'Simpsons' star on and off the screen at Zoetropolis

Sunday News article, November 25, 2001
by Laura Knowles, Sunday news correspondent

Do you know:
Who shot Mr. Burns?
When Moe changed his bar into a family restaurant, what did he call it?
What are the names of the two Bolivian tree lizards that Bart helps to hatch?

Fans of the "Simpsons" TV show know, and they are scrambling to answer the latest craze to hit Lancaster. At 7:30 p.m. every Sunday, crowds gather at Zoetropolis independent movie theatre/coffee cafe at 235 W. Lemon St. to participate in Simpsons Trivia night, hosted by trivia buff Curtis Earth of Lititz.

The theater, which stopped showing alternative films several weeks ago because of poor attendance, has lately been hosting live music and special events. Its first Simpsons Trivia Night six weeks ago was an instant hit.

"The first night we had it, people had to be turned away. It was amazing. It is a small theater, only seats around 75 (in theater seats up front and at cafe tables for two and sofas in the rear), so space is limited," Earth said.

His Simpsons Trivia night is a three-hour tribute to the irreverent cartoon series that has aired on Fox-TV since 1989. The doors open at 7:30 P.M. and the evening starts with showings of an older "Simpsons" episode. At 8 P.M. the audience watches the night's actual broadcast of the TV show on the wide screen, followed by intermission and a coffee break.

Musical entertainment is provided by the Justin Unton Orchestra, higlighted by some added fun with jugglers and other entertainers. By around 8:40 P.M. the excitement builds with the first round of the Simpsons Trivia Contest.

There are three rounds of questions, 10 in each round, for a total of 30 questions. First-place team gets $25 cash. the runner-up team gets a traveling trophy -- a used gym bag.

"I don't think it's the prizes that draw them," Earth said with a wry smile.
Earth, who hosts a variety of trivia events around the county, has the contest worked out to a science, with up to 25 teams participating. Ages range from 10 to mid-50s. Individuals without teams can band together on the spot. There are only three rules: no cell phones, no laptops and, above all else, no blurting out answers.

According to Earth, blurters are "disqualified, tarred and feathered." Teams are given answer sheets to record their responses in writing. In the first round, correct answers are worth one point each. Sheets are collected, answers tallied, and leaders announced.

In the second round the difficulty level increases, and answers are worth two points each. Sheets are again rounded up and leaders announced. In the final round, the questions get even tougher and teams are awarded five points for each correct answer.

Earth himself was not a huge "Simpsons" fan, so he got help from a friend, Mike Horn, the technical services director at Franklin & Marshall College. Horn, a real "Simpsons" buff, also designed Earth's Web site (www.curtisearthtrivia.com) on which the full-time trivia contest host posts his schedule...

...For first-timers, the Simpsons Trivia Night interaction may seem a but unusual. The audience responds in "Rocky Horror Picture Show" fashion, reacting to Homer with exclamations of "d'oh!" or to Marge with "ummmmh." It doesn't take long for newcomers to catch on and get into it.

It's kind of like a Grateful Dead following -- there is a definite 'Simpsons' culture," Earth said.

It all started in 1985 when Gracie Films producer-director James L. Brooks was so intrigued by Matt Groening's "Life in Hell" comic strip that he invited Groening to propose a project. Groening's response was an animated "Simpsons" short for TV's "Tracey Ullman Show." The shorts were so popular that a half-hour "Simpsons" series spinoff was put into production during the fourth and final "Ullman" season.
The series pilot aired in December 1989 and the rest, as they say, is history.

"There is really a sort of a cult following for "The Simpsons." I hadn't realized how big it was until the first trivia night," said Earth. "People came from everywhere. It was incredible. We never expected it to take off like this, but everyone seems to be having fun."

The answers to the questions in the first paragraph are: Baby Maggie, the Family Feedbag, and Chirpy Boy and Bart Jr.

Article © 2001 Sunday News.