Popcorn Crunchers, Reel 204 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Venus

Weak-willed but brilliant scientist Tom Anderson, played by Lee Van Cleef, contacts creatures from the planet Venus to bring peace to the planet Earth. Tom's colleague and friend, Paul Nelson, played by Peter Graves, discovers that the Venusians have taken over Tom's mind (and those of a lot of others). Monster-maker Paul Blaisdell built the monster prop to look like what he imagined Venusians might actually look like.

The title of the remake was "Zontar: The Invader from Venus" (1967).

Answer: Thoroughly Dead

The feature-length movies "Curse of the Undead" (1959), "The Undead" (1957), and "The Thing That Couldn't Die" (1958) are all actual, not-made-up, existent, and authentic motion pictures. "Curse of the Undead" was shot by Universal International Pictures at Universal Studios, California. "The Undead" was shot by Roger Corman in Beverly Hills, California. "The Thing That Couldn't Die" was also shot by Universal International Pictures, also at Universal Studios, California.

Fossils are sometimes described as thoroughly dead. An episode of the Australian crime drama series "Mr. & Mrs. Murder" was titled "Thoroughly Dead Thoroughbred" (2013). In the Sookie Stackhouse/"True Blood" series of novels by Charlaine Harris, Book 6 is titled "Definitely Dead". Japanese Rinzai Zen master Shidō Bu'nan (1603-1676) wrote, "While living, be a dead man, thoroughly dead; Then, whatever you do, just as you will, will be right." Diligent research has not revealed a 1950s feature-length science fiction or horror movie named "Thoroughly Dead".

Answer: a gelatin blob encasing Howard Dahlmann's head

A Waumi Indian leads Dave, Matt, and Carol to a cave and then flees when he finds his brother's skeleton near the entrance. Farther inside the cave, they discover the remnants of the X-117 satellite enrobed in what looks like the half-melted remains of last night's gelatin dessert. Out of the top sticks the preserved head of Howard Dahlmann. A chimpanzee gets too close to the blob and explodes in a flash of light. It is apparently protected by an invisible electric field.

Film historian Phil Hardy wrote in "The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction" (1995) that the gel on the satellite "has the look of a sub-standard, low-budget special effects' department." Bill Warren, in "Keep Watching The Skies, Volume 2" (1986) wrote that the stuff on the satellite "looks more like crumpled cellophane than jelly".

In MesoAmerican religion, fire was revered as the source of all life. The Aztec god of fire is Xiuhtecuhtli; the Mayan god of fire is Tohil. Zoroastrians build everlasting fires and find their deity Ahura Mazdā in the flames.

Answer: Kevin McCarthy

The producers of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" considered Gig Young, Dick Powell, Joseph Cotten and Richard Kiley for the role of Miles Bennell, the small-town medical doctor who discovers the pods' plot. Kiley was cast and then turned down the role. Producer Walter Wanger was impressed by Kevin McCarthy's performance in "Death of a Salesman" (1951) which won him an Oscar nomination.

In later interviews, McCarthy said he was never certain whether or not he was first choice for the role. He had previously worked with director Don Siegal on "An Annapolis Story" (1955) and thought that their good working relationship probably won him the part.

In another interview, McCarthy expressed great appreciation for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". He said, "It's got some masterful things in it.

It's undeniably a classic, that's for sure. Here we are still talking about it forty years later."

Answer: about 200 years old

The process discovered by Dr Murdock and his companions made them conditionally immortal, so long as they renewed the treatment from time to time. One of them, Dr Cooper, discloses that he was born in England in 1733. Dr Murdock gathered his circle of doctors in Paris in the 1780s which is where and when they discovered the life-extending methodology.

They slip occasionally and reveal something about their age. For instance, one of them points out a Rembrandt and says it was purchased in the 1800s.

Their life prolongation is dependent upon "sucking" the electrical vitality out of young women and transferring it into themselves.

Answer: a novel by Richard Matheson

Richard Burton Matheson (1926-2013) was an author and screenwriter, mostly of odd science fiction and horror stories. His novel "I Am Legend" (1954) has been adapted into three motion pictures: "The Last Man on Earth" (1964) with Vincent Price, "The Omega Man" (1971) with Charlton Heston, and "I Am Legend" (2007) with Will Smith. He also wrote many adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories to be filmed by Roger Corman: "House of Usher" (1960), "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1961), "Tales of Terror" (1962), and "The Raven" (1963).

The film rights to Matheson's 1956 novel "The Shrinking Man" were sold with the proviso that he write the screenplay. When Matheson adapted it for Universal Pictures, he retained the flashback structure of his novel. Canadian-American writer Richard Alan Simmons (1924-2004) rewrote Matheson's script using chronological linear narrative structure.

"The Illustrated Man" (1951) is a collection of 18 short stories by Ray Bradbury. "The Miracle Man: An Inspiring True Story of Motivation and Courage" (1991) by Morris Goodman is a first-person account of accident, injury, paralysis, and recovery. "The Man in the High Castle" (1962) by an alternative history (the Germans and the Japanese win WWII) by Philip K. Dick which became a television series (2015-2019).

Answer: Vincent Price

Despite the financial success of the original film, the producers of the sequel, 20th Century Fox, decided to bring back no one from the original cast save Vincent Price. His fee accounted for about ten percent of the sequel's total budget of US$275,000. Price's character, Francois Delambre, is the brother of Andre Delambre, who turned into the first fly and died as a result. Francois is uncle to Phillipe Delambre, Andre's son, who wants to continue the efforts of his father. Phillipe is played by Brett Halsey. "Return of the Fly" was rushed into production to capitalize on the first film's popularity. Securing Price was made difficult by the actor's busy shooting schedule in 1959: "The Big Circus", "The Bat", "House on Haunted Hill" and "The Tingler".

Answer: acting

Victor Sen Yung (1915-1980) was born Victor Cheung Young but changed his name professionally. He was born in San Francisco and completed his BA in Economics at the University of California at Berkeley. After some bit parts, he was cast by 20th Century-Fox as "Number Two Son" to Sidney Toler's Charlie Chan, for eighteen feature films! He played several roles on television: Peter Fong on "Bachelor Father" (1957-1962) and Hop Sing on "Bonanza" (1959-1973). Of the nearly one hundred motion pictures in which he appeared, only one -- "She Demons" (1958) -- was of the horror or science fiction genre.

Answer: Stoneman Institute of Mathematics, California

"The Invisible Boy" (1957) is set in and around the Stoneman Institute of Mathematics in California. The Stoneman Institute of Mathematics is fictional; the State of California is not. Elton Stoneman wrote several books on computer society in the 1990s but there is no reason to suspect that the film's institute was named after him. Filming locations included the Busch Estate in Pasadena, California, and the Fort MacArthur Nike missile sites near San Pedro, California.

Answer: acting

Actor Guy Madison (1922-1996) was born in Pumpkin Center, Kern County, California. He was "discovered" while on leave from the U.S. Navy during WWII by a talent scout employed by David O. Selznick. Madison went on to roles in radio, motion pictures, and television.

He may have been best known for role as Wild Bill Hickok in television's "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" (1951-1958). Most of his film roles were in Westerns; a few were in horror or science-fiction movies: "On the Threshold of Space" (1955), "The Beast of Hollow Mountain" (1957), "LSD Flesh of Devil" (1967), Superargo and the Faceless Giants" (1968), and "The Devil's Man" (1969).