The Jerusalem Post - The Jerusalem Post Magazine
C is for ‘chagim’
Ciao! The theme of this quiz is the letter “C.” Thus all questions and/or answers center around the letter “C.” Commence any time. Chag sameach.
QUESTIONS
1. Which actress co-starred with Clark Gable in the film It Happened One Night (and won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance)?
2. Who wrote the music for the song “Smile”?
3. Which of Shakespeare’s two star-crossed lovers was a Capulet – Romeo or Juliet?
4. Who conducted the first concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1891?
5. What is a clafouti? (a) a garment (b) a rug (c) a dessert (d) a musical instrument
6. In what country is the city Chilliwack located?
7. What Broadway musical was based on the play titled “I Am a Camera”?
8. In what 1957 film did Cyd Charisse dance up a storm with Fred Astaire in her role as Ninotchka Yoschenko?
9. On the shores of what lake in Italy does George Clooney own a 26-room villa?
10. In 1930, what new name was given to the ancient city of Constantinople?
11. Which philosopher devised the dictum
“Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore, I am)?
12. Who directed the classic film Casablanca?
13. Until its demolition in 2015, in what city was the outdoor stadium Candlestick Park located?
14. The Cherry Orchard was which playwright’s last play?
15. Who wrote the cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking?
16. Which fashion designer originated the LBD (little black dress)?
17. What city is the capital of Australia?
18. What was the nationality of Anders Celsius, the developer of the Celsius scale of temperature (originally called centigrade)?
19. Who wrote the poetry collection titled
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, on which the musical Cats is based?
20. What is the more familiar name of the tropical fruit carambola?
21. What word stands for “C” in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?
22. In the fairy tale, what are the names of Cinderella’s two stepsisters?
23. What was boxing champion Muhammad Ali’s given name?
24. COVID-19 is an acronym. What do the letters stand for?
25. According to the lyrics of Barry Manilow’s song, where was Lola a showgirl “with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there”?
26. In sports, respectively, which US cities have a football team called the Browns; a baseball team called the Reds; and a hockey team called the Blackhawks?
27. What bloom derives its name from the Greek language, meaning “gold flower”?
28. The annual international Clio Awards are presented in what field of endeavor?
29. What company used the slogan “It’s the real thing” to promote its product?
30. In Greek mythology, what creature had the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.?
31. What is the main alcoholic ingredient in a cosmopolitan cocktail?
32. True or false? The Cobb salad was named in honor of baseball legend Ty Cobb.
33. What is a cygnet? (a) a royal seal (b) a poetic device (c) a baby swan (d) a friendship ring
34. What was the name of the character that Rhea Perlman played on the TV sitcom Cheers?
35. Which one is considered the good cholesterol – HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or LDL (low-density lipoprotein)?
36. In what city is the Casbah quarter located?
37. What actor has played the roles of Sherlock Holmes, Alan Turing and Doctor Strange?
38. What breed of dog is named after a Mexican state?
39. What dish is said to derive its name from the French phrase chaud lent, which means “warm slow”?
40. In 1981, the Best Picture Oscar was awarded to a film starring Ben Cross and Ian Charleson. Based on a true story, it is about two British track athletes – one Jewish (Harold Abrahams) and the other a devout Christian (Eric Liddel) – who were determined to win gold medals for their team at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Spoiler alert: They did. What is the name of the film?
12. We’ll always have... ‘Casablanca’
Classic films are regarded as such because they are compelling motion pictures that endure the test of time. One such film is Casablanca. Released eight decades ago in 1942, the film has not lost its cachet.
Nominated for eight Academy Awards, the film won three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film was directed by Michael Curtiz. Although no longer a household name, the Hungarian-American film director was recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silent era and numerous others during Hollywood’s Golden Age, when the studio system was prevalent.
Curtiz was already a well-known director in Europe when Warner Bros. invited him to Hollywood in 1926, when he was 39 years old. He had directed 64 films in Europe and soon helped Warner Bros. become the fastest-growing movie studio. During his Hollywood career, he directed 102 films, mostly at Warners, where he directed 10 actors to Oscar nominations. Under his deft hand, James Cagney (Yankee Doodle Dandy) and Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce) won their only Academy Awards. Curtiz put Doris Day and John Garfield on screen for the first time, and he made stars of Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland. Curtiz himself had five Oscar nominations and won twice: Best Short Subject for Sons of Liberty and Best Director for the timeless Casablanca.
The film was based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison’s unproduced play titled Everybody Comes to Rick’s. Producer Hal Wallis purchased the rights in 1942 for $20,000 (NIS 68,740), which is equivalent to $280,000 (NIS 963,000) in 2020. It was the most anyone in Hollywood had ever paid for an unproduced play. The screenplay was credited to writers Howard Koch and twin brothers Julius and Philip Epstein.
The cast of Casablanca starred Humphrey Bogart as nightclub owner Rick Blaine (nominated for Best Actor) and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund, his long-lost love. The supporting cast included Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo, Ilsa’s husband; Claude Rains as police captain Louis Renault (nominated for Best Supporting Actor); Peter Lorre as Signor Ugarte; and Sydney Greenstreet as Signor Ferrari.
The theme song for the film was “As Time Goes By.” Written as a jazz song by Herman Hupfeld in 1931, it was catapulted to fame when it was featured in the movie, performed by Sam (Dooley Wilson), the piano player at Rick’s. On the American Film Institute’s TV special 100 Years, 100 Songs in 2004, it was voted No. 2, second only to “Over the Rainbow,” and just ahead of “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Moon River” and “White Christmas.”
Some of the key elements that make Casablanca such a classic are the engaging love story, the intriguing plot twists, the historical backdrop and the dialogue that is unique to each character.
In regard to the dialogue, there are certain lines from the film that have become classic phrases themselves. How often have we heard or read the following in various other contexts:
“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” “Here’s looking at you, kid.” “Round up the usual suspects.” “We’ll always have Paris.” And the closing line of the film when Bogart says to Rains as they walk away from the tarmac: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
One line that is frequently quoted from the film is “Play it again, Sam.” However, that exact line was never said. The actual line in the film is closer to “Play it, Sam.” Referring to “As Time Goes By,” Ilsa says to the piano player: “Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.”
Indeed, “It’s still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of do or die. The world will always welcome lovers as time goes by.”
And that is why we’ll always have Casablanca.