Shows with Bros. Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bonanza

Were you clever enough to guess the right answer even though the question was a little tricky? Adam, Eric (AKA "Hoss") and Joseph ("Little Joe") were the three Cartwright brothers who lived on the Ponderosa Ranch on "Bonanza". They had one father, but three different mothers, which explained the fact that there was absolutely no family resemblance; what it didn't explain was why Ben had so much trouble keeping a wife! "Bonanza" continued to burn its brand through Nevada from 1959 through 1973, with Ben and his boys protecting the ranch and their neighbors from trouble.

Answer: Here Come the Brides

"Here Come the Brides" only ran from 1968-1970 and told the story of a family of loggers who lived in Seattle in the Washington territory. Now there were not very many eligible brides in the untamed Northwest at the time so Jason (Robert Bolt), Jeremy (Bobby Sherman, yeah, the singer) and Joshua (David Soul, yes, 'Hutch') paid money to have 100 prospective brides shipped over from Massachusetts (which apparently had a surfeit of men).

The money was borrowed from Stempel, the sawmill owner, and if his conditions were not met, the Bolts would have to forfeit their mountain.

Answer: Tony Dow

Wallace Cleaver was played by actor Tony Dow from 1957-1963. Tony was born in April, 1945 in Los Angeles, California; his mother, Muriel Montrose, was a stuntwoman in early westerns, a Mack Sennett Bathing Beauty and a double for actress Clara Bow. Aside from acting, Tony was a junior Olympic diving champion, a journalism student, a director and has been working as a successful modern arts sculptor.

The incorrect choices were also on the show - Jerry Mathers (Beaver), Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell) and Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver).

Answer: Winchester

The 'haunting' show "Supernatural" (2005) stars Jared Padaleki as Sam Winchester with Jensen Ackles as his brother Dean Winchester. The brothers are following in their father's scary footprints by hunting evil, other-worldly beings like demons and monsters and "things that go bump in the night". To add to their determination, their mother was killed by an evil supernatural force when they were very young, and later that same force claimed their father.

The only ones they can be sure of are each other (and sometimes not even that!).

Answer: Fred MacMurray

"My Three Sons" ran from 1960 to 1972. Because it was the early 1960s, the father had to be a widower (divorced parents didn't come until later TV). If you watched the show way back then, you can probably still hear the tune playing in your head. Anyway, Fred MacMurray played an aeronautical engineer who had to raise 3 sons by himself; well, first with the help of his father-in-law 'Bub' i.e., William Frawley, from "I Love Lucy"; then later with the help of 'Uncle Charley' (William Demarest). Then they adopted another son (Ernie), marriages, wives, step-daughters..."the circle of life". MacMurray was a lead actor (usually comedic) in the 1940s and 1950s.

Answer: Barbara Stanwyck

One of my favorite actresses from movies' "Golden Age" was Barbara Stanwyck; she could do it all so convincingly - tragedy, deception, comedy (but she never won an Oscar!) Anyway, she even aged gracefully and, when there were no leading lady parts for her in movies, she moved on to TV. On "The Big Valley" (1965-1969), she played Victoria Barkley, the matriarch of the Barkley Ranch in San Joaquin, California in the 1870s; she ruled over Jarrod, Heath, Nick and Audra, and did it with her usual style and grace.

She later appeared on "The Thorn Birds", "The Colbys" and "Dynasty" through the 1980s. (I had to include "Double Indemnity" from 1944, just because it was great!)

Answer: Numbers

Who could forget Don Eppes, the FBI agent, and his math genius brother, Charlie, solving crimes by using math, on a show aptly called "Numb3rs" which ran from 2005 through 2010. While the concept was a little far-fetched, it was still quite interesting and well-acted by Rob Morrow (from "Northern Exposure") and David Krumholtz (convincing as the math 'savant'). To add to the mix, their father was played by Judd Hirsch (of "Taxi") and Peter MacNichol (from "Ally McBeal") was Charlie's colleague.

Answer: Michael Scofield

The tattooed man with a plan, Michael Scofield, got himself arrested so he could help get his brother (who was, of course, innocent) out of prison. "Prison Break" (2005-2009) featured Wentworth Miller as the structural engineer and devoted brother to Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell). Linc was an innocent man on death row as the result of a political conspiracy (heard that one before?).

They were able to break-out (or they'd need a different title) of Fox River but, unfortunately, accompanied by some of the other inmates, including the extremely violent 'T-Bag' Bagwell, well played by Robert Knepper.

Answer: Knots Landing

Oh, the tribulations of the overlooked middle child, in this case Gary Ewing, played by Ted Shackelford (who?). Gary moved from one prime-time 'soap' in Texas to another in the town of "Knots Landing", California (1979-1993) where, suprisingly?, there were also a bunch of scheming manipulators (cue Donna Mills as Abby).

The town seems like an early version of Wisteria Lane, but aren't most prime time soap operas cut from the same pattern?

Answer: Brotherly Love

I figured I would end with a show which featured real brothers playing 'reel' brothers, on a show titled fittingly "Brotherly Love" (1995-1997) and set (also fittingly) in Philadelphia, PA. Joey Lawrence, (who seems to play Joe or Joey in every show he's been in) was the oldest half-brother to Matt and Andy. Joe returned to Philadelphia to collect his share of his father's estate after his father was tragically killed in an accident.

His father's estate was a car-customizing business which was barely solvent, and his relationships were also rocky; however, they produced the usual number of joys and heartaches you can fit into a two-year span.