SOTI on JEOPARDY!
On Wednesday, October 7, 2015, Secret of the Incas got some long-overdue recognition from no less than America's favorite quiz show, Jeopardy!.
Now, for my buddies from Britain, allow me to explain just what Jeopardy! is. (Americans, bear with me, or skip to the blue heading two paragraphs below.)
WHAT JEOPARDY IS AND HOW IT WORKS....
Jeopardy! has been on the air more or less steadily since 1964. For many years now it's been hosted by a man named Alex Trebek. Each day, three contestants compete for cash by answering clues correctly. Each program is divided into three parts: basic "Jeopardy", where the contestants face a board of six categories with five clues each, each clue in each category worth in descending order $200, $400, $600, $800 and $1000. (Each clue is hidden behind the amounts and are only revealed when a contestant asks for it.) The second half, "Double Jeopardy", has the same set-up except the clues have doubled in value: $400, $800, $1200, $1600, $2000. Lastly comes "Final Jeopardy" in which a final clue is given, with the contestants wagering some or all of their earnings then writing down their response. The person with the most money at the end wins and returns the next day to face two new opponents.
Now, the gimmick is that the clues are given in the form of an answer, and the contestants have to supply the question. So, for example: say the category is "Actors". Someone will ask, "'Actors' for six hundred, Alex" and the answer will be revealed. Let's say the answer is: "He won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1959 for Ben-Hur". Any contestant may ring his buzzer and give the question, "Who is Charlton Heston?" and would have $600 added to his total. If he answered wrong (for instance, by saying "Who is Ernest Borgnine?"), he'd lose $600. There are also what are called "Daily Doubles", one in "Jeopardy" and two in "Double Jeopardy"; when these are revealed, the contestant who asked for that clue can wager any amount he wishes, and will win or lose that amount depending on his response to the subsequent clue.
NOW THAT IT'S BEEN EXPLAINED...
On October 7, 2015, the Final Jeopardy category was MOVIE CHARACTERS. Alex Trebek introduced it by saying it was always a favorite subject, then as usual began, "The Final Jeopardy answer is -- " and it was revealed:
CHARLTON HESTON'S WARDROBE IN 1954'S "SECRET OF THE INCAS" INSPIRED THE CLOTHES WORN BY THIS ADVENTUROUS CHARACTER 27 YEARS LATER.
He then told the contestants, "30 seconds" whereupon the famous Final Jeopardy music played.
The woman with the lowest score wrote "Who is Raiders of the Lost Ark", explaining she couldn't think of the character's name, so she lost. The middle-scorer got it right ("Who is Indiana Jones?") and went ahead of the champion by a dollar, but then he got it too and won his ninth straight game. (This guy is dislikable but phenomenal: in 9 days he's accumulated over $245,000, an astounding total for the show.)
Anyway, I nearly fell over when I saw SOTI in the answer. The film is, after all, somewhat obscure (inexplicably, but nonetheless), and I'm willing to bet none of the three have ever seen it. To have it given some major fame on the biggest quiz show in the United States can't be bad. Will it trigger a legitimate DVD release sometime? Doubtful, but, hey, the publicity couldn't hurt.
ONE MORE NOTE FOR THE BRITS: If you've seen Die Hard you may remember a scene where Bruce Willis is on the radio with terrorist leader Alan Rickman, who in trying to figure out who Willis is says something about his being a security guard. Willis makes a loud buzzer sound and says, "Sorry, Hans, would you like to try for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?" I know my other friends in Britain never understood that line. There's the explanation.
James, Os, HCH -- where the heck have all of us been? About time we resumed before we lose our exclusive rights to the board!