Who knew that Harry Emilio Gottlieb, a prolific writer of letters to the editor denouncing cronyism, was a Hollywood wheeler-dealer? Why else would he get a $63,000-a-year gig as the man in charge of Miami's film and cultural affairs office? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with his close friendship with Mayor Tomás Regalado, could it?
Certainly not, Gottlieb informs Riptide, boasting he has more than 30 years of media experience and served six years on the executive board of the Miami International Film Festival. Those credentials ought to earn him some Howard Hughes-style recognition from the film industry. Still, we wanted to test his Miami movie knowledge with ten questions about flicks shot here.
At first, Gottlieb balked. He refused to take the quiz by phone or in person. During a brief telephone conversation, he requested we email him our quiz. "To be honest," he huffed, "I'm not really interested in taking a quiz."
We're guessing he was one of those kids who came down with a mysterious illness whenever a pop quiz was announced and probably peed with excitement when it was a take-home exam. Because 24 hours after we sent him the quiz, he emailed us his answers. He got nine out of ten questions right, some with annotations. Zing!
Interestingly, Gottlieb knew which famous pop artist starred in the original 1979 flick Cocaine Cowboys (Andy Warhol) but had absolutely no clue which former city commissioner (Demetrio Perez Jr.) tried to ban the filming of Scarface in Miami. (He guessed wrong.) Riptide couldn't resist and inquired if he had consulted the Internet for help. "I did not Google the answers," Gottlieb says. "When can I provide you with a trivia quiz about media and journalism and inquire about your New Times compensation and benefits?"
Anytime, anywhere, and on the spot.
Below are some of the questions, with answers at the end of this story. Click here to read them all.
1. Which former Miami Dolphins player gets kidnapped in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective?
A. Mark Duper
B. Mark Clayton
C. Joe Rose
D. None of the above
2. Film production for which movie shut down the MacArthur Causeway for several days?
A. Bad Boys
B. Bad Boys 2
C. Miami Vice
D. None of the above
3. The scenes depicting Linda Lovelace in the film Deep Throat where filmed in which city?
A. North Miami Beach
B. North Miami
C. Miami Shores
D. None of the above (Gottlieb's note: I seem to recall that Deep Throat may have been filmed at the Clipper condo next door to the Palm Bay Club or at Sepy Dobronyi's house in the Grove.)
Correct answers: 1. D (Dan Marino); 2. B; 3. B and D (Coconut Grove)
