Billy Wilder: The Ultimate Film Maker

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. In 1942 Wilder directed his first American movie "The Major and the Minor", a comedy in which Ginger Rogers disguises herself as a twelve year old minor in order to board a train at half price. Which Welsh actor plays the Major who takes the "child" under his wing? Harry Secombe Ray Milland Stanley Baker Anthony Hopkins

2. The characters Walter Neff, Barton Keyes and Phyllis Dietrichson, played respectively by Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson and Barbara Stanwyck, were central characters in which 1944 Billy Wilder classic film noir? Double Indemnity The Best Years of Our Lives The Letter The Desperate Hours

3. "The Emperor Waltz" is a 1948 musical directed by Billy Wilder. It tells the story of a travelling salesman, played by Bing Crosby, journeying to meet Emperor Franz Joseph, with the aim of selling him, and thereafter his compatriots, the latest American invention the gramophone. To which European country does he travel? Italy Norway Great Britain Austria

4. Billy Wilder's 1950 masterpiece "Sunset Blvd." is a bite the hand that feeds you presentation of Hollywood warts and all. The plot ostensibly revolves around a small-time writer looking to make good by scripting a screenplay for a reclusive, demented actress whose glory days have long since departed. What are the names of the male and female lead players? Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner Cary Grant and Hedy Lamarr Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman William Holden and Gloria Swanson

5. Billy Wilder's tense 1951 drama "Ace in the Hole", starring Kirk Douglas and Jan Sterling, tells of a man who gets trapped underground after the collapse of an old Indian mine whilst excavations are being carried out. Soon the man's welfare, deteriorating condition and rescue becomes a sideshow as greed outweighs good and profit becomes the goal. The film is a thorough no-holds barred examination of which profession? Mining Journalism Banking Railways

6. Wilder's "Stalag 17" (1953) is a gritty, often droll look at life in a ficticous German prisoner of war camp somewhere along the River Danube in 1944. Within the camp there is a security leak and it's costing lives. Suspicion falls upon wheeler-dealer, and all-round five-percenter J.J. Sefton as the obvious German talebearer. Or is he? What is the name of the actor who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of the avaricious J.J. Sefton? Robert Ryan William Holden Robert Taylor Montgomery Clift

7. The 1959 Billy Wilder classic "Some Like It Hot", is near the top of most critics' favourite movie list. Wonderful story, acting, humour and dialogue. This is a dialogue question: The movie ends with Jack Lemmon removing his wig and telling Joe E. Brown that he's really a man. What does Joe E. Brown say in response? "You look good in a dress." "So was my father." "Takes all sorts." "Nobody's perfect."

8. "The Apartment" (1960) Billy Wilder's multi-award winning black comedy, features Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray in a scalene love triangle. All three work in a corporate New York high-rise. Lemmon is a clerk, MacLaine an elevator operator and MacMurray is a personnel director. What sort of business are they engaged in? Advertising Fast Food Stock Broking Insurance

9. In 1974 Billy Wilder directed a comedy drama based on a 1927 stage play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Starring the consummate coupling of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, the storyline tells of a jaded news-reporter who wants to quit his job and get married. Unfortunately his conniving editor has other ideas. What's the movie title? All the President's Men The Paper The Front Page Citizen Kane

10. In 1981 at the age of 75, Billy Wilder directed his last movie. Again he used his favoured pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The film is a black comedy about a mob hitman (Matthau) who has to eliminate a potentially dangerous witness. Things do not go to plan. His billet is a hotel room next to a defeated man,(Lemmon) bent on suicide. Which movie am I describing? Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Witness for the Prosecution The Cannonball Run Buddy Buddy