# Obscure Trivia



## Caveat (29 May 2009)

E.g.

In _Fawlty Towers_,  Mrs Peignoir, the flirtatious French lady who fancied Basil? "Ahhh meester Fawlty" etc: The mother of renowned journalist and critic AA Gill.

Oh yeah, and Dawn, the receptionist in _The Office? _Jasper Carrott's daughter.

There ya go.


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## Pique318 (29 May 2009)

Slow day Cav ?


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## gipimann (31 May 2009)

Joe Swift, one of the guys on BBC's Gardener's World (and other gardening shows) is the son of Clive Swift, who was Mrs Bucket's persecuted and persevering husband in Keeping Up Appearances!

How's that for trivia!


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## mathepac (31 May 2009)

gipimann said:


> ... Clive Swift ...


whose wife is the writer and novelist Margaret Drabble.


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## becky (31 May 2009)

The character Santos in the West Wing was based on Albama.


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## macnas (1 Jun 2009)

Margaret Drabble is the sister of  Booker Prize winner A.S. Byatt


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## Yorrick (1 Jun 2009)

Here is another bit of useless information.

The baldy old fellow that Benny Hill used slap on the head is the grandfather of Alan Kernaghan, ex Man. City and Republic of Ireland.
Sorry must take my tablets now


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## dewdrop (1 Jun 2009)

The heat is getting ye !


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## MrMan (1 Jun 2009)

In ZZ TOP there were two guys with really long beards, as we all know, but the guy without the beard is called Frank Beard. That may not be obscure enough for this thread though.


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## macnas (1 Jun 2009)

The mayor of the town where Frank lives (Richmond), has been in office since 1949.


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## mathepac (3 Jun 2009)

macnas said:


> The mayor of the town where Frank lives (Richmond), has been in office since 1949.


Ah a Fianna Failer so...


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## Celtwytch (4 Jun 2009)

becky said:


> The character Santos in the West Wing was based on Albama.


 
Who's Albama?


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## rmelly (4 Jun 2009)

Caveat said:


> E.g.
> 
> In _Fawlty Towers_, Mrs Peignoir, the flirtatious French lady who fancied Basil? "Ahhh meester Fawlty" etc: The mother of renowned journalist and critic AA Gill.


 
Biggest surprise of all - Manuel wasn't Spanish at all...


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## becky (5 Jun 2009)

Celtwytch said:


> Who's Albama?


 

LOL I meant Obama.....


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## mathepac (5 Jun 2009)

rmelly said:


> ... Manuel wasn't Spanish at all...


Andrew Sachs, born in Germany.


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## Celtwytch (5 Jun 2009)

mathepac said:


> Andrew Sachs, born in Germany.


 


rmelly said:


> Biggest surprise of all - Manuel wasn't Spanish at all...


 
That's right up there with Sean Connery, a Scotsman through and through, playing an Egyptian in _Highlander_!  And a Russian in _The Hunt for Red October_.  Both with every word spoken in his distinctive Scottish accent


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## Bubbly Scot (5 Jun 2009)

mathepac said:


> Andrew Sachs, born in Germany.



Currently playing Norris's Australian based brother in Coronation Street. At least he was, might be gone now, I have about a week of skyplus to catch up on


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## mathepac (5 Jun 2009)

Celtwytch said:


> That's right up there with Sean Connery, a Scotsman ...


 No he's Irish through and through, just like Billy Connolly. As proof I offer his name (Gaelic = O'Connaire, Anglecised as O'Connor or Scotchised  as Connery) and his appearance in _The Longest Day_ where he played one of his ancestors, a mercenary 'Oirish' soldier fighting in France.


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## gipimann (5 Jun 2009)

Not forgetting his memorable role as the Irish cop in "The Untouchables"....


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## TarfHead (5 Jun 2009)

becky said:


> The character Santos in the West Wing was based on ..


 
.. Barack Obama.

President Obama's White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is cited as the basis for the Josh Lyman character in The West Wing.

Rahm Emanuel's brother Ari is a talent agent in California and is cited as the basis for the Ari Gold character in Entourage.

Does this qualify as obscure trivia, or just nerdishness  ?


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## mathepac (5 Jun 2009)

TarfHead said:


> ... Does this qualify as obscure trivia, or just nerdishness  ?


Which would you prefer? Personally my preference is for recognition in 'trivia obscura' rather than mere 'nerdishness' 

Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins were born in the same town in Wales, bach.


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## jasconius (6 Jun 2009)

In Shawshank Redemption the photo ID  of the young Red (Morgan Freeman) on his Release Approval document is a photo of Freeman's son. It was a police photo of him after he was convicted for joyriding.


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## Graham_07 (8 Jun 2009)

becky said:


> The character Santos in the West Wing was based on Albama.


 


becky said:


> LOL I meant Obama.....


 


TarfHead said:


> .. Barack Obama.
> 
> President Obama's White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is cited as the basis for the Josh Lyman character in The West Wing.


 
Since TWW finished long before either Obama or Emanuel hijacked Josiah Bartlet's White House,  I wonder who is really based on who (or is that whom? )


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## TarfHead (8 Jun 2009)

Graham_07 said:


> Since TWW finished long before either Obama or Emanuel hijacked Josiah Bartlet's White House, I wonder who is really based on who (or is that whom? )


 
Barack Obama first appeared on the US (national) political consciousness when he made a speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. The seasons of TWW, in which Santos featured heavily, screened from 2004 to 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_We...milarities_to_2008_U.S._presidential_election


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## woodbine (8 Jun 2009)

jasconius said:


> In Shawshank Redemption the photo ID of the young Red (Morgan Freeman) on his Release Approval document is a photo of Freeman's son. It was a police photo of him after he was convicted for joyriding.


 
Freeman's son is actually in the movie. In the scene where the new prisoners are arriving, he's the inmate chanting "fresh fish".


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## Caveat (8 Jun 2009)

In _Grease_, one of the waitresses at the soda/shake joint that the 'teenagers' (many of whom are actually in their late 20s or more) is none other than Ellen Travolta - John's older sister.

In the same vein (but probably not very obscure) in _Goodfellas, _the old lady who plays Tommy's (Joe Pesci's) mother is actually director Martin Scorcese's mother.


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## TarfHead (8 Jun 2009)

Caveat said:


> In _Grease _..
> 
> in _Goodfellas ._.


 
In Grease .. Rizzo grew up to be First Lady Abby Bartlett

In Goodfellas .. the kid shot in the foot by Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) grew up to be Christoper Moltisanti in The Sopranos


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## gipimann (8 Jun 2009)

Caveat said:


> In _Grease_, one of the waitresses at the soda/shake joint that the 'teenagers' (many of whom are actually in their late 20s or more) is none other than Ellen Travolta - John's older sister.


 
Wasn't JT's mother in the movie too?  She was also a waitress in the diner if I recall?


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## Caveat (8 Jun 2009)

gipimann said:


> Wasn't JT's mother in the movie too? She was also a waitress in the diner if I recall?


 
Nope - don't think so.

His mother (Helen, not Ellen) however did play a woman in the paint shop in Saturday Night Fever. Which is a link of sorts.


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## bren1916 (8 Jun 2009)

I was a member of An Garda Siochana in an episode of Podge & Rodge - A Scare at Bedtime..!


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## Caveat (8 Jun 2009)

bren1916 said:


> I was a member of An Garda Siochana in an episode of Podge & Rodge - A Scare at Bedtime..!


 
CLASSIC! 

Which one? C'mon...givvus the 'plot' outline.


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## MrMan (8 Jun 2009)

Egon in Ghostbusters (Harold Ramis) actually co-wrote the movie and directed Caddyshack and Groundhog day.


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## Caveat (8 Jun 2009)

mathepac said:


> Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins were born in the same town in Wales, bach.


 
Yeah, you can actually hear this too - their accents are very similar.



TarfHead said:


> In Grease .. Rizzo grew up to be First Lady Abby Bartlett
> 
> In Goodfellas .. the kid shot in the foot by Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) grew up to be Christoper Moltisanti in The Sopranos


 
Yep. (aloof sniff) Knew that.


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## gipimann (8 Jun 2009)

Caveat said:


> Nope - don't think so.
> 
> His mother (Helen, not Ellen) however did play a woman in the paint shop in Saturday Night Fever. Which is a link of sorts.


 
Ah, maybe that's what I was thinking of - thanks Caveat!!  I do get me obscure trivia mixed up sometimes....


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## VOR (8 Jun 2009)

Caveat said:


> In the same vein (but probably not very obscure) in _Goodfellas, _the old lady who plays Tommy's (Joe Pesci's) mother is actually director Martin Scorcese's mother.


 
And the painting (man in boat with two dogs) she shows the guys is hanging on the wall in Sean's Bar, Athlone. The oldest bar in Ireland and Britain, established in 900 AD.


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## Caveat (8 Jun 2009)

VOR said:


> And the painting (man in boat with two dogs) she shows the guys is hanging on the wall in Sean's Bar, Athlone. The oldest bar in Ireland and Britain, established in 900 AD.


 
Really? 

Sounds unlikely to me but if so, this has to be the winner so far...


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## Ciaraella (8 Jun 2009)

The real Erin Brokovich plays a waitress in the film serving Julia Roberts.


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## Smashbox (8 Jun 2009)

VOR said:


> Sean's Bar, Athlone. The oldest bar in Ireland and Britain, established in 900 AD.


 
They serve quite a nice pint too!


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