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A: Jean Paul Getty (1892-1976), American industrialist and founder of the Getty Oil Company, became one of the richest men in the world. In 1959, he moved to Sutton Place, outside London. His new home was a 16th century, 700-acre Tudor estate. Yes, he did install pay phones, a fact his detractors like to use to emphasize his penny-pinching nature. However, according to Getty in his 1976 autobiography, ‘As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty,’ the reason was quite simple. In those days, long-distance calling was incredibly expensive. Many tradesmen, businesspeople and others visited Sutton Place, and they often took advantage of the many phones that were installed in the home by placing calls all over the world. The phone bills were exorbitant, so he put a stop to the long-distance pilfering by putting dial locks on many of the phones and providing pay phones for guests.
Q: I have a question about the movie ‘The Graduate.’ One of the more famous movie posters ever printed shows Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) standing in the rear, sheepishly looking at the leg of a woman in the foreground. The leg is supposed to be that of Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) with whom he is having an affair. Is that really Anne Bancroft’s leg? ‘ H.H., Trinidad, Colo.
A: The leg belongs to then-unknown model Linda Gray, who hit the big time in the TV soap ‘Dallas,’ playing Sue Ellen Ewing. She went on to portray Mrs. Robinson in the stage version of ‘The Graduate.’
Q: It has been a long time since I was in school and learned about American educator Booker T. Washington. Where and when was he born? What does the initial T stand for? ‘ J.M., Bethlehem, Pa.
A: Booker Taliaferro Washington was born April 5, 1856, to a white farmer and a black slave in Franklin County, Va. He discovered freedom at age 9, at the close of the Civil War, and he would become a political leader, educator and author. He has been called one of the most important African American figures in U.S. history. He died in 1915.
Q: Garrison Keillor’s ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ originates from the Minnesota Public Radio’s Fitzgerald Theater. What was the name of the edifice before it became the Fitzgerald? ‘ V.D.W., Nixa, Mo.
A: Built in 1910 as the Sam S. Shubert Theater, it was later renamed the World Theater in 1933. Garrison Keillor pushed for the latest name change in 1994, in honor of St. Paul native F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday.
Q: In baseball, which pair of brothers had the most combined wins ‘ the Niekros or Perrys? ‘ Y.K., Monmouth, Ill.
A: Phil and Joe Niekro won 318 and 221 games, respectively, for a total of 539. Gaylord and Jim Perry had 314 and 215 wins, for a total of 529.
Q: How did Starbucks, the Seattle-based coffeehouse chain, get its name? When was the company founded? ‘ L.O.F., Evansville, Ind.
A: The company took its name from the first mate aboard the whaler Pequod, in Herman Melville’s ‘Moby Dick.’ The first Starbucks opened in 1971 at Seattle’s Pike Place Market.
Q: Was the Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi named after someone or something? ‘ T.G.L., Topsham, Maine
A: Founded in 1870 as a shipping firm, the company soon diversified into banking, shipbuilding, insurance and coal mining. Later, it became involved in paper, steel, real estate, airplane construction and, in time, automobiles. One of the translations of Mitsubishi is ‘three diamonds,’ as represented by the three rhombus designs of its logo.
(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at [email protected] or c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016)