Monday, April 1, 2013

Middle Child Challenge: Questions 1 - 8

The Singing Seville Brothers
The "Other" Chipmunks
Think it's easy to spot a Middle Child? Take the "Middle Child Challenge" and see how good you are!
     Few performing chipmunks have achieved the worldwide popularity of Alvin & the Chipmunks. They are the most famous chipmunk brothers of all time, with the possible exception of Chip and Dale. The adopted rodent children of father/agent Dave Seville, this triple-threat trio starred in multiple TV shows, recorded chart topping musical hits, and even appeared in a trilogy of movies. While this isn’t the first time a famous animated Middle Child has been featured on this blog, (“The Simpson’s” Lisa Simpson and Chris Griffin of “Family Guy” fame were both subjects of a previous post. See “TV’s Greatest Middle Children”), this is the first (and only) animated animal Middle Child, and definitely the only animated rodent Middle Child. Do you know which of the three singing Seville brothers is the Middle Chipmunk?
Continue the challenge!!

3/5 of the Marx Brothers
     Everyone knows the Marx Brothers: Julius “Groucho” Marx, Leonard “Chico” Marx, and Adolf “Harpo” Marx. But did you know there were five Marx Brothers? Milton “Gummo” Marx and Herbert “Zeppo” Marx were part of the comedy act to a lesser extent, but eventually left to pursue other interests – maybe not the best career move. Five of the Marx Brothers’ 13 feature films were included in the American Film Institute’s top 100 comedy films, and they were the only performers to be named collectively on AFI's "100 Years, 100 Stars" list of the most significant screen legends.Gummo and Zeppo were the two youngest brothers, so who was the Middle Marx Brother?
America's Reigning
First Family of Football
     There are many talented brothers playing in the NFL, and no doubt many of them are Middle Children. (There’s a Middle Child coach, for sure. See “Rooting for the Middle Child.”) But could there be a more talented football family than the Manning’s? First, there’s Dad Archie. In spite of playing for ten years on one of the worst teams in the NFL, he was named to the Pro Bowl in 1978 and 1979 and is probably the greatest QB to never make the playoffs. Or even have a winning season. Of course we all know about MVP brothers Peyton and Eli. And then there’s Cooper Manning, an All-State High School wide receiver and hot prospect for the University of Mississippi until his playing days were cut short by spinal stenosis. Of Archie’s three boys, which Manning is in the Middle?
I can never tell which Wilson is which.
     Between them, brothers Owen, Luke and Andrew Wilson have appeared in more than 100 films. That’s a lot of movies. Luke has been in hits like “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Old School,” among others. You’ve seen Owen in “Wedding Crashers,” “Zoolander,” and “Night at the Museum,” to name a few. And you probably didn’t even know you saw their brother Andrew in a bunch of other movies. While Luke and Owen can battle over who’s the bigger star, which one of them plays the role of real-life Middle Child?
The World's Most Famous Fly Boys.
     When you think of the Wright Brothers, you think of Orville and Wilbur -- but they weren’t the only Wright Brothers! There were five Wright siblings altogether. What about the other Wright Brothers, Lorin and Reuchlin? How do you think that makes them feel? Not to the mention the Wright Sister, Katherine? When their father gave the younger Wright Brothers a toy helicopter in 1878, they played with it until it broke, so they built their own. The rest, as they say, is history. Do you know which Wright Brother was also the first Middle Child of flight?
"I'll take Charley Weaver to block."
     When it comes to acting families, the Arquette family is near the top of the list – well, at least alphabetically. Roseanna made her mark in films like “Desperately Seeking Susan” and “Pulp Fiction.” Sister Patricia won an Emmy for her role on NBC’s “Medium” and starred on the big screen in “True Romance” and “Ed Wood” among others. Brother-turned-sister Alexis has appeared on TV, in movies, and starred in the film, “Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother,” which documented her transition from male to female. Brother David is best known for being married to Courteney Cox, but also for roles in movies including the “Scream” series and more recently as a contestant on Season 13 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Even brother Richmond has appeared in over 60 films and TV shows. But wait, there’s more! Their father Lewis Arquette was also a movie actor, but the grandaddy of them all was Cliff Arquette. You might know him as Charley Weaver – a character so popular he almost never appeared in public as himself. Which of his acting Arquette grandchildren is the Middle Child?
The Original Bad Boys.
     You would think that Susan Lavenia James would have to do something really awful for her parents to ever think she was a bad daughter. After all, when you’re the sister of Frank and Jesse James, the bad behavior bar is set pretty high. (On the other hand, she probably could be pretty sure that any suitors weren't going to get out of line.) With the help of their infamous gang, these American outlaws robbed banks, stagecoaches, trains, and pretty much did whatever they felt like doing -- killing almost 200 innocent people along the way. So brazen were these brothers, they are credited with being the likely culprits in the first daylight armed bank robbery in the United States during peacetime. Clearly, both brothers had enough “issues,” but which sinister sibling was also a Middle Child?
A Stooge By Any Other Name:
Moses, Samuel & Jerome.

     When Irving and Jack Horwitz said their little brothers Moses, Jerome and Samuel were three stooges, they weren’t kidding. But they were much better known as the Howard brothers: Moe, Curly and Shemp. The Three Stooges had various lineups over their almost four decade run, but Moe was always the constant: first appearing with his brother Shemp and Larry Fine; then with his brother Curly and Larry; then with Larry and Shemp again; then with Larry and Joe Besser; and finally with Larry and Curly Joe DeRita. Which of the three sibling stooges was also a Middle Child?

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