1940s Movie Quotes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Casablanca

"Casablanca" was released in 1942 to both critical and popular acclaim. Its major stars are Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and the film is still renowned and respected today. The American Film Institute ranks it as number 2 on its list of the 100 Greatest Movies.

In "Casablanca," two ex-lovers, Rick and Ilsa, accidentally meet again in the African town of Casablanca. Ilsa and her husband are trying to flee the Nazis by securing passage to America, and Rick wants to know why Ilsa abandoned him in Paris two years earlier. The movie culminates in a brilliant final scene in which Rick makes the ultimate sacrifice. Rick says the quote above as he bids farewell to Ilsa near the end of the film.

All other choices are also Humphrey Bogart movies made in the '40s, but they can't compare with "Casablanca."

Answer: Arsenic and Old Lace

"Arsenic and Old Lace" was released in 1944. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant, the film was a comedic success. Grant plays an anti-marriage drama critic who suddenly weds the beautiful girl nextdoor. When he comes to tell his aunts, he soon discovers a body in their window seat. When he questions the sweet little old aunts, they inform him that they take in lonely old men as boarders, poison them peacefully with elderberry wine, and bury them in the cellar. The aunts feel they are helping the old men find happiness. The situation nearly sends Grant over the edge!

All other choices are also Cary Grant comedies from the '40s.

Answer: The Grapes of Wrath

"The Grapes of Wrath" was filmed in 1940 and directed by John Ford. Based on John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film featured Henry Fonda in the role of Tom Joad. The plot tells the story of the Joads, a Dust Bowl family who migrates to the "promised land" of California during the Great Depression, only to discover that their dreams are dashed.

After killing a man in self-defense near the end of the film, Tom Joad delivers the quote above in a touching scene to comfort his mother. He must leave the family and flee the law because he is a parole-breaker.

All other choices are also films directed by John Ford in the 1940s.

Answer: It's a Wonderful Life

"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) stars James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore. This classic Christmas film tells the story of George Bailey, a down-on-his-luck, small-town businessman who contemplates what life would be like if he'd never been born. His guardian angel grants his wish, and George ultimately realizes what a wonderful gift his life really is.

George Bailey delivers the quote several times in the movie when he visits Mr. Gower's drugstore.

Other memorable quotes from this movie:
"He's making violent love to me, Mother!"
"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."
"My mouth's bleeding, Burt! My mouth's bleeding!"
"What did you wish when you threw that rock?"

Answer: Miracle on 34th Street

"Miracle on 34th Street" (1947) stars Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood. Natalie is a bright little girl who doesn't believe in Santa Claus ... but she begins to rethink her decision when she meets Kris Kringle, a white-bearded, jolly old man who claims to be Santa Claus.

The quote above was said by both Maureen O'Hara's character and John Payne's character in the film, to convince young Natalie Wood--and themselves--that Kris Kringle really is Santa Claus.

Answer: The Philadelphia Story

"The Philadelphia Story" (1940) was the comedy smash that redeemed Katharine Hepburn from being labeled as "box-office poison." In addition to Hepburn, the movie starred Cary Grant and James Stewart. (Stewart won his only Oscar for his role in this film.) In the film's plot, Grant and Hepburn are divorced, but on the eve of Hepburn's big society wedding to a businessman, Grant blackmails Hepburn and hires a reporter and a photographer from "Spy Magazine" (one of the reporters being, yes, James Stewart) to publicize the wedding in the tabloid. After being around her ex-husband and the charming reporter, Hepburn isn't so sure she's ready to remarry and begins an important journey of self-discovery.

Stewart's character, Mike Connor, asks the question above to Cary Grant's character, C.K. Dexter Haven, when Stewart is a bit intoxicated.

Answer: Rebecca

"Rebecca" (1940) was Alfred Hitchcock's first American film. Starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier, the film tells the story of a meek young woman who meets and marries a rich Englishman...but he is disturbed by the memory of his deceased wife. Manderley is the name of his estate in the English countryside. Mrs. Danvers is his demented housekeeper who is obsessed with the memory of his dead wife.

Joan Fontaine's character delivers the quote above to Laurence Olivier near the end of the film when she realizes how deranged and obsessed Mrs. Danvers really is.

All other choices are also Hitchcock films from the '40s.

Answer: Citizen Kane

"Citizen Kane" (1941) is hailed as a film masterpiece that was written by, directed by, and starred Orson Welles. Loosely based on the life of newspaper giant William Randolph Hearst, the movie traces the life of Charles Foster Kane, a very rich man who died all alone in his ostentatious mansion. His last word was "rosebud," and a reporter is determined to find the meaning of Kane's mysterious last word.

Orson Welles' character, Charles Foster Kane, delivers this quote at the very beginning of the film when he dies. A huge close-up shot of his mouth fills the screen as he says the word "rosebud."

Answer: Kings Row

This quote comes from Drake McHugh, Ronald Reagan's character in "Kings Row" (1942), in the second half of the film when he wakes up and discovers that both of his legs have been amputated. He calls out to Randy, his wife, as he grabs the empty bedcovers that should be covering his legs...but nothing is there. One of Reagan's best film roles, "Kings Row" tells the story of five children and follows them as they grow up a small American town around the turn of the 20th century.

Answer: Pinocchio

"Pinocchio" (1940) is Walt Disney's animated classic about an old toymaker named Geppetto who wishes for a little boy, and a fairy gives life to his wooden puppet named Pinocchio. Pinocchio must go through several tests and trials before he proves himself worthy to become a real boy.

The fairy delivers the quote above to Pinocchio near the beginning of the film when she gives him life.