An Entertaining Palette Trivia Quiz

Answer: "The Color PURPLE" (1982 novel)

It is unsurprising that colours feature in a plethora of entertainment products for youngsters. "Blue's Clues" is a successful educational production by Nickelodeon that made use of a dog named Blue to improve the problem solving skills of its young audience.

"Clifford the Big Red Dog" is a 2021 film that was inspired by the books of the American author, Norman Bridwell. The film features a character called Mr. Bridwell (well, why not?) played by 'Monty Python' star, John Cleese.

Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" is a successful 1982 novel that centres on the harrowing experiences of Celie Harris, a young girl growing up in rural Georgia, USA. It was adapted for the big screen in 1985, with Whoopi Goldberg playing young Celie. There is also a 2023 release of "The Color Purple" that was produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, amongst others.

"Clifford the Big RED Dog" + "BLUE's Clues"
RED + BLUE = PURPLE

Answer: "99 RED Balloons" (1984 song)

Not to be confused with the mid-90s British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson, "The Thin Blue Line", "The Thin Red Line" is a 1998 World War II film that follows 'C Company' and their exploits within the Pacific Theater.

Played by Morgan Freeman, Ellis Boyd Redding - nicknamed 'Red' - was a long-term inmate at Shawshank State Penitentiary who befriended the wrongly convicted Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) in the film adaptation of Stephen King's "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". 'Red' was the man who could get you things.

"99 Red Balloons" is a 1984 English language single that built upon the success of "99 Luftballons", Nena's hit from the prior year. Through exposure to "99 Luftballons", everyone suddenly knew some German other than "Ich bin ein Berliner"! Sing it now, "neunundneunzig Luftballons..."

"99 RED Balloons" + Ellis Boyd 'RED' Redding
RED + RED = RED

Answer: "Fifty Shades of GREY" (2011 novel)

"White Men Can't Jump" is a 1992 film featuring Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson and Rosie Perez. The sports comedy genre is not a particular favourite of mine so it would perhaps be fair to simply rely on the late Roger Ebert's review of this movie, a movie "..which is all about language and timing and loyalty and betrayal, and is very smart and very funny".

"Black Mirror" is a world away from the light relief of "White Men Can't Jump". The brainchild of Charlie Brooker, "Black Mirror" takes topical issues and interprets them through an often dystopian form of speculative fiction. The series began life on the British television station, Channel 4, before finding a new home on the online platform, Netflix.

"Fifty Shades of Grey", well what is there to be said that hasn't already been said about this erotic novel (sorry, romance novel) by E.L. James? Nothing. Universal Pictures distributed a film about it in 2015. Can you imagine watching it in IMAX? Did you watch it in IMAX? You did, didn't you!?

"WHITE Men Can't Jump" + "BLACK Mirror"
WHITE + BLACK = GREY

Answer: "ORANGE Is the New Black" (Netflix series)

"Red Dwarf" is a British TV show known for its distinctive interpretation of the science fiction genre. The show, starring Craig Charles and Chris Barrie, features its own vocabulary with words such as 'smeg' and 'gimboid'.

"Yellow Submarine" is of course a very famous song of 1966 by The Beatles and is a staple for authors creating colour-themed quizzes for FunTrivia! The song lends its name to a film released two years later.

"Orange Is the New Black" is an original release for Netflix and is based on Piper Kerman's 2010 memoirs, "Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison".

"RED Dwarf" + "YELLOW Submarine"
RED + YELLOW = ORANGE

Answer: "Father BROWN" (TV series)

The "Green Lantern" franchise was kickstarted in 1941 with the release of the comic book, "Green Lantern #1", which was itself inspired by the appearance of Alan Scott / Green Lantern in "All-American Comics #16" (1940). "Green Lantern" was subsequently reinvented in the late 1950s and the superhero became associated with Hal Jordan. It is the Hal Jordan incarnation that gave rise to the 2011 Ryan Reynolds filmic flop.

"Red Dragon" (2002) is a prequel to the better-known films "Silence of the Lambs" (1991) and "Hannibal" (2001), with all three being based on the series of novels by Tennessee-born author, Thomas Harris. Edward Norton plays FBI agent, Will Graham, who enlists the "help" of psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), to solve a cannibalism case. Little did Will Graham know that Hannibal Lecter enjoyed a little bit more than mere fava beans and Chianti!

"Father Brown" is a British TV series based on the works of G.K. Chesterton. It follows a Roman Catholic priest-cum-detective solving cases in rural England in the aftermath of World War II. It is fairly harmless, generic television akin to "Murder, She Wrote" and "Midsomer Murders".

"GREEN Lantern" + "RED Dragon"
GREEN + RED = BROWN

Answer: "The BLUE Lagoon" (1980 film)

"Jaws" (1975) is of course a staple of the "shark genre" but critics have also over time been kind to the 1999 film, "Deep Blue Sea", and it has been welcomed into the upper echelons of the genre alongside the film that cautions "you're gonna need a bigger boat". "Deep Blue Sea" is set in an underwater research facility and the plot involves genetic modification of sharks, disastrous damage to the facility, flooding and an escape plan.

"NYPD Blue" received critical acclaim for its representation of the fictional comings and goings of the New York Police Department over the course of twelve seasons (1993-2005). Illinois-born actor, Dennis Franz was a mainstay of the show. He played Andy Sipowicz from the very first episode, "Pilot", a character that was at the rank of Detective until he received a promotion to Sergeant in the twelfth and final season.

If you have not yet had your fill of the colour blue, how about yet more in the form of "The Blue Lagoon"? The poster accompanying the theatrical release of the film starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins gives us the following synopsis: "Two children, shipwrecked alone on a tropical island. Nature is kind. They thrive on the bounty of the jungle and lagoon. The boy grows tall. The girl beautiful. When their love happens, it is as natural as the sea, and as powerful". Hmm, complete paradise? Rarely is life so plain sailing...

"Deep BLUE Sea" + "NYPD BLUE"
BLUE + BLUE = BLUE

Answer: "BLACK Panther" (2018 film)

"Black Swan" (2010) took its audience to the ballet, with Darren Aronofsky directing a cast headed by Natalie Portman who won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Nina Sayers. Nina is selected to play the lead role in "Swan Lake" despite her difficulty in embodying both the 'White Swan' (Odette) and the 'Black Swan' (Odile). Production politics, intense competition and mental health are themes in this production.

"Men in Black II" (2002) is a sequel to the entertaining "Men in Black" (1997); the film saw the return of Will Smith as Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K. The action film wends its way to a conclusion involving a 'neuralyzer' in the Statue of Liberty and an appraisal of our place in the universe involving lockers!

"Black Panther" (2018), starring Chadwick Boseman in the title role, caught the zeitgeist perfectly, providing representation to those who feel as though they were hitherto "unseen" in any positive sense within this genre, and entertainment more broadly. The film tells the story of T'Challa / Black Panther, King of Wakanda, and how he presides over his homeland in the face of adversity and challenge.

Chadwick Boseman, after spending many years living with colon cancer, died in 2020 but left behind a significant legacy. Steve Rose - writing for the British newspaper, "The Guardian" - perhaps puts it best: "Chadwick Boseman began his career playing African American icons and pioneers; he ends it as one himself".

"BLACK Swan" + "Men in BLACK II"
BLACK + BLACK = BLACK

Answer: "How GREEN Was My Valley" (1941 film)

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is the early 1970s Elton John album that brought the world hit singles such as "Candle in the Wind", "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and, of course, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" itself. The album reached the top of charts in Australia, Canada, UK and the US.

"Blue Velvet", directed by David Lynch, is a cult classic that has had a turbulent history since its initial release in 1986. The reception back in the 1980s was very mixed; the film was seen as wildly controversial yet it still picked up nominations and awards, including from the Academy. There is a scene in the movie where the 1950s song "Blue Velvet" is being performed at a nightclub. The performer, Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini), is linked to a severed human ear and from there a string of controversial events ensue.

"How Green Was My Valley" is a Best Picture Oscar-winning film released in 1941 that stars Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara. A portrayal of the life of Welsh miners and their families through the eyes of a child, "How Green Was My Valley" is famous for the fact that it won Best Picture (then known as Outstanding Motion Picture) over "Citizen Kane" (1941) and "The Maltese Falcon" (1941).

"Goodbye YELLOW Brick Road" + "BLUE Velvet"
YELLOW + BLUE = GREEN

Answer: "The PINK Panther" (1963 film)

"The Hunt for Red October" is one of myriad films in the Cold War spy thriller genre. Sean Connery plays the Soviet character, Marko Ramius, captain of the Red October submarine that is designed to evade detection. Sean Connery's accent in this movie is, shall we say, "unplaceable", but he utters a line that sticks with you long after the details of the film leave your memory: "Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please".

Jadis is more famously known by the moniker 'The White Witch' and is the antagonist in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. Jadis also features in the somewhat lesser known "The Magician's Nephew", penned by the same British author.

"The Pink Panther" has pervaded many forms of entertainment, be it film, television or video games. The 1963 film, simply called "The Pink Panther", was where the franchise all began; Peter Sellers cultured a very distinct persona of ineptitude in his interpretation of Inspector Clouseau, a police detective in pursuit of a jewel thief in Italy.

"The Hunt for RED October" + Jadis, 'The WHITE Witch'
RED + WHITE = PINK

Answer: Walter WHITE (TV character)

Think of the author Jack London and two novels readily spring to mind, "White Fang" (1906) and "The Call of the Wild" (1903). These two classic novels are companions and are set in the environs of Alaska, USA and the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada. Whereas "The Call of the Wild" focusses on White Fang's time in the wilderness, "White Fang" chronicles the wolfdog's path to domestication.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a movie for the ages. Based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the 1937 Disney film successfully animates Snow White's time in refuge with seven curious characters that children - and lets face it, adults too - have come to know and love over many decades.

How do I segue from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to Walter White and "Breaking Bad" in a more interesting fashion than the rather mundane, "from one White to another"? I shall follow the advice of esteemed philosopher Homer Simpson: "...you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try". Walter White, the iconic lead character of "Breaking Bad", was fed up of not trying. Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, White decided to take a significantly different approach to life; he began turning his back on chemistry teaching - a job he had grown to despise - in favour of using his knowledge of chemistry to "cook" illicit produce in the wilderness of New Mexico.

"WHITE Fang" + "Snow WHITE and the Seven Dwarfs"
WHITE + WHITE = WHITE