The Natural Trivia Quiz

Answer: He made it himself.

Roy made his bat himself from a tree near his boyhood home, after lightning struck the tree and split it in half. It was the same tree under which Roy's father had died earlier in the movie. Roy carved the word "Wonderboy" into the bat as well as a lightning bolt. Rain and lightning were continuous themes throughout the movie.

Answer: Bartholomew

Bump's first name was revealed on a memorial plaque, dedicated after Bump's untimely death. Bump died in a head-on collision with the outfield wall. Pop Fisher told Bump the day before he died that he was on the verge of losing his right-field position to Roy Hobbs because Bump wasn't playing well. He died, ironically enough, hustling after a long fly ball.

Answer: Philadelphia Phillies

This was Hobbs' first major league at bat. Pop Fisher told him to "rip the cover off the ball" as Hobbs left the dugout. Philadelphia's coaches, with "Phillies" emblazoned on the front of their jerseys, stormed out of the dugout to protest the play.

The Phillies were established in Philadelphia in 1883 and recently became the first major league sports franchise to chalk up 10,000 losses.

Answer: Max Mercy

Max Mercy was a newspaper writer who covered the New York Knights. Mercy appeared in two different eras of the movie. The first was when Roy struck out The Whammer (obviously based on Babe Ruth) at a county fair. The second was when Roy came up with the Knights, at which time Mercy was still a sportswriter. Duvall was best known for his role of Tom Hagen in the "Godfather" movies, but he has appeared in other sports movies, including "Days of Thunder", as a NASCAR Crew Chief, and "A Shot at Glory", as a soccer coach.

Answer: False

"The Natural" was adapted from the 1952 novel of the same name. It has been speculated that the novel borrowed a great deal from the medieval stories of Sir Percival and King Arthur. Phil Dusenberry wrote the screenplay. Dusenberry's other writing credits include 1973's "Hail".

Answer: The author of the novel on which The Natural is based

Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel served as the basis for the screenplay. Malamud was a Jewish-born writer whose most famous novel was "The Fixer" in 1966.

Answer: Scotty Carson

Scotty Carson does not appear on-screen in the movie, but his voice can be heard during a phone conversation between Carson and The Judge. The Judge (who was the majority owner of the Knights) called Scotty Carson after Hobbs "ripped the cover off the ball". Carson told The Judge that Hobbs was a nobody and a joke. Sam Seymour was Rob Lowe's character on The West Wing. Cap Anson was a former major league star at the turn of the 20th century. Bobby Gaines is completely made up.

Answer: Joe Don Baker

Roy Hobbs struck out The Whammer, played by Baker at a county fair early in the movie. Joe Don Baker has starred in numerous films throughout the past, including one of my favorite comedies, "Fletch". He was born in Groesbeck, Texas in 1936 and graduated from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in Denton, Texas in 1958.

Answer: Tuberculosis

This scene was an important moment in the film. It kick-started the sequence of events that led to Hobbs becoming an every day player for the Knights. In the middle of the therapist's speech, Hobbs walked out of the team meeting to the displeasure of Pop Fisher.

This happened the day before Pop Fisher told Hobbs he was being demoted to the minor leagues. Hobbs and Fisher had a screaming match after which Fisher told Hobbs to be at batting practice the next day. During that batting practice, Hobbs hit numerous home runs in a row and impressed the coaches.

Answer: False

She was nominated, but did not win. Peggy Ashcroft won for her role in "A Passage to India". Also nominated that year were Christine Lahti ("Swing Shift"), Lindsay Crouse ("Places in the Heart"), and Geraldine Page ("The Pope of Greenwich Village").

As of 2007, Glenn Close has been nominated for four other Oscars, including for "Fatal Attraction", "Dangerous Liaisons", "The Big Chill", and "The World According to Garp". She did not win the Oscar for her roles in any of these films.