Pass the Door Test Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nineteen Eighty-Four

"Nineteen Eighty-Four" was released in 1984, starring John Hurt (Winston Smith), Richard Burton (O'Brien) and Suzanna Hamilton (Julia), directed by Michael Radford. The movie was based on George Orwell's (real name Eric Blair) dystopian novel of the same title.

It was Richard Burton's last screen appearance. In this mind-bending story, Winston lives in a totalitarian state called Oceania where everyone is monitored, repressed, brainwashed and any sign of independence is punished as a thoughtcrime. Working for the Ministry of Truth, Winston rewrites history to conform to the truth according to the party leader, Big Brother. Secretly, he logs his hatred of the party in a diary, he has an affair with Julia, and he meets with O'Brien, whom he believes is a member of the resistance. Winston is arrested by the Thought Police and tortured, but will not betray Julia, so he is sent through the most dreaded door anywhere in Oceania -- the Ministry of Love's Room 101.

In Room 101, the Ministry of Love tortures people using their worst fears and nightmares. Winston is so terrified he begs for them to torture Julia instead. Broken and brainwashed, Winston rejoins society.

This movie won the Best British Film of the Year award, and has a place on multiple "best film" lists. It also spawned many commonly used metaphorical references, such as "big brother" and "Orwellian".

Answer: Greedy

Greedy doorman Ralph Hart (Ned Wertimer) was in 57 of the 253 episodes (1975-1985) of the popular CBS TV show "The Jeffersons", developed by Norman Lear. Ralph was always looking for a pay off, a money-making scheme or a large gratuity. The Jeffersons had been neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker ("All in the Family) until they moved away and re-appeared in the spinoff "The Jeffersons", taking Ralph with them.

Another door-related and oft repeated gag was when the rude George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) slammed the door on his kindly neighbor Bentley (Paul Benedict) while Bentley was still talking. George had climbed up the social ladder via his dry-cleaning business, with his wife Louise (Isabel Sanford) and son Lionel (played by Mike Evans and Damon Evans).

They had a wise-cracking housekeeper named Florence Johnston (Maria Gibbs) audiences loved. The show aired for 11 seasons, but ended suddenly without notice to cast, and no finale. It nonetheless retained the record as longest running sitcom on US TV for many years.

Their theme song was "Movin' On Up" by Ja'net Dubois and Jeff Barry.

Answer: The Twilight Zone

"The Twilight Zone" (1959-1964) was a television series in much part written, produced, created and narrated by the amazing Rod Serling. According to interviews, Rod had long wanted to talk about social problems such as racism and political divisiveness but network executives and advertisers watered down or changed his stories.

He realized using aliens, robots and other dimensions he could address human failings in relative freedom. His stories involved people who entered a perplexing dimension of psychological suspense or horror, often through a door or portal, where normal rules were suspended.

There was usually a moral or a twist ending. In its first season alone the show won four TV Emmy Awards. Many stars began their careers on this show, such as Robert Redford, Carol Burnett, Robert Duvall, Leonard Nimoy, and Agnes Moorehead. On Season 4 the show featured a new introduction showing a closed door spinning in space with other objects, as Serling narrates, "You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone".

The door opens. "The Twilight Zone" was revived in 1985-89 and again in 2002, but despite roles by heavy-hitters Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren, with narration by Forest Whitaker, neither show had much success.

Answer: Door test

"A Bronx Tale" (1993) was directed by Robert De Niro, who also plays Lorenzo Anello, an upstanding, working class dad. It's 1963 on E. 187th Street in the Bronx, as six year-old Calogero 'C' Anello (Lillo Brancato) narrates life on his street. He is fascinated by a local gangster named Sonny, "The Man" (Chazz Palminteri, who also wrote the screenplay), a slick, brutal Italian mobster. Despite the protests of his parents, Calogero repeatedly sneaks through a series of doors, over to the door of the bar where the gangsters hang out, so he can watch them. As he grows older, 'C' falls for an African-American girl named Jane Williams (Taral Hicks), despite the hard feelings between the Italians and the Blacks of the neighborhood. One day 'C' and Sonny sit in Sonny's splashy convertible, as Sonny offers surprisingly tender lessons on life and love. Among these is Sonny's surefire Door Test:

Sonny: "Alright, listen to me. You pull up right where she lives, right? Before you get outta the car, you lock both doors. Then, get outta the car, you walk over to her. You bring her over to the car. Dig out the key, put it in the lock and open the door for her. Then you let her get in. Then you close the door. Then you walk around the back of the car and look through the rear window. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in: dump her."
Calogero 'C' Anello: "Just like that?"
Sonny: "Listen to me, kid. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in, it means she's a selfish broad and all you're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. You dump her and you dump her fast."

Sonny has pretty good advice for 'C', advising that race is nothing, it's the love you share that matters, not what people say, and, he tells 'C', the gangster life "is not for you". The door test? That might be decent advice, too. 'C' tries it out on Jane.

Answer: MacGyver

The TV show "MacGyver" aired in the USA 1985 to 1992, starring Richard Dean Anderson as the likable secret agent Angus MacGyver. Formerly a physics scientist, MacGyver did not like guns owing to a childhood accident that killed a friend. He therefore used a knowledge of science combined with every day objects to create all manner of tools, weapons and devices. Examples were his Swiss Army knife, duct tape, baking soda, a map, a candle, and even chocolate. MacGyver often had to open, unlock, or blast a door--in Season 1 alone doors are the main obstacle in three episodes: MacGyver retrieves a key from a keyhole using a map and his knife so he can get into a door; he escapes from a locked freezer using a light bulb, ice and a tube, and he blasts open a door using a gelatin capsule and water. MacGyver even used a door as a weapon in one episode.

The science MacGyver used was vetted, so that in general the methods used were valid, if perhaps not likely in real life. "MacGyver" was so well watched, it was credited with a rise of interest in science, physics and engineering.

In 2016 CBS attempted to resurrect "MacGyver" starring Lucas Till, but reception of Till was poor. Original series creator Lee David Zlotoff and executive producers Henry Winkler and John Rich had said in 1985 that finding Richard Dean Anderson, their MacGyver, was no easy task. How to be dashing, daring, likeable AND authentically well versed in physics and engineering? It seems Till proved them right. Viewers said he was wooden and unbelievable, with only a surface understanding of the science he used.

Answer: Backdraft

"Backdraft" (1991) is an action, crime and drama film directed by Ron Howard. It begins when a firefighter is killed by a blast, forever changing his two young sons. Older brother Steven 'Bull' McCaffrey (Kurt Russell) becomes a firefighter who takes too many risks, determined to save everyone, while younger brother Brian (William Baldwin), also a firefighter, is afraid of fire. Both must face their demons while dealing with a mystery arsonist. Like Russell and Baldwin, Robert De Niro (arson investigator Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale) did many of his own stunts. Donald Sutherland plays a suspected arsonist.

A "backdraft" is an explosive surge that happens when a smoky fire is trapped in a space with all oxygen consumed, causing gases to super-heat.

Then suddenly there's a new source of air, such as a door opening. The hot gases ignite, often breaking windows, knocking down walls, and horribly, blasting the person who opened the door backwards. In "Backdraft" viewers see this happen several times, as when firefighter Tim (Jason Gredrick) fails to check a door for heat before he breaks it open with an axe.

The film was nominated for three Oscars in recognition of its stunning sound and visual effects. Ideally the right thing to do is check a door for heat, then make a small "examination" hole in the door, so one can see into the room without supplying the fire with lots of air. (So says fireman and instructor Christopher Flatley). Apparently modern fires burn hotter and are more likely to backdraft, because houses contain so much more fuel (our stuff), and plastics, which burn very hot. Also modern homes are sealed tighter. "Backdraft" conditions can sometimes be seen by firefighters from outside, which gives them about ten seconds to warn their colleagues inside. The movie is fascinating in that many of these things firefighters and investigators must know are shown or discussed.

Answer: False

Based on the "Alice" novels of Lewis Carroll, Disney Productions created the enchanting animated movie "Alice in Wonderland" (1951). Kathryn Beaumont voiced Alice, Sterling Holloway the Cheshire Cat, Verna Felton the Queen of Hearts, Ed Wynn the Mad Hatter and most happily for the purposes of this quiz, the Caterpillar was voiced by Richard Haydn. In this fantasy story a pretty little girl named Alice follows a hurried white rabbit down a rabbit hole, but when he dashes through a tiny door, she cannot follow. She finds herself talking with the Doorknob (Joseph Kearns):
Alice: "I simply must get through."
Doorknob: "Sorry, you're much too big. Simply impassible."
Alice: "You mean impossible?"
Doorknob: "No, impassible. Nothing's impossible. Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction."

After some disturbing changes in size, Alice is able to become so small she floats through the keyhole into Wonderland, where she encounters a host of zany, confusing and marvelous characters. One of these is Caterpillar, puffing out smoke as he sits upon his mushroom. Alice tells him she is dismayed at being three inches tall, which offends Caterpillar as that is precisely his height. Still, he offers some hints.

Caterpillar: "One side will make you grow taller..."
Alice: "One side of what?"
Caterpillar: "...and the other side will make you grow shorter."
Alice takes several pieces of his mushroom and puts them in her pocket, then eats a piece to become her normal size. She will shrink and grow repeatedly during her adventure, until in the end she again stands at the door, and with the help of Doorknob, goes home. This film was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske. It suffered heavy criticism by those who felt Disney had cheapened a classic tale. The movie had a revival in the late '60s however, and remained much-loved thereafter.

Answer: Hodor

Series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss wrote the acclaimed Season 6, Episode 5, "The Door" for HBO's "Game of Thrones" (2016), although it was "Game of Thrones" novel author George R.R. Martin who invented the character Hodor. In this episode the giant near-mute Hodor "holds the door" against an army of undead (wights), giving Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) time to drag the valued warg Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) to safety. Hodor has been simple of mind and unable to speak except to say "Hodor" as long as Bran has known him.

As the wights advance, Bran "wargs" back in time, surprised to see Hodor as a large but normal teen (called Wyllis in the show). Because of Bran's presence the past and future blend, causing Wyllis to seizure as he experiences his future self holding the door against the terrifying wights. Back in the present, Meera tells Hodor, "Hold the door! Hold the door!", while she struggles to drag the unconscious Bran away. No spoiler here, you've just got to see it. Jack Bender won a Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Directing" of this episode, a critic favorite.

Answer: Jack Nicholson

James L. Brooks directed Jack Nicholson in the romantic comedy "As Good as It Gets" (1997) with Helen Hunt (Carol Connelly) and Greg Kinnear (Simon Bishop). Jack plays Melvin Udall, age 60, a successful romance author who suffers with obsessive-compulsive disorder, but he is also racist, sexist and unpleasant. Melvin is dragged out of his isolation one day when he must reluctantly look after Simon's dog Verdell, a dog Udall decides he wants to keep. Udall has a crush on his waitress Carol, the only person he knows who tolerates his oddities. Nicholson and Hunt both won Academy Awards as Best Actor/Actress, a rarity in Academy history. Nicholson delivers his lines in typically uncanny form: MELVIN to Simon: So never, NEVER interrupt me, okay.

Not if there's a fire. Not even if you hear the sound of a thud from my home, and one week later, there's a smell coming from there that can only be a decaying human body...even then, don't come knocking..." The photo hint is a JACK o'lantern.

Answer: The Matrix

In "The Matrix" (1999) a mild-mannered computer worker called Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) awakens to his long-awaited place as Neo. Is he "the One", a hero the Oracle (Gloria Foster) foretold will free humanity from the matrix, a simulated reality created by tyrannical machines? Directed by the Wachowski Brothers, Laurence Fishburne plays Morpheus, a beloved leader of the free rebels, while Hugo Weaving is a chilling human-like machine called Agent Smith.

The film won four Academy Awards (for visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing and film editing), and multiple other awards.

It featured special camera effects including "bullet time", amazing Kung Fu fight choreography, and intriguing philosophical and religious references. In 2003 two sequels were released, "The Matrix Reloaded" (where "only the One can go through the door" according to the Keymaker) and "The Matrix Revolutions". "The Matrix" is preserved in the National Film Registry. MORPHEUS: "After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes". Neo, of course, takes the red pill.