Character-istics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jack Torrance

"The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick, was a 1980 film based on Stephen King's novel. It takes place at The Overlook, an isolated hotel in Colorado, where writer Jack Torrance has taken a position as caretaker. But Jack and his family may not be completely alone.

There seems to be an evil presence, and Jack's son Danny is having horrible psychic visions. With Jack having trouble writing anything coherent and finding "REDRUM" written on the mirror, the stay at this quiet hotel may be a little more than he bargained for. Jack starts having hallucinations, is unable to write and becomes violent i.e., "Here's Johnny"! Jack Nicholson starred as Jack Torrance.

Answer: Alex DeLarge

Alex was the protagonist of the 1971 film "A Clockwork Orange" based on the 1962 book by Anthony Burgess. It is set in a dystopian England of the future where young men like Alex and his Droogs spend time getting high at the Korova Milkbar and then go out looking for a "little of the old ultraviolence".

This includes violent beatings and rapes; in one scene Alex brutally beats a husband and makes him watch while he rapes his wife, all the while "Singin' in the Rain". He is finally arrested and winds up being subjected to behavior modification which teaches him to abhor violence.

The violator has now become the victim. Malcolm McDowell was Alex DeLarge.

Answer: Fran Kubelik

The versatile Shirley MacLaine portrays Miss Fran Kubelik, a pixie-faced, elfin, innocent-looking elevator operator in a high rise office building, in the 1960 romcom "The Apartment". The film stars Jack Lemmon as C.C. 'Bud' Baxter, whose boss, Mr. Sheldrake, uses Baxter's west side apartment for his extramarital affairs, one of whom happens to be Miss Kubelik, who naively believes Sheldrake is going to divorce his wife for her.

When she finds out the truth, she overdoses on sleeping pills, in Baxter's apartment! He helps her and, when he finally tells her he loves her, she responds with a smile and the words "Shut up and deal".

Answer: Marge Gunderson

The Coen Brothers directed the 1996 strange and wonderful black comedy crime drama which starred Frances MacDormand (wife of Joel Coen). MacDormand played upright Marge Gunderson, a Brainerd, Minnesota police chief who happens to be seven months pregnant.

She winds up investigating some homicides which resulted from a struggling car salesman hiring two criminals to kidnap his wife to get ransom money from her rich father. The criminals and all the collateral damage are dealt with, as Marge says to Lundegaard (the car salesman), "So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor... And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper...and for what? a little bit of money?"

Answer: Howard Beale

"Network" is a satirical black comedy from 1976, with a brilliant screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky. It sheds light on the TV industry, particularly the producers. Howard Beale is a veteran news anchorman who finds out he is being downsized; he goes nuts and threatens to kill himself on the air.

As Beale says "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!". Instead of suicide, he rants and raves on television; this results in a huge ratings boost and prompts the producer to develop some outrageous programming ideas. Peter Finch won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of Howard Beale.

Answer: Boo Radley

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is based on Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It tells the story of town lawyer Atticus Finch and his two young children living in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Wonderfully written and acted, it gives us a view of small town Southern life and the smoldering racism that lies very close to the surface. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut as Arthur 'Boo' Radley, a mysterious recluse and neighbor of the Finches, who is spied on by the children. We are led to believe that Boo is creepy but, as time goes on, we see him leaving carvings for the kids and, eventually, becoming their savior.

Answer: Alvy Singer

"Annie Hall" is a 1977 Woody Allen film which won an Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year. Diane Keaton (whose real name happens to be Diane Hall) plays struggling nightclub singer Annie, opposite the comedian Alvy "Max" Singer, played by (who else?) Woody Allen. Alvy breaks the fourth wall to try to understand why his relationship with Annie failed.

He tells Annie about his first wife who gave him no pleasure, and his second wife who couldn't reach orgasm. His quirky relationship with Annie seems to be working, that is, until they break up. Alvy tries to understand the nature of love, reunites with Annie (over a spider)...but, unfortunately, it doesn't last.

Answer: Maggie Fitzgerald

Another Best Picture Academy Award went to the 2004 film "Million Dollar Baby", directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Eastwood plays Frankie Dunn, a veteran fight trainer. One day Dunn is approached at his L.A. gym by Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a waitress from the Ozarks, who announces that she needs a trainer. Frankie basically says 'no way'. Eventually though, Maggie wears him down and, with help, becomes very successful.

She winds up with a million dollar title fight. Maggie has a shaky start but begins to dominate, when a sucker punch leads to a tragic ending.

Answer: Will Kane

"High Noon" (1952) is the story of former marshal Will Kane who is getting married and planning to leave the small town of Hadleyville, New Mexico to start a new life. Ah, but he hears that Frank Miller, the criminal Kane put away, has been set free and is coming to the town to seek revenge. (dun, dun, dun...) Kane tries to round up some deputies to assist him, but he finds there are no heroes in Hadleyville, and he must face Miller and his gang alone. Gary Cooper plays Will Kane with stoic bravery.

Answer: Chuck Noland

In "Cast Away" (2000), Tom Hanks plays hard-driving, by-the-book FedEx executive Chuck Noland who is on his way to Malaysia for business when his plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean. The only survivor of the flight, Chuck is washed ashore on a deserted island.

His attempts to get back to civilization fail and he must learn how to survive on his own, e.g., in one great scene he learns how to 'make fire' and in another scene he has to deal with a toothache with an ice skate. He is stranded for years, alone with only his handmade volleyball friend, which he names Wilson...and he begins to learn what is really important!