Did you know … how much screen time the Wicked Witch had in ‘The Wizard of Oz?’

Well, folks, summer is right around the corner! Just a few more weeks of spring, and blissful summertime will be upon us.

I could go into all the reasons I like summer, but I really don’t have to, because if you like summer too, they’re the same reasons.

So let’s go ahead and get to the trivia, shall we?  (If you say “no” it’s going to be a very short column.)

Enjoy!

Did you know …

… according to reports, 33 percent of online daters form relationships? Additionally, 33 percent do not, and 33 percent give up. (What does the 1 percent left over do?)

… the average person spends about three years of their life on the toilet? (I wouldn’t touch that line with a forklift.)

… one species of deer really takes borders seriously? In Germany and the Czech Republic, a species of deer called Ahornia will still not cross the border where the old Iron Curtain once stood. The actual border came down more than 20 years ago, but those particular red deer do not cross it anyway. (Red deer?  I think I know which side they stay on.)

… the first actor to play the same character on two different television series did so in the early 1960s?

In 1963, Petticoat Junction debuted on CBS. Actor Frank Cady (1915-2012) played the role of storekeeper Sam Drucker. The show had a spinoff series called Green Acres, which premiered in 1965. Set in the same fictional town of Hooterville, Cady portrayed the same character on that series as well.

Additional trivia note: Cady is also the first actor to play the same character on three different shows, appearing as Drucker in several episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies from 1968 to 1970. All three shows were created by Paul Henning (1911-2005). (In all three shows, Mr. Drucker was the only person who made any sense.)

… almost half of the American people believe in ghosts? A 2019 survey by the online site YouGov showed that 45 percent of Americans polled said they believe in ghosts. More than a third of those polled said they have personally felt they were in the presence of a ghost or spirit. (The others wanted to know what spirit they’d been drinking.)

… obituary writers in the newspapers have their own annual awards? With tongue planted firmly in cheek, they call the awards the “Grimmys.” (Grimmys.  Get it?)

… a classic performance in an iconic film actually had a very brief on-screen time? In 1939, MGM released The Wizard of Oz, based on the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919). Of all the wonderful performances in the film, none is more remembered than that of the Wicked Witch of the West, played to sinister perfection by Margaret Hamilton (1902-1985). Hamilton’s portrayal of the Witch is so iconic, in fact, that when people think of witches today, one of the first images that comes to mind is hers. But in all of the two hour and 20 minute running time of the movie, Hamilton’s Wicked Witch character is on screen exactly 12 minutes. There were more scenes with the Witch filmed, but the producers thought them too “terrifying” and cut them out of the final print. Additional trivia note: The original notes for the Wicked Witch called for her to be a strikingly beautiful woman.

However, that created a large plot hole in the script, because it played against the idea that bad witches were ugly. The actress who was first cast in the role, Gale Sondergaard (1899-1985), saw the makeup sketches and declined the part, opening the way for Hamilton’s portrayal. (“… and your little dog, too!”)

… some companies in Japan will go to extraordinary lengths to not fire an employee? These firms have what are called “banishment rooms,” places where surplus employees are transferred. There, they are given menial or useless tasks to perform, or even nothing at all to do, until the employees become depressed or disheartened enough to quit. (I hesitated to put this one in the column, since I don’t want to give my boss any ideas.)

… the first true soda pop was created in 1807? In that year, Dr. Philip Syng Physick (1768-1837) of Philadelphia combined fruit syrup with carbonated water, resulting in the first flavored soda pop. Dr. Physick called it “Nephite Julep.” The doctor had introduced carbonated water as a treatment for gastric disorders, and a pharmacist working for him provided patients with a glass of soda each day for $1.50 a month. (A good burp does wonders, I suppose.)

… a song exists that is so relaxing, authorities don’t want you to listen to it while driving? The song is “Weightless” by Marconi Union. Studies show that people listening to it have lower blood pressure, slower heart rates and lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. The song can even make you drowsy, which is why it is suggested that you don’t listen to it while driving. (Do me a favor and don’t listen to it while you’re reading this column, either.  Thanks.)

… animals will not eat other animals that were killed by lightning? (How do they know?)

… when you see a glass of iced tea in a television commercial, you’re not seeing true iced tea? Sure, the tea may be real, but the ice isn’t. Ice cubes used in beverage advertisements are actually clear acrylic cubes, as real ice would melt quickly under the studio lights. (Ah, the fantasy of Hollywood!)

… the U.S. military air-dropped 2.4 million Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts over Afghanistan in 2001? The breakfast pastries were part of humanitarian aid packages sent to the people of the war-torn nation. (Pop-Tarts? No wonder they don’t like us.)

Now … you know!

You can reach Jack Bagley at didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com.