Unknown Things about "The Birdcage" Quiz

Answer: To allow for improvisation

Directed by Mike Nichols, the 1996 movie "The Birdcage" had many of its scenes shot twice for two reasons. The first was to follow the script of the screenplay, which was written by Elaine May and based on the work "La Cage aux Folles" by Jean Poiret.

The second was to allow for the hilarious improvisation that occurred between Robin Williams (playing Armand Goldman), Nathan Lane (playing the delightful Albert Goldman, his marriage partner), and the other cast members during the shooting of the movie - and which subsequently appeared in various scenes of the movie. Robin Williams was always extraordinarily skilled at this ability in all his comedic roles, frequently leaving his co-stars in stitches.

Answer: His grandmother

Hank Azaria plays the overwhelmingly gay housekeeper, Agador Spartacus, to the Goldmans. He is from Guatemala originally, with a very thick accent that is hard to decipher, and is hoping to get into acting. He usually gets around in outfits such as tiny thongs to the horror of the Goldman's straight son, Val (played by Dan Futterman).

When forced to dress in subdued clothing - with shoes he never normally wears - for the visit of the far right Senator Kevin Keeley (played to perfection by Gene Hackman) and his family, he constantly trips over his feet.

He also wrecks the preparation of the conservative dinner he tries to prepare for the visit. Hank Azaria realised a short way into the shooting of "The Birdcage" that he subconsciously based the accent he had created for his character on that of his real life grandmother, who was a Spanish Jewish woman from Greece.

Answer: Steve Martin

Robin Williams had not been the first choice to play the somewhat subdued character (comparatively speaking) Armand Goldman for "The Birdcage". That role was earmarked for actor Steve Martin instead, but scheduling conflicts saw Martin having to withdraw from the part.

Instead, and to the eternal gratitude of movie goers everywhere, the multi-talented Robin Williams scored the role in his place.

Answer: Albert Goldman

When casting roles were offered for "The Birdcage" the ever versatile Robin Williams was given first choice to play the delightful Albert (eventually played by Nathan Lane). Albert is not only Armand's life time partner, he is the flamboyant and very lovable star of Armand's drag club "The Birdcage" in Miami. Williams had all the right qualifications for the role, that's for certain.

It called for a multi-talented actor who could sing, dance and portray a wide range of emotions - a piece of cake for Williams. Nathan Lane handled it with aplomb instead, helped along in the role by coaching advice from Williams. Together it was an unbeatable combination.

The reason Williams turned down the role of Albert was that he had recently played the hilarious role of the female housekeeper in the 1993 film "Mrs Doubtfire", and wanted to play the lesser flamboyant role of Armand in "The Birdcage" as a contrast.

Answer: No

Calista in fact had appeared in half a dozen movies prior to her role in "The Birdcage", had three television roles to her credit as well, and was also a more than accomplished stage actress. She learned her trade at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1988.

In "The Birdcage", Calista plays the role of Barbara Keeley, the somewhat emaciated but rather feisty daughter of the very conservative, and ultimately very bewildered, Senator Kevin Keeley. Barbara, and Armand's straight son, Val (Armand's offspring from his one straight relationship years ago), have fallen in love and want to be married - but first they have to introduce Val's colourful family members to the Senator, while attempting to disguise the fact that they are all gay. Calista's role called for that of a girl not quite 18, which she pulls off beautifully, but in real life, this charming actress was aged 31 at the time the movie was shot.

Answer: Robin Williams tripped over

This accident takes place when Armand and Val and Agador Spartacus are all stressed out of the brains during the early hours of meeting Senator Kevin Keeley's family. Everything has gone wrong so far, as they try to portray a perfectly normal, sexually straight family environment for the right wing Senator.

In frustration, the profusely perspiring Armand ("I'm sweating like some farm animal!"), dressed in a hot business suit and tie, ends up in the kitchen where, to steady his nerves, he takes a large swig out of a bottle of middle class values family wine.

Unfortunately, during the shooting of that scene, Robin Williams tripped over and fell flat on his face. This was not written into the script, but retained in the film because the other cast members in the scene kept right on acting without breaking character - except for one brief moment where Hank Azaria can be seen cracking up.

Answer: The girl from Grover's Corner

This scene is too funny for words. Albert wanted to originally meet the Keeleys as himself, but dressed in a dark business suit and not his usually flamboyant attire. However, when he dresses for the part, he still looks impossibly gay right down to his pink socks ("Well, one does want a hint of colour after all"). After realising that Armand and Val don't want him there, he retires, hurt, to his room - not knowing that Armand has organised for Val's real mother (played by Christine Baranski) to attend the dinner. Before she eventually arrives however, Albert, now over his huff, and because he is used to dressing in various female costumes during his career on stage, emerges from the bedroom dressed as the very epitome of middle class respectability and middle-aged female suitability - and playing Val's mother. It's incredibly funny, but he does save the day. For the time being.

Armand and Val are then forced to play along. Armand refers to Albert as "Mother", and describes her to the Keeleys as "the girl from Grover's Corner" (a reference of course to the town in Thornton Wilder's work "Our Town"). However, because Armand is so anxious to reinforce the fact that "Mother" is the ideal housewife and parent, he goes overboard. The result is that the Senator begins to think Armand is patronising her, and he grows annoyed with Armand on her behalf. His wife, Louise, in the meantime (played perfectly by Dianne Wiest) begins to cry because she think the Senator prefers "Mother" to her.

Answer: Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush (born 8 June, 1925) is the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush (born 12 June, 1924) and was First Lady of the States from 1989 until 1993. Once you see images of Mrs Bush in her later years, and then compare them to the characterisation that Albert gives to his idea of Val's real mother, you'll have to laugh.

He has it down perfectly, from the grey and perfectly coiffured hairstyle, to the strand of pearls that Mrs Bush is almost always wearing around her neck in her vast array of photographs.

Answer: Betty White on steroids

A very funny quip, and amazingly accurate when you see Gene Hackman in his character of Senator Keeley, who is forced to dress up in drag in order to escape the pursuing press in this excellent movie. His hair style is most definitely that of the lovely Betty White's in her later years. And at six foot two in real life, Gene Hackman was almost a foot taller than the height of the diminutive Betty in her younger days.

Answer: The director Mike Nichols

When Armand decides initially to introduce Albert as his friend in "The Birdcage", but still hiding the fact that they were both gay, he tries to teach Albert to act more like a man. This is an extremely funny scene, and includes Armand attempting to teach Albert to walk like a man, talk like a man, and "schmear" his toast like a man (Albert in distress: "I pierced the toast!").

It ends with Armand being punched by somebody he insults, and Albert assuring Armand that he was very brave and manly. During the shooting of this scene, particularly the "schmearing" section, the director Mike Nichols kept roaring with laughter.

They finally had to put a blanket over his head so Robin Williams and Nathan Lane weren't distracted.