Name that City! — Dec 23, 2021

Here’s a review of this week’s questions:

1. What midwestern city is the birthplace of supermodel Christie Brinkley?
2. “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan was born in what southern city?
3. Albert Von Tilzer, the writer of, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” was a native of what midwestern city?

And here are the answers:

1. Answer: Detroit, Michigan. Christie Lee Hudson, aka Christie Brinkley, was born in Detroit in February 1954. When her parents divorced shortly after her birth, her mother moved to Los Angeles and married TV writer Don Brinkley. Christie later became a tremendously popular model, appearing on hundreds of magazine covers. She began acting in commercials and eventually movies, appearing in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” in 1983. She has been married four times, most famously to musician Billy Joel.
2. Answer: Richmond, Virginia. George Vincent Gilligan Jr. was born in Richmond in February of 1967. The son of Gail, a schoolteacher, and George Sr., an insurance claims adjuster, Gilligan cultivated an early interest in film directing and editing, attending NYU after graduating from Richmond’s Lloyd C. Bird High School. Later, he parlayed his interest in the TV show, “The X-Files” into an actual job writing scripts for the show. In 2008, he created and produced “Breaking Bad,” followed by its prequel, “Better Call Saul,” in 2013.
3. Answer: Indianapolis, Indiana. Albert Von Tilzer was born Albert Gumm in Indianapolis in October 1878 and later took his mother’s maiden name, “Tilzer,” and added the “Von” to make it sound classier. His earliest songs were published by his brother Harry, until Albert formed his own publishing company and eventually became a Tin Pan Alley tune writer around the turn of the 20^th Century. He wrote indelible jazz standards of the time, including, “Dapper Dan,” “Honey Boy,” and “Oh How She Could Yacki-Hacki, Wicki-Wacki, Woo.” In 1908, he collaborated with lyricist Jack Norworth on “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” which eventually took on a life of its own at Chicago Cubs games and baseball events the world over.