Is This Reel Real? Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Dueling Cavalier

"The Dueling Cavalier" is a period piece set in 18th century France. It is to be to the first talking picture released by Lockwood's studio, and there is a major problem: leading lady Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) has a voice that would scratch glass.

Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) comes up with the bright idea of turning the film into a musical and having Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) dub Lina's voice. Ironically, Reynolds herself was dubbed for several songs in the picture. They successfully turn "Dueling Cavalier" into a musical, expose Lina as a fraud, and launch Kathy as a big star.

"The Royal Rascal" is a silent picture starring Lockwood and Lamont shown early in "Singin' in the Rain".

"Singin' in the Rain" (1953) is generally regarded as the greatest film musical of all time, especially Gene Kelly's performance in the title song. It was one of the first films in the National Film Registry and is among the top 10 on the AFI 100 Best Films list.

"The Bold Caballero" (1936) is a real swashbuckler film starring Robert Livingston as Zorro. "The Crimson Pirate" (1952) stars Burt Lancaster as the title pirate.

Answer: Crash Course

Most of "The Exorcist" is taken up with the demonic possession of young Regan McNeil (Linda Blair). But at the start of the film, her mother is shooting a film in Washington DC on the campus of Georgetown University. Ellen Burstyn walks though the streets of Georgetown as "Tubular Bells" plays in the background.

In the "film within the film" universe, "Crash Course" is a Warner Brothers film being shot in California and Washington DC. Chris McNeil criticizes the film she is starring in as "kinda like the, uh, Walt Disney version of the Ho Chi Minh story". The scenes were actually shot on the campus of Georgetown University. The long flight of steps which was so pivotal in the final scene of "The Exorcist" is at Prospect Street and 36th.

There is an actual teen comedy called "Crash Course" (1988) about student drivers. It was made for television and directed by Oz Scott.

"Getting Straight" (1970) is a real student protest film starring Elliott Gould. "State of Siege" (1972) is a Costa Gavras film about insurgency in Latin America. "Halls of Anger" (1970) is about efforts to integrate an all-black inner city school.

Answer: Gandhi

"UHF" (1989) stars parody song artist Al Yankovic as George Newman, the manager of a struggling television station. He manages to revive the station with off the wall programming, including a children's clubhouse program starring Michael Richards. In a classic good guys vs bullies scenario, George manages to save the TV station.

One of the better parts of "UHF" is a series of film parodies. Yankovic stars as John Rambo and Indiana Jones. "Gandhi II" is an action film in which the Indian activist has renounced non-violence in favor of murder and mayhem. The trailer includes a "Shaft" like score in the background.

Answer: Angels with Filthy Souls

"Angels With Filthy Souls" is a spoof on pretty much every gangster film made in the 1930s and 1940s. The film within the film stars Ralph Foody as Johnny and Michael Guido as Snakes. Johnny double crosses Snakes in a criminal enterprise. It closes with the line, "Keep the change, you filthy animal." The role was somewhat out of keeping for Foody, as he often played a cop.

The film appears as an important plot point when Kevin orders a pizza delivered to his house and when he uses the film to scare away Marvin, the wet bandit.

"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992) features the sequel "Angels With Even Filthier Souls". Foody reappears as Johnny. The film features the line, "Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal."

"The Ventilator", "Fly Bait" and "Muttville Massacre" are the VHS tapes that can be seen atop the machine in "Home Alone 2".

Answer: Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis

"The Player" (1992) stars Tim Robbins as Griffin Mill, a Hollywood producer who murders a screenwriter. "Habeus Corpus" is a screenplay pitched by writers played by Dean Stockwell and Richard E Grant. They pitch a film that Mill is certain is a dead solid loser, and he hopes to use it to sabotage the career of a rival. At the end, Mill "saves" the picture by casting Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis, two of the 1990s biggest box office stars, and Willis rescues Roberts from the gas chamber.

Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner filmed "The Bodyguard" in 1992. Rene Russo and Mel Gibson filmed "Lethal Weapon 3" in 1992. And Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, married at the time, appeared in "Far and Away" (1992).

Answer: Jack Slater

In one of the most meta films ever made, Schwarzenegger plays himself as an action hero named Jack Slater. In a classic film trope, Austin O'Brian enters the cinematic world, where Schwarzenegger's character points out the surreal nature of the film universe. It allows Arnold to make fun of his film persona and includes lots of inside jokes and fun cameos, including a trailer in which Schwarzenegger stars in an action thriller version of "Hamlet".

The fictional films in "Last Action Hero" are "Jack Slater III" and "Jack Slater IV". It concludes at the premiere for the fourth film.

Schwarzenegger played Matrix in "Commando" (1985), Kimble in "Kindergarten Cop" (1990) and Kruger in "Eraser" (1996).

Answer: Chubby Rain

"Bowfinger" stars Steve Martin as a down and out filmmaker seeking to make a comeback with a low budget science fiction film about an extra-terrestrial invasion titled "Chubby Rain". Bowfinger secretly films A-list star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) hoping to splice him into the other footage. The film has funny takes on Hollywood actors and goofy cult religions.

"Bowfinger" closes with Martin and Murphy in a trailer for a phony kung-fu film called "Fake Purse Ninjas".

"Purple Rain" (1984) is the autobiographical rock film starring Prince. "Hard Rain" (1998) stars Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater in the tale of a botched robbery. "Black Rain" (1989) stars Michael Douglas as a police officer in Japan.

Answer: Purim

"For Your Consideration" is a send-up of the internal politics surrounding awards shows in Hollywood. The fictional film is called "Home for Purim" and is about a Jewish family in the 1940's South. The fictional family is portrayed by Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer and Parker Posey.

The plot begins when the actors are rumored to be contenders for Academy Award nominations. In classic Hollywood fashion, the studio producing the film declares it "too Jewish" and changes the title to "Home for Thanksgiving".

In a strange twist, O'Hara actually won the National Board of Review's Best Supporting Actress award for her performance as a washed up actress, and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Purim is generally celebrated in the spring and recalls how Esther saved the Jewish people from the Persian king Haman. It is marked by a celebration meal and reading of the book of Esther.

Answer: Nation's Pride

"Inglorious Basterds" is Quentin Tarantino's take on World War II films, starring Brad Pitt as the leader of a group of Jewish-American commandos. Their nemesis is a Jew hunting SS officer named Hans Landa. Cristoph Waltz won an Academy Award for playing the complex Nazi officer.

Much of the film centers around a Paris cinema owned by a young woman (Melanie Laurent) who survived an earlier massacre by Landa. As a propaganda effort, Joseph Goebbels is preparing a film about a German sniper who killed 250 allied soldiers. The film is called "Stolz Der Nation" ("Nation's Pride"). Pitt uses the film premiere to stage an attack which kills much of the German high command, including Hitler.

The film posters that Tarantino uses are authentic to 1930s German film advertising. The film within the film was shot by actor Eli Roth and his brother Gabriel over the course of three days. It's actual running time is 5 minutes, 30 seconds. The fake film includes a baby carriage nod to "Battleship Potemkin" (1925).

"Inglourious Basterds" was both a critical and commercial success, receiving numerous award nominations, appearing on many top ten lists and earning $120 million at the US box office.

Answer: Tugg Speedman

Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) was the star of "Simple Jack", a drama about a mentally challenged farm boy. The role was a major departure for Speedman, a former big budget action movie star whose career has stalled after a series of flops. Speedman joins the cast of the war drama "Tropic Thunder" in hopes of rebooting things.

"Tropic Thunder" is a things-fall-apart comedy about the making of one of the biggest film failures of all time. Matthew McConaughey plays Tugg Speedman's agent, and Tom Cruise is brilliant as Les Grossman, a foul-mouthed utterly ruthless Hollywood studio executive.

Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Junior) is an Australian method actor and five time Academy Award winner. Downey modeled him on Russell Crowe and Daniel Day-Lewis. Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) is a drug-addicted comedian known for low budget juvenile comedies. Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) is the novice actor, so he actually did his homework for his role in the war drama.

In another film within the film moment, Robert Downey Jr and Tobey Maguire filmed a trailer for "Satan's Alley", a period piece about gay priests.