X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963) Quiz

Answer: He gives himself an experimental drug.

Dr. James Xavier is a brilliant medical researcher who believes that the human eye detects only a small part of the potentially-visible spectrum of light. He works to expand vision into the ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths and beyond. His drug, when instilled in the eye, produces not only the desired effect but also allows the subject to see through paper, skin and even walls. Unfortunately the substance is addictive and causes Xavier to become irritable and irrational.

Answer: False

"Sight Unseen" was a British crime drama directed by Robert Day. The idea for the story and for "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes" came from the fertile mind of Roger Corman, who both produced and directed the movie. Ray Russell and Robert Dillon turned Corman's treatment into a script. Corman's original idea was for a drug-addicted jazz musician whose use of mind-altering chemicals caused X-ray vision.

He abandoned that idea in favour of a scientist experimenting on himself.

Answer: to record the monkey's ability to see colours

Before Doctor Xavier uses his experimental eye drops on himself, he instills them in his laboratory monkey. He has conditioned the monkey to press a switch lighting up the red, the white, or the blue bulb, depending upon which colour it sees. Dr. Fairfax observes the experiment and is thoroughly impressed.

Answer: Ray Milland

Ray Milland (1907-1986) was born in Wales but became a naturalized American citizen in the middle of his very long career (1929-1985) as an actor and director in television and motion pictures. He was not recognized for his leading role in "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes" but did win Best Actor at Cannes, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for his role in "The Lost Weekend" (1945). He played romantic leads and in action adventures.

Milland did not appear in a great many science-fiction or horror films but was not at all averse to them: "The Uninvited" (1944), "The Premature Burial" (1962), " X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes" (1963), "Panic in Year Zero!" (1962), "Frogs" (1972), "The Thing with Two Heads" (1972), "The House in Nightmare Park" (1973), "Terror in the Wax Museum" (1973), and "The Dead Don't Die" (1975).

Answer: building foundation inspector

Dr. James Xavier accidentally kills his friend Dr. Sam Brant and flees to avoid arrest and discovery of his ailment/superpower. He gets a job as a carnival sideshow mind reader, represented by the larcenous and conniving Crane. When he correctly diagnoses the injuries of a girl who falls from the Ferris wheel, Crane figures out his secret.

The corrupt manager persuades him to become a miracle healer on skid row. His friend Dr. Diane Fairfax finds him and helps him escape from Crane. They drive to Las Vegas to make some money by cheating at card games where he can see through the dealer's cards.

Answer: Roger Corman

Roger Corman (b. 1926) appears to have done it all in Hollywood: he has acted, directed, produced, written, distributed, as well as mentoring many actors and directors. He had a television series -- "Roger Corman Presents" -- on Showtime. He published a series of comic books.

He distributed the films of numerous foreign producer-directors, e.g. Ingmar Bergman, François Truffaut, Federico Fellini, and Akira Kurosawa. More of his saga can be found in Roger Corman and Jim Jerome, "How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime" (1990).

Answer: He can see through his closed eyelids.

Xavier's vision develops to the point that he can no longer understand what he is seeing. Closing his eyes doesn't help because he can see through his eyelids. He adopts heavy protective glasses with lead lenses which afford some relief. When these are knocked off in a fight, people can see that the colour of his eyes has changed to black and gold.

In the end, his vision extends beyond Earth and into space.

Answer: Don Rickles

Don Rickles (1926-2017), sometimes known as Mister Warmth, was an insult comic. His standup comedy was regularly seen on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and on the Las Vegas stage. He provided the voice of Mister Potatohead in the "Toy Story" movies.

After two eponymous television shows -- "The Don Rickles Show" (ABC, 1968) and "The Don Rickles Show" (CBS, 1972), he starred in the comedy series "C.P.O. Sharkey" on NBC. Rickles also acted in dramatic motion picture roles, e.g. "Run Silent, Run Deep" (1958), "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes" (1963), "Kelly's Heroes" (1970), and "Casino" (1995). With David Ritz, Rickles wrote his autobiography "Rickles' Book: A Memoir" (2007).

Answer: a tent preacher quoting Jesus from Matthew

Dr. Xavier stumbles into a revivalist's tent following his automobile accident. He tells the preacher that he can see to the end of the Universe and has seen "the eye that sees us all." The preacher says his vision is the product of sin and the Devil and quotes Matthew 5:29-30 and 18:8-9, "If thine eye offends thee, pluck it out!" Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew quoted it again later in his account of the Gospel.

This is not an example of dominical advice to commit self disfigurement. Jesus is using the rhetorical device of hyperbole -- exaggerating a point in order to emphasize it, and means instead something like "if what you are looking at leads you to sin, stop looking at that!"

Answer: He is dismissed and fears a malpractice suit.

After only a few uses of the eye drops on himself, Dr. Xavier is able to see inside people -- through their clothing and through their skin. This ability allows him to look inside a patient in the operating room who has been incorrectly diagnosed. He insists on taking over the surgery, which saves the patient's life but enrages hospital officials. He is dismissed from his position and threatened with a lawsuit.