20 Questions Trivia

1. In the ’50s, if you had a flat rear tire on your car, you often had to remove the …?  a.Necker knob, b.Curb feeler c.Fender skirt.

2. What color flash bulbs did Dad use for color film?  a.Blue, b.Pink, c.Yellow.

3. What was the “parking brake” called when you were a kid?  a.Emergency brake, b.Pull ‘n’ Stop, c.Wheel Chock.

4. Way before Air Jordan, what was a kid’s shoe of choice?  a.Buster Brown, b.PF Flyers. c.G.I. Boots.

5. In what year did “Dewey Defeat Truman” according to the Chicago Tribune?  a. 1944, b. 1948, c. 1960.

6. Before the Orkin Man, what technology was part of most homes’ bug deterrence?  a.Shoe Fly, b.Fly paper, c.Fly Paint.

7. Dixie cups had what printed on their tops?  a. Secret decoders, b. Movie stars, c. WW II propaganda slogans.

8. What was the prevailing method of birth control in the ’50s?  a.Heavy lifting and cold showers, b.Fear, c.Condoms.

9. Jimmy Durante said what at the end of every show?  a.“Aloha, my friends,” b.“Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are,” c.“Remember, wherever you go, my nose will get there first.”

10. “I’m Popeye the sailor man; I’m Popeye the sailor man. I’m strong to the finish, _ _ _ _ _ , I’m Popeye the sailor man.”  a.“’cause I eats me spinach,” b.“my dad’s big and Finnish, c.“The music is tannish.

11. In the quaint greasy spoon jargon of yore, what did “knock the horns off one, and drag it through the garden” mean?  a. 86 the customer, then kick him out the back door, b. Rare hamburger or steak with tomato and lettuce, c. Cooties.

12. Lincoln Logs were for what use?  a.A diary of the presidency, b.Keep track of fat cats who sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom, c.Building toy structures.

13. Ward and June bring what to mind?  a.A popular TV series called “Leave it to Beaver”, b.A Chicago family of butchers and knife sharpeners called The Cleavers, c. Inventors of the clicker, Jack Ward and Ernest June.

14. Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and Zorro are all forms of what?  a.Alcoholic beverages, b.Capitalism, c.Children’s play.

15. What was the cheapest way to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle?  a.Playing cards in the spokes, b.Rig an electric motor with a very long cord, c.Turn left into the path of a Harley.

16. Tinker toys date back to when?  a.1914, b.1949, c.1967.

17. In grade school, what was the worst thing that could happen to you when being picked for a team?  a.Getting picked last, b.Getting your uniform dirty, c.Not having the team tattoo.

18. If we dared to swear and our parents heard us, we immediately found out what _ _ _ tasted like.  a.Meatballs, b.Soap, c.Sarsaparilla.

19. What was one thing the Lone Ranger or Roy Rogers would never do?  a.Kill someone, b.Shoot a squirrel, c.Eat lima beans.

20. What convertible offered an optional radio that automatically increased its volume as the car accelerated?  a.1912 Franklin, b.1943 Jeep, c.1957 Ford Thunderbird.

Answers

1.c)Fender skirts, attached to the rear fenders, covered fully half the wheel.

2.a)Blue

3.a)Emergency brake.  We grew up in much more dramatic times.

4.b)PF Flyers.  BF Goodrich patented the Posture Foundation insole, an innovation in comfort and performance, and began adding the new technology to its action shoes.  Goodrich shoes with Posture Foundation became known simply as “P-F” in 1937.  Fashion trends in the Forties and Fifties saw PF Flyers escaping gyms and ball fields to become fashionable active footwear for everyone. “Everything you do is more fun with PF” read one 1947 magazine ad.  In 2001, New Balance acquired the rights to the brand.

5.b)It was November 3,1948, when Truman upset Republican Thomas Dewey in the first postwar presidential election.  Trib publisher Col. Robt. R. McCormick got the news late.

6.b)Sticky fly paper hanging from kitchen ceilings was common in American homes until insecticides like Flit became available in ’40s.

7.b)Most people over 55 recall with nostalgia the Dixie Cup ice cream picture lids that appeared all over America from 1930 to 1954.  In the final year, the lids were in 3D, full color, and styled in left and right action poses. These were used in stereo card viewers for the 3D effect.

8.c)Condoms, though their sale was illegal in some places.

9.b)“Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.”

10.a)“cause I eats me spinach”;

11.b)Rare hamburger or steak with tomato and lettuce.  Other examples: Axle grease–butter; Blowout patches–pancakes; Bowwow, barks, or groundhog–hot dog; Baled hay–shredded wheat; Bessie–roast beef; Bessie in a bowl–stew; Cackleberries–eggs; Rabbit food–salad; Sinkers–donuts; and Sweep the Kitchen–hash.

12.c)Building toy structures.

13.a)A popular TV series called “Leave it to Beaver,” perhaps the most unrealistic, misleading and shallow depiction of family life ever produced for TV.

14.c)Children’s play.

15.a)Playing cards in the spokes.  It loosened the spokes, though.

16.a)“1914–Good then, 1935–Good now, 2000–Good always,” read the back cover of a 1935 Toy Tinkers catalog.  Charles H. Pajeau and Robert Pettit, the founders of The Toy Tinkers of Evanston, Illinois and the creators of the TINKER TOY construction set, knew that the “Thousand Wonder Builder” would continue to inspire the imaginations of children because of its easy-to-use, yet versatile construction system.  They’re still made today, now by Hasbro.

17.a)Getting picked last.

18.b)Soap.  Was this a regional thing?  Spanking was the standard method for punishing most childhood misdemeanors.  We also got sent to our rooms, but it wasn’t called “time out.”

19.a)Kill someone.  Cowboy heroes of the 50’s would just shoot the gun out of the bad guy’s hand.  There was no blood, just folks wondering who that masked man was.