Sixties' Movies On Parade Trivia Quiz

Answer: A Thousand Clowns

"A Thousand Clowns" is the uproarious movie, released in 1965-66, that starred Jason Robards Jr. as Murray Burns, a former kiddie show gag-writer that hated the rat race and left it to live on unemployment with his precocious nephew, Nick, also known as "Chevrolet", "Big Sam", "Raphael Sabatini", Theodore", "Dr. Morris Fishbein", etc. This character is played by Barry Gordon, of "Pressure Point" and the TV show "Fish". "Irving R. Feldman" is the deli owner that makes "the best pastrami sandwich on Earth".

Some of the funniest scenes you'll ever see in a comedy movie are in this film, like Murray faking being mortally wounded when he's accused of being "maladjusted", or when he explains why he got out of kiddie show production after he started using affirmative phrases like "Gosh-o-gollies, you betcha!" in everyday speech.

The scene with Nick, Sandra and Albert (the two social workers sent to investigate Nick's living arrangement) and a statuette of a hula dancer is absolutely priceless! The two social workers are engaged to each other, but Murray manages to charm the woman, (Barbara Harris) away from her anal-retentive fiancé, played by William Daniels.

The movie handles the dichotomy of nonconformity and responsibility evenhandedly, and is a howler to boot. If you can find this movie either in a video store or a film retrospective, by all means, see it!

Answer: The 10th Victim

"The 10th Victim" was adapted as a timely movie satire from a novel called "The 7th Victim" by Robert Sheckley. The plot revolves around a worldwide game of cat and mouse where people literally try to kill each other on an alternating hunter/victim basis, working their way up to a million dollar prize as the survivor of ten hunts.

Director Elio Petri took Marcello Mastroanni, Ursula Andress and Elsa Martinelli and managed to make an entertaining, low budgeted movie that believably portrayed a fanciful future in a humorous, satirical fashion. The jazz score, by Piero Piccioni, and sung by a woman named "Mina", is pure Fellini and very catchy.

Answer: David and Lisa

"David and Lisa" was filmed in the suburbs of Philadelphia and also starred Howard De Silva, Janet Margolin and Karen Lynn Gorney. It involved the development and progress of a clutch of mildly disturbed adolescents in a floating group therapy session. Dullea and Margolin are excellent in it.

Answer: Veronica Cartwright

This horrific movie, which starred Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Jessica Tandy, along with Suzanne Pleshette, co-starred the young Veronica when she still bore a strong resemblance to her sister, Angela, familiar from "Make Room For Daddy". She played the little girl that had to be saved just as the birds are first collecting and swooping around the schoolyard.

Answer: Kentucky Fried Chicken

Just as Solo is about to be crushed by Oddjob after opting out of "Operation Grand Slam", Felix Leiter and his partner zoom past a KFC as they track what they think is 007's homing signal in Solo's jacket pocket, along with a note Bond hopes Felix will find. As far as I know, product placement only existed in Doris Day's comedies up until then.

Answer: True

In one of maybe three instances of a black actor being cast in a military role in post-war Hollywood up until that time, (Sidney Poitier and Woody Strode would be two others,) Jones played one of the bombardiers in this cold war comedy, a masterpiece for the late Stanley Kubrick.

Answer: Terence Stamp

"Modesty Blaise", based on the comic strip created by Peter O'Donnell, about an international thief and adventuress who eventually works for the side of the angels, was released in 1966 and starred Monica Vitti as Modesty, Stamp as Garvin and Dirk Bogarde as the villain Gabriel.

To call this movie "chic" would be an understatement, as it looks like it was produced and directed by the editorial staff of "Interview" and "Vogue" magazines. Vitti was a veteran of a few critically acclaimed movies by people like Michelangelo Antonioni, De Sica and others and Stamp and Bogarde had been in numerous British dramas and comedies.

It's a camp classic with a neat instrumental score and other excellent actors in co-starring roles, like Clive Revill and Harry Andrews.

Answer: Sandy Dennis

This film, based on the play by Edward Albee and directed by Mike Nichols, of Nichols and May, was a tour de force production for everybody 'but' Segal, oddly enough. It starred Elizabeth Taylor as Martha, Richard Burton as George, and Segal and Dennis as young newlyweds who are connected to a university in a small town in New England along with the older two.

Burton is a middle aged professor with tenure, Segal a young prof just starting out, Taylor is Burton's resentful, blowsy, middle aged wife and Dennis plays Honey, the innocent, very pregnant, nerdy new bride of Nick, Segal's character. Both she and Nick suffer a whole night of abuse and manipulation at the hands of the older couple. Burton, especially, chews the scenery like a piranha in this film, though Taylor and Dennis give him ample competition.

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

Franco Zeffirelli surprised everyone, even himself, probably, with the box office swag from this authentically staged take on the classic Shakespearean story of star-crossed lovers. Olivia Hussey, Leonard Whiting, Michael York and a brilliant John McEnery portray Juliet, Romeo, Tibalt and Mercutio respectively in this beautifully acted version that walks all over the poorly cast Leslie Howard/Norma Shearer rendition of the 30s.

McEnery practically owns the movie as the clowning, quipping Mercutio. Michael York, as Tibalt, spoke the above line after an embroglio at the beginning of the film. "Romeo & Juliet" is probably 'the' "quotemeister" among Shakespeare's plays. It is, like Hamlet, chock full of quotable lines!

Answer: I'll Take Sweden

Though "Call Me Bwana" showed Bob winding down, it was still head and shoulders above "I'll Take Sweden", which is hard to describe, it's so lame. It was probably more of a Frankie Avalon vehicle than a Hope movie, but Hope had top billing. Essentially a "Beach Blanket Bingo" type movie, sans Annette. Tuesday Weld was in this one, instead.

Answer: Linda and Clarisse

"Fahrenheit 451" is the story of a dystopic society that forbids the reading of the written word, especially books, in the near future. Christie plays both the air headed conformist wife of Guy Montag, played by Oskar Werner, and a lookalike rebellious schoolteacher who still defiantly reads books, memorizing her favorites for posterity in a cult that does the same. The two women are not related.

The original story was by Ray Bradbury, elder statesman of sci fi writing.

Answer: Burt Bacharach

Yes, the prolific Bacharach was all over the place in 60s' pop culture: a string of songs for Dionne Warwick and Jackie De Shannon, as well as Dusty Springfield, a Broadway show, ("Promises, Promises",) and the soundtrack for this zany farce, the first movie credited to and co-starring Woody Allen. Like he did with every long piece he scored, Bacharach couldn't resist putting a sampling of "Yakkety Sax" in this one, during the go-kart frenzy near the end of the film.

This sampling also appears in "Promises, Promises".

Answer: Douglas Trumbull

Douglas Trumbull was the genius that set a new standard for movie art direction with the landmark special effects for "2001", a movie that AMPAS woefully ignored at the 1969 Academy Awards. Until "Star Wars IV", every science fiction film that came after it paled by comparison. Trumbull also did the incredible fx for "Blade Runner" and was slumming when he did the same for Spielberg in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

His influence can be seen in the aforementioned "Star Wars" and also the "Alien" series. John Dykstra was one of his protégés.

Answer: Stella Stevens

Stella Stevens played the sex kitten-y Stella Purdy in one of the few movies worthy of note by this crazy comedian who was just a little too silly for his own good. This is a movie that Lewis both wrote 'and' directed! However, his portrayal of Buddy Love, the 'truly' obnoxious alter ego to the nerdy geek of a college professor who gets sick of being pushed around, is something to behold. Actually, it's pretty much a self-caricature of Lewis himself, in "Vegas" mode. It makes the movie, believe me!

Stella Stevens is one of the few famous blondes to have posed in "Playboy" who has survived to this day. Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Dorothy Stratten and others have all met very bad ends. Here's hoping her luck holds out!

Answer: Roy Kinnear

The late Roy Kinnear also starred in the original British version of "That Was The Week That Was", a topical, satirical TV program that was imported by NBC in the 64-65 season in the U.S. He became, after "Help!", Richard Lester's lone repertoire player in most of his films.