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About This Quiz
Hitchcock's The Birds was a suspenseful film that did well at the box office but only received middling-to-poor reviews from film critics. In recent years, it has become quite a favorite. Are you a real fan of the original Hitchcock movie, The Birds? Find out by taking the quiz below.
Which year was Hitchcock's original movie, The Birds, released?
1941.
1954.
1963.
The Birds was released March 28, 1963. Hitchcock promoted it as a movie about "birds and their age-long relationship with man."
1972.
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The main character, Melanie Daniels, was played by which actress?
Sandra Dee.
Tippi Hedren.
Hitchcock discovered Tippi Hedren (born January 19, 1930) from a commercial and created her into an actress.
Anne Bancroft.
Grace Kelly.
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What was the name of Mitch's mother?
Annie Hayworth.
Cathy Brenner.
Lydia Brenner.
"Hello, Fred… Lydia Brenner… I didn't interrupt your dinner, did I?"
Helen Carter.
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What does Mitch want to purchase for his sister's birthday?
A pair of lovebirds.
"Can I bring the lovebirds, Mitch? They haven't harmed anyone."
A pair of strawberry finches.
A pair of bird dogs.
A pair of canaries.
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Which town is featured during most of the movie as the place attacked by the birds?
San Diego, CA.
Capitola, CA.
San Francisco, CA.
Bodega Bay, CA.
In addition to The Birds, Bodega Bay was chosen as the setting for other movies such as The Puppet Master and The Fog.
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Finish the quote "Well, it might have been good enough in ______, but it's not good enough now."
"The Dark Ages."
"Rome."
"I think it might be fun." "Well it might have been good enough in Rome, but it's not good enough now."
"Los Angeles."
"The pet shop."
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Who wrote the story on which the screenplay was based?
Edgar Allen Poe.
Daphne du Maurier.
Daphne du Maurier (May 13, 1907 – April 19, 1989) was considered a romance novelist but often wrote about dark subjects with less than perfect endings. The Birds was a novelette she wrote and published in a collection titled The Apple Tree.
Richard Matheson.
H. P. Lovecraft.
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Alfred Hitchcock appears in the movie (not just the pre-show) doing what?
He is seen pumping gas.
He is the man who rents a boat to Melanie.
He is walking two dogs.
Alfred Hitchcock is seen walking out of the pet shop with his two dogs as Melanie walks in at the beginning of the movie. He made cameo appearances in most of his movies, especially during the first 30 minutes.
He is wrestling a musical instrument onto a trolley.
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What does Mitch Brenner do for a living?
He's a doctor.
He's a journalist.
He's a teacher.
He's a lawyer.
"I don't think Miss Daniels is going to sue anybody." "Well, you're the lawyer."
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How did Annie Hayworth and Melanie meet?
They went to college together.
Annie was just leaving as Melanie arrives at Mitch's home.
Annie is in the restaurant when Mitch tends Melanie's wound.
The postman sent Melanie to Annie to ask the Brenner girl's name.
The postman is certain the girl's name is Alice, and the store owner believes it is Lois. As a result, they send her to Annie Hayworth, the teacher to find out.
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What color is Melanie's dress throughout most of the movie?
Coral.
Green.
Hitchcock had six identical green suits made for Tippi because she wears the same dress for the entire movie after the opening scene.
Blue.
Beige.
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What time do the Brenners usually eat dinner?
7:00 P.M.
"What time is dinner, Mom?" Seven O'clock—the same as usual."
5:00 P.M.
8:00 P.M.
6:00 P.M.
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What relationship did Mitch Brenner and Cathy Brenner have?
She was his niece.
She was his wife.
She was his daughter.
She was his sister.
Mitch's sister, Cathy, was turning eleven, and that is why he was looking for a present for her.
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Why did the man Mitch defended shoot his wife in the head six times?
Because she burned his dinner every time she cooked.
Because she changed the channel when he was watching a ball game.
"He has a client now who shot his wife in the head six times. Six times! Can you imagine it? I mean, even twice would be overdoing it, don't you think?" "Why did he shoot her?" "He was watching a ball game on television… His wife changed the channel."
Because she refused empty his ashtrays.
Because she got in the way when he was hunting.
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Mitch says San Francisco is like…
A flock of seagulls riding the waves.
A swarm of bees making honey.
A platypus- made up of a mishmash of parts.
An anthill up the foot of a bridge.
Mitch compares San Francisco to an anthill because he doesn't like the crowds of people.
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Which actress played Mitch's mother?
Ethel Griffies.
Jessica Tandy.
Jessica Tandy (June 7, 1909 – September 11, 1994) won several Tony Awards including one for her portrayal of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire before switching to the screen. After her role in The Birds, she continued to have a successful acting career and became the oldest actress (at 81) to win an Academy Award for her work on Driving Miss Daisy.
Ruth McDevitt.
Doreen Lang.
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Which event was the second time we see a bird attack in the movie?
When a seagull attacks Melanie on the boat.
When a flock of sparrows flies down the fireplace.
When a seagull flies into Annie's door.
First, birds attack Melanie on the boat. Later that evening, Annie and Melanie hear a knock on the door and find a dead seagull. Although Annie wants to blame getting lost in the dark, Melanie points out it is a full moon.
When a flock of birds attacks the children at the party.
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Why does Lydia visit the Fawcett farm?
To ask them for wooden planks to board up their windows.
To talk with him about the reason her chickens won't eat.
Mr. Fawcett's chickens were also refusing to eat without showing other signs of sickness.
To warn them about the impending bird attacks.
To ask him to watch Cathy while she runs to San Francisco with Mitch.
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What song are the children singing when Melanie arrives at the school?
Rissle-dy, Rossle-dy.
The Birds is unique in its lack of soundtrack music. Most of the background contains bird noises or complete silence. However, Rissle-dy, Rossle-dy was written by Evan Hunter as one of the two songs on the soundtrack. (Arabesque no. 1 in E by Claude Debussy is the other.)
The Song of the Gooney Bird.
Apples and Bananas.
Willoughby, Wallaby, Woo.
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Why does Annie tell the school children they should go outside quietly?
To lower the flag as a sign of distress.
To go outside for recess.
To collect feathers for a craft project.
To show Melanie how they do fire drills.
Annie tries not to scare the children when the crows gather outside the schoolhouse, so she tells them they are going to have a special fire drill to show Melanie how quietly they can do it.
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During the filming of which scene was actress Tippi Hedren injured?
The attack on the boat.
The attack in the upstairs bedroom.
It took an entire week to film the upstairs bedroom scene, and birds were not only thrown at the actress but also attached to her by a string. Although they were all trained, one accidentally clawed her eye on the last day of filming.
The attack while the children are leaving school.
The attack in the phone booth.
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What is the name of the ornithologist in the diner?
Paula Carter.
Samantha Wright.
Eleanor MacGruder.
Mrs. Bundy.
Mrs. Bundy, played by Ethel Griffies (April 26, 1878 – September 9, 1975), stated, "I have never known birds of different species to flock together. The very concept is unimaginable. Why, if that happened, we wouldn't stand a change! How could we possibly hope to fight them?"
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Who slaps a hysterical woman?
Annie.
Mitch.
Melanie.
Tippi Hedren had never slapped anyone before. Actress Doreen Lang (who was playing the hysterical woman) had to convince Tippi to do it.
Lydia.
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While Melanie waits outside the school, the shot of the playground shows a single crow landing on the jungle gym behind her. How many crows are sitting on it immediately after she lights her cigarette?
Four.
The second shot of the jungle gym, immediately after Melanie lights her cigarette, shows four crows sitting behind her and then a fifth lands. The jungle gym was not originally part of the schoolyard, so Hitchcock had to have one built.
Nine.
None.
An entire flock.
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Some blamed Melanie for the strange bird behavior; however, one attack occurred prior to Melanie's arrival. Which one?
A canary pecked her owner's eye out.
Five sparrows attacked a baby in a baby carriage.
A flock of gulls nearly capsized a fishing boat.
Sebastian Sholes is in the diner after the schoolhouse incident. He tells the others how gulls attacked one of his fishing boats, and his skipper almost lost an arm in the attack. This occurred prior to Melanie's arrival.
Three crows broke a large window in the diner.
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Who does Annie die saving?
Cathy.
Although Annie and Cathy were safe inside the house, when the gas station exploded, they went outside to see what happened. The birds attacked, but Annie managed to shove Cathy back in the house to safety.
Michele.
Helen.
Melanie.
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Why doesn't Mitch want to leave after the attack on the town?
Because they closed off the main roads.
Because he does not think the birds will attack again.
Because the birds are massing outside.
Mitch does not feel it is safe to leave when the birds are massing.
Because the President is sending in the military to help.
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How does Mitch injure his hand during the end attack?
Nailing boards over the windows.
Falling off a ladder.
Putting out a fire.
Grabbing a shutter.
A shutter comes loose, and he has to grab the knob through a broken window to close it. The actor's hands were frequently smeared with anchovy paste to encourage the birds to fly at them.
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What does Mitch use to help reinforce the front door?
An interior door.
A dresser.
A hall tree.
Mitch takes a hall tree and nails it to the front door when gulls begin pecking through it.
A couch.
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How do the birds get into the room upstairs?
Mitch forgot to board up the window.
They came through a fireplace.
They broke a wall vent and entered through it.
They rip a hole in the ceiling.
The birds managed to pluck a hole through the ceiling in the upper room.
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"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, _________."
"To call evil good and good evil."
"That are with child… in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land."
"That they may follow strong drink."
"That they may follow strong drink." Found in Isaiah 5:11, the waitress at the diner reminds the Bible-quoting drunk that he should not be drinking.
"To make unjust laws."
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What does the car radio announcer say that convinces Mitch it is time to leave?
The birds only attack in waves with long intervals between.
"The bird attacks have subsided for the time being. Bodega Bay seems to be the center, though there are reports of minor attacks on Sebastopol and a few on Santa Rosa… It appears that the bird attacks come in waves, with long intervals between. The reason for this does not seem clear as yet."
The birds are scared of car horns.
The birds have all died from algae poisoning.
The military has shot all the birds.
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What vehicle do they use to escape?
A GMC truck.
A Chevrolet Corvair.
A Ford Galaxy.
An Aston Martin DB 2/4.
They leave in Melanie's Aston Martin because Mitch feels it will go faster.
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The Birds was nominated for only one Oscar in which category?
Best Actress.
Best Directing.
Best Special Effects.
Many of the scenes with flocks of birds had them drawn in by special effects artist Ub Iwerks who used a special "yellow screen" process to create the effect. The Birds was nominated for Best Special/ Visual Effects, but the award went to Cleopatra.
Best Sound.
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Which Californian town had an incident similar to the one in The Birds that sparked Hitchcock's interest while he was working on the film?
Santa Cruz, CA.
Capitola, CA.
On August 18, 1961, sooty shearwaters (in the hundreds, not the thousands depicted in the movie) invaded Capitola, CA and collided with structures during a foggy night. Residents who went outside to investigate were attacked. Dead birds were found everywhere the next morning.
Santa Rosa, CA.
Bodega Bay, CA.
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