I am a huge fan of the Jeopardy! television game show. I watch it almost every night while I eat my dinner. Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin in 1964 and is one of the longest-running game shows of all time. Three contestants are given a clue in the form of an answer. They must identify the person, place, thing, or idea that the clue describes, phrasing each response in the form of a question. 

I usually know the correct responses for only a few of the 61 clues in each program, but I love learning new things. Well, the word "learning" isn't very accurate. I do learn things in each show, but I immediately forget most of them, so that probably doesn't count. However, I enjoy hearing interesting facts and am amazed at the vast knowledge of the contestants. When I do know the correct response, the contestants often get it wrong, so I suppose my knowledge base is somewhat different from the norm.

In this newsletter, I'll tell you about three recent Jeopardy! clues that I definitely answered correctly.

On March 17, 2025, the $400 clue in the "INSTRUMENTS YOU CAN PLAY" category was,

"SEVEN FOOT PEDALS ARE USED TO CHANGE THE PITCHES OF THE NEARLY FOUR DOZEN STRINGS ON THIS INSTRUMENT."

The correct response is, "What is a harp?" or "What is a pedal harp?" But none of the contestants got it right. 

See below for more harp-related clues!

-- Sylvia

On May 30, 2025, the $800 Jeopardy! clue in the "MUSIC-POURRI" category was

"MILDRED DILLING PIONEERED THE SOLO RECITAL ON THIS INSTRUMENT & GAVE SOME TIPS TO A MARX BROTHER."

One contestant said, "What is the piano?"

Wrong! Neither of the other contestants had a guess. The correct response, once again, is, "What is a harp?"

Here’s how Wikipedia describes the amazing harp icon, Mildred Dilling.

Mildred Dilling (February 23, 1894 – December 30, 1982) was an American harpist. She studied under Henriette Renié in Paris. She first started performing in 1911, and traveled over 30,000 miles (48,000 km) per year at her busiest. She performed with many notable vocalists, had her own weekly NBC radio show, and appeared on the Bing Crosby radio show. She toured Europe and Asia multiple times and often performed internationally. She enthusiastically championed the harp and gave many celebrities their first harp lesson, including Harpo Marx. In 1962 she helped found the American Harp Society. She devised a lever system for a non-pedal harp that made it more portable than a pedal harp but which allowed flexibility in harp tuning. Her extensive harp collection is held partially by Indiana University, and harp students still use two of her harp music compilations.

I featured Mildred Dilling in my August 2021 Newsletter when I discovered that she had given concerts here on Kauai 80 years ago, in 1941.

You can watch a vintage video of Mildred about half-way down the More Fun Videos page of my website. This ten-minute film was made in 1940 when she was 47. It was shown as a "short" before the main feature in movie theaters. She talks about the harp and plays three selections.

Four videos of Mildred's famous student, Harpo Marx, are located at the bottom of the same More Fun Videos page. Enjoy!

The most recent harp clue that I saw was on June 9, 2025. The $600 clue in the "LOGO-A-GO-GO" category was

"CHEERS TO YOU IF YOU KNOW THAT THIS MUSICAL INSTRUMENT IS IN THE LOGO OF GUINNESS BEER."

A contestant buzzed in and said, "What is a harp?" and Ken Jennings, the host, said, "Yes, a Gaelic harp."

I think there's a good chance that the reason the contestant got it right was probably because he knows more about beer than harps.

And, speaking of the Guinness harp logo, my sister Sheryl recently sent me this photo and email.

"We dined last night at La Fabrik restaurant in Brides-les-Bains in the French Alps. I took this picture of the Guinness harp statue on the bar. The gnome is the symbol of Chouffe beer. Although he seems to be sitting on the harp, he is actually on the Chouffe tap just to the right of the Guinness tap, but it looks like he feels right at home on top of the harp."

Thank you, Sheryl, for sharing this photo with us. The gnome is really cute. Perhaps all Celtic harps should have their own resident gnome mascot - - or, better yet, a leprechaun!

Check out my March and April 2021 newsletters for more information about the harp in the Guinness logo.

March 2021 Newsletter

April 2021 Newsletter

Alex Trebek was born in Canada in 1940 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1998. He hosted numerous Canadian and American game shows but is best known for hosting Jeopardy! for 37 seasons from 1984 until his passing in 2020.

In July 2024, the U.S. Postal Service introduced this Forever postage stamp in his honor featuring a Jeopardy-style clue. At the bottom of the stamp, you'll see the correct response, "Who is Alex Trebek?" written upside-down. The stamp is still available for purchase.

Merv Griffin composed the 30-second "Think" music theme that is played on every show while the contestants write their responses to the Final Jeopardy clue. In 2005, Merv told the New York Times: "That little 30 seconds has made me a fortune, millions. Probably close to $70-80 million." That amount is much higher now in 2025.

Game of Thrones

arranged by Sylvia Woods

PDF or Sheet

15% off with Game code

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Safe & Sound

from The Hunger Games

arranged by Sylvia Woods

PDF or Sheet

15% off with Game code

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Music from Disney-Pixar's Brave

including The Games

arranged by Sylvia Woods

PDF or Booklet

15% off with Game code

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76 Disney Songs

including Mickey Mouse March and other TV music

arranged by Sylvia Woods

PDF or Book

15% off with Game code

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Favorites from the 50s

including It's Howdy Doody Time and Dennis the Menace

arranged by Sylvia Woods

PDF or Book

15% off with Game code

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A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas Time is Here

and Linus and Lucy

arranged by Sylvia Woods

PDF or Sheet

15% off with Game code

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15% off select sale items when you use the code word Game

Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the products listed above in the monthly sale section. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Game.

Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com:

#1. Put the items you want to purchase in your cart.

#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Game in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."

The actual price of the featured sale products on this page will then automatically change to reflect the discount. For example,

   Unit Price: $9.95 (the original price)

   Total Price: $8.46 (the discounted price)

You'll also see a note below the Promo Code box saying the name of the promo code you entered and the percentage amount of the discount.

REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Game in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by July 31, 2025, to get the discount!

If you forget or if you have trouble adding it to your order, email Sylvia immediately.  

This offer expires at the end of the day on 7/31/2025.

Sylvia Woods Harp Center

Lihue, Hawaii