"The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) Quiz

Answer: Boone City

The first of the veterans that we meet - Fred Derry - mentions the city in the first scene of the film, when he is trying to book a plane to Boone City. As Fred, Homer, and Al fly over the town, they also discuss Boone City by name. Director William Wyler based Boone City, which is fictional, on Cincinnati, Ohio.

Answer: at Butch's

When Homer, Fred, and Al share a cab from the airport, they pass Butch's bar. Butch is Homer's uncle, and Homer suggests that the three of them meet up there some time.

Answer: at a bank

Al had been a banker before WWII and as soon as he returns home, his boss at the bank, Mr. Milton, invites him back and gives him a promotion. He will now be in charge of administering loans to G.I.s. Initially, at least, Al is not enthusiastic about returning to the bank.

Answer: Marie Derry

Marie utters this line late in the film, just before she leaves her husband Fred because she considers him a failure. Since returning from the war, Fred has only been able to find work as a soda jerk, and then he loses that job. Ironically, Marie and Fred were married only a few weeks before he left for the war, so she hardly had time to give him "the best years of her life".

Answer: Homer and Wilma

This is a fun and touching scene. It's fun because the kids who sing at the wedding do so with great zest, and it's touching because Homer finally accepts that Wilma loves him and will always love him, despite the loss of his hands. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Fred and Peggy finally get together, too.

Answer: Harold Russell

The Academy was afraid that Harold Russell would not win the Best Supporting Oscar, so they awarded him an Honorary Oscar "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans". As it turned out though, members of the Academy did indeed vote the Supporting Actor award to Russell. In August of 1992, Russell sold one of his Oscars to pay for his wife's medical care.

Answer: standing outside Peggy's car

Before Fred and Peggy actually kiss, the viewer is well aware that they are attracted to each other; however, Fred is a married man. As we soon see though, he is not a happily married man.

Answer: keeping track of the number of drinks he's had

Milly uses her fork to keep track of Al's drinks by making marks on the tablecloth. As the film progresses, Milly is clearly concerned with Al's drinking. During this scene, she is also worried that he's going to embarrass himself and her by telling inappropriate stories.

In the end, though, Al declares his love for the bank, everyone claps enthusiastically, and Milly is greatly relieved.

Answer: He slugs a customer.

Homer actually becomes involved in an argument with a man at the lunch counter when the man tells Homer that he lost his hands in WWII for nothing, that America fought the wrong enemy. When Fred sees that Homer is about to get into a fight with the man, he leaps over the counter and slugs the man.

Answer: a sword

Al actually brought Rob both a Japanese Samurai sword and a flag. Unfortunately, Rob was not terribly interested in either. He was more interested in hearing about what his father had seen at Hiroshima.