Sneaky 'Signatures' and Tricky Trademarks Quiz

Answer: A car

While all of the listed choices are distinctive Raimi trademarks (and I'm sure Bruce Campbell would consider himself worthy of the title), "The Classic" is the nickname of Raimi's yellow(ish) 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88. It made its first appearance in 1981's low-budget (and cult favorite) "The Evil Dead", and Raimi has featured it in (according to Raimi himself) each of the 12 films he's directed since, up to and including 2009's "Drag Me to Hell". There was speculation that "The Classic" was not featured in 1995's "The Quick and the Dead", as the film was a western, but Bruce Campbell later revealed the chassis of the Olds 'starred' as the bottom half of a covered wagon.

Bruce Campbell and Raimi have been friends since their high school days, and Campbell has either starred or made a cameo appearance in many of Raimi's films, including "The Evil Dead" and the "Spider-Man" franchises. "Maker's Mark" is the brand of Kentucky bourbon whiskey Raimi occasionally uses on his sets. Finally, Raimi is known for several signature camera techniques, one being a high speed camera shot from an object creating a 'first-person' effect from the objects viewpoint.

Answer: "See you next Wednesday."

"See you next Wednesday" is a line used during a scene involving a conversation between astronaut Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) and his parents in Kubrick's 1968 science fiction epic. Landis manages to include the line in his films (including Michael Jackson's "Thriller"), by way of voice-overs and billboards, as well as theater marquees and movie posters (which is appropriate, as the phrase is usually associated as the name of a fictional film).

In 1983's "Twilight Zone: The Movie", the phrase is spoken in German during the Landis-directed first segment (which starred actor Vic Morrow, who was killed as a result of a tragic on-set accident).

Answer: 'Red Apple' cigarettes

As Tarantino is not a fan of 'product placement' (the use of actual name-brands in films), he created the 'Big Kahuna Burger' and 'Red Apple' cigarettes, both of which are featured in several of his films. 'Red Apples' can be seen in "Pulp Fiction", "Four Rooms", "Kill Bill: Volume 1", "Inglourious Basterds", as well as in the "Planet Terror" segment of "Grindhouse" and "From Dusk Till Dawn" (both directed by Tarantino pal Robert Rodriguez). The 'Big Kahuna Burger', besides the previously mentioned "Pulp Fiction", is also featured in "Four Rooms", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "Reservoir Dogs", and "Death Proof" (the Tarantino-directed 2nd segment of "Grindhouse"). Both 'products' also made their way into "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" (1997), as Tarantino was dating star Mira Sorvino at the time. Other Tarantino 'products' include 'Jack Rabbit Slim's' nightclub, 'Tenku' beer, 'Teriyaki Donut' restaurant, and 'G.O.' fruit juice.

And finally, for those who might be interested, 'Soul Glo' hair gel was featured in "Coming to America" (1988); 'Elsinore' beer in "Strange Brew" (1983) and the 'Fruity Oaty' snack bar commercial can be seen in the (TV series) "Firefly" film continuation "Serenity".

Answer: THX1138

Released in 1971, "THX1138" was a futuristic science fiction film and starred Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence. As it was Lucas' first full-length directorial effort (although not a critical or commercial success at the time of release), he paid homage to it in several later films.

A few examples include: the license plate of John Milner's (Paul Le Mat) yellow deuce coupe was THX 138 in 1973's "American Graffiti"; Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) reference to "cell block 1138" (1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope"); a droid with serial number 1138 (1999's "The Phantom Menace") and a loudspeaker announcement in German ("Eins, eins, drei, acht.", or 1138) in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

Answer: John Hughes

Proving that there is nothing wrong with a little self-promotion, all of these vanity plates refer to previous films either directed or written by Hughes himself. Jeanie Bueller's (Jennifer Grey) "TBC" plate stands for "The Breakfast Club" (1985); the "MMOM" on Tom Bueller's (Lyman Ward) plate represents "Mr. Mom" (1983); Katie Bueller's (Cindy Pickett) "VCTN" plate refers to 1983's "National Lampoon's Vacation" and the film itself is highlighted on Ed Rooney's (Jeffrey Jones) plate as "4FBDO". Breaking away from the pattern, the Ferrari the gang 'borrows' from Cameron Frye's (Alan Ruck's) father reads "NRVOUS".

Answer: Oranges/Orange

Throughout the three "Godfather" films, there are over 20 scenes in which oranges 'foretell' future acts of death or violence, but that number rises to over 30 when the color (usually as the color of an article of clothing) is also considered. There are also several scenes with much more subtle references to the fruit as well, such as orange trees, juice ads, etc.

Although "Godfather" production designer Dean Tavoularis stated that the oranges were used strictly to add color to certain scenes, Coppola admitted that, while the oranges were more or less an 'accident' during the first film, they were purposely used for the two sequels. Among the many theories offered as to the significance or connection between oranges and the Mafia include the orange as a symbol of power and wealth traceable to the Medici family, as well as a reminder of the origins of the Sicilian Mafia (La Cosa Nostra), which offered protection services to citrus farmers in 19th century Sicily.

Answer: The Stanley Kubrick 'stare'

When you see the classic "Kubrick crazy stare" (the term as described by cinematographer and long-time Kubrick collaborator Douglas Milsome), it's almost always a sure sign that the character in question is either deeply disturbed or well on the way to a complete mental breakdown. The 'stare' is achieved when the actor tilts his head down slightly, lowers his eyebrows and menacingly stares up at the camera. To make an even greater impression, the mouth is opened just enough to expose either the bottom row or both rows of teeth. The actors I listed in the question are prime examples, but quite a few more can be found in Kubrick's films. One very interesting fact I discovered is that many Kubrick aficionados consider the glowing red 'eye' of 'HAL' ("Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?"), the computer in "2001" to be the ultimate model of the 'stare', even without the eyebrows!

The Kubrick films my aforementioned actors starred in, as well as their characters, are as follows: Keir Dullea (Dr. Dave Bowman, "2001: A Space Odyssey"), Malcolm McDowell (Alex, "A Clockwork Orange"), Jack Nicholson (Jack Torrance, "The Shining") and Vincent D'Onofrio (Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence, "Full Metal Jacket").

Answer: Pizza Planet

The "Pizza Planet" restaurant was introduced in Pixar's first theatrical release, 1995's "Toy Story" (which was also the first fully CGI feature film in cinema history), and (with the exception of 2004's "The Incredibles", although there has been some debate about this on several websites)) has been referenced in the next 10 Pixar films, up to and including "Cars 2" (released June 24, 2011).

In the films following "Toy Story", the franchise has been represented by its delivery truck, which can be spotted zipping along city streets ("Finding Nemo", "Up", "Ratatouille"), parked somewhere ("A Bug's Life", "Monsters, Inc"), or even as a derelict ("WALL*E").

The truck, which is reported by sharp-eyed viewers to be a Toyota Hilux model (although it's listed in "Toy Story 2" as a "Gyoza") is faded yellow with a white hatch cover over the bed and a "YO" (thus, the Toyota theory) on the tailgate.

In "Cars 2", the truck's name is "Todd".

Answer: The "Wilhelm scream"

After discovering the effect on a studio reel (which was labeled simply "Man being eaten by alligator"), Burtt first used the scream in 1977's "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope". Researching the 'scream', Burtt traced its origin to the 1951 film "Distant Drums", but named the effect after 'Private Wilhelm' (Ralph Brooks), a character who cried out in pain after being shot by an arrow in the 1953 western "The Charge at Feather River". Adopting the 'scream' as a personal trademark, Burtt included it in the remainder of the "Star Wars" film 'episodes', the entire "Indiana Jones" franchise, and scores of other films he has been involved with.

While the 'Wilhelm' is acknowledged as Burtt's trademark, its use is by no means exclusive, and it has become a traditional sound effect throughout the entertainment industry, incorporated in well over 200 titles (including video games and television).

A side note: Burtt's research strongly points to singer and actor Sheb Wooley (of 1958's "Purple People Eater" fame) as the voice behind the scream, a fact confirmed by Wooley's widow, Linda Dotson.

Answer: Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese (b. 1942, Queens, New York City) can be briefly spotted in at least eight of his films, including "Taxi Driver" (1976), "The King of Comedy" (1982), "After Hours" (1985) and "Gangs Of New York" (2002). He is also known for providing voice-overs, either through narration (1973's "Mean Streets" and 1986's "The Color of Money") or off-screen dialogue, as in "Raging Bull" (1980) and "Bringing out the Dead" (1999).

As for La Famiglia? Papa Charles (1913-1993) was cast in eight of his son's films, including "Raging Bull" ('Charlie'), "Goodfellas" (1990, as 'Vinnie') and "Cape Fear" (1991); Mamma Catherine (1912-1997) was in six (not including "It's Not Just You, Murray!" and "Who's That Knocking at My Door", two early Scorsese films), including her wonderful cameo as Tommy's (Joe Pesci) mother in "Goodfellas" ("Henry, whatsa' matter? You don't eat much, you don't talk much..."). Catherine also cooked for the cast and crew of Scorsese's productions, and published "The Scorsese Family Cookbook" (judging by the spread she laid out in her "Goodfellas" scene, I'm sure mealtime on the set was a highly anticipated event). Oldest daughter Catherine (Cathy, b. 1965) had small parts in "The King of Comedy" and "Casino", and has worked as an assistant property master on several more. Domenica Elizabeth Scorsese (b. 1976) can be seen in "Cape Fear" and "The Age of Innocence" (1993). Youngest daughter Francesca (b. 1999) also got a piece of the action in "The Aviator" (2004) and 'The Departed" (2006), playing the 'Little Girl' (makes sense to me!). Francesca also had a small role in the television series "Boardwalk Empire" (2010), in which her father serves as an executive producer.