Explanatory TV themes Trivia Quiz

Answer: "Gilligan's Island"

"Gilligan's Island" (1964-1967) dealt with the seven passengers and crew of the ill-fated SS Minnow, a tour boat which crashed on an uncharted desert isle after a storm. They eventually got off the island when it suddenly occurred to the Professor to build a boat. This show had separate opening and closing themes.

Answer: The Beverly Hillbillies

This 1962-1971 sitcom dealt with Ozark country boy Jed Clampett, who moved to California with his family after accidentally striking oil on his property. This show also had distinct opening and closing theme songs. Buddy Ebson, who played Jed, was originally cast as the Tin Woodsman "The Wizard of Oz," but had to drop out when the makeup made him critically ill.

Answer: The People's Court

The original incarnation of "The People's Court" ran from 1981 to 1993. Judge Joseph Wapner ruled on the case, usually after a short commercial break. Rust Burrell was the bailiff and Doug Llewelyn interviewed the participants afterwards. Wapner stated that the most frustrating part of the show was that he was not allowed to find people in contempt.

Answer: The A-Team

"The A-Team" ran from 1983 to 1987 and was responsible for introducing the TV world to the acting skills of Mr. T. Despite the violent premise, only one episode actually showed someone being killed (in a flashback to Vietnam). The show was made into a movie in 2010.

Answer: Red Dwarf

"Red Dwarf" was a British show that ran from 1988 to 1999. It dealt with space janitor Dave Lister, who was put into suspended animation for six months after smuggling his cat on board the "Red Dwarf". When he was revived, he was disturbed to realize that, due to a radiation leak, he'd been away for 3,000,000 years. The human race was likely extinct, his cat's descendants had evolved into a sentient humanoid race and wiped themselves out in a holy war, and he owed millions of pounds to the electric board for leaving the bathroom light on the whole time.

While later seasons had an instrumental introduction, the first two seasons opened with an SOS call from Holly, the ship's computer. He'd usually end on a funny note, such as saying how the only thing that kept him sane was his collection of singing potatoes.

Answer: The Flintstones

The original "Flintstones" ran from 1960 to 1966. The show spawned several spin-offs, crossovers, and movies. This was one of the first cartoons with family appeal. Old timers might remember commercials with Fred and Barney shilling for Winston cigarettes: "Tastes good like a cigarette should! Yabba dabba do!"

Answer: Quantum Leap

Running from 1989 to 1993, "Quantum Leap" was the story of Dr. Sam Beckett, who leapt from body to body, time period to time period. He suffered from partial amnesia, having forgotten much about his past (including, as revealed in one episode, that he was married). Sam jumped from body to body, changing history for the better.

In the final episode, it was revealed that Sam never returned to his own time.

Answer: Star Trek

The original "Star Trek" ran from 1966 to 1969. It spawned numerous spin offs, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The introduction to "STNG" changed the introduction from 'no man' to 'no one.'

Answer: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" ran from 1990 to 1996, and elevated rapper Will Smith to stardom. The premise was that after getting in a fight, Will's mother sent him to live with her wealthy sister and brother-in-law in California. Apparently, the Banks family would rather have paid the enormous expense of raising a fourth child and sending him to an expensive private school, instead of sending his family money to move to a better neighborhood. Of course, that wouldn't have made a good sitcom.

Answer: Green Acres

"Green Acres" ran from 1967 to 1971. It dealt with a rich New York couple who chucked everything to live on a farm. I wonder if they ever ran into the Clampetts from question 2.