25 The Color Purple Trivia Questions & Answers

Answer: 14

Near the beginning of movie, while Celie is following behind her mother's casket, she begins silently praying to God. She mentions that she is 14 and has two children. You have to admire her courage!

Answer: Celie

Celie gives this narration as Sophia is leaving Harpo.

Answer: Makidada

You had to pay real close attention to catch the name, but it is repeated several times throughout the song. I did have to go into subtitles to get the spelling right. However, since none of the other answers are even close this should not be too difficult. This song seemed to have a special meaning to the sisters as they played it together not only as children but when they re-united at the end of the film.

Answer: Mary Agnes

She tells Harpo and everyone else at the table this when she announces that she is going with Shug and Celie.

Answer: Joey

They mention his name at least twice. The funniest is after one of Harpo's and Sofia's first fights, he blames his bruises on the mule
Ole Joey.

Answer: Albert Johnson

When Celie hears Shug call him Albert she is surprised because she never knew his first name. The mailman calls him Mr. Johnson and on the letter Nettie writes to Celie, the letter is addressed to Mrs. Celie Harris Johnson.

Answer: Howard Starr

Starr landed the role of a young Harpo Johnson. Harpo was Albert's son and was first seen talking to his father when his father asked him if he had cleaned his saddle. Harpo informed him that he did indeed clean it but Albert told him that he did an inadequate job of it, since there was mold on the side. Albert also said there was dirt on the saddle and that the saddle did not appear to be clean. Harpo said to his father that he had a tough time removing the saddle from one of the mules and that is why it did not look as clean as it could have been. Albert instructed Harpo to go back outside and do a more pristine job of cleaning off the saddle. Starr's first acting credit was as a young Harpo Johnson in "The Color Purple". His co-star in the film, Oprah Winfrey, created a company called Harpo Productions, Inc. and her character in the film, Sofia, married Harpo Johnson when he was older.

Answer: Johnson

This should be easy. You see it on the mailbox several times, sometimes with bullet holes in it! It's also on all the letters sent to him and to Celie.

Answer: Celie

Celie screams this as Nettie is being chased off the property by Albert. She replies, "Nothing but death can keep me from it."

Answer: Desreta Jackson

Jackson was cast in the role of a young Celie Johnson. Celie was seen early on in the movie giving birth to her baby, who she named Olivia, and was saddened when her father took her from her to be sold to someone else. In a subsequent scene, Celie went to a store and noticed a woman with a baby who she believed to be Olivia. She asked the woman what the baby's name was and the woman said her legal name was Pauline but she liked to call her Olivia. When Celie asked her why she called her Olivia, the woman simply said she looked like a baby who would have that name. Celie was seen bawling her eyes out when Nettie left her home, after Albert kicked her out. Shortly after this, Albert asked Celie to shave his beard since his ex-lover, Shug, would be coming to pay him a visit and he wanted to look good. Celie shaved his beard and it was midway through this she saw the mailman come and she wondered if Nettie wrote to her. Celie nearly cut through Albert's skin while shaving his beard. Jackson had a guest starring stint on the TV show, "Mancuso, FBI". She was also in the films, "Sister Act" and "Mighty Pawns", the latter film being made for TV.

Answer: Oliver Twist

This is a very good book by the way. You can plainly see the name on the book as the two girls are standing on the swing reading it. (Not sure why they were standing on the swing to read, but they were.) You can also see the name when Celie sets it down on a chair after Nettie is kicked out of the house by Mister.

Answer: Buster

He says this to Harpo when Harpo says that women should be at home instead of in the juke joint.

Answer: Whoopi Goldberg

Goldberg, born on November 13th, 1955 in New York City portrayed an older Celie Johnson. The older Celie was first seen reading a passage from the Charles Dickens classic, "Oliver Twist", and showed a decent level of literacy at the speed by which she read through the words. She stopped reading when she heard Albert calling for her to help him get ready for his meeting with Celie. He asked her if his comb was with his other brushes and then yelled at Celie while she looked for his comb since his hair looked greasy. When Albert panicked upon only seeing one black sock, he yelled for the other black sock and Celie gave it to him. Celie noticed that Albert's sock had a hole so she sewed up the hole in it. Albert also asked Celie to get him his black tie but then said he actually wanted the yellow tie with black on it. Albert asked Celie where his shirt pin was and Celie simply reminded him that it was in his drawer. As Albert continued to look for his clothes, Celie looked at a poster of Shug Avery, who was a well known jazz singer. Albert asked Celie if she preferred that he wear the black vest or the blue vest, so Celie recommended he use the black vest. Celie then handed Albert a pair of shoes to wear. Goldberg guest starred on the TV series "The Cleaner", "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "Strong Medicine". She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 1986 for "The Color Purple" but lost to Geraldine Page for "The Trip to Bountiful". Other Oscar nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role that year were Meryl Streep for "Out of Africa", Anne Bancroft for "Agnes of God" and Jessica Lange for "Sweet Dreams".

Answer: Mr. Huntley

Mister says his name when he runs out to get the mail with a plate of cookies. He is waiting for a letter from Shug. He even tells Mr. Huntley to keep the plate!

Answer: The Mayor's wife

Sophia spends most of her adult life working for Miss Millie, after she gets out of prison for hitting a white man.

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

Winfrey, a native of Kosciusko, Mississippi played Sofia. Sofia was a woman who Harpo fell for and was first seen going to Albert's home so she could meet him. Celie described Sofia as being a "big girl". When Sofia got to the home, she and Harpo went to see Albert so Harpo could officially introduce her to him. Harpo commented on what a pretty name she had and that he and Sofia planned to get married. When Albert heard this, he told Harpo that he got himself in trouble and Sofia assured Albert that she was not trouble, even though she was heavyset. Albert asked Sofia who the father of her unborn baby was and Sofia responded that it was Harpo since he was the only one who she loved. Albert then made a derogatory remark about young women and this upset Sofia. Albert told Sofia he would not let her marry Harpo since he felt a pretty woman like her could do anything to Harpo. Albert commented on how he knew Sofia's father threw her out on the streets and that was where she was living but Sofia reassured him she was not homeless. Despite Albert's protests, Sofia and Harpo eventually got married. Winfrey voiced characters in the animated films, "The Princess and the Frog", "Charlotte's Web" and "Bee Movie". In 1986, Winfrey received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for "The Color Purple" but lost to Anjelica Huston for "Prizzi's Honor". Other Oscar nominees for Best Supporting Actress that year were Margaret Avery for "The Color Purple", Amy Madigan for "Twice in a Lifetime" and Meg Tilly for "Agnes of God".

Answer: Miss Celie's Blues

This is a really great song. It's on the soundtrack, and Shug very clearly states the name of the song at Harpo's when she announces she is dedicating this song to Miss Celie.

Answer: Celie

Celie followed Corinne into the store because she recognized her baby.

Answer: about 8 years

She tells the Mayor's wife, Miss Millie, it's been about 8 years since she's seen her children. She says this to Miss Millie when Miss Millie tells her she is going to let her spend Christmas Day with her children. This is so heartbreaking considering she went to prison for hitting the Mayor after she refused to be Miss Millie's maid. (He struck her first.) She then ends up being her maid after all when she's finally released from prison.

Answer: Olivia and Adam

Celie's stepfather was the father of Olivia and Adam. He took Adam away while she was sleeping, and he took Olivia out of her arms right after she had given birth.

Answer: Margaret Avery

Avery, born in 1944 in Mangum, Oklahoma was cast as Shug Avery. Shug was a jazz singer and Albert's ex-lover and she was first seen heading to Albert's home in pouring rain. When Albert saw her outside, he instructed Celie to prepare a room in the house for her while he and Harpo helped her inside. When Shug stepped inside the home, she lifted her head up so Celie could see her eyes and then Shug told Celie she was ugly. Shug was then seen lying down on a bed with Albert right next to her and she told him that she needed a man. Albert then struck a match to light up his pipe and Shug told him that she did not want to smell his pipe so he put out the match. Shug said that she wanted "that thing", referring to Celie, to make her something to eat but Albert said he could get her some food himself. The following morning, Albert made Shug some breakfast but she threw the food at the wall once she noticed that the meat he cooked her was burned. The following day, Celie made Shug some breakfast and slipped her meal into her room. Avery starred in the movies, "Meet the Browns", "Magnum Force" and "Blueberry Hill".

Answer: Mary Agnes

Rae Dawn Chong really does squeak in this movie, although they never mention how she got the nickname. She tells everyone her real name at the last dinner scene before Shug and her husband leave from their visit with Mister and Celie. She announces she's leaving too!

Answer: Tashi

Tashi was Olivia's friend from Africa. The girls reminded Nettie of her relationship with Celie when they were younger.

Answer: Albert

This has got to be one of the funniest parts of the movie. Mister had just brought Shug home for the first time and is trying to make a good impression. She yells at him to get her something to eat, and says, "And I don't want to smell no stinking pipe, Albert!" This is the first time Celie hears his real name.

Answer: preacher

Shug goes to the church the first time and talks with her father, who will not speak to her. She returns later, during services, and they finally make their peace.