You're My Hero! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Atticus Finch

The 1962 film based on Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" tells the story of a white lawyer who stands up to his neighbors and colleagues to defend a black man wrongly accused of rape. In a Depression era Southern town filled with racism and poverty, Atticus' two children learn valuable but sometimes difficult life lessons as they watch their father stand firm for his moral conviction that all people, regardless of race or background, are entitled to dignity and fair treatment. His kindness to his children and to those less fortunate make this man worthy of the respect he's shown by his neighbors and the friends and family of the accused defendant.

Gregory Peck won an Oscar for Best Actor for his work in the classic film.

Answer: Norma Rae

Norma Rae Webster is a young mother whose somewhat rebellious lifestyle is a topic of conversation in the small factory town where she resides. Fed up with the sweat shop conditions at the textile mill that employs most of her family and friends, she becomes intrigued by a visit from a labor union representative and begins to lobby for the right to organize workers within the factory. When management fights her efforts, she bravely explains to her children that they might hear bad things around town about their mother, but that they should hold their heads high and respect themselves as human beings. She is subsequently fired for her activities, but succeeds in leading a shut down in protest when she jumps on top of her work table and holds a sign over her head with the word "UNION" hand printed on it. Her hard work finally pays off when workers vote for the union, but it's too late for Norma Rae's father, who has already died of a heart attack after a supervisor refuses him a break when he complains of numbness in his arm.

The 1979 drama is based on the real life story of Crystal Lee Sutton, a Roanoke Rapids, NC woman who was instrumental in bringing union representation into the textile industry in the Southern US.

Ms. Sutton was quoted as saying that most of the events in the movie were accurate. After winning the battle in her hometown, she went on to represent the union as a paid organizer, becoming, like her fictional counterpart, an inspiration for the working class in America.

Answer: Henry Fonda

Identified at the end of the movie as "Davis", Juror #8 refuses to give in to the pressure of his peers, who simply wish to render a quick "guilty" verdict and get back to their respective lives. After being told by the judge that a conviction would result in the death penalty, the protagonist realizes that he cannot push aside his reasonable doubt in order to please the other eleven jurors. Standing on his principles, Fonda's character endures hostility and threats in his quest to see that true justice is done, using patience and logic to convince each man, one by one, that a young's man life is worth a few minutes of their busy schedules.

AFI lists the character at number twenty-eight on its heroes roster.

Answer: In the Heat of the Night

The fictional town of Sparta, Mississippi is the setting for this mystery drama, which features the well-educated Virgil Tibbs, played by Sidney Poitier, aiding a less-than-enthusiastic Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) in solving a high profile murder. Released in 1967 when racial tensions were rampant in the US, the ground breaking story includes a scene with Tibbs returning a slap from a wealthy white racist. Although he encounters opposition (and sometimes pure hatred) at every turn, he refuses to give up and return home until the guilty party is arrested. The film ends with Tibbs receiving a grudging show of respect from Gillespie as he boards the bus to leave Sparta.

A popular TV series based on the movie debuted in 1988 and starred Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins as Gillespie and Tibbs.

Answer: Erin Brockovich

Despite a lack of legal training and a self-proclaimed hatred of lawyers, the heroine convinces a legal firm to hire her and she follows her instincts when she reads a file concerning a gas and electric company which has been paying medical bills for seriously ill homeowners in a small California community. After questioning one of the residents, Erin suspects a cover up and doggedly pursues answers. Eventually she learns that the utility company was responsible for contaminating the area's water supply, resulting in a class action lawsuit that awarded over three million dollars to the plaintiffs.

The film was based on a true story, and earned Julia Roberts her first Academy Award. The subject of the story, Erin Brockovich-Ellis, has continued her work in environmental issues and has also written a best-selling book about her life as an activist.

Answer: Rick Blaine

The play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" was the inspiration for "Casablanca", the 1942 classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. At the height of World War II, French Morocco becomes a refuge for Europeans seeking to escape their war-torn homes in favor of the Americas, and is a political hotbed of pro-Nazi and Free France sympathizers. Rick's position of neutrality is sorely tested when his former lover arrives unexpectedly and asks for his help for her heroic husband, who has escaped a concentration camp and is attempting to continue his work in the anti-Nazi underground. Amid a backdrop of desperate refugees, petty criminals and corrupt local citizens, it soon becomes obvious that Rick Blaine's tough exterior is nothing more than a clever disguise for (as his friend Louis observes) "a rank sentimentalist".

Answer: Star Wars

A wise old Jedi and a smuggler join forces with an adventurous young man named Luke Skywalker in an effort to save the universe from the evil Darth Vader. The persistent heroes overcome fire fights and numerous other obstacles to rescue Princess Leia, a Rebel leader, and destroy the Death Star.

It is through the unselfishness of his friends that Luke realizes his true destiny as a Master Jedi.

Answer: Moses

Adopted as an infant by an Egyptian princess and raised with no knowledge of his Hebrew roots, Moses grows into a young man filled with compassion for the slaves and is eventually exiled when his true lineage is discovered. It is during his time in the desert that his true destiny is revealed to him by God, and he returns to face his former adopted family and convince the Pharaoh to release the Hebrew slaves. Under his leadership, the Hebrews survive many hardships before reaching Mt. Sinai, where Moses receives the stone tablets containing God's ten commandments.

After forty years in the desert living as nomads, the people finally reach the Promised Land, where an aged Moses bids them goodbye.

Answer: On the Waterfront

Once a prizefighter with a promising future, Terry Malloy is forced to abandon his career when he is ordered by union boss Johnny Friendly to throw a fight. He spends his days working on the docks and, like his peers, turning a deaf ear and blind eye to the corruption, living in constant fear of mob retaliation. After he is used to lure a whistle-blowing coworker to his death, he begins to question his own reluctance to speak out against Friendly and his gang, which includes Terry's brother Charlie. Eventually, with the support of a priest and a young woman who lost her brother to the gang, Terry overcomes his fear and testifies.

Marlon Brando won an Oscar for his portrayal of this hero, who is listed at number twenty-three on AFI's list.

Answer: Silkwood

After becoming concerned about radiation exposure due to suspected safety violations at the plant, the title character approaches a union representative, who seems more concerned with garnering publicity than protecting the health of workers. On her own, she courageously begins to investigate company procedures, sacrificing relationships with her boyfriend, children and best friend as she doggedly seeks answers. After she and her coworkers become contaminated by radiation, her efforts uncover altered records that prove her suspicions correct. The heroine is killed in a mysterious crash as she's driving to a meeting with a newspaper reporter.

The movie is based on actual events in the life of Karen Silkwood, an Oklahoma resident who was killed in 1974 after her testimony before a government agency about health and safety concerns at the chemical plant where she was employed as a technician.