HitchcockTrivia Questions & Answers
19 hitchcock trivia questions, each with the correct answer and a short explanation.
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Each question reveals the answer and a quick explanation below it.
1. In 'Psycho' (1960), what is the name of the fictional town that Marion Crane steals $40,000 from?
Answer: Phoenix. Marion Crane works at a real estate office in Phoenix, Arizona, and steals $40,000 from a client there before driving to the Bates Motel.
2. The shower scene in 'Psycho' uses no actual nudity. What surprising ingredient was used on screen as a stand-in for blood?
Answer: Chocolate syrup. Because Psycho was shot in black-and-white, Hitchcock used Hershey's chocolate syrup for blood, which photographed with the right dark tones.
3. In Hitchcock's 'Vertigo,' what is the name of the real woman Scottie is unknowingly manipulated through?
Answer: Judy. Judy Barton is the real woman hired to impersonate the fictional 'Madeleine'; Scottie falls for the persona, not knowing Judy is the actual person.
4. Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' was the first American film to show what on screen, causing controversy upon release in 1960?
Answer: A toilet being flushed. The flushing toilet in 'Psycho' was considered scandalous and is widely cited as the first such scene in a mainstream American film.
5. In Hitchcock's 'Psycho,' what is the name of the real-life murderer whose crimes partially inspired Norman Bates?
Answer: Ed Gein. Ed Gein's disturbing crimes — including keeping body parts and dressing in female skin — directly inspired the character of Norman Bates.
6. Which actress played both Marion Crane and a separate character in different Hitchcock films, making her unique among his leads?
Answer: Vera Miles. Vera Miles appeared in both Psycho (as Lila Crane) and The Wrong Man (1956), and was Hitchcock's intended star for Vertigo before pregnancy changed his plans.
7. In Hitchcock's 'Vertigo,' what is the first name of the character Kim Novak plays who is supposedly possessed?
Answer: Carlotta. The ghost supposedly possessing Madeleine Elster is Carlotta Valdes, her great-grandmother, central to the film's psychological mystery.
8. In 'Psycho' (1960), on what floor of the Bates Motel does the famous shower scene take place?
Answer: Ground floor Room 1. Marion Crane stays in cabin/room 1 on the ground floor; the shower scene occurs in that first-floor unit.
9. Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in 'Rear Window' is considered one of his trickiest to spot. Where does he appear?
Answer: Winding a clock in the songwriter's apartment. Hitchcock appears in the songwriter's apartment winding a clock on the mantelpiece, visible through Jefferies's telephoto lens.
10. The famous 'shower scene' in Psycho uses no red — it was filmed in black and white. What liquid was used instead of blood?
Answer: Chocolate syrup. Hitchcock used Bosco chocolate syrup because its viscosity photographed more realistically than water in black-and-white film stock.
11. In Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho,' in which U.S. state does the Bates Motel exist fictionally?
Answer: California. The film establishes that Marion Crane is driving from Phoenix, Arizona toward California, and the Bates Motel is situated just off a California highway in the story.
12. Alfred Hitchcock makes a cameo in nearly all his films. In which film does he appear reflected in a mirror playing a double bass?
Answer: Strangers on a Train. In 'Strangers on a Train,' Hitchcock is seen boarding a train carrying a double bass, a notably distinctive cameo among his many appearances.
13. Which film did Alfred Hitchcock shoot almost entirely in sequence because the story demanded it, also notable for disposing of its apparent protagonist very early?
Answer: Psycho. Psycho (1960) was shot largely in sequence and famously kills its apparent lead, Janet Leigh's Marion Crane, less than halfway through the film.
14. In Hitchcock's 'Psycho,' Marion Crane is killed how far into the film's runtime?
Answer: About one-third. Janet Leigh's Marion Crane is famously murdered roughly one-third into 'Psycho,' subverting audience expectations since she was marketed as the lead.
15. Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' broke a major Hollywood convention by killing its apparent protagonist early. Who composed its iconic screeching score?
Answer: Bernard Herrmann. Bernard Herrmann composed the 'Psycho' score, famously using only strings; Hitchcock initially wanted no music for the shower scene but Herrmann persuaded him.
16. In 'Psycho' (1960), what is the name of the fictional town where Marion Crane works before she steals the money?
Answer: Phoenix. Marion Crane works at a real estate office in Phoenix, Arizona, where she steals $40,000 before fleeing and stopping at the Bates Motel.
17. The famous shower scene in Hitchcock's 'Psycho' used what surprising liquid as a substitute for blood?
Answer: Chocolate syrup. Because Psycho was filmed in black-and-white, Hitchcock's team used Hershey's chocolate syrup, which had a suitable consistency and filmed darker than water.
18. What profession does the lead character practice in 'Rear Window' (1954) that keeps him confined to his apartment?
Answer: He is recovering from a broken leg. L.B. Jefferies, played by James Stewart, is a photojournalist recuperating from a broken leg sustained while photographing a racing accident.
19. Which 1950s film noir is often cited as the first American movie to depict a toilet flushing on screen?
Answer: Psycho. Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960) is widely credited as the first major Hollywood film to show a toilet being flushed, a then-taboo act on screen.
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