50's Movie Trivia Questions and Answers

Half the questions are on films of the 1950s; the rest cover the 1960s and Old Hollywood back to 1927.

See all 72 with answers
Which Alfred Hitchcock film of 1954 is shot almost entirely from within one room?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with any school, exam board, quiz show, film studio or awards body. Bank checked October 16, 2026.

All 72 questions with answers

1950s dramas and thrillers 12

  • A courtroom drama of 1957, directed by Billy Wilder and set in the Old Bailey in London, is based on a play by which writer? Answer: Agatha Christie. Source: Wikipedia: Witness for the Prosecution (1957 film)
  • Humphrey Bogart won his only Academy Award for which adventure film of 1951, directed by John Huston? Answer: The African Queen. Source: Wikipedia: The African Queen
  • In a Swedish film of 1957, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, a medieval knight challenges Death to which game? Answer: Chess. Source: Wikipedia: The Seventh Seal
  • In an Alfred Hitchcock thriller of 1958, James Stewart plays a former police detective with an extreme fear of heights. In which city did he serve? Answer: San Francisco. Source: Wikipedia: Vertigo (film)
  • Which Alfred Hitchcock film of 1954 is shot almost entirely from within one room? Answer: Rear Window. Source: Wikipedia: Rear Window
  • Which composer wrote the score of a 1954 crime drama starring Marlon Brando, his only original film score? Answer: Leonard Bernstein. Source: Wikipedia: On the Waterfront
  • Which drama of 1950 stars Bette Davis as an aging Broadway star and Anne Baxter as an ambitious young fan who works her way into the star's life? Answer: All About Eve. Source: Wikipedia: All About Eve
  • Which epic of 1956 was the last of James Dean's three films as a leading actor? Answer: Giant. Source: Wikipedia: Giant (1956 film)
  • Which film of 1950, directed by Billy Wilder, is named after a major street that runs through Hollywood? Answer: Sunset Boulevard. Source: Wikipedia: Sunset Boulevard (film)
  • Which legal drama of 1957, the first feature directed by Sidney Lumet, follows a jury as it deliberates over a teenager charged with murder? Answer: 12 Angry Men. Source: Wikipedia: 12 Angry Men
  • Which romantic drama of 1955, the first film directed by Delbert Mann, won both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Palme d'Or of the Cannes Film Festival? Answer: Marty. Source: Wikipedia: Marty (film)
  • Which war epic of 1957, directed by David Lean, uses the building of the Burma Railway in 1942 and 1943 as its historical setting? Answer: The Bridge on the River Kwai. Source: Wikipedia: The Bridge on the River Kwai

1950s musicals and comedies 12

  • A Christmas musical of 1954 with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye was the first film released in which widescreen process, developed by Paramount? Answer: VistaVision. Source: Wikipedia: White Christmas (film)
  • A musical film of 1955 starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra is based on a Broadway musical drawn from two short stories by which writer? Answer: Damon Runyon. Source: Wikipedia: Guys and Dolls (film)
  • A musical film of 1956 goes back to the memoirs of a woman who taught the children of the king of which country in the early 1860s? Answer: Siam. Source: Wikipedia: The King and I (1956 film)
  • A musical of 1951 set in Paris and starring Gene Kelly was inspired by a symphonic poem of 1928 by which composer? Answer: George Gershwin. Source: Wikipedia: An American in Paris (film)
  • A musical of 1954, famous for dance numbers made out of frontier chores, is set in 1850 in which part of the United States? Answer: Oregon. Source: Wikipedia: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
  • At the 31st Academy Awards, which musical of 1958 directed by Vincente Minnelli won all nine of its nominations? Answer: Gigi. Source: Wikipedia: Gigi (1958 film)
  • Audrey Hepburn won the Academy Award for Best Actress as a princess out to see a city on her own. Which film of 1953 is it? Answer: Roman Holiday. Source: Wikipedia: Roman Holiday
  • In a comedy of 1955 directed by Billy Wilder, Marilyn Monroe stands on a subway grate as a passing train blows her white dress upwards. Which film is it? Answer: The Seven Year Itch. Source: Wikipedia: The Seven Year Itch
  • In a comedy-drama of 1950, James Stewart plays a man whose best friend is an invisible white creature six feet tall. What kind of creature is it? Answer: A rabbit. Source: Wikipedia: Harvey (1950 film)
  • In a romantic comedy of 1959, an interior decorator played by Doris Day and a composer played by Rock Hudson have to share what? Answer: A telephone party line. Source: Wikipedia: Pillow Talk
  • Judy Garland and James Mason starred in the 1954 version of which story, first filmed in 1937? Answer: A Star Is Born. Source: Wikipedia: A Star Is Born (1954 film)
  • Which musical film of 1957 shares its title and its male star, Fred Astaire, with a Broadway musical of 1927, although its plot is completely different? Answer: Funny Face. Source: Wikipedia: Funny Face

1950s epics, Westerns and family films 12

  • A biblical epic of 1953, released by 20th Century Fox, was the first film released in which widescreen process? Answer: CinemaScope. Source: Wikipedia: The Robe (film)
  • A film of 1952 directed by John Ford, with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, is known for its lush photography of the countryside of which country? Answer: Ireland. Source: Wikipedia: The Quiet Man
  • A Walt Disney film of 1957 about a boy and a stray dog is set after the Civil War in which state? Answer: Texas. Source: Wikipedia: Old Yeller (film)
  • A Western of 1953 about a drifter caught up in a conflict between poor homesteaders and wealthy ranchers is set in 1889 in which territory? Answer: Wyoming. Source: Wikipedia: Shane (film)
  • An epic of 1952 that won the Academy Award for Best Picture is set in which kind of traveling show? Answer: A circus. Source: Wikipedia: The Greatest Show on Earth (film)
  • The characters and the isolated setting of a science fiction film of 1956 have been compared to those of which play by Shakespeare? Answer: The Tempest. Source: Wikipedia: Forbidden Planet
  • The first film adaptation of a novel of 1898 by H. G. Wells came out in 1953. To where did it move the story from Victorian England? Answer: Southern California. Source: Wikipedia: The War of the Worlds (1953 film)
  • In a Walt Disney animated film of 1955, the pampered dog called Lady is of which breed? Answer: Cocker Spaniel. Source: Wikipedia: Lady and the Tramp
  • Which adventure comedy of 1956, produced by Mike Todd and starring David Niven and Cantinflas, is based on a novel of 1873 by Jules Verne? Answer: Around the World in 80 Days. Source: Wikipedia: Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)
  • Which Walt Disney animated film of 1950 is based on a fairy tale of 1697 by Charles Perrault? Answer: Cinderella. Source: Wikipedia: Cinderella (1950 film)
  • Which Western of 1956, directed by John Ford, stars John Wayne as a veteran who spends years looking for his abducted niece? Answer: The Searchers. Source: Wikipedia: The Searchers
  • Who produced, directed and narrated a biblical epic of 1956 with Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Rameses? Answer: Cecil B. DeMille. Source: Wikipedia: The Ten Commandments (1956 film)

1960s dramas and adventures 12

  • A black-and-white Western of 1962, directed by John Ford, brought which two stars together in a film for the first time? Answer: John Wayne and James Stewart. Source: Wikipedia: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
  • A science fiction epic of 1968 follows a voyage to Jupiter by astronauts, scientists and a sentient supercomputer. What is the computer called? Answer: HAL 9000. Source: Wikipedia: 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • A science fiction film of 1968, in which an astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where apes have evolved, is loosely based on a novel of 1963 by which French writer? Answer: Pierre Boulle. Source: Wikipedia: Planet of the Apes (1968 film)
  • An epic romance of 1965 directed by David Lean is based on a novel of 1957 by which Russian writer? Answer: Boris Pasternak. Source: Wikipedia: Doctor Zhivago (film)
  • Gregory Peck plays the lawyer Atticus Finch in a film of 1962 adapted from a novel by which author? Answer: Harper Lee. Source: Wikipedia: To Kill a Mockingbird (film)
  • In a mystery drama of 1967, Sidney Poitier plays a police detective from Philadelphia who is drawn into a murder investigation in a small town in which state? Answer: Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia: In the Heat of the Night (film)
  • In a sports drama of 1961, Paul Newman plays Fast Eddie Felson, a small-time hustler who challenges a legendary player of which game? Answer: Pool. Source: Wikipedia: The Hustler
  • Which actor made his final film appearance in a comedy drama of 1967 with Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn? Answer: Spencer Tracy. Source: Wikipedia: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
  • Which Italian director made a spaghetti Western of 1964, filmed on a low budget as a co-production of Italy, West Germany and Spain? Answer: Sergio Leone. Source: Wikipedia: A Fistful of Dollars
  • Which spy film of 1962 was the first in the James Bond series? Answer: Dr. No. Source: Wikipedia: Dr. No (film)
  • Who directed the epic of 1960 in which Kirk Douglas plays a gladiator who leads a slave rebellion against Rome? Answer: Stanley Kubrick. Source: Wikipedia: Spartacus (film)
  • Who plays the queen of Egypt in an epic of 1963 directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, alongside Richard Burton and Rex Harrison? Answer: Elizabeth Taylor. Source: Wikipedia: Cleopatra (1963 film)

1960s musicals, comedies and family films 12

  • A British musical film of 1968, directed by Carol Reed from a stage musical of 1960, goes back to a novel of 1838 by which writer? Answer: Charles Dickens. Source: Wikipedia: Oliver! (film)
  • A comedy of 1963 starring and directed by Jerry Lewis is a parody of which novella of 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson? Answer: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Source: Wikipedia: The Nutty Professor (1963 film)
  • A musical fantasy film of 1968, with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl, is based on a children's novel of 1964 by which author? Answer: Ian Fleming. Source: Wikipedia: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • A romantic comedy of 1961, with Audrey Hepburn as the socialite Holly Golightly, is based on a novella of 1958 by which writer? Answer: Truman Capote. Source: Wikipedia: Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)
  • A slapstick comedy of 1965 with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis was inspired by a real automobile race of 1908 from New York to which city? Answer: Paris. Source: Wikipedia: The Great Race
  • Herbie, the sentient car of a comedy of 1968, is what kind of car? Answer: A Volkswagen Beetle. Source: Wikipedia: The Love Bug
  • What is unusual about the dialogue of a French musical film of 1964, written and directed by Jacques Demy and set in Cherbourg? Answer: All of it is sung. Source: Wikipedia: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
  • Which animated film of 1963, based on a novel of 1938 by T. H. White, was the last from his studio to be released in Walt Disney's lifetime? Answer: The Sword in the Stone. Source: Wikipedia: The Sword in the Stone (1963 film)
  • Which musical film of 1961, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, is an adaptation of a Broadway musical of 1957 with music by Leonard Bernstein? Answer: West Side Story. Source: Wikipedia: West Side Story (1961 film)
  • Which romantic comedy of 1960, directed by Billy Wilder, stars Jack Lemmon as an insurance clerk who lets his superiors use his home? Answer: The Apartment. Source: Wikipedia: The Apartment
  • Which Walt Disney animated film of 1961 is adapted from a novel of 1956 by Dodie Smith? Answer: One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Source: Wikipedia: One Hundred and One Dalmatians
  • Which Walt Disney musical of 1964, with songs by the Sherman Brothers, combines live action with animation and is based on books by P. L. Travers? Answer: Mary Poppins. Source: Wikipedia: Mary Poppins (film)

Old Hollywood, 1927 to 1949 12

  • A film noir of 1949, written by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed, is set after the Second World War in which occupied city? Answer: Vienna. Source: Wikipedia: The Third Man
  • Alfred Hitchcock's first American project, released in 1940, is based on a novel of 1938 by which writer? Answer: Daphne du Maurier. Source: Wikipedia: Rebecca (1940 film)
  • The first Academy Awards ceremony was a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929. How long did the event last? Answer: 15 minutes. Source: Wikipedia: 1st Academy Awards
  • In a screwball comedy of 1938 with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, what kind of animal is Baby? Answer: A leopard. Source: Wikipedia: Bringing Up Baby
  • Which epic of 1939, set in the American South during the Civil War and Reconstruction, was adapted from a novel of 1936 by Margaret Mitchell? Answer: Gone with the Wind. Source: Wikipedia: Gone with the Wind (film)
  • Which film noir of 1941 was the first film directed by John Huston, with Humphrey Bogart as the private detective Sam Spade? Answer: The Maltese Falcon. Source: Wikipedia: The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
  • Which romantic drama of 1942, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, is based on an unproduced stage play called Everybody Comes to Rick's? Answer: Casablanca. Source: Wikipedia: Casablanca (film)
  • Which satire of 1940 was Charlie Chaplin's first true sound film? Answer: The Great Dictator. Source: Wikipedia: The Great Dictator
  • Which six-year-old was the first to receive the Academy Juvenile Award, for her work in the motion pictures of 1934? Answer: Shirley Temple. Source: Wikipedia: Academy Juvenile Award
  • Which war film of 1927 won the first Academy Award for Best Picture? Answer: Wings. Source: Wikipedia: Wings (1927 film)
  • Which Western of 1939, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, follows a group of travelers through dangerous territory? Answer: Stagecoach. Source: Wikipedia: Stagecoach (1939 film)
  • Who plays the outlaw hero of a swashbuckler of 1938 from Warner Bros., with Olivia de Havilland in the cast? Answer: Errol Flynn. Source: Wikipedia: The Adventures of Robin Hood

How it works

Which Hitchcock film of 1954 hardly leaves one room, and which musical of 1958 won all nine of its Oscar nominations? These 50's movie trivia questions and answers have three 1950s rounds, two 1960s rounds and one on Old Hollywood.

Read the full guide

1960s movie trivia questions and answers

Set Start from to 1960s dramas and adventures for the first Bond film, a supercomputer bound for Jupiter and a planet where apes have evolved. 1960s musicals, comedies and family films has a sentient Beetle, a Disney musical that mixes live action with animation and a French musical in which every line is sung.

Old Hollywood and classic film trivia questions

Old Hollywood, 1927 to 1949 goes back to the first Best Picture winner and to a ceremony that lasted fifteen minutes. The 1950s rounds are dramas and thrillers; musicals and comedies; and epics, Westerns and family films. Every round has three easy questions, eight medium and one hard.

  • Read the question once without its year: the year is often the biggest clue.

Questions and answers

What are some 50s movie trivia questions and answers?

Which film of 1950 is named after a street in Hollywood? Who won his only Academy Award for an adventure film of 1951? Which film was the first released in CinemaScope? The answers are Sunset Boulevard, Humphrey Bogart and The Robe.

Are the 1960s movie trivia questions and answers printable?

Yes, like the rest. The list under the quiz shows all 72 questions with their answers. For a sheet, set Start from to a 1960s round, play it and press Print; With answer key adds the answers.

Which film won the first Academy Award for Best Picture?

Wings, a war film of 1927. The first ceremony was a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929, and it lasted 15 minutes.

How were the answers checked?

Each was read on October 16, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article on the film itself. The pack names only film people who are no longer living, and an award is asked with its date, never as a record that could still fall.