Black and White Classics! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Radiation poisoning

Bigelow has been poisoned and he only has a few days to live. He spends the rest of his life in a thrilling search for his killers, who he is finally able to bring to vigilante justice. Rudolph Maté directed this lesser-known classic, with Ernest Laszlo providing the cinematography. Dimitri Tiomkin provides the score to this underrated thriller that is a must see!

Answer: Jimmy Stewart

Henry Fonda plays Gil Carter, who with his friend Art Croft (Harry Morgan of 'M*A*S*H' fame) ride into a town where a terrible injustice is about to take place, with three innocent men lynched for a crime they did not commit. Dana Andrews and Anthony Quinn play two of the innocent men, and Jane Darwell is one of the fierce leaders of the lynch mob. Worth a look!

Answer: Out of the Past

'Out of the Past' features Mitchum at his best as Jeff Bailey, a man who believes he has escaped from his past. Unfortunately, his past catches up with him in the form of Kirk Douglas, the man who hired Bailey (real name Markham) to hunt down his wayward wife. The whole thing is thrilling and fascinating, with Mitchum in control till the very end.

Answer: Joan Crawford

Though Crawford won an Oscar the year before for the film 'Mildred Pierce', this performance is my personal favorite of hers. Combine this with an excellent supporting cast that features Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks and, especially, Van Heflin, and you have an overlooked classic!

Answer: John Ford

'My Darling Clementine' is my all-time favorite telling of the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Fonda is terrific as Wyatt Earp, and Victor Mature gives one of his best performances as Doc Holliday. Add Walter Brennan, Tim Holt, Linda Darnell, Jane Darwell, and Ward Bond, and you have another one for the ages from John Ford.

Answer: China

Though he is a mercenary, he's a mercenary with a heart, attempting to avoid having the guns fall into the wrong hands. Cooper is, as always, fun to watch, and his supporting cast is enjoyable too, especially Akim Tamiroff as the title character, General Yang. Also keep an eye out for an insidious William Frawley (later of 'I Love Lucy').

Answer: Blonde Venus

My personal favorite Dietrich film, 'Blonde Venus' features the famous dancing scene with Dietrich in a gorilla suit. Sounds unreal? You'll have to check it out for yourself! Herbert Marshall and Cary Grant are there to support Ms. Dietrich in this film, and do so with verve. Young Dickie Moore, the kid who gave Shirley Temple her first big screen kiss, plays Dietrich's darling child.

Answer: Jackie Cooper

Jackie Cooper, who was honored in that same year with a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the film 'Skippy', held his own playing opposite the loveable lug Wallace Beery, who ended up winning the Oscar that year for 'The Champ'. Rarely have an adult-child acting pair caused audiences to emote quite so much!

Answer: John Huston

Not only did Walter Huston happily emerge from the film with an acting Oscar, John Huston also came away with an Oscar, two actually, one for directing and one for screenplay. Huston deservedly won his Oscar for his pinpoint performance, but the other actors in the film are equally excellent, especially Bogart in, perhaps, his most fearsome role.

Answer: Cody Jarrett

Cagney is stunning in 'White Heat'. In fact, in one of the prison scenes his performance turned the heads of surprised extras who were not fully prepared for the extent of his lavish performance. I must give credit to some of the supporting cast as well, the lovely and cold-blooded Virginia Mayo, the precise and always underrated Edmund O'Brien, and, most importantly, Margaret Wycherly, who comes across as a stunningly ruthless Ma Barker-like figure playing Jarrett's mom.