Grand Finale Trivia Quiz

Answer: Something's Got To Give

When Marilyn Monroe passed away, she was in the middle of filming "Something's Got To Give". This comedic movie centered around a female photographer who was mistakenly declared dead after being lost at sea. The role of her newly remarried husband was played by the multi-talented Dean Martin.

She had trouble with remembering her lines and an ongoing problem with sinusitis during the filming of this movie. After her death, the movie was scrapped. In 1999, a two hour documentary titled "Marilyn: The Final Days" included 37 minutes of film footage from this movie.

It is available to the public on DVD.

Answer: River Phoenix

Although it was not the last movie released, "The Thing Called Love" was the last movie that River Phoenix starred in before he died on Halloween night, in 1993, at the age of 23. His short film career also included "Running on Empty" for which he received both a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

His next to last movie, "Silent Tongue", was not released until 1994 but it was actually filmed before "The Thing Called Love".

Answer: Giant

Before his untimely death James Dean appeared in a total of seven movies, but was credited in only three. His skill as an actor was apparent and that combined with his early death in a car accident catapulted him to legendary status. His final role was in the movie "Giant" for which he became the first person to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination. "Giant" was a cinematic drama centered around a Texas ranch where James Dean played to role of a handyman.

Much of the movie was about the early days of the oil industry and the blatant racist attitudes of many Texans against those of Mexican ancestry.

Answer: Wagons East

John Candy was a well-known comedy actor who shot to movie fame with his movie "Stripes". He died in his sleep at the age of 43, of a heart attack, while filming "Wagons East", in Mexico. The movie was about a ragged group of misfits who realized that going to the wild west was a mistake and decided to go back east.

This was the last movie that John Candy starred in, but it was not his last movie to be released. That honor went to "Canadian Bacon", which was also filmed in 1996.

Answer: Bruce Lee

This was Bruce Lee's last movie. The movie was set in Hong Kong and was the first Chinese martial arts movie to have been produced by a major Hollywood studio. While it featured Lee's martial art skills, it also explored the underworld of drugs and prostitution prevalent at that time in Hong Kong.

It was released in Hong Kong, six days after the star's untimely death. It should be noted that in this movie, martial arts actor Jackie Chan played a character that had his neck broken by Bruce Lee's character but it was not, by any means, Chan's last movie.

Answer: False

Julia's last movie was "Street Fighter" released in 1994. This martial arts movie featured a multi-cultural cast that included Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chinese Actress Ming Na and Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The movie was based on a video game of the same name. Raul Julia was an extremely talented actor who was able to play in comedy, drama, and action films, in a broad variety of roles. Weakened by a bad case of food poisoning, Raul Julia died at the age of 54, from complications from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Answer: David Carradine

The correct answer is David Carradine. The other choices are members of his family, long known in the movie industry. While the movie "Stretch" was reportedly completed using a body double and some editing, it was never released to the American public.

The martial arts movie was being filmed in Bangkok, Thailand. Very little information about the movie is available. David Carradine was known for his roles in such movies as "Lone Wolf McQuade", and "Kill Bill" volumes one and two. In 1997 he was awarded a star on Hollywood's famous "Walk of Fame".

In 1976 he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie in the movie "Bound For Glory".

Answer: Neighbors

"Neighbors" was released in 1981, just four months before Belushi died in a motel room of a drug overdose, at the age of 33. The movie was about the perceived dullness of suburban American life. It was not a box-office hit, possibly because many fans were expecting a comedy more along the lines of his earlier hits "The Blues Brother" and "Animal House".

Answer: On Golden Pond

"On Golden Pond" was Fonda's last film. It was also the only movie for which he won an Academy Award. The movie focused on an elderly couple learning to live together in retirement and their relationship with their daughter and her fiance. Jane Fonda, who played the role of the engaged daughter, claimed that the relationship between the father and daughter in this movie was very similar to her real life relationship with her father.

The always invincible Katherine Hepburn played the wife and mother.

Answer: The Shootist

"The Shootist" was John Wayne's final movie. He portrayed a gunfighter dying of cancer. Many people mistakenly believe that John Wayne had cancer while filming this movie. Actually, he was in remission. He died three years after this movie came out. The movie featured clips from some of his earlier movies, in effect making the movie a slightly biographical statement about a group of characters all portrayed by the "Duke", as he was often called.

A wonderful surrounding cast included, Richard Boone, Lauren Bacall, Jimmy Stewart, Ron Howard and Harry Morgan.