Larry King Alive! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lawrence Leibel Harvey Zeiger

Larry was born Lawrence Leibel Harvey Zeiger on November 19, 1933. New York City was the city of his birth and the city of dreams for his parents, two Jewish immigrants. Larry's father immigrated from Austria. He met and married Larry's mother, who immigrated from Belarus.

The couple together worked toward having the American dream. His father started a restaurant and also worked at a defense plant, while his mother was a garment maker. Larry was the oldest of their two sons (the youngest being his brother, Marty).

When he was an adult, Larry changed his name to King when he got into radio business, due to his manager suggesting Zeiger was too hard a name for audiences to remember.

Answer: His father died of a heart attack.

Larry King's father had a heart attack at age 46. Because his father had been the main provider of the family's income, his death left the family in poverty. Larry's mother struggled to make ends meet, raising Larry and his brother with the help of welfare.

The death had a huge toll on Larry emotionally, as he was nine years old when his father passed away. His father's death caused him to lose interest in school and his studies. When Larry graduated high school, he chose to work to provide for his mom instead of going to college.

Answer: Florida

Florida at that time was a growing market for radio broadcasters. When a CBS newscaster met Larry and told him that Florida had many opportunities for inexperienced broadcasters, Larry took his advice. He got a job at a small station in Miami Beach and worked his way up to doing his own show. His first paycheck, as an announcer and disc jockey, started at $55 a week.

Answer: a restaurant

Larry began a midmorning show interviewing people at Pumpernik's Restaurant in Miami Beach. At first Larry's guests were only local people. Things changed with his first celebrity interview, Bobby Darin. Bobby Darin, a well known singer and actor at the time, had come to the restaurant while he was in town for a concert.

The interview brought attention to Larry's show and launched his own career into stardom.

Answer: Sports-a-la-King

Larry had a set back in his career when a former business partner accused him of grand theft. Larry lost his job at the station he was working for and much of his popularity. After the charges were dropped, he had to rebuild his career. He started the sports show "Sports-a-la-King", interviewing sports guests similar to what he had done with night shows.

He kept this show for many years until he began his career in national radio.

Answer: Mutual Radio Network

Mutual Radio Network offered Larry King the night slot for creating a talk show after their radio figure, Long John Nebel, died. King would interview celebrities and allow callers to call in and ask celebrities questions. Toward the late night portion, end of the show he would also share his political views and opinions.

The show gained major popularity and King became broadcasted on over 500 stations nationwide.

Answer: The Miami Herald

Open Phone America was a tactic Larry King used on his TV show "Larry King Live", to allow his listeners to call into the show and talk about the topics they wanted. Larry gave names to his regular callers including Mr. Radio, The Portland Laugher, The Scandal Scooper, and many others.

This was one of the first shows of its kind to go international. It inspired many other talk show hosts to follow after his model.

Answer: Larry King Live

Larry was given the opportunity to start his own television talk show by Cable News Network in 1985. The show, "Larry King Live" lasted for over 25 years. Larry King's non-confrontational interview style became his trademark and attracted many guests, celebrities, and listeners.

His style attracted many guests that were hard to get personal interviews with. This respect also attracted millions of viewers who would tune in to get the first hand interviews and highlights of celebrities around the world.

He interviewed many presidents, world leaders, athletes, actors, and national heroes live on the radio and TV.

Answer: True

Larry King was not the expert of stable relationships. From the time of his first marriage at age 19 to his retirement in his 80s, he had eight marriages total. Two of them were to the same woman, Alene Akins, and both of these ended in divorce. Larry King married his seventh wife in a hospital room in Los Angeles shortly before he had heart surgery. Out of all his marriages, Larry has only had four kids of his own.

Answer: True

Larry King received his induction into the Broadcaster's Hall of Fame in 1996. His other honors and awards include the National Radio Hall of Fame,"Talkers Magazine" nomination for fourth-greatest radio talk show host of all time, the Scopus Award from the American Friends of Hebrew University, the Golden Mike Award, an honorary degree from Brooklyn College, and the President's Award for his achievements.