Great Movie Exchanges 17 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Miracle Worker

In this scene Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) is reporting to Kate Keller (Inga Swenson) about her progress at breaking blind and deaf young Helen Keller (Patty Duke) of years of uncorrected bad habits. Annie says line one and a surprised Mrs. Keller asks line two. Annie adds, "The room's a wreck, but her napkin is folded." For years Helen had been permitted to wander around the dinner table and help herself by hand from everybody's plate and Annie was determined to break her of this. The confrontation between the two was a battle royal, but Annie won. "The Miracle Worker" tells the true story of how 20-year-old Annie Sullivan was hired by the Keller family, just after the U.S. Civil War, as a last resort to teach their young daughter Helen how to communicate and live civilly. The Kellers were at wits end about what to do with Helen and Annie's success probably saved Helen from being sent to an asylum.

In the 1963 Academy Awards "The Miracle Worker" won two Oscars, including Anne Bancroft for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Patty Duke for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. It was also nominated in three other categories that it did not win. Years later (1979), in an American TV production of "The Miracle Worker", Patty Duke played Annie Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert played Helen Keller. The real life Helen Keller went on to become the first blind and deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (from Radcliffe College). She traveled the world (including meeting King George and Queen Mary at Buckingham Palace in England in 1931), was a prolific author and campaigned for women's suffrage and workers' rights.

Answer: Tom Jones

In this scene 18th century London resident Miss Western (Edith Evans) is visiting her country farmer brother, Squire Western (Hugh Griffith), and speaks to him from a second-floor balcony. She considers him an uncouth country bumpkin. He considers her a pretentious citified busybody. She says line one and he replies with line two. She also says, "Brother, as I am here to stay awhile I shall sign a peace treaty with you." This hilarious comedy tells the story of Tom Jones (played as a young adult by a young Albert Finney), a child of unknown parentage who is raised as a gentleman in 18th century England. "Tom Jones" is based on English author Henry Fielding's classic 1749 novel "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" and is one of my all-time favorites (the version with Albert Finney, Susannah York, and Hugh Griffith).

In the 1964 Academy Awards "Tom Jones" won four Oscars, including Best Picture. Albert Finney, Hugh Griffith, Diane Cilento, Edith Evans and Joyce Redman were all nominated for Oscars but didn't win. In my opinion Hugh Griffith should have won for Best Supporting Actor (Melvyn Douglas actually did for his role in "Hud.") According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies the scene where Squire Western's horse fell on him after he handed his drink to Squire Allworthy (Tom's benefactor) was not planned. He apparently was drunk most of the time (including for this shoot), and that apparently saved him from injury. I did not realize until reading the cast credits that Blifil (the son of Squire Allworthy's widowed sister Bridget) was played by David Warner, at the beginning of his acting career. He is perhaps best known for playing Spicer Lovejoy (Cal's right-hand man) in the 1997 movie "Titanic."

Answer: The Hustler

In this scene pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) meets Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason), who is acknowledged to be the best pool player in the country. Eddie is anxious to play Fats and thinks he can beat him. Fats says line one and Eddie replies with line two. After a few hours of playing, Eddie is winning but professional gambler Bert Gordon (George C. Scott), who is watching the match, says to Fats, "Stay with this kid. He's a loser." There are quite a few thought-provoking scenes in this movie discussing the relative importance of talent vs. character in winning. In case you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it for you by revealing the outcome!

In the 1962 Academy Awards, "The Hustler" won two Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture, but lost to "West Side Story." Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott, Piper Laurie and director Robert Rossen were all nominated for awards but didn't win. Real-life boxer Jake LaMotta (the subject of Martin Scorsese's movie "Raging Bull") has a minor role in "The Hustler" as a bartender. Paul Newman reprised the role of "Fast Eddie" Felson in the 1986 movie "The Color of Money," but this time he was the teacher and Tom Cruise played the talented but cocky newcomer.

Answer: Chicago

In this scene 1920's vaudeville star Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is being sworn in by a court bailiff in the murder trial of Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger), a wannabe vaudeville star who has killed her lover after finding out he has lied to her and was never going to make her famous. The court bailiff asks line one and Velma replies with line two. Hart is represented by hotshot defense lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), who compares the Chicago brand of justice in the 1920s to entertainment (one of the movie's taglines is "With the right song and dance, you can get away with murder"). In another telling scene Flynn says, "Would you please tell the audience... er ... the jury what happened?"

In the 2003 Academy Awards "Chicago" won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Catherine Zeta-Jones for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Renée Zellweger, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly and director Rob Marshall were also nominated for awards but didn't win. Catherine Zeta-Jones was originally asked to play Roxie Hart, but she preferred to play Velma Kelly so she could sing the song "All That Jazz." "Chicago" was the fourth movie where Richard Gere wound up with a role John Travolta had turned down. The other three were "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982), "American Gigolo" (1980), and "Days of Heaven" (1978). The movie "Chicago" was based on a popular stage play of the same name, which was loosely based on two actual 1924 murder trials in Chicago. The original play was written by a reporter for the Chicago Tribune newspaper (the Mary Sunshine character played by Christine Baranski in the movie) based on newspaper columns she wrote.

Answer: Saving Private Ryan

In this scene Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his squad of soldiers have finally located Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) and have informed him that all three of his brothers have just been killed in action. Their orders are to find Private Ryan and bring him back so he can be sent home away from the fighting. However, he chooses instead to stay with his company, trying to hold a bridge behind enemy lines. When Captain Miller asks him line one, Private Ryan replies with line two.

In the 1999 Academy Awards "Saving Private Ryan" won five Oscars and was nominated for six more, including Best Picture. Best Picture that year was won by "Shakespeare in Love." This movie was based on the true story of the Niland brothers. One was killed on D-Day while in the 82nd Airborne, one was killed on Utah Beach with the 4th Infantry Division, and a third was reported killed that same week in Burma (but later turned up alive). Mrs. Niland received all three death notification telegrams on the same day. The fourth son was serving with the 101st Airborne and was ordered pulled out of the front lines, but couldn't be found. He survived anyway.

Answer: A Bridge Too Far

In this scene British Major General Robert Urquhart (Sean Connery) has just experienced the Murphy's Law that maintains, "If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong." He is part of Operation Market Garden, an ambitious (but failed) attempt by the Allies to end World War II in Europe quickly. The plan was to use airborne paratroopers to secure three bridges behind German lines and then link up with a ground thrust by the British 30 Corp, allowing easy access over the Rhine River into Germany. General Urquhart's part of the plan was to lead the British First Airborne Division in capturing the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem, the Netherlands. However, Allied bombing released inmates from an insane asylum, who laughed at Urquhart's troops, jeeps that were supposed to arrive never did, and the radios had the wrong crystals and were useless. A frustrated General Urquhart says line one and Corporal Hancock (Colin Farrell) replies with line two.

This movie won several minor awards in 1977 and 1978, but no Oscars. There were 13 Oscar-winners associated with this movie, but none earned their Academy Awards for this one (although it was very entertaining if you like war movies). One of the great rivalries of World War II was British General Bernard Montgomery vs. American General George S. Patton, Jr., and this was one that Montgomery lost. The Market Garden plan was his, and General Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower, overall commander of the Allied forces in Europe, reluctantly accepted it. This movie was based on the novel of the same name by Cornelius Ryan. His other big World War II book (also made into a movie) was "The Longest Day."

Answer: Lawrence of Arabia

In this scene British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia, played by Peter O'Toole), the eccentric British officer in World War I who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks, is attempting to convince the various Arab tribes to unite into one big army and cross the Nafud Desert to attack the port city of Aqaba from the rear. The Turks' artillery pieces are intended to defend against a sea attack and cannot be turned inland. He insightfully sizes up an important Arab leader (Anthony Quinn) and says line one. When Auda realizes Lawrence has said the right thing to make him agree, he replies with line two. This movie is based on a true story.

In the 1963 Academy Awards, "Lawrence of Arabia" won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Both Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif were nominated for Oscars, but neither won. This is one of those movies that should be seen on a wide screen to be fully appreciated. The desert vistas filmed by director David Lean are breathtaking in their beauty.

Answer: Braveheart

In this scene 13th-century English Lord Bottoms (Rupert Vansittart) is confronted by Scottish commoner Morrison (Tommy Flanagan), after Lord Bottoms is taken prisoner by the forces of William Wallace, a.k.a. Braveheart (Mel Gibson). Morrison asks line one (referring to the rape of his new bride on his wedding night by Lord Bottoms) and a scared Lord Bottoms replies with line two. When Lord Bottoms says it was his "right," he was referring to the detestable right of prima noctae (letting the local administrators of England's tyrannical King Edward I (sometimes called Longshanks, played by Patrick McGoohan) have first rights on a new bride's wedding night. The king had proposed this law after saying, "The trouble with Scotland is that it's full of Scots." "Braveheart" tells the mostly true story of William Wallace, a commoner (although one source says he was a Scottish lord) who unites 13th-century Scotland in its battle to overthrow English rule (although documentation about the details is sketchy, at best).

In the 1996 Academy Awards, "Braveheart" won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mel Gibson. The sketchy historical details allowed the screenwriter to create several of the scenes in this movie. For example, Braveheart is shown in the movie as having a relationship with Prince Edward's wife, Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau). In actuality, daughters of European monarchs were not given the title "Princess" until later in history. Also, she was wed to Edward II in 1308, three years after Wallace was executed in 1305.

Answer: Summer of '42

In this scene young teenager Hermie (Gary Grimes) has carried a bag of groceries for young war bride, Dorothy (Jennifer O'Neill), from the village to her Nantucket Island cottage. She invites him to stay for a cup of coffee and then adds line one. Hermie, trying to sound more adult, responds with line two. This movie tells the mostly true story of Hermie and two of his friends in one memorable summer on Nantucket Island. He is smitten when he first sees Dorothy and then is devastated when her husband is killed in World War II. There are two especially wonderful quotes from this movie, with the first at the very beginning: "Nothing from that first day I saw her, and nothing that has happened to me since, has ever been as frightening and as confusing. For no person I've ever known has ever done more to make me feel more sure, more insecure, more important, and less significant." At the very end Hermie is reminiscing about the adventures he and his pals have had that summer and about the young war widow Dorothy: "I would never see her again. Nor would I learn what became of her." I've seen this movie several times and this scene still chokes me up.

In the 1972 Academy Awards "Summer of '42" was nominated for four Oscars, but only won one (for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score). The book author and screenplay writer (Herman Raucher) tells how Dorothy contacted him later in life in a very informative interview. Search for "Herman Raucher" interview and choose TCPalm in the results.

Answer: The Sting

In this scene (the final scene in the movie) con men Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) and a crew assembled by them have successfully pulled off an elaborate con against gangster Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Gondorff asks Hooker with line one about waiting for his share of the proceeds, but Hooker knows himself and replies with line two. Besides, he is immensely satisfied at getting revenge for the death of his former partner Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones), whose killing was ordered by Lonnegan. There is a wonderful surprise ending, which I won't reveal in case you haven't seen it!

In the 1974 Academy Awards "The Sting" won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. The 1969 movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was the only other feature film Paul Newman and Robert Redford made together. Although the two actors had hoped to co-star in a third movie (most likely an adaptation of "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson), Newman's advanced age made that unlikely. Newman died 9-26-08 at age 83. Much of the music in "The Sting" is ragtime written by African-American composer Scott Joplin around the beginning of the 20th century (with musical adaptations for this movie by Marvin Hamlisch).