Comedy Classics 'Lovingly' Limericked Quiz

Answer: I Love Lucy

One of the most popular and beloved series ever made, "I Love Lucy" ran for six seasons (1951-1957), earning five Emmy Awards and four number one Nielsen ratings (1952-1955, 1956-57). Desilu Productions (founded by series stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) is credited for virtually creating television syndication, and "Lucy" continues to air via reruns to this day.

The episodes "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" ("I'm your 'Vitameatavegamin' girl") and "Job Switching" (three words: candy conveyor belt) are always at the top of the list when it comes to fan favorites, but my vote goes to just about any episode having to do with the gang's temporary relocation to Hollywood (starting with "Ricky's Contract", and spread over Seasons Four and Five). Pure gold, each and every one. Along with Ball and Arnaz, "Lucy" starred William Frawley and Vivian Vance as the Ricardo's best friends and neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz.

Answer: Get Smart

Created by the considerable comedic writing talents of Mel Brooks ("Blazing Saddles") and Buck Henry ("The Graduate"), "Get Smart" premiered in 1965, and ran until 1970. Maxwell Smart's James Bond/Jacques Clouseau character combination was a hit with audiences, and the show, a parody of the 'Cold War Spy/Secret Agent' genre, went on to receive multiple Emmy Award nominations along with seven wins. "Get Smart" starred Don Adams (Agent 86), Barbara Feldon (Agent 99), Edward Platt (Chief of CONTROL), Bernie Kopell (Siegfried, Agent of KAOS), as well as a large number of guest stars. Several "Smart" feature films have been made over the years, most notably 2008's "Get Smart", with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway doing an admirable job filling in for Adams and Feldon.

Answer: The Addams Family

"The Addams Family" was based on the cartoon series created by Charles Addams (1912-1988) and featured in "The New Yorker" magazine. The show was aired on ABC, and ran for two seasons (1964-1966). Interestingly, rival network CBS had "The Munsters" to offer, which ran at the same time as "Addams", and for the same amount of seasons.

While Herman Munster and family received slightly higher ratings than Gomez and his clan during their respective runs, it always seemed to me that "The Addams Family" had much more interesting characters (Gomez, Morticia and Lurch, in particular), as well as sharper, more cutting-edge (for that time period, at least) humor and dialogue.

The series starred John Astin (Gomez), Carolyn Jones (Morticia), Ted Cassidy (Lurch and Thing) and Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester).

Answer: Gilligan's Island

The tale of the S.S. Minnow, her passengers and her "fearless crew" began in 1964 and, after three seasons, ended in 1967, with the castaways fate still unknown. Created by Sherwood Schwartz (who also wrote the theme song, "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle"), the series remained popular well after it's final episode with the help of syndication.

The limerick I wrote refers to the theme lyrics during the first season, in which all of the cast members were mentioned either by name ("Gilligan..the Skipper too..") or by reference ("A millionaire, and his wife..A movie star..") except for the Professor (Russell Johnson) and Mary Ann (Dawn Wells), who got the "...and the rest" treatment. According to Wells, she found out long after the show went off the air that Bob Denver (Gilligan) was responsible for convincing the studio to change the lyrics to include Johnson and Wells' characters for season two (a fact he never mentioned to the rest of the cast. Pretty classy!).

Other cast members included Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer and Tina Louise.

A side note: The informal "Ginger or Mary Ann?" debate which has been raging through the American male population for years continues to this day, with (according to Wikipedia) Mary Ann still maintaining a long-time lead. My choice?...Alrighty then, moving right along..

Answer: Three's Company

According to my research, "Three's Company" was a classic example of a "Comedy of Errors" style of theater, which relies heavily on the use of innuendos, farce, mistaken identities and physical comedy (which, in this case, was supplied by the outstanding talents of the late John Ritter, as Jack).

The series was not just a remake, but almost an Americanized carbon-copy of the British comedy "Man About the House", even down to later spin-off programs. Running from 1977 to 1984, the show was never honored with an Emmy, but it maintained a 'top-ten' status for six of its eight seasons (Two through Seven; there were only six episodes in Season One). Along with Ritter, "Three's Company" also starred Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers (who left the show due to well-publicized contract disputes), Norman Fell and Audra Lindley ('spun' to their own series, "The Ropers", in 1979), as well as Richard Kline (as the above-mentioned Larry).

Answer: The Monkees

While "The Monkees" (both the band and the television series) was an obvious attempt to capitalize on the then-current "Beatlemania" phenomenon, the criticism that came their way regarding their musical talents (notably from their own 'musical coordinator', Don Kirshner, of "Rock Concert" fame, who considered them more of an 'act' rather than a 'band') was unfair and unjustified.

While it's true that vocalist Micky Dolenz had to learn how to play drums (a neat little factoid: Davy Jones tested well behind the 'skins', but it was difficult to get a good camera angle on him as he was so short), all four members (especially guitarists Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork) had solid instrumental or vocal experience.

The reference to Jimi Hendrix is the 'stuff' that rock music historians and trivia aficionados dream of, as The Jimi Hendrix Experience actually did open for The Monkees (the boys were all big fans, and were thrilled to have him on tour) for several shows early in his career (1967). Did Hendrix quit the tour due to protests from the Daughters of the American Revolution (which is a popular rumor/urban legend)? No, there was a much simpler explanation.

The audience (namely teen-age girls) came to see and hear The Monkees, and Jimi's sound and style was just a wee too 'heavy' (No! Really??) for the majority of the young innocents. "The Monkees" ran for two seasons (58 episodes, end 1966-1968), and won two Emmys in 1967.

Answer: My Three Sons

With 380 episodes to its credit, "My Three Sons" is the second longest live-action U.S. sit-com to date, not far behind the 435 episodes produced for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (the animated comedy "The Simpsons" leads both shows with over 460 episodes as of May, 2010).

The series, which began in 1960, was first aired on ABC in a black-and white format, then switched over to CBS in 1965, as that studio was willing to foot the bill to produce the show in color. Starring Fred MacMurray as widowed patriarch Steven Douglas, "My Three Sons" also featured William Frawley (of "I Love Lucy" fame) as "Bub" O'Casey, the "sons'" grandfather, from 1960-1965. Frawley was released due to health reasons, and was replaced by William Demarest as Uncle Charley. From oldest to youngest, the "Sons" were played by Tim Considine (as Mike.

He also portrayed the 'slapped soldier' in 1970's "Patton"), Don Grady (Robbie), Stanley Livingston (Chip) and his real-life brother Barry Livingston (adopted brother Ernie), who was brought in to keep the 'trio' true to the title when Considine left the show (also in 1965) due to that old standby, 'contract disputes'. Ending in 1972, the show was extremely popular during its 12-year run, but never rated in the top ten (best season at #11), nor received any Emmy nominations.

Answer: The Flying Nun

Long before she was considered a serious talent by the general television and film-viewing public (much less as a two-time Oscar winner), Sally Field starred in what were quite possibly two of the most inoffensive comedy series' ever produced, namely "Gidget" (1965-1966) and as Sister Bertrille in "The Flying Nun" (1967-1970).

It would take awhile for Field to overcome the typecasting that came with the shows, finally getting the opportunity to show some of her 'stuff' in 1976's "Sybil" (for which she received the first of her three Emmy awards), then moving on to eventually star in her Academy Award-winning roles in "Norma Rae" (1979) and "Places in the Heart" (1984). "The Flying Nun" was given the thumbs-up by several orders of the Roman Catholic church for the positive image the show gave to nuns, but one wonders what their reaction would have been if they had known that Field was pregnant (and showing) during the final season of the show (an awkward situation, giving Field's on-air profession, and solved by the strategic use of prop-placement, stunt-doubles and long-distance camera shots).

The series also starred Madeleine Sherwood, Marge Redmond and Alejandro Rey.

Answer: M*A*S*H

There has already been much written regarding this iconic series, so I'll try to keep it simple with a few notable stats. Based on the classic 1970 film of the same name (which in turn was based on the classic Richard Hooker 1968 novel, also of the same name), "M*A*S*H" ran for 11 seasons (256 episodes, premiering September 17, 1972), and earned a total of 14 Emmy Awards, as well as a Peabody Award in 1975 (given in recognition of "excellence in radio and television broadcasting".

Its final episode ("Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", aired February 28, 1983) held the record for the 'most-watched episode' in U.S. television history before finally being surpassed by Super Bowl XLIV on February, 2010 (although in terms of actual audience share percentages, the episode still ranks higher, as there were fewer 'television homes' in 1983 compared to 2010). Along with a multiple (and extremely impressive) list of notable (or future notable) guest stars and regulars, only four actors were involved in every season of the series; Alan Alda (Hawkeye), Loretta Swit (Hot Lips), William Christopher (Father Mulcahy, played by George Morgan in the pilot) and Jamie Farr (Klinger). Gary Burghoff (Radar) and G. (George) Wood (General Hammond) were also the only two actors to play the same role in both the film and the series (although Wood's character only appeared in Season One).

Answer: All In The Family

The impact that "All In the Family" had on the future of American television will probably never be fully appreciated, but almost every 'edgy' or 'controversial' sit-com (and probably quite a few dramas as well) that came later owes a debt of gratitude to producer Norman Lear, stars Carroll O'Conner (Archie), Jean Stapleton (Edith), Rob Reiner (Mike, aka "Meathead") and Sally Struthers (Gloria), as well as to a host of extremely talented writers. Based on the British series "Till Death Us Do Part", the show brought out to the front and center a number of sensitive social issues prevalent during the 70's, such as racism, prejudice, women's liberation and homosexuality. Running from 1971 to 1979, "All In the Family" ranked #1 for five consecutive seasons (1971-1976), was nominated for 60 Emmy Awards (winning 31), won seven Golden Globes (with over 25 nominations), as well as awards and nominations from the Peabody, People's Choice and TV Land Awards and the Directors Guild of America.

It was also the first comedy show to have Emmy Awards go to each member of the main cast, in this case O'Connor, Stapleton, Reiner and Struthers (This distinction would also later go to the cast members of "The Golden Girls" and "Will & Grace").