40 Fun Facts About Deathwatch (Robb White)

In Robb White's Deathwatch, Madec holds a rare permit to hunt which desert animal?

Bighorn sheep are the trophy Madec wants, and his permit to shoot one lasts only seven days. He fires at the herd before checking what he is aiming at.

In Deathwatch, what weapon from the dead man's camp does Ben finally use to bring down Madec?

A slingshot with a wrist brace is the one weapon Madec failed to remove from the camp, and Ben practises with it before his ambush.

In Deathwatch, who does Madec accidentally shoot when he fires at the herd too soon?

An old prospector is the victim, a stranger even Ben does not recognise. Madec's refusal to report the death turns the hunt into a manhunt.

In Deathwatch, what does Madec force Ben to do at gunpoint before abandoning him in the desert?

Strip off his clothes is the order Madec gives, leaving Ben to die of exposure while he watches from a distance through a telescopic sight.

Which wholesome TV star played the villain Madec in the 1974 television film of Deathwatch?

Andy Griffith played Madec, a rare villain for the man who spent the 1960s as Mayberry's gentle sheriff.

Which Oscar-winning actor both produced and starred as Madec in the 2014 film of Deathwatch?

Michael Douglas produced the film and played Madec as a ruthless tycoon who buys his way into the hunt.

In Deathwatch, whose forensic evidence finally proves Ben's account true and Madec's a lie?

The town doctor had noted each of Ben's wounds while treating him, and his findings show Ben's smaller gun could not have killed the old man.

Deathwatch won which Mystery Writers of America award, named after a master of the macabre?

The Edgar for Best Juvenile Mystery went to the book in 1973. The prize itself is a small bust of Edgar Allan Poe.

In Deathwatch, what is Ben training to become when Madec hires him as a desert guide?

A geologist in training, Ben already has experience working in rock country, which is why a stranger from the city wants him along.

In Deathwatch, what does Ben climb after walking all night in the hope of finding trapped water?

A butte holds the water Ben needs, caught in a tunnel-like fissure, and he climbs through the morning to get there.

In Deathwatch, what does Ben fire at Madec during the final ambush at the hunter's camp?

Buckshot that had belonged to the dead man is Ben's only ammunition, and he practises with it before making his move.

In Deathwatch, what arrives at Madec's camp while Ben shouts unheard from his high hiding place?

A helicopter brings a game warden who talks with Madec and leaves again, its engines drowning out every shout from above.

In Deathwatch, what vehicle does Ben drive back to town with the wounded Madec tied up inside?

A Jeep carries Ben, the bound Madec and the dead man's body to the sheriff's office, where Ben says he wants to report an accident.

In Deathwatch, where does one of Madec's bullets hit Ben as he searches for water?

His arm takes a bullet as Madec fires again and again to drive him away from water, adding a wound to thirst and sunburn.

In Deathwatch, Ben is arrested on suspicion of murder and which other charge after reaching town?

Aggravated assault is added because Madec arrives wounded and bound, and his polished version of events sounds more credible.

In Deathwatch, what does Madec turn into makeshift climbing gear to get at Ben's hiding place?

Tent stakes made of metal, found among Ben's tools, are what Madec uses as he tries to create handholds up the sheer rock.

In Deathwatch, what does Ben fashion from cactus nests and tough plant leaves during his ordeal?

Sandals are one answer to Ben's swollen, torn feet; he also sacrifices his own underwear to wrap them.

In Deathwatch, what does Ben ask Les to fetch as proof that he hid in the rock tunnel?

Bird bones lay where Ben had eaten the small creatures that came to drink, proof he was up there while Madec claimed otherwise.

In Deathwatch, which deputy is in charge of the sheriff's station when Ben arrives with Madec?

Strick is on duty because the sheriff has gone home, and he orders Ben to untie Madec and take him to the local clinic.

In Deathwatch, why does Ben agree to guide Madec on the hunt despite disliking the man?

To pay for college is the whole reason: Madec's fee is enough to cover at least one semester, and perhaps two.

In Deathwatch, what does Ben warn Madec to wait to see before firing at the herd?

The horns would show the target was the large male his permit covers, but Madec shoots anyway and hits no animal at all.

In Deathwatch, what does Madec claim after going alone to check what his shot hit?

That he missed is the lie Madec tells, but Ben has already seen blood on the rocks and goes to look for himself.

In Deathwatch, where in the dead man's camp does Ben find the one useful thing Madec overlooked?

In a locked box Ben finds only a wallet with very little money and a large, well-made weapon, which he takes with him.

In Deathwatch, what does Ben creep back hoping to take from the dead man's body?

His boots were the prize, but Madec had got there first and completely undressed the body, staying one step ahead of Ben.

In Deathwatch, Madec's bribes to Ben include a future job with what kind of business?

An oil company post was dangled alongside other payments as Madec tried deal after deal to buy Ben's silence.

Which newspaper named Robb White's desert thriller Deathwatch an Outstanding Book of the Year?

The New York Times put the book on its Outstanding list, and the American Library Association ranked it among its best of the best for young adults.

Before the desert thriller Deathwatch, Robb White usually set his adventure novels where?

At sea was his usual territory, in wartime tales such as Torpedo Run and Flight Deck, so a waterless setting was a real departure.

Robb White's Deathwatch reached American television screens in 1974 under which new title?

Savages was directed by Lee H. Katzin, who had earlier made the motor-racing film Le Mans.

Robb White's Deathwatch became a 2014 big-screen thriller released under which different title?

Beyond the Reach had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival under a shorter name, The Reach.

Which War Horse star played Ben in the 2014 film version of Robb White's Deathwatch?

Jeremy Irvine made his film debut for Steven Spielberg; here he plays Ben as an experienced young tracker hired through the local sheriff.

Where was the 2014 film adaptation of Robb White's Deathwatch shot?

New Mexico hosted the shoot, with filming around Farmington and Shiprock in the autumn of 2013.

Which gimmick-loving horror director made five films with Deathwatch author Robb White?

William Castle and White teamed up on five chillers between 1958 and 1961, among them The Tingler and 13 Ghosts.

Which Vincent Price horror film was written by Deathwatch author Robb White?

House on Haunted Hill has an eccentric millionaire offer his guests $10,000 each to last one night in a spooky mansion.

Deathwatch author Robb White also wrote episodes of which classic courtroom television drama?

Perry Mason used White's scripts in the 1960s, a neat fit for a novelist whose best-known book ends in a fight over evidence.

Which Robb White submarine novel, older than Deathwatch, became a film starring James Garner?

Up Periscope reached cinemas in 1959, three years after White's novel, though Garner later dismissed the film in his memoir.

Deathwatch author Robb White was born to American missionary parents in which Asian country?

The Philippines was his birthplace, at Baguio on Luzon, and he returned to the Pacific as a Navy officer during the Second World War.

Which Apocalypse Now actor played Ben in the 1974 television film of Robb White's Deathwatch?

Sam Bottoms was still a teenager when he took the part, five years before he played the surfer Lance for Francis Ford Coppola.

Deathwatch author Robb White spent three years living on which tiny island in the Caribbean?

Marina Cay was home to White and his wife Rodie in the late 1930s, and he told the story in three memoirs, among them Our Virgin Island.

In Deathwatch, what story does Madec plan to tell about why Ben wandered into the desert alone?

That he went insane is the tale Madec prepares, hoping it will look as if dehydration and heat stroke drove Ben out of his mind.

Which RoboCop villain played the small-town sheriff in the 2014 film of Robb White's Deathwatch?

Ronny Cox, who made his screen debut in Deliverance, plays the sheriff who sends Ben out as Madec's guide.