Let's Give Movies Their Props Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Godfather

"The Godfather" is a powerful, award-winning 1972 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the book by Mario Puzo about the head of a mob dynasty and his 'family'. It opens with Don Vito Corleone hosting his daughter's wedding. The film shows how he rules the Italian-American, Sicilian mob with an iron hand, including making an offer which can't be refused, resulting in a horse's head in a producer's bed.

But he is getting on in years and decides to appoint a successor, which leads to wars in different locales between the crime families all trying to win the power.

There is violence, murder, revenge and, finally, the next generation led by Michael Corleone.

Answer: The Terminator

It all started when a cyborg assassin created by Cyberdine Systems, The Terminator, was sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 in order to kill Sarah Connor. Kyle Reese is sent back to protect her and discloses the existence of Skynet, an artificial intelligence system that will cause a nuclear holocaust (what ever happened to 'the prime directive'?).

It seems Sarah Connor is the target since her unborn son becomes the leader of the battle against these forces. A wonderful science fiction film, it spawned several sequels, i.e. Schwarzenegger and his iconic sunglasses was right when he said his famous line "I'll be back!".

Answer: Easy Rider

"Easy Rider" came out in 1969 and was the prototype of many counter-cultural films which followed. Two motorcycle hippies (Peter Fonda as Wyatt and Dennis Hopper as Billy) complete a drug deal from Mexico to Southern California, and then proceed to travel cross-country to find both "the real America" and spiritual truth. Wyatt's chopper, "Captain America" with stars and stripes on it (and on the crash helmet), became a symbol for freedom and individuality. What the hippies found on their journey was both interesting and frightening, and also happened to include a very young Jack Nicholson in a small but memorable role.

Answer: The Sound of Music

"The hills are alive!" Uh oh! No, it's not a horror movie but a famous 1965 musical starring Julie Andrews (Maria) and Christopher Plummer (Captain von Trapp) about a singing nun (after "Dominique" in 1963) who becomes the guitar playing nanny of the von Trapp family in Austria during the Nazi uprising.

The story is based on the real life Von Trapp Family Singers, one of the best-known concert groups of the time. If you happened to be one of the few people who watched the 87th Academy Awards (2015), you would have seen Lady Gaga do a remarkable rendition of the score.

By the way, when this movie was first released, it totally bombed with the critics!

Answer: Misery

The 1990 film "Misery" was based on a 1987 Stephen King novel about writer Paul Sheldon, a car accident and a former nurse named Annie Wilkes, "his biggest fan". Directed by Rob Reiner, this movie is seriously horrifying. When Paul is 'rescued' by Annie, he is bedridden and has killed off his romance novel protagonist Misery Chastain so he can write more serious novels.

When Annie reads of Misery's death in "Misery's Child", the shackles and Annie's old typewriter come out and... let's just say there will be hell to pay! James Caan and Kathy Bates (who won for Best Actress) are so incredible in their roles that I forgot Lauren Bacall was also in this movie.

Answer: Back to the Future

Michael J. Fox is at his most adorable as the skateboarding, 17 year old Marty McFly, and Chistopher Lloyd at his looniest (since "Taxi") as Emmett 'Doc' Brown in this 1985 sci-fi comedy about time-traveling back 30 years from 1985 to 1955 in a DeLorean. Cultural differences between the time periods are explored; a paradox arises when Marty's mother falls in love with Marty (in his Calvin Klein underwear) and he has to enlist the aid of the 1955 Doc Brown (who has yet to build the DeLorean) to help his parents get together and help Marty get "back to the future".

A masterpiece of story-telling, this picture was the highest grossing film of 1985.

Answer: Young Frankenstein

In a quiz like this, how could a Mel Brooks' movie not be featured? With one of the quirkiest casts of all time, Gene Wilder stars as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, a neurosurgeon and grandson of the notorious Dr. Frankenstein. After inheriting grandpa's castle, Frederick, it seems, is doomed to repeat the original experiment with the help of Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn), Inga (Teri Garr) and the indomitable Igor (Marty Feldman), not to mention Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher (cue the neighing). The 'monster' (Peter Boyle before he loved Raymond) is created and winds up in top hat and tails "Puttin' on the Ritz".

The 1974 film was Brooks at his best!

Answer: The Shining

How could we overlook Jack Torrance and his stint at the Overlook Hotel? Based on Stephen King's novel, this 1980 Stanley Kubrick film is a masterful horror, suspense drama. Jack (played by Jack Nicholson) takes a job as winter caretaker of a Colorado hotel, planning on using the solitude to write, but gets far more than he bargained for.

The hotel was built on a Native American burial site and comes complete with a history, telepathic messages ('shining'), creepy twin girls, hallucinations and a host of ghosts; his son Danny and wife Wendy begin to fear for their lives when Jack breaks down the door with an ax shouting "Here's Johnny!" and screaming bloody redrum.

Answer: Raiders of the Lost Ark

The "Indiana Jones" franchise and the above props first appeared in George Lucas' 1981 film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" which introduced us to that adventure-seeking, hat wearing, snake fearing hero, Dr. Henry Walton 'Indiana' Jones, Jr., professor of archaeology, whose research is funded by Marshall College in Connecticut.

The movie was set in 1936 with Nazis as the antagonists (who better?) trying to recover the Ark of the Covenant, and Indy's challenges as he is determined to stop them... very complicated and very exciting.

In "AFI's Hundred Years" (2010), 'Indy' was ranked as "the second greatest film hero of all time" (no, James Bond was 3rd).

Answer: Deliverance

John Boorman directed "Deliverance" in 1972 based on a novel by James Dickey. The film starts out innocently enough with four city-dwelling friends deciding to get away from it all and go canoeing down a river in rural Georgia. On the way, they meet up with a mute inbred boy which leads to the wonderful duet "Dueling Banjos" and they experience the beauty of nature and the thrill of the rapids.

When Ed (Jon Voight) and Bobby (Ned Beatty) get separated from Lewis (Burt Reynolds) and Drew (Ronny Cox), they meet up with two mountain men carrying rifles. Ed and Bobby are rescued but the rest of their journey is a horrifying nightmare.