Living in the '70s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hawaii Five-O

"Hawaii Five-O" ran from 1968-1980 making it one of the very few television shows that was on American television for the whole decade. Set in the exotic state of Hawaii (obviously) this television show depicted the mixed ethnicities found all over the state.

Many of the characters had Asian or Polynesian backgrounds. The theme from "Hawaii Five-O", written by Morton Stevens, was one of the most popular and easily recognizable theme songs of that decade. This show focused on the case at hand and did not explore the personal lives of its lead characters.

Answer: James Garner

"The Rockford Files" was just one of many of the popular television dramas that centered on and glamorized the profession of the private detective. They portrayed the profession as an essential part of the law enforcement field. James Garner portrayed Los Angeles private Detective Jim Rockford for six seasons.

His character served five years in San Quentin before being proven innocent and receiving a pardon. It is this background that provides the character with a knowledge of the law enforcement field as well as the criminal element.

Answer: Sgt. Pepper Anderson

From 1974-1978 Angie Dickinson starred as undercover cop Sgt. Pepper Anderson on the television show "Police Woman". This was the first prime-time American crime drama to feature a female in the lead role. She was featured undercover as everything from a nurse to a prostitute.

This show is believed to have paved the way for such shows as "Charlie's Angels" and "Cagney and Lacey" a few years down the road.

Answer: Ironside

Raymond Burr portrayed Det. Robert Ironside who had been forced to retire after being paralyzed by a snipers bullet. He is portrayed as a special departmental consultant known for his exceptional brain power and deductive reasoning skills. The show takes place in San Francisco and the city scenery was regularly used is each episode. Each episode featured a famous guest star that included the likes of Charo, Harrison Ford and E.G. Marshall.

Answer: Cannon

Frank Cannon was a private detective who had once been a homicide detective for the Los Angeles Police Department. Following the death of his wife and child he leaves the department and becomes a private detective. William Conrad was an actor, director and producer, whose career spanned five decades. On the radio he was the original Matt Dillon on the radio show "Gunsmoke" (1952-1961).

When the show went from radio to television, his girth prevented him from being considered for the lead role, which went to James Arness.

This was another show that may not have accurately depicted the profession of private detective.

Answer: Lollipops

Telly Savalas played a hardened New York City detective known to suck on lollipops while working. At a time when crime shows were trying to diversify the role of the detective by including women, different ethnicities, and different races, an important aspect of "Kojak" was his Greek background.

This show ran from 1973-1978 and has maintained a cult following for years. In 1999, the character of "Kojak" was ranked by TV guide as #18 on its "50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time" list.

Answer: He lived in a sailboat

Quincy M.E. was one of the very first crime dramas to introduce the field of forensic pathology to the general public. While today, the field of forensics is part of many if not most crime shows, at this time in the 1970's this was somewhat revolutionary.

The character of Quincy was a widowed medical examiner who lived on a sailboat at the Marina Del Rey in California. Starring Jack Klugman, the show aired in 1976 and lasted seven years.

Answer: Taos, New Mexico

Dennis Weaver plays Sheriff Sam McCloud from Taos, New Mexico who is on loan to the New York City Police Department. This cowboy cop must try and learn to live with the residents of New York City. He is often seen riding his horse and wearing a cowboy hat.

His optimistic upbeat character is often played against the city hardened detectives of the NYPD. The show emphasized the differences between sub-cultures that exist in the same culture.

Answer: Polish

George Peppard portrayed Thomas Banacek as a suave, cosmopolitan Polish-American investigator. He specialized in the recovery of stolen property for insurance companies. His dialogue in the show was often peppered with old Polish proverbs. His depiction of Banacek as an intelligent and charismatic man-about-town won the show an award from The Polish American Congress for portraying Polish Americans in such a positive manner.

This was at a time when Polish jokes were popular and usually insinuated that the Polish people were inept, stupid and clumsy.

Answer: False

This short lived crime drama in 1974 that was inspired by a made for television movie of the same name. It featured Teresa Graves as an undercover female detective for the New York Police. It was noted for introducing not only one of the first female cops in the lead role but also the first African-American female. Christie Love's most famous saying was "You're under arrest, Sugah!".