Moving Pictures, Shifting Words Quiz

Answer: Clark Gable

That one (It) Occurred During (Happened) a Single (One) Period of Darkness (Night)

"It Happened One Night" (1934) was the first movie to win all five of the 'Big Five' awards at the Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted), and Best Director. Starring opposite of Clark Gable was Claudette Colbert, who (as mentioned) won the Oscar for Best Actress.

After this Oscar win, Gable would go on to receive nominations for Best Actor for 1935's "Mutiny on the Bounty" and 1939's "Gone With the Wind", but no other wins. His career spanned 37 years and he was often referred to as "The King of Hollywood" with the majority of that time as a leading man.

Answer: Bing Crosby

Proceeding Along (Going) the Proprietary (My) Path (Way)

"Going My Way" (1944) starred Bing Crosby who, as you would expect, sang a number of songs during this popular musical comedy/drama about a young priest taking over a parish from the outgoing, elderly priest. It was the highest-grossing film of 1944, and won seven of the ten Oscars for which it was nominated.

Crosby saw a couple more Best Actor Oscar nominations in his career, including 1946's "The Bells of St Mary's" and 1955's "The Country Girl", but no wins other than "Going My Way". But it was his musical career in which he made his biggest impact, being instrumental in the development of the post-war music industry. And he also made it into the Grammy Hall of Fame for four songs: "White Christmas", "Swinging on a Star", "Pennies From Heaven", and "Don't Fence Me In".

Answer: Ray Milland

The Misplaced (The Lost) Saturday and Sunday (Weekend)

"The Lost Weekend" (1945) is a story about an alcoholic writer battling with his addiction while trying to reconcile his life and career, a depiction well-executed by Ray Milland. This film has the distinction of being the first Best Picture Winner to also win top honours (Grand Prix) at the Cannes Film Festival.

Following his Oscar win, Milland had a few years of stardom as a leading man into the 1950s, and then he made the transition into directing and worked primarily with television for the next 30 years.

Answer: Fredric March

The Foremost (The Best) Planetary Revolutions (Years) of Our Allotted Spans (of Our Lives)

"The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) won seven of eight Oscars for which it was nominated, and the topic of servicemen struggling to adjust to life after returning from the war was a topic that really hit home for audiences. While Fredric March was the Best Actor recipient for this film, it was Harold Russell as Best Supporting Actor that made history with his win. See, the Academy didn't think he had a chance of winning, considering that he was not a professional actor, so they had an Honorary Award for him, as well. Thus, he won two Oscars for the same role, the first (and likely only) time in Oscars history.

But Fredric March was certainly no slouch in acting, as this was his second win for Best Actor, having won previously for 1931's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". His accolades were not limited to the silver screen, either, as he also took home two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Play for 1947's "Years Ago" and 1956's "Long Day's Journey Into Night".

Answer: Laurence Olivier

Small Human Settlement (Hamlet)

"Hamlet" (1948) was adapted and directed by Laurence Olivier, who also played in the starring role. However, despite earning the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor, there was much criticism from the Shakespearean purists for the liberties he took in abridging the Bard's original tragedy.

Olivier was a renowned British actor who won awards for stage, film, and television. On the silver screen he received his first Best Actor Oscar nominations for 1939's "Wuthering Heights", followed quickly by another for 1940's "Rebecca", and then 1946's "Henry V" before finally taking home the statuette for "Hamlet". And while that was his only Oscar win, Olivier would go on to receive more Best Actor nominations, including 1955's "Richard III", 1960's "The Entertainer", 1965's "Othello", 1972's "Sleuth", and 1978's "The Boys from Brazil", plus a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1976's "Marathon Man".

Answer: Broderick Crawford

Every One of (All) His Majesty's (the King's) Fellows (Men)

"All the King's Men" (1949) is a film noir in which Broderick Crawford portrays politician Willie Stark and his rise and fall in power, starting out as an ideologue and becoming corrupt, himself. Although a fictional character, Willie Stark bears many resemblances to real life Louisiana governor Huey Long.

Broderick Crawford was not a handsome leading man, and even described himself as a 'retired pugilist', thus it should come to no surprise that many of his movie roles were as a villain, or a hard-nosed tough guy. His career wandered between film and television, and one of his most memorable roles was as Dan Matthews in "Highway Patrol", a series which ran from 1955 until 1959. His only Oscar nomination (and win) was for "All the King's Men", and he also earned a Golden Globe for the same role.

Answer: Marlon Brando

Atop (On) the Shoreline (the Waterfront)

"On the Waterfront" (1954) sees Marlon Brando become embroiled in the criminal enterprises of his brother (Rod Steiger) and the unscrupulous union boss he works for. Brando's convincing struggle to do the right thing in difficult circumstances earned him his first Academy Award. Overall, the film earned twelve Oscar nominations, winning eight of them.

Brando was one of the earliest method actors in Hollywood, and his stage (and screen) presence was palpable. Over his nearly 60-year career, he garnered a number of Oscar nominations for Best Actor, including 1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire", 1952's "Viva Zapata!", and 1953's "Julius Caesar" before his win for "On the Waterfront". Subsequently, he was nominated for 1957's "Sayonara" before earning his second win with 1972's "The Godfather". One final nomination came for 1973's "Last Tango in Paris" before earning a single nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1989's "A Dry White Season".

Answer: Rex Harrison

One's (My) Impartial (Fair) Noblewoman (Lady)

"My Fair Lady" (1964), an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion", has Rex Harrison play the role of phonetics professor Henry Higgins. On a wager, the professor takes a Cockney girl (Eliza Doolittle, played by Audrey Hepburn) and convincingly transforms her into an 'upper-class lady' by changing her dialect and accent. The popular musical was the second-highest grossing film of the year, and earned eight Oscar wins from twelve nominations.

Harrison had just one Best Actor nomination before this win, and that was for 1963's "Cleopatra". But he was not just a film actor, also excelling on the stage (two Tony Awards for Best Actor for 1949's "Anne of the Thousand Days" and 1957's "My Fair Lady" (for the same role as in the film)). In fact, after his last film appearance, Harrison returned to the stage for another decade before his death of pancreatic cancer in 1990.

Answer: Paul Scofield

A Bloke (A Man) Granted to (for) Every (All) Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring (Seasons)

"A Man for All Seasons" (1966) tells the tale of the last years of Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More, during the reign of King Henry VIII. Paul Scofield played the role in the premiere of the 1960 play of the same name, and reprised his role in the film, earning the Best Actor Oscar win. The film was well-received by critics and crowds alike, taking home the Oscar for Best Picture, the Golden Globe for Best Drama and the BAFTA for Best Film AND Best British Film.

While Paul Scofield only earned the one Oscar win, he did receive a second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor later in his career, for 1994's "Quiz Show". But he was a versatile actor who achieved success on the stage and the small screen, as well. He became the sixth actor to earn the 'Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony), doing so in the fastest timespan (seven years) of any other actor before him.

Answer: Rod Steiger

Surrounded by (In the) Calidity (Heat) of Dusk until Dawn (of the Night)

"In the Heat of the Night" (1967) highlights the racial tensions of Mississippi as a Southern (white) police officer (played by Rod Steiger) must learn to work with a (black) homicide detective from Philadelphia (played by Sidney Poitier). With the civil rights movement still at the forefront of American life and politics, the movie was a relevant social commentary of the day, in addition to being a compelling story.

Rod Steiger earned two other Oscar nominations prior to this win, the first for Best Supporting Actor opposite Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront" (1954) and then for Best Actor for 1965's "The Pawnbroker". Known for his many crazy, volatile characters, Steiger's career spanned nearly 60 years in film, television, and on stage.