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About This Quiz
"Terms of Endearment" was originally shot on a tight budget of only $8 million. The film won many awards and focused on a 30-year relationship between mother and daughter. How well do you remember "Terms of Endearment?" Find out by taking this quiz.
What did Aurora do when her baby was asleep?
Sing quietly to her.
Wake her until she cried.
Albert Brooks (born July 22, 1947) did the off-screen voice of the dad when Aurora was waking her baby. The part was ad-libbed, and he never appeared in the movie.
Keep all the lights on in her room.
Play educational records.
Finish the quote "He can't even do the simple things ______________________."
"…like fail locally."
"Why should I be happy about being a grandmother?" "Does this mean you won't be knitting the baby any booties?"
"…like stop getting you pregnant."
"…like getting a real job."
"…like taking you out once in a while."
What were Emma and Patsy doing while listening to Ethel Merman?
Dancing.
Cleaning Emma's room.
Getting stoned.
Many scenes were inspired by Rockwell paintings. The Ethel Merman scene was based on "Prom Dress" and "Double Take."
Packing.
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What important thing did Aurora tell Emma the night before her wedding?
That she wanted to walk her down the aisle and give her away.
That she was getting married, too.
That Emma shouldn't get married.
"Then I came to grips with the reason why I couldn't think of a wedding gift… Emma, I'm totally convinced if you marry Flap Horton tomorrow, it will be a mistake of such gigantic proportions, it will ruin your life and make wretched your destiny."
About sex.
Danny DeVito played which character?
Sam Burns.
Garrett Breedlove.
Edward Johnson.
Vernon Dahlart.
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. (born November 17, 1944) had worked with the director, James L. Brooks, on the television series, "Taxi." Brooks asked him to perform the role of Vernon as a favor.
Who moved next door to Aurora?
A lawyer.
A teacher.
A racecar driver.
An astronaut.
"Hey, aren't you going to wait and see if the astronaut shows up?" "Oh, they've got one on every corner in Houston."
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What was Emma and Flap's first shack mostly filled with?
Animals.
Knickknacks.
Stacks of books.
Larry McMurtry wrote the book on which the movie was based. He lived near where the scenes set in Houston were filmed and helped find some locations, such as the garage apartment where the Hortons first lived.
Records.
How did Aurora feel about becoming a grandmother?
Overjoyed.
Scared.
Angry.
Jack Nicholson was really drunk during the scene when Aurora went outside. He felt that was the best way to do drunk scenes. There came a point when he went up to the director and told him he had only one more take left in him.
Embarrassed because she was an advocate of population control.
What did Emma name her first son?
Flap, Jr.
Tommy.
"Tommy, show me your belly… He's adorable. Look at him."
Mikey.
George.
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Who played Emma?
Debra Winger.
At first, they were uncertain about hiring Debra Winger (born May 16, 1955). Then she wanted to back out because of the film's comedic aspect. Throughout many scenes she spent her time trying to get Shirley MacLaine to break character, which developed into a unique on-screen relationship.
Shirley MacLaine.
Lisa Hart Carroll.
Sally Field.
Where did Vernon and Aurora first meet?
At a bar.
He moved in next door.
The grocery store.
Church.
"…Isn't she something? Here she comes. I met her two weeks ago at church. I guess you might say she's God's gift to Vernon Dahlart."
Where was the only place Flap could get an associate professorship?
Des Moines, IA.
They really wanted to create this movie with the same number of laughs as a comedy. The struggle came with trying to present cancer realistically, while maintaining the humor.
Billings, MT.
Denver, CO.
Wichita, KS.
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Finish the quote "Why should I be happy about ______________________?"
"…losing my daughter to cancer?"
"…being a grandmother?"
"Why should I be happy about being a grandmother?" "Does this mean you won't be knitting the baby any booties?"
"…you getting married?"
"…having you move across the country?"
At the store when they can't afford groceries, what does Tommy protest they are not getting?
Ovaltine.
A comic book.
Candy bars.
The scene in the grocery store was based on something that really happened to the director in New York. He was behind a woman who had run out of money, and he felt that would make a great addition to the movie.
Hot dogs.
What is the first thing that happens that makes Emma suspect Flap is having an affair?
He comes home with lipstick on his shirt.
He stays out all night.
"Where have you been all night, Flap? …I'm on to you."
She sees him kissing another woman.
A woman calls and asks for him.
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What actor played Garrett Breedlove?
Robert DeNiro.
Christian Slater.
Jack Nicholson.
Jack Nicholson had previously teamed up with Danny DeVito in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." In order to get him for the movie, they had to reschedule rehearsals around the L. A. Lakers' basketball games.
Al Pacino.
What birthday did Aurora tell the guys she was having?
50th.
"And so, another birthday for a gal named Aurora Greenway. Even though 50, she still takes my breath away."
40th.
65th.
60th.
Who didn't believe Aurora was only 50 years old?
Garrett.
Vernon.
Flap.
Dr. Ratcher.
They kept changing the paint and some of the décor to help show time passing. The book focused on how unsuitable the suitors were and that is the driving force behind Aurora seeking out Garrett.
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With whom does Emma have an affair?
The grocery store manager.
A banker.
"Mrs. Horton, I-I'm Sam Burns from the bank. I turned down on the second on your house."
A waiter.
A college student.
After their first lunch together, where did Garrett take Aurora?
Walking in the park.
Driving on the beach.
The dress Aurora wore was not supposed to get wet because of the fabric. They could only afford three of them, so they had to keep drying them carefully between shots. When the dress was designed, the beach scene was not in the script.
Dancing at a jazz club.
Sailing on the ocean.
What famous painting hung in Aurora's bedroom?
A Monet.
A Renoir.
A Van Gogh.
"I've been trying to decide what-what wedding gift to get. I thought of that Renoir that my mother gave me. But I couldn't reach a conclusion."
A Matisse.
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How did Garrett decorate his house?
With hunting trophies and dead animals.
With a pool table and video games.
There were no decorations in Garrett's house.
With astronaut memorabilia.
One of the astronauts they visited for research kept all his astronaut memorabilia in the kitchen. Much of what Nicholson said about being an astronaut came from actual astronaut experiences.
What did Emma do when she first caught Flap with the student?
Went home and locked herself in their room.
Immediately filed for divorce.
Went to her mother's house.
"I'm taking the car, and I'm gonna take the kids. I'm gonna go to Houston."
Threw all his stuff out on the front lawn.
Which of the kids does Emma say looks like Aurora?
Melanie.
The baby actually had red hair like Aurora. The crew was amazed at how well she did during the filming.
Teddy.
Tommy.
Aurora says they look like Emma, but none are said to look like her.
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Why did Flap say he took the job in Nebraska?
He wanted to get away from Emma.
He wanted a fresh start with Emma.
He would be promoted to department head.
"I've been offered a job… It’s, um, it's head of the English Department at Kearney State College for about the same money."
He would get twice as much money.
What was the real reason Flap moved his family to Nebraska?
To keep Emma away from Sam.
To put more distance between them and Aurora.
To be closer to better doctors.
To follow Janice.
The scene was shot at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. There is a branch of the University of Nebraska in Kearney, but shooting did not take place there.
Why did Emma go to see the doctor?
Because she had a sore throat all the time.
To get a flu shot.
"Tell you what. If you see Flap, tell him that his wife and his baby went to the doctor's to get their flu shots, all right? Why don't you do that?"
To get her prescription refills.
Because she thought she was pregnant a fourth time.
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What did the doctor find wrong with Emma?
Cancer.
Brooks knew several people with cancer and wanted to give them an onscreen voice. He did extensive research to portray them.
AIDS.
Heart Disease.
Muscular Dystrophy.
Where did Patsy take Emma after her diagnosis?
London.
New York.
"Emma, I want you to come to New York for a visit. My treat."
Los Angeles.
Chicago.
How did Emma like New York?
She liked it so well that she decided to move there.
She enjoyed her visit and made plans to come back soon.
She loved Patsy's friends.
She hated Patsy's friends.
The New York scene in the restaurant was done to show the contrast between city and country. It is the first time the word "cancer" was used in the movie, and they set up Patsy's spit scene to try to get a laugh and keep the movie light.
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Why did Aurora freak out in the hospital and start yelling at the nurses?
She wanted them to try a different drug.
They were a few minutes late with Emma's pain shot.
"Excuse me. It is after ten. Give my daughter the pain shot."
Emma's food was cold.
She wanted them to get Emma more blankets.
Who wants to take Melanie and raise her?
Aurora.
Flap.
Patsy.
The hotel where Aurora stayed was the same hotel where Brooks stayed. In that scene, Aurora's skirt changes between the time she walks past the front desk and the time she walks past the pool.
Sam.
Where did Emma want her kids to go?
She wants Patsy to take Melanie; Aurora to take Teddy, and Flap to take Tommy.
She wants Flap and Janice to raise them.
She wants Patsy to take all of them.
She wants Aurora to raise all of them.
Aurora makes a costuming transition that supports her character. When she was involved with Garrett in the middle of the movie, she wore frills and fluffy outfits. She wears more practical clothing.
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What kind of dance lessons does Melanie tell Garrett she wants?
Tap.
The final scene was shot in the middle of filming. At one point, the director thought about bringing the character of Sam Burns back for the funeral reception, but decided against it. John Lithgow, who played Burns, was filming "Footloose" at the time and was loaned from that set for only a few days to film his part in "Terms of Endearment."
Ballet.
Jazz.
Aerobics.
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