Movie Detectives Trivia

1. The Good: Finding heroin stashed in car, chasing elevated train The Bad: Shooting an innocent cop By the end of which Oscar-winning film do two NYPD detectives find themselves in a moral gray area?

From Quiz New York's Finest

Answer: The French Connection

"The French Connection", winner of Best Picture for 1971, stars Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider as two police detectives, Popeye Doyle and Cloudy Russo, who don't play well with most other cops. Popeye is impulsive and has a checkered past--a previous assignment left one of his fellow cops dead, a fact not lost on the rest of the department. Directed by William Friedkin, "The French Connection" is a gritty cat-and-mouse police drama for most of its runtime, telling the story with lean camerawork and a fast-moving plot that centers on intercepting a big heroin deal from France. However, two scenes stand out: first, the car chase. When Friedkin asked Howard Hawks what he thought of Friedkin's movies, the fellow director replied that the films were lousy, and the only solution would be to "Make a good chase. Make one better than anyone's done." So he did. Popeye chases a henchman onto an elevated train, and when he can't get on, he pursues the train underneath in a car. The thrilling scene has many near-misses and ends when the runaway train crashes into another stopped locomotive. Amazingly, the scene was shot in real-time in real NYC traffic, without proper permits. Some off-duty cops helped control the traffic flow, but the motorists on camera were unaware that a film was being shot, and some of Popeye's almost-accidents were completely unstaged, a testament to Friedkin's devotion to realism. It's now considered one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed. With that in mind, the final scene of the movie isn't quite as thrilling, but it is more emotionally jarring. The detectives manage to corner the villain in an abandoned warehouse, and try to fish him out. When Popeye sees a movement around a corner, he fires at it--and too late, learns that he has accidentally killed another police officer in friendly fire. Determined to get his man, Popeye ignores the murder and strolls through the warehouse off-screen, at which point we hear a single gunshot ring out, and the camera fades. It's left unclear if Popeye nabbed the right man, if he got shot in the line of duty, or if he committed suicide.

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Dick Tracy

The film featured Madonna as Breathless Mahoney, who tried to seduce Tracy to the despair of his girlfriend, Tess Trueheart. The character of Dick Tracy was created by Chester Gould and appeared in a comic strip in 1931. The series was a portrayal of the gangster era in Chicago, with Tracy bringing the villains to justice. A follow-up to the film was planned, but has been delayed due to legal problems over copyright. Beatty's film career began in 1961 with 'Splendor in the Grass', for which he received the Golden Globe Most Promising Newcomer award.

From Quiz Gumshoes in the Movies

Answer: The Maltese Falcon

"The Maltese Falcon" was based on a novel by the master crime writer Dashiell Hammett. Sam Spade and his partner were hired by a mysterious woman to locate her sister. Spade's partner was murdered, and the police were looking to pin it on the detective. After several plot twists, everyone ended up in search of a valuable figurine. John Huston directed this film, with fine perfomances from a great cast. "Satan Met a Lady" was actually an earlier version of "The Maltese Falcon", starring Bette Davis. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948) was another John Huston film starring Humphrey Bogart. "The Glass Key" (1942) was written by Dashiell Hammett and starred George Raft.

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Blake Edwards

Most of the films starred Peter Sellers as Clouseau, although the two films after his death had Alan Arkin and Roger Moore playing the character. The original series ran from 1963 until 1993. More recently, the character has been played by Steve Martin, in 'The Pink Panther' (2006) and 'The Pink Panther 2' (2009). The theme music to the films was written by Henry Mancini, and is instantly recognisable. Blake Edwards also directed 'Days of Wine and Roses' (1962) and 'Victor/Victoria' (1982) which starred his wife, Julie Andrews. He died in December 2010.

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Robert Downey, Jr.

Holmes has been portrayed in films on numerous occasions, notably by Basil Rathbone in the 1940s. Other actors who have taken the role include Michael Caine, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, to name but a few. The 2009 version also starred Jude Law, as Dr. John Watson, and Mark Strong as the villain (the villains always seem to be played by English actors these days). Robert Downey Jr. made his film debut in 1970 in 'Pound', directed by his father, and starred in 'Chaplin' (1992). All the other actors appeared in films released in 2009, Hanks in 'Angels and Demons', Firth in 'A Single Man' and Pitt in 'Inglourious Basterds'.

From Quiz Detective Movies

Answer: Murder By Decree

Bob Clark directed this excellent interpretation of the Whitechapel murders that starred Christopher Plummer, James Mason, Anthony Qualye, John Gielgud, Frank Finley and Genevieve Bujold.

From Quiz New York's Finest

Answer: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" fails to replicate the magical charm of Macaulay Culkin's first turn as Kevin McAllister, probably because director Chris Columbus neglected the fact that the best part of the first film was watching Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern (playing Harry and Merv, the Wet Bandits) get impaled, bludgeoned, and burned by an obnoxious pre-teen. Nevertheless, the second film has its moments, especially when Kevin booby-traps his uncle's townhouse, and the criminals (rechristened as the Sticky Bandits) get impaled, bludgeoned, and burned by an obnoxious pre-teen. The sequel's sentimentality may have put off some audiences--Kevin befriends a mysterious homeless woman who tends pigeons in Central Park, which luckily works out when she throws birdseed at the Sticky Bandits, who are then mobbed by pigeons* and arrested by the NYPD. If anything, the best part of "Home Alone 2" was its way of convincing young adolescents that they too could survive winter in New York City armed only with a credit card**, after the world's most negligent family accidentally leaves for Miami on a different flight. *Not actually recommended as a method to apprehend criminals **Not actually recommended to leave 10-year-old kids alone in NYC with only a credit card

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Earl Derr Biggers

The first novel to feature Charlie Chan was 'The House Without a Key', written in 1925 and this was also the first one to be adapted into a film, the following year. The films were not immediately successful, and it was not until the character was portrayed by a white actor (Warner Oland) in 1931 that the series began to take off. Chan was based in Honolulu and Biggers deliberately chose to portray an Asian character in a positive light in his writing. Although he does have other works to his name, Charlie Chan is the character for which he is remembered. Earl Stanley Gardner created Perry Mason, and Louisa May Alcott wrote 'Little Women' and other novels.

From Quiz Gumshoes in the Movies

Answer: Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane was a highly successful writer of crime novels. Seven of his books are among America's ten top-sellers of the twentieth century. He played Mike Hammer in a 1963 film, "The Girl Hunters". "Kiss Me Deadly" was a good story and a classic film noir. Mike Hammer picked up a young woman who was hitchhiking, and was then run off the road. He ended up in the hospital, with the woman dead. When he attempted to investigate, he was warned to stay off the case; advice which was disregarded. In addition to Ralph Meeker, Hammer has been portrayed by Stacy Keach, Darren McGavin and Biff Elliott. Spillane wrote thirteen Mike Hammer crime novels.

From Quiz Detective Movies, Part 2

Answer: Seven & Se7en

David Fincher directed this very dark and bizarre film that starred Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey and Gwyneth Paltrow.

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Jane Marple

The 1980 adaptation starred Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple, and was about the filming of a Hollywood movie in the village of St. Mary Mead. Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak appeared as warring actresses with their husbands being portrayed by Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis. The character of Miss Marple appears to be an inoffensive spinster, living a narrow life, but she has a razor sharp brain. Apart from Lansbury, she has been portrayed on film by Margaret Rutherford and on television by Joan Hickson and Julia McKenzie. Nancy Drew is from the books by Carolyn Keene, one of which was filmed in 2007. Cordelia Gray was created by P.D. James in 'An Unsuitable Job for a Woman', which has been adapted as a television series in the UK. Miss Silver appeared in 32 novels written by Patricia Wentworth.

From Quiz Gumshoes in the Movies

Answer: Jake Gittes

Nicholson played Jake Gittes, the others were also characters in the film. The film was about tycoon Hollis Mulwray and his very complicated family life, water issues, murder and venality in the early days in Los Angeles. Nicholson's nose was sliced by a thug, played by Roman Polanski, and he wore a big bandage on it for most of the film. "Chinatown" (1974) picked up eleven Oscar nominations, and won just one Oscar, for Robert Towne (Best Screenplay). Nicholson was nominated, as was Faye Dunaway, Roman Polanski (Best Director) and Robert Evans (Best Picture). John Huston appeared in this one, as Hollis Mulwray, along with Diane Ladd and John Hillerman.

From Quiz New York's Finest

Answer: Serpico

Another film about an unlikable NYC detective investigating illicit heroin, "Serpico" is based on the real-life adventures of Frank Serpico, who uncovered corruption in the NYPD in the '60s and '70s. Serpico's actions eventually led to the formation of the Knapp Commission in 1970 to investigate cases of graft in the department. In the film, Serpico, though competent and moral, doesn't fit in with the rest of the department due to his liberal attitudes about policing and his moral authority over the rest of the department, which culminates in him being shot in the face during a raid on a heroin lab and being left for dead by his fellow officers. The film ends with Serpico's recovery and immediate removal to Switzerland. Critics of "Serpico" slammed it for one glaring omission: the role played by Frank Serpico's partner David Durk in the whistleblowing job. Interestingly, a film based on the partnership between Serpico and Durk was originally planned by Sam Peckinpah, to star Robert Redford and Paul Newman, after the wild success of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". But it never happened. Redford and Newman wound up co-starring in a different film that year, "The Sting"--where they take down a corrupt boss and his paid-off police chief.

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Nero Wolfe

Columbia Pictures released the film 'Meet Nero Wolfe' in 1936 based on Stout's first novel about the character, 'Fer-de-Lance'. It starred Edward Arnold as Wolfe and Lionel Stander as his assistant, Archie Goodwin with an early appearance by Rita Hayworth (billed as Rita Cansino). An adaptation of the second novel, 'The League of Frightened Men', followed in 1937 with Walter Connolly as Wolfe. Stout would not authorise any further adaptations for the big screen, although the character has appeared in radio and television series. Father Brown was brought to life by G. K. Chesterton and Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L. Sayers. H. C. McNeile, writing under the pen name of 'Sapper', created Bulldog Drummond.

From Quiz Gumshoes in the Movies

Answer: Frank Sinatra

Tony Rome was a tough Miami detective, solving mysteries in both films. Sinatra played a detective several times during his film career. His best efforts were in musicals, where he not only sang (as only he could) but danced as well. His crowning moment in films had to be when he won his Oscar for "From Here to Eternity" (1953).

From Quiz New York's Finest

Answer: Do the Right Thing

Often considered one of Spike Lee's greatest achievements, "Do the Right Thing" speaks volumes about tensions between African-Americans and a police force burdened by racism, more than a dozen years before the founding of Black Lives Matter. The film takes place on a single day, the hottest day in the year, at Sal's Pizzeria in Brooklyn, which is owned by an old Italian man but mainly serves the minority community, especially African-Americans. A racially-charged disagreement over which pictures should be hung on the "Wall of Fame" in the restaurant turns violent, and climaxes when the police, called in to resolve the conflict, choke Radio Raheem, nicknamed for the fact that he's always carrying around a boombox. At that point, the protagonist (played by Spike Lee) hurls a trash can into the pizzeria, starting a ferocious riot that quickly gets out of hand. The film's deepest irony is in its title, "Do the Right Thing"--as though it were so easy. Lee deliberately waffles on the question of how best to secure racial equality, ending the film with diametrically opposing quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. The police are not represented positively in this film, but Lee also inculpates the restless mob, who, in one scene, attempt to vandalize a supermarket until finding out that the owner is Korean. In perhaps the film's best-known scene, which is an obvious homage to "The Night of the Hunter", Raheem explains why he has the words "Love" and "Hate" emblazoned on his knuckles: "Let me tell you the story of Right Hand, Left Hand. It's a tale of good and evil. Hate: it was with this hand that Cain iced his brother. Love: these five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: static. One hand is always fighting the other hand, and the left hand is kicking much ass. I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that's right. Ooh, it's a devastating right and Hate is hurt, he's down. Left-Hand Hate KOed by Love."

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Jules Maigret

Several films of Maigret stories were made in France, but this is the only film made in the USA that I have been able to find. It starred Charles Laughton as Maigret, was directed by Burgess Meredith and was based on the story 'La Tête d'un Homme'. The character of Maigret appeared in 75 novels and 28 short stories written by Simenon, who was himself Belgian despite using Paris as Maigret's base. Dupin was created by Edgar Allan Poe and Tintin, who was actually a journalist, by Hergé. Lestrade, despite his name, worked at Scotland Yard and appeared in the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle.

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Television cartoon

The series first ran on television in the USA in 1983, and was about a human detective who had various gadgets built bionically into his body. Although he had the equipment, Gadget was not particularly intelligent and the cases he took on were actually solved by his genius niece and his clever dog. The film also starred Rupert Everett as Gadget's foe, Dr. Claw, and Michelle Trachtenberg as Penny. The film covered Gadget's history and how he obtained his rebuilt body, and how Dr. Claw became his enemy.

From Quiz New York's Finest

Answer: Die Hard

After most of this quiz looks at films with a negative (comical or otherwise) view of the NYPD, let's remember the greatest film depiction of New York's finest there ever was: John McClane, star of the "Die Hard" franchise. Though the film actually takes place in Los Angeles*, where McClane has gone to visit his separated wife, the New York cop played by Bruce Willis is on his A-game as he confronts a terrorist plot in the Nakatomi Plaza, where his wife is being held hostage at a Christmas party. The cat-and-mouse game played out between McClane (under the pseudonym Roy Rogers) and German terrorist Hans Gruber is done to perfection. Many critics agree that the original "Die Hard" is one of the greatest action movies ever, and it rocketed Willis into stardom. The sequels... well... they're not actually that bad. The second and fourth entries got solid critical reviews. The third entry in the franchise, "Die Hard with a Vengeance", is actually set in New York City and has Willis team up with Samuel L. Jackson to solve a series of riddles to prevent bombs from going off across the city. It's not great. 2013's "A Good Day to Die Hard" probably killed off the franchise for good, though. *By contrast, the LAPD is represented as being full of incompetent bureaucrats, namely Paul Gleason, the principal from "The Breakfast Club", and Sgt. Al Powell, who is astoundingly knowledgeable about Twinkies. Not that I'm judging.

From Quiz Under the Covers

Answer: Snoop Dogg

The film took the characters from the television series which ran from 1975 until 1979. On television, Starsky was played by Paul Michael Glaser and Hutch (short for Hutchinson) by David Soul, with Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear. Both the television series and the film featured the Ford Gran Torino car with its iconic white stripe on a red background. In addition to his music career, Snoop Dogg (real name Cordozar Calvin Broadus) has built a very respectable reputation as an actor and film producer. Apart from 'Starsky and Hutch', he has appeared in 'Half Baked' (1998) and 'Training Day' (2001), among many others.

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