Night After Night Trivia Quiz

Answer: It Happened One Night

Frank Capra's 1934 film was the first to win five Academy Awards at the seventh Academy Awards. It captured Best Direction (Capra), Best Screenplay (Robert Riskin), Best Actor and Actress (Gable and Claudette Colbert) and the most coveted prize--Best Picture. There is a scene where Gable tries to teach Colbert how to hitchhike but no one stops. Colbert decides to flash a leg and gets them a ride. The director wanted a 'body model' but Colbert in anger demanded to do it herself.

It was one of the last so-called 'pre-code' genre. The term 'pre-code' refers to films that ran from the the beginning of the sound era to about 1935 when the Hays Office began to lay its heavy hand on film censorship.

Answer: A Night at the Opera

"A Night at the Opera"(1935) was a changing point in the Marx Brothers' careers. Because they had changed studios from Paramount to MGM, the executives thought that their previous films were too anarchic and sought to make them more audience appealing. Zeppo had left the act and was replaced by Allan Jones as romantic lead in this film. The singing and romantic interludes of Jones and Kitty Carlisle make a thin plot. The film is mainly a vehicle for the Marx Brothers' comedy.

The most memorable scene is when the brothers and dozens of other people are packed into a ship's cabin.

The most memorable exchange is:

Chico: "Hey, wait, wait. What does this say here, this thing here?"
Groucho: "Oh, that? Oh, that's the usual clause that's in every contract. That just says, uh, it says, uh, if any of the parties participating in this contract are shown not to be in their right mind, the entire agreement is automatically nullified"
Chico: "Well, I don't know..."
Groucho: "It's all right. That's, that's in every contract. That's, that's what they call a sanity clause".
Chico: "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You can't fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause".

Answer: Good Night and Good Luck

George Clooney wrote, directed, and acted in this 2005 film that earned five Academy Award nominations. It was filmed in black and white to preserve the mood of the times. David Strathairn played Murrow. Archive footage of Roy Cohn and Joseph McCarthy was used rather than actors. "Good night and good luck" were Murrow's closing words on his broadcasts.

The film focused on the issues surrounding CBS in challenging a powerful political leader.

Answer: A Night to Remember

The film was made to accurately depict the event as it was believed to have happened on the Titanic in 1912. The cast was mainly English character actors. Not as splashy as "Titanic" in 1997 but makes an interesting contrast to the high priced actors and millions spent on special effects. "Titanic" was a more romanticised adaptation. You won't find Leonardo DiCaprio but you might find Sean Connery in an uncredited role.

Answer: Mr. Saturday Night

Critics were a little harsh on Crystal. The main point was that by trying to show both the good and bad in Buddy Young Jr., audiences didn't know whether to love him or hate him. David Paymer, who played Buddy's brother, was nominated by both Golden Globe and Academy Awards for his performance but was edged out in both by Gene Hackman for "Unforgiven".

Answer: Mother Night

Nick Nolte starred in this film. A number of character actors had sometimes brief roles such as Alan Arkin, John Goodman, David Strathairn, and Kirsten Dunst. Kurt Vonnegut makes a cameo appearance as an old man. Vonnegut had this to say about the moral of the film: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."

Answer: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Berendt's book expands to beyond the central theme to include a brilliant survey of tales and characters of Savannah. This made a cohesive adaptation difficult. By combining characters and rearranging time sequences it came to film. One harsh critic said that Eastwood had managed to change a piece of gold into lead. Eastwood used real people from the book to play themselves in the film. Lady Chablis steals every seen she/he is in.

Aside: My wife and I had read the book. We borrowed a library copy of the book on tape and listened to it on the way to Savannah. We were able to find many of the areas mentioned in the book and even had a chance to meet Emma Kelly, the Lady of a Thousand Songs, and she signed our copy of the book.

Answer: Night of the Hunter

Initial reviews of the film were negative which discouraged Laughton from further directing attempts. James Agee wrote the script. But in those intervening years, it has gained status and is often included on best film lists. Part of the problem is that the style was borrowed from German films of the late silent era and 1930s which called for surrealistic setting, strange shadows, and oblique camera angles which were not looked upon as artistic by critics and audiences at that time. Small details such as Mitchum having 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles, enhance the atmosphere.

Answer: Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven created the 'Nightmare' series in 1984. Since that time there have been an extended series of 'Nightmare' films. The premise remains that Freddy Krueger attacks teens in their sleep and if he kills them, they are dead in real life also. Depp appeared only the initial film.

Answer: Boogie Nights

Paul Thomas Anderson both wrote and directed the film which was an expansion on one of his short stories. Some might have been put off by the theme of the film but the movie is more about the business of pornography than scintillating sex.

Although it opened to mild reviews, it got critical praise as a fresh look in films earning a 92% from Rotten Tomatoes. The ensemble cast is remarkable. Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore were nominated for their supporting roles along with Anderson for screenplay. Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, Heather Graham and Philip Seymour Hoffman all make a contribution to the film but Alfred Molina's drug dealer, at least to me, is remarkable and most memorable. In total the film was nominated for 33 awards from various film groups, winning 15. Reynolds, Moore, and Anderson are most often mentioned.