Popular Songs with Movie Connections Quiz

Answer: The Poseidon Adventure

"The Poseidon Adventure", an all-star disaster film based on a novel of the same name by Paul Gallico, was released in December 1972. Although the film score was composed by John Williams, "The Morning After", the song sung by Carol Lynley's character (dubbed by Renée Armand), was written by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn.

It won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 45th Academy Awards in March 1973. Performed by Maureen McGovern, "The Morning After" was a hit single in 1973.

Answer: Rocky

The sports drama "Rocky", written by and starring Sylvester Stalone, was released in December 1976. Bill Conti composed the score. In February 1977 the main theme, "Gonna Fly Now" composed by Bill Conti with lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, was released as a single from the motion picture soundtrack. That single spent twenty weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number one in July.

It ended the year as Billboard's number 21 song of 1977. Meanwhile, other renditions, by jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and Disco versions by both Rhythm Heritage and Current were on the chart at the same time.

Answer: Grease

The 1978 movie "Grease", starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, was a screen adaptation of the stage musical with songs written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The soundtrack is one of the best-selling soundtracks and, indeed, one of the best-selling albums of all time.

It produced two international number one hits, "You're the One That I Want" sung by Olivia and John and "Grease", specially written for the film by Barry Gibb and sung by Frankie Valli.

Answer: Papillon

Based on Henri Charrière's 1969 autobiography, "Papillon" was released December 16, 1973. It was, in Wikipedia's comprehensive phrase, an "epic historical drama prison film" starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman with music by Jerry Goldsmith.

With lyrics written by Hal Shaper, the popular song "Free as the Wind" was adapted from Goldsmith's original score for the movie. It was first recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck, who released the song as a single in March 1974 and included it on his album "My Love", issued later that year. The single spent six weeks on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number 34. Jerry Vale and Andy Williams also put out versions of "Free as the Wind" in 1974.

Answer: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

The 1971 movie musical "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory", starring Gene Wilder as the eccentric chocolatier, was based on Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". The score by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley produced two enduring favorites, "The Candy Man" and "Pure Imagination". Sammy Davis Jr. had a massive hit in 1972 with "The Candy Man".

Answer: The Goodbye Girl

The romantic comedy "The Goodbye Girl" was written by Neil Simon and starred Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason and Quinn Cummings. Released November 30 1977, the film had a score composed by Dave Grusin. But the theme song, "Goodbye Girl", was written and performed by David Gates, whose recording of the song had a respectable chart run into 1978, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: The Jazz Singer

Released in December 1980 "The Jazz Singer", starring Neil Diamond, Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz, just squeaks into our consideration of popular songs from '70s movies.

Based on the 1925 play of the same name by Samson Raphaelson, it is the fourth screen adaptation of that work. First was the revolutionary, part-talky Al Jolson vehicle released in 1927. Next, at the end of 1952 came an updated version (the protagonist is a Korean War vet) starring Danny Thomas, Peggy Lee and Eduard Franz. Then, in 1959, the story was adapted for television starring Jerry Lewis and broadcast on October 13 on the NBC television anthology series "Ford Startime".

Though the 1980 film was not particularly successful at the box office the soundtrack was a sleeper, eventually becoming one of Neil's best-selling albums. Released before the movie on November 10, 1980, it peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The three singles from the album were "Love on the Rocks", "Hello Again" and "America", all of which became Hot 100 top ten hits.

Answer: Nicholas and Alexandra

Released December 13, 1971 the historical drama "Nicholas and Alexandra", starring Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman, was based on Robert K. Massie's 1967 book about the last czar and czarina of Russia. The film had a score by Richard Rodney Bennett.

In 1972, Engelbert Humperdinck released "Too Beautiful to Last" (lyrics by Paul Francis Webster set to Bennett's music) as a single from his album "in Time". Though it went nowhere on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 86, the single did better on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it reached number 16, and on the British singles chart, making it to number 14. It also charted in many countries including the then crown colony of Hong Kong, where it peaked at number one. A fan favorite, "Too Beautiful to Last" is one of the few songs Engelbert continued to perform and rerecord well into the Twenty-first Century.

Answer: The Spy Who Loved Me

1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me", the tenth film in the James Bond franchise and the third to star Roger Moore as Agent 007, co-starred Barbara Bach and Curt Jürgens. The theme song "Nobody Does It Better" was composed by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and was performed by Carly Simon.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song but, inexplicably, lost to "You Light Up My Life".

Answer: Lost Horizon

1973's all-star production of "Lost Horizon" follows Frank Capra's 1937 film, starring Ronald Colman, more closely than James Hilton's 1933 novel. United Nations Peace Negotiator, Richard Conway (Peter Finch) and a multifarious group fleeing a revolution are hijacked, then their plane crashes in an inaccessible part of the Himalayas. The hijacker is killed in the crash, but the party is rescued and taken to the lamasery in the hidden, magical valley of Shangri-La. Though it is nominally a musical - with score by Burt Bacharach and Hal David - the musical numbers take up relatively little of the film's running time.

"Living Together, Growing Together" was the title track of The 5th Dimension's 1973 album, the single being released in December, 1972 with "What Do I Need to Be Me" on the B-side. Reaching number five on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and number 33 on the Hot 100, it was their last Top 40 hit. Tony Bennett released the song as a single in 1972, while Ferrante & Teicher included it on their 1973 album, "Killing Me Softly".

Answer: A Star Is Born

"A Star Is Born" is another movie that has been made several times, starting in 1937 with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March as an aspiring Hollywood actress and a fading filmstar respectively. Perhaps the best known version was made in 1954 starring Judy Garland and James Mason. In the 1976 iteration, Barbra Streisand starred as an up and coming singer with Kris Kristofferson as a washed up, alcoholic rockstar.

Barbra and John Williams wrote the film's love theme, "Evergreen", which won the Academy Award for Best Song, the Golden Globe for Best Song and the Grammy for Song of the Year. The single, with "I Believe" on the B-side, was released from the motion picture soundtrack in December, 1976. The song peaked at number one on both the Hot 100 and Billboard's Adult Contemporary charts, topping the Hot 100 for three weeks and the AC chart for six, as well as appearing at or near the top of the charts in numerous other countries.

Answer: Summer of '42

Another movie from 1971, "Summer of '42" is set on Nantucket and follows the amorous adventures of three teenaged boys and their girlfriends. Or, rather, two. One of them, Hermie, falls in love with a young married woman whose husband is away fighting in Europe.

The film's multi-award-winning theme, "The Summer Knows", was composed by Michel Legrand with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. In the autumn of 1971, pianist and orchestra leader Peter Nero was the first of many Pop and Jazz artists to record and chart with the song. Others to record the song include singers Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand and such instrumentalists as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Toots Thielemans, George Benson and Roger Williams.

Answer: The Muppet Movie

The delightful 1979 film "The Muppet Movie" chronicles Kermit the Frog's journey from the swamp of his birth, following his dream to become an entertainer. Along the way he gathers friends and must dodge and eventually confront enemies until finally reaching Hollywood and the fulfillment of his dream.

The score, by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, includes a range of genres, from psychedelic Rock, to power love songs to gentle, wistful ballads. One of the latter, "The Rainbow Connection" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original song - Kermit sang it at the awards ceremony! - and has become a Pop standard. Not only did Kermit's original recording from the soundtrack album reach number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the song has been recorded by the likes of Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, The Carpenters and The (Dixie) Chicks.

Answer: Superman

"Superman" (1978), starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kitter, retells the story of the Man of Steel and his mild mannered, newspaper reporter alter ego Clark Kent. John Williams' love theme for the film, "Can You Reed My Mind?" plays while Superman takes Lois Lane for a spin around the skies over Metropolis.

In the scene Lois (Margot Kitter) speaks Leslie Bricusse's lyrics. Williams' instrumental was released as a single and the next year Maureen McGovern released "Can You Read My Mind?" to moderate success on the charts and on the radio.

Answer: Saturday Night Fever

1977's "Saturday Night Fever" starring John Travolta and Karen Gorney is a dark film about a young man who finds escape from his dead end life on the dance floor. The multi-platinum soundtrack album was the best-selling album of all time until the advent of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", and remains one of the top selling movie soundtracks. Topping the Billboard 200 for twenty-four straight weeks, "Saturday Night Fever" spent a total of one hundred twenty weeks on that chart, while staying at the top of the British album chart for eighteen weeks. Four songs from the album: the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever"-along with Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You", all reached number one in the US.