FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Film Noir  AllTime Great Crime Dramas
Quiz about Film Noir  AllTime Great Crime Dramas

Film Noir: All-Time Great Crime Dramas Quiz


Perhaps you remember seeing one of these films in a theater, or on television. The tough hero, the sultry heroine, a murder or two...all in glorious black and white. See if you can identify these terrific films from the clues I've given.

A multiple-choice quiz by robbieh. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Movie Trivia
  6. »
  7. Movie Mixture
  8. »
  9. Classic Movies

Author
robbieh
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
227,732
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
7059
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 185 (3/10), Guest 31 (8/10), Guest 97 (5/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. This classic 1944 film was directed by Otto Preminger. A girl is murdered...but is she really dead? Detective Mark McPherson (played by Dana Andrews) investigates the case, and falls in love with her portrait. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In this 1953 Fritz Lang film, Police Detective Bannion (Glenn Ford) is investigating a fellow officer's suicide. Then, he's ordered off the case. A bomb, planted by the Mob, kills Bannion's wife, and all hell breaks loose. Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This 1951 film is directed by Joseph Losey. Van Heflin plays an unhappy cop, who falls for another man's wife (Evelyn Keyes). He cooks up a creepy scheme to get rid of the husband - and then things get complicated. Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This 1949 film is set in Vienna, just after World War II. The city is in ruins. Pulp writer Holly Martins is trying to find his old friend Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, and finds that Lime is dead. Or is he? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. A slick-talking preacher comes to town, and marries a local widow. There is a good sum of money hidden, and only the widow's children know where it is. The preacher wants that money! Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Two men meet while traveling, and an ingenious plot for double murder is hatched between them - then - the double cross. Alfred Hitchcock directs this one, based on a book by Patricia Highsmith. Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. An insurance agent, Walter Neff, is persuaded to help a woman murder her husband, and make it look like an accident. The plan is to collect his insurance money, but Neff's boss, the insurance claims manager, is becoming suspicious. Will the murderous couple get away with it? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Ex G.I. Frank McCloud encounters trouble when he goes to the Florida Keys to pay a visit to a war widow and her father-in-law. A hurricane is about to hit, and a tough mob boss and his gang have taken over the family's hotel. It's up to a reluctant McCloud to save them from the bad guys. Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Former private eye Jeff Bailey wants to leave his secret past behind and begin a new life in another town, but the past catches up with him. The gangster he betrayed wants Jeff to work for him again, and Kathie, the beautiful and conniving girl he fell in love with, is still very much in the picture. Will he make the same mistake twice? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Mexican drug agent Mike Vargas and his new wife Susan are on their honeymoon, passing though Los Robles, a sleazy town on the Mexican-American border. A bomb is placed in a car, and it explodes near them. Sheriff Quinlan arrives, and Vargas ends up in the middle of the bombing investigation, with his wife in grave danger. 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:




Most Recent Scores
Oct 09 2024 : Guest 185: 3/10
Oct 08 2024 : Guest 31: 8/10
Oct 05 2024 : Guest 97: 5/10
Oct 02 2024 : Guest 198: 9/10
Oct 01 2024 : Guest 24: 10/10
Oct 01 2024 : Guest 112: 9/10
Sep 29 2024 : jmel2: 7/10
Sep 29 2024 : chianti59: 9/10
Sep 29 2024 : sieska: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This classic 1944 film was directed by Otto Preminger. A girl is murdered...but is she really dead? Detective Mark McPherson (played by Dana Andrews) investigates the case, and falls in love with her portrait.

Answer: Laura

This is one of the great ones. Gene Tierney stars as Laura, in her most famous portrayal, the beautiful girl they all fall in love with. The supporting cast includes Clifton Webb, Vincent Price and Judith Anderson. The score includes the lovely theme song, "Laura". Dana Andrews is probably best known as the troubled veteran in "The Best Years of Our Lives".
2. In this 1953 Fritz Lang film, Police Detective Bannion (Glenn Ford) is investigating a fellow officer's suicide. Then, he's ordered off the case. A bomb, planted by the Mob, kills Bannion's wife, and all hell breaks loose.

Answer: The Big Heat

In addition to Glenn Ford, the "Big Heat" cast includes film noir icon Gloria Grahame, Lee Marvin, Jocelyn Brando and Alexander Scourby. There's a very famous scene in this one. A mobster throws boiling hot coffee in a woman's face, scarring her terribly. The unfortunate woman is played by Gloria Grahame, and if you've never seen a Gloria Grahame film, I recommend this one highly.
3. This 1951 film is directed by Joseph Losey. Van Heflin plays an unhappy cop, who falls for another man's wife (Evelyn Keyes). He cooks up a creepy scheme to get rid of the husband - and then things get complicated.

Answer: The Prowler

This is one scary movie. Fine actors both, Van Heflin is probably best known for his role in "Shane", and Evelyn Keyes for playing Suellen O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind".
4. This 1949 film is set in Vienna, just after World War II. The city is in ruins. Pulp writer Holly Martins is trying to find his old friend Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, and finds that Lime is dead. Or is he?

Answer: The Third Man

Sewer chases, a score with zither music, terrific cast and performances, this movie has it all. "The Third Man" is directed by Carol Reed, and written by Graham Greene. The film stars Joseph Cotton as Martins, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard and Orson Welles.

It won an Oscar for best black and white cinematography. Anton Karas plays the zither (a type of stringed instrument) for the unique score, so perfect for the movie. "The Third Man" should always appear on any list of all-time great films.
5. A slick-talking preacher comes to town, and marries a local widow. There is a good sum of money hidden, and only the widow's children know where it is. The preacher wants that money!

Answer: The Night of the Hunter

Robert Mitchum is the preacher and Shelley Winters the unlucky widow, in this awesome film (1955) directed by the actor Charles Laughton. Lillian Gish and James Gleason are in the cast as well. Critic Roger Ebert has called this "one of the greatest of all American films", and it's certainly at the top of my list.

It scares the heck out of me every time I see it. Mitchum and Gish give a fantastic performances, as do the rest of the cast. I really recommend this one, it's unforgettable!
6. Two men meet while traveling, and an ingenious plot for double murder is hatched between them - then - the double cross. Alfred Hitchcock directs this one, based on a book by Patricia Highsmith.

Answer: Strangers On a Train

This 1951 film stars Robert Walker and Farley Granger, with Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll and Patricia Hitchcock, the director's daughter, in the cast. This is a terrific thriller, with all kinds of plot twists, and plenty of visual tricks from the master director.
7. An insurance agent, Walter Neff, is persuaded to help a woman murder her husband, and make it look like an accident. The plan is to collect his insurance money, but Neff's boss, the insurance claims manager, is becoming suspicious. Will the murderous couple get away with it?

Answer: Double Indemnity

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck star in this incomparable 1944 film, directed by Billy Wilder. (Stanwyck was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Ingrid Bergman.) Edward G. Robinson plays the suspicious insurance investigator. This film appears on every list of all-time greats, and with good reason; every element of "Double Indemnity" is perfect.
8. Ex G.I. Frank McCloud encounters trouble when he goes to the Florida Keys to pay a visit to a war widow and her father-in-law. A hurricane is about to hit, and a tough mob boss and his gang have taken over the family's hotel. It's up to a reluctant McCloud to save them from the bad guys.

Answer: Key Largo

This movie is directed by John Huston (1948), with Humphrey Bogart as the ex-GI, Lauren Bacall as the widow and Lionel Barrymore as the father-in-law. The mobster is played by Edward G. Robinson, and Claire Trevor is his sad mistress. (She won an Oscar for her performance.) It's quite a cast! The script is based on a play by Maxwell Anderson. John Huston spent World War II making documentaries about the war and the terrible psychological effects on the men who fought it.

This is the last movie Bogart and Bacall made together.
9. Former private eye Jeff Bailey wants to leave his secret past behind and begin a new life in another town, but the past catches up with him. The gangster he betrayed wants Jeff to work for him again, and Kathie, the beautiful and conniving girl he fell in love with, is still very much in the picture. Will he make the same mistake twice?

Answer: Out of the Past

Directed by Jacques Tourneur, "Out of the Past" is told in flashback for the first half of the movie. The 1947 film stars the great Robert Mitchum as Jeff, Jane Greer as the femme fatale and Kirk Douglas as the rival for Kathie's affections. The cast also includes Rhonda Fleming, Dickie Webb and Steve Brodie. "Out of the Past" is generally considered to be one of the greatest of all films noir. With a complicated storyline, terrific black and white photography, and great performances, this one is a must-see.
10. Mexican drug agent Mike Vargas and his new wife Susan are on their honeymoon, passing though Los Robles, a sleazy town on the Mexican-American border. A bomb is placed in a car, and it explodes near them. Sheriff Quinlan arrives, and Vargas ends up in the middle of the bombing investigation, with his wife in grave danger.

Answer: Touch of Evil

There are plenty of seedy characters in this 1958 film to make things interesting. "Touch of Evil" stars Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles, with a supporting cast that includes Marlene Dietrich, Mercedes McCambridge and Dennis Weaver, and directed by Orson Welles.

In the opening shot, a bomb is placed in the trunk of a car. The camera then follows the car's journey, uninterrupted, for over three minutes. This is one of the best-known shots in movie history, and it's fascinating to watch, as the doomed car moves along.
Source: Author robbieh

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nannanut before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Classic Movie Quizzes from Robbieh:

Robbieh created some great quizzes on movies when she was active in the Indian Gang....trying to ensure they are not lost, and that people continue to enjoy playing them...

  1. Can You Name These Classic Movies? Very Easy
  2. Film Noir: All-Time Great Crime Dramas Average
  3. Superstar Actors of the Seventies Easier
  4. More Classic Movies - Name the Co-Star Average
  5. British Actors - From Cary Grant to Hugh Grant Average
  6. Elizabeth Taylor's Leading Men, On-Screen Average
  7. Gumshoes in the Movies Easier
  8. Corruption, Graft, and Shadiness in the Movies Average
  9. A Trench Coat, a Fedora and a Revolver Average
  10. Classic Leading Men : T or F Average

10/10/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us