Randolph Mase&#8217;s Weblog

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in About New York City | 1 Comment »

How Well Do You Know Broadway?

April 12, 2021

One of the categories on a recent Jeopardy! episode was “Broadway Musicals.” Here are the answers; just come up with the correct question for each. I’ll give those questions in a future post:

In the roles of Diva Donna, Disco Donna, and Duckling Donna, 3 actresses played this 1970s singer in a 2018 show.
For this show Dustin Collette took the role Dewey Finn, played by Jack Black in a 2003 movie.
In 1973 [Christopher Plummer] sang the closing number “I Never Loved You,” playing with panache, this heroic Frenchman in Anthony Burgess’s musical of the famous play.
“The Morning of the Dragon” was one of the songs from this Puccini-based Broadway musical.
Set in a royal castle, “Once Upon a Mattress” is a musical based on this fairy tale.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Today is Easter, a Christian Holy Day

April 4, 2021

I’ve written a few posts about my ancestors who served in the military. I’ve also found in my research many ancestors who were religious leaders. This Christian Holy Day is an appropriate day to write about them, so here they are, with interesting notes for a few of them:

Reverend John Rogers 1506-1555, 10th Great grandfather, charged with heresy by the Church of England for his Separatist beliefs and was burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I (known as Bloody Mary)
Reverend John Lathrop 1584-1653 (shown above), 9th Great grandfather, also charged with heresy by the Church of England for his Separatist beliefs and exiled from England. He escaped with his family on a ship bound for America minutes before the Archbishop of Canterbury’s men arrived at his house to arrest him.
Deacon Richard Platt 1603-1684, 8th Great grandfather
Deacon Stephen Hart 1605-1683, 9th Great grandfather, arrived in Boston in 1632 then moved west and bought land at a low point of the Connecticut River which enabled crossing. The area was known as Hart’s Ford, later becoming Hartford.
Reverend Obadiah Holmes 1607-1682, 8th Great grandfather
Reverend Abraham Pierson 1609-1678, 9th Great grandfather, arrived in Boston in 1640 and later led his congregation to New Jersey, founding Newark in 1666.
Deacon Pierre Montfort 1616-1661, 8th Great grandfather
Deacon Willem van Couwenhoven 1636-1728, 7th Great Grandfather
Reverend Richard Henderson 1689-1769, 6th Great Grandfather

I’m thinking of writing a story or short book about my religious and military ancestors, calling it Bibles and Bullets. What do you think?

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | 2 Comments »

It’s April Fool’s Day

April 1, 2021

But I’m not going to write something to fool you or pull any pranks. Maybe.

I have seen some good ones, though. Years ago when I lived in Reading, Pennsylvania, I was a faithful listener of the Mike and Dave Morning Show on WRFY radio. On this particular day, I turned on the radio in my car on the way to work, only to find that the late morning DJ was hosting the early show. I heard no mention of the change for several minutes. Finally, an announcement came on air that Mike and Dave were no longer employed by the station. Now, they (particularly Dave) had a reputation of pushing the airwave envelope – not to the point of being shock jocks, but pushing it nevertheless – so their termination did not surprise me. But it really disappointed me. In fact, I was really in a funk the rest of the day. The next morning, I heard their familiar voices on the radio. And then it occurred to me that the day before was April 1! I called them and let them know that they “got” me. They just laughed and said that was the point. So go ahead and play your pranks, and maybe leave a comment abut the funniest April Fool’s prank you’ve seen!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

Questions to How Well Do You Know Brooklyn?

March 24, 2021

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “Brooklyn ‘99” I posted last month:

In 1899 this gangster-to-be was born in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard section; no reports of any scars on his face. – Who is Al Capone?
As it was shedding concrete, this alliterative structure was “Falling Down” in the subject of a 1999 article. – What is the Brooklyn Bridge?
This sitting president visited Brooklyn in 1899 & cabled Admiral Dewey on the anniversary of his triumph in the Philippines. – Who is McKinley?
In 1899 the Brooklyn Superbas won the National League pennant; 100 years later, they’d have moved far away and become this team. – Who are the Los Angeles Dodgers?
In 1999 this novel about h Tourette’s by Brooklyn native Jonathan Lethem was the basis of a 2019 Edward Norton film. – What is “Motherless Brooklyn?”

Even though I was born in Brooklyn, I only got three of them correct; how did you do?

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Questions to How Well Do You Know Broadway?

March 15, 2021

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “Christmas on Broadway” I posted last month:

This musical wraps up with “A New Deal for Christmas,” featuring FDR, Daddy Warbucks & the gang.. – What is “Annie?”
A group of homeless people begin the not so merry “Christmas Bells” in this Jonathan Larson musical. – What is “Rent?”
This musical auntie sings “We need a little Christmas, right this minute, candles in the window, carols at the spinet.” – What is “Mame?”
In 2018 these mind-blowing magicians with monickers like the Deductionist debuted their “Magic of the Holidays” show. – Who are The Illusionists?
Based on the 1954 film, a musical called this composer’s “White Christmas” livened up the holidays in 2008 & 2009.. – Who is Irving Berlin?

Typical of my Broadway knowledge, I only got three correct; how did you do?

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

How Well Do You Know Brooklyn?

March 8, 2021

One of the categories on a recent Jeopardy! episode was “Brooklyn ‘99.” Here are the answers; just come up with the correct question for each. I’ll give those questions in a future post:

In 1899 this gangster-to-be was born in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard section; no reports of any scars on his face.
As it was shedding concrete, this alliterative structure was “Falling Down” in the subject of a 1999 article.
This sitting president visited Brooklyn in 1899 & cabled Admiral Dewey on the anniversary of his triumph in the Philippines.
In 1899 the Brooklyn Superbas won the National League pennant; 100 years later, they’d have moved far away and become this team.
In 1999 this novel about h Tourette’s by Brooklyn native Jonathan Lethem was the basis of a 2019 Edward Norton film.

This episode was the last one Alex Trebek recorded before his death. The producers had a very nice tribute to Alex at the end of the show.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

How Well Do You Know Broadway?

March 1, 2021

One of the categories on an old Jeopardy! episode which was replayed recently was “Christmas on Broadway.” Here are the answers; just come up with the correct question for each. I’ll give those questions in a future post:

This musical wraps up with “A New Deal for Christmas,” featuring FDR, Daddy Warbucks & the gang.
A group of homeless people begin the not so merry “Christmas Bells” in this Jonathan Larson musical.
This musical auntie sings “We need a little Christmas, right this minute, candles in the window, carols at the spinet.”
In 2018 these mind-blowing magicians with monickers like the Deductionist debuted their “Magic of the Holidays” show.
Based on the 1954 film, a musical called this composer’s “White Christmas” livened up the holidays in 2008 & 2009.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Questions to How Well Do You Know New York?

February 22, 2021

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “New York Cities’ Nicknames” I posted last month:

This nickname for New York City was used by Washington Irving; Bruce Wayne put it before “City.”. – What is Gotham?
Poughkeepsie is “The Queen City” of this river. – What is the Hudson?
Slowly I turned…to this “Honeymoon Capital of the World.” – What is Niagara Falls?
Second only to New York City in population, this western port is “The Nickel City.” – What is Buffalo?
Sharing its name with a European capital, it was known as “Copper City” for its production of that metal. – What is Rome?

Typical of my New York State knowledge, I got four correct (I took too much time on the last one); how did you do?

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Happy Presidents Day!

February 15, 2021

When I was a kid, I used to love February. My birthday’s in this month, and we also celebrated two holidays – and had two days off from school – in February as well. What kid wouldn’t love that?

We were off on February 12, Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday, and February 22, George Washington’s Birthday. Then in the 1970s, some lawmakers had the wonderful idea to move the celebration of Washington’s Birthday to the third Monday in February, and in the following years Lincoln’s Birthday was dropped as a holiday and the new holiday became a celebration of all of our presidents. It just seems strange that Presidents Day never falls on the actual birth date of George Washington (it’s always somewhere between February 15 and February 21). And it’s also strange that only 4 of our 46 presidents were born in February. But all I know is that we lost a day off from school…

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer