90 The Great Escape Trivia Questions & Answers

Answer: Donald Pleasence

Donald Pleasence, a British actor, plays the role of Colin Blythe in "The Great Escape." Pleasence had a long and distinguished acting career, appearing in over 200 films. He played the James Bond villain Blofeld in the 1967 film "You Only Live Twice". Pleasence had real-life experience as a prisoner of war- in August 1944 his plane was shot down and he was taken to a German POW camp. Richard Attenborough plays Roger "Big X" Bartlett in "The Great Escape"; James Garner is Hendley, the Scrounger; and James Coburn plays the role of Sedgwick, the Manufacturer.

Answer: Paul Brickhill

Paul Brickhill, who wrote the book from which the film is based, was piloting a Spitfire plane that was shot down over Tunisia in 1943. He was taken to Stalag Luft III (which is where the prisoners in this movie are), in Germany, where he helped with the great escape.

Answer: Cavendish

Cavendish is the one who trips on the night of the escape. He got shot near the end of the movie. Cavendish is played by Nigel Stock.

Answer: strange

Said by Roger Bartlett. In this case, the strange favor was asked of Virgil Hilts. He asked Hilts to escape, survey the land, and then turn himself in so he could give the people who wanted to escape that information.

Answer: Big X

We first hear of Big X, whose name is Roger, at the start of the movie, when two of the prisoners are discussing him.

Answer: Ives

Was sent to cooler 20 days with Hilts.

Answer: Blythe

He was going blind and knew it but was still able to forge documents.

Answer: Australian

Maybe it's because his accent is so bad, but at one point Bartlett calls Coburn's character 'Bluey' (a common nickname for Australians)to let the audience know from where he hails. War buffs may also be able to tell his nationality from his battledress jacket, which is the dark blue of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Answer: jockey

This is one of the facts that emerges during the discussion between Hilts and Ives when they are in the cooler.

Answer: Steve McQueen

A good role for McQueen, which gave him a chance to do a few motorcycle stunts. Most sources say that he did NOT perform the daring leap over the border fence, however.

Answer: birdwatching

Blythe is an enthusiastic bird watcher and artist. In order to fool the camp guards, Blythe gives lectures to his team of forgers about various types of birds. His "students" are expected to learn about and draw pictures of Blythe's avian friends. After the guards leave the lecture room, Blythe and his team immediately resume their forgery work.

Answer: Eric

Eric is Ashley-Pitt's first name. He was first caught near the Red Sea. Escaping three times during his confinement, he sacrifices his life for two friends. They too get killed.

Answer: uncivilized

Said by Collin Blythe. He's a great tea-drinker and says this when he's first meeting his bunkmate, Bob Hendley. Hendley says he's only had tea once, and that was when he was in a hospital.

Answer: 250

Only 76 escaped.

Answer: 4

First day, first escape, second escape, when captured.

Answer: Canadian

In the fake fight sequence at the beginning of the movie, Sedgwick refers to Haynes' Canadian nationality. Not really played up in the film is the fact that many escapees - if not the majority - were not British, but were Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Poles, French, Belgian, Norwegian, Greek, Czechs, Dutch, and even Lithuanian.

Answer: I love you

Danny and Sedgewick are trying a 'blitz out' amongst the Russian prisoners near the start of the film. Sedgewick asks 'What bloody use is that?' when Danny tells him what the phrase means, and Danny says 'I wasn't planning to use it myself.'

Answer: Virgil

In encouraging Hilts to call him 'Roger', Bartlett says 'My name is Roger, yours is Virgil isn't it?' Hilts replies, 'Just make it Hilts.' (Quotes are from memory, so may not be word perfect.)

Answer: tea with milk

Colin Blythe is an avid tea drinker. He complains to his roommate Hendley in the beginning of "The Great Escape" that the quality of the camp's tea leaves is "wretched". He also tells Hendley that tea without milk is so "uncivilized". One of the first items that Hendley scrounges is a tin of milk for Blythe to enjoy.

Answer: Blue and Brown

Bartlett and MacDonald get off a train at the railroad station. Bartlett is wearing a dark blue hat with a lighter blue ribbon, and MacDonald is wearing a dark brown hat with a lighter brown ribbon.

Answer: By a tunnel

Seventy six people escape from the camp.

Answer: Tom

Said by Andy MacDonald. In the middle of an Independence Day celebration, the soldiers at the camp discover one of the tunnels that had been built - the tunnel they had christened "Tom".

Answer: 50

Although 50 of them were shot, there were 11 who were caught and brought back to the camp. Three successfully eluded recapture, and others were sent to other camps. In total, 76 got out of the camp through tunnel Harry.

Answer: small spaces

He told Willie this but kept digging tunnels because he wanted out of the prisons.

Answer: Ramsey

He was a Group Captain and Senior British Officer in camp.