Movies Filmed in Wisconsin Trivia Quiz

Answer: jewelry store

Annie worked at Cholodecki's jewelry store. The store is important to the plot because Annie is fired from her job after arguing with a teenage customer (played by the daughter of Peter Frampton).

The jewelry store filming took place on Mitchell Street in Milwaukee, on the 1000 block next to the Garden of Eden restaurant. Personal disclosure: my first job in politics was on that same block back in 1982, right across the street.

Annie's apartment was located at 2501 South Kinnickinnick, which is right in the heart of Bayview, near KK and Homer. It is located about a block from the Bayview public library, and right across the street from the Avalon Theater.

"Bridesmaids" tells the story of Annie Walker (Kristin Wiig) and her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph), who is getting married. Very little of the film was actually shot in Milwaukee, with Annie's Bay View apartment and the jewelry store on Mitchell Street the major exceptions. Most of the film was done in Los Angeles.

Answer: Ryan Reynolds

The 2005 film starred Ryan Reynolds as George Lutz and Melissa George as Kathy Lutz. It is notable as the film debut of Chloe Grace Moretz, who played their daughter Chelsea. The film is based on the true story of a Long Island family who moved into a murder house and experienced demonic possession.

Ryan Reynolds is best known for playing snarky characters, most notably as the comic book anti-hero Dead Pool (2014 and 2018). He was also in "Green Lantern" (2011) but hopes people don't remember that. A native of Vancouver, Reynolds got his start in the Canadian teen drama "Fifteen" back in 1991.

The 2005 version of "Amityville Horror" was filmed at 27618 Silver Lake Road in Salem. The real horror house was located in Long Island, New York. To see the house, take Highway 83 to Highway F which leads to the Silver Lake area.

Answer: Illinois Nazis

The Illinois Nazis drove off the then under construction ramp on Interstate 794 which led to the Daniel Hoan bridge. To add insult to injury, the second car filled with Nazis drives on top of the crashed first car.

While the film is ostensibly set in Chicago, the Milwaukee skyline is clearly visible as the Nazis drive off the bridge. The Hoan bridge was completed in 1977, two years before the filming of "The Blues Brothers" but the section of 794 had still not been completed,

As for the others, the Good Old Boys wound up driving into a bog when Elwood tampered with their brakes. Jake's former fiancé (Carrie Fisher) was last seen in a sewer. And the state troopers and John Candy drove into a truck on the Interstate.

"The Blues Brothers" (1980) follows Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) as they seek to save their childhood orphanage from foreclosure. They violate a wide range of statutes in their quest, including destroying a shopping mall. They also run down a group of Illinois Nazis, who start a vendetta against the brothers. The film contains great gags and a huge number of blues cameos, including James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. And quite possibly the greatest backup band ever assembled.

Answer: Bob Uecker

"Juuust a little bit outside...." The legendary voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, Bob Uecker, was the announcer for the Cleveland Indians, Harry Doyle. Much of "Major League" (1989) was shot at Milwaukee County Stadium, and many Milwaukee residents were extras.

"Major League" follows a fictional version of the Cleveland Indians, whose owner is determined to wreck the team so she can move it. The team fights back and manages to defeat the New York Yankees to win the division championship. The film stars Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo and Margaret Whitton along with Uecker.

Bob Uecker started calling Brewer games in 1971, and is one of the longest tenured announcers in the history of Major League Baseball. He is a member of both the Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame and Radio Hall of Fame among many other honors.

Answer: John Dillinger

"Public Enemies" follows John Dillinger from a prison break in 1933 to his death in Chicago outside the Biograph Theatre in July 1934. Johnny Depp plays Dillinger, while Christian Bale plays the FBI agent who hunted him down.

The Wisconsin State Capitol serves as both the FBI Building and the US Capitol in "Public Enemies". Much of the film was shot in Wisconsin, including the Little Bohemia Club in Manitowish Waters, which used the actual rooms that Dillinger hid out in.

John Dillinger was one of the more notorious gangsters of the 1930s. He was in prison from 1924 to May 1933. In one short year, Dillinger and his gang pulled off a dozen bank robberies around the country that left 10 people dead. Dillinger was 31 when the FBI killed him.

Answer: Back to School

"Back to School" (1986) stars the legendary Rodney Dangerfield as Thornton Melon, a businessman who goes back to university to assist his son. Dangerfield brings all his classic tropes to Melon, who actually turns out to be a better student than he thinks. Robert Downey Jr plays Derek, the son's roommate, in one of his early roles.

"Back to School" is set at the fictional Grand Lakes College, but was filmed at the University of Wisconsin. Some scenes were shot at UCLA and Cal State.

"Animal House" (1978) was set at Faber College and filmed at the University of Oregon. "Real Genius" (1985) is set at Pacific Technical [a fictional Cal Tech] and filmed at Pomona College in southern California. And "Van Wilder" (2002) while set at Coolidge College, was filmed primarily at UCLA.

Answer: Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva, near Yerkes Observatory, is the scene of an exciting chase sequence using hovercraft on the ice covered lake. Much of "Chain Reaction" was filmed in the Chicago area and southern Wisconsin. Keanu Reeves earned his money on this one, as some of the night shoots were done in sub-zero temperatures, with Reeves clinging to a metal bridge with bare hands.

"Chain Reaction" (1996) is a thriller in which Keanu Reeves plays a young engineer who helps a group of physicists perfect cold fusion. When most of the research team is killed (along with a large section of Chicago), Reeves goes on the run with Rachel Weisz. Morgan Freeman plays the mysterious "man in black" trying to thwart their research.

"Lake Geneva" is specifically mentioned once by Eddie when he sends an email claiming to be part of the "Lake Geneva Radical Bomb Network". There are several shots of Yerkes Obsevatory, which is located on the shore of Lake Geneva, in Williams Bay.

Answer: Richard Farnsworth

"The Straight Story" (1999) tells the true story of Iowa farmer Alvin Straight, who drove a lawn mower several hundred miles to reconcile with his brother in western Wisconsin. Farnsworth played Alvin Straight, while Harry Dean Stanton played his brother Lyle. Sissy Spacek played Alvin's daughter.

"The Straight Story" was directed by David Lynch, and follows the real life route that Straight took across Iowa and Wisconsin. The last scenes were filmed near Prairie du Chien and Mount Zion, Wisconsin.

Farnsworth was dying of prostate cancer as he was filming "The Straight Story". He was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe as well as a variety of critics society awards for playing Straight.

Answer: Stevens Point

"Triviatown" is about the World's Largest Trivia Contest, which is held each year in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It started in 1969 and is sponsored by the university radio station, WWSP. It is usually held in mid-April. The film is centered entirely within Stevens Point, including a parade through downtown and contestants seeking clues at various locations around town.

The documentary focuses on several teams competing over the course of the 50 hour contest, and their different strategies. The film was directed by Patrick Cady and Brit McAdams.

Appleton's Lawrence University actually has the older contest, which started in 1966. Since 2006, the contest has been held on-line and people from around the world now compete. Yes, Wisconsin can lay claim to being the World Capital for Trivia Nerds.

Answer: David Strathairn

"No God, No Master" was shot in Milwaukee during the summer of 2012. It stars William Flynn as an investigator for the US Bureau of Investigation (the predecessor of the FBI). He is seeking anarchists who have sent pipe bombs to prominent politicians and businessmen. The film is based on real life events during the Red Scare of 1919, and makes obvious comparisons with the 21st century "War on Terrorism".

David Straithairn has been acting since 1980, starting with "The Return of the Secaucus Seven". George Clooney directed him to an Oscar nomination (and other awards) as legendary journalist Edward Murrow in "Good Night and Good Luck" (2005). Other notable movies include "Eight Men Out" (1988), "A League of their Own" (1992), "The Firm" (1993), "LA Confidential" (1997) and "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007). Straithairn has also done lots of television work since 1984 and won an Emmy for "Temple Grandin" (2010).

As for the other three choices, they were all born in 1949, same as Strathairn.