David Loehr’s First James Dean Fan Tribute Weekend (1998)

     Updated 12 July 1998 URL is http://our.tentativetimes.net/fanweek/jeppers.html

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Answers are now posted. Don’t peek ’til you give yourself the test.

The Jeopardy-style James Dean Trivia Game

There was a good turn-out for the first annual Dean trivia contest at noon on Saturday. Lenny Prussack had spent an entire year working on the questions, but says he won’t run out. There will be plenty of new questions for the coming years. There was a fourteen question elimination round, open to anyone present.

David hands out pencils, with Heidi, Laura and Truly Lover in the background. At the tables, Bernie, Rose and Santa and the Lesniewskis, all from Illinois. We had to keep the pages face down until everyone could start at the same moment. This was a brief test with everyone gnashing teeth at the names just on the edge of our memories, and the few simple questions that gave everyone a feeling of competence.

Mark Kinnaman and Joe Schulte ranked one and two on the prelims, with a three way tie for third, settled by drawing cards from a deck. Berniece Racinowski won the draw. (The other two were her friend Rose Roback and the wife of "Santa" from Illinois or Charlotte from Vermont. Who can tell us)?

Standing: Adam and Sue Pelletier with Lenny and David. More contestants are awaiting the signal to start the elimination round. Lenny was the M.C. but I didn’t get his picture, because I was so involved in the game. Here is a photo of Lenny, taken at Rockabilly Rebel Weekend in June:

In this never-before-revealed portrait, Steven, Lenny, Clint and Donnie sport Fifties clothes outside Fountain Square Theatre. See lots more Fifties ideas from David Loehr’s annual Fifties Weekender, Rockabilly Rebel Weekend. (Those pages will be finished after the Fan Week pages are finished.)

The Marion Chronicle sent a reporter and a photographer to our contest. The newspaper then printed a darling picture of Mark Kinnaman, shown above, with his mouth wide open in a shout of delight when he won. We call it The Big Gulp, or He Swallowed A Goat. Here he is just grinning. He swore he would win. He studied for a solid week, watching all three movies and making notes on everything. But there was some feeling that he had a tiny advantage by getting the whistle to blow, instead of the handbell or the other noisemaker. So next year everyone will have an easier noisemaker. Level the playing field a bit.

Next year Mark has to defend his title, but Phil Ziegler and Bob Rees will be in the running. This year they held back, not entering, to be polite. Next year, no holds barred. And who knows who else may turn up!

As seen on the opening page of this weekend’s report, Mark Kinnaman, Bernie Racinowski and Joe Schulte.

Adam revealed the questions on the excellent wall chart. Ready for some examples? Lenny said to go ahead and publish these, as he won’t run out of ideas.

Some of the Questions

Questions we could remember from the elimination round:

What was the name of the maid in Judy’s household?

How did Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor get to Texas?

Which friend of Jimmy’s was in the movie Plan 9 From Outer Space?

What was the number on Jimmy’s racing car?

Whose photo was in Plato’s locker?

What was the name of the place where the chicken race was run?

What are the names of the cross-streets in Marion IN where James Dean was born?

What are the names of the cross-streets for Jim Stark’s high school?

Which co-star of Jim’s went on to become Josephine the Plumber?

Main Game Questions

In the first round, I could only write the answers, so maybe Lenny will let me have the questions. Heidi kept score, and Sue Pelletier was the judge in who-rang-first disputes.

The first round categories were Rebel Without A Cause; Dean’s Friends; Biography Authors; Giant; Dean’s Teachers. The questions that I could remember are:

What movie cowboy taught James Dean to do rope tricks?

What’s Vampira’s real name?

His 1975 biography "The James Dean Story" was reissued in 1995; who is this author?

What was Jim Stark’s address?

What was Jett’s ranch’s name?

What was Detective Ray’s last name?

What was Rock Hudson’s character’s name in Giant?

What color were Plato’s socks?

What is Judy’s brother’s name?

Who starred in Baby Doll, after Giant?

What state is Giant set in?

What is the name of the hotel that housed the cast and crew for Giant?

Who published "James Dean, a Biography" in 1995?

What did Jim Stark nearly break his hand hitting?

What German actress was in a James Bond film?

Jimmy attended his workshops in the "method" style of acting.

Who played Catwoman on TV?

What famous choreographer did Dean study under in NYC?

Who wrote a Dean book and one on Marilyn and Hitchcock too?

Who was a friend of Dean, Bogart and Bacall?

Who wrote "I, James Dean" published in 1957?

What New York photographer took the "torn sweater" photos?

Who played Alf’s neighbor and Seinfeld’s Mom?

Jimmy wanted to learn piano from this composer.

His 1995 book is titled "James Dean, A Biography".

Who was Jimmy’s high school speech and drama instructor?

Round Two

Categories included On Broadway; TV co-stars; Rock and Roll; Wannabes; East of Eden.

In East of Eden, what actor played Cal’s brother Aaron?

Who won an Oscar for East of Eden?

Who was the strict dad?

What actress in Eden was in Twister?

Who sang and played guitar in East of Eden?

What actor moons us in Race With Destiny?

His original "Rock On" was covered by Michael Demian.

Which actor made his movie debut in Grease II?

What group sang these lines: "Too fast to live, too young to die?"

His video for Suedehead was filmed in Fairmount?

Their album "Brain Capers" was dedicated to Jimmy?

What Psycho star was called a new James Dean?

What is the name of the character J.D. played in See The Jaguar?

What TV show was Natalie Wood in [[[with J.D.?]]]

Who played a scientist on "The Evil Within"?

What Hill #1 co-star was in Planet Of The Apes?

Who was the beautiful co-star in Sentence of Death?

What famous acting couple starred in "Glory In The Flower"??

Who played Jimmy in the TV movie, "Portrait of a Friend"?

Name the character J.D. played in The Immoralist.

Name the theatre where See The Jaguar was staged.

Name the theatre for The Immoralist.

Name the Broadway theatre where "Come Back To The Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" opened.

Who was the elegant city girl in "I’m A Fool"?

His "Walk On The Wild Side" mentions Jimmy.

This actor was a Jimmie look-a-like in "Badlands."

Final Question

Well, here came the final question. Mark had $7,500 in pretend money and wagered $100.00.

Bernie had $3,700 and wagered $500.

Joe had $2,800 and wagered all of it.

Mark was the only one to answer the question correctly. The final jeopardy category was "Television" and the question was "In this TV show, Jimmy plays Jeffrey Latham."

Mark won a $50.00 gift certificate from David Loehr for the James Dean Memorial Gallery; Bernie and Joe won $10.00 gift certificates.

Thanks to Magdalin Leonardo for the Jeopardy final question!

And thanks to Lenny for sending me the questions after he saw this page! That is so helpful, because, hooray, he sent the answers too. Read the answers to the main part of the game on the Answers Page.      Thanks to David Loehr for the concept of this Fan Appreciation Weekend, for the Jeopardy game, for the three great meals and the rest of the entertainment. Thanks for caring, David. We love you.

The Answers

How about if I get the questions and answers from Lenny and post them on a separate page? It is more fun to just have the questions, for now…. Right? Drives you nuts, though…. better bookmark this page.

Links to Otto Pages

Want to go back to the Fan Week Table?

Otto’s big index of James Dean Pages

This year’s June event, the Dean-themed Rockabilly Rebel Weekend #6

The Mercurys at the James Dean Run car show in Fairmount, Indiana. Info on how to register has just been added.

Otto’s Roots Music Pages in Otto

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