Nostalgia City Mysteries

Mark S. Bacon

Category Archives: Trivia quiz

9:27 am - October 30, 2023 -

Mark S. Bacon’s College of Mystery Knowledge*

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Noir II – Advanced Investigation MB-302  Cain Building  T-Th 9 a.m.

Students,

Welcome to Investigation 302. Here we’ll be studying the works of the masters, such as Hammett, Chandler, Gardner and others.  I know it’s unconventional to begin with a quiz, but even though you’re all mystery majors, and this is an upper division course, I need to discover your understanding of the subject before we can advance.

Answers to these questions will appear in the next installment of this course. Please complete your answers before you read the next online installment here.  And remember, we’re on the honor system at Bacon’s College so you may grade yourself.

Quiz #1

  1. Name the actors who have played Philip Marlowe in movies.
  1. Who wrote the first modern mystery story? Clue: it was published 182 years ago.
  1. Where did the idea for the TV show Columbo come from?
  1. True or false: The movie based on the book, The Maltese Falcon, starred Bette Davis, Bebe Daniels and Warren William.
  1. What was the name of Ross Macdonald’s PI, and how did he come up with the name?
  1. Who was the author of more than 20 noir novels and wrote the short story Rear Window that became a James Steward movie?

 

 *Apologies to the late Kay Kyser

 

 

Categories: Dashiell Hammett, film noir, mystery writers, Mystery writers quiz, New mystery book, noir novels, Raymond Chandler, Trivia quiz Tags: , , , , , ,
6:51 am - December 27, 2021 -

Know your nostalgia? Take this 1970s trivia quiz

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Newly released Dark Ride Deception, like the previous novels in my mystery series, is based in Nostalgia City, a sprawling  theme park that recreates an entire small town from the 1970s.

This latest book travels to Florida where ex-cop Lyle Deming uses a variety of false identities to investigate other theme parks. The future of the retro Arizona park, however, remains the center of the story. And to maintain the park’s theme—and authenticity—I used  news items, songs, product names and other touchstones of the 1970s.

In that spirit, here’s a 1970s trivia quiz. You’ll find the answers to some of the questions in the pages of Dark Ride Deception.  And all the answers will appear in this blog, via email, on Wednesday,  Dec. 29.   If you’re not a follower, you can join by simply entering your email address in the box below.  (No fair looking up the answers  on Google.)

1. On July 1, 1971 the 26th amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect.  What did it do?
a. Lowered the voting age in federal elections to 18
b. Legalized early term-abortions
c. Lowered the federal drinking age to 18
d. Ended the Vietnam War

2. Who was the star of the 1979 post-apocalyptic action movie Mad Max?
a.  Kurt Russell
b. Jean-Claude Van Damme
c. Mel Gibson
d. Chuck Norris

3. What famous heiress was kidnapped in 1974?
a. Nancy Sinatra
b. Patty Hearst
c. Paris Hilton
d. Elizabeth Smart

4. Who became president of the U.S. when Richard Nixon resigned?
a. Ronald Reagan
b. Jimmy Carter
c. Gerald Ford
d. Bob Dole

5. Which rock group had its first hit, Heart of Glass, in 1979?
a. Jefferson Starship
b. ABBA
c. The Bangles
d. Blondie

6. Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall were stars of what TV show?
a. Charley’s Angels
b. Mork and Mindy
c. Dallas
d. Laverne and Shirley

7. Eye of the Needle was a World War II thriller novel released in 1978.  Who was the author?
a. Frederick Forsyth
b. Ken Follett
c. John le Carré
d. Scott Turow

8. On May 4, 1970 four people died and others wounded when National Guard troops opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War. Where did this happen?
a. The D.C. Capitol Mall
b. University of California – Berkeley
c. Kent State University
d. University of Alabama

9. The London Bridge was disassembled, transported to the U.S. and rebuilt. It was dedicated in 1971 in what US city?
a. Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
b. Laughlin, Nev.
c. New London, Conn.
d. Las Vegas, Nev.

10. In 1978 more than 900 cult members died in a mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Who was the leader of the cult?
a. Abu Alaa al-Afari
b. Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson
c. David Richard Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam
d. Reverend Jim Jones

11. In July of 1973 the tallest building in the world at that time was finished. It was:
a. The Space Needle, Seattle
b. The Sears Tower, Chicago
c. The World Trade Center, New York City
d. The Burj Khalifa Tower, Dubai

12. Which was not a fad in the 1970s?
a. Streaking
b. Tickle Me Elmo
c. Mood rings
d. CB radios

Categories: 1970s events, Trivia quiz Tags: , , , , ,