Answers to the Trivia Questions:

Q: Name THREE television programs William Holden appeared on.
A: I Love Lucy; What’s My Line; The Tonight Show; The Dean Martin Show; The Jack Benny Program; The Colgate Comedy Hour; Producers’ Showcase; Toast of the Town; The Mike Douglas Show

Q: For what film did William Holden finally win his Oscar, and in what year?
A: Stalag 17 (1953) in 1954

Q: For what two roles was William Holden nominated for Oscars that went to someone else, for what films, in what years, and what were the categories? (Bonus: Who won instead?)
A: Network (1976), Max Schumacher, Best Actor in a Leading Role. (Went to Peter Finch, instead, also for Network.)
Sunset Boulevard (1950), Joe Gillis, Best Actor in a Leading Role. (Went to Jose Ferrer instead, for Cyrano.)

Q: What two films starring William Holden were both up for Best picture in 1950?
A: Born Yesterday and Sunset Boulevard

Q: What was William Holden’s birth name, and where/when was he born?
A: William Franklin Beedle, Jr.; April 17, 1918; O’Fallon, Illinois.

Q: With what studio did William Holden first sign a contract?
A: Paramount

Q: What are five films starring William Holden and set in Asia, what years were they made, and in which Asian country were they set?
A: Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955, Hong Kong); The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955, Korea & Japan); The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, Thailand); Satan Never Sleeps (1962, China); The World of Suzie Wong (1960, Hong Kong); When Time Ran Out… (1980, unnamed South Pacific island?); The 7th Dawn (1964, Malaya)

Q: Which Canadian band wrote the lyrics: “I need love and it's you, and I feel like William Holden floating in a pool”?
A: Blue Rodeo

Q: What was unusual about William Holden’s Oscar acceptance speech and roughly how long was it?
A: It consisted of two words, "Thank you," and lasted well under half a minute.

Q: True or False: In Suzanne Vega’s song “Tom's Diner” the lines “I open up the paper/there's a story of an actor/who died while he was drinking/he was no one I had heard of” refer to William Holden.
A: True.

Q: For what film did William Holden demand, and receive, an extra $8000 stunt fee for having to follow through with an embarrassing dance scene and why did he charge so much?
A: Picnic (1955); according to legend, Holden hated to dance on camera so much that he hoped the extra fee would cause Columbia to drop the dance number.

Q: True or false: William Holden almost lost a nipple having his chest shaved for a scene in Paris – When it Sizzles (1964).
A: False. Unconfirmed rumour has it that he had a nipple nicked getting his chest shaved for his shirtless scenes in Picnic (1955) when the studio decided that hairy chests were no longer pleasing to modern aesthetics. However, Paris – When it Sizzles has no extended shirtless scenes, with nipple or without.

Q: In his later years, William Holden divided his time between which three countries?
A: Kenya, Switzerland, United States.

Q: What film starred William Holden and was directed by Clint Eastwood?
A: Breezy (1973)

Q: Give the film titles that match with the following William Holden characters:

• Joe Gillis (Sunset Boulevard, 1950)
• J.J. Sefton (Stalag 17, 1953)
• Harry Brubaker (Bridges at Toko-Ri, 1955)
• Max Schumacher (Network, 1975)
• Robert Lomax (The World of Suzie Wong, 1960)
• Alvarez Kelly (Alvarez Kelly, 1966)
• David Larrabee (Sabrina, 1954)
• Pike Bishop (The Wild Bunch, 1969)
• George Gibbs (Our Town, 1940)
• Richard Thorn (Damien: The Omen II, 1978)

Q: Give the films and the professions of the following William Holden characters:

• Frank Harmon (Breezy, 1973; real estate agent)
• Robert Lomax (The World of Suzie Wong, 1960; artist)
• Mark Elliott (Love is a Many-Splendored Thing, 1955; correspondent)
• Paul Verrall (Born Yesterday, 1950; reporter/tutor)
• Richard Benson (Paris – When it Sizzles, 1964; screenwriter)

Q: What were the two TV movies that stared William Holden, and for which did he pick up an Emmy?
A: The Blue Knight (1973, Emmy) and 21 Hours at Munich (1976)