Mysterious Quiz #2
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Back in the spring, I challenged readers of this column, presumably mystery aficionados, with a quiz. It elicited more e-mail response than most of my columns, even those in which I am offended — or just irritated — thereby inspiring me to rant about something or other. No one sent me a note saying the quiz was too difficult, though I also had no one claim to have answered all the questions correctly.
It seemed like a good idea then, so why shouldn’t it be a good idea again? Here you go. Let me know if you get them all right. Most important, however — have fun.
1. One of the literary lions of the 20th century, using the pseudonym Edgar Box, wrote three detective novels about a PR man named Peter Cutler Sargeant II. Who was he?
2. The short story “A Retrieved Reformation,” retitled “Alias Jimmy Valentine,” was adapted as a long-running Broadway stage play and at least four film versions. Name the famous American short story writer who wrote it.
3. In his first novel, “The Dark Frontier,” published in 1936, this great British espionage writer essentially predicted the atom bomb. Name him.
4. The beloved series of children’s books involving Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, and friends was written by A.A. Milne. He wrote a single detective novel often described as the apotheosis of the “oh, what fun!” school of mystery fiction. What is the title?
5. The unimaginably heinous Leopold and Loeb case, in which two wealthy and educated young men commit a murder just for the thrill of it, spawned two classic crime stories: a novel by Meyer Levin, made into a film directed by Martin Fleischer, and a play by Patrick Hamilton, made into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Name the two works.
6. Travis McGee, the modern-day adventurer and Robin Hood created by John D. MacDonald, lives on a houseboat in Florida. What did McGee name the boat?
7. There can be no lines ever uttered in a noir film more quintessentially hopeless than those said by Dix Steele, Humphrey Bogart’s character in “In a Lonely Place”: “I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left me. I lived a few weeks while you loved me.” Who wrote the novel on which the film was based?
8. What is the name of the writing awards presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America?
9. John Dickson Carr based his famous 250-pound detective Dr. Gideon Fell on his childhood idol, himself a famous mystery writer. On whom was Fell based?
10. One of the most popular radio programs in America was “The Shadow.” Name the famous actor whose deep, resonant voice thrilled audiences with the show’s introductory lines, the wickedly mirthful, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”
11. Who is the detective known only by his first name? And who is the best-known detective known only by his last name?
12. Surely the most famous private eye movie of all time is “The Maltese Falcon.” Bogart’s portrayal of Sam Spade, and the Warner Brothers collection of character actors (Sydney Greenstreet as the fat man, Casper Gutman; Peter Lorre as his assistant, Joel Cairo; and Elisha Cook Jr. as another assistant, dismissed by Spade as “a gunsel”) have become iconic. This was actually the third filmed version of Hammett’s novel. The second, titled “Satan Was a Lady,” featured Warren William as Spade. Who played the obsessive pursuer of the priceless bird?
13. Which famous detective has 11 children?
14. Charles Dickens died before he could complete what was sure to be one of history’s greatest detective novels. About a century later, Rupert Holmes converted it into an SRO musical smash on Broadway. Name the novel.
15. Who was the first mystery writer to appear on the cover of Time magazine?
16. Which of the following novels was not written by Agatha Christie? “Death on the Nile,” “The Pale Horse,” “Vintage Murder,” “Death in the Air.”
17. A superstitious Paul Newman insisted that this private detective’s name be changed to begin with the letter “H”; he then played him in two motion pictures. What was the character’s original name, and what was it changed to for the movies?
18. This great 15th-century Dutch painter of fantastic, grotesque landscapes of evil and horror has given his name to one of today’s most beloved detectives. Who is he?
19. What is the name of the shy second wife of Maxim de Winter, the successor to Rebecca, in Daphne du Maurier’s masterpiece of Gothic romantic suspense?
20. What do the following mystery movies have in common? “Deathtrap,” “Dressed to Kill,” “Sleuth,” “The Ipcress File,” “A Shock to the System.”
If you answered 20 questions correctly, you should be writing this column. If you got 16–19, you’re an expert; 12–15, pretty good; 6–11, about average; 2–5, you should read more; 0–1, why are you reading this column?
Answers to Mysterious Quiz #2:
1. Gore Vidal.
2. O. Henry.
3. Eric Ambler.
4. “The Red House Mystery.”
5. “Compulsion” and “Rope.”
6. “The Busted Flush.”
7. Dorothy B. Hughes.
8. The Edgar Allan Poe Award (or, more familiarly, the Edgar).
9. G.K. Chesterton.
10. Orson Welles.
11. Uncle Abner; Father Brown.
12. Bette Davis.
13. Charlie Chan.
14. “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”
15. Craig Rice.
16. “Vintage Murder,” a novel by Ngaio Marsh.
17. Lew Archer; Harper.
18 Hieronymous Bosch, Michael Connelly’s cop, better known as “Harry.”
19. Trick question: She remained nameless throughout the book and Alfred Hitchcock’s movie. (And, no, Mrs. de Winter does not count.)
20. They all starred Michael Caine.
Mr. Penzler is the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in Manhattan and the series editor of the annual “Best American Mystery Stories.” He can be reached at ottopenzler@mysteriousbookshop.com.