Sweet Charity Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bob Fosse

Bob Fosse was one of the most influential jazz dance choreographers of the 20th century. He started out as a dancer, aspiring to be the new Fred Astaire, before moving onto choreography. 'The Pajama Game', a 1954 musical which was later made into a film starring Doris Day, was his choreography debut. He met dancer Gwen Verdon while filming 'Damn Yankees' and the two became a couple and worked together on multiple films and musicals. Verdon played Charity in the stage version of 'Sweet Charity'. Although Verdon wanted to play her in the film, she agreed to let Shirley MacLaine play the role as she was a more recognisable film star; MacLaine was a friend of the couple and had suggested the adaptation to Lew Wasserman of Universal Pictures.

Some of the most notable Fosse dance routines in the film include 'Big Spender', Charity's routine in 'If My Friends Could See Me Now', and the 'Rich Man's Frug' in the nightclub where Charity goes with Vittorio.

Answer: Her boyfriend pushes her into a lake.

Charity is in Central Park with her boyfriend Charlie. He ignores her while she sings 'You Should See Yourself' and talks about shopping for furniture for the two of them. She sits on the edge of the bridge over the lake and is about to make a wish when Charlie pushes her off and steals her handbag and life savings. Charity falls into the lake, and screams for help because she can't swim, but multiple people ignore her. A couple of young men dive into the lake and pull her out. When they hold her upside down, she thinks she's in Australia. A crowd gathers and a pair of policeman break it up.

Charity later claims Charlie tried to save her, and that he still loves her, but none of her fellow dancers believe her.

Answer: The Fandango Club

Charity is a taxi dancer at the sleazy Fandango Club, where her closest friends are Nickie (Chita Rivera, who also played Charity in the 1997 all-star stage version) and Helene (Paula Kelly). A taxi dancer is a paid ballroom dance partner; her male partner would buy a ticket and she would dance with him for the length of a song, and she earned commission for every ticket.

The 'Big Spender' sequence takes place here, although Charity is not among the group who sing it. They have big hair (it was the '60s!) and wear heavy make-up and sparkly dresses.

When a potential customer comes into the club, the dancers all try to get him to dance with them.

Answer: Ancient Rome

Charity holds her umbrella over Vittorio's head while Ursula kicks him in the leg and jumps into a taxi. Vittorio ignores her at first, but then changes his mind and invites her to come to a club, the Pompeii Club, with him. As its name suggests, it has a Roman theme, with Roman statues and staff in togas, and even a cheetah in a cage! The club is full of glamorous men and women - many of whom have strange hairstyles - who stare at Charity and wonder who she is and where Ursula is.

A group of dancers - one of whom is Toni Basil, of 'Mickey' fame - perform 'The Rich Man's Frug'. Charity goes up to dance with Vittorio, but accidentally kicks him in the leg and he falls over.

Answer: In the closet

Vittorio asks the doorman (who nearly closes the door on Charity) if there have been any calls from Ursula. He asks Charity what she does for a living, but she is embarrassed about her job as she worries he will judge her. They drink champagne together and Charity talks about a film of his and how the line 'without love, life has no purpose' resonated with her. When he orders dinner for them, she cries because she thinks her friends would never believe her if she told them where she was. Vittorio signs a photo for her as proof.

Vittorio goes out and Charity dances around his apartment and sings 'If My Friends Could See Me Now', and when he returns, he gives her a top hat and she performs a top hat and cane routine. Unfortunately, Ursula arrives and begs Vittorio to let her in, and although he refuses, Charity tells him to let Ursula in. Vittorio hides her in his closet and promises to get rid of her, but Ursula ends up staying the night and Charity falls asleep in the closet. She later tells the other dancers about it and they make fun of her for only getting a hat and a cane in return, assuming she had sex with him, but she is forced to admit that she hid in the closet.

Answer: Receptionist

Nickie fantasises about working as a receptionist in a glass skyscraper, with her own typewriter, office parties and coffee breaks. Helene is the one who wants to be a hat check girl in a high-class restaurant, while Charity told Vittorio that she should have said she was a dental technician.

In the song, Charity isn't sure what she wants to do. Herman appears and orders the dancers back inside. When Nickie threatens to leave, he says that he can always find someone else, making Nickie and Helene rush back inside, much to Charity's annoyance.

Answer: A lift

Charity goes for a job interview, but it becomes clear that she does not have any experience or qualifications, and she has no idea what kind of job she wants to do, other than a 'nice job'. Mr Nicholls, the interviewer, assumes she came in for a joke and that someone else put her up to it. She decides not to argue with him and leaves, and a man holds the lift door open for her as he needs to get to his appointment. The lift breaks down when a fuse blows and Charity and the man, an actuary called Oscar Lindquist, are stuck. Oscar, who is claustrophobic, starts to panic and Charity tries to calm him down by getting him to talk about himself. However, Oscar faints and Charity thinks about how handsome his face is.

Oscar wakes up, but the lights go out and he and Charity call for help. The lift starts working again and they are able to escape. Oscar follows her out of the building and awkwardly invites her on a date.

Answer: Sammy Davis Jr.

Charity tells Nickie and Helene about Oscar, but they are cynical and call him a goofball. They ask if he knows what her job is, and she insists he does and that she told him 'tomorrow'. Charity and Oscar go to an alternative church, the Rhythm of Life Tabernacle, based in an underground car park.

The congregation are hippies and are led by the charismatic Big Daddy (Sammy Davis Jr.), who sings 'The Rhythm of Life' and drives a colourful car. The police arrive and the meeting breaks up, and Oscar and Charity hide in the tyres of a car.

Answer: A marching band uniform

Charity confesses to Oscar in a Mexican restaurant what she does for a living, and Oscar tells her he loves her and proposes to her. Charity is overjoyed and shouts, "Somebody loves me!" while standing in various New York attractions. She changes into a red marching band uniform with a white shako for 'I'm a Brass Band'.

She dances in front of a fountain and along a street while drummers and trumpeters play and dance around her.

Answer: No

Charity introduces Oscar to Herman and the dancers, and they throw a surprise party for her. One of the dancers assumes she is pregnant and gives her baby clothes as a wedding present. At the marriage licence bureau, Charity signs her licence, but Oscar gets cold feet and says he can't go through with it. Charity thinks he is joking, but he is not and says he cannot get over the 'other men'. Oscar walks out of the bureau and Charity says that she cannot change her history. She begs him to stay with her, but he runs off. Charity phones the club and cries down the phone; when the girls ask her how the ceremony went, she lies and says Oscar can't come to the phone because he's shaving.

Charity falls asleep in Central Park and is woken up by a group of friendly hippies, who say good morning to her, give her a daisy and make the peace sign. She walks through the park and the film ends with 'And she lived hopefully ever after.' An alternative ending where Oscar and Charity get back together was filmed, in case the studio wanted a happy ending, but Fosse thought it was too corny. Luckily for him, the studio went with the original ending.