Entertainment: Something in Common Trivia

31. Who was the first actor to exercise the "little grey cells" of Hercule Poirot in any medium?

From Quiz The Many Faces of Hercule Poirot

Answer: Charles Laughton

The play, "Alibi", based on the Christie book, "The murder of Roger Ackroyd", appeared in the West End of London in 1928, with Laughton playing the detective. It was adapted for the stage by Michael Morton The characters were changed slightly and a couple of sub-plots removed. Hercule Poirot also repeatedly referred to the fact that he was French - something which, in fact, in all the Christie works makes him indignant! Laughton also produced and starred in an unsuccessful Broadway production in 1932.

From Quiz The Stellar Cast and Characters of "Heat" (1995)

Answer: "The Godfather: Part II" (1974)

While the two greats spent less than ten minutes together onscreen in this movie, they spend no time together on their last movie: "The Godfather: Part II" (1974). The reason for this is that De Niro was cast as a young Vito Corleone (appearing in flashbacks) but Pacino was cast as his son Michael approximately thirty years later.

From Quiz Onscreen Whines?

Answer: Sideways

Described as a comedy-drama, it has won numerous awards including an Oscar. It is based on Rex Pickett's 2004 book of the same name. The book sequel is called "Vertical". One of the non-whine wines was a bottle of 1961 Château Cheval Blanc which Miles was saving in anticipation of a reunion with his ex-wife.

From Quiz Don't Feed the Animals

Answer: Marcel, Ross's monkey

The main plot of "The One with Two Parts", a first season double episode, concerns Rachel and Monica meeting cute doctors when they swap identities because Rachel has no medical insurance to cover her treatment for a fall. The subplot has Ross worrying about whether or not he is ready to be a father, and proving that he is by fighting to have Marcel treated at the people hospital when the monkey is choking on some Scrabble tiles. Don't feed the animals! This one even upstaged George Clooney and Noah Wyle (the cute doctors)!

From Quiz The Cast of "Good Night, and Good Luck"

Answer: David Strathairn

David Strathairn received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for playing legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow. Unfortunately, he lost to Phillip Seymour Hoffman's amazing portrayal of Truman Capote in the film "Capote". An accomplished character actor, Strathairn has also appeared in such films as "Lincoln", "L.A. Confidential", "The Bourne Ultimatum", and "Fracture".

From Quiz The Car is the Star!

Answer: Simon Templar ("The Saint")

When the producers approached Aston Martin to supply two vehicles for their new production, they were told to wait in line like everybody else. With time a major issue, they turned to Volvo, who were more accommodating.

From Quiz Give Me What I Want, and I'll Go Away

Answer: It

'It' was a 1990 made-for-TV mini-series. It starred Tim Curry as Pennywise the clown (It). It also starred Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Richard Masur, John Ritter, Tim Reid, Richard Thomas, Seth Green, and Annette O'Toole. Ben Hanscom's brother Georgie first encountered Pennywise and was drowned. Ben felt responsible and began to stutter. He was given a sentence to say to help him overcome the stutter. Ben and five other small town kids became friends but eventually grew up, moved away and grew apart. They came back to town to face their fears and Pennywise. 'It' had to be killed before any other kids were harmed. At the time it first aired, this two-part show made history as the fifth and second highest rated programs on Sunday and Tuesday. King talked about the thrusting fist phrase in his non-fiction work, 'Danse Macabre'. He mentioned it was repeated in the 1942 science fiction novel 'Donovan's Brain'. There is also an articulation exercise that goes like this 'Amidst the mists and coldest frosts, with stoutest wrists and loudest boasts, he thrusts his fists against the posts, and still insists he sees the ghosts'.

From Quiz British Things that Make Me Laugh

Answer: Charles Coburn

The family set numerous traps, including faulty steps and rigged shotguns, to accomplish the deed. They only succeeded in doing away with each other. The film also starred Wendy Hiller and was one of the first appearances by Michael Caine, in which he had no lines.

From Quiz Nurses from TV and Movies

Answer: Majel Barrett

Majel Barrett played Nurse Chapel on "Star Trek" from 1966 through 1969; she also was the only actor to play in six "Star Trek" series and, in real life, was married to Gene Roddenberry, creator of the franchise. You may recognize the incorrect choices, all of whom were on "TOS": Nichelle Nichols as Uhura, Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Janice Rand and Diana Muldaur as Ann Mulhall.

From Quiz Amazing Architectural Feats

Answer: Rush Hour 3

In the third movie of the "Rush Hour" film series, Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and his sidekick James Carter once and for all defeated the Triads, an Asian criminal organization. An assassin attempted to kill the Chinese ambassador, who was searching for the person known as "Shy Shen", a figure of importance within the Triads. In the end, Shy Shen turned out to be a woman who, with Lee and Carter's help, exposed the leaders of the Triads and killed the main villain. In the climactic battle in the Eiffel Tower, Lee battled the assassin, who was his foster brother, Kenji, while Carter took on several Triads. After Lee saved Kenji's life, but they continued fighting, they ended up hanging onto a line high up on the tower. Kenji sacrificed himself so Lee could live. While escaping from the Triads, Lee and Carter performed their amazing feat through an impromptu parachute comprised of them clinging to a big French flag. They drifted from near the top of the tower under fire from the Triads, and splashed down in a nearby fountain and pool. The incorrect answers are all movies starring Jackie Chan, but none with Chris Tucker and with scenes on the Eiffel Tower.

From Quiz Always a Bridesmaid

Answer: The Shawshank Redemption

"Forrest Gump" beat out "The Shawshank Redemption" in most categories, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Freeman lost Best Actor to Tom Hanks (also in "Forrest Gump"), while "Legends of the Fall" won for Best Cinematography.

From Quiz Nuclear Holocaust at the Movies

Answer: The Day After

'The Day After' aired on ABC on November 20th 1983 and was watched by almost 100 million people including then-President Reagan, who was depressed and moved by the film and in his memoirs made a direct link between its showing and the introduction of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at Reykjavik three years later. Moments to watch for: Jason Robards as the Surgeon Dr. Oakes, silently embracing the dying squatter family in the ruins of his Kansas City home, as a voiceover track reads out the desperate attempt of a radio operator to contact someone, anyone else...

From Quiz Patricia Routledge - More Than a Bucket

Answer: Keeping Up Appearances

"Keeping Up Appearances" originally aired on BBC One between 1990 and 1995. It portrayed the struggles of Hyacinth Bucket to appear to belong to the 'gentility', and leave her working class roots behind. The pronunciation of the family surname was only one of the running jokes, along with her penchant for candle-lit suppers, her lazy brother-in-law, Onslow, her senile father, and her wealthy cross-dressing brother-in-law, Bruce.

From Quiz Matheson's Greatest Hits

Answer: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

This appeared on the "Twilight Zone" television show and feature movie, starring William Shatner and John Lithgow respectively. The line "There's someone on the wing! Some...THING!" is not only famous, it's fun to shout. Many comedies have featured characters saying it, and parodies of this story are commonplace.

From Quiz Let's Put a Smile on That Face

Answer: Tim Curry

"I'M EVERYTHING YOU EVER WERE AFRAID OF!": Pennywise According to the director commentary on the DVD, Tim Curry was so creepy during his performance that the rest of the cast would avoid him.

From Quiz TV & Movie Cars

Answer: Batmobile

The Batmobile appeared for the first time along with Batman in the May 1939 edition of Detective Comics. Back then it was a simple red convertible. In modern-day times it is a jet-black, sleek-gizmo-laden superhero machine.

From Quiz Night of the Cyborgs

Answer: A hybrid of a living creature and mechanical or electronic parts

A cyborg has both living tissue (biological material) and mechanical parts. Artificial flesh over a robot skeleton doesn't count as living tissue.

From Quiz Fifteen Minutes of Law Enforcement

Answer: "The Proposal" (2009)

Margaret Tate is the editor in chief at a major publishing company who is suddenly faced with losing her job when she realises she has been too busy to renew her visa and will now be deported. As an escape route, she bribes her assistant Andrew Paxton (played by Ryan Reynolds) into marrying her in exchange for a promotion. A disgruntled ex-employee tips off the immigration authorities and Tate is faced with felony charges and a possible prison sentence if the marriage is proved to be a sham.

From Quiz Pat Down the Nun!

Answer: The Town

Watch out, for the nuns in "The Town" come heavily armed, and are not averse to robbery and kidnapping. Ben Affleck followed up his critically acclaimed "Gone Baby Gone" with this film, which was his second feature film as director. The title of the movie refers to its setting - Charlestown, Boston, which the movie claims is "the bank robbery capital of the world". Affleck plays the leader of a four-man crew of bank robbers, who pull off an armored-car heist while dressed in macabre Halloween masks and nun's habits. The movie opened in the U.S. in September 2010 at the top of the box office charts to overwhelmingly positive reviews, and also features Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively.

From Quiz Cultural Compass Points

Answer: West

Set in a fictional White House, the multi-award winning "West Wing" ran from September 1999 to May 2006. It told the story of the triumphs and (more frequently) tribulations of a Democratic President and his loyal staff.

From Quiz One Word Titles

Answer: Alf & ALF & A.L.F. & A. L. F.

"A.L.F." stood for Alien Life Form and was produced by Paul Fusco who also did the voice for Alf. It was about a furry, smart alec alien who crash landed into the Tanner family's garage and the ensuing antics.

From Quiz Everything But the Boy

Answer: Bart

Bart Simpson, throughout decades, has been a staple of American television. After debuting on "The Simpsons" in late 1989, Bart Simpson appeared on t-shirts, memorabilia, merchandise, and commercial advertisements, even releasing his own CD. Voiced by Nancy Cartwright, he is one of the five central members of the Simpson family. On occasions, he has called himself "America's bad-boy" and "this generation's Dennis the Menace". "Time" magazine was once criticized for having placed Bart into their list of '100 Most Influential Figures of the 20th Century', becoming the first cartoon character to do so.

From Quiz "Star Trek" Must be Cool if "They" Were in it!

Answer: Star Trek: The Original Series

Joan Collins famously (or infamously perhaps) played Alexis Carrington in 'Dynasty'. Long before that she had a guest role in the 'Star Trek: The Original Series' episode 'City On The Edge Of Forever' as Edith Keeler. Yet another one of Captain Kirk's love interests, but this time with the twist of being in the past. Other 'Dynasty' stars have appeared in the 'Star Trek' franchise too. Tracy Scoggins played Monica Scott Colby in 'Dynasty'. Tracy Scoggins is a veteran of cult television these days having appeared in 'The New Adventures of Superman', 'Highlander: The Series', 'Babylon 5' and of course 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' as a Cardassian, Gilora Rejal, in the episode 'Destiny'. English actress Stephanie Beacham played 'Sable' Colby in 'Dynasty'. She also played the Countess Regina Bartholomew in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' episode 'Ship in a Bottle'.

From Quiz Cop the Connection!

Answer: Kojak

Aristotelis Savalas was born in New York in 1922. He was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role to Burt Lancaster in "Birdman of Alcatraz", and also appeared in "The Dirty Dozen", Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (as arch villain Blofeld), "Kelly's Heroes" and "Escape to Athena". He had two chart topping music hits - "If" in 1975, and "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" in 1980. He was godfather to his good friend John Aniston's daughter, Jennifer. Telly Savalas' real screen success though was as lollipop sucking TV cop Theo Kojak, whose catchphrase was "Who loves ya baby?".

From Quiz Beyond "WKRP in Cincinnati"

Answer: "Diff'rent Strokes"

In the two-part arc "The Bicycle Man" (originally broadcast February 5 and February 12, 1983), Gordon Jump played Mr. Horton, the outgoing and friendly owner of a bicycle shop. Arnold (Gary Coleman) and his pal Dudley (Shavar Ross) became friendly with Horton, but he has sinister plans of his own. A versatile character actor who had a background as a television producer and weatherman, Jump is also well known for playing Ol' Lonely, the Maytag Repairman, in television and print commercials, from 1989 until shortly before his death in 2003.

From Quiz Let Me Give You The Business

Answer: Ace Tomato Company

Fitz-Hume and Millbarge (Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd) were chosen to be decoys so that the real GLG20s could accomplish their mission. Ace Tomato Company was seen several times: the courier who brought the satellite photos of the SS-50 ICBM left the Ace warehouse and arrived in an Ace Tomato van; the crate which Millbarge and Fitz-Hume landed in Pakistan in had the Ace logo on the side; and, within the WAMP facility, boxes with the Ace Tomato logo could be seen. The real GLG20s were to capture a Soviet SS-50 and launch it in order to test the US anti-ballistic missile system.

From Quiz The 'Kid' Stays in the Quiz

Answer: The Cisco Kid

'The Cisco Kid' was created in 1907 by the real-life William Sidney Porter in his novella 'The Caballero's Way'. A silent film of the story was made seven years later with William R. Dunn in the role. By the time Romero and Renaldo took the reigns in the 1930s and 40s, the character had become wildly popular, especially when paired with his bumbling sidekick Pancho. The character also inspired the biggest musical hit for the jazz-Latino group War in 1972.

From Quiz "The Breakfast Club" In Pop Culture

Answer: Bender

Bender is the best friend of the main character, Fry. Bender was built by Mom's Friendly Robot Company in Tijuana, Mexico. He smokes, drinks, gambles and is a kleptomaniac. There is another episode of "Futurama", "The luck of the Fryish", in which "The Breakfast Club" is referenced. In this episode, Fry finds a lucky clover, but his brother, Yancey, keeps trying to steal it, so Fry hides it in the soundtrack for "The Breakfast Club." It is in the commentary of this episode in which we learn that John Bender is who inspired Bender the robot.

From Quiz "Flowers For Algernon" in Pop Culture

Answer: None

The album, released on September 1, 1988, had tracks called "Angel", "Love", and "Dear Algernon". "Dear Algernon" made it to number two on music charts in 1988.

From Quiz That Shrinking Feeling

Answer: Brobdingnag

In Brobdingnag, Gulliver is discovered by a farmer who displays him at the local market, naturally arousing great interest. He is purchased by the Queen and lives at the royal palace. The size difference allows Gulliver to view the physical imperfections and habits of his hosts close-up and with some disgust.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:46 AM

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