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Music Memory contests were held in elementary schools and high schools around the country. They began in a private home in New Jersey as a game to play with children in the 1910’s. This was introduced to the city’s supervisor of music which was then tried in local schools. It not only introduced young minds to classical music but also fostered cooperation between parents, teachers, churches, orchestras, choirs, newspapers, radio stations, and more to promote it. School clubs were formed to study for and win these competitions. By 1921, this had spread to over 500 cities around the United States. The general methods for carrying out the Music Memory contests were similar across the country, with content being selected in the fall for participants to learn and the number of pieces and thus difficulty of the contest increasing with each grade. The upper grades were responsible for knowing all content from each level. Each location was able to make their own selections of the content, which is where these contests varied.

Students studied some at school by listening to compositions and discussing composers. During the earlier years of the contest, radios would play the composer’s music as well, allowing students to study at home. At the end of the studying and listening period, students would be tested on random segments of the musical pieces, and students needed to know both the composer and song from that. High scorers from each school went to a city-wide competition followed by a statewide competition. 1932 competitors that were able to get every question correct were given buttons as a prize. While there are still some Music Memory Contests around today, it is not at the national level it was in the first half of the 1900’s and by the 1950’s funding for the contests became an issue.

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Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) was an American comedian known for his theme and catchphrase “I don’t get no respect!”. Many of his jokes focused on self-depracation, sexuality, and deadpan delivery. He is also noted for his roles in the films Caddyshack, Back to School, and Rover Dangerfield. Dangerfield did frequent shows in Las Vegas, including at the Caesar’s Palace hotel. 

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Underdog is an animated television series that began on the NBC network in 1964, and continued in syndication until 1973 with a total run of 124 episodes.

The series follows the "humble and loveable" Shoeshine Boy, who must transform into his heroic alter-ego Underdog when his love interest, Sweet Polly Purebred, is threatened by villainous characters.  Underdog spoke mainly in rhyming couplets, with "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!" being his most well known catchphrase.

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In 1984, Tracey Ullman released the single, "They Don't Know," a song originally written and sung by Kristy MacColl in 1979. During the recording of the song, MacColl actually sang backup vocals in Ullman's version. The song reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

Tracey Ullman is a British comedian, singer, author, and actress known for her spot-on celebrity impersonations. She is also know for her variety shows, especially The Tracey Ullman Show, which aired in the United States from 1987 to 1990. Ullman has received numerous awards for her work, including seven Emmys and a Golden Globe.

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Tim McCoy (1891-1978) was an American western actor and military officer during World War I. He was also well known for his expertise in horses and Native American languages and culture. His acting career began when he was asked to help cast a group of Native Americans as extras for the 1923 film, The Covered Wagon. He was later signed by MGM to star in a series of films that shot him into stardom. His first MGM film was War Paint (1926). He was also noted for his role in The Law of the Range (1928) where he starred opposite Joan Crawford. In 1929 he would star in the first talking western serial, The Indians Are Coming. After starring in several more westerns, including alongside John Wayne, he left Hollywood to tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus and eventually his own wild west show.

Part of a set of movie star buttons from the 1920's.

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The Women is a 1936 America play by Clare Boothe Luce, an American author and politician. The play is a commentary on the lives of privileged Manhattan socialites and the power that gossip has over their lives. Although men are frequently discussed over the course of the play, no male characters are ever seen. The original Broadway production opened on December 26, 1936 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It ran for 657 performances and has seen two revivals, once in 1973 and another in 2001. The play has been adapted into a 1939 and 2008 film of the same name and a 1956 musical film titled The Opposite Sex.

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Published by Main Street Books in 1996, "The History of Lesbian Hair" is a book by Mary Duggar. Duggar offers a collection of humorous illustrated essays that focus on life in the modern world.

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Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone is a 1983 American science fiction film starring Peter Strauss and Molly Ringwald. The film centers around a bounty hunter on a mission to rescue people stranded on a planet, meeting a wandering teenager along the way. Parts of the film were shown in 3-D when it came out in theaters during the 3-D trend of the early 1980’s.  

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Rin Tin Tin (1918-1932) was a German Shepherd who became famous for his film roles. He was rescued by an American soldier, Lee Duncan, on a World War I battlefield and given the name “Rinty”. Duncan trained him and eventually found work for the dog in silent films. Rin Tin Tin would go on to appear in 27 films and become an international star. He also inspired many people to seek out German Shepherds as pets and greatly contributed to the success of Warner Bros. studios.

Part of a set of movie star buttons from the 1920's.

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Rick Geary is an American cartoonist and illustrator. His illustrations for the Funny Pages of National Lampoon magazine were his introduction to the comic world and he worked on these pages for 13 years (1979-1992). In 2015 he published an 84-page collection of his illustrations from his time working for the magazine. The National Lampoon humor magazine ran from 1970 to 1998. The magazine inspired films, radio, theatre, books, and other media.