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Playing the President Part 3 Trivia Quiz

This quiz tests your knowledge on actors who have played U.S. Presidents #12 - 21 (Taylor to Arthur). This is the third in my "Playing the President" series, which covers TV and movie portrayals of each of the first 42 presidents.

A multiple-choice quiz by evenlater. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
evenlater

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
264,333

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
550

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. A 1963 Robert Taylor western featured Larry Gates as President Chester Alan Arthur. The main storyline (a Wyoming rancher fighting to prevent the development of a National Cattle Trail) was fictional, but the film depicted Arthur's historic visit to the western territories. Arthur was truly the first sitting president ever to make that journey. What was the name of the film? Hint

Hills of Old Wyoming

Cattle King

Red Rock West

Laramie

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Question 2 of 10

2. In the 1969 "spaghetti" western "Il Prezzo del potere", the Pinkerton Detective Agency uncovers a plot to assassinate President James Garfield in 1881 Texas. Who played Garfield? Hint

Robert Wagner

Van Johnson

John Wayne

Fernando Rey

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Question 3 of 10

3. The 1994 made-for-TV movie "Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker" utilized an all-star cast to tell the story of one of the first African American men to attend West Point. All of the actors below appeared in the film. Which played President Rutherford B. Hayes? Hint

George Martin

Samuel L. Jackson

Sam Waterston

John Glover

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Question 4 of 10

4. All of the actors listed below have played Ulysses S. Grant on film. Which of them was the first to play the 18th President? Hint

Jason Robards in "The Legend of the Lone Ranger"

Rod Steiger in "Lincoln"

Kevin Kline in "Wild Wild West"

Fred Thompson in "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"

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Question 5 of 10

5. The 1942 drama "Tennessee Johnson" dramatized the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. The actor who played the title character won an Oscar that year, but not for playing Andrew Johnson. Instead, he won Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Johnny Eager". Who was he? Hint

Lionel Barrymore

Van Heflin

Henry Travers

James Cagney

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which of the following has never played Abraham Lincoln on film? Hint

Frank McGlynn, Sr.

Walter Huston

Henry Fonda

Richard Harris

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Question 7 of 10

7. The PBS documentary "The American President", originally aired in 2000, featured a different celebrity voice -- actors, politicians, media personalities, etc. -- reading the writings of each president. Who provided the voice of the 15th President, James Buchanan? Hint

Billy Graham

Bob Dole

David Gergen

Charlie Rose

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Question 8 of 10

8. A 1944 historical drama told the story of Dr. W.T.G. Morton (played by Joel McCrea), who discovered a form of anesthesia in the 19th century. In the film, Congress votes on a bill to reward Morton for his discovery, but President Franklin Pierce (Porter Hall) refuses to sign the bill. Can you name the movie? Hint

The Doctor's Dilemma

The End of Pain

Patent Pending

The Great Moment

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Question 9 of 10

9. "The Monroe Doctrine" was a 1939 short film about the history of the United States' approach to foreign relations. Many of the presidents appear as characters, including the 13th President, Millard Fillmore. Which actor portrayed Fillmore? Hint

George Reeves

Millard Vincent

Sidney Blackmer

Charles Waldron

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Question 10 of 10

10. James Gammon played General Zachary Taylor in a 1999 historical drama about "St. Patrick's Brigade," a group of Irish-American immigrants who defected to Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Can you name the movie? Hint

One Man's Hero

San Patricios

The Mexican-American War

The John Riley Story

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Cattle King

"Cattle King", which was titled "Guns of Wyoming" in its UK release, told the story of a Wyoming rancher (Robert Taylor) and a big time developer (Robert Middleton) lobbying President Arthur to support their cause. "Hills of Wyoming" was released in 1937, "Laramie" in 1959, and "Red Rock West" in 1992.

2. In the 1969 "spaghetti" western "Il Prezzo del potere", the Pinkerton Detective Agency uncovers a plot to assassinate President James Garfield in 1881 Texas. Who played Garfield?

Answer: Van Johnson

Johnson played the 20th U.S. President, who was in fact assassinated by a religious right-wing named Charles Julius Guiteau. The movie drew very overt parallels to the 1963 assassination of JFK. Fernando Rey appeared in "Il Prezzo del potere" as Detective Pinkerton.

Wagner played Garfield in the 2007 indie film "The Netherbeast Incorporated", which depicted Alexander Graham Bell's attempt to save the President from assassination.

Answer: George Martin

Martin played Rutherford Hayes. Waterston and Jackson played Johnson Whittaker's attorneys. Glover, best known as Lionel Luthor on TV's "Smallville", played Major Asa Bird Gardiner.

4. All of the actors listed below have played Ulysses S. Grant on film. Which of them was the first to play the 18th President?

Answer: Jason Robards in "The Legend of the Lone Ranger"

Robards played Grant in the 1981 action picture "The Legend of the Lone Ranger". He also provided the voice of Grant in Ken Burns' documentary "The Civil War".

Coincidentally, Robards played Abraham Lincoln in the 1992 TV movie "Lincoln", which featured Rod Steiger as Grant.

In the 1999 western comedy "Wild Wild West", Kevin Kline was double-cast as President Grant and as Artemus Gordon, the U.S. Marshal hired to protect him from would-be assassins.

Also coincidental: "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", which featured Senator-turned-actor Fred Dalton Thompson as the 18th U.S. President, was first aired on HBO in June, 2007 -- at precisely the same time that Thompson was exploring the possibility of a campaign to become the 44th President.

Answer: Van Heflin

Heflin's well-reviewed performance as the first President Johnson couldn't have hurt his chances of winning the Oscar for playing Jeff Hartnett in "Johnny Eager".

Barrymore also appeared in "Tennessee Johnson" as Johnson's chief nemesis, Thaddeus Stevens.

Travers' performance in "Mrs. Miniver" was another Supporting Actor nominee in 1943, losing the race to Heflin.

James Cagney won Best Actor in 1943 for his work in "Yankee Doodle Dandy".

6. Which of the following has never played Abraham Lincoln on film?

Answer: Richard Harris

Henry Fonda played the title role in the 1939 feature "Young Mr. Lincoln".

Walter Huston (grandfather of Angelica, Tony and Danny Huston) played Lincoln in four separate movies: "Two Americans" (1929), "Abraham Lincoln" (1930), "Land of Liberty" (1939), and "The Battle of China" (1944).

Frank McGlynn, Sr. is perhaps best known as the tall and gaunt actor who played Abraham Lincoln in FOURTEEN films throughout the '30s and '40s.

Answer: David Gergen

Gergen, a TV political pundit and presidential aide for Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton, was the voice of James Buchanan. Former Senator Bob Dole voiced Herbert Hoover. Talk show host Charlie Rose played John Tyler. The Rev. Billy Graham was the voice of James Garfield.

Answer: The Great Moment

"The Great Moment" was directed by Preston Sturges. Porter Hall, a character actor most often cast as villains and pompous jerks, played the 14th president. "The Doctor's Dilemma" is a George Bernard Shaw play. I made up the other two titles.

Answer: Millard Vincent

Millard Vincent was cast as his namesake, Millard Fillmore. Waldron played James Monroe. Blackmer played Teddy Roosevelt, the same part he played in six other movies from this era. George Reeves, later TV's Superman, appeared in "The Monroe Doctrine" as John Sturgis.

Answer: One Man's Hero

"One Man's Hero" features the 12th U.S. President, then-General Zachary Taylor, as one of it's supporting characters. Tom Berenger played the leading role of Sgt. John Riley.

Source: Author evenlater

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