"They Go Up Diddy Up, Up!" - 'TMMITFM' Quiz

Answer: Red Skelton

Richard Bernard 'Red' Skelton was an American entertainer most widely known for his work on both radio and television. This opening sequence sees Red Skelton depicting an arm-flapping caveman jumping from a cliff, an ancient Greek being compelled to 'fly' from the roof of the Parthenon, and a selection of other aviation pioneers, using genuine footage. Skelton also makes an appearance at the very end of the film playing the part of a traveller stranded at an airport in foggy weather. Narrator, James Robertson Justice, was an imposing figure with a voice that exuded authority and in many of his film roles he was cast as an authority figure; Sir Lancelot Spratt, a senior surgeon in the 'Doctor' series of films made during the 1950s and 1960s being an example.

Answer: At a beach

Dubois, played by Jean Pierre Cassal, is flying his Demoiselle aircraft above a beach in Normandy whilst being pursued by the local postman, when he gets sight of a beautiful young girl being painted in the nude amongst the sand dunes. Becoming distracted, he loses control and crashes his flying machine into some bushy scrub.

The postman eventually catches up with Dubois as he hangs helplessly upside-down in his crashed aircraft and Dubois asks the postman to open his letter and pass it to him. Dubois encounters many beautiful young women in a number of situations during the film; women that he confuses with each another.

This is hardly surprising as each; Brigitte, Marlene, Ingrid, Françoise, Yvette and Betty are played by the same actress, Irina Demick.

Answer: Newspapers

The flying competition, The Daily Post Air Race, is sponsored by Lord Rawnsley's newspaper. The original idea for the race was the brainchild of handsome Guards Officer Richard Mays, played by actor James Fox. He believed that "Britannia should not only rule the waves, but the skies as well".

His love interest, Patricia Rawnsley, played by the beautiful English actress Sarah Miles, planted the idea for the race into her father's mind as a favour to Mays in return for his promise to take her flying, an activity that Lord Rawnsley had explicitly forbidden. Unbeknown to her father, the tom-boy Patricia not only harbours a desire to go flying but also has a powerful motorcycle hidden away in a secret shed in her father's garden.

Answer: Antoinette

Richard Mays' delicate aircraft, Antoinette, was actually one of a number of machines in the film that were actually capable of flight and was known to the production team as Aircraft Number 8. A flying replica of an English aircraft, only narrowly beaten by Bleriot to become the first aircraft to successfully cross the English Channel, the Antoinette was constructed in Portsmouth using the original plans. For safety purposes it was powered by a De Havilland Gypsy I engine and the wings received additional strengthening and bracing. Even with these modern improvements, it still proved to be difficult to fly; its stability being only marginal!

Answer: Stuart Whitman

The Americans, Orvil Newton and his accomplice George Gruber, are travelling across a desert when they come across a single page of a newspaper carrying the story of the air race and its $50,000 prize. On their arrival at the airfield at the Brookley motor racing circuit their motor vehicle draws up behind Miss Rawnsley who is riding her bicycle. Distracted by a cat-call from Orvil Newton, Miss Rawnsley loses control of her bicycle and falls from it; as he attempts to pick her up from the ground, Newton stands on her skirt which tears it off leaving Miss Rawnsley standing there in her underwear.

Although she is slightly embarrassed by this, Miss Rawnsley is intrigued by the American, especially when he informs her that he often takes young ladies flying. Californian Stuart Whitman was born in San Francisco and is probably best remembered for his role as Marshal Jim Crown in the 1967 television programme 'Cimarron Strip'.

Answer: Frère Jacques

The antagonism between the French and German teams started immediately on their arrival at the Brookley circuit. Irritated by the pomposity of the Germans, the French deliberately parade at the same time with their wind-up gramophone upon which they play a recording of 'Frère Jacques'; although during an early morning promotional visit by the press, they use 'La Marseillaise', the French national anthem.

The origins of 'Frère Jacques' are unclear; it is believed that it was written in mockery of the Jews, the Protestants or monks of the Dominican order.

In modern times this song is usually used as a nursery rhyme or as a lullaby. During a break on a reconnaissance of the route that they will be taking to Dover, the antagonism continues with the head of the German delegation, Colonel Manfred Von Holstein, being encouraged to dive into the sea from the end of a small jetty by the French.

As the water is only waist deep the unfortunate German nose-dives into the seabed!

Answer: Benny Hill

Fire Brigade headquarters are located in a disused windmill on the periphery of the airfield and situated in very close proximity to the local sewage farm; a location at which, and in which, a number of very humorous incidents occur during the early part of this marvellously funny film! Benny Hill was a British comedian of immense popularity during the 1970s and 1980s and was frequently seen surrounded by a bevy of young beauties on his somewhat smutty, double-entendre-filled, but inoffensive, comedy sketch show. Benny Hill died of a coronary thrombosis at home on the 20th of April 1992.

Answer: Carrying a passenger

Whilst taxiing his aircraft, Sir Percy enlists the help of a number of people to hold down the rear of his fuselage whilst he approaches the field for take-off, one of these being Orvil Newton. As Sir Percy accelerates his aircraft, Newton's clothing becomes entangled in the aircraft cabling and Sir Percy's aircraft takes off with Newton hanging on for his life! "He's not supposed to carry passengers!" exclaims Fire Chief Perkins as Sir Percy circles the airfield before directing his fire-fighters to the sewage farm in anticipation that it is there that Sir Percy will crash.

After clambering to the relative safety of the cockpit of Sir Percy's aircraft Newton interferes with the operation of the plane causing it to crash, nose first, into the sewage farm. Blaming Newton for the accident, Sir Percy threatens to give Newton a good thrashing and promptly receives a punch on the nose for his trouble! "I suppose you think that's funny?" Sir Percy asks Newton moments before he is escorted from the American's hangar.

Answer: Four Miles

On his arrival in England the Japanese aviator Yamamoto lands at Dover whilst the other air race entrants are enjoying a day at the seaside. During an interview with the press he is asked how he had made his way to England all the way from Japan; how far had he flown? He answered "Mule train to Yokohama, then by ship to Vladivostok to catch the Trans Siberian express to Moscow, overland to Paris then to Dieppe. I then took the ferry to Folkestone then I flew all the way here". "Four miles, that's amazing," said the astonished reporter!

Answer: True

After overhearing a conversation in which an enthusiast states that with the Japanese airplane present, "no-one else stands a chance of winning", Sir Percy Ware-Armitage makes the decision to knobble the Japanese pilot with cascara, a very powerful laxative.

Unfortunately, the Japanese only drinks whisky and water and declines the glass of drugged wine offered him. As the Japanese leaves the pre-race reception, Captain Rumpelstoss assumes that the glass of wine is for him and promptly quaffs it down.

The following morning he, Rumpelstoss, has a terrible case of upset stomach and cannot fly the German airplane forcing Colonel Manfred von Holstein to take his place. Sir Percy's manservant, Courtney, eventually manages to sabotage the Japanese flyer's aircraft which crashes on take-off, putting him out of the race at the very start.

Answer: Balloons

After suffering the embarrassment of the Dover diving incident, Colonel von Holstein demands satisfaction and challenges the French pilot to a duel, giving the French the choice of weapons; they choose balloons and blunderbusses. The duel takes place over the sewage farm with predictable results! The Italian, Count Ponticelli is flying his latest purchase between the two balloons just as the duellists fire their weapons.

The Italian is promptly sent plummeting into one of the ponds of sewage, closely followed by both duellists after they also suffer punctures to their balloons.

Answer: A pipe cleaner

Engine trouble forces Captain Mays to land in a large park on his way to the first overnight stop at Dover. On his landing approach he passes over the heads of an elderly couple enjoying an afternoon drive in their car. After taxiing to a halt, Captain Mays approaches the couple, who have pulled over and stopped, for a pipe cleaner with which to clean the fuel lines on his aircraft.

The well-to-do gentleman has no such thing but his wife offers Captain Mays a pheasant's tail feather from those decorating her rather grand hat. Captain Mays accepts the feather, clears the problem with his fuel supply and, after thanking the couple, he takes off and continues in the race.

As the couple watch Mays disappear into the distance the elderly gentleman looks to his wife and says "I think we'll get one of those things Muriel" to which his wife replies "I shouldn't Willie, you're near enough to your wings as it is." Brilliant!

Answer: He declares that a protestant will probably win the race.

With his aircraft experiencing engine trouble in the form of an oil leak, Count Ponticelli is forced to land in the grounds of a convent. The Mother Superior and a number of nuns rush out to see what is happening and the Count asks them to help him turn his aircraft to enable him to re-enter the race. Mother Superior, played by the great British actress Dame Flora Robson, is reluctant to allow the sisters to become involved, until the Count informs her that if he retires from the race, then in all likelihood, a protestant will win. "Sisters, don't stand around gaping; this good catholic needs our help!"

Answer: One hundred guineas

As he is forced to hand over the money to the Captain of the small boat that carried him and his aircraft over the English Channel, a disgruntled Sir Percy tells the Captain "I had hoped that I would have been dealing with a gentleman". The Captain, seeing Sir Percy for what he really was replies "So was I". Touché! Sir Percy's scheming does him no good however.

After gaining a lead on the other flyers he accidentally lands his aircraft on the roof of a moving railway carriage, its wheels becoming stuck. Sir Percy attempts to ask the crew to stop the train but, with his view ahead obscured by the steam from the engine, he fails to see the low bridge ahead with predictable consequences!

Answer: A fly-past by six British jet interceptor aircraft

By going to the assistance of Ponticelli and saving his life, Orvil Newton's selfless act loses him the race which is won by Richard Mays. Mays, however, insists that the prize money is divided between Newton and himself. Richard Mays accepts that the fact that Newton has won the heart of Patricia Rawnsley and, as they kiss, they hear a sound approaching in the distance.

As they and the massed crowd look to the sky, six English Electric Lightning aircraft scream overhead and disappear into the distance. In its day, the English Electric Lightning was one of the fastest interceptor aircraft in the world; there are still examples operating in South Africa that are used to take scientists to incredible altitudes to study the upper atmosphere.