Beginning of the End Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ludlow

Ludlow is an actual town in Illinois. In the movie, it has a population of 150. Today, the population is around 350. Ludlow is located about 100 miles south of Chicago on I-57.

Answer: Peter Graves

Born in 1926, Graves is known for starring in "Mission: Impossible" for many years. Graves also appeared in "Stalag 17" and "Airplane", among many other films, and also in the TV series "7th Heaven".

Answer: Peggie Castle

Castle (1927-73) appeared in many westerns during the 1950s. This movie was one of her rare science-fiction appearances.

Answer: National Wire Service

Ames is portrayed in the movie as a well-known journalist, filing reports and photographs on places such as Korea. Ames is on her way to photograph a new jet fighter when she comes across the police roadblock at Ludlow.

Answer: Hank Patterson

Patterson (1888-1975) portrays Dave in the movie but also played Fred Ziffel from 1965-71 in the TV series that took place in Hooterville.

Answer: Agriculture

Wainwright is involved in a project to grow super-size vegetables, with the use of radioactive isotopes. However, the experiments have not been successful yet, because the vegetables are inedible. Wainwright, however, is not a botanist but an entomologist. This fact, in true movie magic, would come in handy later.

Answer: Frank

Frank is deaf and mute due to an accident in the lab a year earlier, while working with the radioactive isotopes the lab used on the vegetables.

Answer: wheat

This is where we meet the giant grasshoppers for the first time, as they appear behind the wrecked silos. They proceed to kill Frank as Audrey and Ed watch.

Answer: 2

Audrey and Ed escape back to the National Guard headquarters to tell them of their find. The commander is skeptical but leads a squad of ten men (plus Wainwright) back to the silos to look. After venturing several hundred yards into the nearby woods, the grasshoppers attack and two guardsmen are shown reacting in horror as they are about to be eaten by the grasshoppers.

The remaining squad escapes.

Answer: General Hanson

Ankrum, who protrayed military leaders in many 1950-era sci-fi movies, plays General John Hanson. Ankrum's name is billed before the title of the film, but he does not appear in the movie until almost 45 minutes have passed.

Answer: Chicago Chronicle

Fake newspapers in movies are always fun, not because of the main stories but the other stories to be found on the same page. At the top of the fake issue of the Chicago Chronicle is a headline about someone's opposition to proposed tax legislation. Giant grasshoppers have destroyed half of Illinois, and are threatening Chicago, but tax legislation goes on.

Answer: Urbana

The last line of the telegram says, "Defend Chicago at all costs". Little good that does Peoria, Pontiac and Joliet.

Answer: 68 degrees

When the temperature hits 68 degrees, the grasshoppers stop moving and huddle in basements and alleyways to keep warm. This allows Wainwright and the army a chance to capture a grasshopper to learn how to defeat them.

Answer: sound waves

Wainwright captures a grasshopper in order to find the radio frequency to attack the grasshoppers. His plan is to draw them into Lake Michigan. Tanks had previosuly been used on the grasshoppers with no success and General Hanson has a plane ready with an atomic bomb ready, if Wainwright does not find the frequency in time. Needless to say, Wainwright does find the frequency and draws the grasshoppers.

Then, another boat commanded by Hanson out on Lake Michigan will take over and attract them into the lake, killing them.

Answer: building roof

The guy killed by the grasshoppers at the end of the movie is the only one of the four command posts that is out in the open. Grasshoppers climb to the top of the buildings (which is illustrated by the grasshoppers walking on post cards) and kill him.