Bob Le Flambeur Trivia Quiz

Answer: Anne, at a French fry stand in Montmartre

The stunning Isabelle Corey plays Anne, who will later become a dance hall girl and have affairs with both Paulo (Daniel Cauchy) and Marc the pimp (Gerard Buhr). Melville ( he was born Grumbach, but named himself after Herman Melville), who co-wrote the script with Auguste "Rififi" Le Breton, shot his film on real Montmartre and Pigalle locations.

Answer: a checkerboard pattern

The craps room's checkerboard pattern gives a facinating foretaste of the Op Art mania of the 60s. Later, we see a similar checkerbord pattern on the tile floor of Bob's bathroom from above. Roger Duchesne plays Robert "Bob" Montagne the gambler ("flambeur" in French), who later says of himself "I was born with an ace in my palm".

Answer: 36 Junot Avenue

When Bob takes Anne, who's just lost her job, to his digs, he quips that the number is easy to remember because it's the same as the Quai des Orfevres, the famed Montmartre police headquarters!

Answer: a slot machine

Bob keep an old-style slot machine in his room and even plays it often (though he always loses!). No one has been reported owning the great Seabiscuit's shoes!

Answer: Ledru

Ledru (Guy Decomble) never knew if Bob saved him because he was unarmed or if he wanted to keep his partner from a murder charge, but now he's fast friends with the gambler. Bob served 20 years for his part in the robbery. On seeing himself in a mirror, he remarks, "A real hood's face!" A.E.W. Mason created Inspector Hanuad, Simenon created Maigret and Clouseau is the bungling protagonist of the "Pink Panther" series.

Answer: he doesn't like pimps

Marc beat up one of his hookers and put her in the hospital, after promising Bob he'd go straight. Bob shows his contempt for anyone who doesn't keep his word, and obviously he looks down on pimps as the bottom of the barrel in the underworld hierarchy.

Answer: Heads or Tails

Melville fills his film with references to his hero's gambling; Bob even flips a coin from time to time (two-headed, as we find out at the end!) Golden Nugget is one of Las Vegas' famous casinos, Busted Flush is Travis McGee's houseboat.

Answer: Prince of Orange

Spark Plug, of course, is Barney Google's nag! Paul Revere is a horse in the musical "Guys and Dolls". (The real Revere was of French descent) Victor Hugo wrote "Hunchback of Notre-Dame" and "Les Miserables". Orange is the color of Protestantism, and perhaps the horse's name refers to a Protestant prince of England.

Answer: Deauville

Deauville is a real Montmartre casino and Melville not only filmed on location, but used the owner in his cast! Bob hatches the plan after hearing the casino is storing 80 million francs, from the take of a road race.

Answer: Jean and Suzanne

Jean (Claude Cerval) is the weak, henpecked Deauville croupier, who's the inside man for the job. After his greedy wife, Suzanne (Colette Fleury), learns of it, she pushes him to demand a bigger cut. Ultimately, she tells the plan to Ledru.

Answer: Marc

After her fling with Paulo, she has an affair with Marc, telling him of Paulo's boast. He then spills it to Ledru, who's been leaning on the pimp for info. When Anne tells Bob of this, he slaps her, but still gives her the key to the apartment.

Answer: shoots him dead at a phone

Marc is about to spill the plan to Ledru over a public phone when Paulo kills him. But later Suzanne, the croupier's wife, spills the plan to Ledru.

Answer: McKimmie

McKimmie (Howard Vernon) is a Scottish horse farmer who lives outside town. He wants half of the heist's take, to the dismay of the gang.

Answer: win at the casino

Bob is supposed keep lookout for the gang in the casino and signal them when things go wrong, so they can escape. But he hits a winning streak and forgets that the plan has been told to the police. So Ledru and his men hit the casino the same time the crooks do, resulting in a shootout that kills, among others, Paulo. Bob is arrested with the rest; ironically, he loses most when he wins!

Answer: True

Melville wrote and spoke the narration himself. He also played a famous novelist being interviewed in Godard's "Breathless". "Bob le Flambeur" is on DVD by Criterion; see it if you can!