West Side Story Trivia Questions & Answers

Answer: Doc

Doc was a true friend to Tony and was willing to finance his escape out of New York.

Answer: George Chakiris and Rita Moreno

Quite an upset when Chakiris and Moreno brought home the gold.

Answer: Anybody's

'Anybody's' turned out to be tougher than most of the gang.

Answer: City Salt Sheds

The rumble takes place in a municipal warehouse where the city public works department keeps salt for de-icing streets in the winter time. The action in the film takes place in mid summer. According to Riff it is located near 57th Street and Riverside.

The river, docks, and railyards are mentioned as possible locations for the rumble during the negotiation in the bathroom. The underpass is given as a nod to the 1961 film. The rumble took place under the highway in the original film.

During the rumble, Riff and Bernardo get into a knife fight and Bernardo stabs Riff. In a fit of anger and revenge, Tony kills Bernardo.

Answer: Cloisters Museum

Tony is given a back story in the film and is said to be on parole after spending time in prison for beating up another man. After meeting Maria, he takes her to the Cloisters, which is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, telling her that he first saw it when en route to prison. In a major change from the original film, it is here that Tony and Maria sing 'One Hand, One Heart'. The make believe marriage scene feels more serious in this setting and both Ansel (Tony) and Rachel (Maria) are said to have sung live during the scene rather than using playback.

Answer: Russ Tamblyn

Russ Tamblyn started on film and stage as a youngster. He melded his acrobatic skills with his dance abilities to be able to star in a number of movies such as "Tom Thumb", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "West Side Story". He has also been a presence in movies that are of a more dramatic nature such as "Father of the Bride" and "Peyton Place". In later years he could be seen in the TV show "Twin Peaks". His daughter is Amber Tamblyn who starred in the show "Joan of Arcadia". As Riff he used his acrobatic and dance skills to play the gang member with a heart. He loved Tony like a brother. He was Tony's best friend and the reason why Tony went to the dance and ultimately met Maria.

Answer: Marni Nixon

Marni Nixon was on hand to do the higher parts of the vocals. After the film was finished the decision was made to totally exclude the vocals of Natalie Wood and dub them using Marni Nixon.

Answer: Riff

Riff is singing the song "When You're a Jet" to his fellow Jets. This scene takes place right after the opening scene, and it is when the Jets are deciding to have a rumble with the Sharks.

Answer: 'STINK'

They weren't too happy about that, and beat the tar out of him.

Answer: Valentina

Valentina (Rita Moreno) sings a melancholy version of "Somewhere" in her store.
In the 1961 film, "Somewhere" was sung by Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer).

Answer: Puerto Rico

"America", sung by the members of the Sharks was a tour de force of choreography and song. The women and men went back and forth trying to top each other on what was better or worse in Puerto Rico than in their new home in America. From tropical breezes to hurricanes blowing, this was a wild, fun dance sequence. In the stage version only the women participated in this number.

Answer: The Nurse or Friar John

She could arguably be Friar John, too, because they both fail to deliver the correct message to Tony or Romeo, but the Nurse is assaulted when she goes to town and Anita is assaulted by the Jets when she goes to Doc's candy store.

Answer: Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim is considered by many to be the most significant composer/lyricist of our time.

Answer: under the highway

It was the only place both sides could agree upon.

Answer: Ice

Ice was Riff's lieutenant and after Riff's death, he takes on the responsibility of keeping everybody...'Cool'

Answer: Police Station

There are several changes with "Officer Krupke" in the 2021 film. One is its placement, immediately after "America"; in the 1961 film, it is after "Tonight". In the 1961 film, Riff (Russ Tamblyn) was the lead singer; he is not even in the 2021 version. And the 2021 version takes place inside the police station, where the cops are questioning members of the Jets about the rumble.

In the 2021 film, "Officer Krupke" is performed by Diesel (Kevin Csolak), Big Deal (John Michael Fuimara), A-Rab (Jesse LeProtto), Mouthpiece (Ben Cook), Snowboy (Myles Erlick), Baby John (Patrick Higgins) & Balkan (Kyle Allen). It is actually a significant improvement of the 1961 version of the song.

Answer: Ariana DeBose

Ariana was born in North Carolina in 1991 with her surname coming from her Puerto Rican father. She appeared on the reality show 'So You Think You Can Dance' in 2009 before progressing to stage roles including in 'Hamilton' and 'Motown' with her role as Donna Summer in the stage musical depicting the singer's life being particularly well acclaimed. Ariana's first major film role came in 2020 in 'The Prom', but her performance as Anita is likely to prove her major breakthrough. Rita Moreno won an Oscar for playing Anita in 1961 and Ariana may emulate her as she has been nominated for the same part - at the time of writing, the 2022 Oscars have not taken place.

Answer: Graffiti

True to the gritty New York background of this movie, the credits were shown as graffiti on walls, sidewalks, under bridges and on playgrounds. Graffiti can be traced back to ancient Rome. In the late 1960s graffiti became urban art in cities such as New York. Now graffiti has become a true art form (just tell that to someone whose house or property has been tagged without their permission)!

Answer: Friar Lawrence

They get married in Friar Lawrence's cell. It was early in the morning, the day after the party.