45th Academy Awards 1973 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Best Picture

"Cabaret" set a record for most Oscars won by a film that did not win Best Picture. The eight Awards won were:
Best Director (Bob Fosse)
Best Actress (Liza Minnelli)
Best Supporting Actor (Joel Grey)
Best Cinematography (Geoffrey Unsworth)
Best Film Editing (David Bretherton)
Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score (Ralph Burns)
Best Art Direction (Rolf Zehetbauer, Hans Jürgen Kiebach, Herbert Strabel)
Best Sound (Robert Knudson, David Hildyard).

"Cabaret" is a musical drama set in Berlin in 1931, which follows the life of Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), a performer at the Kit Kat Klub, amidst the drama of the emergence of the Nazi Party to power. "Cabaret" was considered a controversial film due to its themes of Nazism, corruption, sexual overtones and perceived anti-Semitism.

Answer: Richard Conte

"The Godfather" was the highest-grossing film of 1972 and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made, until "Jaws" (1975) overtook it. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Puzo and Coppola). For Best Supporting Actor, James Caan (Santino "Sonny" Corleone), Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen) and Al Pacino (Michael Corleone), were all nominated for their performances. Richard Conte (Emilio Barzini, Don of the Barzini family) was originally considered for the role of Don Vito Corleone but ultimately the role went to Marlon Brando.

Answer: Peter O'Toole

Peter O'Toole was born in 1932, though his place of birth is disputed as being either County Galway, Ireland or Yorkshire, England. Even Peter O'Toole was uncertain, as he had a birth certificate from each country. Peter O'Toole was nominated eight times for the Academy Award for Best Actor, but never received an Oscar.

At the 45th Academy Awards, Peter O'Toole was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jack Gurney, 14th Earl of Gurney, in the movie "The Ruling Class" (1972).

Answer: Sleuth

"Sleuth" is a 1972 British mystery thriller film starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, based on the 1970 play by Anthony Shaffer. "Sleuth" is about crime novelist, Andrew Wyke (Olivier), who invites his wife's lover, Milo Tindle (Caine), to his home to discuss a plan to rob his house, so he can avoid paying alimony when his wife leaves him for Tindle.

The plan appears auspicious until Andrew appears to murder Milo. Ironically, for the part of Don Corleone in the movie "The Godfather", it came down to a choice between Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando, with the part going ultimately to Brando, as did the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Answer: Best Original Song ("The Morning After")

"The Morning After" is a song written by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, for the movie "The Poseidon Adventure", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In the film, the character Nonnie Parry (Carol Lynley), who is the ship's singer, rehearses the song in preparation for the New Year's Day celebration.

The vocals were not performed by Carol Lynley instead a vocal double in Renee Armand was utilized. After the film's release, it was recorded by Maureen McGovern and became a number-one hit in the U.S. in 1973.

Answer: Ed O'Neill

Ed O'Neill, known for his roles as Al Bundy in "Married with Children" and Jay Pritchett in "Modern Family", was the Georgia Highway Patrol Officer in the movie "Deliverance". "Deliverance" is a 1972 film starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their film debuts. "Deliverance" was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2008.

Answer: Best Supporting Actress: Eileen Heckart

"Butterflies Are Free" is a 1972 American comedy-drama film based on the play by Leonard Gershe, starring Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert and Eileen Heckart. Eileen was born in 1919 and worked in the film industry for over 50 years, prior to her death in 2001.

In the movie "Butterflies Are Free", Eileen Hechart portrayed the overprotective mother of Don Baker (Edward Albert), a blind man, for which she won her only Academy Award. Eileen portrayed this character on Broadway prior to playing it in the film.

Answer: Cybill Shepherd and Charles Grodin

"The Heartbreak Kid" is a 1972 romantic comedy film starring Charles Grodin, Jeannie Berlin, Eddie Albert, Doris Roberts and Cybill Shepherd. Cybill Shepherd played Kelly Corcoran, a college girl who seduces Lenny Cantrow, played by Charles Grodin. It was remade in 2007 as "The Heartbreak Kid" starring Ben Stiller and Malin Akerman.

Answer: The Candidate

"The Candidate" was written by Jeremy Larner, a speechwriter for Senator Eugene J. McCarthy during his 1968 presidential bid. Robert Redford plays Bill McKay, who is selected as the Democratic Candidate to oppose California U.S. Senator Crocker Jarmon (Don Porter). With no prospects of winning the election, McKay's campaign appears innocent and unsophisticated with regards to politics. With a humiliating defeat predicted, Bill McKay enlists the aid of his father, former governor John J. McKay (Melvyn Douglas). "The Candidate" remains one of the best election comedy-dramas, rated alongside the 1957 movie "A Face in the Crowd" and 1976 movie "All the President's Men".

Answer: Diana Ross

Diana Ross in her film debut portrayed Billie Holiday. Diana Ross received critical acclamation for emulating Billie Holiday's vocals blended with her own unique style. Alongside a cast including Billy Dee Williams, Virginia Capers, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, Yvonne Fair, and Scatman Crothers, Diana Ross received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the movie. Due to her success, Motown released a soundtrack of the movie featuring Ross' recordings of Billie Holiday songs, titled "Lady Sings the Blues".

The album went to number one on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Charts in 1973.