LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Getting it straight with trivia

Sadly, I put the “oop” in Whoopee last week.

So I must begin “Local Knowledge” with a correction. The wrong answer was published in the answer key to the Macon Whoopees trivia last week.

The correct answer to No. 8 “Which of the following did NOT make reference to the Whoopees infamous nickname?” should be “multiple choice answer on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.’’

1. The Grand Theatre (Grand Opera House) in Macon was the site of the Feb. 21, 1945 world premiere of the movie “God is My Co-Pilot,” based on the book by Macon native Gen. Robert L. Scott. In the movie, Alan Hale played the role of Big Mike Harrigan. What character was Hale best known for during his acting career?

A. Skipper on “Gilligan’s Island.”

B. Jethro on “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

C. Sgt. Carter on “Gomer Pyle”

D. Mr. Haney on “Green Acres”

2. There is a plaque on the sidewalk on the 500 block of Cherry Street of an airplane propeller marked with the date Feb. 18, 1928. It commemorates the site of a plane crash that killed the pilot, co-pilot and a pedestrian and injured more than a dozen people. The plaque is located in front of what downtown restaurant?

A. The Rookery

B. Fatty’s Pizza

C. Parish on Cherry

D. Baldino’s

3. Riverside Drive in Macon was once known by what name?

A. Wharf Street

B. Easy Street

C. Dock of the Bay Boulevard

D. Cotton Candy Avenue

4. Which of the following is NOT true about Macon native John Birch?

A. He graduated from Lanier High for Boys and Mercer University.

B. He was the founding artistic director at Macon Little Theatre.

C. He was an American military intelligence officer and fundamentalist Baptist missionary.

D. The John Birch Society, a national organization dedicated to restoring and preserving constitutional freedoms, was founded in 1958, some 15 years after his death.

5. Scenes from the movie, “I, Tonya,” a biopic on Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, were filmed at the Macon Coliseum in February 2017. Harding was played by Australian actress Margot Robbie, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Robbie later appeared in the lead role in the highest-grossing film of 2023. What was the name of it?

A. Ariel in “The Little Mermaid.”

B. Phoenix Trace in “Top Gun: Maverick.’’

C. Barbie in “Barbie.’’

D. Maddie Barker in “No Hard Feelings.”

6. Cartoonist Johnny Hart, who would have been 94 years old this week, was a graphic artist at Robins Air Force Base when he met his wife, Bobby, a lab technician at the old Macon Hospital. What was Hart’s famous comic strip, which was first published on Feb. 17, 1958, the day before his 27th birthday?

A. B.C.

B. The Far Side

C. Blondie

D. Family Circus

7. Which Middle Georgia community had the first volunteer fire department certified by the state of Georgia?

A. Musella

B. Bolingbroke

C. Haddock

D. Jeffersonville

8. Playwright Tennessee Williams wrote parts of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” while spending time with friends in Macon. Williams was the recipient of what award for the play 70 years ago this year?

A. Nobel Peace Prize

B. Pulitzer Prize for Drama

C. Lifetime Achievement Award from the Humane Society

D. Golden Globe Award

9. Which of the following is NOT true about the Rev. Pearly Brown, the iconic blind preacher and singer who roamed the streets of Macon for more than 40 years?

A. He accompanied the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on marches during the Civil Rights Movement.

B. He played at such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall and the Monterey Jazz Festival and was the first black performer at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

C. He made it to the final round of “American Idol.’’

D. The Southern rock group Wet Willie, which recorded at Macon-based Capricorn Records, used an unauthorized photograph of Brown on the cover of its “Keep on Smilin’’’ album in 1974.

10. President William Howard Taft weighed 335 pounds and was the heftiest of the U.S. presidents. On his visit to Macon in 1909, he consumed a breakfast consisting of sausage, ham and eggs, fried chicken, hominy, rolls, waffles, pancakes, biscuits and fried sweet potatoes. In need of a large carriage to support his ample weight and girth, Taft had it ordered from the “Buggy Capital of the World,” manufactured in which nearby town?

A. Abbeville

B. Wrightsville

C. Hawkinsville

D. Barnesville

ANSWERS: (1) A. (2) C. (3) A. (4) B. (5) C. (6) A. (7) D. (8) B. (9) C. (10) D.

REPORT CARD: (9-10) Cruise control. (7-8) HOV lane. (5-6) Road work ahead. (3-4) Detour. (0-2) Roadside assistance.