okay, then, who’s the odd-man-out of Charlie Chaplin Harpo Marx Marcel Marceau Kevin Smith ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/23 "2007-06-20T18:03:47Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Right on the nose, **Pochacco**. Excellent. To flesh it out a bit…Hugh Downs was the announcer and sidekick to Jack Paar on _The Tonight Show_. After a joke of his was censored, Paar walked off the show, leaving Downs as the host, and returned about a month later. Okay, then, who’s the odd-man-out of Charlie Chaplin Harpo Marx Marcel Marceau Kevin Smith [/QUOTE] Harpo Marx? Because all except him played silent roles but did actually speak at least once? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/24 "2007-06-20T18:11:01Z")
Wow, that one didn’t even last 10 minutes. Good job, **Sam**. To be really pedantic, here, Harpo Marx did actually speak. In public and everythng. I’ve heard there are recordings, but they’re audio only. And in one of their movies, you can hear four-part harmony while the brothers are hiding in barrels. But from the research I did, I don’t think he ever spoke on camera. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/25 "2007-06-20T18:39:33Z")
It seams some people are going for the common word that links, while other’s are going with what does not belong. Could the persons supplying puzzles please say which one? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/26 "2007-06-20T18:40:05Z")
Remembered another one. Who’s the odd-man-out of Ferdinand Magellan Phileas Fogg Amelia Earhart John Glenn ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/27 "2007-06-20T18:41:53Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Wow, that one didn’t even last 10 minutes. Good job, **Sam**. [/QUOTE] Feel my power. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/28 "2007-06-20T18:43:39Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Remembered another one. Who’s the odd-man-out of Ferdinand Magellan Phileas Fogg Amelia Earhart John Glenn [/QUOTE] Ferdinand Magellan? Because he was the only one of the four who did not circumnavigate the world. He was killed in, I believe, the Philippines. (Of course, Phileas Fogg didn’t REALLY circumnavigate the world, being a fictitious character and all.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/29 "2007-06-20T19:07:19Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] It seams some people are going for the common word that links, while other’s are going with what does not belong. Could the persons supplying puzzles please say which one? [/QUOTE] mine is true to the thread title ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/30 "2007-06-20T19:36:16Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] Ferdinand Magellan? Because he was the only one of the four who did not circumnavigate the world. He was killed in, I believe, the Philippines. [/QUOTE] Amelia Earhart did not finish her circumnavigation, either. Nothing to do with the answer (or is it), but I found some interesting facts while I was writing this question. Magellan died on his circumnavigation, but on a previous voyage, he had travelled farther east than the point where he was killed. He was one of the first people to cross every line of longitude. No one has posted the real answer to “Banjo, Bartok and Bloodsucker” yet. Too easy? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/31 "2007-06-20T19:38:28Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] tea pizza heaven prophecy [/QUOTE] Each one comes in your choice of designer colors. Tea (green or black), pizza (red or white), heaven (blue or… Okay, I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/32 "2007-06-20T20:01:59Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] tea pizza heaven prophecy [/QUOTE] celeste ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/33 "2007-06-20T20:15:54Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] No one has posted the real answer to “Banjo, Bartok and Bloodsucker” yet. Too easy? [/QUOTE] If you’re stumped, dont’t give up – you can do it! Bela Fleck plays banjo, Bela Bartok was a composer, and Bela Lugosi played the bloodsucking Dracula. “You can do it” was the encouragement offered to Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug by another Bela – coach Karolyi. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/34 "2007-06-20T20:39:36Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Remembered another one. Who’s the odd-man-out of Ferdinand Magellan Phileas Fogg Amelia Earhart John Glenn [/QUOTE] Every one, except Magellan, traveled solo. I thought of the actual answer for the 3 bs, but couldn’t make the connection for “banjo.” Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/35 "2007-06-20T20:41:00Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] celeste [/QUOTE] Ding! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/36 "2007-06-20T21:18:44Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] Every one, except Magellan, traveled solo. [/QUOTE] Nope.Actually, Glenn was the only one to travel solo. Amelia Earhart had a navigator, Fred Noonan, and Fogg had a valet, Passepartout. But Glenn being the only one to go solo isn’t what I had in mind, either.I’ve got the perfect clever hint for this one, but I don’t want to use it unless I have to. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/37 "2007-06-20T21:33:37Z")
Magellan didn’t fly. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/38 "2007-06-20T21:37:16Z")
Amelia was a gal. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/39 "2007-06-20T21:43:45Z")
This must be a tougher question than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/40 "2007-06-20T21:48:02Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] This must be a tougher question than I thought. [/QUOTE] The problem is I can think of many ways to exclude one of the person’s and I don’t know which one you’re looking for. I left this question alone for a while, because of that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598.md?page=3)