Motion Picture trivia questions and answers about Yankee Doodle Dandy, Hollywood greats, Walter Matthau, Christopher Walken and more.
What was the first black-and-white film to be converted to color
electronically?
A: Yankee Doodle Dandy, the 1942 biopic of George M. Cohan with
James Cagney in the title role.
For which performer did Hollywood greats Humphrey Bogart and
Lauren Bacall name their daughter?
A: Leslie Howard. Their daughter's name is Leslie Howard Bogart. The
couple's son, Stephen, was named for the character Bogie played in
their first movie together, To Have and Have Not.
What was the first name of Ensign Pulver--played by Jack Lemmon
in the 1955 film, Mr. Roberts and by Robert Walker Jr. in the 1964
sequel Ensign Pulver?
A: Frank. Lemmon's portrayal won him an Oscar for Best Supporting
Actor.
What is the name of the writer-director Chris Columbus's
production company?
A: 1942 Films, Inc.
What was actor Robert Redford doing when he first saw the vast
alpine canyon in Park City, Utah, what he later bought and turned
into an artists; retreat, ski resort and family compound?
A: Hunting mountain lions. At the time, Sundance, his 5000-acre
spread in the Wasatch Range, was a sheep ranch.
What serious actor worked as a lion tamer during a summer break
from the Professional Children's Acting School in New York City?
A: Christopher Walken, in 1961. His job was with the Tarryl Jacobs
Circus.
What 1951 movie classic inspired the pilot for a TV series that
never made it, despite a cast that featured James Coburn and Glynis
Johns?
A: The African Queen. The pilot was aired as an episode of The Dick
Powell Show in March 1962.
What replaced Charlie, the pet dog, when the 1961 movie The
Absent-Minded Professor was remade as "Flubber in 1997?
A: Weebo, the computer.
What 1946 American film classic was denounced as Communist
propaganda in an FBI memo because of it's rather obvious attempt to
denounce bankers"?
A: It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart. The FBI memo said
the film attacked bankers "by casting Lionel Barrymore as a
'Scrooge-type so that he could be the most hated man in the
picture...a common trick used by Communists."
What high-flying actor named his son Jett?
A: John Travolta, who's a licensed pilot.
What popular actress wrote a magazine article entitled The Alien
Inside Me?
A: Sigourney Weaver, who starred as Ellen Ripley in the 1979
high-tech horror movie Alien and its sequels --Aliens, Alien3 and
Alien Resurrection. Her article appeared in Premiere magazine.
How much did actor Arnold Schwarzenegger pay for John F.
Kennedy's set of golf clubs at a 1996 auction?
A: $772,500. Schwarzenegger is married to JFK's niece Maria Shriver.
What two films share the dubious distinction of having 11 Oscar
nominations and no Oscar wins?
A: The Turning Point in 1977 and The Color Purple in1985.
Where was horror-film star Bela Lugosi born?
A: In Lugos, Hungary--as Bela Blasko. He took his stage name from
his hometown.
How was actor Walter Matthau listed in the credits for the 1974
film Earthquake, in which he had a recurring cameo role as a drunk?
A: He was listed under his real name--Walter Matuschanskayasky.
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