Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Strother Martin appeared in 40 films and numerous television roles. Among these were "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "True Grit" (1969), and "Cool Hand Luke" (1967) for which he will forever be remembered for his most quoted line: "What we have here is a failure to communicate!" In what film did he play the conniving owner of an athletic team?
2. Marie Dressler came up the hard way. At 14 she was on the stage. She slowly built her career on the Broadway stage, vaudeville, and finally as a popular character actor in silent films. Her career really blossomed with the advent of sound when she evolved into a lead actress and won an Academy Award. What was the name of that film?
3. If the name Eugene Pallette (sometimes Paulette) doesn't ring a bell, he was one of the most sought after character actors of the 1930s and '40s, although his career began when he appeared in "Birth of a Nation" (1915). He had a deep raspy voice and a rotund appearance and was generally somebody's father, somebody's boss, or a cop. His most endearing role was none of these, but for an adventure film that starred Erroll Flynn. What was that movie?
4. Margaret Dumont was the perfect comic foil as she never cracked a smile, but maintined her character. She was cast as rich, full-figured, middle-aged matrons and had to endure many jokes at her expense. With what comedy team did she work?
5. If the script called for a sinister foreigner, Peter Lorre's name was often at the top of the list. Witness "Casablanca" (1942), "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), and "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) as prime examples. Lorre was Austrian, and in 1931 he starred in Fritz Lang's early sound movie which made him an overnight star. What was the name of this film?
6. No list of great character actresses would be complete without Thelma Ritter. She was nominated for an Oscar six times for Best Supporting Actress. Her roles typically were maids or best friends who were very outspoken. For what film did she win an Oscar?
7. Dan Hedaya is a familiar face in both films and television. He was the cuckold husband in "Blood Simple" (1984), the harried father in "Clueless" (1995), and Carla's ex-husband on "Cheers" (1982-2003), as well as Bette Midler's ex in "The First Wives Club"(1996), and a wise-cracking police sergeant in "The Usual Suspects" (1995). Although his career has been in supporting roles, in what movie did he star and play the title character?
8. Kathy Bates is one of the most watchable character actors. She was Jessica Lange's employer in "Men Don't Leave" (1990), James Caan's tormentor in "Misery" (1990), the savvy political operative in "Primary Colors" (1998), and Jessica Tandy's friend in "Fried Green Tomatoes" (1991). She had a supporting role in a Jack Nicholson film where she did a nude scene. What was this film?
9. John Carradine claimed to have appeared in 450 motion pictures. Not all of these can be documented, but he was very active. He made ten films just with director John Ford such as "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) and "Stagecoach" (1939). His characters were generally mad, eccentric, and often diabolical. As a trained Shakespearean actor, he often played Hamlet or Macbeth and in other dramas on road companies. In what genres of film was Carradine most often cast?
10. Anne Ramsey had a modest career of 38 movies but many of her appearances were very memorable. She was often photographed as a less than attractive woman. She was the head of a family of criminals and counterfeiters in "The Goonies" (1985), which netted a Saturn Supporting Actress award for her. Later, she was nominated for an Academy Award in a film that starred Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito, who conspired to murder DeVito's mother. What was this movie?
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