FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about The Crimebusters
Quiz about The Crimebusters

The Crime-busters Trivia Quiz


Here is a look back at some of the detectives, private investigators and amateur sleuths that have graced our literature, cinema and TV throughout the years.

A multiple-choice quiz by zambesi. Estimated time: 4 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Entertainment Trivia
  6. »
  7. Entertainment by Themes
  8. »
  9. Professions in Entertainment

Author
zambesi
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
377,708
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
517
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The tough private investigator Philip Marlowe was created by Raymond Chandler. Many actors have portrayed Philip Marlowe on the big screen since 1944. Who portrayed Philip Marlowe in the movie "The Long Goodbye"? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. There were nine movies (1939-1965) made portraying this Asian detective with Interpol who was created by the American author John P. Marquand. Who was this detective? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. December 1951 marked the TV debut of one of the most satirized police shows ever. It created the catchphrase "Just the facts, ma'am". What was this TV series? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The fictional private detective Sam Spade has appeared in two movies titled "The Maltese Falcon". Who portrayed Sam Spade in the first of these movies? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Who played the role of Sergeant "Pepper" Anderson, an undercover cop for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department in the TV series that ran from 1974-1978? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Today this TV private eye series is best known for its theme music, however, who played the lead role in the series "Peter Gunn" (1958-1961)? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In the 1974 neo-noir mystery film "Chinatown", Jack Nicholson plays the role of a private investigator in which he receives an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. What was the name of his character in the movie? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. We are all familiar with Telly Savalas as NYCPD Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak in the series "Kojak" (1973-1978). Who played the role of his young sidekick Detective Bobby Crocker? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo in the TV series "Columbo" did not drive an official LAPD car, but preferred to drive his own car. What was the make of his car? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. C. Auguste Dupin, although not a detective but a solver of mysteries, was probably the first original model for the detective in literature. He first appeared in three stories by which writer? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The tough private investigator Philip Marlowe was created by Raymond Chandler. Many actors have portrayed Philip Marlowe on the big screen since 1944. Who portrayed Philip Marlowe in the movie "The Long Goodbye"?

Answer: Elliott Gould

Elliott Gould is an American actor who has been acting in Hollywood films since the 1960s. "The Long Goodbye" (1973) was the only time he portrayed Philip Marlowe; it is set around fake suicide, killings, alcoholism, drugs and the betrayal of friendships.
Humphrey Bogart is ranked as one of the greatest male actors in the history of American cinema. He only appeared in one movie as Philip Marlowe and that was "The Big Sleep" (1946).
Robert Mitchum was an American actor, author, composer and singer. He portrayed Philip Marlowe in "Farewell My Lovely" (1975) and "The Big Sleep" (1978).
James Garner was an American actor, voice artist, producer, singer and comedian. He appeared as Philip Marlowe in "Marlowe" (1969). However, he is best known for the TV series in which he was the star in "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files".
2. There were nine movies (1939-1965) made portraying this Asian detective with Interpol who was created by the American author John P. Marquand. Who was this detective?

Answer: Mr. Moto

Mr. Moto has appeared in six novels by John P. Marquand from 1936-1957. Eight of the movies from 1937-1939 starred Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The 1965 movie "The Return of Mr. Moto" starred Henry Silva. The original character in the novels was a secret agent however, in the movies, he worked with Interpol.
Charlie Chan was a U.S.-Chinese detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. There have been over fifty movies made featuring Charlie Chan from 1926-1981.
Mr. Wong was a Chinese-American fictional detective created by Hugh Wiley. Although Mr. Wong appeared in many comic books there were six movies made featuring Mr. Wong from 1938-1940 with 5 of then starring Boris Karloff as Mr. Wong.
Dr. Fu Manchu was a fictional character created by British author Sax Rohmer during the early 20th Century. He has become the archetype of the evil criminal genius.
3. December 1951 marked the TV debut of one of the most satirized police shows ever. It created the catchphrase "Just the facts, ma'am". What was this TV series?

Answer: Dragnet

"Dragnet (1951-1959) starred Jack Webb as the Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday. The show took its name from the police term "dragnet", meaning a coordinated system for apprehending suspects and criminals. "The Adventures of Ellery Queen" (1951-1952) ran for 91 episodes and he was a mystery writer and amateur sleuth. "Naked City" aired from 1958-1963 and centred around the detectives of NYPD's 65th Precinct and filmed on location in New York City. "The Untouchables" aired from 1959-1963 which fictionalized the experiences of Elliot Ness a Prohibition Agent fighting crime in Chicago during the 1930s.
4. The fictional private detective Sam Spade has appeared in two movies titled "The Maltese Falcon". Who portrayed Sam Spade in the first of these movies?

Answer: Ricardo Cortez

The first film version of "The Maltese Falcon" was in 1931 starring Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade. Cortez was an American actor and appeared in over 100 films from 1917-1960. The character Sam Spade was created by author Dashiell Hammett in 1930 and the character is closely associated with Humphrey Bogart who played Sam Spade in the 1941 version of "The Maltese Falcon". Sam Spade has appeared in other movies but not entitled "The Maltese Falcon". Edward G. Robinson portrayed Sam Spade on radio in the Lux Radio Theatre of 1943. George Segal played Sam Spade Jr. in "The Black Bird" (1975) which was a comedy sequel to the 1941 version of "The Maltese Falcon".
5. Who played the role of Sergeant "Pepper" Anderson, an undercover cop for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department in the TV series that ran from 1974-1978?

Answer: Angie Dickinson

Angie Dickinson played the role of Sgt. Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson in the "Police Woman". It was the first TV cop show to feature a female lead. She was part of an undercover team that investigated anything from murder, rape to drug crimes. Anderson went undercover as a prostitute, nurse, teacher, flight attendant, dancer, waitress etc. in order to gain information for an arrest. Earl Holliman played the role of Lt. Bill Crowley in the series as Andersons immediate superior. Stephanie Zimbalist played the role of a private investigator in the TV series "Remington Steele" (1982-1987). Pierce Brosnan played the role of Remington Steele in the series of the same name.
6. Today this TV private eye series is best known for its theme music, however, who played the lead role in the series "Peter Gunn" (1958-1961)?

Answer: Craig Stevens

Craig Stevens starred as the sophisticated and well groomed Peter Gunn. The music was composed by Henri Mancini and the music became known as the " Peter Gunn Theme". Over the years the music has been used by jazz, rock and blues recording artists. Craig Stevens was an American film and television actor from 1939-1988.

He was married to the Canadian-born actress of stage, film and television, Alexis Smith for 50 years until her death. Darren McGavin played the role as Mike Hammer, the tough-talking , brawling, skirt-chasing private detective in the TV series "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" (1958-1960). Mike Connors played Jim Mannix, a private investigator in the series "Mannix" (1967-1975). James Garner besides being known as Bret Maverick in the popular TV Series "Maverick" played Jim Rockford in "The Rockford Files" (1974-1980) as a private investigator.
7. In the 1974 neo-noir mystery film "Chinatown", Jack Nicholson plays the role of a private investigator in which he receives an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. What was the name of his character in the movie?

Answer: J. J." Jake" Gittes

J. J. "Jake" Gittes is a private investigator in Los Angeles who is hired to find an adulterer but eventually finds himself caught up in a mixture of deceit, corruption and murder. The movie received eleven nominations for Academy Awards in various categories.

It won one Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Lester Freamon is a detective in the Baltimore Police Department on the HBO drama over five seasons "The Wire" (2002-2008) starring Clarke Peters in the role. Will Dormer is an LPDA detective played by Al Pacino in the psychological thriller movie "Insomnia" (2002). Frank Pembleton was a fictional homicide detective played by Andre Braugher in the television drama series "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993-1999).
8. We are all familiar with Telly Savalas as NYCPD Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak in the series "Kojak" (1973-1978). Who played the role of his young sidekick Detective Bobby Crocker?

Answer: Kevin Dobson

Kevin Dobson is an American film, stage and television actor. Besides his role in the "Kojak" series he played the role of M. Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie in the 1980s soap opera "Knots Landing" from 1982-1993.
In the "Kojak" series Dan Frazer played Captain Frank McNeil (Kojak's boss), Vince Conti played Detective Lionel Rizzo and George Savalas played Detective Stavros. George Savalas is the real-life brother of Telly Savalas.
9. Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo in the TV series "Columbo" did not drive an official LAPD car, but preferred to drive his own car. What was the make of his car?

Answer: 1959 Peugeot 403 convertible

Peter Falk selected the car personally, after seeing it in a parking lot at Universal Studios and had it equipped with a police radio. The car frequently has mechanical problems but he boasts that the car is a rare automobile. The 1962 Volvo P1800 is the car driven by Simon Templar (Roger Moore) in the TV series "The Saint" (1962-1969).

A 1961 Chevrolet Corvette was driven by Martin Milner and George Maharis in the TV series "Route 66" (1960-1964). A 1965 Sunbeam Tiger was driven by the spy who is not James Bond as it was driven by Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) in the TV series "Get Smart".
10. C. Auguste Dupin, although not a detective but a solver of mysteries, was probably the first original model for the detective in literature. He first appeared in three stories by which writer?

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

C. Auguste Dupin was a Paris gentleman of leisure, who for his own amusement and analysis helped the police solve crimes in the popular stories "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841), "The Purloined Letter" (1845) and "The Mystery of Marie Roget" (1845). In 1986 the actor George C. Scott portrayed C. Auguste Dupin in the movie "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, editor, poet and literary critic. He was one of the earliest writers of the short story and is generally considered the inventor of the fictional detective genre. He is best known for his stories of mystery and the macabre.
Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician most noted for his series about the detective Sherlock Holmes.
Agatha Christie was an English crime novelist who introduced us to such characters as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest running play, a murder mystery "The Mousetrap".
Georges Simonen was a Belgian writer who is best known as the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret.
Source: Author zambesi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us