Super TV Trivia VII Trivia Quiz

Answer: "Dynomite!"

Though Norman Lear intended for "Good Times" to be a sitcom with hard-hitting themes relavent to black people, he couldn't ignore the popularity of the jive-talking eldest son of the Evans family. As the shows began focusing more on him, both John Amos (who played father James) and Esther Rolle (who played mother Florida) became increasingly frustrated. Amos would leave after the show's second season (1975-76). Rolle would leave shortly thereafter, but returned later in the show's run.

Answer: A Tribe Called Quest

"Electric Relaxation" appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's 1993 album, "Midnight Marauders". By the time "The Wayans Bros." left the air, a new instrumental track played over the opening credits.

Answer: Jaleel White

Though best known as the nerdy Steve Urkel on the ABC/CBS sitcom "Family Matters", Jaleel White also did the voice of Sega's trademark video game character. The "Sonic" cartoon ran in syndication during the fall of 1993.

Answer: True

Episode #148, "What's Wrong With This Episode IV" (originally aired March 28, 2001) featured a scene in which black actors take on the roles normally played by white actors. Gary Coleman ("Diff'rent Strokes) plays Drew's double; Jimmie Walker ("Good Times") plays Lewis's double; Meshach Taylor ("Designing Women") plays Oswald's double; Kim Fields ("Living Single") plays Kate's double; and Thea Vidal ("Thea") plays Mimi's double.

In tribute to another Warner Bros. property, "Alice", Mimi tells Drew to "Kiss my grits!", then breaks the fourth wall trying to figure out if that's something Mimi would really say. (Thanks to TV Tome.com for information on the show's air date and episode title.)

Answer: New York Chronicle

Actor William Schallert, who played the role of Martin Lane during the show's three year run (1963-66), is one of television's most seasoned actors. He has made at least one appearance as either a leading character or guest star in six consecutive decades, dating back to the 1950s. He has also served as president of the Screen Actors Guild (1979-81).

Answer: Dick Sargent

The first choice to play Darrin Stephens on the hit ABC sitcom "Bewitched", Dick Sargent couldn't take the job because he was under contract to another motion picture studio. He would ultimately replace Dick York in the role, after York's health began to fail.

Incidentally, James Hampton, best known as the inept bugler Hannibal Dobbs on "F Troop", also stood in for James Best on "Dukes", as Sheriff Buster Moon.

Answer: Al Michaels

This is the very first hockey game I ever watched on television, and at the time, I had no idea who Al Michaels was. Despite all his other career achievements, including calling "Monday Night Football", the Super Bowl and the World Series, I'll always remember him screaming, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"

Answer: 1972

The opening narration provides the bulk of the backstory for the series, which ended up putting ABC's power tandem of "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley" out of business.

Answer: "Press Your Luck"

When contestant coordinator Bob Edwards warned executive producer Bill Carruthers that Michael Larsen might be a problem, he wasn't kidding. By memorizing the patterns of the game board, Larsen managed to avoid the Whammies, "Press Your Luck's" infamous villians, and win a lot of loot.

In fact, the incident so embarrassed CBS that when they sold the rerun rights to USA Network in 1987, the hour-long episode Larsen appeared on wasn't included in the package. In 2003, the Game Show Network aired an original special, "Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal", which provided a detailed play-by-play of Larsen's golden moments and reunited host Peter Tomarken with the two players who lost that day.

Answer: Indianapolis

In the same class with "Saved By The Bell", "Hang Time" focused on the antics of a boys' basketball team which also happens to have a pretty good female player in the lineup. The best known "Hang Time" alumnus is Anthony Anderson, who played Teddy Brodis for two seasons (1996-98) and has since appeared in a number of motion pictures, including "Barbershop" (2002) and "Kangaroo Jack" (2003).

Answer: Reggie Theus

An outstanding college player who helped lead UNLV to the Final Four in 1977, Reggie Theus spent 13 seasons in the NBA, most of them with the Chicago Bulls. In addition to "Hang Time", Theus has also worked as a color analyst for TNT's NBA coverage.

Answer: Dick Butkus

Making numerous guest appearances during the years on a myriad of TV shows, Butkus also served as an announcer during NBC's lone season of XFL telecasts.

Answer: Alan was Mel's brother-in-law.

The relationship between Alan Brady and Mel Cooley was far from warm. In fact, Alan rarely passed up an opportunity to remind Mel why he was working for him in the first place.

Answer: On the Moon

George's job typically rides on what he does (or doesn't do) for his demanding, penny-pinching boss, Mr. Spacely (voiced by Mel Blanc). Escorting the scout troop was just one in a series of zany situations that George found himself in over the years. (Thanks to TV Tome.com for specific information on this episode.)

Answer: Paul Reubens

After debuting in the Nielsen Top 35 in June 2001, "You Don't Know Jack", based on Sierra's series of sharp-tongued trivia quizzers, quickly fell in the ratings and lasted only six episodes. Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, who produced blockbuster sitcoms like "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne", were also responsible for this show.

Answer: "Wanna get away?"

Created by the advertising firm of GSD&M in Austin, Texas, the "Wanna Get Away?" spots have become some of the best-known in the industry. Some of those spots included the nosy friend in the medicine chest; the confused hip-hop star (the one who thanks Detroit while performing in Chicago); and the man preening in the reflective glass of the car. Southwest has used the spots to promote low fares to the cities that it serves.

Answer: $1,000

This wonderful game-show endgame also allowed the contestant an automatic win if the contestant spun a natural triple (3 windows with the same dollar amount) before reaching the $1,000 plateau.

Answer: Lynne Thigpen

Based on Broderbund's popular geography computer game, "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?" ran on PBS from 1991 to 1996. The show was retooled in 1996 to focus on a history-based sequel, "Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego?" That show ended in 1998. Thigpen, a veteran actress who played in numerous roles on stage, on television and in film, was on both versions of the show.

At the time of her death in March 2003, she was a regular on the CBS series "The District".

Answer: Rockapella

From humble beginnings at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Rockapella came to the forefront when they appeared on the series. Their acapella sound built a solid international fan base, which has grown since they left "Carmen Sandiego".

Answer: Wild Eagle

Frank DeKova played Chief Wild Eagle, who, along with his trusty sidekick, Crazy Cat (Don Diamond), was always looking to help Sergeant O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Corporal Agarn (Larry Storch) with their latest get-rich-quick scheme. Roaring Chicken, the Hekawi medicine man, was played by Edward Everett Horton.