Match the Actress with the Show - 1950s Edition Quiz

Answer: Jane Wyatt

The sitcom "Father Knows Best" ran from 1954 to 1960 and focused mainly on the home life of insurance salesman Jim Anderson (Robert Young), his homemaker wife (Jane Wyatt), and their three children (Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray, and Lauren Chapin). The show's name was a bit of a misnomer because it was usually mother Margaret (Wyatt) who was the voice of reason in the household. Wyatt won three consecutive Emmy Awards (1958-1960) for her work on the show. Young, Donahue, and Gray also received Emmy nominations for their work on the series, with Young twice winning the award.

Answer: Jean Hagen

The sitcom "Make Room for Daddy", also known as "The Danny Thomas Show", ran from 1953 to 1964 and featured Thomas as entertainer Danny Williams. Jean Hagen, probably best known for playing the brassy Lina Lamont in "Singin' in the Rain", portrayed his strict wife Margaret who ran the household since her absentee husband's career kept him busy. Hagen left the series after season three; apparently she and Thomas didn't get along, and she wasn't happy with her role on the show. Thomas wasn't pleased that she left and rather than merely replacing her, he had her character killed off - one of the first deaths on a sitcom.

The show continued on with Williams being a widower for a few seasons before marrying his son's nurse. Hagen received three Emmy nominations for her work on the show but didn't win.

She received supporting actress nominations in 1955 and 1956 and also received a lead actress (at that time called "continuing performance") nomination in 1956. Thomas was the only other performer nominated for work on the series.

Answer: Eve Arden

The sitcom "Our Miss Brooks" started on radio in 1948 and ran on television from 1952 to 1956. Eve Arden portrayed the title character, a witty high school English teacher. The show also featured Gale Gordon as Principal Conklin and Robert Rockwell as biology teacher Philip Boynton, whom Miss Brooks pursued romantically. Towards the end of its run, Gene Barry was added to the cast as gym teacher Gene Talbot who pursued Miss Brooks. Arden received three consecutive Emmy nominations in 1954-1956 for her work on the show, and she picked up the award in the first year. Gordon was the only other performer to receive an Emmy nomination for the show.

Answer: Peggy Wood

The comedy-drama "Mama" ran from 1949 to 1957 and featured Peggy Wood in the title role as the matriarch of a Norwegian immigrant family living in 1910s San Francisco. The series was based on the book that inspired the play and film "I Remember Mama". Wood was the only performer to receive an Emmy nomination for the show; she did so in 1953 and 1957 but didn't win.

Her 1953 nomination was a generic "Best Actress" without a particular show attached, but she was only starring in "Mama" at the time.

Answer: Lucille Ball

The sitcom "I Love Lucy" ran from 1951 to 1957 and was developed from an earlier radio program, "My Favorite Husband", which starred Lucille Ball as a zany housewife. When the show moved to television, Ball's real-life husband, Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz, was cast as bandleader Ricky Ricardo, with Ball portraying his hapless wife Lucy who wasn't content with merely being a housewife. William Frawley and Vivian Vance portrayed the Ricardo's neighbors and best friends who were frequently dragged into Lucy's schemes. All the main cast members except for Arnaz received Emmy nominations for their acting work on the show, while Arnaz was recognized for producing the show. Ball received five consecutive Emmy nominations in 1954-1958, and she won the award in 1956.

Answer: Spring Byington

"December Bride" was another sitcom adapted from radio; it ran on radio from 1952 to 1953 and then on television from 1954 to 1959. The show was produced by the Desi Arnaz/Lucille Ball company, Desilu Productions and initially aired directly after "I Love Lucy", which helped with its popularity. Spring Byington portrayed the middle-aged widow Lily Ruskin who was on the hunt for a new husband.

Helping her with her search were her daughter and son-in-law (Frances Rafferty and Dean Miller), with whom she lived, and her friend Hilda (Verna Felton). Byington received Emmy nominations in 1958 and 1959 for her performance but didn't win. Co-stars Felton and Harry Morgan, who portrayed neighbor Pete Porter, also received Emmy nominations for their work on the show.

Answer: Ann Sothern

The sitcom "Private Secretary" (also known as "Susie") ran from 1953 to 1957 and starred Ann Sothern as Susie MacNamara, the meddling secretary for handsome talent agent Peter Sands (Don Porter). The episodes evolved around the office with receptionist Vi Praskins (Ann Tyrrell) often teaming up with MacNamara for various schemes that frequently involved Sands' love life. Sothern was the only performer nominated for Emmy Awards for her work on the show.

She received three consecutive Emmy nominations in 1955-1957 but didn't win.

Answer: Ida Lupino

"Mr Adams and Eve" was a short-lived comedy that ran in 1957 and 1958 and starred real-life couple Howard Duff and Ida Lupino as feisty married movie stars named Howard Adams and Eve Drake. Adams and Drake were famous actors and the episodes mainly revolved around their Hollywood life style and their dealings with their agent (Hayden Rorke) and the movie studio boss (Alan Reed). Lupino was the only performer to receive Emmy recognition for her work on the show; she was nominated in 1958 and 1959 but didn't win.

Answer: Audrey Meadows

"The Honeymooners" originated as sketches on the "Cavalcade of Stars" show in 1951 and on "The Jackie Gleason Show" from 1952-1955. Despite being one of the best known sitcoms from the 1950s, "The Honeymooners" actually only ran for one season (1955/1956).

The series followed the family life and schemes of bus driver Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), his best friend Ed Norton (Art Carney), and their wives (Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph). Pert Kelton initially portrayed Alice Kramden in the sketch comedies, but was replaced with Meadows after Kelton was blacklisted during the McCarthy hearings. Gleason initially didn't want Meadows on the show because he thought she was too glamorous for the role, but she convinced him otherwise by having shabby pictures taken of herself with no makeup. For her work on the show, Meadows received an Emmy nomination in 1956 but didn't win. Gleason and Carney also received nominations for the series.

Answer: Phyllis Kirk

The detective series "The Thin Man" ran from 1957 to 1959 and was based on the film series of the same name. On the small screen, it was Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk who portrayed Nick and Nora Charles, roles portrayed by William Powell and Myrna Loy on the big screen.

The upper class detectives handled a variety of cases, including one involving Robby the Robot from "Forbidden Planet" who had been accused of murder. Incidentally, Don Rickles had one of his earliest television roles on the show; he played a cab driver, and Rickles claimed he was mauled by the Charles' wire fox terrier Asta! Kirk received the series' sole Emmy nomination in 1959 but didn't win.