Whatever Happened To Saturday Night? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Still one of the most identifiable images in pop culture from the 1970s is John Travolta walking the streets of New York City, carrying a paint can to open the classic movie "Saturday Night Fever". Travolta went onto a huge career; his female co-star, not so much. Who was the actress who played Stephanie, Tony Manero's dance partner?

Answer: Karen Lynn Gorney

Karen Lynn Gorney hasn't had the career that Travolta has had, being involved only in minor projects and roles since the hugely popular "Saturday Night Fever". She had some appearances in the television show "Law and Order", and a bit part on "The Sopranos", but those have only been highlights in a low profile acting career.

2. A popular 1970s classic rock song with the title "Saturday Night Special" discusses gun control, as the title refers the term for a cheap, small handgun. What band was this that graced us with this classic rock hit?

Answer: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd is famously known for naming themselves after their high school Physical Education teacher Leonard Skinner, who was staunchly against long hair, something that didn't sit well with the future members of the band. "Saturday Night Special" argued that the small handguns weren't good for anything but "puttin' a man six feet in a hole".

3. Since 1975, "Saturday Night Live" has given us comedy and pop culture moments that have been discussed and rehashed countless times over its long history. One of the co-creators of the show along with Dick Ebersol, this man has been with the show for over 35 years as its producer. Whom do we have to thank for this weekly dose of frivolity on NBC?

Answer: Lorne Michaels

Lorne Michaels has also been an executive producer for many of the movies that have come out of characters performed on "Saturday Night Live". Michaels got his start on "Laugh-In", another edgy show from the 1960s, and when the opportunity arose for a show to fill empty space in the schedule, the NBC executives came to Lorne.

The rest is history. The other three choices are sportscasters with predominant history with the ABC network, the exception being Al Michaels, who has done Sunday Night football play-by-play for NBC since 2006.

4. NBC's "Saturday Night Live" wasn't the only television show that used those words in its title. In fact, a show from the ABC network debuted the same year that used the same three words. But it was followed in the title by the host of the show. Who was the host of ABC's version of "Saturday Night Live"?

Answer: Howard Cosell

What some have called one of the biggest mistakes in television, ABC tried to capitalize on Howard Cosell's popularity, never taking into consideration that he had no experience with hosting a variety show, or comedy in general. The show featured a comedy team known as "The Prime Time Players", which prompted NBC's cast to dub themselves the "Not-Ready-for-Prime Time Players. ABC's show lasted only eighteen episodes and was promptly cancelled.

5. One of the earliest talking films was titled "The Saturday Night Kid" from 1929. It featured two sisters vying over the same beau. The fought-over boyfriend was played by James Hall. Who were the two sisters played by?

Answer: Clara Bow and Jean Arthur

Clara Bow, the "It Girl", starred with Jean Arthur, one of her generation's best comedy actresses. "The Saturday Night Kid" was taken from a play entitled "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em", written by George Abbott.

6. For most, Saturday night is a night to socialize and take it easy, but musically not for one person in 1944, "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)". Certainly not his biggest hit nor one thought of as a trademark song, who was this recording artist and future Rat Pack member that sang of the downside of Saturday night?

Answer: Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra was in the earliest years of his recording career and had not convened his Rat Pack members when recording this song. Considering how the ladies loved the young heartthrob back in the 1940s, I refuse to believe that Frank was lonely often on Saturday nights.

7. "Mr. Saturday Night" was a 1992 movie chronicling the life of fictional comedian Buddy Young. It starred, was co-written by, and was directed by this man. Who starred as Buddy Young in "Mr. Saturday Night"?

Answer: Billy Crystal

"Mr. Saturday Night" wasn't well attended in the theaters when it came out in 1992. But it did garner journeyman actor David Paymer an Oscar nomination for his role as Buddy's brother Stan. The movie, which was Billy Crystal's debut as a director, was considerably more dour than the light-hearted fare we had come to expect from Crystal.

The subject matter dove into how ego can ruin one's career in show business, and in doing so, ruining his family life as well.

8. Did I stutter? Well, I kind of had to, as this group's worldwide Number One hit from 1975, "Saturday Night", had its title sung with a stutter. Who was the Scottish band that graced our airwaves with "S-S-S-Saturday Night"?

Answer: Bay City Rollers

Tragically (or thankfully, as some may think), this would be the Bay City Rollers' only major hit on the American charts. They had some continued success in Canada, but the emergence of disco in the United States cut the Bay City Rollers out of American minds rather quickly.

9. In 1974, a movie titled "Uptown Saturday Night" graced the screens across America. Bill Cosby and his friend were robbed in an underground club, where in amongst the things they lost was a lottery ticket, a ticket they discover would be an eventual winner. Cosby's partner in the movie was also the director of the movie. What Academy Award winner joined Bill Cosby in the recovery of this lottery ticket in "Uptown Saturday Night"?

Answer: Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier directed himself in this comedy featuring a bridge of some of the most popular black comedians of all time, including Bill Cosby, Flip Wilson, and Richard Pryor. Also featured in the movie as the villain is Harry Belafonte. The movie is considered part of a quasi-trilogy, as there were two more movies made that featured Cosby and Poitier, but they were differently named characters.

10. Is fighting ever all right? Only on certain nights, according to one musician. "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting", as this musician stated in 1973. Who was it that gave their opinions on ethical pugilism for the beginning of the weekend?

Answer: Elton John

"Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" came from Elton's double album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", a Number One album in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Elton John's career featured a musical eulogy to Princess Diana ("Candle in the Wind 1999", a song also originally from the same album), and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

11. For an extended period of time in the 1980s and early 1990s, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" would give way every once in a while to another Saturday night-titled show in its time slot, "Saturday Night's Main Event". What sport was the subject of "Saturday Night's Main Event"?

Answer: Pro Wrestling

During the height of the World Wrestling Federation (then the WWF, now the WWE), NBC took a chance on running a bi-monthly pro wrestling program where they normally would run reruns of older SNL's. "Saturday Night's Main Event" had unparalleled success as far as wrestling television ratings go. "Saturday Night's Main Event" would end in 1992, giving way to live action cable programming in 1993 in the form of "Monday Night RAW".

12. Two musicians in the 1980s got their kicks "spending all their money on a Saturday Night" performing the song "Pink Cadillac". One artist was Natalie Cole, who turned it into a mainstream Top Ten American hit in 1988. The other was the author of the song. Who was the writer and original performer of the song, "Pink Cadillac"?

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

"The Boss" solidified his nickname with the release of his mega-album "Born in the USA", which produced seven top ten hits, NONE of which were "Pink Cadillac". The song was an afterthought song that didn't make the cut for the album's selection of songs, but was put on a B-side of Springsteen's first release from the album, "Dancing in the Dark".

The song became a classic rock radio success. Springsteen included many sexual innuendos in the song, which prompted him to do deny requests when female musicians wanted to re-record it, most notably Bette Midler.

He felt the song was meant to be sung by a man, considering the subject matter. But he gave in to the request of Natalie Cole, who just turned it into another Top Ten single.

13. "Saturday Night" was the name of a Broadway musical scheduled to be released in 1955, penned by a 23-year old songwriter who would later bring us a myriad of Broadway standards and classics. Financial difficulties would halt the show's opening in the 1950s, but it would be finally put to stage in 1997 after it sat dormant for over forty years. What composer who brought us "Sweeney Todd" and "Into the Woods" lived to see his "baby pictures" brought to stage for the first time?

Answer: Stephen Sondheim

Sondheim was reluctant to see this fledgling work ever be brought to stage, as he never found it very good. But continual prodding from friends forced him to tip his hand and it was brought to life in 1997 to a handful of performances. Stephen Sondheim was quoted as saying after viewing it: "There are some things that embarrass me so much in the lyrics - the missed accents, the obvious jokes.

But I decided, Leave it. It's my baby pictures. You don't touch up a baby picture - you're a baby!" Sondheim has won eight Tony Awards since the original attempts at putting "Saturday Night" to stage.

14. On October 20, 1973, three members of the United States presidential staff were fired or summarily forced to resign due to legal and ethical conflicts in the political methods going on at that time. Political commentators and personalities dubbed this day the "Saturday Night Massacre", as it was unusual for higher-ups in politics to do anything major on weekends. Who was the president at this time to pull the trigger on this handful of political careers?

Answer: Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon, in maneuvers designed to shine the light away from himself, ended the jobs of independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus. Nixon, however, would resign in August of the next year to avoid being impeached, which would surely have been the first step to he being removed from the presidency.

15. Back in 1963, a song titled "Another Saturday Night" reached the Top Ten in the United States. A cover of the song by Cat Stevens would have bigger success in 1974, reaching Number Six in America, and Number One in Canada. Who was the songwriter who penned and sang the song originally in 1963?

Answer: Sam Cooke

"Another Saturday night and I ain't got nobody, I've got some money 'cause I just got paid. Now, how I wish I had someone to talk to, I'm in an awful way" is how the chorus went for this song that brought chart success for two people. Jimmy Buffett has also recorded the song and brought it to his concerts, as the lyrics fit his beach bum personality.

Source: Author Spaudrey

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Whatever Happened To Saturday Night? Quiz

As an Author Lounge-commissioned title taken from the oh, so luscious "Rocky Horror Picture Show", I have found 15 points of interest in history and culture relating to Saturday Night. "I see you shiver with antici...pation", so let's get started.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>