Ask Mr. Know It All

By Gary Clothier

Q. Around 1960, I occasionally watched a cartoon where a young turtle would fantasize about a history lesson. His friend, a wizard, would send him to that historical time in his time machine. Invariably the youngster would get in trouble and call out, “Help! Mr. Wizard!” The wizard would oblige with his magic chant, “Drizzle, drazzle, druzzle, drome, time for this one to come home.” They would then discuss the lesson learned. What was the name of the show?

B.S., Minnesota

A. The turtle was Tooter Turtle, and he was on the animated series “King Leonardo and His Short Subjects.” Leonardo was an inept but well-meaning king of the fictional African nation of Bongo Congo. His assistant was a skunk named Odie Cologne. Tooter’s friend was Wizard the Lizard. There was also The Hunter, a detective dog. The series began in October 1960 and ran for more than 200 episodes.

Q. Why does David Letterman run across the back stage before beginning his show?

J.S.B.

A. According to several sources, it is an old tradition in TV to run a little bit to get the heart started and adrenaline pumping just before coming out on stage.

Q. What is the hard granule that looks and feels like sand that forms in the corner of my eye while I sleep?

T.G.

A. “Sleep” is a type of rheum, which is the name for discharge from your nose, mouth or eyes during sleep. More specifically, eye rheum is known as gound. Gound is made up of a mixture of dust, blood cells and skin cells, along with other matter that is mixed with mucus secreted by certain glands near the eye.

The most common nickname for gound is “sleep” or “sand.” Some other interesting names I came across include “eye gunk,” “sleepydust,” “fump,” “winkiepies,” “ocular diamonds,” “eye goop” and “eye boogers.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Marlon Brando turned down Gary Cooper’s Oscar- winning role in “High Noon” (1952) and Charlton Heston’s Oscar-winning role in “Ben-Hur” (1959).

Q. What is the definition and origin of the term “old home week”? I use it frequently in conversation, often saying facetiously, “What do you think this is, old home week?” I don’t recall when or how I first heard the expression, but my perception is that of a college fraternity house holding a week when anything goes, if you know what I mean.

B.N.

A. The practice of “old home week” is said to have originated in New England during the late-19th or early-20th century. Former residents of a village, town or city are invited back to visit their parental household and hometown — similar to a homecoming celebration. It’s a chance to meet up with old friends and acquaintances. Later, the practice spread to other parts of North America and became a broader celebration with an emphasis on local culture and history. The organizers of Old Home Week in Wilmington, Vt., say, “Nobody is an outsider during Old Home Week.”

Q. One of my favorite singing teams from the 1960s and ’70s was Sandler and Young. Whatever happened to the duo?

G.L., Torrance, Calif.

A. Tony Sandler and Ralph Young met in Milan, Italy, in 1963 while rehearsing separately for a Las Vegas revue. They became friends and then merged their talents, which led to an active nightclub and recording career. Young retired in 1983 at the age of 65; however, he later made solo appearances. He died at his Palm Springs, Calif., home on Aug. 22, 2008, at age 90. Sandler, who was 16 years younger than his one-time partner, continued his entertainment career.

Q. I recently saw Phoebe Cates for the first time in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” What can you tell me about her?

C.B., Pikeville, N.C.

A. Phoebe Cates was born in New York City in July 1963. She has also been a model and entrepreneur. While a young girl, she studied ballet. After several years, she suffered a dream-ending knee injury. Her modeling career was short, but was said to have been successful.

Cates’ movie debut was in “Paradise” in 1982, followed by “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” the same year. She has appeared in more than a dozen films, though she hasn’t been in anything since 2001.

Her father and uncle are both producers and directors. In 1989, she married Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Kline; they have two children.

Q. Recently there was a record-breaking tennis serve. Who was the player? How fast was the serve? Who previously held the record?

K.S., Orlando, Fla.

A. Australia’s Samuel Groth, who was ranked No. 340, set a new record when he hit a serve 163.4 mph at an event in South Korea May 13. That serve breaks the previous record of 156 mph, set by Ivo Karlovic at the 2011 Davis Cup.

Q. The word to express someone’s strong point is “forte.” I generally hear the word pronounced with two syllables as FOR-tay. I’m told by some that the word is really a single syllable, fort. Which is right?

L.H., Oswego, N.Y.

A. They are both right, it just depends on the usage. For expressing someone’s strong point, the word is pronounced with a single syllable — fort. However, if you are referring to the loudness or forcefulness in music, it is pronounced with two syllables — FOR-tay. The problem is, no matter how you pronounce it, someone will very possibly fault you for it.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tom Hanks was asked to play the title role in “Jerry Maguire” (1996), but he turned it down to direct “That Thing You Do!” The role went to Tom Cruise.

Q. Many years ago, I watched a movie in which someone said to another, “I thought you pulled a carter.” I think the one guy disappeared for the day. The statement never made sense to me. It still doesn’t. Do you understand what was meant?

F.N.A., Flagstaff, Ariz.

A. The term is “pulling a Crater,” not carter. Joseph Force Crater (1889-1930) was an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court. On Aug. 6, 1930, he had dinner with friends and said he was going to the theater — he had one ticket for a show. His friends got in a taxi, and the judge was on foot. It was the last time anyone saw him.

Earlier in the day, Crater cashed two checks equivalent to over $75,000 in today’s money. Some say he left with another woman (he was married); others say he was murdered because he was involved in shady activities. Before long he was given the tile of the Missingest Man in New York.

The term “pulling a Crater” entered the lexicon as an expression to describe someone who disappears suddenly or is being evasive.

Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

2012 Gary Clothier