The Only Living Boy in New York Quiz

Answer: Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple, born in 1928, was a famous child actress, singer and dancer who began making films from the very young age of three. The plot of most of her movies was more or less the same: little girl battling against the odds in some way; little girl going through some form of tragedy; loss, illness or disaster; little girl finally conquering all and winning the hearts of everyone around her. And win them she did with her big warm eyes, head of adorable ringlets and unquestionable talent. Her future as a big name movie star seemed guaranteed for the next twenty or thirty years at least.

But then she began to grow older and went from the adorable toddler and small girl to a blossoming teenager. That's when her career and the movie offers petered out. Put on the shelf by the time she was only twenty-two, Shirley turned her back on Hollywood forever. Over the years that followed, she resurfaced in the occasional interview and brief television appearance or two, but by now she was married and a mother, and had a brand new career as an American ambassador. Possibly this beautiful little actress's most popular movie role was that of the young heroine, Heidi, in the 1937 film of the same name, based on the children's book by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. In it she plays an orphan who has been sent to live with her grandfather, but is then whisked away by an aunt to live as a companion/servant for a spoiled rich girl, longs to return to her grandfather, is sold to gypsies by a wicked housekeeper, rescued in the nick of time, safely re-united with Pops, and lives happily ever after - until her next big adventure comes along.

Answer: Melissa Sue Anderson

Born in 1962, Melissa Sue Anderson began her acting career as a young child appearing in television advertisements. Her first straight acting role was at the age of ten, when she appeared in an episode of the series "Bewitched" (1964-1972), a show built around the comical misadventures of a mortal man married to a beautiful witch.

However, it is for her role in "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1983), where she played the role of the oldest child, Mary Ingalls, that Melissa is most noted. This truly delightful series relates the adventures and every day happenings of a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the latter part of the 19th century. Each week gives us a story that is either comical, heart-warming, historical, or sorrowful - or even a combination of all elements.

By the year 2010, Melissa had appeared in different roles in another thirty-seven television shows, and taken part in twelve movies.

Answer: Scott Baio

Scott Baio (born 1960) is an American actor and director who first came to our screens as the character Chachi Arcola, in the hit sitcom "Happy Days" (1974-1984). His character was Fonzie's young cousin who appears three years after the show began. He falls madly in love with Joanie Cunningham (played by Erin Moran), the youngest child of Howard and Marion Cunningham. Such was the public interest in this relationship that it spawned a follow up series called "Joanie Loves Chachi" (1982-83).

The pair eventually marry to live happily ever after. Scott went on to star in another sitcom, "Charles in Charge" (1984-85 and 1987-90) where he played a college student who works on the side as a live in baby-sitter, for board and lodging, for two different families.

He has made several films and worked in other television series since then.

Answer: Henry Thomas

Henry Thomas is an American actor who was born in 1971. He became known to us all as a child when he played the role of Elliott, the lonely little boy in the 1982 film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial". This tells the story of the lovable alien who becomes stranded on Earth. Elliott and his siblings try to hide E.T. and help him find his way back home once more.

Unfortunately, E.T. is eventually discovered and the film grows even more exciting from there, filled with every element that delights a child's heart.

Henry Thomas, who happens to be a fine musician as well, has gone on from this film to have a successful career in both film, television and live performances.

Answer: Jason Bateman

The rather yummy Jason Bateman began to appear on our screens when he was a young teenager. He first became well known in a series of television sitcoms, but has moved from there into making some first rate movies. His recurring role in "Silver Spoons", a comedy set around the trials and tribulations of a wealthy, rather dysfunctional family, sees him playing a bad boy character befriended by the uptight son of that born-with-silver-spoons-in-their-mouths family.

The boys constantly land in hot water as a result of this unlikely friendship. Jason, who was born in 1969, is the brother of Justine Batemen, who played Mallory Keaton on the excellent series "Family Ties" which ran from 1982-1989.

He began his acting career in the series "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1983) playing the role of a boy adopted by the Ingalls family.

Answer: Danny Bonaduce

"The Partridge Family" was a big hit American sitcom featuring many great songs of the times. It ran from 1970 to 1974 with a storyline involving a widowed mother of five. The group decides to set up a band and embarks on a new life as performers. The red-headed Danny Bonaduce plays the precocious middle member of the family who initially organises a manager for the group. As a member of the band itself, he sings vocals and plays bass guitar. Born in 1959, Danny moved on from his career as a child actor to become a radio and television personality, comedian and, of all things, a professional boxer and wrestler who is also an ordained minister. He also has a black belt in Tang Soo Doo, a Korean martial arts technique. My goodness, his follow up life from his child acting days is far more interesting that his early beginnings.

Danny has written a book on his life as well. Sadly he came from a very dysfunctional family and was emotionally and physically abused by his father for years - poor boy. One shimmering ray of light in this tragic early life was that Shirley Jones, the actress who played the mother in "The Partridge Family", and Dave Madden, the actor who played the band manager perpetually harassed by Danny's character in the show, were both very good to Danny. They acted almost as substitute parents for the troubled child. Madden, in particular, frequently rescued Danny from his family in times of crisis, taking the child to live in the security of his own home.

Answer: Macaulay Culkin

Macaulay Culkin was a child star who became known for his roles in "Home Alone" (1990) and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992). The first of the two films was the better by far. It concentrated on a smaller handful of actors we grew to know more intimately throughout the movie, rather than the wider range and associated crowds in New York, all of which proved just a little distracting.

In "Home Alone", Macaulay plays Kevin, a young boy accidentally left behind in the large family home during his family's frantic last minute dash to catch a plane to Paris for their vacation. Two bumbling thieves see the home as a prime target, Kevin is determined to protect it from them. Throw in a grumpy old neighbour, a frantic mother prepared to do anything to get back home to her son and you have a perfect family comedy film. By 2011 Macaulay, who was born in 1980, had made over twenty movies, some very successful, some not quite making the grade.

He retired from acting for some years when he was fourteen, but after this enforced absence, returned to the silver screen with a renewed interest in his craft. Hopefully we'll see more of this actor, who has so much unrealised potential, in the future.

Answer: Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was born in 1932 and died in 2011. She was an enchanting child star who grew up to be one of Hollywood's beautiful leading ladies for many years. Though she appeared in several movies before "National Velvet" in 1944, it was for her role in this film that Hollywood sat up and began to take notice of this talented actress. "National Velvet" tells the story of a twelve year old girl who wins a horse in a raffle and has him trained to take part in one of England's top national horse races.

At the last minute she disguises herself as a jockey and rides the horse to its exciting win. The film also stars Mickey Rooney as a jockey who has come to hate horses because of a terrible accident in which he was involved while riding in a race. Elizabeth Taylor appeared in many films during the rest of her life, winning two Academy Awards for her acting.

The first of these was for the 1960 "BUtterfield 8" in which she plays a promiscuous, self-destructive young woman who dies tragically.

The second was for her absolutely superb acting in the 1966 "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" as the tortured, alcoholic wife of a college professor in a destructive, childless marriage held together only by the creation of her imaginary child. My goodness, but she's brilliant in that movie. She makes you dislike her intensely, be repulsed by her and yet, ultimately break your heart over her longing for a child, and the love she expresses for her perfect imaginary son.

Answer: Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst, born in 1982, had made four movies before her role in the 1994 "Interview With the Vampire", but it was this role that first marked her as a future star. In it she plays Claudia, a young girl who is turned into a vampire by Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise's respective characters, Louis and Lestat. Claudia was a small sick human child whom Louis found orphaned after her mother died during an outbreak of the plague. I detest movies about vampires just in passing. Because she was bitten by Louis at too young an age, and because of the intervention of Lestat, Claudia finally realises that, after some years as a brutal killer, she will never grow up. Revenge and counter revenge plots follow.

This is a horrible film and it is surprising that it became so popular. Fortunately, Kirsten has made many far more enjoyable films since that gory beginning to her career.

This lovely actress devotes much of her spare time, in between her many film roles, in supporting various charitable organisations working with adults and children with AIDS and cancer.

Answer: Hayley Mills

Actress Hayley Mills, who was born in 1946, is the daughter of the famous actor Sir John Mills (1908-2005) and writer Mary Bell. Her older sister is the actress Juliet Mills, born in 1941. With all those genes floating around her system, it's not surprising then that Hayley became one of the most famous child stars to grace our movie screens. She was quite lovely in fact, and her acting skills matched her appearance. Her two most well known roles as a child were in the 1960 movie "Pollyanna" and the 1961 "Parent Trap".

In "Pollyanna" she plays an orphaned girl sent to live with her repressed spinster aunt, where she works her magic on all around her, lands in trouble several times along the way, and ultimately manages to reunite Aunt Polly with her one true love. The "Parent Trap" sees her playing the dual roles of twins separated shortly after birth by parents who divorced, with each taking custody of one of the twins. Managing to accidentally find one another some years later, the twins decide to swap lives, so that each can return to the home of the other parent in order to unite the entire family once more. This is an excellent laughter-filled movie, one of the best films that the Disney Studio has every produced. Hayley has continued to act in various movies since her days as one of the most sought after young stars of Hollywood, but she has never really reached the height of fame she knew as a child.