JAQR - January 20, 2023
John Mellencamp, NYC skyscrapers, Dr. Seuss, Cormac McCarthy novels, and more...
Thank you for reading another issue of the Jeopardy Answer & Question Recap, or JAQR [“jacker”] for short. This recap focuses on the recent week (Monday 1/16 - Friday 1/20) of Jeopardy! episodes. It will include some Daily Doubles, Final Jeopardys, and Triple Stumpers. The first half of the recap will include just the clues so you can quiz yourself if you want. The second half will give you some (hopefully) interesting information about the clues and/or some related info.
DAILY DOUBLE #1
THE REAL REAL HOUSEWIVES OF...
...New York enjoy this 1,046-foot Art Deco skyscraper designed by William Van Alen & built between 1928 & 1930
DAILY DOUBLE #2
ELEMENTAL RESPONSES (each one begins with an element)
Ferns, amphibians & early reptiles thrived during this geological period from about 360 to 300 million years ago
DAILY DOUBLE #3
AMERICAN LIT
Loosely based on historical events, this 1985 Cormac McCarthy novel is subtitled "The Evening Redness in the West"
FINAL JEOPARDY #1
BRITISH LANDMARKS
Like Sir Thomas More, 3 16th century English queens are buried at this location
FINAL JEOPARDY #2
TELEVISION
Mike Post combined the sound of a slamming jail door, an anvil & 100 men stomping on a floor for this series that debuted in 1990
TRIPLE STUMPER #1
SMALL TOWN AMERICA & CANADA
Seymour in this state was the place John Mellencamp was talking about when he sang, "I was born in a small town"
TRIPLE STUMPER #2
1980s BESTSELLERS
This bestseller from Dr. Seuss was billed as "a book for obsolete children"
TRIPLE STUMPER #3
WOMEN OF SCIENCE
Chemist Alice Ball developed an early treatment used for decades for this devastating bacterial skin disease
TRIPLE STUMPER #4
KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES
Forming part of the boundary between Serbia & Romania, the Iron Gate Gorge is found on this long river
TRIPLE STUMPER #5
REPETITIVE MUSIC
In an incredible moment of branding in 1982, this Mark Hollis band band found "All you do to me is" this this
DAILY DOUBLE #1
THE REAL REAL HOUSEWIVES OF...
...New York enjoy this 1,046-foot Art Deco skyscraper designed by William Van Alen & built between 1928 & 1930
***CHRYSLER BUILDING***
William Van Alen designed the Art Deco skyscraper known as the Chrysler Building, which is 1,048 feet tall (including its stainless steel spire). It was commissioned by the namesake of the Chrysler automotive company, Walter P. Chrysler. The building was decorated with automotive motifs such as radiator caps, fenders, and hood ornaments. The skyscraper was designed and built during the so-called “Race into the Sky.” After groundbreaking on the Chrysler Building took place, plans for an even taller building at 40 Wall Street (often called the Trump Building today) were announced. Not to be outdone, Van Alen had a tall spire secretly built. Shortly after 40 Wall Street was completed, Van Alen had the spire added to the top of the Chrysler Building’s sunburst crown. It was briefly the world’s tallest building until being surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931.
DAILY DOUBLE #2
ELEMENTAL RESPONSES (each one begins with an element)
Ferns, amphibians & early reptiles thrived during this geological period from about 360 to 300 million years ago
***CARBONIFEROUS***
The Carboniferous period began ~360 million years ago and ended ~300 million years ago. It was part of the Paleozoic era. The name of the Carboniferous period refers to the many coal beds that formed during the period. It is divided into subperiods called the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian. The supercontinent Pangaea was in the process of being formed during the Carboniferous by the fusing of Laurussia and Gondwana. The period is noted for its high oxygen concentration (30% then vs. 21% now), which may be why some insects were so big (e.g. enormous millipede-like creatures, pictured below). The early portion of the Carboniferous contain Romer’s gap, which is a 20 million year gap in the tetrapod fossil record.
DAILY DOUBLE #3
AMERICAN LIT
Loosely based on historical events, this 1985 Cormac McCarthy novel is subtitled "The Evening Redness in the West"
***CORMAC MCCARTHY***
Cormac McCarthy (1933-) is a contemporary American writer known for his Southern Gothic novels, many of which are set in the Southwest. He was born Charles McCarthy, but changed his first name because of its similarity to Charlie McCarthy, the dummy of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. His novels, which often feature violence and dense prose, are written using a Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter. He wrote the screenplay to the forgettable 2013 movie The Counselor, which starred Michael Fassbender as the title lawyer involved in a drug deal. After a 16 year gap, he released two companion novels in 2022: The Passenger and Stella Maris. His most famous novels include:
Blood Meridian (1985) - set in the 1840s and centers on a 14-year-old boy (“the kid”) who joins the Glanton gang of outlaws hunting Native Americans along the U.S.-Mexico border; the novel includes the amoral and completely bald character Judge Holden (“the judge”)
All the Pretty Horses (1992) - the coming-of-age story of John Grady Cole, a Texan who convinces his best friend (Lacey Rawlins) to travel with him to Mexico, where he falls in love with a ranch owner's daughter, Alejandra; it’s the first book in The Border Trilogy; it was adapted into a 2000 movie starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz
No Country for Old Men (2005) - a bloody modern western that opens with Llewelyn Moss stumbling upon a drug deal gone awry and taking the money, resulting in him being pursued by the ruthless hitman Anton Chigurh; it was adapted into a 2007 movie that was directed by the Coen Brothers, won Best Picture, and starred Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem
The Road (2006) - Pulitzer-winning post-apocalyptic novel centering on a father and son trying to survive as they near starvation and encounter bands of cannibals; it was adapted into a 2009 movie starring Viggo Mortensen (pictured below)
FINAL JEOPARDY #1
BRITISH LANDMARKS
Like Sir Thomas More, 3 16th century English queens are buried at this location
***TOWER OF LONDON***
People killed at the Tower of London in the 16th century include:
Sir Thomas More (1535) - humanist author of the satirical work Utopia about an ideal society; he was beheaded for refusing to accept Henry VIII as head of the Church of England
Anne Boleyn (1536) - the second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I; she was convicted of adultery and beheaded
Catherine Howard (1542) - the fifth wife of Henry VIII; she was beheaded after her husband learned of her pre-marital affairs with people such as her music teacher Henry Mannox and the courtier Francis Dereham, who was hanged, drawn and quartered; she was also accused of adultery with the courtier Thomas Culpeper, who was beheaded; the musical Six includes a catchy song titled “All You Wanna Do" (heard below) about her and the relationships
King Henry VIII died in 1547 and was succeeded by Edward VI, his nine-year-old Protestant son. Edward VI’s mother was Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, who died less than two weeks after giving birth. Since Edward VI was only a child, the country was essentially governed by John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. When he realized the teenager Edward VI was about to die of tuberculosis, he had his son (Lord Guildford Dudley) marry the Protestant Lady Jane Grey, who was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII (who was the father of Henry VIII). He convinced Edward VI to put Lady Jane Grey in direct line for the throne (ahead of Henry VIII's daughters Mary and Elizabeth). Lady Jane Grey succeeded Edward VI in 1553, but only ruled for nine days because (Bloody) Mary had the support of the populace. Lady Jane Grey and her husband were executed (beheaded) for treason the following year in 1554.
FINAL JEOPARDY #2
TELEVISION
Mike Post combined the sound of a slamming jail door, an anvil & 100 men stomping on a floor for this series that debuted in 1990
***LAW & ORDER***
Law & Order is an hour-long NBC show created by Dick Wolf (pictured below). The first half of each episode is typically a police procedural (the cops investigate a crime and arrest a suspect), and the second half is typically a legal drama (prosecutors prepare the case and go to trial). Many of the cases on the show are "ripped from the headlines." The show aired 20 seasons starting in 1990, but was cancelled in 2010. At that point, it was tied with Gunsmoke for longest-running primetime scripted drama. The show returned to NBC for ten episodes in early 2022, and is currently airing its 22nd season. You might be thinking that it most hold the record now, but, somewhat ironically, the record now belongs to one of its many spin-offs, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-), which is currently airing its 24th season. The other spin-offs of Law & Order include:
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–11) - focused on the investigations of the major case squad; starred as Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe as detectives; aired on NBC for its first six seasons and then on the USA Network after ratings began to fall
Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005–06) - focused on trial prep and the trial itself; only lasted one season
Law & Order: Los Angeles (2010–11) - featured a mid-season cast shake-up and lasted only one season; the cast included Corey Stoll, Regina Hall, Alfred Molina, and Terrence Howard
Law & Order True Crime (2017) - anthology series whose first (and only) season centered on the Menendez brothers, who killed their parents
Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021-) - stars Christopher Meloni, who previously co-starred on SVU for its first twelve seasons
Some of the major characters on the original Law & Show have included:
Detective Lennie Briscoe - played by Jerry Orbach, who was formerly a Broadway star who originated the role of defense attorney Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago
District Attorney Arthur Branch - played by Fred Thompson, a Republican who had earlier served as U.S. senator from Tennessee, and later ran for president in 2008
Executive Assistant District Attorney and District Attorney Jack McCoy - played by Sam Waterston, who started his career in theater; he later played Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby (1974) and was nominated for an Oscar for playing an American journalist in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime in The Killing Fields (1984)
Lieutenant Anita Van Buren - played by S. Epatha Merkerson ["S" eh-PAY-thah MER-ker-son], who played a mail lady on the show Pee-wee's Playhouse and currently co-stars on another NBC drama co-created by Dick Wolf, Chicago Med
TRIPLE STUMPER #1
SMALL TOWN AMERICA & CANADA
Seymour in this state was the place John Mellencamp was talking about when he sang, "I was born in a small town"
***INDIANA***
Seymour, Indiana native John Mellencamp (1951-) is a singer-songwriter who was described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the "candid voice of the heartland." His manager insisted that his first several albums were released under the name Johnny Cougar. He hit it big with the 1982 album American Fool, which opens with the song "Hurts So Good." The second song on the album was the little ditty "Jack & Diane," which is about “two American kids growin' up in the heartland” who are “doing the best they can.” The chorus includes the lyrics “Oh yeah, life goes on / Long after the thrill of livin' is gone.” The next albums he recorded include:
Uh-huh (1983) - contains “Crumblin' Down” and “Pink Houses,” the latter of which includes the lyrics “Ah, but ain't that America for you and me? / Ain't that America? Somethin' to see, baby / Ain't that America? Home of the free, yeah / Little pink houses for you and me / Ooh yeah, for you and me”
Scarecrow (1985) - contains “Lonely Ol' Night,” "Small Town," and a salute to ‘60s rock titled "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.”
The Lonesome Jubilee (1987) - contains “Paper in Fire” and “Cherry Bomb,” the latter of which includes the lyrics “That's when a sport was a sport / And groovin' was groovin' / And dancin' meant everything / We were young, and we were improvin”
In 1985 Mellencamp co-founded the annual benefit concert Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. He had a hit in 1994 with a version of Van Morrison's song "Wild Night." Mellencamp’s version features Me'Shell Ndegéocello. 2012 saw the premiere of the musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, which was a collaboration between Mellencamp, horror author Stephen King, and music producer T Bone Burnett. In 2018 Mellencamp was sampled by Jack Owen in the song "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)." He was briefly engaged to the actress Meg Ryan in 2018-2019.
TRIPLE STUMPER #2
1980s BESTSELLERS
This bestseller from Dr. Seuss was billed as "a book for obsolete children"
***YOU’RE ONLY OLD ONCE!***
Dr. Seuss is the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991). Before becoming a famous children's author, he had a variety of jobs, including illustrator, ad designer for the insect repellent Flit, and the writer of educational films for the U.S. military. Books illustrated by Geisel in the early 1930s include Boners and More Boners, which contained "schoolboy wisdom" from real school exams and term papers (e.g. "a polygon is a dead parrot"). His first children’s book was titled And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937). The book centers on the boy Marco, who transforms an ordinary walk home into a fantastical story. As of 2021, the book is no longer published, presumably because of stereotypical depictions of a “Chinaman.” His first book written for adults was The Seven Lady Godivas (1939), which was unsuccessful. He wrote his second book for adults a mere 47 years later (keep reading for details).
Dr. Seuss wrote the 1949 book Bartholomew and the Oobleck, which is about a boy who must save his kingdom from the title sticky green substance. The term "oobleck" is now an actual scientific term for a non-Newtonian fluid made of cornstarch and water. The first known occurrence of the word "nerd" in print is found in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo. His second book written for adults (or “obsolete children”) was You're Only Old Once! (1986), which is about an elderly person being subjected to numerous medical tests. The book includes the lines "You must see Dr. Pollen, our Allergy Whiz, who knows every sniffle and itch that there is.” He is the namesake of the Geisel Library on the campus of UCSD (University of California, San Diego). The building, seen below, is a blend of brutalism and futurism. It was designed by William Pereira, who also designed San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid.
TRIPLE STUMPER #3
WOMEN OF SCIENCE
Chemist Alice Ball developed an early treatment used for decades for this devastating bacterial skin disease
***LEPROSY***
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a mildly infectious disease. Its name comes from the Greek word "lepra," which refers to the “scaly” appearance of the skin. Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen was a Norwegian physician who in 1873 discovered the specific bacillus (rod-shaped) bacteria that causes the disease. More specifically, leprosy is caused by a mycobacterium, a different one of which causes tuberculosis. Leprosy is spread through coughing and/or contact with fluid from the nose of an infected person. It may also be transmitted to humans by armadillos.
Leprosy, in addition to affecting the skin, affects the peripheral nerves, the destruction of which leads to a loss of sensation and possibly the loss of the extremities. Historically, people with leprosy were isolated in “leper colonies.” Probably the most famous leper colony was on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where Belgian priest Father Damien helped patients. As the disease progresses, patients face increasing disability and disfigurement. In the early 20th century, the most common treatment for leprosy was painful injections of chaulmoogra oil, which had unpleasant side effects. Alice Ball (pictured below) was a Black chemist who isolated the active constituents in chaulmoogra oil, thus enabling a more effective relief of leprosy symptoms. Today, the disease is entirely curable using a multidrug treatment.
TRIPLE STUMPER #4
KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES
Forming part of the boundary between Serbia & Romania, the Iron Gate Gorge is found on this long river
***DANUBE***
The Danube River flows for 1,770 miles from Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea, near the Ukraine-Romania border. It is the second longest river in Europe, after the Volga. Four capital cities (more than any other) are located along the river: Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary), and Belgrade (Serbia). Many other major cities are on the Danube as well, such as Regensburg (Germany), Linz (Austria), Novi Sad (Serbia), and Galati (Romania). The Danube can be divided into three main parts (upper, middle, and lower). The middle part is separated from the lower part by the Iron Gate, which is a gorge (or canyon) in the Carpathians in Romania. The Sava River (615 miles), its longest tributary, flows into the Danube at Belgrade. Johann Strauss the Younger named one of his waltzes (The Blue Danube) after the river.
TRIPLE STUMPER #5
REPETITIVE MUSIC
In an incredible moment of branding in 1982, this Mark Hollis band band found "All you do to me is" this this
***TALK TALK***
The English band Talk Talk was led by Mark Hollis. Their first big hit was the 1982 synth-pop song “Talk Talk” from their album The Party's Over. About half of that song is just “All you do to me is talk, talk / Talk, talk, talk, talk” repeated over and over. Their 1984 album It's My Life contains the new wave song "It's My Life" (animal lovers might enjoy the music video, seen below). The band No Doubt did a cover of that song, which is probably the more famous of the two. "It's My Life" is also the title of unrelated songs by New Jersey rock band Bon Jovi and Nigerian-Swedish musician Dr. Alban. Talk Talk’s 1985 song "Life's What You Make It" was the lead single from their album The Colour of Spring. Their last two albums, Spirit of Eden (1988) and Laughing Stock (1991), which are both considered post-rock albums, were critically acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful. The band broke up in 1991.