An Oldies 'Who Played Who'? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Michael Caine

Caine was Lieut. Gonville Bromhead VC, one of the defenders of Rorke's Drift, in 'Zulu' (1964) and Lt. Col. J.O.E. (Joe) Vandeleur of the Irish Guards in 'A Bridge Too Far' (1977). He played Palmer, a character created by Len Deighton, in several films, including 'The Ipcress File' (1965). More recent films include 'The Cider House Rules' and 'Little Voice'.

Answer: Anthony Hopkins

Hopkins played Frost in 'A Bridge Too Far' and Treves in 'The Elephant Man' (1980). The different doctor alluded to is, of course, Hannibal Lecter in 'Silence of the Lambs' (1991) and 'Red Dragon' (2002).

Answer: Charles Bronson

Sadly, Charles Bronson (born Buchinski) passed away in August 2003. He played Bernardo, who was 'adopted' by some of the children of the village the seven were hired to protect in 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960). The claustrophobic Danny was the 'Tunnel King' in 1963's 'The Great Escape'. Kersey, the modern vigilante, made his first appearance in 'Death Wish' in 1974 and turned up in numerous sequels over the next twenty years.

Answer: Doris Day and Gordon MacRae

Marjorie and Bill sang the title songs, and many others, in 'On Moonlight Bay' (1951) and 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon' (1953). Of course, true love won through in the end, for them and for her parents after numerous trials and tribulations in a small town setting. 'Tea for Two' (1950) saw Nanette trying to win a bet so she could invest in boyfriend Jimmy's Broadway show.

Answer: Lee Marvin

In 'Paint Your Wagon' (1969), Marvin sang 'Wand'rin' Star', still one of my favourites, and as Rumson shared his wife with 'Pardner' Clint Eastwood. Reisman had the task of turning 'The Dirty Dozen' (1967) into an effective fighting force. Shellean and Strawn were pitted against each other in the comedy western 'Cat Ballou' (1965), which starred Jane Fonda in the title role.

Answer: Maggie Smith

In 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' (1969), Smith's character was an unconventional schoolmistress in 1930s Edinburgh who groomed her chosen girls to be just like her. Celia Johnson played the headmistress. 'Travels with My Aunt' (1972) was based on a novel by Graham Greene and directed by George Cukor. The 'Harry Potter' clue refers to her role as Professor McGonagall.

Answer: Humphrey Bogart

Cortez played Spade in the 1931 version of 'The Maltese Falcon', and Garner and Gould have both played Marlowe (in 'Marlowe' (1969) and 'The Long Goodbye' (1972) respectively) but only Bogey has played all of these roles. He was Rick in 'Casablanca' in 1942 and won an Oscar for his portrayal of Charlie Allnut in 'The African Queen' (1951). Ten years after Cortez, he played Spade in the better-known version of the 'The Maltese Falcon' and he was Marlowe in 'The Big Sleep' (1946), his second film with wife Lauren Bacall.

Answer: Humphrey Bogart

Perhaps you have guessed that I'm a Bogart fan? He got his big break playing Duke Mantee in 'The Petrified Forest' (1936) having previously only played small roles in the movies. The story goes that Leslie Howard refused to have anyone else in the film after he and Bogey had appeared together in the play on Broadway, and that Bogart named his daughter Leslie in Howard's honour. 'Mad Dog' Earle was a murderer on the run in 'High Sierra' (1941) and gold brings out the worst in Dobbs in 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' (1948).

Answer: James Stewart

In 'The Greatest Show on Earth' (1952), Buttons hid from the law behind his clown face. Towns was the pilot in 'The Flight of the Phoenix' (1965). When his aeroplane crashed in the desert even the surviving passengers were in danger. 'The F.B.I. Story' (1959) was told in reference to Hardesty's career as an F.B.I. agent, with family life intertwined.

Answer: Peter Finch

Finch won a posthumous Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Beale in 'Network' (1976). Langsdorff was the real-life captain of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee the pursuit of which by RN cruisers is the plot of 'The Battle of the River Plate' (1956, and also known as 'The Pursuit of the Graf Spee'). 'A Town Like Alice' (1956) is based on the first part of the novel by Nevil Shute about internees and prisoners of war in Malaya during World War II.