Popcorn Crunchers, Reel 201 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Insurance investigator

The long-running radio dramatic series "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" (1949-1962) familiarised America with the profession of insurance investigation. In each episode, Johnny Dollar would be retained by an insurance company to look into an insurance claim which did not seem right. In "The Electronic Monster", Jeff Keenan is hired to investigate the mysterious death of movie star Clark Denver in the south of France. The policy is for a half-million dollars. This inquiry leads Keenan to a not-so-right psychiatric clinic on the French Riviera.

Answer: The Ipswich Terror

The feature-length movies "Terror from the Year 5000", "Terror in the Haunted House", and "Terror Is a Man" are all actual, not-made-up, existent, and authentic motion pictures. "Terror from the Year 5000" (1958) is a movie about a modern scientist who builds a machine that transports a person from the distant future. "Terror in the Haunted House" (1958) is about a woman whose husband takes her to a manor house in Florida which she recognizes from nightmares she experienced while in a mental hospital in Switzerland. "Terror Is a Man" (1959) is about a mad doctor who surgically turns a panther into a half-human half-feline creature.

On the morning of 21 April 1775, Capt. Jonathan Burnham and his soldiers marched into Ipswich, Massachusetts, to find the village defenseless. Acting on a rumor that two British ships were coming to burn down the town, the 300 men of the village marched off to meet the British in Lexington and Concord. This event is known as the Great Ipswich Fright. In October of 2006, five young drug-addicted prostitutes went missing in the coastal city of Ipswich, Suffolk. They were murdered by the Ipswich Ripper, Steven Wright, and the press described the events as The Ipswich Horror. An Australian comic horror novel, "The Shadow Beneath Ipswich", has been announced as being written but apparently never published. Diligent research has not revealed a 1950s feature-length science fiction or horror movie named "The Ipswich Terror".

Answer: Common bacteria/germs/microorganisms

As was the case in the original novel, the Martians have no immunity to the many ubiquitous microorganisms to which humans have long been immune. The narrator, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, solemnly intones, "Once [the Martians] had breathed our air, germs, which no longer affect us, began to kill them. The end came swiftly. All over the world, their machines began to stop and fall. After all that men could do had failed, the Martians were destroyed and humanity was saved by the littlest things, which God, in His wisdom, had put upon this Earth."

Answer: Ken Lynch

Ken Lynch (1910-1990) earned over 180 credits for performances on radio, television and motion pictures. He starred as the Lieutenant on the radio programme "The Plainclothesman" (1949-1954) and as Sgt. Grover on the American television programme "McCloud" (1970-1977).

His role as Dr. Wayne in "I Married a Monster from Outer Space" (1958) was his only role in a horror or science fiction film. He left acting in the 1970s, bought a North Hollywood flower shop, studied floriculture and floral design, and spent the rest of his working life beautifying weddings, funerals, receptions and restaurants.

Answer: A failed pilot for a television series

Producer Ivan Tors and actor co-producer Richard Carlson imagined a television series to be called "The A-Men." The premise was that scientist-investigators for the Office of Scientific Investigation would face a different science-fiction mystery each week. "The Magnetic Monster" was the pilot for the series; it was not picked up. Tors and director Curt Siodmak rewrote the script to create a theatrical motion picture. Siodmak wrote novels and scripts in two languages: German and English.

Answer: Les Baxter

Les Baxter (1922-1996) created a niche for himself, writing and conducting musical scores for all manner of B-Movies: beach-blanket teen-sploitation movies and numerous science fiction and horror films including "Voodoo Island". Milton Caniff (1907-1988) was the cartoonist who created both "Terry and the Pirates" and "Steve Canyon". Paul Winchell (1922-2005) was a ventriloquist (Jerry Mahoney) and voice actor (Dick Dastardly). Mike Todd (1909-1958) was one of the inventors of the 70 mm widescreen film format which bears his name: Todd-AO.

He was briefly married to Elizabeth Taylor (1957-1958).

Answer: The Kremlin launches missiles at the U.S.

The Gospel-like Martian messages encourage Russian peasants to practice their religion openly. Public gatherings to celebrate the Holy Eucharist are attacked by soldiers and police with automatic weapons. Relics and icons which had been buried to prevent looting by the communists are unearthed and put to use.

The lights and phones cease to work in Moscow. Soviet officials hear singing in the streets outside the Kremlin; it is a Christian hymn. The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church takes power in the Kremlin and orders all Soviet troops to return home from foreign soil.

The British ambassador to the Soviet Union goes on international television to announce that the communist government has resigned. This puts an end to the Russian generals planning to launch a nuclear missile strike against the United States.

Answer: Directing

Albert Band (1924-2002) was what baseball fans call a "many-tool player." He acted, he produced, he directed, and he wrote screen plays. He produced and directed "I Bury the Living" (1958), "Dracula's Dog" (1978), and "Ghoulies II" (1987). He directed "Robot Wars" (1993).

He produced "Mansion of the Doomed" 1976), "Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn" (1983), "Ghost Warrior" (1984), "Troll" (1986), "TerrorVision" (1986), "Robot Jox" (1990), "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1991), "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" (1992), "Trancers III" (1992), "Pet Shop" (1994), "Castle Freak" (1995), and "Zarkorr! The Invader" (1996).

He produced and acted in "Troll" (1986). He acted in "End of the World" (1977) and "Trancers II (1991). He was the production manager for "From Beyond" (1986).

Answer: Lost Island, off the coast of Cuba

Mary Carroll learns from her grandfather's executor that she has inherited the family estate. It is located on a small Caribbean island off the coast of Cuba. The island is called Lost Island. Cortega, the executor, warns her that the ancestral home is haunted. Undaunted, she sails to Havana to take possession. She finds a knife jabbed into her cabin's door. Tony Warren, a friend, identifies the knife as a voodoo artifact and further warns her about the zombies on the island.

Answer: In Japan by Toho

The closing credits for "Half Human" state: "The segments of this picture depicting Japanese people and locales were written and filmed in Japan. Special credit is due to the artists and technicians there who contributed much to the authenticity of this production." Most of the American version of the film comprises the original Japanese footage to which an English-language framing story, shot in the US by Distributors Corp. of America (DCA), is added. These scenes contribute American characters, in particular John Carradine as Dr John Rayburn, who also narrated throughout.

Toho had plans to shoot "Half Human" before "Godzilla" was released, under the working title "Snowman of the Alps." Ishirō Honda was contracted to direct but the entire project was delayed by the shooting of "Godzilla Raids Again" (1955). Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya was busy creating the special effects for "Godzilla Raids Again," as well.