[music playing] ANNOUNCER: The Pennsylvania Game is made possible in part by-- NETWORK ANNOUNCER: By a grant from the Pennsylvania Public Television Network.

The network receives funding from the Commonwealth to provide public television for all Pennsylvanians.

ANNOUNCER: Now, let's get the game started.

Here's the host of The Pennsylvania Game, Scott Bruce.

Thank you.

The best studio audience in the world right there.

Thank you, studio audience.

Thank you, viewers at home for tuning in.

Thanks to our panelists.

Here they are.

Let's find out who they are.

Starting in the hot seat, it's Elliot Weiler.

I got that correct.

Is a member of the Berks County News team in Redding, Pennsylvania.

He enjoys golfing, traveling, and watching Who Wants To Be a Millionaire.

Please give a warm welcome to Elliot Weiler.

Number two today, she has been active in theater for 30 years and has toured nationally with the Erie based comedy troupe In All Seriousness.

Her hobbies include collecting Josie and the Pussycats memorabilia and killing houseplants.

Say hello to Jane Harrington.

I love that.

What can I say?

Down on the end, it's Gene Frantz.

He's a teacher and a comedian.

Sounds like a good combination.

He teaches literature, journalism, and speech at Valley Forge Military Academy during the day and works comedy clubs at night.

Say hello to my friend, Gene Frantz.

Such a group of cuties, nice people, and smart people.

And here's how you'll find out.

ANNOUNCER: Benjamin Franklin has been quoted on topics ranging from science, philosophy, politics, and human nature.

Which of these quotes is attributed to Ben Franklin, inventor, statesman and imbiber?

A, an intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with fools.

B, an abstainer is a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure.

C, the problem with some people is that when they are not drunk, they are sober.

Or D, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

[applause] SCOTT BRUCE: Benjamin Franklin, the best stand up comedian of his time, I might add.

Which of these did he say?

Forced to spend time with fools, denying himself a pleasure, the problem is they're sober, or beer is proof that God loves us?

And that's just to wet your whistle right there.

We'll start with Elliott.

Elliott, what do you think?

Thought we might start out easy and work to the hard ones.

I said B, Franklin, Philadelphia, Quaker town, Quaker city.

I like how you put that all together.

You were thinking, you thought it through, and believe me, that's never going to work.

ELLIOT WEILER: That's not going to work.

We'll go down to Jane.

Jane, what do you think?

Well, I said C. SCOTT BRUCE: You said C. And I was going to say D, but then I panicked.

And that's basically my logic.

You were going to say C and you panicked.

And what-- I was going to say D and I panicked.

And went to C. I think you panicked in the wrong way.

Gene.

I said C also and there's absolutely no reason, except that I think that Ben drank a lot and that sounds like a good answer.

Yeah.

OK.

Ladies and gentlemen, absolutely none of them are right.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is D, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Although attributed to Benjamin Franklin, what he actually wrote in a letter in 1779 was that he viewed wine, not beer, quote, "as constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."

In the same letter to a friend, Franklin argued that the human elbow was providentially devised to make drinking natural, and he included drawings to illustrate.

In 1773, there were more than 120 taverns in Philadelphia.

Among these was the Man Full of Trouble tavern, which is the only surviving Philadelphia tavern built during pre-revolutionary times.

Benjamin Franklin could be found in such a tavern, drinking wine out of wooden cups and discussing politics of the day with other civic minded individuals.

[applause] We have a couple of extra quotes for you today.

Here's a favorite from Winston Churchill.

Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.

And from WC Fields, a famous Pennsylvanian I might add, what contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch.

Both good answers.

Let's go to a new question.

ANNOUNCER: Frank Laubach was born and raised in Benton, Pennsylvania.

In the late 1920s, after completing his education, he went to the Philippines.

His life's work can be summed up in one phrase.

Is it A, each one teach one, B, one day at a time, C, a hand up, not a handout, or D, always faithful?

SCOTT BRUCE: Which did Frank Laubach be known for?

Was it each one teach one, one day at a time, a hand up, not a hand out, or always faithful?

Jane, we'll go to you first.

I'm saying A. SCOTT BRUCE: A, each one teach one.

Just seems to me I'm associating that name with education.

And you know what?

I like the sound of it too, so I think that might be good.

Gene.

I took B. Because he had that smile on his face, like, I really don't care about anything.

So I think he'd say, one day at a time.

Like he just watched that TV show, One Day At a Time.

Exactly.

Exactly.

It's one day at a time.

That's why I took it.

Elliot, what do you have?

I went with C. SCOTT BRUCE: You went with C. No real reason.

Just heard it, sounded familiar.

Have no idea who said it, but why not?

SCOTT BRUCE: I'm sure somebody did.

I'm sure.

It's probably not him.

SCOTT BRUCE: We have three completely different answers covering the field that close.

Did they get one right?

ANNOUNCER: The answer is A, "Each one teach one."

Born and raised in Benton, Columbia county, Frank Laubach was a moving force for world literacy.

Starting in the Philippines in the late 1920s, Laubach developed a philosophy, an approach to literacy, which he called the each one teach one method.

Because there were limited funds to pay teachers, Laubach encouraged everyone who learned how to read to teach someone else.

Known to many as the apostle of literacy, he traveled to more than 100 countries, leading campaigns against public enemy number one illiteracy.

An author, diplomat, statesman, philosopher, and Christian mystic, he founded what is now known as Laubach Literacy.

Dr.

Laubach died June 11th, 1970 and was honored by the US Postal Service with a commemorative stamp on what would have been his 100th birthday.

[applause] A tall chieftain in the Philippines said, I'll make everybody who knows how to read to teach someone else or I'll kill them.

Laubach appreciated the support, but he decided it sound better to call it each one teach one.

We want to send a thanks out to Margaret Ham of Mansfield.

She sent us that in.

She'll be getting a year's subscription to the Pennsylvania Magazine.

And now, let's find out a little bit more about our panel.

Elliot, do you know what it says right here on my card?

Right here in bold print, it says that you were a Fulbright scholar.

What is a bright guy like you doing on our show?

Maybe not so bright.

0 and 2 so far.

But yeah, I was a Fulbright scholar to Canada.

I spent a year there.

To Canada.

It's wonderful.

I love the Canadians.

And they're working on a new letter of the alphabet?

They're going to get B down or something.

Canada, ey.

It was a long push.

ELLIOT WEILER: Very, very sensitive to things like that.

Thanks for being with us, Elliott.

We appreciate it.

Down to Jane.

Yes, clap for Elliot.

[applause] Jane, I just love it.

Another comedian, a fellow comedian.

You've toured nationally with the group, In All Seriousness.

JANE HARRINGTON: Mm-hmm.

SCOTT BRUCE: Exciting stuff out on the road?

Oh, yeah.

We traveled on the college circuit.

And that is a-- a really interesting thing to do.

Because you didn't want to say hell on the air?

Yeah.

And we were touring a lot during the height of the political correctness movement, which was really an adventure as well.

SCOTT BRUCE: Makes it tough, yes.

Well, thanks for joining us, Jane.

Good to have you here.

[applause] Gene Scott.

SCOTT BRUCE: Gene, to be an effective teacher, does it help to be a comedian?

Oh, definitely.

Definitely.

I mean, standing in front of, you know, some drunk crowds and now I have kids that actually sit there and are listening to me, you know.

I can handle that.

They don't heckle, do they?

GENE FRANTZ: Well, sometimes they heckle.

Sometimes they do heckle, Scott.

SCOTT BRUCE: Thanks for coming up with us, Gene.

We appreciate it.

Let's jump back to the game where there are no hecklers at all.

Please give me a new question.

ANNOUNCER: The State College branch of the American Association of University Women holds an annual fundraising event that's the biggest of its kind in Pennsylvania.

Is it A, a bake sale.

B, a used musical instrument sale.

C, a car wash.

Or D, a used book sale.

SCOTT BRUCE: What is it?

I love that music.

It's kind of catchy, isn't it?

Was it a bake sale, a musical instrument sale, a car wash, or a used book sale.

Gene?

I'm going with D. SCOTT BRUCE: D, used books.

I'm going with D, because, you know, we're here at Penn State and it has everything to do about books, well, and beer.

But books.

So I'm going with D. That's why I went with D. I love the answer.

Books is number one.

Elliot?

I stuck with the used theme, but went with musical instruments, although I think his idea sounds more practical.

SCOTT BRUCE: Yes, but it's too late now.

Well, I understand that.

But wait, I think Mr.

Fulbright.

I like this.

Yeah.

Making him proud.

Jane.

Jane, what do you think?

I went with D. SCOTT BRUCE: D, used books.

We have used books from the comedians, and the Fulbright scholar went with instruments.

Let's see what it is.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is D, the state's biggest used book sale.

Whether in search of rare first editions or just good reads, browsers have plenty to wade through.

Started in 1961 and held on Penn State's main campus, the annual four-day sale draws book lovers and book dealers from throughout the East Coast.

250,000 books were collected, sorted, hauled, and stacked for the year 2000 sale, along with maps, sheet music, videotape, CDs, comic books, and more.

Books and other items are collected year round at donation bins outside the AAUW warehouse in State College.

While sorting through the donated books, other treasures have been found, including money, a will, even dentures.

It takes 400 members and volunteers to run the giant sale.

Proceeds from the sale support scholarships, local educational projects, and nonprofit agencies that serve women.

[applause] Boy, this book's got some real teeth to it, doesn't it?

My book bit me.

Here's an important note for you bargain hunters.

On the last day of the sale, $5 will buy as many books as can be crammed into a brown grocery bag.

Quite a deal.

Now, let's go and check our scores.

As I see from the big scoreboard, our Fulbright scholar has zero.

Jane has two.

Gene has one.

It's a very close game.

[applause] That means it's time for our first clue in the Mystery Pennsylvanian.

Let's take a look at that clue right now.

He was born in Shillington, near Reading, Pennsylvania in 1932.

By the age of 30, he was acclaimed as, quote, "The most talented writer of his age in America."

Born in Shillington, near Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1932.

By the age of 30, he was acclaimed as "The most talented writer of his age in America."

Write that down on the top line.

Get it right, you're going to get three points.

Second line, two points.

Bottom line, one point.

I think we all know that by now.

Everybody has written something, and that's wonderful because that means we can move back to the game.

New question.

ANNOUNCER: In 1895, Harry Houdini performed as a contortionist and trapeze artist in a Lancaster based circus.

What name did Houdini go by early in his career?

Was it A, Harry the Magnificent.

B, Handsome Harry.

C, Eric the Great.

Or D, The Phantom Prince.

SCOTT BRUCE: Whay did Houdini start out as?

Harry the Magnificent, Handsome Harry, Eric the Great, The Phantom Prince.

A lot of good choices here.

I like them all.

Eliot, what do you think?

Eric the Great.

SCOTT BRUCE: Boy, said that firmly and with conviction.

ELLIOT WEILER: But with no reason why.

Now you're getting the hang of the game.

Way to go.

Down to you, Jane.

Well, I understand he had quite an ego.

So my first inclination was B, Handsome Harry.

SCOTT BRUCE: Handsome Harry.

I like your thinking there.

Yes.

Gene.

I went with C because I think I saw a biography the other night.

And I believe that's what they said, I'm trying to recall, but I think that was it.

I think it's C. SCOTT BRUCE: I think, yeah, I think you might have a point.

I think it might help if you knew that his real name was Eric Weiss.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is C, Eric the Great.

Born in 1874 in Budapest, Eric Weiss became America's best known magician.

He took his stage name from Robert Houdin, a French conjurer he admired, and became a professional magician in 1891.

But Houdini was most celebrated as an escape artist.

His life is chronicled in a museum believed to be the only one devoted entirely to Houdini in a restored turn-of-the-century house in Scranton.

Houdini, who died on Halloween 1926, vowed that he would come back from the dead.

He left his wife, Bess, a coded message, and instructed her to contact him in the great beyond on the anniversary of his death.

For the next 10 years, she tried faithfully to contact him, but was unsuccessful.

Even for the great Houdini, death was the final act.

[applause] Include it in your vacation plans.

It's a wonderful stop there in Scranton.

Incidentally, Houdini was a relentless exposer of unscrupulous mediums and spiritualists.

Houdini always maintained that he was an actor playing a magician.

I always thought that was interesting.

Let's go to a new question.

ANNOUNCER: Opened in 1970, Frances Slocum State Park in Luzerne County was named for a Pennsylvania resident.

Who was Frances Slocum?

A, a Quaker girl kidnapped by Native Americans.

B, a philanthropist who made her fortune bootlegging during Prohibition.

C, the coal regions first visiting nurse.

Or D, Senator Slocum's wife who drowned in the park's lake.

SCOTT BRUCE: Who was Frances Slocum?

Was she a Quaker girl kidnapped by Native Americans, a philanthropist, the coal region's first visiting nurse, or Senator Slocum's wife.

Let's find out.

We'll go to Jane.

My guess is A for no particular reason.

Again, that works so well here.

JANE HARRINGTON: It's working for me so far.

SCOTT BRUCE: You keep it up.

Gene?

You know, I have A-- I chose A also.

And I-- Frances Slocum, it just sounds like a Quaker name.

I don't know what that means, but it could be a bootlegging Prohibition person, too, for all I know.

SCOTT BRUCE: Bootlegging, Prohibition Quaker.

GENE FRANTZ: There you go.

There you go, Scott.

OK, Gene.

Elliott, what do you have?

Well, I went back to logic, which I guess is the wrong thing to do.

Luzerne County, coal region.

I went with the first.

SCOTT BRUCE: Yeah, yeah, it's going to hurt you.

Yeah.

SCOTT BRUCE: It's going to hurt you.

Let's find out what the answer is.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is A. Frances Slocum was a young Quaker girl who was kidnapped by Native Americans.

In November 1778, Delaware Indians raided Slocum's Wilkes-Barre home and carried off five-year-old Frances, who spent the first night after her abduction in a crude shelter within the park boundary.

She was raised by a family of Delawares moving westward.

Given the name Maconaquah, or little bear woman, she married an Indian chief and had four children.

In 1835, 59 years after her abduction, she was reunited with her brothers, who had never given up their search for her.

Although her brothers pleaded with her to return to Pennsylvania, she declined.

She died in New Reserve, Indiana, in 1838 at the age of 68.

[applause] Hey, a great big thank you to Mike Packer of Beech Creek, who sent us that question.

And just for using it on the air, he'll receive a year subscription to Pennsylvania Magazine.

We encourage you to do the same.

Now, let's run back to the scoreboard and see what we've got.

Gene has three points, Jane has three points.

and Elliot, the Fulbright scholar, is getting further behind with one point.

Using that logic, you got to break that mold.

Let's go to our second clue of the Mystery Pennsylvanian, if you will.

He graduated from Harvard University and became a world renowned writer famous for his stories about middle America.

Graduated from Harvard, became a world renowned writer famous for stories about middle America.

Born in Shillington, near Redding, 1932.

By age 30, he was acclaimed as, quote, "The most talented writer of his age in America."

People are writing, and that's good because we will need to move on.

ANNOUNCER: Girard College in Philadelphia is a model to schools of its kind throughout the country.

Which of the following is not true about Girard College?

A, It's a private free college.

B, 100% of its graduates are accepted to colleges and universities.

C, it's the oldest orphanage in the nation.

Or D, It's a boarding school for economically disadvantaged children.

SCOTT BRUCE: Once again, for you kids playing at home, we're looking for what's not true.

What is not true.

Meaning, three of these are true.

Is it a private free college, 100% of the graduates are accepted to colleges and universities, it's the oldest orphanage in the nation, the boarding school for economically disadvantaged children.

G-G-G-Gene.

Scott, private and free college don't go together.

Those three-- SCOTT BRUCE: They just did not.

I don't know, that's just my logic right there.

So that's why I chose A. OK.

See now, he's listening to you, Elliot.

He's using logic.

He's dead.

He's dead in the water.

Elliot.

I didn't go there.

I went with the oldest orphanage, C. SCOTT BRUCE: Oldest orphanage.

With no logic whatsoever.

None at all.

Smart man.

Jane.

Can I change my answer?

SCOTT BRUCE: Too late.

OK.

I went with B because I don't think I've answered anything B yet.

SCOTT BRUCE: Oh, that's a good reason.

That's an excellent reason.

One of our favorites.

We've got three different answers.

Let's see if any of them found it.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is A. Girard College is not a college at all.

It's a private co-educational boarding school for grades 1 through 12.

All students accepted at Girard College receive free room and board and a totally free education.

Girard College was founded by philanthropist Stephen Girard in 1848 as a boarding school for orphans, making it the nation's oldest orphanage.

Known today as a college preparatory school, Girard is home for almost 600 children from families of limited financial resources or orphaned homes.

Girard students follow a strict code of behavior at all times, and its rigorous academic program demands hard work and self-discipline.

In 1999, 100% of its graduates were accepted to colleges and universities.

Girard is one of about 25 residential schools in the US that focuses on providing free educational opportunities to at risk, low income children.

[applause] Did you-- did you catch that teacher's tie?

Man, cool.

I needed more teachers like that.

Let's get a new question.

ANNOUNCER: In 1905, State Senator John P. Harris and fellow Pittsburgher, Harry Davis, made an important contribution to the entertainment industry.

Did they, A, direct and finance the first talking movie, The Jazz Singer.

B, opened the first nickelodeon.

C, invent the first movie camera.

Or D, established the first commercial radio station, KDKA.

SCOTT BRUCE: The year was 1905.

Did State Senator John P. Harris and fellow Pittsburgher, Harry Davis, contribute the first talking movie, The Jazz Singer, the first nickelodeon, the first movie camera, or the first commercial radio station, KDKA.

And we're going to find out from Elliot right now.

Well, D is true.

I don't know if they did it, but I went with it.

SCOTT BRUCE: Ah.

Because that was about that time for that?

It was the first-- I know it was the first station.

I do too.

I think it was a early, though.

ELLIOT WEILER: Thanks.

But I could be wrong.

ELLIOT WEILER: Well.

I hope I am, for your sake.

ELLIOT WEILER: Well, I do too.

Jane.

What he said.

SCOTT BRUCE: What he said?

I like your conciseness.

To the point.

Two KDKAs we have.

Gene.

On one of the golf holes today, I had 10.

I just don't know why.

And I chose B and I don't know why.

SCOTT BRUCE: You chose B for the same reason you shot at 10.

That's exactly right.

SCOTT BRUCE: OK.

So you have a nickelodeon.

The way he put that all together is just too special.

Let's find out.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is B. John Harris and Harry Davis opened the first Nickelodeon, or Five Cent Theater, on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh.

Before the nickelodeon, moving pictures have been shown as brief intermissions during variety or vaudeville acts.

The theater built by Harris and Davis was the first theater devoted exclusively to showing moving pictures.

They called their theater a nickelodeon by combining the cost of admission, a nickel, with the ancient name of Grecian theaters, odeon.

The moving pictures were accompanied by recorded or live music.

The popularity of the Nickelodeon spawned dozens of entrepreneurs, who opened theaters nationwide.

By 1907, 3,000 to 5,000 nickelodeons had been established, with more than 2 million admissions per day.

[applause] SCOTT BRUCE: And that brings us to our third clue in the Mystery Pennsylvanian.

Pens ready.

Some of his best known works include a quartet about rabbit and three witches from Eastwick.

Oh.

SCOTT BRUCE: Yeah, you know you know him.

Of course you do.

He wrote the quartet about rabbit, the three witches from Eastwick.

He was born in Shillington, near Reading in 1932.

By age 30, acclaimed as the most talented writer of his age in America.

And he graduated from Harvard University and became a world renowned writer.

Everybody's done.

OK, we're going to go over to you first, if it wouldn't be any problem, Jane.

Put your card right in that slot in front of you.

Oh, gosh You know-- SCOTT BRUCE: So we can all see just your agony.

--drawing a blank.

SCOTT BRUCE: And we have Mark Twain, Bo Diddley-- Good choice-- and Tofu.

You know, on this show, that might work.

You never know.

It could be.

Gene, down to you.

They were the best dancers.

I happen to teach literature, So I'm guessing.

SCOTT BRUCE: A John Updike sweep from the guy who thinks he knows.

We'll go back over here to the Fulbright scholar.

I'll bet he's got an idea, too.

Well, the Fulbright scholar lives about 10 minutes from Mr.

Updike's house.

SCOTT BRUCE: John Updike.

All of a sudden, Jane is feeling just a little bit funny right now.

JANE HARRINGTON: I was robbed, Scott.

SCOTT BRUCE: But that's good for a comedian.

Let's find out what the answer is.

ANNOUNCER: John Updike was born and raised in Shillington, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard University.

His elegantly written fiction often deals with the tensions and tribulations of contemporary middle class America.

Updike draws on his rural Pennsylvania childhood and often figures as the main character in his stories.

Among his best known works are the four novels about the life and times of Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom.

Receiving Pulitzer prizes in 1982 and 1991 for Rabbit is Rich and Rabbit at Rest.

Author of nearly 50 volumes, his more recent works include The Witches of Eastwick and In the Beauty of the Lilies.

One of the most accomplished and versatile writers of our time, he continues to write and edit books, short stories, literary criticisms, and poetry from his home in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

John Updike, a famous Pennsylvanian.

Yeah.

Take a peek at that scoreboard.

We've got Jane with three, Elliott with four, and Gene has tied the lead for the year with 8 points.

[applause] What'd did he win?

ANNOUNCER: Well, Scott, today's winner receives passes to beautiful Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, and hotel accommodations at the charming Brandywine River Hotel.

Located in the historic village of Chadds Ford, plus 50 chances to win $1,000 a week for life from the Pennsylvania lottery.

SCOTT BRUCE: Doesn't get any better than that.

Way to go, Gene.

Thank you.

SCOTT BRUCE: Tied for the highest scorer of this season.

GENE FRANTZ: Great, great.

Doing extremely well.

We thank our panelists.

We thank our studio audience so much, our viewers at home.

We really appreciate everything.

Keep viewing.

We love having you.

Send in questions.

We'll see you somewhere down the road.

And again, you guys, funny.

I'm Scott Bruce.

We'll see you again.

Bye bye.

[applause] ANNOUNCER: The Pennsylvania Game is made possible in part by.

NETWORK ANNOUNCER: By a grant from the Pennsylvania Public Television Network.

The network receives funding from the commonwealth to provide public television for all Pennsylvanians.

ANNOUNCER: Guest accommodations provided by the Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus of Penn State.

[theme music]