Get Carter (1971) Trivia Quiz

Answer: What happened to his brother, Frank, who has just died

This forms the plot of the whole film. The Fletchers, and the police, appear to be satisfied that Carter's brother's death was not suspicious, but Carter doesn't believe this for a moment. Fletcher even says "The law was satisfied" to which Carter replies "When was that ever good enough for us?".

Answer: "In a thin glass"

For some reason this has become a famous line. In the original novel, Carter asks for a pint of bitter, before adding "In a thin glass please" after the barman has already started to pour the drink in the wrong glass, which causes some ill feeling.

In the film the 'please' has been dropped. It also establishes Carter's character that he clicks his fingers at the barman to attract his attention before making his request/order.

Answer: South America

He mentions to Doreen, his niece (or is she his daughter?), that he and his fiancee are going to South America and asks if she would like to go with them. She gives a non-committal reply.

Answer: Slot machines

Thorpey, played by Bernard Hepton, is forced to tell Carter that Cliff Brumby is involved somehow. When Keith (Alun Armstrong) asks who Brumby is, Carter replies, "Ever been to Westsea? Ever been in an arcade there and put a penny in a slot machine? Well, 10-1 it belongs to Cliff Brumby - and like as not the arcade as well".

Brumby has plans to open up a restaurant at the top of the Gateshead Trinity car park.

Answer: Horse races

Carter is told that Albert Swift, whom he is looking for, will be at the races that afternoon (in Gosforth, on the outskirts of Newcastle). Swift sees Carter before Carter sees him, and leaves hurriedly; instead Carter runs into Eric Paice. Although they meet in the book, the encounter is in a pub, not at the races. Mike Hodges, the director of 'Get Carter', was an admirer of an earlier British crime film, 'Brighton Rock', which also has a memorable scene set at the races.

Answer: A discotheque

The discotheque (what would now be called a nightclub) is called Oxford Galleries and there is a poster outside advertising a Big Beat Night. Carter later catches up with Albert Swift in a betting shop, and Margaret in a bingo hall. He never goes to a cinema although at the start of the film he is watching adult movies on a projector with his two bosses, the Fletcher brothers.

Answer: Las Vegas

Carter tells Keith that he is staying at the Las Vegas behind the dance hall. When Thorpey and some heavies turn up to try and persuade Carter to leave, the name can clearly be seen in the window behind Carter's head, lit up in gaudy red neon light. It is still lit up the next morning when Peter and Con come to call on Carter.

Answer: Glenda

Carter stabs Albert at the rear of the betting shop, and famously throws Brumby from the top of a car park where he lands on a car below. Margaret is drugged by Carter and drowns in a lake in the grounds of Kinnear's house.

Carter also kills Peter the Dutchman and Eric Paice.

Caine half-drowns Glenda, then forces her into the boot of her own car. He parks the car by the quayside, and later encounters Eric Paice, Peter and Con, the latter two having been sent by the Fletchers to bring Carter back to London. After Peter is shot the other two run off, shouting across to him from the quayside that his car "needs a wash". They push it in the river, not realizing that Glenda is in the boot. Carter's face remains impassive as the car sinks to the bottom of the Tyne, drowning her; perhaps he had something similar in mind anyway.

Answer: To have Eric Paice turn up at 6am the next morning at Blackhall Colliery

Kinnear wants his revenge on Paice, the man he holds chiefly responsible for his brother Frank's death. He clearly tells Kinnear that he wants Eric to turn up at an appointed place "...but I don't want him there until 6 o'clock in the morning".

It is one of the unresolved mysteries of the film for me as to why Paice turns up at the deserted colliery the next morning, given that he is clearly not expecting Carter to be there, and is not even armed.

Carter already has the movie featuring Doreen, and has posted it to the Vice Squad at New Scotland Yard.

He has no interest in drugs, and has in any case ensured that the police raid Kinnear's house the next morning, finding drugs on the premises and of course Margaret's body in the lake.

It is far too late for Carter to resolve differences with his boss; Fletcher has found out that his wife, Anna (played by Britt Ekland), has been having an affair with Carter.

Answer: "J"

He is known only as "J", the initial on his signet ring, and is played by Carl Howard. His is the last name on the credits list at the end of the film.

Although he only makes a brief appearance in the last few minutes of the film, repeat viewings reveal that "J" is also seen sitting diagonally opposite Carter in the train carriage travelling up to Newcastle. As they pull in to Newcastle "J" is reading 'The Sun', whilst Carter is reading 'Farewell My Lovely' by Raymond Chandler, as he has been throughout the journey.

Con is played by George Sewell, one of the two men sent by the Fletchers to bring Carter back to London. Eddie, played by Godfrey Quigley, is one of Frank's workmates who attends his funeral, and afterwards has a drink thrown in his face by an emotional Doreen.