Christmas in American Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edmund Gwenn

Gwenn won his only Oscar for a supporting role as Kris Kringle in the 1947 version of "Miracle on 34th Street". The leads were played by John Payne and Maureen O'Hara with Natalie Wood playing O'Hara's young daughter who doesn't believe in Santa. Gwenn grew a beard and gained 40 pounds to play the Santa role. He was nominated again for the 1950 movie "Mister 880" but did not win.

Answer: The Man Who Came to Dinner

Although "Since You Went Away" featured footage of a Christmas celebration near the end of the film, it was not primarily Christmas centered. In "The Bishop's Wife", Woolley portrayed an old history professor who is a friend of Bishop Braugham and his wife, who are depending on the Christmas spirit to increase donations from wealthy parishioners so the bishop can build a new cathedral.

In "The Man Who Came to Dinner", he played a self-centered radio personality and writer who is injured a few days before Christmas and has to spend the holiday at the home of an Ohio family where he interferes in everyone's life.

Answer: The Gift of the Magi

In this ironic story, Farley Granger and Jeanne Crain portray Jim and Della who are very poor and are agonizing over what to give each other for Christmas. Jim pawns his antique heirloom pocket watch to get money to buy Della decorative combs for her hair while she sells her hair to a wig maker so she can buy Jim an elegant fob for his watch.

Answer: Laurel and Hardy

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy both started careers in vaudeville. They made a few films in which both appeared, but did not work in the same scenes. However, movie producer/director Hal Roach teamed them up for the movie "Putting Pants on Philip" in 1927. Together, they made 107 shorts and feature movies.

Answer: a Cratchit daughter

June played Belinda Cratchit opposite her parents, Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, as Bob and Mrs. Cratchit. She went on to have minor roles in several other movies such as "Sergeant York" and "Meet Me in St. Louis" amongst others, but had a much more prolific career when television hit its stride.

Answer: Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

Judy sings this song to Margaret O'Brien who, as the youngest Smith family child Totie, is upset at having to leave St. Louis and her snow people when dad gets transferred to New York. The song is cold comfort, however, as Totie screams and rushes from the house and attacks the snow people since she can't take them with her. Martin and Blane were nominated for an Academy Award for "The Trolley Song" from the same movie.

Answer: Barbara Stanwyck

Stanwyck's character is in the process of getting married on Christmas eve when the rescued soldier (Dennis Morgan) arrives on her doorstep as part of a publicity stunt. However, she finds herself attracted to the handsome veteran much to the dismay of her fiance, John Sloane (Reginald Gardiner). Barbara made 85 movies in an almost 40 year career and was nominated four times for Academy Awards. Later, she had a successful career in television, winning three Emmy Awards.

Answer: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

Janie was played by Carol Coomes. When her father, George (James Stewart), comes home on Christmas eve upset over Uncle Billy having misplaced $8000 of the Savings and Loan's money, he verbally lashes out at her several times until she starts crying. Although hearing the same tune over and over would probably bug anyone out.

Answer: fruit

Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) lugs a huge basket of fruit to school. When he puts it on Miss Shields' (Tedde Moore) desk, he daydreams of her exaggeratedly pleased reaction.

Answer: Albert Finney

Finney began an acting career in Shakespearean theatre, then started acting in movies in 1960 with "The Entertainer." His broad acting style allowed him to take many roles from Daddy Warbucks in "Annie" (1982) to Winston Churchill in "The Gathering Storm" (2002). Between 1964 and 2001, he was nominated five times for Academy Awards.

It is rumored that he accepted a case of champagne as his only salary for appearing in the movie "The Duellists" in 1977.