Tricky Movie Trivia I Movie Reviews I Famous Movie Quotes

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There are endless details to keep track of when filming a movie, so sometimes goofs happen. Below are some of the mistakes that happened while creating Enchanted, the charming Disney picture that is destined to become a classic. There also are some fun trivia facts about movie, which you can use to quiz your friends who are Enchanted fans.

Enchanted movie trivia

• One of the apartment doors in Robert’s (played by Patrick Dempsey) building is marked “714,” which is the area code for Orange County, California, the home of Disneyland.
• The green pepper slices on the pizza at the Italian restaurant and the bus driver’s hair are shaped shaped like Mickey Mouse ears.
• Giselle’s wedding dress weighed 45 pounds. Amy Adams had to be taught by a stunt double to move in the heavy gown.
• Enchanted was delivered to theaters with the fake name Radio to keep people from knowing what it was before it was released.
• Two of the male dancers in the park had previously worked together on 1961’s West Side Story and one of the dancers was a dancing chimney sweep in 1964’s Mary Poppins.

Enchanted movie goofs

• As Giselle (played by Amy Adams) and Robert sit and talk at a table in the Italian restaurant, Robert’s hair changes from shot to shot.
• Giselle takes a subway ride from Times Square to the Bowery, even though she doesn’t have any money. And Edward eats lunch in a deli, yet he doesn’t have any money either.
• Giselle makes herself a beautiful dress out of Robert’s curtains, yet the color of the fabric in the dress is different from the curtain fabric.
• Nathaniel (played by Timothy Spall) reaches his hand into boiling hot soup to pull out three poisoned apples, but he doesn’t appear to burn himself or feel any pain.
• When Giselle stands on “The Palace Casino” billboard, the billboard is dry, even though it just stopped raining a few minutes before.

You might also enjoy this trivia quiz about 2007 movies, which contains a trivia question about Enchanted.

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Posted July 10, 2008 Comments(1)

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For those who live in cold climates, summer is a welcome relief. But no matter where you live, it’s fun to revel in this season that symbolizes freedom, vacations and fun. One way to do that is to put your feet up and watch a movie or two. The following movies with “summer” in the title represent both the old and the new. Any of them would be a good choice for capturing the essence of this fleeting season.

In the Good Old Summertime
1949
Starring Judy Garland, Van Johnson, Spring Byington and Buster Keaton
102 minutes

Memorable quote from the movie:
“Psychologically, I’m very confused, but personally I feel just wonderful.”

Summer School
1987
Starring Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley and Courtney Thorne-Smith
97 minutes

Memorable quote from the movie:
“We just got lapped by an old lady in a walker.”

Summer of ‘42
1971
Starring Jennifer O’Neill, Gary Grimes and Jerry Houser
103 minutes

Memorable quote from the movie:
“Nothing from that first day I saw her, and nothing that has happened to me since, has ever been as frightening and as confusing. For no person I’ve ever known has ever done more to make me feel more sure, more insecure, more important, and less significant.”

Summer Lovers
1982
Starring Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and Valerie Quennessen
98 minutes

Image via WikipediaMemorable quote from the movie:
“Jealousy doesn’t show how much you love someone, it shows how insecure you are.”

One Crazy Summer
1986
Starring John Cusack, Demi Moore, Curtis Armstrong and Bob Goldthwait
89 minutes

Memorable quote from the movie:
(Reading the obituaries) “Hey, Hoops, you ever notice how people die in alphabetical order?”

My Summer of Love
2004
Starring Nathalie Press and Emily Blunt
86 minutes

Memorable quote from the movie:
“I’m gonna get a job in an abattoir, work really hard, get a boyfriend who’s like… a bastard, and churn out all these kids, right, with mental problems. And then I’m gonna wait for the menopause… or cancer.”

You might also enjoy these other Tricky Movie Trivia seasonal posts:

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

Posted June 21, 2008 Comments(0)

We honored Mom last month, now it’s time to send some appreciation in Dad’s direction for Fathers Day. The following tricky movie trivia questions will challenge your knowledge about dad movies, old and new. See how many you can get right!

1. Cary Grant turned down a starring role in what blockbuster 1964 movie so he could star in Father Goose?

2. Which famous comedian wanted the lead role of Stanley T. Banks in 1950’s Father of the Bride but was thought to be unsuitable by studio executives?

3. In 1991’s Father of the Bride, Steve Martin’s character George Banks says he doesn’t want his daughter’s wedding to bankrupt him and cause him to wander the streets in a bathrobe. That actually happens to a character Steve Martin played in another movie. What was that movie?

4. In which 2003 dad-related movie did the following exchange take place? (Big hint: It starred Eddie Murphy.)
Character #1: “Today we need some organization and planned activities.”
Character #2: “No. We need Ritalin and leashes, that’s what we need.”

5. Big Daddy (1991) features an action figure doll that was made up by Adam Sandler and modeled after a real action figure he had as a boy, named Diver Dan . What was the name of the fictional doll in the movie?

6. A major diaper company paid $50,000 to have their products mentioned in 3 Men and a Baby. What is the name of that company?

Scroll down to see the answers.

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Answers

1. Cary Grant turned down the role of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady to star in Father Goose. He wanted Audrey Hepburn to play Catherine Freneau opposite him in Father Goose, but she was already committed to starring in My Fair Lady, so the part went to Leslie Caron.

2. Jack Benny wanted the lead role in the 1950 version of Father of the Bride, but the role went to Spencer Tracy instead.

3. Steve Martin wandered the streets in his bathrobe in 1979’s The Jerk.

4. That exchange was between the characters played by Eddie Murphy and Phil Garlin in Daddy Daycare.

5. Diver Dan’s fictional knock-off action figure was Scuba Steve.

6. Pampers paid $50,000 to have their diapers mentioned in 3 Men and a Baby.

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You might also enjoy these other Tricky Movie Trivia holiday-related posts:

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

Posted June 14, 2008 Comments(1)

I’m not usually a fan of shrill, but loud ex-showgirl Billy Dawn in the 1950 version of Born Yesterday is actually a joy to behold. In the deft hands of Judy Holliday, original playwright Garson Kanin and screenwriter Albert Mannheimer, Billy Dawn has depth that allows you to be patient with her decibel level — and even enjoy it.

In this Pygmalian-like story, Billy is the kept woman of rich man Harry Brock, played by Broderick Crawford. Both are fine with that arrangement until Harry’s business dealings as a well-to-do junk dealer take him to Washington so he can do a little influence peddling and buy a few national officials. As always, Billy comes along. But for the first time in their long relationship, she’s perceived as a liability because her lack of polish makes her stand out in stuffy Washington D.C.

Enter William Holden in the form of Paul Verrall, a newspaper reporter whom Harry hires to educate Billy and “smarten her up a little.” Engaging Verrall to spend so much time with Billy was a little like letting the fox into the hen house, because as a reporter he was well aware of Harry’s slimy reasons for being in Washington. But he doesn’t flat-out warn Billy about Harry. Instead, Billy sees the light for herself as the story unfolds. And that light does more than educate her about who she’s been living with; it shines on everyone around her and exposes their motives — for good or for bad.

There was a lot of controversy surrounding the casting of Born Yesterday. Although Holliday played the role for four years on Broadway to rave reviews, Columbia head Harry Cohn thought she was too fat for the movies. He tried to give the film role to Rita Hayworth but she knew it wasn’t right for her. Using the excuse that she wanted to spend time with her new husband Prince Aly Kahn, she turned it down. Cohn then tried to draft Celeste Holm, Lucille Ball, Marie McDonald, Shelly Winters, Evelyn Keyes, Paulette Goddard, Ida Lupino and Lana Turner but none of them were right for the job. In the end, he returned to Holliday and asked her to reprise the part she had already perfected on Broadway.

As a result of many years of embodying Billy Dawn, even Holliday’s most subtle movements are perfect: from the way she wiggled her pinky while tallying her cards after beating Harry at gin rummy, to the way she screamed, “W-h-a-a-a-a-a-a-t?” like a bleating goat across Harry’s expensive suite and to the duck noise she made that sounded completely natural, even though it was coming out of a beautiful woman’s mouth.

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And Holliday wasn’t the only one who perfected her role. Director George Cukor actually had the actors rehearse the script like a play. They even gave six performances in front of live audiences so they could hone the timing of the jokes. This relentless pursuit of excellence resulted in Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Costume Design, and a Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe for Judy Holliday. Her win was quite a feat, because she was up against Anne Baxter and Bette Davis for All About Eve, Eleanor Parker for Caged and Gloria Swanson for Sunset Blvd.

Because the original version of Born Yesterday was crafted with such distinction, it was brave of Melanie Griffith to try to recreate the role of Billy Dawn in 1993. But to my surprise, Melanie carved out her own unique portayal, while managing to maintain the best aspects of the character Judy Holliday established. In my opinion, that makes both versions of Born Yesterday well worth the popcorn.

Other Tricky Movie Trivia classic movie reviews:
To Kill a Mockingbird
My Man Godfrey
Now, Voyager
The Enchanted Cottage
All About Eve

Posted May 25, 2008 Comments(0)

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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 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

Posted May 19, 2008 Comments(0)