It's Not Easy Being Green Trivia Quiz

Answer: How Green Was My Valley (1941)

"How Green Was My Valley" (1941) was directed by John Ford and starred Maureen O'Hara and Walter Pidgeon. It told the story of a 19th-century mining family from the south of Wales. Though the lovely landscapes were important to the story, because of costs, they decided not to film this one in color. It really wasn't "easy being green" in monochrome for this movie!

The other three movies do not fit the bill for this question. "The Big Green" (1995) was a Disney film about a struggling soccer team starring Steve Guttenberg and Olivia D'Abo. "Green Card" (1990) was a romantic comedy starring Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu. "Green Mansions" (1959) was a strange movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins that was a cross between a fantasy and a romance. All three were filmed in color.

Answer: Soylent

The movie was based on a novel by Harry Harrison called "Make Room! Make Room!" It took place in the then-future year of 1999, when problems of overpopulation and lack of resources had caused rampant poverty, food shortages, and social disorder.

This was the 101st and last movie for veteran actor Edward G. Robinson, who died of cancer shortly after finishing it. Despite being deathly ill, Robinson kept his health problems a secret and was never absent or even late for work. Other cast members assumed his pallor was just the make-up for the film. In Robinson's case, it wasn't "easy being green", it was heroic.

Answer: False

The cast mentioned in the question was that of "Steel Magnolias" (1989), another southern epic, which centered on the trials and tribulations of women in a small town who gathered daily at a beauty salon to gossip, laugh and cry over life's misfortunes.

"Fried Green Tomatoes" (1991) starred Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Mary-Louise Parker, and it chronicled two friendships between pairs of women, alternating between past and present. The past-time friendship took place during the Depression, and the more modern (1980s) friendship was between a middle-aged housewife and an elderly woman who, as luck would have it, had known the two women from the Depression-era story ine.

Both movies were excellent showcases for female actors. In fact, it was probably "easy being green" for all the women who tried to get parts in these two movies and weren't chosen, because they were "green" with envy!

Answer: Anne of Green Gables (1934)

"Anne of Green Gables" told the story of Anne Shirley, a teenaged orphan living on Prince Edward Island in Canada. When Dawn O'Day appeared in the film, the studio made her change her stage name to Anne Shirley as a publicity stunt. The movie was a hit. Ms. Shirley then reprised the same role in 1940's film sequel, "Anne of Windy Poplars". After that, it was difficult for Ms. Shirley to find roles, and though she did a nice job in "Murder, My Sweet" with Dick Powell in 1944, she decided to retire from films at the ripe old age of 27. She'd found that it really wasn't easy being "green" (at least when it came to green gables).

The other films mentioned did not take place in Canada and don't meet the requirements for this question. "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" (2012) was a touching, sad story of a magical boy who changed the life of the North Carolina couple that adopted him, starring Jennifer Garner and James Edgerton. "Green for Danger" (1947) was a WWII crime thriller set in Great Britain starring Alastair Sim and Trevor Howard. "Green Mansions" (1959) was a fantasy film starring Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins that was set in the jungles of Venezuela.

Answer: The Green Hornet (2011)

The '60s show starred Bruce Lee as Kato and Van Williams as the Green Hornet, and it was a pretty faithful representation of the original comic book hero. Though the show lasted only one season, it did make Bruce Lee the most famous martial artist in the United States. The 2011 film starring Seth Rogan in the title role was an updated version of the same story. It was a bit more satirical and humorous, and it also starred Jay Chou as Kato and Cameron Diaz as Lenore. For Rogan, the plot revolved around his "being green" and keeping his verdant identity a secret!

The other movies all sound like they could have been about green superheroes, but they weren't. "The Green Ray" (1986) was a French film (also known as "Summer"). The title referred to a natural phenomenon sometimes seen on the horizon of a setting sun, a green line or ray. The story was about a young woman seeking happiness in an impossible relationship.

"DC Showcase: The Green Arrow" (2010) was a short film about the Justice League superhero starring Neil McDonough. The character of Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow was part of a group of crime fighters including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and others.

"The Green Man" (1955) may sound like a superhero film, but it was actually a crime thriller starring Alastair Sim and Terry Thomas. In it, Sim appeared to be a simple watchmaker, but he was really a hired assassin. Sim must have found it "easy being green", as this is already the second "green" movie he's popped up in in this quiz alone.

Answer: Corn

"The Corn is Green" (1945) provided a choice role for Bette Davis, who was actually a bit "green" for the role. Though she was only in her mid-30s when she played the part of the well-to-do spinster teacher in this film, Davis did a marvelous job. When Katharine Hepburn remade the film as a TV-movie in the late 1970s, she was much older, 72.

Answer: The Green Mile (1999)

"The Green Mile" (1999) starred Tom Hanks as a death-row prison guard who had to do the thankless job of executing prisoner John Coffey, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, for a rape/murder that he didn't commit. It certainly wasn't easy for Tom Hanks to be "green" and give the "green light" to the execution of an innocent man.

The other movies listed were all about different things. "Green Room" (2016) was a horror thriller about a punk rock band that ran afoul of a group of delinquents in the wilds of Oregon. It starred Patrick Stewart. "Behind the Green Door" (1973) was a campy British adult-entertainment film starring Ben Davidson and Marilyn Chambers. "Green Zone" (2010) was a war film starring Matt Damon and Jason Isaacs as special ops agents searching for weapons of mass destruction in an unstable area.

Answer: Lantern

This adaptation of the story of the "Green Lantern" (2011) was fairly faithful to the comic book origins, but it also allowed Ryan Reynolds to showcase his characteristic wit and humor. Interestingly enough, it was actually very difficult for Reynolds to be "green" in this movie, as the Green Lantern's costume was completely computer-generated graphics, to simulate its not being made of cloth, but energy.

Answer: The Green Berets (1968)

"The Green Berets" (1968) was a labor of love by John Wayne. Though he had assistance from the Defense Department in making the movie, it was very controversial when released, due to the pro-war sentiments it portrayed. There was widespread public outrage against the movie, and it got scathing reviews. Nevertheless, it was a money-maker for Wayne and the studio. Much of the film was shot in the US state of Georgia in and around Fort Benning. Wayne was really too old to "be green" in this film, as most Green Beret commanders were in their 30s and Wayne was in his 60s.

The other films listed were not John Wayne films and were about other topics. "The Woman in Green" (1945) was a Sherlock Holmes mystery starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. "The Green Inferno" (2015) was a low-budget horror film about cannibalism in the Amazon Jungle. "Behind Green Lights" (1946) was a police drama typical of the '40s and '50s starring Carol Landis and John Ireland.

Answer: True

This charming romantic comedy started off as a business arrangement in which Gerard Depardieu's character would marry Andie MacDowell's character to get his resident's visa to the US, also known as a Green Card. Andie MacDowell's character was interested in the deal because the apartment that she wanted to rent and live in was only for married couples.

The natural give-and-take of the leads and the great direction by Peter Weir made their transition from business associates to lovers seem charming and believable. If you haven't seen this movie, it is worth a look, and it made it seem like could be "easy being green" (carded), provided love was in the mix.