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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Schary tell Ross about Huston's powers of persuasion?

2. Which of the following jobs did Schary once hold before getting into show business?

3. About how much would feeding the cast and crew of the film lunch cost the studio during the filming?

4. How many scenes were shot on the first day of filming "The Red Badge of Courage"?

5. What did Huston say to Ross during the last phone message he left for her?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Huston's personal assistant, Albert Band, hope to do in the film?

2. How do the Reinhardts treat their dog, Mocha?

3. What does Reinhardt insist upon during the film's production that is a somewhat unusual request so he can track the progress of filming closely?

4. What was one of the least expensive, but, in Huston's estimation, important shots of the film?

5. What kind of a relationship did Ross have with John Huston later in their lives, as outlined by Huston's daughter Angelica Huston in the Foreword?

6. Why do Dore Schary and Gottfried Reinhardt hesitate to agree to cast Audie Murphy in the main role in "The Red Badge of Courage"?

7. How does Audie Murphy behave during his first meeting with John Huston in the first section of the book?

8. Who does Ross decide early on in writing Picture to make as her four leading "characters"?

9. What unusual tactic does Huston intend to use to direct the picture?

10. What hobby is Huston deeply interested in that has nothing to do with Hollywood, as Ross describes it in the first section of the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What kind of a person was John Huston? Write an essay analyzing both positive and negative aspects of Huston's personality, citing specific references from the text to support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Examine the excerpts from Dore Schary's speech at the Drama Festival at the College of the Pacific (161). Do Schary's actions in Picture seem to reveal his devotion to the ideals he outlines in his speech? Write an essay explaining why or why not.

Essay Topic 3

Given Ross's descriptions of him and his actions on "The Red Badge of Courage," what do you think are studio executive and producer Dore Schary's most significant concerns and goals regarding film production? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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