Let's Go To A Reunion At The Barbizon Hotel Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The first woman we meet came to the Barbizon in 1947 and was considered to be the "face of the hotel". She explained to us that in the 1950s the hotel used her for advertisements to show that their guests were like her characters in "Rear Window" or "High Society". She also said her stay helped groom her for her future role as Princess of Monaco. Who is she?

Answer: Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1929. After high school, she moved to New York to pursue her dream of acting. It was during this time she lived at the Barbizon at the demand of her protective father. The hotel was for women only and scrupulous for attempting to keep young men away. Grace's peers, however, reported later that she was widely admired not only for her looks but for her rather scandalous behavior in the hallways.

After New York, Grace moved to Hollywood where she went on to star in over eleven films including "Rear Window", "To Catch A Thief", and "High Society".

In 1955 she met Prince Rainier of Monaco and married him a year later in a fancy wedding. Sadly, she died in a car crash at the age of 52 while riding with one of her daughters.

2. The next person we talk to tells us that even though the rooms at the Barbizon were small, measuring only 9 feet by 12 feet, they were within walking distance of some of the greatest night spots in the city. This woman loved New York so much that she moved back to the Big Apple after her husband, Humphrey Bogart, died. Who is this star of such films as "Key Largo" and "How To Marry A Millionaire"?

Answer: Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall was born in New York City, New York, in 1924 and immediately became enchanted with the theater life around her. After high school, she lived at the Barbizon where she enrolled in drama school, modeled, and worked as an usher. It was not long before Hollywood spotted her and she moved to California. By age 19, she starred in "To Have And Have Not" opposite Humphrey Bogart.

Despite a large age difference, he married her after he obtained a divorce. They raised a family and starred in movies until he died of cancer in 1957.

She quickly moved back to her beloved New York where she briefly married again, worked on Broadway, made more films, and wrote books. She died in 2014 still claiming she was not the legend that people described.

3. The next woman we meet said that the Barbizon was named after a famous French art movement. This was to encourage not just future secretaries but also young ladies interested in the arts and theater. Since her mother, Judy Garland, let her move here at age 16 to work in Broadway she was glad of the connection. Who is this woman who also starred in movies such as "Cabaret" and "Arthur"?

Answer: Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli was born in 1946 in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were the famed actress Judy Garland and director Vincent Minnelli. Liza quickly got interested in acting and quit high school to move to New York City where she lived for a while at the Barbizon. By age 19, she was appearing in successful Broadway plays and musicals. During the 1960s and 1970s she also starred in many movies and won a Best Actress award for "Cabaret". Liza spent a large part of the 1980s working on conquering drug and alcohol problems that were similar to what her mother endured years earlier. Married and divorced four times with no children, she continues to tour the world giving live performances and working with AIDS charities.

4. The next person we chat with tells us that the Ford Modeling agency, run by Eileen Ford, utilized the Barbizon to house many of their up and coming models. This person was happy about that since she was a Ford model before her movie and television career. Who is this daughter of a ventriloquist who would later be well known as "Murphy Brown"?

Answer: Candice Bergen

Candice Bergen was born in 1946 in Beverly Hills, California. Her father, Edgar Bergen, was a famous ventriloquist and Candice appeared with him as a child. She later dropped out of a university in Pennsylvania and became a Ford model in New York to earn money. During the 1960s and 1970s she was in several movies of all different genres and also spent time with her favorite hobby of photojournalism.

Many of her pictures were featured in major magazines. During the 1980s she starred in the hit television comedy "Murphy Brown" and ended up winning five Emmy awards for the role.

She married a French director and had one child before his death in 1995. Candice has always enjoyed comedy roles, from being the first female hosts of "Saturday Night Live", to her continued guest appearances on various shows.

5. We next talk to a woman who tells us that the girls living at the Barbizon were carefully monitored by chaperones who taught them etiquette and grace. She was glad of this since she came to the Barbizon hoping to become a ballerina. Instead she ended up being a television star in "Charlie's Angels". Who is this woman who also started a popular clothing line for KMart stores?

Answer: Jaclyn Smith

Jaclyn Smith was born in 1945 in Houston, Texas. After she finished college, she moved to New York and lived in the Barbizon in 1965 to pursue a dream of ballet. Instead, she found a career in modeling and appearing in advertisements. This led to a five year acting job as one of the main characters in the television show "Charlie's Angels" in the late 1970s. Following this, she continued to act in films and television shows but also, in 1985, started a clothing line in KMart stores which has sold more than 100 million items as of 2016. Named by several different magazines as one of the Most Beautiful People In The World, she spends time with her family and promoting good skin care with her physician husband.

6. The next party goer tell us that the Barbizon had entertainment within its four walls in the form of a lounge that could seat 300 for theatrical events. This was good news for her as she spent much of her time on Broadway. Who is this stage and film actress who is probably best known as the matriarch on the television show "Dallas"?

Answer: Barbara Bel Geddes

Barbara Bel Geddes was born in New York City, New York in 1922 and grew up with a love of the theater as her father was a noted stage designer. In her late teens, she spent time at the Barbizon Hotel as she acted in several plays on Broadway. By 1948, she had moved to Hollywood and was named one of "Life" magazine's Most Attractive New Stars.

She spent the next two decades between the silver screen and the stage. In 1978 she got the role of Miss Ellie on the nighttime soap opera "Dallas" and performed that role for most of the thirteen years of its run.

She took time off for health reasons, including surgery for breast cancer and heart surgery. Her decision to include her mastectomy experience in the TV series earned her an honor from former First Lady Betty Ford. Barbara died in 2005 in her favorite home in Maine surrounded by her pets and her artwork.

7. The next person tells us that the Barbizon cost $28 a week in the 1960s which was a great deal. This was especially appealing to her because she only received $22,000 for her starring role in the movie "Love Story". Who is this film star who also advocates yoga and fights against animal cruelty?

Answer: Ali MacGraw

Ali MacGraw was born in 1939 in Pound Ridge, New York and went to college in the New England area. Soon after graduation, she moved to New York City and worked for "Harper's Bazaar" as an assistant in the fashion world where she specialized in photography.

Her roles in front of the camera for advertisements led her to the huge success of starring with Ryan O'Neal in the 1970 movie "Love Story" for which she was nominated for Best Actress. The next few decades found her continuing her work in movies as well as broadening into television series and even Broadway plays. An advocate of yoga, she helped popularize the craze while in her 50s. During her retirement, she has enjoyed relaxing in her home in New Mexico and supporting animal rights.

8. The next woman we talk with tells us that the application process to get in the Barbizon was very strict and involved recommendations as well as a girl's looks and actions. Since she was once a participant in Miss America and used her winnings to go to New York, she was familiar with the screening process. Who is this woman who later would become well known as Phyllis on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"?

Answer: Cloris Leachman

Cloris Leachman was born in 1926 in Des Moines, Iowa. She attended Northwestern University and, during that time, won the pageant title of Miss Chicago. This enabled her to run for Miss America. Although she did not win, she received scholarship money which she used to move to New York City, be accepted to the Barbizon Hotel, and study acting.

In the 1950s and 1960s she performed on the stage, appeared in different television shows, and acted in several movies. The 1970s found Cloris acting as Phyllis who was Mary's landlady in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" on TV.

This role then spun off into her own show called "Phyllis" which ran for an additional two years. Never letting her age be a factor, Cloris has continued to work in front of the camera, has written a book, and has even been a contestant on "Dancing With The Stars".

9. The next person we chat with tells us that her parents let her move from Memphis, Tennessee to the Barbizon Hotel because of its sterling reputation and impeccable safety record. Visitors all had to sign in and out, security guards watched everything, and men could not go past the lobby. Who is this girl from the South who would later be a model, star in the television show "Moonlighting", and perform opposite Robert De Niro in "Taxi Driver"?

Answer: Cybill Shepherd

Cybill Shepherd was born in 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee and went on to win the pageant title of Miss Teenage Memphis. After being named Model of the Year in 1966 she moved to New York City to attend a university and to work in the modeling field. A magazine cover she was on caught the eye of Hollywood and soon she was performing in movies like "The Last Picture Show" and "Taxi Driver".

After a break to raise her daughter and rediscover her roots in Memphis, she returned to star in the acclaimed television series "Moonlighting" along with Bruce Willis.

She spent the next fifteen years acting in various TV shows, being a spokeswoman for L'Oreal cosmetics, writing her autobiography, and actively supporting gay rights.

10. The next person we converse with tells us the Barbizon opened in the 1920s to attract young ladies during the Jazz Age and to act as a charm school, a dorm, and a place to meet eligible young men. This timing worked out well for her as she had just arrived in New York and had not yet started her 45 year Hollywood career. Who is this screen legend who was also described as "Mommie Dearest" by her daughter's book?

Answer: Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford was born in the early 1900s in San Antonio, Texas. She and her family suffered through poverty and abuse and moved locations quite a bit. In her early 20s she was spotted in Detroit and was asked to move to New York City to act and dance. From here she headed to Hollywood to work for MGM. For the better part of the next twenty years, she acted for the movie studio in silent films and talkies and was considered a box office draw. During the 1940s she acted for Warners studios and won an Academy Award for "Mildred Pierce".

The 1950s found Joan suffering through family issues as marriages failed and her children struggled. She found an outlet by being a Pepsi board member and advocate, as her fourth husband was chairman of the company. Joan spent the remaining years, until her death in 1977, acting in both movies and on television.

Her memory lives on, however tarnished, due to the fact her adopted daughter wrote a book entitled "Mommie Dearest" which depicted her as a drunken abuser, The book was turned into a movie.

Source: Author stephgm67

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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We have been invited to the building that used to be called the Barbizon Hotel for Women. Here is where many females in New York, including several celebrities, lived and sought careers. Let us meet a few of them!

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