Second Bananas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Happy Days

Donny Most played Ralph Hector Malph who, along with Potsie Weber (Anson Williams), were friends of the show's protagonist Richie Cunningham. They all went to Jefferson High together and were in the semi-nerdy, goody-two shoes category. Without the appearances of "The Fonz", the show would be like an updated version of "Ozzie and Harriet". "Happy Days" was set in the 1950s and 1960s, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; it ran for 10 years from 1974 to 1984.

Answer: Who's the Boss?

After Katherine Helmond's quirky stint on the comedy "Soap", she went on to play Mona Robinson on "Who's the Boss?" from 1984 through 1992. Mona was the 'drop-in-anytime' mother of Angela Bower. Judith Light played Angela Bower, the divorced, high-powered advertising executive who hired former baseball player Tony Micelli (Tony Danza) as her live-in housekeeper.

Answer: Mork and Mindy

Conrad Janis portrayed Fred McConnell on "Mork and Mindy" (1978-1982). Fred was the father of the very normal, stable Mindy McConnell...that is, until Mork from Ork entered Mindy's life. Fred was sort of a buffer between his daughter and the wacky alien (played so wonderfully by Robin Williams). Mindy wound up living with Mork at her place in Denver, Colorado with occasional visits from Fred. BTW, in real life, Janis is also a jazz musician.

Answer: Hill St. Blues

Veronica Hamel played the beautiful Public Defender Joyce Davenport on "Hill Street Blues" (1981-1987). The show was about a realistic look at the lives of policemen (and women) in a large urban area. Did you know the name of the city was never divulged? Daniel J. Travanti played Captain Francis Xavier Furillo, head of the Hill Street Station. You could tell this series was no "Barney Miller" from Sergeant Esterhaus' daily warning "Let's be careful out there". Later on, Joyce went from Frank's mistress to his wife, and from defending to prosecuting.

Answer: Laverne & Shirley

Anyone remember Carmine Ragusa "The Big Ragoo"? I always thought it was "The Big Ragu", like the spaghetti sauce. Carmine was played by Eddie Mekka on "Laverne and Shirley" (1976-1983). Carmine had been Shirley Feeney's high school sweetheart and continued to be her 'protector' after graduation.

He was a good buffer against the two looney neighbors, Lennie and Squiggy. In addition, Carmine was a good dancer and sang just like Tony Bennett. I wonder what ever happened to him?

Answer: Burn Notice

"Burn Notice" was a cable show which aired on USA Network from 2007 to 2013. It was about a "burned" spy named Michael Westen; 'burned' is spy talk for fired. Well, he finds himself in Miami, Florida and must find out who 'burned' him. In the middle of all that he found time, with his girlfriend and his best friend, to fight the bad guys and help the needy - sort of a warm, sunny "Mission Impossible". Also living in Miami (coincidentally?) was Madeline Westen, his mother, who sometimes got involved in his plots.
Madeline was played by Sharon Gless (Christine Cagney).

Answer: Designing Women

Meshach Taylor played the role of Anthony Bouvier on "Designing Women" (1986-1993), a show about four interior decorators at a firm (Sugarbaker's) in Georgia. Anthony was an ex-con delivery man, and he was a wonderful foil for all the quirky women. In fact, his character was only supposed to appear on one episode of the show, but his scenes with Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) and Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter) went so well, he was hired on a permanent basis.

He was the only regular male cast member for all seven seasons, and was nominated for an Emmy in 1989 for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Answer: Blossom

Remember "Blossom" (1990 to 1995)? Blossom was played by Mayim Bialik who was in "Beaches" prior to that, and afterward blossomed into Amy Farrah Fowler on "The Big, Bang Theory". Jenna von Oy played Six LeMeure (although I never did know she had a last name on the show, but her first name was so cool). Six was Blossom's eccentric best friend who wore all those zany hats. Six's parents were divorced but we learned that she got her name from the fact that she was the sixth child in her family (although we never met any of her siblings).

Answer: I Dream of Jeannie

Bill Daily played the best friend of NASA astronaut Major Tony Nelson, i.e., Major Roger Healey on "I Dream of Jeannie" from 1965 to 1970. Bill Daily must like being up in the air, because he also played commercial airline navigator Howard Borden on "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972-1978). Tony Nelson was portrayed by Larry Hagman, who later morphed into J.R. Ewing from "Dallas". Daily was a great sidekick and, in an interview, he said he was trying to imitate Bob Hope's gestures while he was playing Major Healey.

Answer: ER

Dr. Susan Lewis was a character played by Sherry Stringfield on "ER", beginning in 1994. Dr. Lewis was one of the original doctors on "ER", in the role of an eager resident. She was best friends with Dr. Mark Greene at County General Hospital, but she left after season 3 and returned 5 years later in season 8 as an attending physician.

She checked out for good (no, she didn't die) in 2005's season 12, to move to a hospital in Iowa, when she was passed over for tenure by Dr. Weaver.