Gentleman's Agreement Trivia Quiz

Answer: Laura Z. Hobson

Laura Z. Hobson was born with the last name Zametkin in 1900 and in the 1930s she worked for the magazines "Time", "Life", and "Fortune". The novel "Gentleman's Agreement" sold more than 1.6 million copies and it held the number one spot on the New York Times bestsellers' list.

Her novels often focused on subjects that were considered taboo at the time such as radicalism and homosexuality.

Answer: California

In addition to discussing living in California and New York, the father and son also talk about Phil's wife who passed away when Tommy was four years old. After the serious discussion, Tommy tells his father that grandma feels that he is difficult to have around the house and that he is too picky and choosy.

Although it's not directly explained why they have moved to New York, I'd assume that it is because of better work opportunities in New York.

Answer: Atlas

Having seen the statue of Atlas personally, it is a marvel to behold, weighing in at 7,000 kilograms and standing 45 feet tall from its base. The statue depicts the Greek Titan Atlas holding up the heavens on his shoulders. In mythological contexts Atlas incurred this punishment from Zeus after he sided with his fellow Titans in the war against the Olympians.

In the film "Gentleman's Agreement" the statue of Atlas seems to be a reminder to all of us to not take on all of the world's problems at once or it will weigh us down.

Answer: John Minify

In starting his research on antisemitism, Phil decided to change his name from Green to Greenberg and write about his experiences to determine if he received any prejudices and disparate treatment. The cast of "Gentleman's Agreement" included Gregory Peck as Philip Schuyler Green, Dorothy McGuire as Kathy Lacey, Anne Revere as Mrs. Green, John Garfield as Dave Goldman, and Celeste Holm as Anne Dettrey.

The film was nominated for four acting Academy Awards of which there was one winner, Celeste Holm as Best Supporting Actress.

The character John Minify is a suave magazine editor who seems to have courted Philip Green from California in the hopes of having him in his employment and as a possible companion to his niece Kathy.

Answer: He had a hard time explaining antisemitism to his son.

At the dinner table with his mother and son, Phil told them that he was doing a story on antisemitism and naturally his son Tommy asked him what that was. In explaining, Phil discussed how different religions have different churches and beliefs, similar to how nations have different flags.

However, he could not explain exactly why people hate others, and particularly those of the Jewish faith, to his son. Later, after telling his mother that the topic had been covered before his mother encouraged him, he notes that it hasn't been covered well enough or it wouldn't be this hard to discuss.

This conversation with his family prompted Phil to want to dive deeper into the underlying causes and effects of antisemitism and eventually it prompted him to determine that the best way to understand the topic would be to become a Jew himself.

Answer: One is signed Schuyler Green and the other Philip Greenberg.

As he expects, the letters that are signed Schuyler Green receive a much more favorable response than those that are signed Philip Greenberg. In the United States discrimination in hiring practices and disparate work treatment prompted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Answer: False

Unfortunately Kathy's sister, Jane, asks if Phil could "skip the whole thing for the party". When told this, Kathy does not stand up for Phil's work and instead tells her sister that she'll ask Phil if this is acceptable. Understandably this angers Phil and shows another level of antisemitism that Kathy probably didn't realize at the surface.

Answer: Restricted

Instead of keeping their reservation, Phil visits the Flume Inn so that he can get the satisfaction of catching them in their discriminatory practices. After greeting with the clerk at the Flume Inn Phil asks if they are 'restricted' and the clerk unsure of how to respond gets a supervisor. Sadly the supervisor asks him if he is of the Hebrew faith and eventually the representative lies to Phil, telling him that there are no rooms available at the hotel.

Answer: Gentleman's Agreement

In the discussion the 'gentleman's agreement' is that when you buy a home in a certain area there is an expectation about what kind of people will be in that area. Unfortunately this type of thinking pervaded in many areas for many years and it necessitated anti-discriminatory legislation to allow people of all faiths, ethnic backgrounds, and gender to be able to have equal access to housing in areas they desired.

Answer: Speak up and take action against religious injustices

Kathy's revelation occurs after she discusses how a man made an antisemitic joke at a dinner and how it angers her but that she, and no one else at the table, confronted him about it. The movie ends with Kathy and Phil optimistic that they are of the same mind about confronting prejudices and their good Jewish friend Dave telling them he has bought a home in the New York City area.