Old Time TV Characters, Actors, And Shows Multiple Choice Quiz | Television

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Mike Connors is probably best remembered for his role as private investigator Joe Mannix in the 1967 series "Mannix". What was the name of the 1959 series starring Mike Connors as Nick Stone?

Answer: Tightrope

In "Tightrope", Connors played Nick Stone, undercover agent, assigned to investigate and uncover members of criminal gangs. Stone's cover was so deep that many of his fellow law enforcement did not know of him, or his assignment.
Stone carried two guns. One weapon was in a shoulder holster that was often found when he was searched by both the good guys and the bad guys. The second gun, a snub nosed revolver, was always tucked in a holster in the small of his back, which on more than one occasion saved his life. Connors as Stone served as narrator for the episodes.

"Tightrope" aired for one season (1959-1960), with 37 episodes, all filmed in black and white.
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"The Line Up" (1954) was a police drama series starring Warner Anderson and Tom Tully.

"Cimarron City" (1958) was a western series starring George Montgomery and John Smith.

"Shannon" (1961) was a crime drama series starring George Nader and Regis Toomy.

2. The 1975 action packed police drama series "S.W.A.T." starred Steve Forrest as Lieutenant Dan "Hondo" Harrelson, who led the Olympic Division Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) unit. What was the title of the 1965 series starring Steve Forrest as John Mannering?

Answer: The Baron

"The Baron" starred Steve Forrest as an antique dealer who also happened to be an operative for British Diplomatic Intelligence. The series followed Mannering as he addressed matters involving both of his professions.

This British television series aired for one season (1965-1966) and produced 30 episodes.
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"Johnny Staccato" (1959) was a detective series starring John Cassavetes and Eduardo Cianelli.

"Mr. District Attorney" (1954) was a crime drama series starring David Brian and Jackie Loughery.

"Cool Million" (1972) was a crime drama series starring James Farentino, John Vernon and Barbara Bouchet.

3. Before his string of 'Spaghetti Westerns' and before his role as Harry Callahan in the "Dirty Harry" movie series, Clint Eastwood starred in the 1959 Western television series "Rawhide". What was his character's name?

Answer: Rowdy Yates

A former corporal in the Confederate army, Rowdy Yates was hired on by trail boss Gil Favor as "ramrod" for cattle drives he managed. Yates, a young and sometimes impulsive cowboy, served as Gil Favor's second in command.

In season eight of the series after the departure of Gil Favor, Rowdy Yates was promoted to trail boss and headed the cattle drives.

Clint Eastwood was featured in all 217 episodes of the series over its eight season run (1959-1965).
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Stoney Burke was the title character of a 1962 western series, starring Jack Lord. Lord went on to the role of Steve McGarrett on the hit series "Hawaii Five-O".

Reese Bennett was one of the Texas Rangers in the 1965 western series "Laredo". The role was played by Neville Brand. The series also starred Peter Brown, William Smith and Philip Carey.

Gil Favor, played by Eric Fleming for eight seasons, was the Trail Boss on the series "Rawhide" (1959).

4. Between his roles as Deputy Marshal Chester Goode on the series "Gunsmoke" (1955) and his portrayal of Marshal Sam McCloud in the 1970 series "McCloud", Dennis Weaver starred in a half-hour 1964 comedy/drama series as a veterinarian. Co-starring in the series were Harry Morgan and Ricky Der. What was the name of this one-season series?

Answer: Kentucky Jones

Kenneth Yarborough Jones, DVM, known as "K.Y." or "Kentucky" to his friends led a successful happy life as a former horse trainer turned veterinarian with his wife on their ranch. They even planned to adopt a small orphaned child to complete their lives. Tragedy struck and Kentucky Jones became a despondent, mourning widower. Answering a knock on his door, he was confronted by a social worker with a 10 year old Chinese boy, ready to be adopted. Jones realized that he never updated the agency of his wife's death or canceled the adoption process.
Jones agreed to take the young boy, Dwight Eisenhower "Ike" Wong, played by Ricky Der, until a more suitable home could be found. Jones tended to the boy with the assistance of former jockey and assistant Seldom Jackson, played by Harry Morgan, and many of the friends in his community. What quickly developed was a strong father/son relationship between Kentucky and Ike.

The 26 episode season of this half-hour comedy drama aired during 1964-65.
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"Sugarfoot" (1957) was a western series starring Will Hutchins.

"National Velvet" (1960) was a drama series starring Lori Martin, Ann Doran
and Arthur Space.

"Gentle Ben" (1967) was an adventure series starring Dennis Weaver, Beth Brickell, and Clint Howard. Ben was played by Bruno the Bear.

5. For two seasons (1963-1965), Gene Barry starred as suave, millionaire homicide police captain Amos Burke in series "Burke's Law". For the third season (1965-1966), the show was retooled, the cast was changed, and Amos Burke took on a new profession. What was Amos Burke's new job title?

Answer: secret agent

"Amos Burke, Secret Agent" was the title of the new show. No longer an eccentric police captain who was chauffeured to crime scenes in his Silver Cloud Rolls Royce, Burke became an operative for U.S. Intelligence, and traveled the globe as a secret agent.

The change was prompted by the success of the many popular "spy" movies and TV series of the day. The new premise was not enough to sustain the series, which ran only 17 episodes before being cancelled.

6. Martin Milner starred for seven seasons as Officer Pete Malloy on the series "Adam-12" (1968). George Maharis starred as Jonathan Croft on the series, "The Most Deadly Game" (1970). On what 1960 series did they co-star as Tod Stiles and Buz Murdock?

Answer: Route 66

In the series, the two young restless men set out on a journey in a Corvette convertible to explore America. The travels of Tod and Buz took them to some of the most beautiful parts of the country, where they often assimilated into the local communities, faced contemporary issues and problems of the day, and experiencing the many cultures and activities that form the nation.

"Route 66" aired for four seasons (1960-1964). The 116 episodes were filmed in 40 different states, with two episodes being filmed in Canada. The series was known for its rich cinematography and scenery. George Maharis left the series in the third season due to illness and Glenn Corbett occupied the passenger seat for the fourth and final season.

The catchy instrumental theme song written by Nelson Riddle, was among the first TV series theme songs to make the "Billboard Magazine" top 30 list.
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"Arrest and Trial" (1963) was a 90-minute crime drama series that devoted the first half of each episode to the arrest of criminals by Sgt. Nick Anderson (Ben Gazzara) with the second half of the episode showing the prosecution and trial of the defendant by Assistant District Attorney John Egan (Chuck Connors)

"The Felony Squad" (1966) was a police drama starring Howard Duff as Sgt. Sam Stone, who was partnered with Det. Jim Briggs (Dennis Cole), as they maintained law and order in an unspecified major west coat city.

"Surfside 6" (1960) was a detective series featuring Lee Patterson, Troy Donahue, and Van Williams as Miami Beach investigators, whose office was a houseboat whose address was used as the series title.

7. William Daniels played the role of Dr. Mark Craig on the long running, highly acclaimed medical drama series, "St. Elsewhere" (1982). At the same time, Daniels also provided the voice for K.I.T.T. on the series "Knight Rider" (1982). Daniels starred in the role of Carter Nash in a 1966 half hour comedy series. What was the title of that series?

Answer: Captain Nice

Carter Nash was a very mild mannered police chemist who, by accident, discovered a liquid formula that when taken transformed him into the crime fighting superhero, Captain Nice. Captain Nice could fly, but had difficulty in controlling his fear of heights. A good son, Captain Nice followed the directions of his mother (Alice Ghostly) in selecting crimes and criminals to confront. His mother also made his superhero costume which bore the insignia initials "CN" for Captain Nice. The initials also referred to his alter ego, Carter Nash.

"Captain Nice" aired 15 half hour episodes during the 1967 television season.

Trivia Note:
William Daniels was one of the few actors to be part of the cast of two television series that ran at the same time. Daniels appeared in all 137 episodes of "St. Elsewhere" from 1982-1988, and was the unseen voice of the automated car K.I.T.T. for all 82 episodes of "Knight Rider" from 1982-1986.
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"Mr. Terrific" (1967) was a situation comedy starring Stephen Strimpell as Stanley Beamish, a quiet shy gas station attendant who became a super hero/crime fighter after ingesting a pill. His powers had a one hour time limit. Costarring were Dick Gautier and John McGiver.

"Good Morning World" (1967) was a situation comedy about a morning radio team, Lewis and Clark, on a small radio station. The series starred Joby Baker as David Lewis and Ronnie Schell as his partner, Larry Clarke. The finicky station manager was played by Billy DeWolfe.

"My Mother the Car" (1965), was a situation comedy series, often considered by TV critics as one of the worst series of all time. The series revolved around attorney Dave Crabtree who, while shopping for a new car, found his dearly departed mother reincarnated in the form of a car, a talking car... a 1928 Porter to be exact. Dave purchased the car and followed his mother's directions and advice. The series starred Jerry Van Dyke, Maggie Pierce, and Avery Schreiber, with Ann Southern providing the voice of the car.

8. Two of the most memorable roles played by Bob Denver were as beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on "The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis" (1959), and as the first mate on the S.S. Minnow on "Gilligans Island" (1964). Denver later starred as Rufus Butterworth on a situation comedy series also starring Herb Edelman and Joyce Van Patten. What was the name of this series that aired for two seasons?

Answer: The Good Guys

"The Good Guys" was the story of two lifelong friends, Rufus Butterworth (Bob Denver), a cab driver, and Bert Gramus (Herb Edelman), who owned and operated a small eating establishment called Bert's Diner. Rufus and Bert were constantly exploring "get rich quick" schemes that would give them a financial boost, but always seem to fall short of their goals. In the second season, Rufus sold his taxi cab, and went into a partnership with Bert after the diner was relocated. While running the diner, they still tried to find ways to make quick money, but again, never quite found their pot of gold. The series showed the warm and strong friendship between the guys. Joyce VanPatten co-starred as Bert's wife, Claudia.

Low ratings resulted in the cancellation of the series at the end of the second season, despite the network's efforts to improve ratings by featuring former "Gilligan's Island" alumni Jim Bakus and Alan Hale Jr. in cameo and recurring roles in the second season. Due to the poor print quality of the film used on the show, the series never went into syndication in the United States.
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"Many Happy Returns" (1964) was a situation comedy series about a department store complaint department starring John McGiver, Elenor Donahue and Mickey Manners.

"The Baileys of Balboa" (1964) was a situation comedy about a marina charter boat service starring Paul Ford, Sterling Holloway and John Dehner.

"It's About Time" (1966) was a situation comedy about two American Astronauts who returned from their space mission, landing on a prehistoric earth, complete with cave people. The series starred Frank Aletter, Jack Mullaney, Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross.

9. Jim Davis starred as fireman Wes Cameron for two seasons on the 1958 syndicated series "Rescue 8". The series focused on the adventures of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Rescue Unit in the Hollywood area. In 1978, Davis was one of the original cast members on one of the longest running prime time series. What series provided Davis with the final acting role of his life?

Answer: Dallas

Jim Davis played the family patriarch, John Ross "Jock" Ewing on the very popular and long running prime time series "Dallas" (1978). Davis appeared in 77 episodes of the series during the first four seasons. It was during filming of season for that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Davis reduced his work load while filming, and unfortunately passed away while the fourth season was being aired.

The series producers chose to continue his role into the fifth season before writing out the character. For the first 13 episodes of season five, there were references to Jock being away on business trips. It was in the 13th episode that Jock was reported to be killed in a helicopter accident in South America.

"Dallas" aired 357 episodes over 14 seasons. The series was listed on the Nielsen Ratings in the top ten for seven of the series' 14 seasons. The series claimed the number one season ratings in 1980, 1981 and 1983.
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"Bonanza" (1959) was a highly rated, long running western series starring Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Ban Blocker, Michael Landon and Victor Sen Yung.

"Falcon Crest" (1981) was a prime time soap opera starring Jane Wyman, Robert Foxworth, Susan Sullivan and Lorenzo Lamas.

"M*A*S*H" (1972) was a critically acclaimed military medical drama with a stellar cast including Alan Alda, Wayne Rodgers, Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff, Larry Linville, McLean Stevenson, Jamie Farr and Harry Morgan.

10. Among Stuart Whitman's 180 plus movie and television credits are characters such as Sergeant Walters on 13 episodes on the 1958 series "Highway Patrol", Jonathan Kent in 10 episodes of "The Adventures of Superboy (1985), and the role as Mr. Willis on five episodes in season 11 (1990) of "Knots Landing" (1979). On what 1967 television series did he star as the lead character Jim Crown?

Answer: Cimarron Strip

"Cimarron Strip" was one of only three western series to air 90-minute episodes during the 1960s. Set in 1888 in the territory known as the Oklahoma Pandhandle (portions of Texas and Oklahoma), U.S. Marshal Jim Crown (Stuart Whitman) maintained law and order over the sometimes violent frontier areas, facing Indians, outlaws, and shifty and corrupted business men who threatened the peacefulness of the territory. Crown was a steel jawed, no nonsense lawman.

The series costarred Jill Townsend as shop keeper Dulcey Coopersmith, Randy Boone as Francis Wilde, Crown's sometimes deputy marshal and Percy Herbert as MacGregor, who often assisted Crown when needed.

"Cimarron Strip" aired 23 episodes in the 1967 television season.
The other two 90-minute westerns to air in the 1960s were "Wagon Train" (1957-1965), and "The Virginian (1962-1971).
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"The Rounders" (1966) was a western comedy series starring Ron Hayes, Patrick Wayne and Chill Wills.

"Lawman" (1958) was a western series starring John Russell, Peter Brown and Peggie Castle.

"Stagecoach West"(1960) was a western drama series starring Wayne Rogers, Robert Bray and Richard Eyer.

Source: Author MaceoMack

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Old Time TV Characters, Actors, And Shows Quiz

This quiz will challenge your knowledge of actors, character names, and television series from the past. Put on those memory hats, and good luck. For those trivia nuts like me who agonize over the incorrect answers, no worries, they're included.

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