And there’s an App for that! The TCM Classic Trivia Book is available in book form or as an app for your smart phone. So, you can have classic movie trivia wherever you go, and on the go! I have a recommendation for those who plan on going to the 2013 TCMFF. If you’re as competitive as I am, and you expect to wait in line for your favorite films - get the TCM Classic Movie Trivia
book now and start cramming.
I have previously shared an anecdote about standing in line at the Egyptian Theatre while waiting for one of the screenings at last year’s TCM Classic Film Festival. The gist of which was how everyone pretty much remained to themselves until a couple of reps from the classic movie channel stepped forward and began asking questions from the TCM Classic Movie Trivia book. Trivia will do that. It brings a group of total strangers to their toes and asks them to best each other. I know I can never resist the challenge.
No doubt the festival organizers will once again provide some similar entertainment for the dedicated attendees who insist on getting in line early this April. And if it’s anything like last year that means there will be prizes. They’re small prizes like TCM blankets, DVDs and other collectables meant to be cool little mementos of your winning moment. For a true fan of TCM it will no doubt be a cherished item. So, I have a recommendation to suggest to those who plan on going to the 2013 TCMFF who are as competitive as I am: get the book now and start cramming.
It’s not like you’ll be cheating. Consider it more along the lines of studying, like for the GRE or the LSATs. And it’s fun. With all the information stuffed between the covers of the hefty little book you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find some questions that even a self-proclaimed aficionado can’t answer. I don’t care who you are or how much you think you know there are plenty of questions that will stump you. And yet there are plenty of so called “soft balls” that will help even the least informed classic film fan feel like they know something. That’s the really cool thing about the book - everyone can learn something new from this impressive collection of cinematic knowledge while still feeling that they can answer some of the questions.
After my winning moment in line last year I had to get this book, and when I did I was pleased to find that the scope of subject runs the complete gamut of known Hollywood history, on and off camera, within and behind the scenes. From the earliest days of cinema to the latest releases as of the printing of the book, TCM Classic Movie Trivia is a wonderful resource of information for the true classic film fanatic who desires to know the wonderful minutia involved with the making of the world’s most popular art form.
I guaranty whoever possess the book will spend hours pouring over it - partly for the love of learning all the fun facts, and in part to prepare themselves for the next time there’s an open trivia challenge (like in a movie line at a certain festival). So, get the book (or app) and keep it handy for the trip out to Hollywood. No doubt, it’ll give you an edge when competing for that TCM coffee mug or throw cover. With the kind of fans this festival attracts you’re going to need all the advantage you can get.
In the mean time, test your skills on the following questions submitted to me by a mutual Turner Classic Film fan, Brooke Ellis. He has a really cool site of his own, (Vintage Quixotic) featuring music he’s written for his favorite old stars, etc. As he states on his website it’s “new music for old Hollywood”. See how you do with these, then move on to the hard stuff provided by TCM.
1. Which future Academy Award honored actress had a minor role in the groundbreaking 1927 film, The Jazz Singer?
A) Delores Costello
B) Gloria Swanson
C) Myrna Loy
D) Ruby Keeler
2.Which of these actresses did NOT get her start in silent films?
A) Joan Crawford B) Carole Lombard C) Myrna Loy
D) Bette Davis
3. Which principal cast member of the 1947-49 stage play A Streetcar Named Desire did NOT reprise their role in the 1951 film adaptation?
A) Joan Blondell
B) Jessica Tandy
C) Lawrence Oliver
D) Ernest Borgnine
4. Match the director with the actress to whom he is most associated:
A) Mack Sennett
B) D.W. Griffith
C) Josef von Sternberg
D) Mauritz Stiller
1) Greta Garbo
2) Mabel Normand
3) Lillian Gish
4) Marlene Dietrich
5.Name the actor who played the title role in the 1925 version of BEN-HUR:
A) Valentino
B) Richard Barthelmess
C) Charlton Heston
D) Ramon Navarro
6.Howard Hughes won the first-ever Best Picture Oscar for his wartime sky epic, WINGS.
A) True
B)False
7. William Powell and Carole Lombard were legally divorced when they made MY MAN GODFREY.
A) True
B)False
8. Orson Welles later regretted Citizen Kane’s notably unkind fictionalized portrayal of which real life person:
A) Delores Del Rio
B) Woodrow Wilson
C) Marion Davies
D)Louella Parsons
9. Bette Davis won her first Oscar for her performance in:
A) Of Human Bondage
B) Dangerous
C) Jezebel
D)Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
10.In how many films did Bela Lugosi play the role of Count Dracula?
A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Five