How well you do remember Treasure of the Sierra Madre?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
How well you do remember Treasure of the Sierra Madre?
Image: tmdb

About This Quiz

Sure, everybody remembers the famous line, "We don't have to show you no stinking badges!" But how much else do you remember about this classic, starring Humphrey Bogart? Find out now with our quiz!
In which Mexican town does "Treasure" begin?
Guanajuato
Ciudad Juarez
Tijuana
Tampico
While not a major tourist destination, Tampico is known for its beautiful architecture. It sits on the northeast coast of Mexico.

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When we first meet Fred Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), what is he doing for a living?
scrubbing floors
tending bar
working the oil fields
mostly panhandling for change
His line is, "Can you stake a fellow American a meal?" When he asks a rich man this question for the third time in a day, the man gets frustrated, give him two pesos, and tells Dobbs never to bother him again.

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Where does Dobbs meet Curtin?
in a bar
in the city park
Dobbs, at that point a genial, sane guy, offers Curtin a cigarette. They commiserate about how little paying work is to be found in Tampico, with Dobbs saying if he were a native, he'd set up a shoeshine stand and have it made.
in jail
in a cafe

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What is the name of the flophouse where the two meet Howard, the old prospector?
the Cuartos Caballeros
the Hotel Tamalipas
the Oso Negro
The Oso Negro is a cheap place where men are handed their bedding over the counter and sleep dorm-style. "Oso Negro" translates to "Black Bear." (Bonus points if you knew "El Pollo del Mar," or "Chicken of the Sea," was the resort in Steve Martin's "L.A. Story."
El Pollo del Mar

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What kind of work does McCormick have for Dobbs and Curtin?
fixing cars
working in the oil fields
It's hot, hard work. But it offers $8 a day, which is enough for many men, including Dobbs and Curtin.
cooking for copper miners
cleaning motel rooms

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After the oil-field work is done, what does McCormick do?
absconds without paying anyone
Fortunately, our heroes catch up with McCormick down the line. Well, it's not fortunate for the rich man -- Dobbs and Curtin beat him up and take their wages.
asks Dobbs to be a foreman
asks Curtin to be a foreman
asks Dobbs and Curtin if they know anything about gold prospecting

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How do the three men fund their gold-prospecting expedition?
Howard sells a pocket watch
Dobbs wins the lottery
The lottery in Tampico isn't a "rich for the rest of your days" lottery -- the winnings are more like what we'd get from scratch-off cards. But the 200 pesos is enough that the three men can set out for the hills.
Dobbs steals money from the treasonous McCormick
Curtin gets a loan at the bank

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Which actor, later famous, played the Mexican boy who sells Dobbs a lottery ticket?
Erik Estrada
Robert Blake
Yes, that Robert Blake. His long, successful career in Hollywood was permanently marred by the suspicion that he murdered his second wife, Bonnie Bakley. He was acquitted, but later lost a civil wrongful-death suit.
Al Pacino
Lou Ferrigno

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What two animals does Dobbs say Howard is a hybrid of?
eagle/horse
goat/burro
goat/camel
The younger two are surprised that Howard can outpace both of them on the grueling trip up into the mountains. Dobbs calls Howard a "goat" because of the way he climbs, and a "camel" because he needs so little water.
bobcat/hawk

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What musical instrument does Howard play?
fiddle
guitar
accordion
harmonica
Howard was played by Walter Huston, the father of director John Huston. He won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the colorful, philosophical role.

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What is a "norther"?
a slang term for American, like "gringo"
a rich lode at high altitude
a burro that likes to climb
a wind that causes a sandstorm
The wind kicks up fiercely, and Dobbs in particular complains about the storm. Yet, in classic Hollywood style, no one's hat blows off.

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Who is in the mine during the cave-in?
Curtin
Dobbs
The partial cave-in doesn't seriously injure Dobbs or hold up the mining operation. Its purpose is largely to illustrate what a good guy Curtin is, going in after him. Dobbs, in contrast, is becoming hostile and paranoid.
Howard
both Dobbs and Howard

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How much money would satisfy Curtin, according to him?
$10,000
$25,000
Again, we see the difference between Dobbs and Curtin. Dobbs wants at least $50,000, probably more.
$50,000
$100,000

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What does Curtin want to do with his new wealth?
go to unversity
grow peaches
Curtin is nostalgic for his youth, when he worked on a peach harvest in the San Joaquin Valley. Howard wants to run a general store and read books for much of the day, while Dobbs isn't thinking any further than partying after he gets back to civilization.
live on a Mexican beach
finish raising his younger siblings

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When Curtin repays Dobbs his share of their initial stake, what does Dobbs do?
gives it back
thanks Curtin
gets teary
throws the gold dust in the dirt
Dobbs has just said he'd be within his rights to demand a greater share of the gold, because his lottery win paid most of the expedition's expenses. But then he throws the gold dust away, saying that he was only objecting to Curtin calling him greedy.

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How does James Cody learn about the men's prospecting camp?
he follows Curtin from the village
Curtin went down to town for supplies. Wisely, he lied and told Cody he was a hunter, not a prospector. But Cody saw through that evasion and followed him.
he overheard them at the Oso Negro
his tracking hound sniffs them out
he is surveying from a high place with binoculars

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Which is NOT one of James Cody's suggestions that the men do with him?
kill him
run him off
use him as a lookout
The men are justifiably angry that Cody has found their claim. Still, he's a pretty cool customer, suggesting outright that they could murder him rather than give up a share of the gold or let him report their claim to the authorities.
make him a partner in their claim

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After the men decide to kill Cody, what stops them?
conscience
they're out of ammunition
the approach of bandits
Cody seems to have a lot of luck. Just as the men are coming to shoot them, he points out the bandits. From there, the men have to work together to survive.
fear of retribution from the federales

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What do the bandits say they want to trade for Dobbs's rifle?
a village girl
a gold pocket watch
It's almost certainly a ruse, but Dobbs doesn't fall for it and comes out from behind his rock. Then Howard shoots the watch (mighty fine shooting, btw!) and the gunfight is on.
money
tobacco

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Who doesn't survive the bandits' attack?
Cody
"They got him right in the neck," Dobbs reports. Later, the men read a letter from Cody's wife, in which she expresses hope that he'll come back to her safely. Um, about that ...
Curtin
Dobbs
Howard

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What do Howard and Curtin want to do for Cody's widow?
write her with news of his death
bring home the body for burial
give her a fourth of their take
The pair decide to help the widow and Cody's son financially, because Cody saved their lives by warning them about the bandits. Dobbs, true to form, isn't feeling the love.
both #1 and #2

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What does Howard insist they do before leaving camp?
rest a day
make a sacrifice to old Aztec gods
put the mountain "back in shape"
Howard says it's their duty to "close the wounds" they made, and an act of gratitude for the wealth "she" shared. Just a reminder to us modern folks: We didn't invent conservation!
refine the gold dust

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What do the Indian villagers want from Howard?
help for a sick child
The Indians appear unexpectedly, smoke tobacco with the three white men, and make their request. Howard explains how the Indians knew where Howard and company were by saying that they always "just know" these kind of things.
gold dust
translation services into English
one of his burros

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What is wrong with the little boy?
he fell into a brain fever
he won't wake up after a near drowning
Howard's main therapeutic technique here is to raise and lower the boy's arms as if they are pump handles and the boy will spit up any water he's swallowed. The boy doesn't do that, yet he wakes up anyway. Why? It's a mystery to us.
he was bitten by a rabid animal
he broke his arm falling from a tree

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Why is it essential that Howard go back to the Indian village for a time?
the federales are searching for him
he gets sick himself
there are more sick people to be helped
the villagers must repay his kindness
The Indians say if Howard doesn't come, the saints will be angry at the villagers for not repaying their debt. The situation leads to a brief armed standoff before Howard gives in.

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What happens to Howard's gold dust when he goes to the village?
he lets Dobbs and Curtin go on ahead with it
Not only does the gold go with Dobbs and Curtin, but they are charged with leading his burros, carrying all his gear. This is extra work, as Dobbs complains.
he takes it with him, concealed
he hides it off-trail
he gives it to the Indian leader to carry and protect

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What happens to Curtin after Dobbs shoots him?
he dies, of course
he crawls to a cave and recovers
he crawls to the Indian village
Surprisingly, for a guy who hit bandits in motion and from a distance, Dobbs only gives Curtin a flesh wound. This despite shooting at point-blank range.
the bandits discover him

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Who confronts Dobbs at the watering hole?
Howard and Curtin
just Howard
the bandits
Dobbs tries to deny being the man from the shootout, earlier, but they recognize and kill him. They might have killed him anyway -- it's kind of in their job description.
the federales

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What do the bandits do with the gold dust?
use it to buy guns
give it to an impoverished church
bury it in a safe place
let it scatter in the wind
It seems unusual that career criminals in gold-mining country can't recognize gold dust. However, that's what the film would have us believe.

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When we next see the bandits, what are they doing?
digging their own graves
Cody, earlier, explained how the federales deal with captured bandits. They have them dig graves, tell them when to stop, give them a last cigarillo, and shoot them. Frontier justice!
planning their next train job
partying
watching Howard and Curtin from a distance

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What does Howard do when he finds all the gold dust is gone?
curses a blue streak
laughs
Howard calls the misfortune fate's joke at their expense. After a moment, Curtin laughs with him.
serenely plans to get more
cries

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What does Howard intend to do next?
tend bar in Durango
go back to the States
get up another prospecting expedition
be the Indians' medicine man
The Indians might even make him their "legislature," as Howard puts it. At any rate, he's set for the rest of his life, and happy with his future.

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What does Howard suggest that Curtin do?
play the lottery
visit Cody's widow
Howard says meaningfully that it's the harvest season in the peach fields. The implication is that Curtin will stick around for the harvest, and in time maybe marry the widow Cody. (We love a happy ending!)
seek his fortune in the oil fields
go prospecting again, as he's younger and stronger

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A woman plays which major role in the film?
the mayor of Tampico
Curtin's wife
the shaman of the Indian village
there is no major role for a woman
To be fair, this male-centered picture of life in rough mining-and-oil territory was probably pretty true to life. Still, if there's ever a remake , they'll surely write a role for the A-list actresss du jour.

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Who did director John Huston originally want to play Dobbs?
Alan Ladd
Lionel Barrymore
George Raft
Walter Huston
It might seem odd that Huston could have been up for Dobbs, then play the much older Howard. But delays in the making of the film -- mostly the intrusion of WWII -- made this switch possible.

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