Quintessence

Thread Games
61

The Beverly Hillbillies

  • humor is heavily premised on the ‘sit’ part of the sitcom
  • as is so often the case, the show’s idea was borrowed from an earlier comedy (Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town)
  • enjoyed high rating throughout the 1960’s
  • creator Paul Henning went on to copy his own success creating two other successful ‘rural’ sitcoms, Green Acres and Petticoat Junction

Quintessential ‘Thread Games’ thread

62

Made up, False and Flat-out Wrong Trivia Dominoes

  1. One of the most imaginative threads going.
  2. Don’t have to read the whole thread to respond.
  3. Some posts are hysterically funny
  4. The domino effect is really good

Next Up: Quintessential triple threat (sing-dance-and-act) actor

63

Sammy Davis Jr.

  • broke racial barriers
  • could dance on the head of a pin
  • had a hit with “Candy Man”
  • cast member of the original Ocean’s 11
  • when asked about his handicap while playing golf, replied “I’m a one-eyed Negro Jew.”

Quintessential board game

64

Monopoly

  • Been around for several generations
  • Known in most of the world
  • Now comes in many localized editions
  • Can be played by the young, the old, and mixed ages
  • You can make it last as long or short a time as you want
  • Can teach simplified economics to young children
  • Rules are routinely changed to individual preferences

Quintessential TV detective

65

Law & Order’s John Munch

  1. Appeared in two different series as a regular
  2. Appeared in 10 series as a crossover/guest star
  3. Had a run of 22 years, more than any other TV character
  4. Is the epitome of the hardboiled, cynical detective
  5. A great comedy team with Finn
  6. Openly Jewish and proud of it.
  7. Very complete, good back story

Next up: Quintessential TV doctor

66

Leonard McCoy:

1 His catchphrase is the fact that he’s a doctor.
2 Per that: he’s damned good at his job, and at other jobs.
3 He cares, passionately, about the well-being of people in his care.
4 He’ll unhesitatingly risk his own life to help save the lives of others.
5 He’s the relatable voice-of-reason everyman, even in far-out scenarios.
6 He repeatedly solves problems by sensibly drugging folks who outrank him.

Really, what more can you ask?

Quintessential figure from Greek mythology.

67

Heracles/Hercules

  • hero archetype
  • portrayed numerous times in film and TV
  • despite his massive strength, he definitely had his flaws
  • name is an adjective (herculean)

Quintessential mythological villain

68

Vampire.

Seductive
Attractive
Human, but changes shape
Creature of the night
Immortal, but with fatal flaw that requires courage and cunning to exploit
Sucks blood, the definition of evil
Obviously allegorical.

Quintessential pun.

69

Who’s on first?

Heck, the question isn’t whether it’s on the first-place podium; the question is:

  • What’s on second?
  • I don’t know.
  • He’s on third, we’re not talking about him.
  • Who gets the money?
  • He does, every dollar. Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it.
  • Who’s wife?
  • Yes.
  • Now who has it?
  • Naturally.
  • Who?
  • Naturally.
  • Naturally?
  • Naturally.
  • So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally.
  • No you don’t, you throw the ball to Who.
  • Naturally.
  • …that’s different.

Quintessential military blunder.

70

The charge of the British cavalry’s Light Brigade against the wrong artillery battery at the 1854 Battle of Balaclava.

  • commemorated in a famous poem
  • the brave Brigade suffered almost 300 casualties
  • the French Marshall commemorated the charge with “C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre. C’est de la folie.”

Next category: Quintessential military coup d’état.

71

1955 Overthrow of Juan Peron in Argentina

  • Juan and Eva Peron were popular because of their extravagance, which later became their downfall
  • First time Argentina had ever been attacked on its soil by air when Navy fighter jets bombed the crowd Peron was speaking to
  • junta leader Pedro Aramburu made speaking Peron’s name a crime
  • Aramburu sent kidnappers and assassins after Peron when he was in exile
  • Aramburu unearthed Eva from her gravesight and relocated the cadaver to Milan under a different name
  • Aramburu was himself kidnapped and murdered, and the parties responsible held his corpse until Eva’s was returned

Next: quintessential R-rated movie

72

The Godfather.

  • Ranked #3 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest American Movies list (#1 and #2 predate the MPAA rating system).
  • Received Oscar Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay (and received eight additional nominations).
  • Along with The Godfather: Part II, is generally seen to be the gold standard of the “mob movie” genre.
  • Likely received its R rating for a range of reasons, including nudity, violence, language, and mature themes.

Next: quintessential chewing gum brand

73

Wrigley

Largest chewing gum maker in the universe
Been around a long time
Headquartered in original location, Chicago
MLB flagship stadium still bears its name
Famous for making just basic no frills common flavor plank stick chewing gum

Quintessential parasitic infection.

74

Malaria

  • mosquito bite transmits Plasmodium parasite, which travels through the bloodstream to the liver and infects red blood cells after 2-3 days
  • also congenital, meaning a mother can pass it to her baby at birth, and can also spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants
  • contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire
  • killed 60 K American soldiers in WWII
  • efforts to eliminate the disease led to better sanitation and water management worldwide

next: quintessential empire builder

75

British

World wide in scope
Propelled by both mercenary and missionary impulses
Established English as the international language
Spread capitalism, modernity, industrialization
Imposed the modern nation state political system
Laid the ground for democratic forms of government
Spread Christianity
Highly exploitive and chauvinistic and violent
Undeniable lasting imprints long after physical presence waned

Quintessential card game.

76

Poker, with honourable mentions to Bridge and Solitaire.

Can be played by any number from 2 upwards.
Card games are often based on playing for money - poker attracts the most.
Has a well-known and long-established World Championship.
Nearly everyone is aware of the basic concept of the game.
Can be picked up by anyone of any age but takes a long time to master.
By far the most-commonly-depicted card game on TV/in films.

Next: star of the silent film era.

77

Charlie Chaplin

-A world historic icon
-One of the first (and finest) film makers
-Created many iconic films
-Created “The Tramp”
-His career spanned more than 75 years
-Founded United Artists, still a major film maker today

Quaintness Andrew Lloyd Webber musical?

78

Cats.

  • the musical produced the requisite super-blockbuster hit . (ie. “Memory”). A must for an ALW production
  • stories are merely vehicles to insert songs into. Nowhere is this more evident than with ALW’s musical, Cats, which is not even a story but rather a loosely strung together series of character vignettes based on the writings of T S Elliot
  • it was the fourth longest running musical in Broadway history.

Quintessential stand up comic?

79

Quintessential stand up comic?

Jerry Seinfeld

  1. Had his own sitcom in which he played himself
  2. Possibly the highest earning comedian of all time
  3. Brand of comedy that appeals to a wide range of audiences
    Quintessential “Rust Belt” city:
80

Detroit

  • lost nearly 30% of its population from 2000-2016, and population had been declining since the 50’s
  • auto industry declined when foreign-made cars with higher gas mileage were more affordable
  • middle class relocated to suburbs, sinking its tax base
  • largest US city to file for bankruptcy

next: Quintessential US fad