Popcorn Crunchers, Reel 179 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gloria Talbott

Gloria Talbott (1931-2000) was an American actress who appeared primarily in television and motion picture Westerns. She began her lengthy acting career as a child actress. By 1947, she had grown up sufficiently to win the title of "Miss Glendale". Her filmography is highly varied but justifies the appellation "scream queen": "The Cyclops" (1957), "The Daughter of Dr Jekyll" (1957), "I Married a Monster from Outer Space" (1958), and "The Leech Woman" (1960).

Her character in "The Cyclops" ticks all the boxes: beautiful, admirable, committed, the object of the monster's attention, and vocally reactive to being placed in danger.

Answer: The Invisible Horror

The feature-length movies "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (1951), "The Invisible Boy" (1957), and "The Invisible Monster" (1953) are all actual, not-made-up, existent, and authentic motion pictures. "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" is one of the films in the interminable series in which Abbott and Costello meet classic characters from Universal Pictures' vault. "The Invisible Boy" co-stars Robby the Robot from "Forbidden Planet" (1956). "The Invisible Monster" is a mad scientist who is also a criminal and a would-be dictator.

"The Invisible Killer" (1939) is more of a murder mystery than a horror film. "The Murderer Invisible" (1931) is a novel by actor Philip Wylie, who was also the author of "When Worlds Collide" (1933) which was made into the motion picture of the same name in 1951. "Invisible Murder" is a 2012 novel by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnette Friis, translated into English from Danish. "Invisible Strangler" (1984) is a recut of "The Astral Factor" (1978) and of "The Astral Fiend" (1976). Elke Sommer was in it. There was a 2022 episode of the New Zealand television programme "Wellington Paranormal" titled "The Invisible Fiend" (S3.E1). No one seems to have made a movie in the 1950s called "The Invisible Horror".

Answer: He wasn't, necessarily.

The evil and insane Dr Barton becomes enraged when he finds Jed Grant (played by Gregg Palmer) making a pass at Mrs Barton. They struggle and Dr Barton kills him by striking his head with the butt of a pistol. Barton dumps Grant's body in the creature's cage to frame him for the murder.

The Gill Man tears open his enclosure, pursues the doctor, and throws him off a balcony to his death. Shortly after, the surviving scientists receive word from a state trooper that the Gill Man was spotted walking slowly and calmly on an ocean beach.

He was still wearing the sail-canvas clothes made for him, but there were at least four bullet holes in the shirt. He was last seen walking into the water.

Answer: Moe Howard

After Laura Greeling, played by Lyn Thomas, and Dr Charles T. Pommer, played by Paul Frees, argue about the custody of their son, she calls a cab to take her to the train to Los Angeles to catch a flight to Honolulu. The driver, Retlinger, is played by Moe Howard, one of The Three Stooges.

He was the leader of that trio, composed of his brothers Curly and Shemp. Laura tips the driver to "forget you ever saw me", but when Retlinger learns that she is a disease carrier, he assists the police.

Answer: a castle/hotel

Baron Osvaldo Lambertenghi is driven by creditors to sell his ancestral castle. The purchasers are a hotel chain which converts the estate into a barmy hotel which allows him to retain a small room and work as a bellman. There are parallels which can be drawn between this film and "The Bellboy" (1960), "California Suite" (1978), "Grand Hotel Excelsior" (1982), "Blame It on the Bellboy" (1992), and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2011).

Answer: a novel by actress Rene Ray

Irene Lilian Brodrick, Countess of Midleton (1911-1993) was known by her stage name, Rene Ray, when she appeared in motion pictures (1929-1957). She was a countess by her marriage to George St John Brodrick, 2nd Earl of Midleton. She began writing novels in 1946.

She wrote the novel "The Strange World of Planet X" from a seven-part television script she completed in 1956. Paul Ryder and Joe Ambor adapted these two works into the script for "The Strange World of Planet X" (1957, British title). They changed the premise for Smith's appearance from time travel to inter-dimensional travel.

They also added the big ugly dangerous mutant critters.

Answer: Jim Backus

Jim Backus had a long and varied career as an actor. He was a key figure in the ensemble on TV's "Gilligan's Island" and in the reunion made-for-TV movies (1978-1981). The nearsighted, good-intentioned Mister Magoo debuted in a theatrical cartoon in 1949.

The character appeared on children's phonograph records, feature-length films, a regular TV series, and many TV specials. Backus played a variety of straight dramatic roles. The role of Police Chief Jim Tyloe in "Macabre" was his only role in a horror motion picture.

Answer: acting

Anton Diffring (1916-1989) was born in Germany but escaped with his family just prior to WWII. His acting career was based in Great Britain, but he appeared in the films of many other European countries. He is most recognisable in roles as a Nazi military officer.

His science fiction and horror films credits include "The Man Who Could Cheat Death" (1959), "Circus of Horrors" (1960), "Lana, Queen of the Amazons" (1964), "Fahrenheit 451" (1966), "Mark of the Devil Part II" (1973), "Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye" (1973), and "The Beast Must Die" (1974).

Answer: Sand Rock, Arizona

Ciudad Juárez, Alert on Ellesmere Island, and Papa Westray (Papay in Old Norse) are all real places on the Earth. "It Came from Outer Space" is set in a fictional desert around the fictional town of Sand Rock, Arizona. Bradbury chose such a setting in order to emphasise its remoteness.

The film was shot in Palmdale, California, Victorville, California, and the Mojave Desert. The first shot in the film is of the Mojave River Narrows in Victorville. Unlike movies with lower budgets and less concern for verity, the crew changed out the California licence plates on the prop cars and trucks for Arizona plates.

Answer: SUSIE

The acronym S.U.S.I.E. stands for Synchro Unifying Sinometric Integrating Equitensor. The HAL 9000 computer is installed in the starship Discovery One in Arthur C. Clarke's novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). It stands for Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic Computer. EPICAC is the computer which controls the economy in Kurt Vonnegut's "Player Piano" (1952). Syrup of Ipecac is a powerful, rapid-acting emetic. WESCAC, the WESt Campus Analog Computer, appears in John Barth's (1930-2024) novel "Giles Goat-Boy" (1966). (See also, my quiz "Computers that Never Really Were" if this subject attracts you.)