Girl talk: Before ‘It’ came ‘Oomph’
Q: My father served in Europe during World War II. His mother said she saved every letter he ever wrote to her and other family members. In one of his letters to his younger brother, he thanked him for the pictures of ‘The Oomph Girl.’ Who is ‘The Oomph Girl’? ‘ J.M., Toledo, Ohio
A: Actress Ann Sheridan (1915-1967), who was born Clara Lou Sheridan in Denton, Texas. Her sister sent a picture of Clara Lou in a bathing suit to Paramount Pictures; she later entered a beauty contest and won a bit part in a movie. While only 19, she signed a contract with Paramount in 1934. Her incredible beauty and girl-next-door looks made her a hit. Since Paramount was mainly interested in showcasing her looks and did little to improve her talents, she signed with Warner Bros. and soon became one of the studio’s top sex symbols. She rivaled Betty Grable as a popular pinup girl. Her career prospered, and she appeared in more than 80 films, opposite many of the major stars of that era. By the 1950s (now in her mid-30s), her career suffered a decline. To continue her calling, she went to New York and found work in soap operas and TV shows. She died at the age of 51.
Q: When and where was Sen. John McCain born? ‘ E.T.L., Bangor, Maine
A: John McCain entered the world on Aug. 29, 1936. At the time of his birth, his parents were living in the Panama Canal Zone. Since both were U.S. citizens, he is a citizen, allowing him to run for president.
Q: The band Led Zeppelin, with its guitar-driven sound, is often said to be the first heavy-metal band. How did they get the unusual name? ‘ L.V., Winchester, Mass.
A: In the mid-1960s, there had been talk of forming a super-band with some of the best-known rock musicians around. One candidate supposedly said that such a band would go down like a lead zeppelin. When the group was formed, it decided to use the name Led Zeppelin, dropping the ‘a’ in lead to make certain there was no confusion in its pronunciation as ‘leed.’ As for going down like a lead zeppelin, I think not. The group performed from 1968 to 1980 (with a few reunions afterward) and sold more than 300 million albums worldwide.
Q: Do you remember the character Oscar Madison from ‘The Odd Couple’? The Neil Simon Broadway play later became a movie and later still a TV show. Madison worked for a newspaper as a sportswriter. What was the name of the newspaper? ‘ D.F.G., Sallisaw, Okla.
A: The New York Herald ‘ which was an actual newspaper that published from 1835 to 1924. In fact, New York City’s Herald Square is named after it.
Q: Why is the chemical symbol for sodium Na and not something like So? ‘ C.F., Kokomo, Ind.
A: The Latin word for sodium is natrium.
Q: While flying to the West Coast, the pilot pointed out Crater Lake in southern Oregon. The site was incredible, and visiting the attraction has been high on my list ever since. From what I understand, a volcano collapsed to produce Crater Lake. When did this happen? Was the volcano ever given a name? ‘ G.G., Albany, N.Y.
A: Named Mount Mazama, the volcano formed over a period of about half a million years. Then, around 7,700 years ago, a cataclysmic eruption of the 12,000-foot-high mountain occurred, causing the volcano to collapse. The maximum depth of Crater Lake is 1,943 feet, making it the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest lake in the world.
(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All, c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.)