Quiz of the Day
Hollywood Icons
Monday, 1 June 2026
Marilyn Monroe 100th birthday — golden age of Hollywood, iconic actors, film trivia
1. What was Marilyn Monroe's real name?
- Mary Jean Monroe
- Norma Jeane Mortenson
- Norma Jean Baker
- Jane Norma Mortensen
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson on 1 June 1926, she spent much of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage. She was working in a munitions factory during World War II when a military photographer discovered her. She chose 'Monroe' after her mother's maiden name and 'Marilyn' after actress Marilyn Miller.
2. Which film features Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate with her white dress billowing up?
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
- Bus Stop
- Some Like It Hot
- The Seven Year Itch
The iconic subway grate scene was filmed on Lexington Avenue in New York at 1am to avoid crowds, but thousands of spectators showed up anyway. The original outdoor footage was too noisy and had to be reshot in a studio. The white dress sold at auction in 2011 for $4.6 million.
3. Who is the only person to win Academy Awards for both acting and directing?
- No single person has won both — but several have been nominated for both
- Robert Redford
- Kevin Costner
- Clint Eastwood
Actually, several people have won both — but none in the same year for the same film in the acting category. Clint Eastwood won Best Director twice (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby). Others who have won both include Laurence Olivier and Roberto Benigni. Woody Allen has won the most combined but famously never attends the ceremony.
4. What was the first feature-length 'talkie' (film with synchronised dialogue)?
- Nosferatu
- Metropolis
- The Jazz Singer
- Gone with the Wind
The Jazz Singer (1927) starring Al Jolson contained only about two minutes of synchronised speech, but its famous line 'Wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet!' changed cinema forever. Within two years, silent films were virtually extinct, and many silent film stars lost their careers because audiences disliked their voices.
5. Which classic Hollywood actor was born Archibald Leach?
- Clark Gable
- James Stewart
- Cary Grant
- Humphrey Bogart
Cary Grant was born in Bristol, England and ran away to join a travelling acrobatic troupe at age 14. He reinvented himself so completely that he once quipped, 'Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.' He was offered the role of James Bond but turned it down, saying he was too old at 58.
6. Who has won the most Academy Awards for Best Actress?
- Katharine Hepburn
- Ingrid Bergman
- Meryl Streep
- Bette Davis
Katharine Hepburn won four Best Actress Oscars (1934, 1968, 1969, 1982) and was nominated 12 times. She never attended any Academy Awards ceremony, calling them 'a meat parade.' She wore trousers at a time when it was considered scandalous, and the studio once confiscated her trousers to force her into a skirt — she walked around in her underwear until they were returned.
7. What was the highest-grossing film of Hollywood's Golden Age (1930s-1960s)?
- Gone with the Wind
- Casablanca
- Ben-Hur
- The Wizard of Oz
Gone with the Wind (1939) earned $390 million at the box office — adjusted for inflation, that is over $3.7 billion, making it the highest-grossing film of all time in real terms. The production used 1,100 extras for the burning of Atlanta scene. Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar but was forced to sit at a segregated table at the ceremony.
8. Which Hollywood studio was known as the 'Tiffany of studios' during the Golden Age?
- MGM
- 20th Century Fox
- Warner Bros.
- Paramount
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's motto was 'Ars Gratia Artis' (Art for Art's Sake), and its roaring lion logo (Leo) is one of the most recognised in cinema. At its peak, MGM boasted it had 'more stars than there are in heaven,' with Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor all under contract.
9. Who famously said 'Here's looking at you, kid' in Casablanca?
- Clark Gable
- Spencer Tracy
- James Cagney
- Humphrey Bogart
The line was improvised by Bogart — it was something he used to say to Ingrid Bergman between takes while teaching her poker. Casablanca was considered a routine production at the time; nobody expected it to become one of the greatest films ever made. The script was being rewritten daily during filming.
10. What was the Hollywood 'studio system'?
- A method of distributing films
- Studios controlling every aspect of actors' lives and careers under long-term contracts
- A type of film technology
- A training academy for actors
Under the studio system, actors were essentially employees. Studios chose their roles, changed their names, controlled their public image, and even arranged their marriages. Judy Garland was given amphetamines to keep her thin and working. The system was broken by a 1948 Supreme Court antitrust ruling.
11. Which actress was known as 'The First Lady of American Cinema'?
- Grace Kelly
- Bette Davis
- Lillian Gish
- Audrey Hepburn
Lillian Gish's career spanned 75 years — from 1912 silent films to a 1987 film with Bette Davis. She performed many of her own stunts, including floating on an ice floe in a blizzard for 'Way Down East' (1920), which gave her permanent nerve damage in her hand. She never married, saying her career was her life.
12. How tall was the original Hollywood sign when it was built, and what did it originally say?
- HOLLYWOODVILLE
- HOLLYWOODLAND
- HOLLYWOOD
- HOLLYWOODPARK
The sign was erected in 1923 as an advertisement for a housing development called 'Hollywoodland.' Each letter was 15 metres tall, studded with 4,000 light bulbs. The 'LAND' was removed in 1949 when the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took it over. Actress Peg Entwistle infamously jumped from the 'H' in 1932.
13. Who was the first actor to be paid $1 million for a single film?
- John Wayne
- Marlon Brando
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Clark Gable
Elizabeth Taylor demanded and received $1 million for Cleopatra (1963), shattering the pay ceiling for actors. The film's budget ballooned from $2 million to $44 million (over $400 million in today's money), nearly bankrupting 20th Century Fox. Taylor's on-set affair with Richard Burton created one of the biggest scandals of the era.
14. In which film did Marilyn Monroe sing 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy?
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
- Some Like It Hot
- It was not a film — it was a live event at Madison Square Garden
- Let's Make Love
Monroe sang 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' at JFK's 45th birthday celebration on 19 May 1962 at Madison Square Garden. Her breathless, intimate performance became legendary. The dress she wore — covered in 2,500 rhinestones — sold at auction in 2016 for $4.8 million. She died just 11 weeks later.
15. Which film won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Picture?
- The Broadway Melody
- Sunrise
- Wings
- All Quiet on the Western Front
Wings (1927) was a silent film about World War I fighter pilots and featured spectacular aerial combat scenes using real military planes. The first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929 lasted just 15 minutes, with only 270 guests. Winners had been announced three months earlier, so there were no surprises. Tickets cost $5 (about $90 today).