10 Average Questions about On The Town

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The movie opens with the ship docking and the sailors disembarking. We are introduced to our heroes. After they sing of their awe of the city, they talk of girls they hope to hook up with. Who does Ozzie say is waiting for Gabey in New York?

Answer: Ava Gardner

"Who you got waiting for you in New York, Ava Gardner?"

This was a calculated dig at Frank Sinatra (who plays Chip) as he was having an illicit affair with Gardner at the time. This point sees our heroes in complete awe of the grandeur of the city around them, due to their small town backgrounds before their time in the Navy.

2. The sailors travel on the Subway where Gabey falls for Ivy Smith, a local girl. She holds the title of Miss Turnstiles, and from the poster we learn her talents. Where does she study painting and dancing?

Answer: At the museums, Symphonic Hall

"She's a home loving girl, but she loves high society's whirl
She loves the army but her heart belongs to the navy
She studies painting at the museums and dancing at Symphonic Hall."

That is what the Miss Turnstiles poster reads in regards to Ivy.
Ivy Smith is a small town girl stuck in a big world with very little to help her and no prospects. She takes to working as a dancer to pay for her ballet lessons and avoid her parents' knowing.

3. The boys rush to find Ivy after Gabey has a brief encounter with her. They meet Chip's gal Hildy, who is a female cab driver in New York. What is her full title?

Answer: Brunhilde Esterhazy

The boys get into the cab and Hildy immediately clocks Chip. She makes him guess her name, but when he starts quoting figures from his old guidebook she tells him.
"OK, you win. It's Esterhazy. Brunhilde Esterhazy...Call me Hildy."

Hildy immediately goes in for the kill with Chip. She teases him and is altogether smitten from the moment she lays eyes on him. She is one of the girls whom the guys fall for, and she is working as a cabbie, despite the men coming back after the war. She tells them that she never gives up anything she likes. One of these things proves to be Chip.

4. The boys and new found friend Hildy go in search of Miss Turnstiles (AKA Ivy) in a mad dash around the museums. At the museum of Anthropologistical History, they meet Claire who gets together with Ozzie. Who does Hildy mistake Claire for when she says that she 'was doing a bit of research'?

Answer: Dr Kinsey

"And I was just doing a bit of research.
Dr Kinsey, I presume."

This quote from Hildy is prompted by finding of Ozzie and Claire in a deep kiss, after he asks her about Ivy's whereabouts. Claire is making a study of men at the museum to cure herself of her animal urges, Clearly, seeing Ozzie makes her forget her research. The scene ends with Ozzie hitting a dinosaur skeleton, it coming crashing to the ground and the group having to flee the museum in fright.

5. The gang split up to find Ivy. Ozzie and Claire go to look her up in the social register and Gabey goes to search. Hildy and Chip end up alone and Chip gets Hildy to show him the sights of the city. His guide book is outdated, so where does he sing that the highest point in the city is?

Answer: The Woolworth Tower

"My grandpa said I've seen New York in all its beauty and its power, from the city's highest spot, atop the famous Woolworth Tower."
Hildy is in shock!
"That ain't the highest spot. Does that old guidebook state they built the Empire State?"

This song is sung the moment of sparks flying between Hildy and Chip. She has finally got him alone and all he wants is to see the sights of the city, instead of Hildy's plan to be alone and Gabey's idea of finding Ivy. This song is a very comic moment as Hildy keeps stopping the cab abruptly as he gets the landmarks wrong and eventually chases him round the cab to get him to submit to 'going up to my place'.

6. Gabey goes to Symphonic Hall to find Ivy after the group splits up. He finds her practising her ballet with her teacher, where she reveals some important secrets that are useful to the plot. What is Ivy's ballet pianist's name?

Answer: Mme. Dilyovska

"Remember you study with great Dilyovska who has taught everyone from Meschinzky to Mickey Rooney."

I find Madame Dilyovska to be one of the funniest characters, her compulsive drinking and name dropping make for one of the funniest scenes of the movie. In my opinion, Mme. Dilyovska, portrayed by veteran actress Florence Bates, brings immortality to the role both on stage and on screen.

7. Mme. Dilyovska leaves and Gabey and Ivy dance and fall in love. They arrange to meet later that night, but where do they arrange to meet?

Answer: Top of the Empire State

This scene is tender, touching and very funny. The couple have had a dance together and Gabey is shooed out by an angry Madame Dilyovska. Gabey reminds Ivy that they are to meet at eight-thirty. He leaves a loved-up man. Then a matter of seconds later he turns round and meets Ivy running from the room. He has forgotten to tell her where to meet.
"Where! We forgot to say where!"

8. The group reconvenes on top of the Empire State building. Earlier in the movie, Ozzie broke a dinosaur skeleton at the museum where they met Claire. To escape the curator and the police who come looking, how do the group hide Ozzie?

Answer: By hanging him off the building

Chip and Gabey hold Ozzie off the side of the building but he slips from their hands and is left dangling from the Empire State hanging to a ledge.

It is known that Jules Munshin who portrayed Ozzie was terrified of heights and did not relish having to do any of the scenes on the Empire State. He only decided to do them after he was securely tied by a rope under his sailor suit to Stanley Donen - the director - who was off camera.

9. Ivy joins the group and they go to 'paint the town red'. Ivy knows she can only stay till 11:30pm when she must be somewhere else. She leaves without explanation when Gabey is talking to some other sailors. Hildy gets Gabey a replacement date. Who is it?

Answer: Her room-mate Lucy

"Hey, I can get you a date. My room-mate Lucy Schmeeler."

We meet Lucy earlier in the movie when Hildy and Chip go back to their (Hildy and Lucy's) apartment for some 'alone time'. She has a cold and keeps interrupting them until Hildy makes her go out to the movies. She keeps coming in and out getting things to help her cold and eventually Hildy goes mad!
She pulls Lucy into her room under the pretence of having a discussion about the rent. When she returns she is ready to leave and Lucy is none too happy about it.
"Goodbye Mr.Chips"

10. The movie ends with everyone finding Ivy working as a dancer at Coney Island, Ozzie getting caught for breaking the dinosaur skeleton at the museum and the boys being made to go back to the ship by the shore police. The final moments of the movie show what?

Answer: Three more sailors singing about the city

The movie ends with a mirror of the opening scene when our three heroes-Gabey, Chip and Ozzie come running off the boat and sing the famous words of: "New York, New York, New York, it's a wonderful town!". This time though it is three other young sailors singing the same words as they head off for their day of freedom in NYC. It is a moment of history repeating itself - almost - with three more boys going out to find their gals and have the time of their lives.

"New York, New York, New York. It's a wonderful town!" indeed!

Source: Author drama123

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nannanut before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

10 Average Questions about On The Town

A quiz about the 1949 movie version of a fabulous musical!

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>