Don't Blink Television: 1980s Edition Quiz

Answer: David Soul

David Soul attempted (and failed) to channel Humphrey Bogart in the very short lived "Casablanca" (1983). The show was on the air for only three episodes before getting canceled in April 1983. Soul was considerably more successful as Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in "Starsky and Hutch" (1975-1979). "Casablanca" also features a young Ray Liotta just two years into his acting career. Scatman Crothers played Sam, the piano player. The show was ranked number 17 on the TV Guide list of "Worst Shows of All Time."

Remarkably, "Casablanca" did win an Emmy Award. Cinematographer Joseph Biroc won for "The Masterbuilder's Woman," the show's second episode.

Robert Blake played Tony Barretta in the show of the same name from 1975 to 1978. Telly Savalas was NYPD Lieutenant Theo Kojak in the eponymous series which ran from 1973 to 1978. And Michael Douglas was Steve Keller in "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972-77).

Answer: Michael Crichton

Crichton attempted to create a "Westworld" television show, and it failed after only three episodes. It is probably most notable as an early acting credit of Connie Selleca of "Greatest American Hero" (1981-86) fame. The basic storyline was about a corporate security chief trying to stop a mad scientist from taking over the world with killer robots.

Crichton was one of the more successful screenwriters of the 1970s, with "Westworld" (1973), "The Andromeda Strain" (1971) and "Coma" (1978) among his credits. He also created the "Jurassic Park" universe and "ER" (1994-2009), one of the most successful medical dramas in television history.

Answer: Courtney Cox

"Misfits of Science" managed to last 16 episodes before NBC effectively pulled the plug on it in February 1986. Cox starred as Gloria Dinallo, a young woman with telekinesis. The show is about a team of wannabe superheroes who fight crime for a scientific institute. The producers did have some legal wrangles with Marvel over similarities with "X-Men."

Cox played Alex Keaton's girlfriend Lauren on "Family Ties" (1987-1989). She had a second bomb with "The Trouble with Larry", a sitcom starring Bronson Pinchot in 1993.

Jennifer Aniston was on the short-lived series "Molloy" (1990), "Ferris Bueller" (1990-91) and "Muddling Through" (1994) before getting "Friends" (1994-2004).

Matt LeBlanc starred in the short-lived shows "Top of the Heap" (1991) and "Vinnie and Bobby" (1992) before getting "Friends."

Lisa Kudrow gained fame as ditzy waitress Ursula on "Mad About You" (1992-1999).

Answer: Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer played Samantha "Sunshine" Jensen, an LAPD detective who was part of the Burglary Auto Detail (hence BAD). The show lasted six episodes in January and February of 1980.

It was not Pfeiffer's first role in television; that would be "Delta House" (1979), a short-lived spinoff of "Animal House" in which Pfeiffer was known as "The Bombshell."

Pfeiffer got her big break in "Grease 2" (1983) and since then has starred in many Hollywood films, including "The Witches of Eastwick" (1987), "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989) and "White Oleander" (2002).

Answer: Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, what could go wrong? Apparently a great deal, as the sitcom failed after only six episodes in the fall of 1989. It was set at a New York hotel. Korman was the manager of the hotel and Leachman was the head of housekeeping. The owner of the hotel was named Edwina Nutt (also Leachman). The show also starred Molly Hagan, fairly early in her career.

Brooks directed some of the funniest films of all time, including both "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" in 1974. Brooks also directed "The Producers" (1968) and later turned it into a hit Broadway Musical (intentionally).

Answer: Tim Conway

Tim Conway played the bumbling detective, who would manage to solve the crimes despite his incompetence, much like Inspector Jacques Clousseau. The show lasted for five episodes on CBS in March and April 1983.

The core cast of "The Carol Burnett Show" was Burnett (obviously) and Vicki Lawrence, who were in every episode. Korman was in 256 episodes, Waggoner was in 185 and Tim Conway was in only 111 episodes. Steve Lawrence was a regular guest, with 29 episodes.

Answer: Hunt Stevenson

"Gung Ho" was based on the 1986 film by Ron Howard that starred Michael Keaton. Bakula played Stevenson, the Keaton role, on the show. The show focused on labor-management relations in a Japanese owned auto plant in the United States. It only lasted nine episodes between December 1986 and February 1987.

Kaz Kazuhiro was played by Gedde Wattanabe, reprising his role from the film. Googie was played by Ron Howard's brother Clint. And Buster was played by Stephen Lee.

Bakula has had better luck since them. He played Doctor Sam Becket on the time travel drama "Quantum Leap" (1989-1993) and Captain Jonathan Archer on "Star Trek: Enterprise" (2001-2005). In 2014, he began playing Dwayne "King" Pride on "NCIS: New Orleans".

Answer: Journalist

Maggie Briggs was a reporter for the "New York Examiner" who worked on human interest stories. The show lasted only six episodes in March and April 1984.

Pleshette is best known for her work on "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972-78) where she played Emily, Bob's wife. She was a teacher on "Bob Newhart." Her first major film role was playing opposite Tippi Hedren in "The Birds" (1963).

Answer: Paul Rodriguez

Comedian Paul Rodriguez was Paul Rivera. The show also starred Hector Elizondo, who appeared in five different shows that lasted less than one season during the 1980s. Pablo lasted for six weeks in March and April 1984, and is listed at number 45 on TV Guide's "50 Worst Television Shows of All Time."

The show focused on Rivera's attempts to become a stand-up comedian and his large extended family. The cast also included legendary Mexican actress Katy Jurado.

Rodriguez had two more failed series "Trial and Error" which lasted eight episodes in 1988, and "Grand Slam" which lasted six episodes in 1990. He has been considerably more successful in his film career, appearing in several dozen movies since 1984.

Gabriel Iglesias was born in 1976, and he was not one of the kids on the show. George Lopez had a sitcom from 2002 to 2007. Freddie Prinze died in 1977.

Answer: Adam West

Batman himself, Adam West, played Captain Wright. The series was a knock-off of the "Police Academy" films, which were extremely popular in the mid 1980s. West played the slightly goofy captain in a precinct filled with crazy characters. Ernie Hudson from "Ghostbusters" is probably the most prominent 1980s name in the cast. The pilot aired in January 1986 and the show's other six episodes aired in April and May.

Burt Ward was Robin, Alan Napier (1903-1988) was butler Alfred Pennyworth and Neil Hamilton (1899-1984) played Commissioner Gordon.