The Films of 1981
Trivia, Word Search, and a Quiz
The year 1981 saw the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which became the highest grossing film for the year. This film, which would kick-off a successful action-adventure franchise starring Harrison Ford, grossed nearly as much as the second (On Golden Pond) and third (Superman II) ranked films combined.
Here's some more trivia from the world of cinema in 1981:
- Actresses born this year include Bryce Dallas Howard, Julia Stiles, Jessica Alba, Amy Schumer, Natalie Portman, and Sienna Miller.
- Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter both made their big screen debuts in the slasher The Burning, and so does Christina Applegate in the horror mystery Jaws of Satan, Gabriel Byrne in the epic medieval fantasy Excalibur, Kevin Costner in the beach comedy Malibu Hot Summer, Jeff Daniels in the historical drama Ragtime, Gina Gershon in the musical Beatlemania, Sean Penn in the militaristic Taps, Geoffrey Rush in the true story Hoodwink, and Denzel Washington in the comedy Carbon Copy.
- Former actor Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th President of the United States on January 20.
- On August 21, An American Werewolf in London is released and sets a new bar in visual effects and makeup.
- Stars dying this year include Melvyn Douglas, the suave leading man who ultimately wins over Greta Garbo in the 1939 romantic comedy Ninotchka. This was also the year in which Natalie Wood mysteriously drowned off the coast of Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean.
1981 Films Word Search
The films in the following two word searches were films released in 1981. Just like all the films on this page (unless otherwise noted).
The first word search is easy: 20 film titles hidden in a small 22 × 20 letter grid. The second is more challenging: 36 film titles in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.
So load your printer with standard 8.5" × 11" paper, download, hit print and start solving. Our PDF files print out beautifully and are always free to download on our site.
More Word Searches
These word search puzzles are on particular films from 1981. They each have 36 terms hidden in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.
The Cannonball Run Arthur Time Bandits The Great Muppet Caper
10 Question Quiz on 1981 Films
How well do you know what came out on the Silver Screen in 1981? Take our quiz and find out. There's no time limit and no scoring. Just have fun!
1. How many lines of dialogue is Mel Gibson purported to have in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior?
2. James Caan has an illegal profession in Michael Mann's Thief. What profession is that?
3. How old was Sam Raimi when he directed the cult classic horror film The Evil Dead?
4. Who broke his nose filming a scene in Stripes, resulting in him having to wear heavy makeup for the rest of filming?
5. What was the working title of Jim Henson's The Great Muppet Caper, which was shot entirely in England?
6. All of the following men were in Body Heat. But which of them had the affair with Kathleen Turner while they plotted the murder of her rich husband?
7. What is Reds about?
8. Who sang the theme song for Roger Moore's For Your Eyes Only?
9. The character Dudley Moore plays in Arthur is all of the following except?
10. Which star did NOT make an appearance in the all-star cast of The Cannonball Run?
Want more? We have another page on the cinema of 1981
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