Movie Stars on the Great White Way Quiz

Answer: Applause

Lauren Bacall made her Broadway debut at the age of 17 in the melodrama "Johnny 2x4." Two years later, she was in Hollywood playing opposite Humphrey Bogart in Howard Hawks' "To Have and Have Not." It propelled her to film stardom and into a marriage with Bogart that lasted until his death in 1957. A major film star by this time, Ms. Bacall was devastated by Bogie's death. She moved back to New York and in 1959 appeared on Broadway in the comedy "Goodbye, Charlie." She would have her greatest stage success with "Applause".

"Applause" is the musical version of the brilliant 1950 film, "All About Eve", a backstage drama about a great but aging actress and the scheming young aspirant who will stop at nothing to achieve stardom. The film gave Bette Davis what many consider her greatest role--Margo Channing.

It must have been daunting for Bacall, then, to tackle this iconic role. Not to worry--when Davis attended the show, she came backstage afterward and graciously told Bacall, "You're the only one who could have played the part."

Answer: Fences

Two great American actors, one great American play! Fortunately, Denzel Washington directed and starred in a superb film version of "Fences", giving us a permanent record of his performance. The film won Viola Davis an Oscar; she had already won a Tony for playing the same part opposite Washington on Broadway.

August Wilson's "Fences" tells the story of Troy Maxson, a once promising baseball player but now a garbage collector. His disappointments have left him bitter and angry. Set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, "Fences" is part of playwright August Wilson's "Pittsburgh Cycle", a series of plays exploring the African-American experience in the 20th Century.

Answer: A View From the Bridge

"A View From the Bridge" tells the story of Eddie (Liev Schreiber in the 2010 revival), an Italian-American longshoreman who harbors inappropriate feelings for Catherine (Johansson), his niece. When Catherine falls in love with a young Italian immigrant boy, Eddie takes desperate action that leads to tragedy. This play does not have the stellar reputation of Miller's "Death of a Salesman" or "The Crucible", but it must be counted among Miller's masterpieces.

Johansson returned to Broadway in 2013 to play Maggie in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

Answer: Al Pacino

The classic film and its sequel are, of course, "The Godfather" and "The Godfather II". Pacino's run of great onscreen performances in the 1970's also included "Serpico" and "Dog Day Afternoon". Pacino won a second Tony for a stellar performance in David Rabe's "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel".

His collaborations with David Mamet include "American Buffalo" and "Glengarry Glen Ross".

Answer: Three Days of Rain

"Three Days of Rain" jumps back and forth in time to explore the history of the dysfunctional Janeway family. In act one, two of the actors play brother and sister; in act two, the same actors play the siblings' parents years earlier. It's a complex, challenging play and, as Variety stated, "emotionally distant."

The 2006 Broadway production was able to stir up interest almost exclusively due to its extraordinary cast--Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, and Paul Rudd. The critics were not kind, however; the NY Times referred to Roberts as "theatrically challenged." To be fair, it was not only Julia's Broadway debut, it was her first time on stage!

In 2014, Bradley Cooper returned to Broadway to play John Merrick in "The Elephant Man". Cooper was nominated for a Tony and the production won the top prize for outstanding revival of a play.

Answer: Sunset Boulevard

If the Oscars don't love Glenn Close, the Tonys more than make up for it. In addition to the Tony she won for "Sunset Boulevard", she won two leading actress Tonys--for "Death and the Maiden" and "The Real Thing".

"Sunset Boulevard" is based on the great Billy Wilder film from 1950. It tells the story of Norma Desmond, a silent movie star who has since descended into madness. Living in a decaying old mansion on Sunset Boulevard, she accidentally crosses paths with a young screenwriter, with whom she becomes involved. Creepiness and tragedy ensue.

Broadway legend Patti LuPone was initially promised the lead role. Her lawsuit against the producers was one of many lawsuits filed against the Broadway production. Thus, despite multiple Tony Awards, "Sunset Boulevard" became notorious for the amount of money it lost.

Answer: Clarence Darrow

Clarence Darrow was perhaps the most famous lawyer of the 20th century. He was the defense attorney in the famous Scopes Trial, in which a Tennessee teacher was put on trial for teaching evolution. Darrow also defended teenagers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb after they callously murdered a 14-year-old-boy. He didn't get them off but he did save them from the gallows.

These and other aspects of Darrow's life were beautifully dramatized by playwright David W. Rintels and played to the hilt by Fonda in an historic and mesmerizing performance.

Answer: Cabaret

Liza Minnelli's performance as Sally Bowles in the 1972 screen adaptation of "Cabaret" won her a richly deserved Oscar. Joel Grey won an Oscar for his brilliant performance as the MC in the film version; Alan Cummings' equally compelling turn in the same role in the Broadway revival won him a Tony.

Set in Germany in the years before World War II, "Cabaret" tells the story of Sally, an aspiring singer working in the seedy Kit-Kat Klub. The larger-scale story shows us the rise of Nazism and its devastating effect on the German people, especially those of the Jewish faith. One of the truly great musicals, this revival was magnificent.

Answer: Equus

In "Equus", Radcliffe starred opposite Richard Griffiths, the wonderfully talented character who also played Harry Potter's cruel and oafish Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter series. Sadly, Griffiths died in 2013.

"Equus" tells the story of a teenage boy, his strange obsession with horses, and the psychiatrist who tries to help him after the boy commits a strange and inexplicable crime. Filmed in 1977 with Richard Burton as the psychiatrist, "Equus" employs vivid theatricality that works much better on stage than on screen.

Answer: The Philadelpha Story

"The Philadelphia Story" was a landmark for Hepburn. Written expressly for her by Philip Barry, it was a great success both on stage and on screen. The original Broadway production ran for 417 performances. When the film version played at Radio City Music Hall, it broke the attendance records set a few years earlier by "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

On the eve of her second wedding, the bride (Hepburn) is forced to reexamine her life when her ex-husband and a tabloid reporter show up for the festivities. Joseph Cotten played the ex-husband on stage, Cary Grant played him on film. Van Heflin was Broadway's tabloid reporter; James Stewart would win his only Oscar for the role in the film version. Rich in witty, sparkling dialogue as well as in emotional depth, "The Philadelphia Story" is easily among the greatest stage-to-screen transfers of all time.