Under the Covers Trivia Quiz

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.

Answer: Murder on the Orient Express

Finney played Poirot in the 1974 adaptation of Christie's story of the same name. The film had an all-star cast, including Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Richard Widmark, Ingrid Bergman and John Gielgud. Peter Ustinov took the role in the cinema releases 'Death on the Nile' (1978), 'Evil Under the Sun' (1982) and 'Appointment With Death' (1988).

He also played Poirot in three made for television films: 'Thirteen at Dinner' (1985), 'Dead Man's Folly' (1986) and 'Murder in Three Acts' (1986). Finney began his film career in 'The Entertainer' (1960) and his other films include 'Erin Brockovich' (2000) and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007).

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.

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.

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.

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.