Great Movie Exchanges 25 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Help

In this scene Mississippi housewife Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain) sits down to eat fried chicken with her maid Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) and is enthralled at how good Minny's chicken is. Celia is a lousy cook who has hired Minny without her husband's knowledge (Minny has to arrive after 9:00 and leave before 4:00). Minny is an outstanding cook (her friends call her the best in the entire state) and she poses the question of won't Celia's husband get suspicious of the sudden improvement in the meals he is served? Celia sees the potential problem, and proposes a possible "solution" in line one. An indignant Minny replies with line two. "The Help" is set during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It tells the story of African-American maids in Jackson, Mississippi, the white families for whom they work and the indignities the maids have to put up with on an almost daily basis.

In the 2012 Academy Awards "The Help" was nominated for Best Picture, but that Oscar went to "The Artist". Octavia Spencer won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. Jessica Chastain (she played Celia Foote) was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role but that Oscar was won by her "The Help" co-star Octavia Spencer. Viola Davis (she played Aibileen Clark) was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role but that Oscar was won by Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady". Something I did not realize until researching this movie is that actress playing Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the daughter of actor/Oscar-winning director Ron Howard ("Happy Days", "A Beautiful Mind", "Apollo 13" and many other fine movies).

Answer: Argo

In this scene CIA operative Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is meeting with the CIA's contact in Hollywood, John Chambers (John Goodman). Mendez is discussing with Chambers a possible solution to the problem Mendez is trying to solve. He has been asked to devise a plan to rescue six American diplomats trapped at the Canadian embassy in revolutionary Iran. Creating a fake Canadian movie company as a cover that will visit Iran, ostensibly to scout possible exotic Iranian locales as movie backdrops, seems like a possible solution that might work. The six trapped American diplomats would then join Mendez's fake movie company in Iran (in fake movie production roles) and they would all exit Iran together. Chambers speaks lines one and three, and Mendez speaks line two. The title of this movie is the title of the fake movie the team eventually settles on (the science-fantasy adventure movie "Argo"). Chambers is a Hollywood prosthetics expert who has won an Oscar for his work on the movie "Planet of the Apes" (the 1968 original).

In the 2013 Academy Awards "Argo" won three Oscars, including Best Picture. Alan Arkin was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, but the Oscar was won by Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained". The fake movie "Argo" is named for the mythological Greek ship that Jason sailed in to retrieve the Golden Fleece (that story was told in the 1963 movie "Jason and the Argonauts"). This movie is based on a true story, although in the movie the Canadian effort by Ken Taylor, Canadian ambassador to Iran at the time, is misleadingly minimized.

Answer: Mrs. Doubtfire

In this scene, Mrs. Doubtfire (Robin Williams, playing Daniel Hillard dressed in drag as Mrs. Doubtfire) is in the kitchen of Miranda Hillard (Sally Field) while they are putting away grocery purchases. The conversation turns to Mrs. Doubtfire's late husband Winston, and when Miranda asks how Winston died, Mrs. Doubtfire replies with lines one and three. The movie "Mrs. Doubtfire" tells the story of Daniel Hillard and the lengths he goes to see his children. When he loses his job, his irresponsibility makes life impossible for his wife Miranda and she reluctantly decides to divorce him. A judge decrees that in order to help Daniel get his life in order, he can see his children just one day a week. He can't bear this, and when Miranda advertises for a housekeeper to help her, Daniel decides to don a disguise and apply for the job as a British nanny named Mrs. Doubtfire.

In the 1994 Academy Awards "Mrs. Doubtfire" won the Oscar for Best Makeup. It took Robin Williams about 4 1/2 hours each day to be made up as Mrs. Doubtfire. In the 1994 Golden Globes "Mrs. Doubtfire" won Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical and Robin Williams won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical. Future James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan plays Miranda Hillard's boyfriend Stu. Brosnan played James Bond in four movies: "GoldenEye" (1995), "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), "Die Another Day"(2002), and "The World Is Not Enough" (1999).

Answer: Risky Business

Miles is about to get more excitement than he bargained for! In this scene Chicago teenager Joel Goodson (Tom Cruise), his friend Miles (Curtis Armstrong) and call girl Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) are sitting in a Porsche belonging to Joel's father. Joel says line one, Lana says line two and Miles says line three. Joel and Miles have tracked down Lana in the hope of retrieving a crystal egg belonging to Joel's mother before his parents return from vacation. Lana's pimp Guido (Joe Pantoliano) thinks Joel has stolen Lana from him and taps on the car window with a gun. A high-speed automobile chase ensues, during which a sick-looking Miles has this great line: "I don't believe this! I've got a trig midterm tomorrow, and I'm being chased by Guido the killer pimp!" In this movie Chicago teenager Joel turns his home into a temporary brothel while his parents are on vacation. Call girl Lana describes their business model as: "If we could get our friends together, we'd make a fortune."

In the 1984 movie awards, "Risky Business" received no Academy Awards nominations. In the 1984 Golden Globes, Tom Cruise was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical, but that award was won by Michael Caine in "Educating Rita". Even though "Risky Business" won no major awards, it was the movie that made Tom Cruise a big star. I didn't realize this until looking at the full cast, but actor Sean Penn makes an uncredited cameo appearance in this movie (as the man sitting in the passenger seat as Joel first takes the Porsche for a drive). The cameo was his returning a favor to "Risky Business" director/writer Paul Brickman.

Answer: Speed

In this scene L.A.P.D. SWAT team Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) is assessing a potentially dangerous situation by asking bus passenger Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) about her skill at driving a city bus. An armed bad guy has just shot and badly wounded the regular bus driver Sam (Hawthorne James) and passenger Annie quickly jumped in to control the bus while it was moving. Officer Traven had previously jumped onto the bus while it was moving to warn the driver of a bomb on board that would explode if the bus' speed went below 50 mph or if any passengers were removed, but the bad guy thought Traven is there to arrest him (for some other crime). An armed standoff between the two of them looks like it would be resolved peaceably, but a bus passenger lunges at the bad guy and the shooting results. The bomb has been placed on board by disgruntled police explosives expert Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), who is attempting to collect the disability settlement he thinks he is due, by booby trapping the bus and demanding a ransom.

In the 1995 Academy Awards "Speed" won two Oscars and was nominated for a third. Thirteen different buses were used in filming the bus scenes, including one with special hydraulic suspension to allow cornering at high speeds, one with a camera platform on the front to allow filming the driver's face, and two that were blown up. The highway scenes were filmed on a California freeway that had just been completed but had not yet been opened to the public.

Answer: Enemy of the State

In this scene labor lawyer Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith) is receiving an explanation from his long-time but secretive information supplier Edward "Brill" Lyle (Gene Hackman) as to why he is being chased. Brill says lines one and three and Dean says line two. The cause of Dean's trouble ls an incriminating videotape that shows the assassination of US Congressman Phillip Hammersley (Jason Robards, uncredited) by the gang controlled by treacherous National Security Administration executive Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight). The tape had been made automatically by a conservationist who thought he was recording just some migratory wildlife, but when he looked at it he realized it also showed the assassination. When he is chased for it, he realizes the tape is causing him big trouble and he slips it surreptitiously to Dean.

"Enemy of the State" was not nominated for any Academy Awards in the 1999 ceremony, but it did win several minor awards that year. This fast-paced action thriller is one my favorite movies.

Answer: The King's Speech

In this scene King George VI (Colin Firth), his wife Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), their young daughters Princess Elizabeth (Freya Wilson) and Princess Margaret (Ramona Marquez) and Archbishop Cosmo Lang (Derek Jacobi) have just watched a newsreel movie of the king's coronation, followed by a short clip of Adolf Hitler giving an animated speech in German. After Princess Elizabeth watches Hitler's speech, she asks line one. King George VI answers her with line two. Hitler was regarded as a spellbinding and very effective speaker, and would practice his speeches and corresponding gestures for hours on end, often in front of a mirror. This movie tells the true story of how George VI was thrust into being the King of England when his brother Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry his mistress, Wallis Simpson. George VI had a bad stammer and dreaded public speaking, but he overcame that liability with the help of Lionel Logue, an Australian-born speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush).

In the 2011 Academy Awards "The King's Speech" won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Colin Firth for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Tom Hooper for Best Director. Geoffrey Rush was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role but the Oscar was won by Christian Bale in "The Fighter". Helena Bonham Carter (she played Queen Elizabeth) was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, but the Oscar was won by Melissa Leo in "The Fighter".

Historical note:
The bad stammer that George VI had is often attributed to the upbringing by his stern and autocratic father, King George V (played by Michael Gambon). Princess Elizabeth got the nickname "Lilibet" as a very young child when she couldn't pronounce her own name. She grew up to be Queen Elizabeth II, who became the queen of England in 1953 after the death of her father, King George VI.

Answer: Beverly Hills Cop

In this scene Beverly Hills Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil (Ronny Cox) is caught between a rock and a hard place! On one hand, he is appreciative of the job Detroit Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) has done in assisting B.H. officers Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Rosewood's partner, Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton), in investigating an art gallery Axel suspected as being a front for a drug ring. On the other hand, he has disobeyed his boss, who has ordered him to immediately escort Axel to the city limits and not allow him to do any further detective work in Beverly Hills. After a climatic gun battle at the mansion of head bad guy Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), Police Chief Hubbard (Stephen Elliott) appears at the battle scene and wants to know what happened. Lieutenant Bogomil makes up a story to explain Axel's involvement. A skeptical Police Chief Hubbard says line one, and a straight-faced Lieutenant Bogomil replies with line two. After Chief Hubbard leaves, Axel adds, "You were lying through your teeth!" with his trademark laugh.

In the 1985 Academy Awards, "Beverly Hills Cop" was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen but lost to "Places in the Heart". Many of the comic lines in this movie were improvised, and hundreds of takes were ruined by actors or the director himself who laughed during filming. I didn't realize until researching this movie that Lieutenant Bogomil is played by the same actor that played the guitar in "Deliverance" (the song "Dueling Banjos") in his first theatrical movie (Ronny Cox).

Answer: Papillon

In this scene a group of French prisoners, including Henri "Papillon" Charrière, are walking along city streets while being guarded by soldiers. They are headed to a ship that will take them to the harsh penal colony of St. Laurent in French Guiana in South America. Onlookers watch them move along, including a well-dressed woman friend of Charrière. She yells line one, but fellow prisoner Julot (a self-described "two-time loser") adds line two. Charrière got his nickname "Papillon" from the French word for butterfly (he had a large tattoo of a butterfly on his chest). The movie "Papillon", which stars Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, is based on the autobiography of the same name that Henri Charrière wrote. It told the supposedly-true story of how he almost died in St. Laurent, but after several failed attempts finally managed to escape. Although originally billed as a true story, the French in French Guiana claim that much of the story of Henri Charrière is fabricated. The real-life Papillon was 25 when he was sent to Devil's Island (although recent records refute this part of the story), and 35 when he made his final escape on a raft of coconuts. The book is now considered to be a "narrative novel", depicting a blending of the adventures of several of Charrière's fellow inmates. Regardless, it is a pretty entertaining movie (although some people may not like all the violence depicted).

In the 1974 Academy Awards "Papillon" was nominated for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (by Jerry Goldsmith), but that Oscar went to Marvin Hamlisch for "The Way We Were". In the 1974 Golden Globes Steve McQueen was nominated for Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama, but that award went to Al Pacino for "Serpico".

Historical note:
One of the film's co-scriptwriters (Dalton Trumbo) also has a small uncredited acting role at the beginning of the movie (as the St. Laurent Prison Commandant, who gives a speech to the newly-arrived prisoners). Trumbo was one of the Hollywood individuals who was blacklisted for a period as a result of the infamous communist witch hunt in the 1950s by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Alfred Dreyfus is the famous French prisoner who DID serve time on Devil's Island. He was falsely accused, and was finally freed after French writer Émile Zola wrote his article "J'Accuse" ("I accuse"), which accused the highest levels of the French Army of obstruction of justice and antisemitism by having wrongfully convicted Alfred Dreyfus. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine from the TV show "Seinfeld") is "very, very distantly" related to actor Richard Dreyfuss and French military officer Alfred Dreyfus.

Answer: The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming

In this scene five Russian sailors are saying this warning (in unison) to a young boy standing in a doorway on Gloucester Island, off the coast of New England. Even though Russian is their native language, they are saying line one in the English taught to them by Russian Lieutenant Rozanov (Alan Arkin). The astonished boy calls for his mother in line two. The Russians are in town to try to commandeer a motorboat. A Russian submarine captain (Theodore Bikel) trying to get a glimpse of America through the sub's periscope gets too close to land and runs aground. A motorboat is needed to pull the sub free and a landing party, headed by Lieutenant Rozanov, has come ashore to try to find one. Local residents and vacationers converge on the town center after hearing various versions of how the Russians have invaded their island and Deputy Sheriff Norman Jones (Jonathan Winters) tries to organize them. When this movie was released in 1966 the Cold War was very much a concern and the scenario depicted was both funny and serious.

In the 1967 Academy Awards, "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" was nominated in four categories, including Best Picture (but lost to "A Man for All Seasons") and Alan Arkin for Best Actor in a Leading Role (but the Oscar was won by Paul Scofield in "A Man for All Seasons"). I was especially interested to learn that after the release director Norman Jewison was invited to Moscow to show this movie. He reported that the Russian audiences were especially captivated by the scenes late in the movie showing the Russians and Americans cooperating to save the little boy who had fallen from the church bell tower. One sobering thing I read was a discussion of how today's children who have no knowledge of the Cold War might not get many of the jokes! "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" is one of my favorite movies.

Historical note:
In the movie, the Russians come ashore near the vacation home of comedy writer Walt Whittaker (played by real-life comedy writer Carl Reiner). In a series of skits starting in 1961, Carl's various interviews of the 2,000 year-old-man (played by Mel Brooks) are a riot! Carl is the father of actor/director Rob Reiner (Meathead in the TV show "All in the Family" and director of many fine movies).