Cheesy Movies of 1981 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Cannonball Run

All they were missing to make this movie perfect were the Three Stooges...oh yes, and perhaps a clever orangutan pal for Burt Reynolds. Somehow, this movie made $20 million at the box office. Perhaps it was all the members of the cast and their friends and family who went to see it, three times each?

On an interesting side note, this was only Jackie Chan's second American film after 1980's 'The Big Brawl'.

Answer: Dudley Moore

Wow, only in the early 80s would drunkenness be so charmingly depicted in film. It was a long road from 'Arthur' to 'Leaving Las Vegas'. Dudley Moore really is delightful in this film that rather shows its age, particularly in regards to the Christopher Cross ballad that serves as its theme song. Reports are that the sequel, 'Arthur II' would have had Dudley Moore playing a happy-go-lucky coke fiend, but that simply would have been in bad taste!

Answer: Charles Grodin

As a child I watched in awe as old school Hollywood special effects maven Ray Harryhausen brought classic mythical creatures such as Medusa and Cerberus to life before my very eyes! Now I get a good chuckle when I watch this film in re-runs. Special effects have come a long way, obviously, but one still enjoys indulging oneself in the stop-motion model animation first made famous in 1933's 'King Kong' (a film which inspired Harryhausen).

By the way, how did they possibly get Laurence Olivier to appear in this film?

Answer: Joan Crawford

Not a time goes by when I watch Joan Crawford in one of her films that my mind doesn't immediately wander to memories of 'Mommie Dearest'. Faye Dunaway did such a magnificent job portraying Joan Crawford, and all she had to show for it in the end was a 'Worst Actress' Razzie Award. Humbug, her acting was wonderful in the film, if not entirely over-the-top. Ironically, in an interview before she passed away, Joan Crawford actually suggested that she would want Faye Dunaway to play her in a movie biography...well, she got her wish!

Answer: John Derek

Unless you happen to be a diehard fan of Bo Derek, 'Tarzan, the Ape Man' is one of those very few, rare films that virtually has no merits at all of which to speak. Ah, but John Derek wasn't done. He had the gall to make not one, not two, but three more movies starring his trophy wife. Speaking of said trophy wife, she won a Worst Actress Razzie for this film, and went on to win three more, including 'Worst Actress of the Decade' for the 1980s!

Answer: Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr's role in 'Caveman' was so easy, even he could do it. Alongside Ringo were actors Dennis Quaid and Shelley Long in performances they probably would rather forget. Richard Moll of 'Night Court' fame also makes an appearance in the movie as the Abominable Snowman, not a huge stretch from his Bull Shannon character!

By the way, did you know that Ringo Starr won an Oscar. Oh no, not for this film...he won a 'Best Music, Original Song Score' Oscar for 1970's 'Let It Be'.

Answer: Gay

In yet another of 1981's film travesties, George Hamilton plays the lead character in the film 'Zorro, the Gay Blade'. Actually, Hamilton plays two characters, the very heterosexual Don Diego Vega who, in order to fight for justice, becomes the hero Zorro, and Don Diego's rather flamboyant brother Bunny Wigglesworth (name changed from Ramon Vega), who takes Don Diego's place after he sprains his ankle. Hilarity ensues as all of the gay stereotypes are amply touched upon!

Answer: Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin is extremely talented, and her performance in this film exceeds all expectations, but she could not completely mask the cheesy props and special effects. Ah, but that's what makes the early 1980s great. Since the film occurred before the special effects revolution, viewers (such as myself) didn't know the difference! We were just glad to be there...

Answer: Condorman

Directed by Charles Jarrott, 'Condorman' was an excellent film for 10-year olds in 1981, but upon further review it gets a 15-yard penalty for excessive cheesiness. It's premise, that a comic book illustrator is recruited by a CIA buddy to make an exchange with a Soviet spy, and who later helps rescue her by becoming a superhero, is simply too ridiculous to fathom! If you were one of those that actually watched this movie in the theaters during its original release, as I was, give yourself a pat on the back. You survived!

Answer: Endless Love

In the continuing effort to exploit Brooke Shields' youthful beauty, she was thrust into the role of Jade Butterfield in Zeffirelli's 'Endless Love'. The film is most notable for two things unrelated to the actual story; first, the annoying Oscar-nominated duet by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, also entitled 'Endless Love', and secondly, a slew of first film appearances by future Hollywood stars, including Tom Cruise and James Spader. It should also be noted that after this film (and the equally cheesy 1979 film remake of 'The Champ'), Zeffirelli was out of Hollywood for nearly a decade...doing penance for his film missteps!

Thank you for trying this quiz, I hope you have enjoyed it.