Questions were weighted – 10 points for the “easier” ones and up to 40 for the more difficult – covering the topics of science, history, sports and entertainment/literature. Maybe we’ll always have Paris …īy my count 10 teams, each consisting of about four or five people, entered the contest. He’s the one who burst everybody’s bubble about Dooley Wilson and “Casablanca.” Oh well. “Champions,” we called them, and they are.įilm professor Gabor Szepesi rounded out our judging trio. Assistant Round Rock City Manager Brooks Bennett and I had crossed paths just the day before at the Baca Center, when he served as one of our Meals on Wheels VIP delivery drivers. What better place to do that, than in a library? Isn’t that kind of how learning works? One set of facts – one book of knowledge – leads us to another. And then of course I had to tell about how my dad had gone to high school with him. One thing led to another in the funny way these things happen: A reference to Marlon Brando led us to “On the Waterfront.” That led me to mentioning Rod Serling’s very similar screenplay, “Requiem for a Heavyweight.” That prompted Norman to note his sister, a nurse, had once attended to Rod Serling. “We can’t give them credit if they say ‘Pee-pot,’” Norm said. “We don’t disqualify for spelling and it’s close enough.” “We’ll allow that,” he said, explaining the judgment calls I and my fellow judges would be making. “Pequat,” I answered, almost getting it right. “What is the name of Captain Ahab’s whaling ship?” he asked, making a literature-and-entertainment category reference to Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick.” Even though I’d be judging, and not actually participating as a contestant, he was eager to test my trivia knowledge. The evening of March 27 I arrived early at the library’s meeting room – anticipating the free submarine sandwiches Richard “Hoody” Hood generously provided – ¬and found Norm hard at work in preparation. I also recall them being active with the Literacy Council, along with one of Round Rock’s great all-time stalwarts, the late Tommi Urbanski. Norm and his wife, Bonnie, have been Friends of the Library supporters for more than 20 years. The Round Rock Friends of the Library sponsored the March 27 event, as a fundraiser to benefit the summer reading program for kids. This was among the tidbits of truth I picked up during the Round Rock public library’s “Trivia Night” contest. Dooley Wilson, who co-starred as Humphrey Bogart’s piano-playing sidekick, Sam, in the movie “Casablanca” never actually played the piano.
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