Classic Movies Trivia

1. What epic desert movie, which is so long it has an intermission, did the NFR induct in 1991? It won both Oscar Best Picture and BAFTA Best Film awards.

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 4

Answer: Lawrence of Arabia

The epic film about the way T.E. Lawrence tried to unite warring Arab tribes against the Turks in WWI won both awards for 1962. Another David Lean film, "The Bridge on the River Kwai", also won both of these awards and was inducted into the NFR in 1997.

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 3

Answer: Raging Bull

"Raging Bull" is a biographical film about boxer Jake LaMotta (played by Robert De Niro) and how he rises as a boxing champion but chases away his friends and family because of his rage and jealousy. "Taxi Driver" was inducted in 1994, "Mean Streets" in 1997, and "Goodfellas" in 2000.

From Quiz Classic Comedies

Answer: The General

"The General" is considered by most to be Buster's masterpiece. He stars as a Confederate train driver who has his train stolen and sweetheart kidnapped by Union spies. He gets them back and in the process is responsible for helping defeat the Union Army in battle. The brilliantly timed series of sight gags, each one topping the one before, are sheer genius. The film is based on a true story and is historically accurate.

From Quiz Classic Film Noir

Answer: Where the Sidewalk Ends

"While the City Sleeps" was directed by Fritz Lang, and starred Dana Andrews, Ida Lupino and George Sanders. "Night and the City" was directed by Jules Dassin, and starred Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Googie Withers and Herbert Lom. "Force of Evil" was directed by Abraham Polonsky, and starred John Garfield. "Where The Sidewalk Ends" co-starred Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill and Karl Malden.

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 2

Answer: The Maltese Falcon

The line from the play is "We are such stuff as dreams are made on." When Spade is asked in the movie what the falcon is, he says, "The stuff dreams are made of." The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, who is hired by Sydney Greenstreet's character to retrieve the jeweled Falcon. This movie is largely considered the first film noir.

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 1

Answer: Gone with the Wind

Sets of other movies were burned down for the Atlanta burning scene. The actors were composited in later, and since Vivien Leigh hadn't been cast as Scarlett at the time, a stunt person was used.

From Quiz Classic Movies 1920-1950

Answer: Peter Lorre

The letters of transit Mr. Ugarte carried with him were signed by General Charles de Gaulle. In real life, in 1940, de Gaulle had been convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment, so any letter of transit presented that was signed by him would have resulted in the owner being put under arrest. It is one of the few errors in what is widely believed to be the greatest Hollywood film of all time. Perhaps the most notable other film with Lorre, Greenstreet, and Bogart would be "The Maltese Falcon". The Warner Brothers studio had to churn out 50 films per year, and "Casablanca" was just another one of those films (or so they thought). Ingrid Bergman was never crazy about the film. She thought "Casablanca" was just okay! Her fans for years always wanted to ask her about "Casablanca" and she never wanted to talk about it. A film she had made close to the time of making "Casablanca", "Intermezzo", with Leslie Howard, was an example of a film she believed to be exquisite and superior to "Casablanca". (Question contributed by Squidwarddd)

From Quiz The Buster Keaton Independent Shorts Part 1

Answer: One Week

It follows their misadventures as they try to build a house from a kit, with disastrous results thanks to a meddling ex-suitor of Sybil's, who mixes up the numbers on the boxes. Other memorable moments from "One Week" include Buster's motorcycle mishap while trying to pass from one moving car to another, and the demolition of the house by a passing train. Though "One Week" was the first film Keaton released independently, it was the second one he'd filmed. His first work got shelved and released later. Keaton's co-writer and co-director, Eddie Cline, worked with Keaton on most of his independent short films. The two men resumed working together in 1951, on Keaton's television series, "Life With Buster Keaton".

From Quiz Classic Trivia from Classic Films

Answer: "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)

Henry "Hank" Mancini wrote "Moon River" with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. They won the "Music, Song" Oscar for it and Hank also won the "Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture" Oscar. The cat is the catalyst that brings two young people together in this classic "boy meets girl" film. After an out of town screening, prior to general release, a studio executive said re "Moon River" (which Audrey sings in the film), "I think the first thing we can do is get rid of that stupid song." Audrey's reply was, "Over my dead body!"

From Quiz Classic Silent Films

Answer: Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim is an outstanding director who has few films in his resume. This is due to his conflicts with studios that he felt were trying to compromise his artistic integrity. He returned to acting where he had less conflict with management. "Greed" was a filmed version of Frank Norris' novel "McTeague" which dramatized the destruction that money can cause on ordinary people. Von Stroheim wanted to stay close to the book and hence produced a ten hour film. The studio was not about to distribute a film that long to the general public and demanded that von Stroheim edit it down. The edit was about four hours. Still not satisfied with the length, the film was taken away from von Stroheim and reduced to about two and a half hours. It was not commercially successful. Later the critical value of the film was appreciated but by that time much of the footage had been destroyed. Turner Classic Movies in 1999 took on the task of restoration and produced a four hour version from existing footage and stills taken during production.

From Quiz Classic British Movies

Answer: S.S Cabinet Minister

The film was, of course, 'Whisky Galore'. Written by Compton McKenzie, it was about the ship running aground with 24,000 cases of Scotch on board and the islanders attempts to hide it from the revenue men. The real ship that ran aground in 1941 was the S.S. Politician and it was indeed carrying whiskey. It has also been revealed that it carried £145,000 in bank notes. Not all of the cash was recovered from the wreck. Some of the real whisky found its way onto the American market in 1991.

From Quiz All-Time Great Films!

Answer: Atlanta

Based on Margaret Mitchell's hit novel, 'Gone with the Wind' is set entirely in Georgia, both rural and urban. Victor Fleming was the director of this film that still, by some measures, is the all-time box-office champion.

From Quiz Film Noir: All-Time Great Crime Dramas

Answer: Laura

This is one of the great ones. Gene Tierney stars as Laura, in her most famous portrayal, the beautiful girl they all fall in love with. The supporting cast includes Clifton Webb, Vincent Price and Judith Anderson. The score includes the lovely theme song, "Laura". Dana Andrews is probably best known as the troubled veteran in "The Best Years of Our Lives".

From Quiz Can You Name These Classic Movies?

Answer: West Side Story

"West Side Story" (1961) is widely considered to be one of the all-time great movie musicals. It stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer. Audrey Hepburn and Warren Beatty, among many others, were considered for the lead roles. George Chakiris and Rita Moreno won Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and the film also won for Best Picture. The music is superb, "Tonight, Tonight" and "Maria" are among the many unforgettable songs. The musical score was composed by Leonard Bernstein and Steven Sondheim. I recommend this movie to everyone.

From Quiz Film Noir

Answer: Black film or cinema

French critics applied this term to the American movies released in France following World War II, when they noticed the themes and look of the many American crime and detective films were very black and dark.

From Quiz Stuck at home? Revisit classic movies!

Answer: A lobster

The Muppet "Treasure Island" (1966) is a musical adventure, adapted for the screen from the 1883 novel "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film was directed by Brian Jensen and the key roles are played by live-action actors and the Muppets in supporting roles. In the book, Long John Silver has a parrot named Captain Flint, known for repeating phrases spoken by pirates. In the movie with the muppets, Long John Silver has a pet named Polly or Polly Lobster, whose role is performed by Kevin Clash. Polly Lobster has a hook instead of a claw in her right arm, big eyes, and black eyebrows.

From Quiz Child Movie Stars Of Long Ago

Answer: Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple was born April 23, 1928.

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 4

Answer: The Magnificent Ambersons

While Welles's surviving notes describe the cut scenes, the footage itself was destroyed. The story of the fall of the Amberson family in the 20th century lost its final scene, many conversations, and most of a ballroom sequence that was shot in a long take.

From Quiz Turner Classic Movies: "The Essentials" 2001

Answer: Top Hat

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in ten films together starting with 1933's "Flying Down to Rio", and it was 1935's "Top Hat" that became their biggest hit together ("Easter Parade" was Astaire's most successful film, but he was partnered with Judy Garland in that musical). Featuring the music of Irving Berlin, "Top Hat" included the classic songs "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" and "Cheek to Cheek". The plot was a comedy of errors: Astaire's Jerry Travers fell for Roger's Dale Tremont in a London hotel and then proceeded to chase her around London and Venice, while Dale mistook Jerry for his producer, Horace Hardwick, who was married to her friend Madge. Dale rejected Jerry's advances and ended up marrying an Italian fashion designer, or did she? "Top Hat" was nominated for four Academy Awards (Best Picture, Art Direction, Dance Direction and Original Song - "Cheek to Cheek") but lost out, respectively to "Mutiny on the Bounty", "The Dark Angel", "Broadway Melody of 1936" and "Gold Diggers of 1935" - "Lullaby of Broadway".

From Quiz Classic Films That Are Actually Remakes

Answer: A Fistful of Dollars

"Yojimbo" is a 1961 masterpiece by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa that starred Toshiro Mifune as the Ronin, or samurai with no master, who wanders into a town in the middle of a fight between two rival gang factions. Refusing to take sides and wanting only to be left alone, the samurai nonetheless ends up clearing the town of both gangs. Relatively unknown at the time, Clint Eastwood starred in "A Fistful of Dollars" produced in 1964 but not released in the US until 1967. The movie was made by Italian director Sergio Leone and set the action in the American West. Like the samurai in "Yojimbo", Eastwood's "man with no name" gunslinger is stuck between rival gangs in a small town. The similarities between "A Fistful of Dollars" and "Yojimbo" did not go unnoticed and the movie's release was delayed when Kurasowa sued for breach of copyright. Kurosawa won the case and ended up getting more "dollars" from the success of "A Fistful of Dollars" than from "Yojimbo".

From Quiz In Glorious Black and White

Answer: King Kong

A film crew goes to exotic Skull Island for filming. The natives there worship a giant gorilla called Kong and after capturing the young blond actress, played by Fay Wray, offer her as a sacrifice to him. Kong falls in love with the girl and instead of eating her he takes her away to his mountain hideout. The film director manages to capture Kong and transport him to New York where he is put on show.

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 3

Answer: Duck Soup

There is no duck soup in the film--the closest we get is a shot of ducks swimming in a cauldron during the opening credits. In the 1930s, the term "duck soup" referred to something that was easy to do.

From Quiz Classic Film Noir

Answer: The Blue Dahlia

"The Big Clock" was directed by John Farrow, and starred Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Sullivan, George Macready and Elsa Lanchester. "Kiss of Death" was directed by Henry Hathaway, and starred Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Colleen Gray and Richard Widmark in his screen debut. "The Big Sleep" was a Howard Hawks film which starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and was adapted from the novel by Raymond Chandler. "The Blue Dahlia" co-starred Veronica Lake, William Bendix and Howard DaSilva.

From Quiz Classic Movies - U.S. and U.K.

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) directed over 50 films, many of them classic thrillers. On the list of 100 years, 100 films by The American Film Institute (A.F.I) he has four movies, the most by any director: "Psycho" (1960), "North by Northwest" (1959), "Rear Window" (1954) and "Vertigo" (1958). "The 39 Steps" (1935) and "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) are on the British Film Institute's (B.F.I.) Top 100 British Films list. Ralph Thomas (1915-2001) directed the 1956 version of "The 39 Steps" with Kenneth More as Hannay but achieved fame as the director of the "Doctor in the House" movies. Don Sharp (1921-2011) directed the 1978 remake of "The 39 Steps" with Robert Powell as Hannay. Ken Hannam (1929-2004) created the 1988 TV series "Hannay" with Robert Powell again playing the lead.

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 2

Answer: Sunset Boulevard

William Holden's character tells us how he ended up dead in a swimming pool, and about how Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a faded silent screen star, imagines her great "return" as she goes insane. It ends with the line, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

From Quiz National Film Registry: Part 1

Answer: Casablanca

This film about a bar owner, a Resistance leader trying to escape to the U.S., and the woman trying to choose between the two has become a classic. Though it first played in 1942 at a special screening, "Casablanca" actually won Best Picture for 1943 because that was the year it went into wide release. In the 1990s, Warner Brothers created the cartoon "Carrotblanca" as a Bugs Bunny parody. Quotations include, "We'll always have Paris," "Here's looking at you, kid," "Round up the usual suspects," and "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

From Quiz The Buster Keaton Independent Shorts Part 1

Answer: The High Sign

"The High Sign" was actually Keaton's first independent short, filmed in 1920, but he wasn't pleased with it so he shelved it. He released it in 1921, when a broken ankle left him unable to churn out movies at his usual pace. Many gags center around the booby-traps the girl's father has set up to thwart assassins. It opens with a title telling us, "Our Hero came from Nowhere -- he wasn't going Anywhere -- and he got kicked off Somewhere." We see a train speeding by in the foreground, and Buster makes his entrance in an ungraceful landing on his backside, evidently thrown off the train. Other famous gags include Buster hanging his hat on a hook he'd just painted on the wall, and Buster shooting at a bottle only to bag a passing duck.

From Quiz Film Noir: All-Time Great Crime Dramas

Answer: The Big Heat

In addition to Glenn Ford, the "Big Heat" cast includes film noir icon Gloria Grahame, Lee Marvin, Jocelyn Brando and Alexander Scourby. There's a very famous scene in this one. A mobster throws boiling hot coffee in a woman's face, scarring her terribly. The unfortunate woman is played by Gloria Grahame, and if you've never seen a Gloria Grahame film, I recommend this one highly.

From Quiz Can You Name These Classic Movies?

Answer: Casablanca

"Casablanca" stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid. The plot also deals with a battle of wits between Blaine and the authorities, and the plight of refugees fleeing from the Nazis. "Play it, Sam", "Here's looking at you, kid" (a line improvised by Bogart) and "Round up the usual suspects" are all famous lines from the movie's dialogue. "Casablanca" won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director (Michael Curtiz). It is almost always at the top of every list of all-time great films. The cast features many wonderful character actors, including Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.

From Quiz Film Noir

Answer: Ecstasy

The mood of classic film noir is very dark, with themes dealing with deceit, disenchantment, pessimism, moral corruption, evil, guilt and paranoia. The milieu of our hero or anti-hero is the city, with its murky underworld of corruption and crime, and their women are seductive and fatalistic - femmes fatale. The physical texture was shadowy, using low key lighting with the action usually occurring at night.

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