Movie Quotes Trivia Quiz

Answer: White Heat

Only James Cagney could put over a line like this and make it believable! Cody Jarrett (Cagney) is a gangster with an Oedipal complex. In "White Heat" (1949) in between 'heists', he is devoted to his mother. While robbing a train, he kills a man 'on the side of the law' and when he is captured, the authorities plant an undercover agent, Hank, in his cell. Cody learns that his mother has died and, sure enough, Cody 'breaks out' (no, not acne) of prison, and takes Hank with him. Cody, who has always been troubled by severe headaches, plans a payroll heist on a chemical plant. Well, things don't go so well and, surrounded by flames, Cody says "Made it Ma! Top of the world."

Answer: Sunset Boulevard

"Sunset Boulevard" (1950) is an oft-quoted film about an aging silent film star, Norma Desmond, trying to make a comeback to the 'big time' through 'hack' writer Joe Gillis (who, by the way, is dead at the beginning of the movie). Norma is played by Gloria Swanson who was...an aging film star! Among Norma's famous comments: "All right, Mr. DeMille. I'm ready for my close-up" as she sees herself becoming famous once again. Before that, though, she complains to Joe, "I AM big.

It's the pictures that got small" - one of the greatest movie quotes of all time (IMHO)!

Answer: Casablanca

Were you aware that Rick Blaine, with six famous quotes to his name, makes "Casablanca" (1942) one of the most quoted films of all time? The setting is Rick's cafe in Morocco in the early days of World War II. There he comes across an 'old flame' (I guess because she was 'hot') Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) with her husband, Nazi and rebel fighter Victor Laszlo.

The Germans are on Victor's tail (this is so 1940s) and Ilsa wants Rick to help Victor get out of the country. Well, 'as time goes by', Rick does help him get on a plane and tells Ilsa if she doesn't get on the plane, she'll regret it ("maybe not now...").

It ends with Rick talking to Captain Renault, saying the above.

Answer: The Maltese Falcon

Ahhh! 'Film noir'...murder with a kick in the pants. "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) was the prize to which Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) was referring. All the elements are there: the hard-nosed detective, the beautiful but mysterious woman, murder (of Sam's partner) and some great villians (like Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet), all searching for the bejeweled statue know as the Maltese Falcon. With twists and turns, it's 'film noir' at its best!

Answer: Love Story

Based on Erich Segal's novel, "Love Story" came out in 1970. The story was about two people from two different worlds falling in love (sound familiar?). Anyway, Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O'Neal), a wealthy Harvard law student meets middle-class Jenny Cavilleri (Ali McGraw) who is attending Radcliffe College, and they fall in love.

Despite the objections of Oliver's father, they get married and Oliver finds a job at a legal firm in NYC. So, you might say, where's the tragedy? They find out that Jennifer has a terminal illness.

She tells Oliver "love means never having to say you're sorry"; sappy but sad.

Answer: The Shawshank Redemption

In 1994 one of my favorite movies was released, "The Shawshank Redemption". The film was based on a novella by Stephen King called "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is found guilty and sentenced to jail in a tough prison for a crime he didn't commit.

In jail he meets a 'lifer' named Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding and they become close friends, despite the violence and brutality going on around them. One day they are sitting and talking in the yard. Andy talks about getting away to a beautiful place in Mexico when Red says that he has been 'institutionalized' and doesn't think he could make it 'outside'. That's when Andy says the statement above.

Answer: Sudden Impact

Most everyone has heard the quote "Go ahead, make my day" which is said by Harry Callahan; however, this quote comes from the 1983 movie "Sudden Impact", NOT "Dirty Harry"! It seems that San Francisco cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood, in case someone out there didn't know) has been given a 'forced' vacation due to his overuse of force. Harry gets involved with a murder case involving Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke, who was Clint's girlfriend at the time), an unpunished crime, revenge and violence.

Answer: Midnight Cowboy

"Midnight Cowboy" is a 1969 movie from James Leo Herlihy's novel of the same name. In 1970, the film was the first X-rated movie to ever win an Academy Award. It stars Jon Voight as the naive 'country boy', Joe Buck, who comes to New York City to be a 'hustler'. Dustin Hoffman is 'Ratso' Rizzo, the city con-artist who steals Joe's money; but, strangely, the meeting evolves into a friendship. Ratso is crossing a NYC street when a taxicab almost hits him; this is when he yells to the driver "I'm walking here." The two finally wind up on a bus to Miami, in this totally poignant and unforgettable film.

Answer: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The rest of the quote is "We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!". These lines were spoken by 'Gold Hat' played by Alfonso Bedoya (now THAT'S a trivia question!), in the 1948 movie "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre". The film stars Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt and Walter Huston, and was directed by Walter's son, John Huston. The plot shows the men in Mexico headed for the Sierra Mountains to look for gold. While they do discover treasure, they also encounter ruthless bandits and their own greed.

Answer: Animal Crackers

The quote is pure Groucho Marx. He uttered this line in the 1930 movie "Animal Crackers", as African explorer Captain Jeffrey Spaulding. During a party in Captain Spaulding's honor at the stately mansion of society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont), a painting goes missing and the zaniness begins.

The movie featured the four Marx Brothers, i.e., Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo. There are a number of great quotes, e.g., "Africa is God's country - and He can have it!". One of the songs from the film was "Hooray for Captain Spaulding", which became Groucho's theme song on "You Bet Your Life".