Here was the trivia question:
Two plays - one season. The season was littered with flop plays. Play one was one of many flop comedies that season. It was directed by someone who was equally known as a producer and playwright and who had several hits, one of them a big musical comedy. The cast included an actor making a sort of comeback, said actor being most well-known for playing one role early in his career. A female co-star would go on to appear in a classic musical, and a male co-star would go on to appear in two classic musicals.
Flop play two ran a bit longer than flop play one, and was adapted from a novel. Even though the play was a flop, it would ultimately be turned into a hit film. The person who adapted it would, just a few short years later, write a classic musical. The play starred someone who'd appeared on Broadway many years prior to this play, but who was much better known as a motion picture star. Also in the play was an actor who, a few short years later, would co-star in a classic motion picture, and then star in a classic motion picture, which would lead to him to becoming a beloved film star of his era. Also in the cast was an actor who would, a few short years later, star in a classic musical. Another co-star originally began a career in a different field of show business, and said co-star was very successful in said field. Said co-star also became legendary for one piece of comic business.
So:
Play one: Name the play, name the director, and name the big musical comedy he directed.
Name the actor who was making a sort of comeback, name the role he was most famous for playing, and name the reason for the sort of comeback.
Name the female co-star and the classic musical in which she'd appear.
Name the male co-star and the two classic musicals in which he'd appear.
Play two: Name the play.
Name the star who played the lead
Name the co-star who would co-star in a classic movie, then star in a classic movie, and name the two movies.
Name the co-star who would go on to star in a classic musical and name the musical
Name the co-star who started out in another field of show business, tell us what said co-star did, and name the comic piece of business the co-star would become legendary for.
And here are the various and sundried answers:
Play One -
Love and Kisses/Dore Schary/The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Larry Parks/Al Jolson/his comeback after many years on the blacklist
Susan Browning/Company
Bert Convy/Fiddler On The Roof and Cabaret
Play two -
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Kirk Douglas
Gene Wilder/Bonnie and Clyde/The Producers
William Daniels 1776
Ed Ames/singer with his brothers and on his own - legendary comedy business - throwing a tomahawk on the Johnny Carson Show, at a cut-out of Mr. Carson, said tomahawk landing directly in the cut-out's crotch.
Our High Winners were FJL, JMK, and Jrand. I put the names in our Electronic Hat, which chose Jrand as our Highest Winner. So, if he'll send his address we'll send him a sparkling prize.
