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Sailing in Movies Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Sailing in Movies Quizzes, Trivia

Sailing in Movies Trivia

Sailing in Movies Trivia Quizzes

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Fun Trivia
6 quizzes and 50 trivia questions.
1.
  Sailing the Oceans   top quiz  
Ordering Quiz
 10 Qns
Films Set at Sea
All the films in this quiz have a nautical setting. Can you put them in the correct order of release, starting with the earliest?
Average, 10 Qns, rossian, May 05 23
Average
rossian editor
May 05 23
236 plays
2.
  "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The Four Winds are embarking on a journey to movies where there have been boats and water... We'll need a big one so that many Fun Trivia members can come along on the next leg of the Fun Trivia Amazing Race 2. Hop on!
Easier, 10 Qns, zorba_scank, Oct 02 13
Easier
zorba_scank gold member
2150 plays
3.
  Down to the Sea in Ships   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Films have always been fond of the sea. Here are ten films that take place primarily at sea.
Average, 10 Qns, Rehaberpro, Dec 31 12
Average
Rehaberpro
490 plays
4.
  Nautical Movies 1    
Multiple Choice
 5 Qns
Here are some questions about movies with a nautical theme. Good luck.
Tough, 5 Qns, steiny1, Apr 06 06
Tough
steiny1
951 plays
5.
  Sailors and Ships At the Movies    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
From legendary characters to musicals via sea storms and mutinies...
Difficult, 10 Qns, gywalgi, Jun 14 20
Difficult
gywalgi
Jun 14 20
679 plays
6.
  Nautical Movies 2    
Multiple Choice
 5 Qns
Here are five more nautical movies I have dug up. See how you do with these.
Difficult, 5 Qns, steiny1, Apr 10 04
Difficult
steiny1
742 plays

Sailing in Movies Trivia Questions

1. In 'Pandora And The Flying Dutchman', James Mason is condemned to sail the oceans 'till Doomsday unless something particular happens to him. What is it?

From Quiz
Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: A woman who would love him enough to die for him

Hendrick Van Zoe (Mason) is the Flying Dutchman who, for his sins, has to roam the seas for eternity. Every 7 years, he is allowed to live as a human for 6 months. If he can win the love of a woman who will be willing to die for him, the curse will be lifted. And then, he meets Pandora (Ava Gardner)...

2. Ward Bond commanded what submarine in 'Operation Pacific'?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 2

Answer: USS 'Thunderfish'

This was a 1951 movie starring John Wayne and Patricia Neal.

3. Sterling Hayden played a naval officer who had an artificial limb in what movie?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 1

Answer: 'The Eternal Sea'

It was a 1955 movie co-starring Alexis Smith and Dean Jagger.

4. Another famous boat tale is "Mutiny on the Bounty", which has been filmed Hollywood-style more than once. The 1935 version starred Clark Gable and Charles Laughton. Who were the stars of the 1962 version?

From Quiz "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"

Answer: Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard

The film recreates the historic mutiny on board the HMAV Bounty that was led by Fletcher Christian. Set in the year 1787, the Bounty is charting its way from Britain to Tahiti to provide breadfruit to the slaves and the simmering tension between Fletcher and the ship's captain, William Bligh, results in the famous mutiny with Fletcher taking over the ship. Marlon Brando is best known for his role as Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" which won him an Oscar for Best Actor. Other noteworthy performances include his roles in "On The Waterfront", "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Apocalypse Now". Trevor Howard was a British actor who made his debut on the big screen with "The Way Ahead". Apart from "Mutiny on the Bounty", he also had strong character roles in films like "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Battle of Britain" and "Gandhi". Some say that Marlon Brando cut a better figure than did Clark Gable in the remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty". No one can compare to Charles Laughton, however, as the infamous Captain Bligh. Richard Chamberlain and Richard Burton would have been an interesting casting choice, but they never made this movie. Van Johnson and Humphrey Bogart starred in another mutinous movie undertaking, "The Caine Mutiny". Steve Ryan and Mark Chinney did play the roles of Fletcher Christian and William Bligh, but in a much late version that was filmed for Japanese TV in 2011.

5. What actor excelled in adventure films such as "Captain Blood" and "The Sea Hawk"?

From Quiz Down to the Sea in Ships

Answer: Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn was during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s the epitome of the hero in adventure films not only at sea but in westerns, costume films, and drama. His personal life was notorious, even for Hollywood. His swashbuckling roles did not require great acting skills but he was praised for his dissipated middle aged ex-patriot in Spain in "The Sun Also Rises" (1957), which, ironically, was where he was in his personal life.

6. The Bounty has been the subject of many movies and the Captain Bligh is one of those characters we like to hate. What really happened to him after the mutiny?

From Quiz Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: He returned in England, was judged and acquitted

The 9 men responsible for the mutiny were never found by the English. The took refuge on Pitcairn Island where they founded a colony. Their descendants still live there today.

7. In what year was the movie 'PT-109' released?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 2

Answer: 1963

This movie was based on the true story of John F. Kennedy and starred Cliff Robertson.

8. What was the nickname of the cargo ship in the movie 'Mister Roberts'?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 1

Answer: The bucket

This movie had an all star cast including Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon, Betsy Palmer and Ward Bond among others.

9. Boats are not just for adventures and wars! Sometimes love can bloom on a boat. What 1957 film, starring Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant, has the lovers meet on a cruise ship?

From Quiz "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"

Answer: An Affair to Remember

"An Affair to Remember" is a tear-jerker in which the characters of Kerr and Grant meet on a cruise ship and fall in love, despite being committed to other people. The lovers agree to stay apart and meet after six month's time to test if their love is true. A series of circumstances causes them not to meet and not to be able to explain what happened until many years later. The other choices mentioned are all love stories, but different ones. "Love, Actually" was made in 2003, starring Hugh Grant, Keira Knightly, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, among others, and is a series of intertwined modern love stories. "The Love Boat" was a long running US Television series that took place on a cruise ship. The idea for the series was first floated as a TV movie in 1976, starring Don Adams, Tom Bosley, Florence Henderson, and others. It was well-received, and the TV show got the green light. "Romance on the High Seas" is a 1947 star-studded musical-comedy extravaganza starring Jack Carson, Janice Paige, Doris Day and many others.

10. In 'Voyage Of The Damned', over 900 German Jews try to flee Germany on a ship but they are denied the permission to land anywhere. Who plays the wonderfully dignified German Captain of this ship?

From Quiz Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: Max Von Sydow

As Captain Schroeder, Von Sydow delivers another magnificent performance. The movie is based on a novel written by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts.

11. In what country was 'The Sand Pebbles' set?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 2

Answer: China

This film starred Steve McQueen and was directed by Robert Wise. It was also noted for its excellent photography.

12. What was the name of the aircraft carrier in the movie 'The Final Countdown'?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 1

Answer: USS Nimitz

It was about a carrier that enters a time warp and goes back in time to the Pacific just before Pearl Harbor.

13. "Mr. Roberts" (1955) was first a novel and a Broadway play then a film. Sailors fight less the enemy than the ennui and boredom of the ship's assignment. What is the name of the ship?

From Quiz Down to the Sea in Ships

Answer: USS Reluctant

The cargo ship Reluctant roams the seas, safely delivering its cargo due not to the Captain (James Cagney) but to the efficiency and leadership of Mr. Roberts (Henry Fonda). Roberts wants a transfer to a combat zone but is denied by the Captain due to his importance on the ship. It was William Powell's last film; he played the ship's doctor. Jack Lemmon earned an Oscar for his Supporting Role as Ensign Pulver. The crew makes alcohol out of what it has on board but something is missing as it doesn't taste like scotch. The Doctor adds a few drops of iodine and the drink is perfect.

14. Who was the sea captain in the movie 'Fair Wind To Java'?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 2

Answer: Fred MacMurray

A 1953 movie about a skipper who is going after treasures in the south seas.

15. Who starred in the 1941 movie 'In The Navy'?

From Quiz Nautical Movies 1

Answer: Abbott and Costello

Lou Costello has hallucinations and nearly wrecks an entire fleet.

16. Ships have also been the setting for a lot of fun and frolic. In which movie was an entire cruise liner not big enough to hold Lorelei Lee's many admirers while she crossed the Atlantic on her way to France?

From Quiz "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"

Answer: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" was adapted from a musical and starred Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell as two showgirls and best friends. Lorelei, played by Marilyn, was engaged to Gus Esmond, a nerdy guy whose wealthy father refused to accept the relationship, having made up his mind that Lorelei was nothing but a gold-digger. When Gus is stopped from accompanying Lorelei on the trip to France, he sends her best friend Dorothy as a chaperon and Edmond Sr. hires a detective to keep an eye on both the girls. With a ship full of men willing to do anything for Lorelei's attention, the scene is set for an entertaining journey.

17. Richard Henry Dana wrote a non-fiction travel book about his experiences as a merchant seaman in "Two Years Before the Mast" (1840). It was filmed once in 1946. Who played Dana in the film?

From Quiz Down to the Sea in Ships

Answer: Brian Donlevy

In typical Hollywood fashion, the star of the film is Alan Ladd. Dana becomes a friend of Charles Stewart (Ladd), who has been shanghaied to be a member of the crew. Dana enlisted as a merchant seaman but that wasn't dramatic enough for the Hollywood suits who sold the film with the star power of Ladd. Dana kept a diary of his voyages which he later adapted as "Two Years Before the Mast". It is an eloquent, almost poetic book that inspired writers of sea stories to this day, most notably Herman Melville. Brian Donlevy was a strong character actor. He was once nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Beau Geste" (1939) but his best performance was in Preston Sturges' "The Great McGinty" as a bum who voted 30 times in a rigged election to rise to become the mayor himself.

18. The tagline of this great movie was: 'The Man!... The Mutiny!... The Might! Of Herman Melville's classic adventure of the High Seas!' Who played the title role in this movie?

From Quiz Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: Terence Stamp & Terrence Stamp

And, the movie is 'Billy Budd' directed by Peter Ustinov in 1962. It was Stamp's first movie role and he made quite an impression.

19. What film based on a Herman Melville novel tells the story of the obsessive pursuit of a whale by a demented captain who believes the whale is the personification of evil?

From Quiz Down to the Sea in Ships

Answer: Moby Dick (1956)

"Moby Dick" is perhaps one of Hollywood's better attempts to work symbolism into the plot. The whale, of course, is the symbol of evil in the world. In college, the novel was split up with different chapters. I got the chapters that dealt with the systematic evisceration of the whale - not the most pleasant part of the book. Gregory Peck starred as the crazed Captain Ahab. John Huston directed and co-wrote the script with Ray Bradbury. Orson Welles has a dramatic cameo. The movie site Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 84% rating which is quite high. They said that previous versions had dwelt too much on non-existent romantic subplots and happy endings. This version was most true to its source.

20. In 'The Caine Mutiny', two naval officers are court-martialed because they conducted a mutiny against their dangerously mad captain (played by Humphrey Bogart). Who played Van Johnson's defense attorney?

From Quiz Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: Jose Ferrer

MacMurray was the communication officer, Francis was the other rebel and Franz was the medical officer. Jose Ferrer (1909-1992) is George Clooney's uncle, he married his aunt Rosemary Clooney. He is also the father of Miguel Ferrer.

21. Which 1957 movie was set on a fictional submarine named the USS Starfish and featured the real life couple of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis?

From Quiz "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"

Answer: Hellcats of the Navy

The movie was based on a nonfiction book penned by Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood and Hans Christian Adamson called "Hellcats of the Sea". In the film, Commander Casey Abbott played by Ronald Reagan was given the daunting task of stopping supplies from flowing between China and Japan. Nancy Davis featured as Nurse Lieutenant Helen Blair who was part of the submarine's crew. It was the only movie in which Ronald Reagan starred with his future wife Nancy Davis.

22. In 'On The Town' (1949), three sailors spent their 24 hours pass in New-York, they are Gabey, Chip and Ozzie. Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra portrayed Gabey and Chip, but who played Ozzie?

From Quiz Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: Jules Munshin

Sinatra, Kelly and Munshin also worked together in 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game'.

23. Which Australian thriller, starring Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane, was filmed around the Great Barrier Reef?

From Quiz "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"

Answer: Dead Calm

Based on Charles Williams' book of the same name, the plot of "Dead Calm" centered on a yacht trip taken by John Ingram and his wife Rae to help her get over the grief of losing their son. While sailing in the Pacific, they come across a boat which appears to be in trouble. When a man from that boat rows over to the Ingram's yacht and seeks help, John heads out to check what the trouble is only to find the boat filled with corpses.

24. George Clooney plays a captain of a fishing boat that goes out for one more catch at the end of the season despite the dangers of a storm. What kind of storm was it?

From Quiz Down to the Sea in Ships

Answer: Perfect

"The Perfect Storm" (2000) depicts the sea as its more vicious self. A 'perfect storm' is often defined as a low pressure system coming in one direction, a high pressure system coming in another direction, and winds of hurricane force. The film is based on Sebastian Junger's non-fiction book on an actual incident out of the fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Andrea Gail sets out in these dangerous waters and the entire crew is lost. The film was praised for its special effects but the screenplay lacked characterization but the cast was a strong acting ensemble.

25. Captain Nemo is the star of two movies both based on Jules Verne's novels. There is '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea', but what is the title of the second one?

From Quiz Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: Mysterious Island

Verne published 54 novels, '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea' was published in 1870 and 'Mysterious Island' in 1874.

26. What was the name of the ship from which Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner rescued Elizabeth Swann in the first film of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise?

From Quiz "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"

Answer: Black Pearl

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", which was released in 2003, was inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride found in Disney theme parks. In the first movie, Elizabeth accidentally falls into the water and a medallion that she was wearing sends signals to the ghostly ship known as the Black Pearl. Pirate captain Jack Sparrow, along with his ship mate Will Turner, lead the mission to rescue Elizabeth. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley star in the lead roles.

27. In "The Caine Mutiny" (1954), Captain Queeg is obviously the villain. However, after the mutineers' court martial is over, who does José Ferrer, their defense attorney, toss a drink in the face of the person he feels is the real villain?

From Quiz Down to the Sea in Ships

Answer: Lt. Keefer (Fred MacMurray)

"The Caine Mutiny" was based on Herman Wouk's novel of the same name. Queeg's (Humphrey Bogart's) aberrant behavior causes distrust as to his compulsions and cowardliness. A rebellion arises among the officers and Queeg is displaced. Finally, there is a trial to determine if the mutiny was justified. Although the officers are found innocent, José Ferrer, their attorney, through his brilliant cross examination of Queeg, is unhappy with the result. The United States Navy had never had a mutiny. The military principles of honor and discipline are called into question. Keefer, as the arrogant conspirator, is exposed. As Jack Nicholson said in another film, "You can't handle the truth!" "The Caine Mutiny" won seven Academy Award including Best Picture and acting awards for Bogart and Tom Tully. In case you did not figure it out, the stewards ate the strawberries.

28. So many movies have been made about the 'Titanic' that we forgot she had two sisters, what was their name?

From Quiz Sailors and Ships At the Movies

Answer: 'Olympic' and 'Britannic'

The RMS 'Olympic' (1910-1937) made her final voyage in 1935. The HMHS 'Britannic' (1914-1916) never crossed the Atlantic, she was sunk during the war. Her wreck was discovered by Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1976.

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Last Updated Mar 23 2024 5:47 AM
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