Tricky Movie Trivia I Movie Reviews I Famous Movie Quotes

If you live in the United States, the 2008 presidential election and 2009 inauguration that will install our new president are probably at least peripherally on your mind. So, what better time to feature a movie trivia quiz on election movies?

I’ve found that many election movies are comedies. Could it be because the political process, although unintentionally so, is a bit funny? With all the mud-slinging that has become part of the process, real life sometimes can sometimes be comical — in a tragic sort of way.

The following movies are not necessarily about presidential elections, so keep that in mind when answering the questions:

1. Aaron Sorkin and James Toback worked without credit on the script of which election movie?

2. Name the movie this quote came from: “I’m not sure you can get AIDS by burning down your house, but I get your point.”

3. Allison Janney was offered the role of C.J. Cregg on The West Wing after Aaron Sorkin saw her in which election film?

4. Howard Stern was initially offered the lead role in a big-budget election movie but turned it down. What is the name of that movie?

5. In which election-themed movie did Thora Birch leave filming on her third day because of disagreements with the director?

6. Which movie featured Monty Python’s famous argument sketch as part of its presidential debate?

7. An election-themed movie featured Albanians as fictional enemies of the United States. What is the name of the movie?

8. Which movie features a small-time con man who gets elected to Congress because he has the same name as a congressman who just died?

9. Which satirical election movie was inspired by a Saturday Night Live sketch?

10. Which election movie featured two actors who both had played DC Comics superheroes in other movies?

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Answers

1. Aaron Sorkin and James Toback worked without credit on Warren Beatty’s Bulworth.

2. “I’m not sure you can get AIDS by burning down your house, but I get your point.” was said by Bulworth’s title character played by Warren Beatty.

3. Aaron Sorkin gave Allison Janney the role of CJ Cregg in The West Wing after seeing her play the minor role of Miss Walsh in Primary Colors.

4. Howard Stern turned down the lead role in Man of the Year because he already had a prior commitment to his satellite radio show. Robin Williams got the part instead.

5. Thora Birch walked off the set of Election, which starred Mathew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon.

6. Monty Python’s argument sketch was featured as part of the presidential debate in Head of State, starring Chris Rock and Bernie Mac.

7. Wag the Dog, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Dinero, featured Albanians as fictional enemies of America.

8. In The Distinguished Gentleman, Eddie Murphy stars as Thomas Jefferson Johnson, which is also the name of a fictional recently-deceased congressman.

9. Bob Roberts, starring Tim Robbins, was inspired by a Saturday Night Live sketch.

10. Speechless featured Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton, who have both played superheroes. Christopher Reeve played Superman in multiple films and Michael Keaton played Batman in two movies.

Find our other movie trivia quizzes in the sidebar or visit the Tricky Movie Trivia site map.

Check out our great selection of movie stand-ups! Click the links below to see life-sized movie character cut-outs, or use the search to find movie posters.

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No one likes war, but until humans get their act together, it’s a fact of life. And just because we don’t like it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t honor those who fought.

This Memorial Day, remind yourself of the sacrifices of those who came before you by watching one or more of the war movies below. And while you’re at it, test your knowledge of these classic films by seeing how many questions you can get right in this challenging movie trivia quiz:

1. Which famous star turned down the lead role in Twelve O’Clock High, which ultimately went to Gregory Peck instead?

2. Which TWO famous actors turned down the starring role in King Rat, which went to George Segal?

3. Which famous actress refused the lead role in The Diary of Ann Frank because she had lived in Holland during the war and had seen Nazi street executions and the herding of Jews into boxcars, so she felt the role would be too painful for her?

4. Which war-movie production was temporarily halted because of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968?

5. Which war movie starring Robert Mitchum is reputed to be the favorite of any of his films?

6. The original director of the shipboard movie Mister Roberts quit after getting into a fist-fight with Henry
Fonda and was replaced by Mervyn LeRoy. Who was the original director?

7. Which Howard Hawks war film released in 1949 was shot in Germany during an especially cold winter that caused star Ann Sheridan catch pleurisy and Cary Grant to contract hepatitis?

8. Which movie was named after the location of a battle that was still being fought while
the script was being written?

9. Which 1949 war movie starring Audie Murphy as himself required 50,000 rounds of
ammunition, 300 pounds of dynamite, 10 cases of 40-percent dynamite and 600 pounds of blasting powder to recreate the battle scenes?

10. Which famous actor starred in the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! that depicts the bombing of Pearl Harbor and was present during the actual bombing in 1942?

Scroll down to see the answers.

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1. John Wayne turned down the role in Twelve O’Clock High.

2. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen were both offered the starring role in King Rat.

3. Audrey Hepburn turned down the role of Anne Frank to avoid facing painful memories she didn’t want to relive. The part was given to newcomer Millie Perkins instead.

4. Production for The Bridge at Remagen was temporarily halted because of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. The cast and crew were removed from the area in taxis, except for one of the actors, Robert Logan, who stayed behind so he could film the invasion.

5. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison was reputed to be Robert Mitchum’s favorite movie role.

6. The original director of Mister Roberts was John Ford.

7. The movie that was beset by so much illness in Germany was I Was a Male War Bride.

8. The script for Back to Bataan was written while the Battle of Bataan was still being fought. As a result, numerous rewrites were needed.

9. To Hell and Back is the Audie Murphy movie that required so much firepower.

10. Jason Robards, who played Lt. General Walter C. Short in Tora! Tora! Tora!, was actually present during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

You might also be interested in these other Tricky Movie Trivia holiday-related posts:

Irish Movies for St. Patrick’s Day
Movies About Moms for Mother’s Day
Easter Classic Movies Trivia Quiz
Romantic Movies for Valentine’s Day
Father’s Day Movie Trivia Quiz

Image from Wikipedia

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Charlton Heston last yesterday. He wasn’t just a star of classic movies to me; I actually met Mr. Heston years ago and can attest to the fact that he was a courtly gentleman in the old tradition.

How we met

Sometime in the 1990s while I still lived in Los Angeles, I attended a fancy fundraising dinner as the “date” of my friend, comedienne Kathy Buckley. Neither of us had a significant other at the time, so she gave me a treat by letting me accompany her to the chic event.

The soirée was to raise money for an organization for the deaf. Being deaf herself and an insanely compassionate motivational speaker who gives a lot of herself to worthy causes, Kathy was the keynote speaker. As such, we sat at the head table with Charlton Heston and his wife, and the master of ceremonies, whose name I won’t mention, and his wife.

The reason I won’t mention the MC’s name is that he was quite famous in the 1970s for playing a cool and kind TV dad on a very popular sitcom that ran for years. Had he acted appropriately that evening, I would be happy to mention his name. But because of his behavior that night, I neither want to give him any publicity, nor do I want to ruin the memories of people who grew up watching his show.

From cool to uncool in a flash

To set the scene for the evening’s events, you have to understand where I was coming from at the time. I was the rabidly left-of-center executive director of an organization I founded to provide childcare for homeless children. (That’s how I met Kathy. She volunteered with the organization.) As a card-carrying liberal, I came to the dinner table that night prepared to absolutely hate Charlton Heston for his outspoken opinions about guns. I sat directly across the table from him, so I expected to squirm all evening from being in such close proximity to this person who embodied everything I detested.

In the meantime, on my immediate right was TV Dad. I thought, “How cool that I get to sit next to him!” After only a few moments, however, I realized, not so cool. Cranky beyond belief, this icon proceeded to not only complain about everything he could think of, but was abusive to his wife in the process. I initially tried to make conversation with him, but not only did that prove to be impossible; I didn’t even want to after just a few minutes of listening to him be completely obnoxious.

The old don’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover thing

To escape, I had no choice but to focus my attention across the table toward Charlton Heston. And it’s a good thing, too; because that caused me to have one of the biggest lessons I had learned up to that point in my thirty-something life: DO NOT judge a book by its cover. As I listened to Mr. Heston speak, I was absolutely enraptured by his manner and the way he made everyone, including the show-biz nobody sitting in my chair, feel completely at ease. I don’t remember anything he said that evening; I just remember the way he said it and the kindness that radiated from him. As a result, sometimes (I wish I could say it was all the time) when I’m tempted to judge people before I know all the facts, his face pops into my head. And his death won’t diminish that.

So I say farewell to a man who gave me — and maybe many others over the years — an important life lesson. Goodbye, Mr. Heston, we’ll miss you.

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A final note: Obviously, I had no idea who Mr. Heston really was before I went to that fundraiser — and even after, although my opinion had changed. For example, I had no idea he was a civil rights activist, which I found out today while researching photos for this post.

Posted April 6, 2008 Comments(3)

Continuity errors happen in every film, because it’s difficult to make sure every little detail is perfect. Superbad is no exception; it had a lot of them. Here are just some of those Superbad trivia gems:

• McLovin’s wound, which resulted from being punched in the liquor store, is seen at first on the side of his face under the stem of his glasses. Later, it appears on the front of his cheek.

• A red chair at the end of the table disappears and reappears while Seth and Evan eat lunch.

• You can see it’s getting dark when Evan and Seth are in the store, because car lights and streetlights come on. But when they come out of the store, the sun is out.

• After Seth gets hit by the guy’s car in the store parking lot, the “open” sign seen behind the car owner changes from off to on from one shot to the next.

• Fogell’s fake I.D. signature is spelled “McLovin” when he shows it to Seth and Evan, but when it’s seen again in the store, it’s spelled “McLoving.”

• Seth has blood on his jeans at the party, but it’s gone when he sees the officers after the party. It then reappears when he gets to the next party.

• The dent on the detergent bottle that Evan holds in his left hand disappears and reappears while he and Seth argue.

• The cops run the red light on James Street twice on their way to the bar.

• The policemen and dispatcher on the intercom say that the cop car number is 98, but the number on the car is actually 96.

I hope you enjoyed this Superbad trivia!

If you haven’t done so already, take our Superbad and other Seth Rogen films movie trivia quiz and read our Superbad movie review.