Romantic Teams in Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Harry 'Steve' Morgan and Marie 'Slim' Browning

They played tough fishing boat skipper, Harry, "better loosen her clothes" and stranded but feisty American, adept at picking pockets, Marie, "you know how to whistle, Steve, don't you..." in "To Have and Have Not" (1944). The film is a humorous thriller based (loosely) on a novel by Ernest Hemingway (Miss Bacall's first movie).

They play detective Philip and tough rich girl Vivian in "The Big Sleep" (1946), a Philip Marlowe detective story. They were war hero Frank and hotelier's daughter Nora in "Key Largo" (1948), an outstanding gangster film featuring Edward G. Robinson. De Forest was Humphrey Bogart's middle name and Joan was Lauren Bacall's (Betty Joan Perske).

Answer: They Died With Their Boots On

"They Died With Their Boots On" (1941) was the last film they made together. It was a (very) romanticised version of the story of George Custer(Errol) and Elizabeth Bacon (Olivia). Although they both appeared in "Thank Your Lucky Stars" (1943), they were with a host of other stars and shared no scenes. "Santa Fe Trail" (1940) was another 'biopic' where they played Jeb Stuart and Kit Carson. "Holliday" and "Dodge City" (1939), where they played Wade Hatton and Abbie Irving, were both excellent westerns. "The Adventures of Robin Hood"(1938), where they played Robin and Marian, was the finest 'swashbuckler' ever made.

Answer: My Man Godfrey (1936)

William Powell's (Godfrey) co-star in "My Man Godfrey" was the wonderful Carole Lombard (Irene Bullock). This romantic comedy was the first to receive Oscar nominations in all four acting categories for Powell and Lombard and Alice Brady and Mischa Auer in the supporting categories. Also received were nominations for the direction of Gregory La Cava and the writing of Morrie Ryskind and Eric Hatch. "The Thin Man" (1934) was the start of an excellent series of detective stories, featuring Powell and Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. "The Great Ziegfield" (1936) was a biopic about the legendary theatrical impresario, Flo Ziegfield, with Powell as Flo and Loy as Billie Burke. "Double Wedding" (1937) was a comedy/farce based on Ferenc Molnar's play "Great Love".

Answer: Woman of the Year (1942)

The classic comedy "Woman of the Year" was a feminist rom-com, where a tough sports reporter (the quintessential Tracy), and a career woman jounalist (a likewise defining role for Hepburn), fell for each other. Hepburn was named Woman of the Year and began to lose track of the romance.

It also featured an uncredited performance by the vaudevillian Joe Yule (as a building superintendant) who was Mickey Rooney's father, and was the first of their nine films together. They played computerisation engineer, Richard Sumner, and department head (afraid of losing her job), Bunny Watson, in the office-set comedy "Desk Set".

They were journalist Stevie O'Malley and widow Christine Forrest in the powerful drama "Keeper of the Flame". They played scientist Pat Jamieson and his assistant (and new bride) Jamie Rowan in the romantic comedy "Without Love".

Answer: Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond

Clive Brook and Diana Wynyard starred in "Cavalcade" a romantic drama based on the Noel Coward play. Charles Laughton and Merle Oberon starred in "The Private Life of Henry VIII" a fictionalised historical biopic. Katherine Hepburn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr starred in the drama "Morning Glory". All of these films won Oscars in 1933. Dolores Del Rio was the first major Mexican film star, who was hailed as a female Rudolf Valentino.

She didn't turn to making Spanish language films until 1943. Gene Raymond was a popular Broadway performer at age 12.

He was married for 28 years to Jeanette MacDonald (until her death) and was most popular in the 1930s and '40s.

Answer: Thoroughbreds Don't Cry

"Thoroughbreds Don't Cry"(1937) was their first film together; unusually it was not a musical, but a comedy-drama. Judy played a talented young actress, Mickey played a jockey. It featured several notable eccentrics; Sophie Tucker as Judy's aunt, C. Aubrey Smith as an English gentleman and Elisha Cook Jr as a jockey.

In "Babes in Arms"(1939), their first 'let's put on a show' type musical, they played Mickey Moran and Patsy Barton. In "Strike Up the Band"(1940) a Busby Berkeley 'high school' musical, they played Jimmy Connors and Mary Holden.

In "Words and Music"(1948), their last film together, Mickey played Lorenz Hart and Judy played herself.

Answer: Charade

"Charade"(1963) featured Cary Grant with Audrey Hepburn in a comedy thriller, where Audrey chased Cary and everyone else (including George Kennedy, Walther Matthau and James Coburn) chased some very elusive stolen money. The other three films, which featured Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, were comedies "Holiday", being an unjustly neglected gem from 1938. "The Philadelphia Story" (1940) was one of the great classic comedies (upon which the musical "High Society" (1956) was based). "Bringing Up Baby" (1938), one of the most popular romantic comedies of all time, concerned a pet leopard called Baby, a dinosaur bone, a scatty rich girl and a cast of notable eccentrics, including Charles Ruggles, May Robson and Barry Fitzgerald.

The other film was "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935) an unusual comedy-drama.

Answer: Rio Grande

"Rio Grande" (1950) was the third in John Ford's cavalry westerns (the first two were "Fort Apache" (1948) and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949)). The film, which involved the tension between his estranged wife (O'Hara), himself and his son (Claude Jarman Jr), was a classic.

Their last film together was the western "Big Jake" in 1971. In 1973 Maureen O'Hara retired from films, not reappearing until 1991. "The Quiet Man" (1952) one of the greatest romantic comedies ever, concerned a boxer's (Wayne) return to a romanticised Ireland, his romance with a colleen (O'Hara) and fight with her brother. "The Wings of Eagles" (1957) was the biopic of the Navy airman turned screenwriter, Frank 'Spig' Wead. "McLintock!" (1963) was an excellent comedy western, which featured a wonderfully comic fight scene.

Answer: The Gauntlet

"The Gauntlet" (1977) concerned the struggle of a tough, but mediocre, cop (Eastwood) to bring a prostitute (Locke) to testify at a mob trial. "Sudden Impact"(1983), their last film together (as of 2007) was the fourth in the "Dirty Harry" (Eastwood) 'cop' series, Sondra played Jennifer Spencer, a rape victim.

In "Every Which Way But Loose"(1978) they played Philo Beddoe (a bare-knuckle boxer) and Lynn Halsey-Taylor (a feisty singer) in a comedy featuring Clyde the orang-utan and which spawned a sequel "Any Which Way You Can" in 1980.

In "The Outlaw Josey Wales"(1976), one of the greatest westerns of all time, they played Josey Wales and Laura Lee, an innocent Kansan settler.

Answer: You've Got Mail

"You've Got Mail" was their third film together and was based upon the play 'Parfumerie' by Miklos Lazlo. They took the updated roles originally played in 1940 by James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. In the updated film they were the scion of a bookshop chain (Hanks) and a small bookshop owner (Ryan).

They corresponded by e-mail, without knowing the identity of their correspondent. "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993) the extermely popular romantic comedy, featured Hanks as a recent widower with Ryan as a neurotic journalist. "French Kiss" (1995) was a romantic comedy which featured Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline as a bemused American tourist and French jewel thief, respectively. "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990) was an unusual dark romantic comedy about a hypochondriac who thought he was dying.