Movies: Something in Common Trivia

241. What Pre-Code film was the first to be nominated for Best Picture but no other Academy Awards?

From Quiz Pre-Code: A Fascinating Genre

Answer: Grand Hotel

"Grand Hotel" (1932) won the Best Production award that year. "Grand Hotel" had several overlapping stories that told the background drama of its guests. MGM pulled out all the stops and featured its best stars in the production that included Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, and Jean Hersholt. The plot consists of vignettes of the characters in the busy hotel who seem barely aware of each other as their lives interact. The film is based on a 1929 Vicki Baum novel "Menschen im Hotel". It was adapted for a Broadway drama that had 458 performances. "Grand Hotel" is where Garbo first said "I want to be alone". In fact, she says it three times in the film. Some have tried to apply it later to her personal life as a reclusive but she countered that she only wanted to 'let' alone not be alone.

From Quiz In Their Own Write

Answer: Romancing the Stone

Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) went to Colombia to rescue her sister who was being held in exchange for the map. While there, she met Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) who convinced her to look for the treasure, which turned out to be a large emerald called El Corazon, before handing over the map. Danny DeVito also appeared in the film as one of the kidnappers. Turner, Douglas and DeVito reunited for the sequel "The Jewel of the Nile" in 1985 and also for DeVito's own film, 1989's "The War of the Roses".

From Quiz "Soylent Green is People!"

Answer: Shutter Island

"Shutter Island" is set on the titular island where the criminally insane are kept. Marshall Teddy Daniels (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is a visiting police officer sent there to investigate the disappearance of an inmate. As this unsettling film progresses, it becomes clear that there are some things that are not being revealed to the audience and to Marshall Daniels, who suspects a cover up. As he becomes more frustrated with the lack of cooperation from the prison staff, he tries to leave the island, but is unable to do so. In the dramatic climax of the film, we learn that Marshall Daniels is a persona adopted by DiCaprio's character, who is in fact an inmate of the island.

From Quiz We Rob Banks

Answer: Harry Carey, Jr.

The three robbers, played by Carey, Armendariz and Wayne, found a woman in the desert who died shortly after giving birth to a son. Before she died she made all three of them godfathers to the boy, who they promised to look after. Ward Bond played the leader of the posse that was trying to catch them. Although Carey had already made several films, this was his first starring role, and his billing was "Introducing Harry Carey, Jr.". The son of western star Harry Carey (1878-1947), Harry Jr. passed away in 2012 aged 91.

From Quiz Did You See That Coming? Great Movie Twists

Answer: It runs backwards

The chronology of the film is entirely in reverse. At the film's end, we find out what happened at the beginning, which is the main character being responsible for murdering his wife, and apparently deliberately losing his memory.

From Quiz Double Trouble

Answer: Padmé Amidala

In "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (2005), Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker's love affair and eventual marriage ended with Padmé getting pregnant the end of the Clone Wars. Eventually she gave birth to Luke and Leia on Polis Massa. After she died in childbirth, her twins were separated in order to keep them safe from the Empire as they were probably the last hope for defeating the Sith Lords. Bail Organa raised Leia as his adopted daughter while Luke was taken to Tatooine by Obi-Wan Kenobe to be raised by his aunt and uncle. Incidentally, Anakin (now Darth Vader) never knew about the twins as Padmé was made to look pregnant when she was buried so that everyone will think that her child died inside her.

From Quiz Bikes and Bicycling in the Movies

Answer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose breakout role was as the youngest-appearing alien in "Third Rock From the Sun", appears as an adult in numerous films including "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises". This film pits a bike messenger against a corrupt cop in a plot involving smuggled Chinese aliens on the streets of Manhattan.

From Quiz Dearest Mommies

Answer: Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury (1925-) gives a tour de force performance as the politically corrupt and evil Eleanor Iselin in 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962). Her 'kiss of death' to Laurence Harvey (1928-1973), her son in the film, caused the censors to cringe.

From Quiz Loving the Bad Boys

Answer: Scarface

Paul Muni (1895-1967) starred in the original version of 'Scarface'. The seriously troubled feelings his character has for his sister are more overt in this film because censorship was not severe at that time.

From Quiz Dissecting the Director

Answer: Citizen Kane

"RKO 281" was the generic name given "Citizen Kane" at the studio. This became the title of the Ridley Scott produced 1998 docudrama directed by Benjamin Ross about the making of "Citizen Kane". "Kane" was the first movie made by young actor and director Orson Welles, who until that point had been most famous for his 1938 radio adaptation of H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds", where the news bulletin style broadcast caused panic among many listeners, who believed the news reports of a Martian invasion. RKO Pictures signed Welles to a two-picture deal, where based on his success in radio and theater, they ceded "final cut" control to the untried Welles. "Citizen Kane" was the first picture Welles did for RKO. Welles co-wrote the script (with Herman Mankiewicz), produced, directed, and performed the lead role in the movie. Citizen Kane is essentially the story of a media tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Welles), whose life is told in a series of flashbacks centering around his disaffected childhood, ruthless rise to power and tempestuous affair and marriage to Susan Alexander (played by Dorothy Comingore). Kane dies with the word "Rosebud" on his lips and only the film-goers know that the cryptic message is about a child's sled that is the lost memory of a happy period in the otherwise bitter Kane's life. The story bordered on being a biography, in that many believed the plot to be inspired by William Randolph Hearst. Welles denied that the film was about Hearst but most people, including Hearst, did not accept this. Hearst used the power of his considerable publishing empire to denounce both the film and Welles. Though nominated for nine Academy Awards and considered a lock for Best Picture, the movie won only two minor awards, losing to the forgettable "How Green Was My Valley". In the decades since its premiere in 1941, the movie has only gained in respect. "Citizen Kane" was named the top film in the American Film Institutes (AFI)100 Years... 100 Movies list for both 1997 and the 10 year revisited edition in 2007, and was named as the top film in the annual UK magazine "Sight and Sound" every year from 1962-2012. "RKO 281" is the fact-based but fictionalized story of the difficulties Orson Welles had in making "Citizen Kane". The film details the battles Welles had with his studio, Hearst and Hearst's newspapers, his own crew and the toll the production took on Welles himself. Welles is played convincingly by Liev Schreiber and Hearst is played with savage malice by James Cromwell. "RKO 281" was released theatrically in most of the world and on HBO in the United States. The film was nominated for 13 US Emmy Awards, winning three.

From Quiz Toys to Film

Answer: Battleship

The movie "Battleship" actually had little to do with the board game. The plot involved a fleet of military ships encountering and then battling a mysterious alien army. Starring Rhianna, Liam Neeson and Dennis Quaid, the movie was a disappointment at the box office in relation to its estimated $220 million dollar budget. Sadly, it didn't even grace us with the amazing tag line "You sunk my battleship!".

From Quiz Elvis Has Left the Building

Answer: Lilo and Stitch

Stitch is actually an alien who is mistaken for a dog and taken to the local pet shelter where he is purchased by Lilo. A great fan of Elvis, Lilo dresses her new dog in a white jacket and gives him a ukelele to play. "You're the Devil in Disguise" is among the Elvis tunes included in the soundtrack.

From Quiz This Might "Movie" You to Tears

Answer: "Casablanca"

Arguably, the best film ever made, this portrayal of a man and his ultimate sacrifice for the woman he loves deserves high appraisal and appreciation. The quotations from this film remain iconic. Here is one of the more memorable: "But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that."

From Quiz Stop The Madness!

Answer: Face To Face

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, this film stars Liv Ullmann as Dr. Jenny Isaksson, a psychiatrist who is married to another psychiatrist. They are both good doctors and have successful practices, but Jenny is suffering from mental illness and is slowly descending into a state in which she cannot function. She gives in to a complete breakdown, as traumatic events and feelings from her past haunt her. She has to face herself finally. Tagline: A woman's most intimate encounter with the one person she didn't know. Herself.

From Quiz The Blonde Leading the Blonde

Answer: Private Benjamin

Howard Zieff directs stars Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, Armand Assante and Robert Webber in this 1980 movie called "Private Benjamin". Judy Benjamin (Goldie Hawn) loses her husband when he drops dead after the wedding. She is recruited for the military. She goes to boot camp and she becomes a good soldier.

From Quiz Just Like a Woman

Answer: Tootsie

"Tootsie" was produced in 1982. Dorsey (Hoffman) becomes so difficult to work with that he even gets fired from a commercial. He decides to audition as female actress Dorothy Michaels and wins the role of soap opera character Emily Kimberly. The film received 10 Oscar nominations, but only one win - Jessica Lange for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

From Quiz Never Surrender

Answer: The Persians

Led by their emperor, Xerxes I, the Persian army (from modern-day Iran) meant to add the bickering city-states of Greece to their realm. The suicidal stand at Thermopylae bought time for the other city-states to raise their own armies and navies, resulting in the eventual defeat of the Persians at Salamis and Plataea. "300", based on a series of comic books by Frank Miller, did well at the box office despite its questionable historical accuracy. It did, however, repeat the Spartan king's famous response to the Persians' demand that he surrender and lay down his weapons: "Come and get them."

From Quiz Wearing Eve's Costume in the Movies, Part 2

Answer: Demi Moore

It's Ridley Scott's "G.I. Jane", a drama about women in the army that shows nudity to depict the lack of privacy and personal dignity given to the main character by the establishment. Demi handles the situation well, and doesn't show her embarrassment. We also know Demi from "About Last Night", "A Few Good Men", and "The Seventh Sign".

From Quiz Just Like a Man

Answer: Shakespeare in Love

Because women were not allowed to act on stage in Shakespeare's day, Viola disguises herself as Thomas Kent and gets the lead role in a new play by Will Shakespeare. Paltrow won the Oscar, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The movie received thirteen Oscar nominations and won seven.

From Quiz Wearing Eve's Costume in the Movies, Part 1

Answer: Nell

In this 1994 movie, she plays a girl who grew up in the woods, having no sense of shame. The movie is centered around the attempt to socialize and educate her. The nudity shown is for the purpose of depicting her lack of social boundaries. The director is Michael Apted, and Jodie's co-stars are Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson. Incorrect answers include "The Silence of the Lambs" where Jodie plays FBI agent Clarice Starling trying to catch Hannibal Lecter, "The Accused" where she plays a rape victim, and "Panic Room", where she is a mother confronting criminals in a big house.

From Quiz Watch your Back...

Answer: Mutiny on the Bounty

The film centres on the mutinous actions of some of the crew of HMS Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando), who decide that, on balance, life on the idyllic island of Tahiti is preferable to the punishing life on board ship. Although Captain Bligh is not portrayed in a favourable light, his actions after the mutiny were fairly impressive. Equipped with just a pocket watch and a quadrant, he navigated the remaining loyal crew in a seven-metre open launch on a 47-day voyage, covering over 3,600 nautical miles, to reach the Dutch East Indies and report the mutiny.

From Quiz He Abandoned Ship and All Hope

Answer: Jaws

Steven Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster thriller, "Jaws", won three Academy Awards and is still regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made. The music for the film, including the ominous theme whenever the shark was near, was composed by John Williams and won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. In this movie, a killer shark is attacking people at a beach so Marine biologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) teams up with shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to search for the rogue shark. They get more than they bargained for when confronted by the Great White Shark who attacks their boat, killing most of the people onboard. In the end it is up to police chief Brody (Roy Scheider), the sole survivor on the boat to kill the beast. Despite being so obviously fake that most of its movie footage was scrapped, Bruce the mechanical shark was immortalized on the cover of "Time" magazine in 1975.

From Quiz I Think I Nose You

Answer: Tim Strawn

This was such a good movie, entertaining right from its opening scene. It featured a cast of great names, including Lee Marvin who played the dual roles of Tim Strawn, alias Silvernose - and Kid Shelleen, a drunken gunfighter. It was Shelleen who had bitten Strawn's nose off some time earlier. Other greats who appeared in the movie included the lovely Nat King Cole who died before the movie was released, and Jane Fonda as the beautiful daughter of a man who was fighting to save his ranch from being taken over by developers. For me, however, the real star of the movie was Smoky, the drunken horse, ridden by the equally drunken Kid Shelleen. It was as hilarious as the tin nose worn by the villain Silvernose throughout the film. Marvin won an Oscar for the movie - and Smoky also took out an award for the best animal actor in a movie. The image of Jane Fonda (Cat Ballou) with the noose around her neck, when she is about to be strung up at the conclusion of the film, was used some years later against her, when people were calling for her mock execution. The reason for that was that Fonda had become known as Hanoi Jane for her support of the communist Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. She was the subject of overwhelming criticism for her visit to Hanoi during this war, and for her ten anti-American broadcasts during this visit. She also referred to returning POWs as hypocrites and liars when stories of their torture and starvation by the Viet-Cong began to emerge. It created a stink then, and still does today. One can accept her anti-war sentiments, but not her attacks on the battered boys returning home. That really left a bad smell under one's nose.

From Quiz Put Your Ad Here

Answer: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Originally producer Steven Spielberg wanted to use M & M's, but Mars didn't care for the idea of their candy being associated with such an odd looking main character. Hershey went on to provide a million dollar ad campaign featuring E.T. on the packaging.

From Quiz Knockout

Answer: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

"The Holy Grail" loosely follows the exploits of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table in their search for the Holy Grail. King Arthur comes across the Black Knight who is guarding the plank of wood fording the stream he needs to cross. During the sword fight the Black Knight, despite having all of his limbs severed, refuses to give up the fight. In 2011, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was voted second best comedy of all time in a poll conducted by the ABC and People magazine. It was beaten by the 1980 movie "Airplane".

From Quiz Don't Feed the Fish!

Answer: Grumpier Old Men

The sequel to "Grumpy Old Men" was Jack Lemmon's and Walter Matthau's eighth film together. Max and John, despite the constant bickering and pranking, are best friends. They renew their hi-jinks when a beautiful woman moves to town and opens a restaurant.

From Quiz Sometimes it's Hard to be a Woman

Answer: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

"To Wong Foo" was first released in 1995, and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. Chi-Chi was played by John Leguizamo, and it also starred Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes as fellow Drag Queens Vida and Noxeema. The three are entered in a drag queen pageant in Hollywood, and the film tells the story of their road trip across the United States on their way to compete.

From Quiz Cult and Obscure Movies

Answer: What's Up, Doc?

Barbra Streisand was indeed the funny girl in this 1972 screwball comedy centering on a suitcase full of rocks, and had previously starred in the 1968 Fanny Brice movie, "Funny Girl". Her co-star in "What's Up Doc?" was Ryan O'Neal, with Madeline Kahn in a hilarious supporting role. "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" was a 1972 comedy western, starring Paul Newman. "The Absent-Minded Professor" was a 1961 Disney classic that introduced us to the mysterious substance, Flubber.

From Quiz Nice Guys Finishing First

Answer: Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards plays Jonathan Moore, a student at UCLA who passes time on campus playing Gotcha, a game of tag using paintball guns. While in Paris he falls head over heels in love with the mysterious foreign beauty Sasha Banicek (Linda Fiorentino) and follows her to Berlin. There she uses him to smuggle film out of East Berlin without his knowledge. Back at UCLA he learns that Sasha is actually Cheryl and she works for the CIA. While on campus the bad guys come looking for him but he uses his skills from the Gotcha game to beat them. So the nice guy defeats the Soviet spies and gets the girl.

From Quiz The Silver Screen - "Southern-Style"

Answer: Black Snake Moan

"Black Snake Moan" is a very raw film about redemption and doesn't suit the tastes of many people - but there is no denying that Jackson and Ricci put in great performances. Filming was mostly centered around Stanton, Tennessee. To more adequately portray his role, Samuel Jackson practiced for seven hours per day for six months to learn how to play blues guitar at an acceptable level of expertise. For her part, Christina Ricci ate junk food for the entire filming period to achieve that characteristic "sickly" look.

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