Extremely Difficult Trivia About "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)

      I recently noticed that the 5th Indiana Jones movie was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, and is due to be released to the general public in about a month, so I thought it would be appropriate to do a trivia dive on the one that started it all, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  "Raiders" has a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons.  First off, it's a classic movie--great action, cool story line, compelling characters, great directing and top notch production values.  Secondly though, in my early days of college I took an intro to archaeology course largely on a whim, kind of because I like the Indiana Jones movies so much.  So, in a weirdly indirect way, this movie series helped shaped the direction of my life.  (I should say that these movies' depictions of archaeologists are incredibly unrealistic, and Indiana Jones himself is dreadfully unethical in every way.  But, that's often the case with movies, and I love them even with all of these limitations.)  Anyway, let's get to it.  Same format as always--there will be very obscure, difficult questions, followed by their answers.  And many SPOILERS ahead, clearly.

Questions:

1)    In the opening scene, what local tribe is after Indy and his group?

2)    Where, and in what year, is the opening scene set?

3)    What was the name of the competitor/colleague whose body Indy finds in the temple?

4)    What are the names of Indiana Jones' two guides/partners?  (Not counting the local bearers who run away early on.)

5)    What are the designation letters of the plane that Indy escapes in?

6)    What is the name of pilot Jock's pet snake, who scares Indy?

7)    What is written on the back of Jock's shirt?

8)    In the classroom scene, what archaeological site is Indy discussing?

9)    At that site, which chamber was undisturbed?

10)   What days did Jones announce he had office hours?

11)   What was the class's homework reading assignment?

12)   In what city does Indy say is the only place Belloq can sell the idol he stole in the opening sequence?

13)   What university was Professor Ravenwood associated with?

14)   What is Professor Ravenwood's first name?

15)   Before it was stolen by the Egyptians, where was the Ark of the Covenant kept?

16)   According to Indy and Marcus Brody, what Egyptian pharaoh stole the Ark, and in about what year?

17)   What airline does Indy take to Nepal?

18)   What American city does he leave from?

19)   Where does the flight stop (presumably for fuel) during this trip, before reaching Nepal?

20)   What magazine is the German spy tailing Indy reading on this trip?

21)   What is the name of Marion's bouncer/security guy?

22)   How much does Indy offer for the headpiece of the Staff of Ra, and how much does Marion demand for it?

23)   How many associates does Toht bring with him to get the headpiece from Marion?

24)   What airline do Marion and Indy take from Nepal to Cairo?

25)   What two places does the flight stop at during this flight?

26)   According to Marion, how many kids does Sallah have?

27)   What is the name of Sallah's wife?

28)   What is Belloq doing in the bar in Cairo when Indy confronts him?

29)   What does Belloq say the Ark really is?

30)   What is the name of this tavern where they talk?

31)   How many kadams high should the Staff of Ra be?

32)   According to Sallah, what is the approximate conversion rate of a kadam to an English foot?

33)   When Indy uses the Staff, how high does it appear to be?

34)   In addition to Indiana Jones and Sallah, how many people are in the digging team that uncovers the Well of Souls?

35)   What "Star Wars" characters are briefly seen depicted on the wall above the Ark in the Well of Souls?

36)   What is written on the German crate that the Ark is placed in?

37)   What is the name of Colonel Dietrich's main assistant officer?

38)   Whose garage does Indy head for in Cairo?

39)   How many vehicles are in the German caravan transporting the Ark back to Cairo?

40)   What is the license plate of the truck carrying the Ark?

41)   What is the make of this truck?

42)   What is the name of the steamship that Indy and Marion ride in (briefly)?

43)   And who is this boat's captain?

44)   What musical show does Sallah sing songs from, on several occasions?

45)   In their romantic kissing scene on the boat, where does Indy say it doesn't hurt?

46)   The Ark is opened on an island.  What country is this island a part of?

47)   What is written on the American crate that the Ark is finally put in?

48)   Discounting background characters, 2 people played 2 roles each in the film.  Who are they, and what parts did they play?

49)   Producer Frank Marshall has a brief acting role in the movie.  Name it.

50)   Would it have been better for humanity if Indy and the Americans had done nothing, and let the Germans find the Ark, or at least let them take it from Indy and transport it back to Germany?

51)   On that note, did the Nazis and Belloq intentionally let the Americans steal their original communication about Professor Ravenwood?

52)   Did Indiana Jones commit statutory rape?

Answers:

1)    The (fictional) Hovitos.

2)    South America, 1936.  The film isn't more specific, but supplementary media pinpoints it as Peru.

3)    Forrestal.

4)    Satipo (sometimes rendered as "Sapito"), and Barranca.

5)    OB-CPO.  Presumably a jokey reference to the "Star Wars" characters Obi-Wan and C3-PO.

6)    Reggie.

7)    Air Pirates.

8)    Turkdean Barrow, a real site in Gloucestershire, England.

9)    Chamber 3.

10)   Thursday, and not Wednesday.

11)   Michaelson, chapters 4 and 5.

12)   Marrakech (a real city in Morocco).

13)   The University of Chicago (also a real institution).

14)   Abner.

15)   The Temple of Solomon, in Jerusalem.

16)   Shishak, in about 980 B.C.  (This is the Biblical spelling.  Archaeologists believe this probably corresponds to Shoshenq I.  Also, real archaeologists think Shoshenq actually ruled about 40 years later than this, from about 943-922 B.C.)

17)   Pan American.

18)   San Francisco, California.

19)   Hawaii, Wake Island, and the Philippines.

20)   Life Magazine, the November 30, 1936 issue.

21)   Mohan.

22)   $3,000, and then $5,000.

23)   Initially 3--2 Sherpas, and 1 German, but another large Sherpa joins the fight later for a 4th.

24)   Air East Asia.

25)   Karachi, India (now in Pakistan), and Baghdad, Iraq.

26)   8 or 9.

27)   Fayah.

28)   Smoking a hookah.  (Tobacco, or something else?)

29)   A transmitter, a radio for speaking to God.

30)   The Marhala Bar.

31)   5.  Initially 6, but then 1 should be taken back to honor the Hebrew God.

32)   About 1:1.   As far as I can tell, this is probably a bit inaccurate.  Modern estimates are that a kadam was probably more like 10 inches, not 12.

33)   It's a good foot over Indy's head.  Since Indy is about 6 feet tall, that makes it about 7 feet high, or significantly more than the 5 that they earlier said.  A mistake by the filmmakers.

34)   9.

35)   R2-D2 and C-3PO.

36)   Eigentum der Deutschen Wehrmacht.  Or, in English, "Property of the German Wehrmacht."

37)   Gobler.

38)   Omar's.

39)   4.  The truck carrying the Ark, the lead staff car, a jeep, and the motorcycle with side car.

40)   WH-11294.

41)   Mercedes.

42)   The Bantu Wind.

43)   Katanga.

44)   The 1878 Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera, "H.M.S. Pinafore."

45)   His left elbow, his forehead on the right side, his right eye, and finally his lips.

46)   A fictitious, unnamed island in Greece.

47)   Top Secret  Army Intel. 9906753  Do Not Open!

48)   Vic Tablian plays both Barranca and the Monkey Man.  Former wrestler Pat Roach plays both the giant Sherpa and the First Mechanic (who fistfights Indy).

49)   He was the pilot of the plane that Marion and Indy blow up.

50)   It appears likely, since the original plan seemed to be to fly it directly to Germany, meaning it probably would have been opened, and killed Hitler and many other high-ranking Nazis, probably resulting in World War II and the Holocaust never happening.  True, the Nazis might not have gotten the headpiece to the Staff of Ra, but they had already uncovered part of the wall of the Well of Souls, so they would have probably discovered it and the Ark shortly afterward anyway.

51)   It sure seems like it.  They didn't know where Professor Ravenwood was, but figured Indy might.  They were clearly following Indy, since they had a spy on the plane.  It was certainly Belloq's practice to follow Indy around, and then swoop in and steal relics from him.

52)   Alas, it's almost definitely "yes."  In the very early versions of the story George Lucas had Marion as only being 11(!), with baby teeth even, when the relationship with Indy began.  Later he increased it to a still too young 15 years old.  Spielberg and others wisely removed all references to an actual age.  Marion does mention that she was "a child," but this could be interpreted as an exaggeration or a reference to her maturity level, while she was biologically 18 or 19.  I don't know why Lucas wanted to include this creepy plot point.  The story of Indy and Marion's forbidden love affair still works if she was a legal 18-20--Professor Ravenwood still would have regarded this as a betrayal, but at least Indiana Jones wouldn't be a sex criminal.  Lucas seems to include some weird sex things in his movies, like Luke and Leia's creepy quasi-incest, and Padme Amidala's romance with Anakin after having known him as a small child.

   

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Another Spanish Cheese

      I know, I know, it's been barely 3 months since I last did a post about a Spanish cheese.  What can I say?  The only new-to-me cheese I've seen recently was another kind from that country.  Specifically, some soft sheep's milk cheese called Wooly Wooly, from the Mitica line, produced by the Central Quesera Montesinos SLU company.

     Central Quesera Montesinos SLU, or CQM as I'm going to abbreviate it for the rest of this article, started in 1978, and is based out of the community of Jumillo, which in turn is located in the Spanish region of Murcia.  Currently the business's products are exported to over 20 countries worldwide, including China, Australia, Israel, Latvia, Portugal, the U.K., and, obviously, since I bought some without using my passport, the U.S.  CQM specializes in goat milk cheeses, but also makes and markets those made from the milk of cows and sheep.  Their other products are various fresh cheeses, cottage cheeses, sour cheeses, processed cheeses, blended milk cheeses, and something called "horeca and IQF," (which appear to be mostly goat milk cheeses in a rolled shape).  CQM is distributed by an American company called Forever Cheese, out of New York.  This company imports foods from mostly Mediterranean nations, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Croatia.  It mostly deals in cheeses, but also handles cheese accompaniments, such as nuts, dried fruit, cured meats, rice, sauces, jams, vinegars, honey, and chocolate.  Forever Cheese was begun in 1998, by Michele Buster and Pierluigi Sini.

Mitica Wooly Wooly soft sheep's milk cheese:  This was a short log shape, white in color.  As advertised, the texture was very soft.  Reminiscent of cream cheese, as it was also easily spreadable.  I had some plain, and then some on a sub roll with ketchup.  The taste was very good.  Rich, and nicely sourish.  I think I liked it slightly better on the roll, but plain was more than decent, too.  So, this was another triumph, and another food to highly recommend.  Speaking of cream cheese, as I was earlier, I bet this Wooly Wooly would be a fine topping for a bagel, among other things.

     Murcia isn't one of the larger Spanish regions, but it has produced a few notable people.  Francisco Rabal (1926-2001), born in Aguilas, was a famous actor, mostly in Spanish productions.  Highlights of his career include roles in "Belle de Jour" (1967), "Los Santos Inocentes" (1984), "Goya en Burdeos" (1989), and two horror movies I've seen--the so-bad-it's-good quasi zombie movie "Nightmare City" (1980), and the sincerely effective Lovecraft-inspired story "Dagon" (2001).  The Totana-born Barbara Rey also acted, probably most famously in the 1976 television show "Palmares," but also in movies like "The Girl in the Red Cabaret" (1973), "Zorrita Martinez" (1975), and "...And Give Us Our Daily Sex" (1979).  Also in a movie I've seen, and even briefly mentioned in an earlier post, the third "Blind Dead" movie "The Ghost Galleon" (1974) (see my post on March 21, 2020).  Additionally, two guys from this region became tennis pros.  Nicolas Almagro, now retired, finished with a career record of 397-278.  He won 13 singles titles, and reached the quarterfinals of 4 majors (3 French Opens, 1 Australian Open).  His peak rating was #9 in 2011.  He was born in the Murcian town of Murcia.  Carlos Alcaraz is already looking like he'll be an eventual Hall of Famer.  Only 20 years old, he's already won 10 singles titles, including the major 2022 U.S. Open.  He also set the record for being the youngest male player to be ranked #1 in the world, at the age of 19 years, 4 months, and 6 days (eclipsing Lleyton Hewitt) in September of 2022.  Currently he's "fallen" to the #2 ranking in the world.  His career record is 120-34, although this will obviously change drastically.  Alcaraz was born in the town of El Palmar.

Brief Bio About the Worst MLB Player Ever, and Info About May Issue of InD'tale

     Obviously, when you're considering which player was the worst ever in Major League Baseball, there's more than a little subjectivity here.  But, after I explain some of the parameters of this conclusion I think that most readers will probably agree.  First off, anyone who plays in a Major League game, even only 1, is by definition a fantastic baseball player, one of the very best at that time.  Plus, many players were terrible major league players, but because of this their careers were very brief.  But the man I'll discuss had a decently long career--11 years, from 1901-11, with the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Superbas (who later became the Dodgers) of the National League.  Anyway, catcher Bill Bergen was by all accounts a better than average defensive player.  Even now, over a century later, he's 8th all time in guys caught stealing (1,034), and 9th all time in assists as a catcher (1,444).  (It's true that player during his time attempted to steal far more often than in any other era--but this is still respectable.)  Using modern stats, Bergen's lifetime defensive WAR was 14.6, which is very good for an 11 year career.  

     So why, you might be asking, am I then labeling him as the worst player ever, since he was admittedly a stout defender?  Because his hitting was utterly, shamefully awful.  In 947 games, 3234 plate appearances, and 3028 at bats, he accumulated 516 hits, 45 doubles, 21 triples, 2 home runs, 193 rbi, 138 runs, and 88 walks.  Or, put another way, his lifetime batting average was .170, his lifetime on base percentage was .194, and his slugging was .201.  Only a handful of players have had lifetime batting averages of below .200 with over 1000 at bats (with Ray Oyler being next closest at .175), but no one else is below .200 after having over 2500 at bats.  And yes, this was known as the "Dead Ball Era," since baseballs didn't travel very far, they were used continuously until they basically fell apart, and pitchers could legally apply substances like saliva to the ball, but still--no one approached Bergen's ineptitude at the plate.  Using more advanced stats, such as WAR are even more unkind to Bergen.  There are two main organizations that determine WAR (Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference), but both have him as the worst (-16.2, and -6.9, respectively).  (If you're curious, some other contenders include Doug Flynn (-8.3 and -6.9), Dan Meyer (-5.5, -6.4), Tuck Stainback (-5.0, -5.9), and Andres Thomas (-4.6, -5.7).)  As for OPS adjusted (100 is average), Bergen's lifetime total was 21.  21!  Even the other worst hitters are at least in the 40's or 50's, such as Dal Maxvill (58), Hal Lanier (50), Ray Oyler (48), Rafael Belliard (46), and even the infamous Mario Mendoza (41).  All in all then, the defense rests.

     Sadly, Bill Bergen's personal life had a terrible tragedy, too.  His older brother Marty preceded him to the Majors, playing catcher with the Boston Beaneaters (later the Braves) from 1896-99.  Unfortunately, Marty was clearly suffering from a severe mental illness, which went almost completely untreated in those days.  Always prone to depression, anger, and paranoia, it got progressively worse after Marty's son died from dyptheria in 1899.  On January 18, 1900, Marty killed his wife, son, and daughter with an axe, and then committed suicide by cutting his own throat with a razor.  Sorry, I guess this got depressing, but I thought it added some further context to Bill Bergen's odd career.

     Switching to my writing, this month sees another one of my articles, about writer rejections from publishers, in the May issue of InD'tale.  Other article contributors include S.L Carpenter, Tamara Cribley, Maria V. Snyder, and Ignatius Fernandez.  Plus there are two interviews of writers--one with Amy Daws, and another with rising star Marc Sanderson.  So, as usual, I'm grateful to the staff of InD'tale, including Publisher/Editor-in-Chief TJ Mackay, and Executive Editor Katy Nielsen.  And don't forget about InD'tale's usual round of book reviews.  The magazine's address is unchanged, or:

                                    http://www.indtale.com

     Stop on by--it's even free!  The cover is below:

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Chinese/American Mussels

      It's been a long while since I discussed a meat as an exotic food, so today I'll cover some mussels.  That were harvested in China, for a company that's based in the U.S.  The Roland company, to be exact, which might sound familiar, since I featured another Roland food, from Turkey, back on June 25, 2022.  Today's mussels were canned, of  course, and were smoked.

     I went into detail about the Roland company in that previous 2022 post, so I won't repeat myself now.  Instead I'll provide more information about mussels themselves.  Mussels can refer to a wide variety of both fresh and salt water mollusks.  They're bivalves, meaning that their shell has two hinged halves, which can be opened and closed.  Typically they're a kind of elongated oval shape, with a dark outside color--black or brown.  As adults they're known for their sedentary nature, as they're found on hard surfaces, such as rocks.  Their ability to stick to their home surfaces is quite impressive--it's such a firm adhesion that science is studying it to figure out how to improve industrial and even surgical bonds.  Since they don't move from their eventual homes their method of feeding is passive--they filter water through themselves constantly, and consume the tiny plankton and micro sea life that passes through.  Even the mussel's mating is indirect; the males release their sperm into the water, and if it goes into a female she's impregnated.  (Mussels usually clump together in groups, so this journey is usually short, but still.)  The young mussels, the larva, live different lives than their parents.  They drift through the sea, until they encounter a species-specific type of fish.  When they do, they stick to this fish's gill or fins as a parasite.  Usually the fish's immune system forms a cyst around the young mussel.  Eventually the cyst falls off, and the mussel finds a permanent home to which it adheres.  As far as enemies, the mussels have many.  Freshwater varieties are avidly eaten by raccoons, otters, muskrats, ducks, dogs, baboons, and people.  The oceanic kinds are preyed on by seabirds, starfish, whelks, and again, people.  Mussels are quite nutritious as well.  They have decent amounts of selenium, Vitamins A and B-12, zinc, folate, phosphorus, iron, and iodine.  Common cooking methods of them include steaming, boiling, roasting, smoking, and frying.  They're also a very ancient food for humans, as prehistoric sites in Scotland demonstrate that people were eating them as early as 20,000 years ago.  Additionally, some freshwater kinds can even produce pearls, like oysters.  Finally, to dispel a common myth, it's okay to eat cooked mussels that haven't opened.  It just means that this particular mussel had a firm grip, and managed to stay closed.  There is one important mussel eating safety tip, though--only mussels that are still alive should be cooked.  If they're already dead, they quickly spoil, and may be unpalatable or even toxic to consume.

Roland canned smoked mussels:  There's no getting around this--mussels don't look appetizing.  These canned ones looked like yellowish oval discs of phlegm.  About inch (about 2.5 cm.) long, and about .5 inch (1.25 cm.) wide.  I had some plain, and some on a roll.  These mussels were packed in oil as well.  Their texture was oily, and chewy.  Taste-wise these weren't as good as fresh mussels, of course, but still pretty good.  If you like shellfish in general, you'll probably like these.  I think they were a bit better on the bread, as a seafood sandwich.  Overall canned mussels aren't great, but they are definitely solid.  And if you're a better cook than me (which is almost impossible not to be) many folks like to mix mussels in with stews, soups, other entrees, etc.  Finally, canned seafood usually has a very long shelf life--sometimes 3-5 years even, so they're an excellent choice for protein in the event of a zombie, Terminator, nuclear mutant cannibals, or any other kind of apocalypse.