BATES ARCHIVE News In Memoriam SPOTLIGHTS Knighthood American Film Theatre Fifties TV Al Hirschfeld FEATURES Biography Timeline Photo Gallery Actors Centre Piffle Ephemera ARCHIVE Theatre Film Television Audio Interviews Writing

p i f f l e Piffle is dedicated to the memory of that old Trivial Pursuit, crossword buff and Mastermind game setter, Oliver. When I was learning to build websites, the received wisdom was that a good site should always include a few games - so I created some for the new Bates Archive. More were sent in by serious film buffs and a crossword setter or two. By the time I was ready to show Alan his new site, there were about 20 games in Piffle, ranging from guess-the-films (see "Framed," for example) to crosswords, anagrams and complicated matching games requiring a broad knowledge of film and theatre. I wasn't sure what Alan would think of such trivia. After a couple of hours online, Alan was rubbing his eyes, which were not accustomed to looking at a PowerBook screen. But when I showed him the Piffle feature he quickly revived, and plunged right in. He and his secretary, Rosemary, could not be stumped: they knew every face, every film, every obscure connection, and had great fun. Piffle was a hit! A month after Alan's death, I began to re-work Piffle as part of the large and necessary Bates Archive revision. I wasn't sure that games were even appropriate for what is now a memorial site. But soon I was reading some of the quotes in my favorite games, the One-Liners; they made me smile as I recalled the exact moment when I realized that Harold Pinter is a genius, or remembered the way certain lines were delivered. Alan often said how lucky he was to "say the words" (his own curious phrase) of such brilliant writers. I hope that you too will find happy memories here. If you're inspired to create a game, please send it in! The titles below will change color as you visit them. Each has a link back to this master list, either below the game, or in the menu at the left side of the screen.  All Smiles A Game of Authors Animal Crackers Brollies Cheers! Cinema Links Close Shave? Critics' Choice Curtain Call Degrees Director's Chair Fall Fancy Dress Fathers & Kids Framed Gosford Gang Graham Eatings? Homage I Spy Jim-jams Jumpers Les Chapeaux Mates Music Hall Neckwear Oliver Quotes On Location On the Waterfront One-liners I One-liners II One-liners III One-liners IV Seven-Up Supporting Players Tea for Two Trivialities Word Find Pro Workout Writer's Block X-tra Piffle