Know It All

Merv Griffin (1925-2007), a San Mateo native, hosted the game shows “Play Your Hunch” (1958-1963) and “Word for Word” (1963) before creating and producing the game shows “Jeopardy!” (1964-present) and “Wheel of Fortune” (1975-present).

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Although best known as supermarket manager Mr. Whipple in Charmin commercials, actor Dick Wilson (1916-2007) had recurring roles in television sitcoms including “Bewitched” (1964-1972) “Gidget” (1965-1966) and “McHale’s Navy” (1962-1966).

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A popular toy of the 1970s was the Evel Knievel Super Stunt Set in which kids could recreate the motorcycle jumps of Evel Knievel (1938-2007). The set came with an action figure with removable helmet, a motorcycle, ramps and a hoop of fire.

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The birth year of actress Jane Wyman (1917-2007) is often incorrectly stated as 1914. Wyman added three years to her age hoping it would help her break into acting. Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Wyman’s actual birthday was Jan. 5, 1917.

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Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) was a three-time winner of the Academy Award for best foreign film. Can you name the movies for which he won the awards? See answer at end.

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Beginning in 1992, opera singer Luciano Pavarotti (1935–2007) held the Pavarotti & Friends concert annually in his hometown of Modena, Italy. The concert raised funds for charities that aid child victims of war.

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Robert Goulet (1933-2007) was born in Massachusetts but moved to Canada at age 13. As his singing career took off, Ed Sullivan (1902-1974) dubbed Goulet the “American baritone from Canada.”

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Anna Nicole Smith (1967-2007) appeared on the cover of Playboy in March 1992. The cover got the attention of Guess president Paul Marciano (born 1952) who made her the face of Guess jeans the following year.

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In 1956, at age 22, the Rev. Jerry Falwell (1933-2007) founded the Thomas Road Baptist Church in his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. The church started with 35 members and was located in a building that was formerly used by the Donald Duck Soft Drink Bottling Company. Today the church has more than 24,000 members.

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At age 21, Liz Claiborne (1929-2007) entered her drawing of a woman’s coat in a design competition sponsored by Harper’s Bazaar magazine. She won the competition which led to a job as a clothes designer in New York.

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While her husband was vice president, Lady Bird Johnson (1912-2007) was an ambassador of goodwill for the White House. She traveled to 33 foreign countries over three years.

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In 2002, Tammy Faye Bakker Messner (1942-2007) was asked to do a televised celebrity boxing match against Sylvester Stallone’s mother Jackie Stallone (born 1921). Tammy Faye turned down the offer.

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Answer: “The Virgin Spring” (1960), “Through a Glass Darkly” (1961) and “Fanny & Alexander” (1982). Most of Bergman’s films were set in Sweden. His films were emotionally intense, often with themes of illness, death and insanity.

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend and Wednesday editions of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? Email knowitall(at)smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 ext. 114.