407 | Steven Spielberg Movie Trivia (E.T., Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler’s List)

Let’s go to the movies! Today, I have thirty questions from one of the greatest directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

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Book of the Week

Schindler’s List

The award-winning, bestselling work of Holocaust fiction, inspiration for the classic film and “masterful account of the growth of the human soul” (Los Angeles Times Book Review), now with an all-new introduction by the author.

An “extraordinary” (TheNew York Review of Books) novel based on the true story of how German war profiteer and factory director Oskar Schindler came to save more Jews from the gas chambers than any other single person during World War II. In this milestone of Holocaust literature, Thomas Keneally, author of The Book of Science and Antiquities and The Daughter of Mars, uses the actual testimony of the Schindlerjuden—Schindler’s Jews—to brilliantly portray the courage and cunning of a good man in the midst of unspeakable evil. “Astounding…in this case the truth is far more powerful than anything the imagination could invent”

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Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

Get ready for some movie trivia. For this week’s episode, I have three Steven Spielberg movies: ET, Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler’s List.

If you’re looking for Indiana Jones trivia, check out Episode 231 from June 2023. But first, we’re diving into these three huge films. Each movie gets a round of its own.

If you want a personalized episode for the trivia nerd in your life, check out DorkyGeekyNerdy.com/personalized. Get your orders now before Christmas.

I’m your popcorn-loving host, Brian Rollins, and this is episode 407 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. Roll that film and let’s go.

The Dorky Round

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Who played the lead boy, Elliot in ET?
a. Henry Thomas
What game are the kids playing at the start of the film?
a. Dungeons & Dragons
Who composed the score for ET?
a. John Williams
Who played Elliott’s sister, Gertie?
a. Drew Barrymore
What candy does Elliott use to lure ET out of the shed?
a. Reese’s Pieces. M&M didn’t want to pay for product placement.
What biopic beat E.T. for the Best Picture Oscar for 1982?
a. Gandhi. Richard Attenborough, the director and friend of Spielberg, felt bad about winning the award.
ET was the highest grossing film of all time until Spielberg beat his own record with what 1993 movie?
a. Jurassic Park
Not seen until 1996, what long-time Spielberg actor had a cameo as the school principal in ET?
a. Harrison Ford. At the time, he was dating the screenwriter, Melissa Mathison.
The ET game, made for what console, sold so poorly that thousands of cartridges were buried in a landfill?
a. The Atari 2600
What is Peter Coyote’s character credited as?
a. Keys

The Geeky Round

Saving Private Ryan

Who starred as the titular “Private Ryan”?
a. Matt Damon
Who played Captain Miller in the movie?
a. Tom Hanks
Which Star Trek actor praised the authenticity of the Omaha Beach attack?
a. James Doohan. The actor lost a finger on the beach that day as a member of the Canadian military.
Hanks and Spielberg would pair up to produce what WW2 miniseries for HBO in 2001?
a. Band of Brothers
Which actor was drug tested daily during shooting?
a. Tom Sizemore. He was battling addiction during the filming.
What then-unknown actor played Private Caparzo?
a. Vin Diesel. He was only paid $100,000, which is good, because diesel is quite expensive these days.
In one of the biggest controversies in Oscar history, what film won Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan?
a. Shakespeare in Love. Apparently, the infamous Harvey Weinstein ran a nonstop publicity campaign for the film and against Spielberg’s film.
Hanks had previously trained with military expert and actor Dale Dye for what 1994 film?
a. Forrest Gump
What French town is the site of the final battle of the film?
a. Ramelle. It was the site of a real battle, June 13, 1944. Just one week after D-Day
What are Captain Miller’s final words?
a. “James, earn this. Earn it.”

The Nerdy Round

Schindler’s List

What Irish actor played Oskar Schindler?
a. Liam Neeson
In which country is the bulk of the film set?
a. Poland
Who played Itzhak Stern in Schindler’s List?
a. Ben Kingsley
Spielberg was granted permission to film inside what concentration camp?
a. Auschwitz. Instead, they built a duplicate of the camp right next to it, rather than disrespect the victims.
Who played violin for the main theme to Schindler’s List?
a. Itzhak Perlman
Who played Amon Goth in Schindler’s List?
a. Ralph Fiennes. Somehow, Voldemort isn’t the worst person he’s portrayed on film.
What piece of clothing was colored in an otherwise black and white film?
a. The red coat
All of Spielberg’s proceeds from the film are donated to what organization that he founded in 1994?
a. The USC Shoah Foundation. He felt any profits would be “blood money”.
What comedian and friend of Spielberg phoned him with jokes and sketches to cheer the director up while filming?
a. Robin Williams
Ben Kingsley kept a photo of what famous holocaust victim in his pocket while filming?
a. Anne Frank

Episode Conclusion

And that’s it for Spielberg movies. He has lots of films, so we’ll probably revisit his work in a later episode. Let me know in the comments what your favorite Spielberg movie is.

Next week, it’s more US cities trivia. Here’s a clue:

What cities are the largest in Texas, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, respectively?

OK, so not all of these teasers are going to be tough. Stay safe. Stay warm. And I’ll see you right here next Wednesday.

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This podcast is written, produced, and hosted by Brian Rollins. If you love audiobooks or are looking to have a book turned into an audiobook, contact me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.

The theme music is Punchfunk by the band, Punchfunk. Listen to all their music on Spotify.

Thanks for listening.