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Quiz about Dick Tracy Flattop
Quiz about Dick Tracy Flattop

"Dick Tracy": Flattop Trivia Quiz


In a story spanning five months, Chester Gould's most famous villain makes his appearance during one of his greatest years: 1944. I hope you like the quiz.

A multiple-choice quiz by knto. Estimated time: 8 mins.
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Author
knto
Time
8 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
371,068
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
13 / 20
Plays
109
- -
Question 1 of 20
1. In Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy", we follow the villain Flattop from his leaving a train to his hotel where he meets his contact. What is Flattop's profession? Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. Chester Gould wastes no time in introducing his hero to Flattop in the "Dick Tracy" comic. What is the crook and his minions doing which gets Tracy's attention? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Flattop and his henchmen have Tracy at gunpoint in the floor of a cab in a secluded spot. Flattop muses about his pay, saying some jobs are worth $1000, some $2000. This one is worth $5000! Tracy makes a somewhat humorous offhand comment which apparently saves his life. What did he say? Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Flattop takes Tracy to his apartment where he calls his employers and demands $50,000. Three tommy gun wielding men guard Tracy at all times, but he and Flattop occasionally trade barbs, which Flattop seems to enjoy. While playing the piano, Tracy stomps his foot heavily on the floor. What is he doing? Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Flattop's employers have agreed to the $50,000 price he had asked for. He calmly screws a silencer on his gun, turns up the radio and tells Tracy 'brace yourself copper'. With a tommy gun in his back and Flattop's automatic point blank at his heart, Tracy hears morse code through static on the radio (sit tight help coming) from Patton and realizes he is on his own. As Flattop counts to three, what is the desperate act Tracy attempts? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. After the shootout, Flattop is on the run in the "Dick Tracy" comic. While losing himself in a crowd on a subway, he tries to decide what to do. A young teenager inches closer and closer to Flattop. What is he trying to do? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. Dick Tracy is nicked in his side by a bullet in the Flattop shootout. He has the newspapers print news of his death while he is being bandaged in Flattop's apartment. Why does he have the newspapers print his death? Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. Bud Jenkins has found out who Flattop is in the "Dick Tracy" comic. He continually blackmails the killer and spends lavishly. After buying pocketknives and betting on the horses, Bud stares at something in a sporting goods store which he has always wanted. What was he staring at? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. In the "Dick Tracy" comic strip, Flattop is alone in his rented room musing about how Bud Jenkins is 'not a fit person to associate with'. He decides he is carrying too much money and looks around the house for a place to hide it. Where does he hide the $50,000? Hint


Question 10 of 20
10. In "Dick Tracy", Flattop exits the Jenkins house by the window before Tracy can enter his rented room. But rather than dropping to the ground, Flattop climbs onto the roof. Hearing the police following him up, Flattop hides in the only cover he can find-the chimney. As the reader sees Patton wondering where he could have gone he also sees a cut away view of Flattop in the chimney and wonders how he will ever get out. But he slips down a little way and his feet hits something soft, causing something to fly out of the chimney. What came out? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. Covered with soot, Flattop comes across a street hawker selling a cleaning agent. Hawker Davis tells Flattop the solution is a fake, but Flattop pulls a gun and forces him into a deserted hallway to clean his coat. In "Dick Tracy" what does Hawker Davis reveal is really in the bottles? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. Flattop, with Hawker Davis' identity, takes a room in a motel. But one of Davis' war bonds blows out of the open window and into the hands of a newsboy announcing Hawker Davis' death. He tells a policeman at once as Flattop watches from his room. With police entering the motel, Flattop realizes he must hide inside the building. He enters the apartment of one of the most colorful of Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy" characters, Vitamin Flintheart. What is Flintheart's occupation? Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. Dick Tracy and Pat Patton take the nerve wracked Vitamin Flintheart to the theater where the disguised Flattop had been taken by a taxi. Flintheart was to point out Flattop from his makeup which Flattop had stolen. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Vitamin Flintheart singles out a young man leaving the theater who is wearing his costume. Tracy realizes that it is not Flattop, but Patton sees Flattop drawing a bead on Tracy from the theater and shoots first. Where did Pattons' shot hit Flattop? Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. In Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy", Vitamin Flintheart is in anguish after seeing the shooting of Flattop and takes to drink. While in a bar, he drunkenly reaches into his pocket for money and pulls out Flattop's gun which terrifies him. Dropping it on the bar, it fires and the bullet hits what? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. Flattop and Vitamin Flintheart are in jail cells across the hall from each other in "Dick Tracy". Flintheart has a terrible hangover and demands room service from the police, who are somewhat amused. They get him a hot water bag and aspirin in a glass bottle, much to Flattop's amusement. After conning Flintheart out of his items, Flattop makes a slingshot out of the rubber water bag, breaks the aspirin bottle and shoots the broken glass into what? Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. Flattop and Vitamin Flintheart are on the lam after escaping jail in "Dick Tracy". Flattop knows of a good hiding spot, a replica of a famous ship in the lake. What famous ship is this? Hint


Question 17 of 20
17. While hiding on the replica ship with Flattop, Vitamin Flintheart tosses an item into the lake which leads Dick Tracy to the lakeside. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, what did he throw away? Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, police walk the shore of the lake trying to find a clue to Flattop or Vitamin Flintheart's whereabouts. Dick Tracy notices something about the replica ship which makes him think Flattop may be hiding on it. What did he see? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. Police arrive and board the replica ship in the "Dick Tracy" comic only to find a sleeping Vitamin Flintheart who gladly surrenders. But Flattop is nowhere to be seen. Where was he? Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. Dick Tracy dives in the water under the boat to pursue Flattop. He realizes the ship has no hull and dives beneath in pursuit of the crook. His foot soon hits something soft and Tracy finds Flattop has drowned beneath the ship. What actually caused his demise? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy", we follow the villain Flattop from his leaving a train to his hotel where he meets his contact. What is Flattop's profession?

Answer: hired killer

Gould was second to none as a storyteller in the comic medium. In just a week we know enough about Flattop to get a good idea of his personality.
One of Gould's greatest grotesques, Flattop had a flat head, small round mouth, hooded eyes and eyebrows which nearly met. His name was taken from the code name of an aircraft carrier.

He was immediately popular with Tracy readers, inspiring many to write letters of approval. These letters likely saved Flattop's 'life', at least for several weeks.
2. Chester Gould wastes no time in introducing his hero to Flattop in the "Dick Tracy" comic. What is the crook and his minions doing which gets Tracy's attention?

Answer: argung over a cab

Tracy tries to help sort things out when he is pushed into the cab from behind. In no time at all, Tracy is helplessly held at gunpoint by Flattop, who instructs the cab driver to find a secluded spot.
3. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Flattop and his henchmen have Tracy at gunpoint in the floor of a cab in a secluded spot. Flattop muses about his pay, saying some jobs are worth $1000, some $2000. This one is worth $5000! Tracy makes a somewhat humorous offhand comment which apparently saves his life. What did he say?

Answer: "That's nice. I'm one of the better corpses, eh?"

Although Chester Gould doesn't mention it for certain, this is likely what gives Flattop the idea to blackmail his employers. Changing his mind, he takes Tracy back to his apartment where he calls the black marketeers who hired him and demands $50,000.
Flattop's employers are outraged: "We thought we were dealing with a fine killer! He's nothing but a crook!" and "He's not honest!"
But they finally agree to pay the price.
4. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Flattop takes Tracy to his apartment where he calls his employers and demands $50,000. Three tommy gun wielding men guard Tracy at all times, but he and Flattop occasionally trade barbs, which Flattop seems to enjoy. While playing the piano, Tracy stomps his foot heavily on the floor. What is he doing?

Answer: stomping morse code

Flattop has met a young girl who lives below. He mentioned that she is joining the WACS. Tracy hopes to alert her using morse code which she should be studying. The girl goes to the police and returns with Pat Patton in drag (so he won't be recognized).
5. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Flattop's employers have agreed to the $50,000 price he had asked for. He calmly screws a silencer on his gun, turns up the radio and tells Tracy 'brace yourself copper'. With a tommy gun in his back and Flattop's automatic point blank at his heart, Tracy hears morse code through static on the radio (sit tight help coming) from Patton and realizes he is on his own. As Flattop counts to three, what is the desperate act Tracy attempts?

Answer: grabs Flattop's gun

This is one of the greatest shootouts in all of "Dick Tracy". Diving at Flattop, Tracy jerks the gun over his shoulder as the trigger is squeezed. The bullet hits the gunman behind him in the head (splat!). As Tracy and Flattop fall to the floor in a struggle, the other gunners hesitate to shoot for fear of hitting Flattop. Again during the struggle Flattop's gun goes off, killing another of the gunmen. Tracy and Flattop separate as Tracy dives for a tommy gun, shielding himself behind one of the dead henchmen. As Flattop runs out the door, grabbing his overcoat, Tracy fills the remaining gunner with lead.
Patton and an officer enter the scene ('Ye Gods! A second front!') while Flattop has made it onto the fire escape only to shoot another officer ascending the stairs. ('I always carry a spare in my overcoat.')
And so the chase begins...
6. After the shootout, Flattop is on the run in the "Dick Tracy" comic. While losing himself in a crowd on a subway, he tries to decide what to do. A young teenager inches closer and closer to Flattop. What is he trying to do?

Answer: pick his pocket

You have to enjoy the boy's reasoning: 'Yowee! What a screwy looking pan on this mug. I think I'll pick his pocket!'
Flattop catches the boy in the act and buys him coffee, asking if he knew of a place he could hide out. The boy lived with his mom who worked nights in a war plant. Gould introduced this version of 'Rosie the Riveter' but this lady's husband was dead, not overseas at war.
It turned out they did have a spare room and would be glad to rent it to him.
7. Dick Tracy is nicked in his side by a bullet in the Flattop shootout. He has the newspapers print news of his death while he is being bandaged in Flattop's apartment. Why does he have the newspapers print his death?

Answer: he thinks Flattop's employers will call to congratulate

As usual he is right. Not only do they call, but invite him over to celebrate. This leads to another funny scene. We see the three 'employers' ready for their celebration. "Look! Cold Cuts, champagne, cigars! What a spread!" In the next panel we see Tracy coming down the hall followed by a wedge of policemen with tommy guns bristling.
The next day we see the only named 'employer' Zolla opening the window to let some air in. A tommy gun wielding policeman stands on the fire escape. "Well, hello officer. Nice day."
"Yeah, it is isn't it?"
Tracy and comapny bust in the door just as the crooks realize they have been duped.
8. Bud Jenkins has found out who Flattop is in the "Dick Tracy" comic. He continually blackmails the killer and spends lavishly. After buying pocketknives and betting on the horses, Bud stares at something in a sporting goods store which he has always wanted. What was he staring at?

Answer: ice skates

So he shook Flattop down for another fifty bucks and bought them. This lead to another of Gould's great 'silent panels'. In the last panel on a Sunday, we see an icy pond with jagged, broken ice in the background. In the foreground we can barely distinguish a shadowy figure beneath the ice, obviously trying to claw through to get air.
In the meantime Flattop stews about the fifty dollar shakedowns Bud has been forcing on him. "He said he was going to buy a pair of ice skates. I hope he drowns."
9. In the "Dick Tracy" comic strip, Flattop is alone in his rented room musing about how Bud Jenkins is 'not a fit person to associate with'. He decides he is carrying too much money and looks around the house for a place to hide it. Where does he hide the $50,000?

Answer: in a photo album

Flattop hollows out the thick photo album and hides the money inside assuming the album won't be touched for years. Almost immediately Mrs. Jenkins walks in one door from her job and Dick Tracy knocks on the other door, informing her of her son's drowning. A newspaper photographer wants a picture of Bud and in tears she hauls out the album.
Flattop is just behind the bedroom door toying with the idea of another shootout. "But there're too many of 'em to tackle alone."
At the same moment Mrs. Jenkins realizes the money must have come from the new roomer, Flattop is seen heading out the window.
10. In "Dick Tracy", Flattop exits the Jenkins house by the window before Tracy can enter his rented room. But rather than dropping to the ground, Flattop climbs onto the roof. Hearing the police following him up, Flattop hides in the only cover he can find-the chimney. As the reader sees Patton wondering where he could have gone he also sees a cut away view of Flattop in the chimney and wonders how he will ever get out. But he slips down a little way and his feet hits something soft, causing something to fly out of the chimney. What came out?

Answer: honeybees

After police give up the search, the couple living below the chimney see honey dripping into their room. Flattop is rescued and on the run once again.
But Tracy is interested in two dormant bees he found on an officer's shoulder. (It is February). Returning to the house, he realizes Flattop has just left the area.
11. Covered with soot, Flattop comes across a street hawker selling a cleaning agent. Hawker Davis tells Flattop the solution is a fake, but Flattop pulls a gun and forces him into a deserted hallway to clean his coat. In "Dick Tracy" what does Hawker Davis reveal is really in the bottles?

Answer: gasoline

Chester Gould played with his readers a little here. He showed Flattop lying on the ground with bottles of the gasoline being poured onto his sooty coat. Then a match, and an unconscious Flattop was burning to death.
But readers of the strip knew a villain like Flattop was too cunning to be overtaken by a secondary character. And besides, the man who threw the match was only shown below the waist.
The police weren't fooled for long either. Even though Flattop had planted his overcoat and billfold on Davis, the burned Hawker Davis was identified by an officer.
12. Flattop, with Hawker Davis' identity, takes a room in a motel. But one of Davis' war bonds blows out of the open window and into the hands of a newsboy announcing Hawker Davis' death. He tells a policeman at once as Flattop watches from his room. With police entering the motel, Flattop realizes he must hide inside the building. He enters the apartment of one of the most colorful of Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy" characters, Vitamin Flintheart. What is Flintheart's occupation?

Answer: actor

Based on the famous actor John Barrymore, the aging Vitamin Flintheart provided the humor in the strip that Chester Gould had been searching for. Frequently seen tossing back vitamin pills, striking dramatic poses and spouting Shakespeare, Flintheart wished nothing more than to star in one last play.
Flattop saw Vitamin's makeup kit, knocked him on the head and disguised himself, walking out of the motel right in front of the police.
Hearing Vitamin groan, Tracy and Patton enter the room to find him bleeding from the head.
Tracy: "Who are you, old man?"
Vitamin: "Old man? Faw! I am Vitamin Flintheart, the great actor! Idol of millions."
On describing the 'bounder' who took advantage of his kindly disposition: "That fiendish face. That flat head! I can see them now!"
Tracy and Patton: "Flat head?" "And little round mouth?"
Vitamin: "Ah yes! In all my days, Vitamin Flintheart never laid eyes on such an ugly puss."
And to sum it all up: "That's the story gentlemen. He entered, he bopped me-he departed!"
13. Dick Tracy and Pat Patton take the nerve wracked Vitamin Flintheart to the theater where the disguised Flattop had been taken by a taxi. Flintheart was to point out Flattop from his makeup which Flattop had stolen. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, Vitamin Flintheart singles out a young man leaving the theater who is wearing his costume. Tracy realizes that it is not Flattop, but Patton sees Flattop drawing a bead on Tracy from the theater and shoots first. Where did Pattons' shot hit Flattop?

Answer: neck

It seems likely that Gould intended to kill Flattop here, near the theater a la Dillinger. But he had been receiving so many letters from fans who loved the Flattop character that he had a momentary change of heart and merely wounded him. We see Flattop being restrained by Tracy, blood gushing from his neck. In the ensuing confusion, Patton gives Flattop's gun, wrapped in his own handkerchief to Flintheart until they get Flattop subdued. Vitamin is by now a nervous wreck due to his hit on the head followed by nearly getting an innocent boy killed.

He absentmindedly drops the gun into his coat pocket and heads for a bar.
14. In Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy", Vitamin Flintheart is in anguish after seeing the shooting of Flattop and takes to drink. While in a bar, he drunkenly reaches into his pocket for money and pulls out Flattop's gun which terrifies him. Dropping it on the bar, it fires and the bullet hits what?

Answer: the bartender

It hit him in the head actually, but he survived his wound to awaken later and clear Flintheart of murder. Vitamin meanders drunkenly around town for a few days before he gives himself up, even though the police won't arrest him immediately.
Tracy finally hears the commotion in the next room and puts him behind bars.
As with many secondary characters in 'Tracy', Chester Gould makes sure the reader doesn't know whether Vitamin will be a criminal or go straight.
15. Flattop and Vitamin Flintheart are in jail cells across the hall from each other in "Dick Tracy". Flintheart has a terrible hangover and demands room service from the police, who are somewhat amused. They get him a hot water bag and aspirin in a glass bottle, much to Flattop's amusement. After conning Flintheart out of his items, Flattop makes a slingshot out of the rubber water bag, breaks the aspirin bottle and shoots the broken glass into what?

Answer: a policeman's eye

Flattop releases Vitamin, who is unsure of whether or not to escape. Flattop then uses him as a shield even though officers are not guarding the back entrance. In the meantime, Dick Tracy has found powder burns on the bar and suspects Vitamin is innocent of the shooting. The bartender later regained consciousness and admitted he saw Flintheart drop the gun in the mirror.
16. Flattop and Vitamin Flintheart are on the lam after escaping jail in "Dick Tracy". Flattop knows of a good hiding spot, a replica of a famous ship in the lake. What famous ship is this?

Answer: Santa Maria

They spend a few weeks in the ship driving each other crazy. Flattop occasionally goes out for supplies-food, cigars, vitamin pills for Vitamin.
Flattop is unhappy with Vitamin's constant complaining, but content to be well-hidden.
17. While hiding on the replica ship with Flattop, Vitamin Flintheart tosses an item into the lake which leads Dick Tracy to the lakeside. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, what did he throw away?

Answer: his empty vitamin bottle

A park employee finds the bottle with Vitamin's name on it and recognizes it from the newspaper stories. Tracy is alerted and police descend on the lakeshore.
18. In the "Dick Tracy" comic, police walk the shore of the lake trying to find a clue to Flattop or Vitamin Flintheart's whereabouts. Dick Tracy notices something about the replica ship which makes him think Flattop may be hiding on it. What did he see?

Answer: smoke

Flattop finds out that smoking can kill in more ways than one. The puffs of cigar smoke alert police and soon they are aboard boats surrounding the ship.
19. Police arrive and board the replica ship in the "Dick Tracy" comic only to find a sleeping Vitamin Flintheart who gladly surrenders. But Flattop is nowhere to be seen. Where was he?

Answer: in the rowboat

Flattop had pulled the rowboat underneath the platform they had been staying on. But Tracy discovered his hiding place, whereupon Flattop dived under water. He discovered the boat was moored to the lake bed and had no hull.
20. Dick Tracy dives in the water under the boat to pursue Flattop. He realizes the ship has no hull and dives beneath in pursuit of the crook. His foot soon hits something soft and Tracy finds Flattop has drowned beneath the ship. What actually caused his demise?

Answer: rusty nail

Flattop had gotten his clothes caught on a rusty nail sticking out of the ship's support. He is later shown on a morgue slab much like Dillinger. His family didn't want the body and only wired money for a marker.

However 'the family' would cause Dick Tracy a lot more trouble in the future. Flattop's brother Blowtop would have his day in 1950. Flattop Jr. went on a tear with his 'wonder car' for much of the year 1956. And his daughter Angeltop starred in three stories in the 1980s and 1990's. And then there's ex-wife Stiletta, Poptop, Sharptop and Hitop.

Chester Gould received scores of letters and flowers for Flattop following the end of the story.
Source: Author knto

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
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