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Totally Oscar Trivia Quiz

I find the Oscars fascinating! Their choices are often puzzling and the show has had many a sideways curve. Here comes a few questions about suspiciously true Oscar facts and figures, etc.

A multiple-choice quiz by gatsby722. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
gatsby722

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
202,917

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
621

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who was Robert Opal and what is Oscar worthy about him? Hint

He was Hilary Swank's physical trainer for 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" and was instrumental in her Oscar win.

He won the award for Best Animated Short and was so drunk that he fell up the stairs on his way to the podium in 1962.

He streaked the Oscar stage in 1974, wearing only a blank expression.

He's had the most nominations, in this case 16 for Sound Editing, without ever winning.

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Question 2 of 10

2. In 1961 Shirley MacLaine was quite expected to win for her role in "The Apartment". She didn't. In typical Shirley sass she said it was obvious she lost to a what? Hint

a good plastic surgeon

a tracheotomy

a bag of popcorn with with beautiful eyes

an ambulance passenger

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Question 3 of 10

3. Yikes! Can they be a windy bunch or what when they win? Which Oscar acceptance speech made by a Best Actor or Actress winner still clocks in as the longest? Hint

Tom Hanks with just over 8 minutes.

Greer Garson with some 7 minutes.

Julia Roberts went on for almost 9 minutes!

Ginger Rogers flapped away for nearly 12 minutes.

4. Glamour and glitz, glitz and glamour. The Oscar show has always been about that - and the gowns worn still get days of buzz after it. What was notable about Joanne Woodward's attire when she won as Best Actress in 1958? Hint

Her dress was homemade. No designers consulted - she just whipped it up herself.

She wore slacks. First lady Oscar winner to do that as she accepted!

Joanne had a massive pair of snags in her stockings. Since the dress was knee-length the press had a field day with that.

She reached the stage wearing nurse's shoes as she had painful bunions...and still does to this day.

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Question 5 of 10

5. Paul McCartney was up for the Best Song award in 1974 for the title tune in "Live And Let Die", that James Bond caper. Never mind that Paul was part of the most famous quartet in modern history, the Academy chose to let someone else sing the song on the show. Inexplicably, who did they select? Hint

Connie Stevens

Merv Griffin

Joey Heatherton

Tom Jones

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Question 6 of 10

6. Upsets rule at the Oscars! It actually makes it all more interesting. Generally a favorite nominee goes into the race. The critics pick him or her or the film and the odds makers agree. However, sometimes the winner is quite the surprise! Which of these would easily qualify as an upset? Hint

In 1982 it looked like "Reds" was a sure bet for Best Film - but then "Chariots Of Fire" snuck in there and got it. Warren Beatty wasn't the least bit shy about showing his displeasure that night.

In 1940 Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) lost! To Robert Donat, no less, who played a strong-willed but sickly school teacher. Quite a shocker.

Actually they all would!

Sentimental votes usually matter a lot but that notion went a bit south in in 1997 when Juliette Binoche beat Lauren Bacall for Best Supporting Actress. The camera hit Bacall at the announcement. It was NOT a happy face.

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Question 7 of 10

7. On one occasion the folks at Disney Studios had endured more than enough and they sued The Academy for something that happened on Oscar night in 1989. What was that? Hint

Nipsey Russell and Flip Wilson presented an award dressed as Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty. The Disney people weren't amused.

Rob Lowe and an actress dressed as Snow White opened the show with a musical number. It redefined the word horrendous.

An animated image of Mickey Mouse was shown several times in the audience getting fresh with Raquel Welch. No one had given the Academy permission to use that character in that way.

They thought it would be funny but it sure wasn't. Dustin Hoffman was a nominee that year and they showed a brief cartoon of Mary Poppins in the casino with him as a "Rain Man" spoof.

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Question 8 of 10

8. So much for odds in favor of at least winning one or two Oscars! So far two films were nominated a whopping 11 times and failed to get even one Statue. One happened at the 1986 show when "The Color Purple" got shafted. The other one came in 1978. Which movie did that happen to that year? Hint

The Turning Point

California Suite

Star Wars

The Goodbye Girl

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Question 9 of 10

9. Speaking of long-winded, the longest Oscar show telecast happened in 2002. It was, quite frankly, endless! How long was it? Hint

40 days and 40 nights. Jerusalem was set free and The Panama Canal was finished up in the process.

7 hours and 3 1/2 minutes. Yikes! Noah could have loaded up his Ark quicker than that.

4 hours and 16 minutes! Thank goodness for VCRs. I ran out of No-Doz as it went.

5 hours and 49 minutes! I gave up and figured I'd catch the highlights on the news tomorrow.

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Question 10 of 10

10. Who hosted the Oscars 18 times in his career? Far more than anyone else.

Answer: (Two Words (full name or just surname -"Thanks For The Memories")

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who was Robert Opal and what is Oscar worthy about him?

Answer: He streaked the Oscar stage in 1974, wearing only a blank expression.

Streaking in the 70s was strangely popular. Opal was simply strange - pulling off a stunt that seemed improbable at best (how did security let it happen?). Robert Opal was a scoundrel whether he was clothed or not. His early end came when he was murdered in his San Francisco sex shop in 1979. On that memorable April 2 evening in 1974 the most notable part of it came from David Niven when "the streak" happened.

The debonair Niven, at the podium to introduce Liz Taylor, calmly stated: "Ladies and gentlemen, that was bound to happen. Just think, the only laugh that man will probably ever get is for stripping and showing off his shortcomings." Mr. Niven never missed a beat.

2. In 1961 Shirley MacLaine was quite expected to win for her role in "The Apartment". She didn't. In typical Shirley sass she said it was obvious she lost to a what?

Answer: a tracheotomy

Elizabeth Taylor won that year after having some drastic throat surgery which nearly killed her. It was a total 'sympathy win' (even Liz hated her role in "Butterfield 8" - she only did it due to contract obligations).

3. Yikes! Can they be a windy bunch or what when they win? Which Oscar acceptance speech made by a Best Actor or Actress winner still clocks in as the longest?

Answer: Greer Garson with some 7 minutes.

When Garson won for "Mrs. Miniver" she just couldn't shut up at the show in 1943. Sources differ but she clearly went on for between 6 or 7 minutes. To note: "Mrs. Miniver" was the first film in Oscar history to get 5 nominations for acting. Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Henry Travers and Dame May Whitty (Wright's Mother in real life) were the others singled out.

Answer: Her dress was homemade. No designers consulted - she just whipped it up herself.

Woodward was never really a glamour-puss. She decided to make her own dress and actually looked quite fine! The attention to wardrobe was much less intense back then and, more than likely, she never thought she'd win for "The Three Faces Of Eve". It was a film about multiple personalities, an area that hadn't been explored too much at the time.

She went from saint to party girl to somewhere in between in expert fashion. She's an unpretentious woman who leaves all the sex symbol stuff to her husband Paul Newman.

Answer: Connie Stevens

Oh, such disasters! The Academy, at that time, didn't trust a "rocker" to do the 'image' of the night correctly. Stevens really was no singer but she was assigned it - only because she was beautiful. If one considers big platinum blonde hair and pretty teeth even partly attractive, that is, especially when it is backed up by nothing else. Luckily the votes were in already so that the song lost wasn't her fault. How badly she did was, though.

A dreadful couple of minutes.

Answer: Actually they all would!

Split voting usually explains these things. To simplify that imagine this: say there are 10 voters and three worthy winners. Two of them, in the midst of deliberation and politics, get three votes each. The other one, the least likely, manages to pick up the other four. I'm sure that's what happened with Binoche ("The English Patient") as Bacall was supposed to win on sentiment alone but "The Mirror Has Two Faces" was a pretty forgettable movie. Donat won for "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" - and really did deserve it - but everything "Gone With The Wind" was predicted to win. What happened with "Chariots Of Fire" I'm still not sure.

7. On one occasion the folks at Disney Studios had endured more than enough and they sued The Academy for something that happened on Oscar night in 1989. What was that?

Answer: Rob Lowe and an actress dressed as Snow White opened the show with a musical number. It redefined the word horrendous.

The most red faces at A.M.P.A.S. occurred after that 12 minute debacle. Rob Lowe and Snow White even broke into "Proud Mary" as they bumbled around. It still remains a joke now and again on Oscar night. Easily the clumsiest idea ever conceived of as "good fun"! The lawsuit never amounted to anything as the Academy bent over backwards apologizing - and I don't think I've seen Mr. Lowe up on that stage since.

Answer: The Turning Point

An excellent film about ballet dancers, former and current, gathering in Oklahoma couldn't keep up with Luke Skywalker and "Annie Hall". The movie, aside from dance, was about dreams (abandoned ones and fresh ones), young love and old complicated friendships.

It really was good and would have fared better in a different year. There is one scene that alone is worth a look. The two historic friends finally got to that "Turning Point" and had a literal punching/slapping match on a rooftop. It all ended with a laugh and a hug. What a cat fight!

9. Speaking of long-winded, the longest Oscar show telecast happened in 2002. It was, quite frankly, endless! How long was it?

Answer: 4 hours and 16 minutes! Thank goodness for VCRs. I ran out of No-Doz as it went.

Oddly enough it was one of the lowest rated Oscar telecasts in recent years. I guess no one cared about whether or not "A Beautiful Mind" would win Best Picture (it finally did). It was an historic broadcast, if anyone could stay awake long enough to see. Denzel Washington and Halle Berry both were named Best Leads that night. Actors of color doing that well had never happened before.

10. Who hosted the Oscars 18 times in his career? Far more than anyone else.

Answer: Bob Hope

Billy Crystal has hosted 8 times and does it quite well but he has a long way to go to catch up with Bob.

I hope that was bit of fun! Thanks for giving it a look.

Source: Author gatsby722

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor linkan before going online.
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