What 1950s Movie Am I? Trivia Quiz

Answer: On the Waterfront

"On the Waterfront" starred Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning and Leif Erickson. It was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won eight, including Best Motion Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Marlon Brando). This movie is ranked number 13 on the American Film Institute's 10th Anniversary Edition "100 Years . . . 100 Movies".

The Oscar won by Marlon Brando was stolen but turned up years later in a London auction house. Marlon Brando had been using the Oscar as a door-stop.

Answer: The Bridge on the River Kwai

"Bridge on the River Kwai" starred Sir Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa and William Holden. It won seven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), Best Writing (Screenplay), Best Music, Best Film Editing and Best Cinematography. Sessue Hayakawa was nominated for an Oscar for Best supporting Actor, but did not win. The movie also won three BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards. On the American Film Institute's Anniversary Edition of "100 Years . . . 100 Movies", "Bridge on the River Kwai" is ranked number 36.

According to "Variety" "Bridge on the River Kwai" was the top moneymaking movie of 1958 taking $18 million in the US. One well-known feature of the film is the whistling by the POWs of "Colonel Bogey".

Answer: Some Like It Hot

"Some Like it Hot" starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Pat O'Brien, and Joe E Brown. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and won one for Best Costume Design (Black and White). It won three Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture-Comedy, Best Actress in Musical or Comedy (Marilyn Monroe) and Best Actor in Musical or Comedy (Jack Lemmon). On the American Film Institute's 10th Anniversary list of "100 Years . . . 100 Movies", "Some Like it Hot" is ranked at number 22.

Whilst in France in 2008 at the Jules Verne Film Festival, Tony Curtis said on a TV show that he and Marilyn Monroe were lovers in the late 1940s before they both became famous.

Answer: High Noon

"High Noon" starred Gary Cooper as Marshall Will Kane, Grace Kelly as his wife Amy, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Lon Chaney Jr, and Harry Morgan .

The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Cooper), Best Film Editing, Best Music Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Music Original Song ("Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling") sung by Tex Ritter. On the American Institute's 2007 list of great films, "High Noon" rated as number 27.

One person who was not a fan of this film was John Wayne, who in an interview in "Playboy" magazine in 1971, said about "High Noon" that it was "the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life." The strange thing was that as Gary Cooper was not available to attend the Academy Award to receive his Oscar, it was accepted by John Wayne on his behalf.

Answer: The African Queen

"The African Queen" starred Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnut and Katharine Hepburn as Rose Sayer. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won one for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Humphrey Bogart). On the American Film Institute's 2007 list of "100 Years . . . 100 Movies", "The African Queen" was ranked as number 65. The AFI has also referred to Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart as "the greatest American screen legends".

About half of the film was shot in Uganda and the Congo and most of the cast and crew were sick during filming on location in Africa. The rest of the film was shot in England.

In 1952 Humphrey Bogart reprised his role as Charlie Allnut in a Lux Radio Theatre play, with Greer Garson as Rose.

Answer: Singin' in the Rain

"Singin' in the Rain" starred Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Jean Hagen. Gene Kelly also co-directed this film and was also the choreographer.

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Jean Hagen as Best Supporting Actress, and the other for Best Original Music Score. It did not win either category; however, Donald O'Connor won a Golden Globe. On the American Film Institute's 10th Anniversary list of "100 Years . . . 100 Movies", "Singin' in the Rain" is ranked as number five. It is ranked as number one on their list of "Greatest Movie Musicals".

In the very famous scene when Gene Kelly dances and sings the title song, a mixture of milk and water was used so the rain would be visible on film. That sequence took 2-3 days to film.

The story goes that Debbie Reynolds could not dance when she was given the role, and Gene Kelly was quite upset about it and somewhat insulted her. Fred Astaire found her crying under a piano and helped her with her dancing.

Answer: The Ten Commandments

"The Ten Commandments" starred Charlton Heston as Moses, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G Robinson, Yvonne de Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, and many more fine actors.

The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won one for Best Visual Effects. Charlton Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor Motion Picture, but did not win. On the American Film Institute's "Ten Top Ten" list of 2008, "The Ten Commandments" was rated at number ten in the Epic Genre.

Cecil B DeMille narrated "The Ten Commandments", and it was the last motion picture that he directed. During the film's production he suffered a heart attack. Against his doctor's orders, he returned to continue the film after only two days off.

Among this movie's "cast of thousands" some now well-known actors had small roles, including Herb Alpert as a Hebrew drummer, Michael Ansara as an Egyptian, Robert Vaughn as a spear holding extra and Clint Walker as a Sardinian. Charlton Heston's own new-born son was the infant Moses.

Answer: Sabrina

"Sabrina" starred Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina, Humphrey Bogart as Linus Larrabee and William Holden as David Larrabee. It was nominated for five Academy Awards but won only one: Best Costume Design - Edith Head.

The role of Linus Larrabee was originally offered to Cary Grant, who declined, so the role was given to Humphrey Bogart who considered that he was completely wrong for the role. William Holden and Audrey Hepburn had a brief love affair during the production of "Sabrina".

A remake of "Sabrina" in 1995 starred Julia Ormond as Sabrina, Harrison Ford as Linus Larrabee and Greg Kinnear as David Larrabee.

Answer: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" starred Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter and Carolyn Jones. This movie was selected in 1994 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". On the American Film Institute's 2008 list of the "Ten Top Ten" movies, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" ranked at number nine in the Science Fiction Genre.

A remake of this movie was made in 1978 and starred Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Leonard Nimoy.

Answer: Harvey

"Harvey" starred James Stewart as Elwood P Dowd, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow and Cecil Kellaway. Josephine Hull won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. James Stewart was nominated for Best Actor, but he did not win. On the American Film Institute's 2000 list of "100 Years . . . 100 Laughs, "Harvey" is ranked at number 35, and on their 2008 List "Top 10 Fantasy", the movie is ranked number seven.

Several versions of "Harvey" have been made for television. Art Carney played the role of Elwood in a 1958 TV movie and James Stewart again played Elwood in a 1972 TV movie.