1960s TV Shows: One-Sentence Summary II Quiz

Answer: I Dream of Jeannie

"I Dream of Jeannie" starred Barbara Eden as a Genie who appears out of a bottle found by astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) after his space capsule crash lands on a desert island. Bringing Jeannie to live with him in the United States becomes a struggle as he first attempts to conceal her existence, then to conceal the powers she possesses.

"I Dream of Jeannie" also starred Bill Daily, Hayden Rorke, and Emmaline Henry. It ran for five seasons between 1965 and 1970. Two reunion films were made in 1985 and 1991, with Edens reprising her role. An unrelated animated series was also made by Hanna-Barbara, "Jeannie", which ran from 1973 to 1975.

Answer: The Addams Family

"The Addams Family" was about a family who were not quite normal, consisting of the parents, Gomez and Morticia, their children, Wednesday and Pugsley, Grandmama and Uncle Fester, and other members of the household, including the strange Cousin Itt. Starring Carolyn Jones, John Astin, Jackie Coogan, and Ted Cassidy, the series was based on a series of "New Yorker" cartoons made by Charles Addams.

"The Addams Family" ran from 1964 to 1966, lasting two seasons, and inspired countless films, more TV series, video games, and even a musical.

Answer: The Monkees

"The Monkees" was intended to be a show about a fictional musical group, based on the success of other British rock groups of the 1960s, such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. What came out of it, however, was the all-too-real rock group The Monkees: Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork.

"The Monkees" ran for two seasons between 1966 and 1968, and won the 1967 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Answer: Gilligan's Island

"Gilligan's Island" ran for three seasons between 1964 and 1967, with three TV films being made between 1978 and 1981. Two animated series, "The New Adventures of Gilligan" and "Gilligan's Planet", ran from 1974-1977 and 1982-1983 respectively.

"Gilligan's Island" told the tale of the charter ship "SS Minnow", with a crew of two and five passengers, that was shipwrecked on an island during a tour around Hawaii. These very different people often did not get along and many foiled escape attempts were made. It starred Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells.

Answer: The Twilight Zone

"The Twilight Zone" is considered to be one of the best TV shows of all time. It ran for five seasons between 1959 and 1964, with classic episodes such as "To Serve Man". It was created by Rod Serling, who also wrote many of the episodes.

Every episode of the show was a different plot line. The stories were usually strange and thought-provoking, with an element of science fiction and horror. The show has been revived three times: in 1985, 2002, and 2019.

Answer: The Saint

Starring Sir Roger Moore, who later went on to play James Bond, "The Saint" was based on the character Simon Templar featured in books by Leslie Charteris. Running from 1962 to 1969 for a total of six seasons, "The Saint" was a popular espionage/spy show where Templar helped those in need, often by circumnavigating the law.

Sequels and revivals were made of the series, including the 1978 series "Return of The Saint", and the 1997 film "The Saint".

Answer: Bewitched

What happens when a witch marries a mortal and decides to become a normal housewife? "Betwitched", of course! Starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead, Dick Sargent, and David White, "Bewitched" ran from 1964 to 1972 for eight seasons.

There have been many international remakes of "Bewitched" over the years, and a 2005 film, also called "Bewitched", starred Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman.

Answer: Steptoe and Son

Starring comedy greats Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell, "Steptoe and Son" focused on a father and son who cannot get along as they run a rag and bone business. Although the son tries to better himself, the father (Brambell) frequently upsets his attempts.

The show ran for eight seasons between 1962-1965 and 1970-1974, as well as two films in 1972 and 1973. There have been many spin-offs and remakes in different countries, including "Sanford and Son" in America. There have even been several theater adaptations of the series.

Answer: Leave It to Beaver

Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver was the main subject of "Leave It to Beaver", a young boy living with his parents, June and Ward, and his older brother Wally. Beaver inevitably gets into hilarious scrapes as he just does what little boys do.

Running from 1957 to 1963, "Leave It to Beaver" lasted seven seasons. In 1983, a reunion TV movie "Still the Beaver" was made with the original cast. A TV series, "The New Leave It to Beaver", then ran from 1985 to 1989. A new film, also called "Leave It to Beaver", was made in 1997.

Answer: Mission: Impossible

The missions in "Mission: Impossible" obviously weren't impossible for the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). Made during the Cold War era, the IMF team tackled missions that led them far and wide. This series later inspired the films of the same name starring Tom Cruise, which began during 1996.

Starring Steven Hill, Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, and Martin Landau, "Mission: Impossible" ran for seven seasons between 1966 and 1973. In won several Emmy and Golden Globe Awards throughout its run.