ANNOUNCER: The legendary lawman, Eliot Ness, retired to Coudersport, Pennsylvania to head up what kind of business?

And why is Carol McFadden of Oil City, Pennsylvania known as the "earring lady"?

Find out as we all play The Pennsylvania Game.

[music playing] The Pennsylvania Game is made possible in part by Uni-Marts, Inc., with stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, serving you with courtesy and convenience every day of the year.

Uni-Marts, more than a convenience store.

Now, let's get the game started.

Here's the woman who has all the answers-- of course, she's the one holding the cue cards-- the host of The Pennsylvania Game, Lynn Cullen.

Thank you so much.

Yes, all the answers, all the questions, here they are.

And I'll tell you what, we've got a great game in store.

I know that.

We've got a great panel too-- I think.

[laughs] Let's meet them.

He has acted and sung professionally for more than a century, he says.

A member of the Erie-based comedy troupe In All Seriousness Inc., he spends his leisure time developing new characters, asking people to play tennis, and arm wrestling adolescents.

Say hello to Bill DeLozier.

And Bonnie Farmer is editor-in-chief of the new State College newspaper Voices of Central Pennsylvania.

She's also an actress who practices benign neglect gardening.

All right, please welcome Bonnie Farmer.

And a producer with WQED in Pittsburgh, he produces and narrates some of the most charming and entertaining programs on Pennsylvania Public TV.

Among his many credits, the recent program, Pennsylvania Diners and Other Roadside Restaurants.

Please welcome Rick Sebak.

OK, let's get the show on the road.

Our first question was sent in by J. Edgar Hoover.

ANNOUNCER: The legendary lawman, Eliot Ness, retired to Coudersport, Pennsylvania in 1956 and became president of a company headquartered there.

What did Ness do in his new line of business-- A, develop in-home security systems; B, provide private detective services; C, operate a family-owned motel chain; or D, market a watermarking process to prevent check forgeries?

LYNN CULLEN: OK, this is serious stuff.

What did Eliot Ness, retired G-man, do when he got to Coudersport?

Panel, I need you to make up your minds, put in your responses, log them in, and then I need you to explain yourselves.

Bill, what did you choose?

Well, you know, Eliot Ness really was Costner.

You know, that wasn't-- LYNN CULLEN: Kevin Costner?

Oh, it was Kevin Costner.

They were exactly the same people.

And I happen to know that Costner was into watermarking.

[bell rings] LYNN CULLEN: Costner was into watermarking, so it must be D. So-- Yeah.

OK, Bonnie.

BILL DELOZIER: Excuse me.

It just seemed to me that after a long, hard career-- LYNN CULLEN: Sure.

--the vibrating beds, motels-- LYNN CULLEN: Yeah.

--it seemed to me that this was where a retired G-man should go.

And just was-- it was too sensible to avoid, so I chose C. LYNN CULLEN: Makes sense.

All right.

Rick, Rick, go make a sense.

I thought we got to make up an answer, and I was going to say opened a funeral parlor.

I chose D as well.

I wasn't sure.

You know, watermarking process, at least it was the best fake answer if it isn't the real answer.

LYNN CULLEN: OK, the best fake answer.

We've got two D's, and we've got a vibrating bed.

Let's see if any of these panelists know what they're talking about.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is D. Eliot Ness moved to Coudersport in 1956 to head up the newly established Guaranty Paper and Fidelity Check Corporation.

The company marketed a watermarking process to prevent forgeries of checks and other negotiable documents.

The wonder chemical used to create the watermark was said by some to be nothing more than Johnson's wax.

The business unfortunately went bankrupt within a year, leaving Ness, who had invested heavily in the company, in financial ruins.

It was not long after that Ness dies of an apparent heart attack.

He was $7,000 in debt.

And despite successful books and television programs about his life, his family received only $200 in royalties.

Ness, by the way, says he chose Coudersport to live because it was quiet, clean, and respectable.

And that question was sent in from Coudersport by the quiet, clean, and, respectable Russ Reed.

And we're going to be sending Russ a year subscription to Pennsylvania Magazine.

Thank you, Russ.

OK, how about another question?

ANNOUNCER: The East Broad Top Railroad located in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania was once one of the most important railroads in the state.

Which of the following is true about the EBT-- A, it was sabotaged by the Confederate Army to forge firearms; B, it was originally established as the backdrop for the movie The Great Train Robbery; C, it is the most complete and original rail site in North America; or D, all of its original tracks are still in use?

LYNN CULLEN: Wow.

That train looked great.

They don't make them like they used to.

OK. OK, is it?

Is it A, B, C, or D?

Make up your minds, plug them in.

And Bonnie, what did you choose?

I may be in a rut with C, but it's such a nice letter.

It's the only one I can find.

That just seemed like a good reason for having a railroad still in existence.

They still have the line there.

LYNN CULLEN: Sure.

So why not?

LYNN CULLEN: Absolutely.

Rick.

I trusted the serendipity.

I just this week found out that the man who made the movie The Great Train Robbery made a parody of his movie in McKeesport.

LYNN CULLEN: No.

Yeah.

And with all child actors called The Little Train Robbery.

And so I just assume I learned that this week because I needed to know it for this question.

[lynn cullen laughs] And so I'm going to guess that maybe the original Great Train Robbery was shot in Pennsylvania too.

[bell rings] LYNN CULLEN: Why not?

We have a C. We've got a B.

And we've got a Bill DeLozier.

I picked B because it had three lines instead of two.

LYNN CULLEN: Oh, my.

Oh, my.

I think we're getting off the tracks here.

Let's-- [drum bangs] All right, all right, let's get the answer.

Ay-yay-yay.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is C. Most experts feel that the East Broad Top Railroad is the single most complete and original rail site in North America.

The EBT opened in 1874 to transport coal from the isolated fields of Western Pennsylvania.

But by the 1950s, the demand for coal diminished.

The railroad closed in 1956.

On the last day of operation, the craftsmen simply laid down their tools at the site, locked the shop doors, and left everything exactly as it was.

Legend suggests that the EBT was targeted by the Confederate Army to produce firearms.

However, no evidence of that has ever been found.

Today, five of the original 33 miles of track are used by tourists who can enjoy a ride on the only narrow gauge train line in the Eastern United States still operating on its original site.

Wow.

That was wonderful.

In 1964, the EBT, by the way, was designated as a national historic landmark.

Bill DeLozier.

BILL DELOZIER: Hi.

You're a funny guy.

Your wife is also a funny person.

She's also a comic in All Seriousness Inc. Is that like having two chefs in a kitchen, two comics in a house?

Well, it's actually weird because none of us are funny at home at all.

[lynn cullen laughs] And if we are, we get on each other's case.

You know that's-- I mean, in all seriousness, that's usually true of comedians.

Yup You're a depressed lot usually in real life.

That's because we know reality.

Yeah.

It's true.

Bonnie, I was reading your bio.

It reads sort of like mine.

You've had a million different kinds of jobs.

You had one I never had-- postal clerk.

That was just dumb luck.

They hired me as a "token hippie" back in the '60s.

That's exactly what the postmaster said.

I eventually was let go because I couldn't memorize every street in State College by house.

But in the meantime, I had fun.

I'd let the baby chicks out for exercise occasionally when they got shipped in to the farmers.

And, as I say, it was fun picking up mail because you never knew what you'd find in the post office boxes.

People mail letters.

They also mailed flowers and milkshakes and beer bottles, a puppy.

And it was exciting.

What fun.

What fun.

Rick, you really do do some of the greatest programming we see here on Pennsylvania-- Thanks.

LYNN CULLEN: --Public Television.

You're working on something called Stuff That's Gone.

Stuff That's Gone.

It'll be a follow-up to a show we did a couple of years ago called Things That Aren't There Anymore.

LYNN CULLEN: OK. Give me an example of a stuff that's gone.

Actually, the most interesting thing I think that we've been finding out about is just some of the old airports, including the Greater Pittsburgh Airport that I say now that we're not using it, we realize what a beautiful building it is.

LYNN CULLEN: Really?

Yeah.

It's really nice.

But also places like Bettis Field, which was the first airport in the Pittsburgh area.

And Lindbergh was there and Wiley Post.

LYNN CULLEN: You know too much.

I've got a feeling he knows too much for this game.

Anyway, our next question is about someone in Pittsburgh who is not there anymore, although he certainly left his mark.

Let's look.

ANNOUNCER: John A. Brashear was born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania in 1840.

Affectionately referred to as "Uncle John," he did much to benefit Pittsburgh.

Was Brashear known as, A, the inventor of the railroad airbrake; B, the world's finest lens maker; C, the founder of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; or D, the creator of daylight saving time?

LYNN CULLEN: Hmm, John Brashear, what's he responsible for?

The railroad airbrake?

Was he the world's finest lens maker, the founder of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, or the creator of daylight saving time?

I always thought it was "savings time," but I guess it's "saving time," if my little sheet here is correct.

Rick, what did you Choose I took D just because he's not Westinghouse-- that's A.

And although B was my second choice, I slipped and pushed D. LYNN CULLEN: OK, you slipped and pushed D-- good a reason as any.

Bill?

Yeah.

I meant to pick C, but I picked D because that's what destiny meant.

Ah, D for "destiny."

Bonnie, are we going to make it unanimous?

No.

I'm still stuck with C because I couldn't think of anything more fun in Pittsburgh than going to the symphony.

LYNN CULLEN: Indeed.

Indeed.

All right, well, the panel thinks John Brashear was responsible for either the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra or the creator of daylight saving time.

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is B.

For more than 10 years, John A. Brashear worked at a steel mill during the day and made his lenses at night.

By the age of 45, he was finally able to work full-time from his Pittsburgh shop making equipment for astronomers.

Entirely self-taught, he was regarded as the world's finest lens maker.

The man who loved the stars also helped found and fund the Pittsburgh School for the Blind.

He aided in building the Allegheny Observatory, where he installed one of the world's largest telescopes, and he helped Andrew Carnegie plant his great trade school, now called Carnegie Mellon University.

Brashear died in 1920 at the age of 70.

His ashes as well as his wife's are buried under the dome of the Allegheny Observatory.

LYNN CULLEN: John Brashear, literally and figuratively a far-sighted man.

The score?

Wow.

You guys are knotted up at 1, 1, and 1.

OK, here is our first clue for the Mystery Pennsylvanian.

Guess it right on this one and you will get 3 points at the end of the game.

"Born in Philadelphia in 1787, a university is named in his honor."

[chime sound] Born in Philly, 1787, a university is named in his honor.

They're thinking.

They're mulling it over.

They're wondering.

The audience is whispering amongst itself.

But does anybody know the answer?

We'll find out later.

And we'll look at our next Pennsylvania Game question.

ANNOUNCER: Carol McFadden of Oil City, Pennsylvania started collecting earrings at age 12 and has been collecting them ever since.

And with nearly 17,000 pairs, she has attracted national attention.

Which of the following is not true about the so-called "earring lady"-- A, she has the world's largest earring collection; B, she built an addition on her home just to house her earrings; C, she doesn't have pierced ears; or D, she appears in local parades on an earring float?

LYNN CULLEN: Now, why wouldn't you know the answer to this, I'd like to know.

OK, three of those statements are true of the "earring lady."

One is not true of the "earring lady."

That's the one I want from you, Bill DeLozier.

Well, it only makes sense that one of these is right.

And I'm going to pick C. LYNN CULLEN: C, you think she doesn't have pierced ears.

Well, she's selling them.

She's not using them.

LYNN CULLEN: All right.

All right.

Bonnie?

I picked C also.

And it's not really that I'm in a rut.

But as an earring collector myself, I've got both.

And-- LYNN CULLEN: Yeah.

--they're just fun.

LYNN CULLEN: Me too.

Rick.

I picked D. Because someone classy enough to have a huge earring collection probably doesn't do tacky things like riding local parades.

LYNN CULLEN: Oh, my.

I hope you're right.

And I hope she's not listening.

If you aren't, oh, boy.

Let's get the answer.

[chuckles] ANNOUNCER: The answer is C. Carol McFadden does have pierced ears, but only since 1992.

Visitors are welcome to browse the world's largest earring collection, approximately 17,000 pairs, during one of McFadden's unforgettable tours.

Like Noah's ark, anything that comes in two's is destined to find a home on McFadden's walls.

In fact, wall space became so scarce that it was necessary to add two rooms to the McFadden home just to accommodate the earrings.

You know what?

If she was into nose rings, she would only have had to add one room to her house.

[drum bangs] That was-- oh, OK. How about another question?

That sounds like a good idea to me.

Let's move on.

ANNOUNCER: At the start of World War I, there were roughly 7.7 million people living in Pennsylvania.

More than 660,000 of them served in that war.

How many Pennsylvanians served in World War II-- A, 700,000; B, 880,000; C, 1 million; or D, 1.2 million?

LYNN CULLEN: Well, well, well.

As a former contestant myself, I know that these are the-- these are the questions that drive you nuts.

Which one?

You got to take a shot at it.

[chime sound] And Bonnie, what did you choose?

My first answer was just "a lot," and that sort of translated into D. That was the most "a lot" we had.

LYNN CULLEN: 1.2 million, you think, in World War II.

OK, Rick, you're shaking your head, yes?

Well, I think-- I mean, the general wisdom is that you never pick the middle ones.

Just pick the ends.

So I picked B. LYNN CULLEN: So you picked B. Uh-huh.

Bill.

Yeah, that's the same strategy I used.

I also-- I thought it was odd that like a million people would go in evenly.

LYNN CULLEN: Uh-huh.

Yeah, sure.

It's got to be an "odd" number, and the oddest number up there is 88, zero, zero, zero, zero.

LYNN CULLEN: Eight, eight, O, zero, zero, zero.

You picked B too.

We got two B's.

We've got a D. And we do have a correct answer-- whose?

ANNOUNCER: The answer is D. By 1940, the population of Pennsylvania had grown to nearly 10 million.

1,200,000 Pennsylvanian men and women served in World War II.

Nearly twice as many had served in World War I-- a record that was surpassed only by New York.

Well, and, in fact, New York was the most populous state at the time.

Pennsylvania was the second most populous state, so it all makes sense.

The score at this point, Bonnie, you've got 3 points.

Let's see, Bill, you've got 2; Rick, 1.

3, 2, 1.

And here is our second clue for the Mystery Pennsylvanian.

"He set aside his dream of becoming an itinerant preacher to educate his nine-year-old neighbor Alice Cogswell."

[chime sound] Oh, yeah.

LYNN CULLEN: Oh, yeah.

[laughs] Bill said, oh, that's it.

[laughs] "Born in Philly in 1787, a university is named in his honor."

There's your good clue.

"Set aside his dream of becoming an itinerant preacher to educate his nine-year-old neighbor Alice Cogswell."

[chuckles] Oh, it's so much nicer to be standing here with the answers, I'll tell you.

Come to think of it, let's get another question.

ANNOUNCER: Built in the 1960s, this unique aircraft was donated to the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association and is stored at the Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster, Pennsylvania.

Is it, A, a vertical lift machine; B, the last Piper Cub made at Lock Haven; C, the nation's first water-landing helicopter; or D, the first in-line thrust twin engine airplane?

LYNN CULLEN: Ya-wee.

I don't know what any of those things are, except, I suppose, two of them I could figure out.

Vertical lift, Piper Cub, water-landing helicopter, or in-line thrust twin engine airplane?

My, my my, my, my.

Rick, what do you think?

I said B just because Lehigh is such a great place-- I mean, Lock Haven.

LYNN CULLEN: Lock, yeah.

Well, Lehigh is a great place too.

And Lock Haven is a great place, and that's a goody answer.

And, oh, boy, Bill.

I said B because I always pick what he picks.

LYNN CULLEN: Bonnie?

Well, I've never heard of a water-landing helicopter.

But it seemed, if there was one out there, the Navy ought to have it, so I picked C. LYNN CULLEN: Uh-huh.

You know, you're in a plane, and they say "in the event of a water-landing."

And I think, what do you mean?

That just means a crash.

What do you mean a "water-landing"?

Let's get the answer.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is A, vertical lift machine, or VLM.

The only surviving prototype of a vertical airlift was recently donated to the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association.

Designed by a Texas engineer in the 1960s, it was envisioned as a cheaper, more efficient alternative to the conventional helicopter, although it looks more like a flying saucer.

It was designed to ascend and descend vertically-- hence, its name-- and also to be capable of forward flight.

Although the lift machine reached a point where a workable prototype was made, the VLM project never got off the ground.

No.

And some $8 million was invested in the VLM project, which never got off the ground.

You game for another Pennsylvania Game question?

Already.

Sure, they are.

Let's have them.

ANNOUNCER: In 1880, Myrtle Meriwether of Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania won a contest which was held in Rehoboth City, Delaware.

Among the prominent judges was inventor Thomas Edison.

What kind of competition was it-- A, a debate; B, a beauty contest; C, a pastry baking contest; or D, a spelling bee?

LYNN CULLEN: What did Myrtle win, huh?

Myrtle with Thomas Edison, one of the judges.

[chime sound] A debate, a beauty contest, a pastry baking contest, or a spelling bee?

B makes me think of Bill, and so I'll ask you.

Well, Thomas Edison probably-- he used filaments that were originally plants, right?

LYNN CULLEN: Don't ask me.

I don't-- don't ask me questions.

I don't have [chuckles] the answer.

Yes.

Yes, right.

And plants-- a flower's a plant, and flower's used in baking, so it's-- [lynn laughs] --pasty baking.

Oh, gosh.

Thank you so much.

Bonnie.

I feel I can't come up to that standard, but I went from the light bulb, intellectual debate-- obviously, debating contest.

Ah, like light bulbs appear over your head when you're-- BONNIE FARMER: Exactly.

Yes.

Rick?

Well, because she was so beautiful in that picture, I assumed it was D, the spelling bee.

[bell rings] LYNN CULLEN: No.

[laughs] Oh, my, where did they get you people?

Let's get the answer.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is B, beauty contest.

In 1880, after being named Miss Pennsylvania, Myrtle Meriwether went on to claim the title of Miss United States, the most beautiful unmarried woman in our nation.

The contest is thought to be the very first American beauty contest.

Her prize was a gilded plaque and a $300 complete bridal trousseau-- because, naturally, someone as pretty as Ms. Meriwether wasn't going to stay single very long.

You know what's interesting?

The people in Delaware, where this supposedly happened, say they don't think it did happen.

So who knows?

Who knows?

Let's hit the road.

You do that, Rick.

Let's do it.

ANNOUNCER: When the Pennsylvania Turnpike officially opened to traffic on October 1, 1940, people didn't know what to expect.

How many motorists used America's so-called "dream highway" during its first year of operation-- A, 260,000; B, 730,000; C, 1 and 1/2 million; or D, 2 and 1/2 million?

Oh, they're complaining and groaning.

No, not numbers again.

They said, not numbers?

How many used the Turnpike in its first year of operation?

1940-- now, remember, there weren't as many cars in 1940.

You have to factor all these historical things in.

Bonnie, what do you think?

Well, I'm still thinking in terms of "a lot."

But factoring in 1940, I chose C because that's not as much of a lot as the-- LYNN CULLEN: That's sort of a moderate kind of an answer.

A moderate lot.

Rick.

What I know is that they predicted so many people would use it, and they were overwhelmed by the number of people that really used it.

So I went with D, big time.

LYNN CULLEN: You went all the way, 2 and 1/2 million.

Bill?

Well, we've already had "a lot" being D, so I went with her theory of C. [bell rings] Sort of a lot, but not quite a lot.

No.

Let's see who's right here.

ANNOUNCER: The answer is D. Early traffic projections for the new Pennsylvania Turnpike were way off.

The US Bureau of Public Roads predicted that only about 715 vehicles would use the new road per day-- grossly underestimating America's romance with the automobile.

In fact, lots of people didn't expect America's first superhighway to amount to much.

As it turned out, traffic on the new highway reached almost 2 and 1/2 million cars and trucks in the first year.

And today, more than 100 million vehicles use the Turnpike each year.

LYNN CULLEN: OK, that moves us right into our final clue for the Mystery Pennsylvanian.

Last chance, last call, last shot, panel.

"He founded a school for deaf students in Hartford, Connecticut, which later became known as the American School for the Deaf."

[chime sound] We are still greeted with blank looks.

[chuckles] "Born in Philly, 1787, a university is named in his honor; educated his nine-year-old neighbor Alice Cogswell; founded a school for deaf students in Hartford, Connecticut that later became known as the American School for the Deaf."

Oh, boy.

We got the blind leading the blind here, I think, is what we've got.

I'm over here because I need to know.

Let's see what you've come up with here, OK?

Well-- Can you hold that up?

Initially, I went with colleges.

You thought it was Joe Alabama.

Yeah.

Then Rick Villanova.

And Mr. Rogers sometimes says, "what?

", so maybe he's hard of hearing.

Ah-ha.

Bonnie.

Thank you, Bill.

Well, it started out being confused, got a little bit worse.

And towards the end, I couldn't think of anything except basketball, and I don't know why.

So that was the only basketball team I really knew about, so I put in Duke.

Deaf people can play basketball.

It's a known fact.

OK. Rick.

I went strictly on the college route.

LYNN CULLEN: And you've got-- which colleges did you choose?

I have Lehigh, Carnegie Mellon, and Bucknell.

[lynn laughs] Yeah.

How's about we get the right answer, huh?

ANNOUNCER: Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, for whom Gallaudet University is named, was born in Philadelphia in 1787 and later moved with his family to Hartford, Connecticut.

He entered Yale University at the age of 14 and graduated first in his class three years later.

In 1808, he returned to Yale to earn his master's degree and four years later enrolled in the Andover Theological Seminary to become a preacher.

But the ministry would have to wait.

After meeting nine-year-old Alice Cogswell, the deaf daughter of a wealthy neighbor, Gallaudet traveled to Europe to study methods for teaching deaf children.

There, Gallaudet met Laurent Clerc, a deaf professor who taught him a manual method of communication known as sign language.

Together, they returned to the United States and started a school for deaf students in Hartford, Connecticut, which later became known as the American School for the Deaf, the nation's first permanent school for deaf students.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a famous Pennsylvanian.

Well, he might be famous but not necessarily as good as these three.

So there it is, Gallaudet.

Bonnie Farmer, you managed to win with three whole correct answers.

What can I say?

LYNN CULLEN: We congratulate you.

And we're going to give you-- we're going to give you a clock and a slate coaster set.

These are genuine Pennsylvania slate gifts created by Capozzolo Brothers Slate Company of Bangor, Pennsylvania.

Oh, that's wonderful.

That's really fun.

Thank you.

LYNN CULLEN: They mined it.

They made it.

They-- just for you.

BONNIE FARMER: Just for me.

And thank you all.

You were wonderful.

Thank you audience.

And thank you, most of all, for joining us.

Hope you do again when we play The Pennsylvania Game.

ANNOUNCER: The Pennsylvania Game is made possible in part by Uni-Marts, Inc., with stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, serving you with courtesy and convenience every day of the year.

Uni-Marts, more than a convenience store.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Meals and lodging for contestants of The Pennsylvania Game provided by The Nittany Lion Inn located on Penn State's University Park campus.

[theme music]