Marquee Films Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Bells of Saint Mary's

In "Godfather" Michael takes Kay to Radio City Music Hall to see "The Bells of Saint Mary's" Kay asks Michael is he would be interested in her being a nun, and he declines. Kay then suggests she could be Ingrid Bergman, an idea Michael finds more interesting.

In "Wonderful Life", the film can be seen on the marquee in downtown Bedford Falls, as George Bailey is returning home after Clarence has restored him to existence.

"The Bells of Saint Mary's" (1945) stars Bing Crosby as a resourceful priest and Ingrid Bergman as a serious nun who are attempting to ensure the survival of a parochial school. It was the most commercially successful film of 1945, and remains a beloved classic, frequently shown during the holiday season.

"Spellbound" is an Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring Bergman and Gregory Peck. "Anchors Aweigh" is a musical comedy with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. And "The Lost Weekend" stars Ray Milland as an alcoholic; it won the Best Picture Academy Award for 1945.

Answer: Cattle Queen of Montana

Marty sees it both on the marquee and on a poster outside the theater. Barbara Stanwyck plays the titular cattle queen, Sierra Nevada Jones. Ronald Reagan plays an undercover US Marshal investigating a crooked rancher involved in arms dealings with Native Americans. The film was originally released in November 1954, so Hill Valley is a little behind the curve when it comes to getting first run films.

"The Atomic Kid" is a Mickey Rooney comedy which came out in December 1954; it was on the marquee for the Town Theater in 1955. "Rebel Without a Cause" was James Dean's first big hit, and came out in October 1955. "Mister Roberts" is a military comedy starring Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon released in July 1955.

"Back to the Future" (1985) starred Michael J Fox as Marty and Christopher Lloyd as Doctor Emmett Brown. Marty travels to 1955 in a time machine and threatens his own existence when he interferes with his parents meeting. Everything works out well in the end. In 1985 Hill Valley, the Essex shows adult films and the Town Theater is a church.

Answer: Red River

"Red River" (1948) is a Howard Hawks western starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. Wayne plays a Texas cattle rancher and much of the film centers on a cattle drive. Clift plays his adopted son. The American Film Institute selected it as the fifth greatest western of all time in 2008.

"Father of the Bride" (the 1950 version) is a comedy with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor. "Winchester 73" (1950) is a western starring James Stewart.

"Sunset Boulevard" (1950) was not among the films Peter Bogdanovich used in "Last Picture Show" (1971). The 1950 film tells the story of faded film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) and is one of the great films of the decade.

"The Last Picture Show" (1971) is a coming of age story set in small town Texas in 1951. Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman won Academy Awards for their roles. The film introduces several future stars, including Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Timothy and Sam Bottoms and Randy Quaid.

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

In "Twelve Monkeys" (1995), Cole (Bruce Willis) and Kathryn Railly (Madeline Stowe) attend an Alfred Hitchcock film festival in a Philadelphia theatre. The first film they see is "Vertigo" (1958), the psychological thriller starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. Later James wakes up in the theater and the animals gone wild film "The Birds" (1963) is playing. Director Terry Gilliam later has Madeline Stowe dress exactly as Kim Novak did in "Vertigo" including wearing a blonde wig.

Other films mentioned on the marquee are "Strangers on a Train" (1951) and "North by Northwest" (1959). Although Hitchcock was nominated five times as Director, he never won an Academy Award. His 1940 film "Rebecca" did earn Best Picture.

"Twelve Monkeys" was directed by Terry Gilliam, and tells of a dystopian future in which a majority of the world's population has been killed by a pandemic. James Cole travels back in time in an attempt to stop the outbreak, where he meets psychologist Railly and crazed environmental activist Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt). The film ends with a young James witnessing his own death. It was inspired by the 1962 French experimental film "La Jetee".

Answer: Dementia 13

"Dementia 13" was Francis Ford Coppola's directorial debut. It was a low budget horror film produced by Roger Corman. Coppola got his start in films working as a technician for Corman.

In a notable continuity error, "American Graffiti" is set in 1962, while "Dementia 13" did not come out until a year later.

"American Graffiti" (1973) was the second major film by George Lucas, and was produced by Coppola. It is a coming of age story set in August 1962, and centers on a group of young people on the eve of their heading off into adulthood. It is notable for starring several future stars including Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Paul LeMat and Cindy Williams.

"Cleopatra" was a big budget historical bio-pic starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and the biggest grossing film of 1963. "Tom Jones" was a remake of the Henry Fielding novel starring Albert Finney in the title role; it won Best Picture and Best Director. "Charade" is a spy thriller romantic comedy with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.

Answer: Woodstock

"Omega Man" is based on the 1954 novel "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson. Charlton Heston plays Colonel Robert Neville, an army scientist who survives a plague which kills most of the human race after biological warfare. Neville roams around a largely desolate Los Angeles, pursued by mutated survivors from the bio-war. He watches "Woodstock" and from his familiarity with the dialogue it is clear he has seen it many times.

"Woodstock" (1970) is a documentary about the 1969 musical festival in upstate New York. It won the Academy Award as Best Documentary and has been wildly hailed as one of the greatest documentaries ever made.

"Midnight Cowboy" (1969) stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voigt as two down and out hustlers in New York City. "The Last Man on Earth" is a 1964 version of the Matheson story, starring Vincent Price as the survivor. "Planet of the Apes" (1968) would have been a huge in-joke, as it also stars Heston in a dystopian future.

In the 2007 version of "I am Legend", Will Smith was in New York City.

Answer: Play Misty for Me

"Play Misty for Me" can be seen immediately before the legendary "44 Magnum" scene in "Dirty Harry" (1971). It was Eastwood's first film as a director, and tells the story of a disc jockey (Eastwood) who is stalked by an obsessed fan (Jessica Walter). The film is widely regarded as a classic in the stalker genre.

"Dirty Harry" (1971) came out a few months after "Play Misty for Me". Eastwood plays iconic bad cop Harry Callahan, who is chasing a serial killer across San Francisco. It is the fourth film that director Don Siegel made with Eastwood. "Coogan's Bluff" (1968) is a fish out of water movie in which Eastwood plays a gruff Arizona lawman in New York City. "The Beguiled" (1971) stars Eastwood as a wounded soldier being held hostage by school girls during the Civil War. Both were directed by Siegel.

"Paint Your Wagon" (1969) was Eastwood's only musical. He stars with Lee Marvin and Jean Seberg. It features the classic song "I Talk to the Trees".

Answer: The Godfather

"Field of Dreams" is about an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) who builds a baseball field in his corn field. Old time baseball players, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, arrive. In the end, Ray is able to reconcile with his late father.

"The Godfather" is playing at the Plaza Theatre in Chisholm. Ray travels to 1972 to speak with Archibald Graham (Burt Lancaster), a would-be baseball player turned physician.

"The Godfather" was both the most successful commercial film of 1972 and won the award for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It follows the rise of Michael Corleone in his family's criminal empire, and takes place during the late 1940s and early 1950s.

"Cabaret" stars Liza Minelli as a singer in 1930s Berlin. "The Poseidon Adventure" is a disaster film set aboard an ocean liner and "Deliverance" stars Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty as river rafters who have a disturbing encounter with hillbillies.

Answer: The Sorrow and the Pity

"The Sorrow and The Pity" (1969) is a four hour documentary about French collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II. It was actually banned in France for over a decade because it revealed some ugly truths about the character of France. It was directed by Marcel Ophuls. It is widely regarded as one of the best documentaries ever made.

In "Annie Hall", the film gets a mention early when Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) tries to get Annie to go and she begs off watching "a four hour documentary about Nazis". At the end of the film, she is taking a date to see the documentary, which Alvy calls "a personal triumph". It is showing at the Thalia Theater, which operated at 2537 Broadway from 1931 to 1987. The scene is also notable as Sigourney Weaver's film debut.

"Annie Hall" (1977) was a huge critical success, winning Best Picture, Best Director and Screenplay for Woody Allen and Best Actress for Diane Keaton in the title role. It made around $38 million at the box office.

"Hotel Terminus," a film on Klaus Barbie, was also directed by Ophuls, but didn't come out until 1988. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. "The 81st Blow" (1974) is an Israeli documentary about the Holocaust. "The California Reich" (1975) covers Neo-Nazis in the United States.

Answer: Steven Spielberg

The marquee shows "A Boys Life" which was the working title for "E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) and "Watch the Skies" which was the working title for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977). Steven Spielberg was the Executive Producer on "Gremlins" and has a cameo as a man on a bicycle. Robert Zemeckis would use the same set to film "Back to the Future".

"ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) was the biggest grossing film of 1982, earning almost $800 million worldwide. It earned a Golden Globe for Best Drama and several awards for John Williams film score. "Close Encounters" (1977) was the third biggest film, with "Star Wars" far ahead. Both films focus on visits by extra-terrestrials to Earth,

"Gremlins" (1984) is about a cuddly creature called a mogwai that becomes not so cuddly if it is exposed to water or fed after midnight. It stars Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates and Howie Mandel as Gizmo. It was one of the bigger hits of 1984, earning just over $150 million.