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Writers Turned Screenwriters Trivia Quiz

Here's a look at some novelists and playwrights who have wandered into the world of screenwriting.

A multiple-choice quiz by robert362. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
robert362

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
121,461

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
630

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. "The Misfits" is an original screenplay by one of America's best playwrights. Which one? Hint

William Inge

Arthur Miller

Eugene O'Neill

Tennessee Williams

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Question 2 of 10

2. Evan Hunter is a successful novelist; he also wrote the screenplay for a Hitchcock classic. Which one? Hint

Saboteur

Vertigo

The Birds

Rear Window

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Question 3 of 10

3. The quirky "western" "Night of the Hunter" featured a screenplay by James Agee. Who was the star of the movie? Hint

Dean Martin

Van Heflin

Rod Taylor

Robert Mitchum

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Question 4 of 10

4. "The Big Sleep" included screenplay work by what author? Hint

Ernest Hemingway

William Faulkner

Tom Wolfe

Robert Ludlum

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Question 5 of 10

5. F. Scott Fitzgerald worked on the screenplay version of the novel, "The Three Comrades". Who wrote the novel? Hint

Leo Tolstoy

Oscar Wilde

Rudyard Kipling

Erich Maria Remarque

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Question 6 of 10

6. What writer worked on the screenplay version of Lillian Hellman's play "Watch on the Rhine"? Hint

Norman Mailer

Theodore Dreiser

Gore Vidal

Dashiell Hammett

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Question 7 of 10

7. Playwright Anthony Shaffer wrote the screenplay for what Hitchcock movie? Hint

Strangers on a Train

Torn Curtain

Frenzy

Rope

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Question 8 of 10

8. Raymond Chandler wrote the screenplay for what classic movie? Hint

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Out of the Past

Double Indemnity

Sorry, Wrong Number

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Question 9 of 10

9. Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay for which of these novels by John Fowles? Hint

The Collector

The Ebony Tower

The Magus

The French Lieutenant's Woman

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Question 10 of 10

10. A novel isn't always adapted into a screenplay by someone other than the original novelist. An example of this is "Mildred Pierce". Who was the author and screenwriter? Hint

Robert Ludlum

Irving Wallace

James Gould Cozzens

James M. Cain

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "The Misfits" is an original screenplay by one of America's best playwrights. Which one?

Answer: Arthur Miller

It's a curiously unsatisfying piece - but it's interesting because of the cast: Marilyn Monroe (in her last completed movie) while her marriage to Miller was falling apart, and Clark Gable in his last film role - he died shortly after completion of the picture.

2. Evan Hunter is a successful novelist; he also wrote the screenplay for a Hitchcock classic. Which one?

Answer: The Birds

Hunter has written many novels as Hunter and as Ed McBain; he's also had some of his novels turned into movies. "Birds" was a very fine screenplay effort (from the Daphne DuMaurier short story).

3. The quirky "western" "Night of the Hunter" featured a screenplay by James Agee. Who was the star of the movie?

Answer: Robert Mitchum

Agee, best known for "A Death in the Family" wrote the screenplay to this decidedly strange story. (Robert Mitchum has "Love" and "Hate" written across his fingers.)

4. "The Big Sleep" included screenplay work by what author?

Answer: William Faulkner

Perhaps that's why the plot is so damned hard to follow.

5. F. Scott Fitzgerald worked on the screenplay version of the novel, "The Three Comrades". Who wrote the novel?

Answer: Erich Maria Remarque

Remarque did more than merely write the classic "All Quiet on the Western Front".

6. What writer worked on the screenplay version of Lillian Hellman's play "Watch on the Rhine"?

Answer: Dashiell Hammett

Hammett and Hellman had a long personal relationship.

7. Playwright Anthony Shaffer wrote the screenplay for what Hitchcock movie?

Answer: Frenzy

Shaffer wrtote the superb "Sleuth". This effort, however was not the best - for him or for Hitch.

8. Raymond Chandler wrote the screenplay for what classic movie?

Answer: Double Indemnity

Chandler wrote many tales about detective Philip Marlowe - but this wasn't one of them. (Nice job, though.)

9. Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay for which of these novels by John Fowles?

Answer: The French Lieutenant's Woman

Fowles is often a fascinating writer: "The Magus" is quite interesting and ""The Collector" is also a good read. "Lieutenant" didn't read well (in my opinion) - and the movie (again, my opinion) was tough going. (Of course, Pinter is Pinter ...)

10. A novel isn't always adapted into a screenplay by someone other than the original novelist. An example of this is "Mildred Pierce". Who was the author and screenwriter?

Answer: James M. Cain

I haven't read the novel, but the movie was solid.

Source: Author robert362

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor DakotaNorth before going online.
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