What Musical Movie Am I? - Take 2 Quiz

Answer: West Side Story

"West Side Story" stars Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony, Russ Tamblyn as Riff, Rita Moreno as Anita, and George Chakiris as Bernardo. Tony, a member the New York City gang, the Jets, falls in love with Maria, sister of the leader of the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, a love that is forbidden because of the hatred one gang has for the other.

The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won ten, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (George Chakiris), and Best Director. It won two Golden Globe Awards, as well as being nominated for and winning many other awards. This was the first film to win the Oscar for Best Director, for two directors. The next time this happened was for the movie "No Country for Old Men" in 2007 when Joel and Ethan Coen shared the award.

The original choice of Robert Wise for the role of Tony, was Elvis Presley and the role of Maria was originally offered to Audrey Hepburn. Natalie Wood's singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady", and Deborah Kerr in "The King and I"). Richard Beymer's voice was dubbed by Jimmy Bryant.

Answer: Carmen Jones

"Carmen Jones" stars Harry Belafonte as Joe and Dorothy Dandridge as Carmen Jones. The whole cast are African-Americans. The book was written by Oscar Hammerstein II. Carmen is arrested for fighting and a young soldier, Joe, is assigned to take her to the authorities. Carmen likes Joe and suggests they stop somewhere for a meal, but as Joe has just been recently engaged to Cindy Lou, he is not too keen on the idea. Whilst Joe is asleep, Carmen runs away and leaves Joe a note saying that she loves him but can't go to jail. Just like most operas, this story ends in tragedy and death.

This movie was nominated for two Academy Awards and two BAFTA Awards. It won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy. The singing voice of Harry Belafonte was dubbed by LeVern Hutherson, and that of Dorothy Dandridge by Marilyn Horne. Even though Belafonte and Dandridge could sing, they did not have the training to sing opera. The role of Carmen Jones was offered to Earth Kitt, who wanted to do her own singing, but the studio wanted it dubbed to match the other operatic voices.

Answer: State Fair

"State Fair" stars Pat Boone, Bobby Darin, Pamela Tiffin, Ann-Margaret, Tom Ewel and Alice Fay. The Frake Family are on their way to the Texas State Fair. Mr Frake concentrates on his pig. Mrs Frake is worrying about the food she is preparing to enter into the cooking competition and daughter Margy and son Wayne are looking to have fun.

This was the first feature film to star Ann-Margaret. Barrie Chase was considered for Ann-Margaret's role. Later on in life Pat Boone's daughter Debbie, married Gabriel Ferrer, the son of this film's director, Jose Ferrer.

The 1933 movie starred Janet Gaynor and Will Rogers as Mr & Mrs Frake, with Lew Ayres, Norman Foster and others. The 1945 version starred Charles Winninger and Fay Bainter as Mr & Mrs Frake, with Jeannie Crain as daughter Margy and Dana Andrews as her love interest.

Answer: An American in Paris

"An American in Paris" stars Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, and Nina Foch, with music by George Gershwin, and lyrics by his brother Ira. The choreography was by Gene Kelly. A young man is trying to gain a reputation as an artist in Paris after World War II. An heiress sees the man's paintings and takes an interest in him, an interest that he does not reciprocate; instead he becomes interested in a young French girl.

The movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture. It won a Golden Globe Award, also for Best Picture - Musical/Comedy. Gene Kelly directed portions of the film because Vincente Minnelli was undergoing his divorce from Judy Garland at the time and was often tied up. The very lengthy dance sequence at the end of the movie took four weeks to film and cost $500,000. During the last 20 minutes of the movie no words are spoken. Gene Kelly himself discovered Leslie Caron. He was on holiday in Paris and saw her in a ballet. When they made this movie, Gene Kelly was 19 years older than Leslie Caron. Cyd Charise was to play the role of the young French girl, but discovered that she was pregnant and was replaced by Leslie Caron. The movie was filmed entirely in Hollywood on 44 sets depicting Paris.

Answer: Oliver!

"Oliver!" stars Ron Moody as Fagin, Shani Wallis as Nancy, Oliver Reed as Bill Sykes, Harry Secombe as Bumble, Mark Lester as Oliver and Jack Wild as The Artful Dodger. Based on Dickens' "Oliver Twist", this film tells the story of a young orphan, Oliver, who draws the short straw and has to ask for "more" as the orphans are not fed much. The governors of the orphanage decide to sell Oliver into service and Bumble sells Oliver to an undertaker. After some unpleasantness occurs, Oliver runs away and falls into the hands of Fagin and his band of pickpockets, where he meets the kind Nancy and the very evil Bill Sykes.

The film was nominated for 12 Academy Award and won six, including Best Picture and Best Director. It won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for eight BAFTA Awards. Because Mark Lester was tone deaf, his singing voice as Oliver was dubbed by the daughter of the film's musical arranger, Johnnie Green. The original Broadway production starred Davy Jones as the Artful Dodger. Jones went on to become one of the "Monkees" of TV fame. The Director, Sir Carol Reed, is Oliver Reed's uncle. Michael Caine did a screen test for the role of Bill Sykes and Julie Andrews was considered to play Nancy.

"Oliver Twist" has been made several times as a motion picture, movie for TV, and TV mini-series, the first being made in 1922 with Jackie Coogan as Oliver and Lon Chaney as Fagin. In the 1948 version, Robert Newton was Bill Sykes, Sir Alec Guinness as Fagin and Anthony Newly as the Artful Dodger.

Answer: Chicago

"Chicago" stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, Renee Zellweger as Roxie Hart and, Richard Gere as Billy Flynn. It also features Queen Latifah, Tye Diggs, Dominic West, John C Reilly and Christine Baranski. The movie was based on the 1976 Broadway musical of the same name. It tells the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife who has been arrested for murdering her lover, and Velma Kelly, a nightclub performer arrested for murdering her sister and husband, and the lawyer they hire to defend them.

The film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Catherine Zeta-Jones). It was nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards and won three, and nominated for 12 BAFTA Awards and won two. The Broadway musical was based on a Broadway play in 1926, about two real-life murderers. The original Broadway play was twice made into a movie, the first "Chicago" (1927) and the second "Roxie Hart" (1942) starring Ginger Rogers.

At the box-office the film grossed more than $306 million. Its budget was an estimated $45 million. Catherine Zeta-Jones was approached to play the role of Roxie Hart, but she wanted the Velma Kelly role. The role of Billy Flynn was originally offered to Hugh Jackman, but he thought he was too young for that role. Prior to this film, Renee Zellweger had no training in singing or tap-dancing and neither did Richard Gere. He took a three month course in tap-dancing, and his tap-dancing scene was shot in half day. John Travolta turned down the Billy Flynn role.

Answer: Singin' in the Rain

"Singin' in the Rain" stars Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen and Cyd Charisse. Popular Silent Movie duo Don Lockwood (Kelly) and his leading lady Lina Lamont (Hagen), are not a couple in real life, although Lina would like to be. When the film studio moves to talkies it is discovered that Miss Lamont's voice - either speaking or singing - is horrible, so a young actress (Reynolds) is brought in to dub her voice. The movie was nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes (winning one) and one BAFTA Award nomination.

Fred Astaire found Debbie Reynolds crying under a piano. When he enquired what was wrong, she replied that she had been insulted by Gene Kelly because she could not dance very well. So Fred Astaire helped her with her dancing. When the "Singing in the Rain" number was filmed, Gene Kelly was quite ill and it was done in one take. Debbie Reynolds said, after many years that "making this movie and surviving childbirth: were the two hardest things she had ever done.

Answer: Moulin Rouge!

"Moulin Rouge!" stars Nicole Kidman as Satine, Ewan McGregor as Christian, John Leguizamo as Toulouse-Lautrec, Jim Broadbent as Harold Zidler, Richard Roxburgh as The Duke, and features Garry McDonald, Jacek Koman, Matthew Whittet, David Wenham and Kylie Minogue as the Green Fairy. The movie begins in 1900 when Christian starts to type the story of what happened one year earlier, when he fell in love with the beautiful actress and courtesan, Satine. Christian helps to write a show "Spectacular Spectacular" to be performed at the Moulin Rouge.

The movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two. It was nominated for six Golden Globe Awards, winning three. It had 11 BAFTA nominations and won three. At the time, the spectacular necklace worn by Nicole Kidman was the most expensive piece of jewellery ever made for a movie. It consisted of 1,308 diamonds with a total weight of 134 carats and cost an estimated $1 million. Whilst rehearsing a dance routine, Nicole Kidman fractured two of her ribs and injured her knee and some of the shots in the film are from the waist up, as she was in a wheelchair for a time. Three hundred costumes were created by the Wardrobe Department, employing up to 80 people on this task.

Actors considered for the role of Christian were Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhall and Ronan Keating. Actresses considered for the role of Satine were Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kate Winslet, Hilary Swank, and Renee Zellweger. The word love (which included is variations loved, loves, loving, etc) was used 143 times. Nicole Kidman was to star in "The Panic Room" but had to pull out because of injuries so the role went to Jodie Foster.

Answer: Sweet Charity

"Sweet Charity" stars Shirley MacLaine as Charity, with John McMartin, Ricardo Montalban, Sammy Davis Jnr, Stubby Kaye and Chita Rivera. The full title of the movie is "Sweet Charity: The Adventuress of a Girl Who Wanted to be Loved". Charity longs for love, but has never had good luck with men. She wants to leave her sleazy job as a taxi dancer, so goes looking for other work, but cannot get another job. She meets Oscar when they are stuck in an elevator together and they begin a relationship. Will this relationship turn out any different than Charity's others?

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Bob Fosse also directed and choreographed the Broadway production. Gwen Verdon, who starred in the Broadway production, was nominated for a Tony Award in 1966. She assisted Bob Fosse with the choreography on this film and coached McLain with her dancing. Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse married in 1960 and stayed married until Fosse's death in 1987.

Answer: Grease

"Grease" stars John Travolta as Danny and Olivia Newton-John as Sandy, with Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Eve Arden, Edd Byrnes, Sid Caesar, and others. Sandy and Danny meet each other at the beach and fall in love, but when they both return to Rydell High, neither one knows that the other one is there. Danny is not the same boy as he was at the beach. Danny is leader of the T-Birds and Sandy is invited to join The Pink Ladies. Will they ever get back together?

The film was nominated for one Academy Award and five Golden Globe Awards. It was the highest grossing movie that year, and for a time it was the third highest-grossing movie of all time, coming after "Jaws" (1975) and "Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977). For the last scene, Olivia Newton-John had to be sewn into her tight leather pants because a zipper broke. The role of Danny Zuko was offered to Henry Winkler of "Happy Days" fame, but he turned it down. Although the musical was set in high school, most of the actors were too old to attend high school at the time. John Travolta was 23, Olivia Newton-John was 28, Stockard Channing was 33 and Jeff Conway 26. Made on an estimated budget of $6 million, it has had a world-wide box office return of over $394 million.