Television's Greatest Misses Quiz | Things in Common

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Trying to capitalize on the success of the movie "Animal House", ABC rolled out "Delta House" in January 1979. Which actor, who played Dean Vernon Wormer in the movie, also played the same role in the short-lived TV series?

Answer: John Vernon

A versatile character actor who appeared in numerous movies and TV shows during his career, John Vernon (real name Adolphus Agopsowicz) played the sinister dean of Faber College in both "Animal House" and "Delta House". John Belushi was unavailable to reprise the role of Bluto Blutarsky for the series, and that may have contributed to its short lifespan.

The last of the fifteen half-hour episodes of "Delta House" aired on ABC in April, 1979.

2. Before spending eight seasons as B.J. Hunnicutt on "M*A*S*H", Mike Farrell cut his chops as Dr. Sam Marsh on the short-lived CBS series "The Interns". Marsh reported to Dr. Peter Goldstone, who was played by which old-school TV actor?

Answer: Broderick Crawford

Twenty-four hour-long episodes of "The Interns" ran from September 1970 to September 1971 on CBS. Long before that, though, Crawford had made a name for himself as Chief Dan Mathews on the syndicated series "Highway Patrol".

3. Game shows are not immune from television's scrap heap. In fact, ABC canned the big-money quiz "100 Grand" after only three episodes, in September 1963. Which veteran emcee, who did have success on other game shows through the years, hosted "100 Grand"?

Answer: Jack Clark

An attempt to return big-money game shows to television after the infamous scandals of the late 1950s, "100 Grand" offered contestants the chance to win $100,000 by showing off their knowledge. After successfully challenging a panel of five professional authorities in a given field, the contestant would go on to answer five questions submitted by viewers.

Although "100 Grand" wound up being a flop, Jack Clark would work as an announcer and host on game shows like "Password", "Cross-Wits", "Wheel of Fortune" and various versions of "Pyramid".

4. NBC failed to strike pay dirt with its Sunday-night science-fiction offering, "Voyagers!", which ran during the 1982-83 season. What was the name of the device that allowed time traveler Phineas Bogg (Jon-Erik Hexum) and his sidekick Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce) to keep history on course?

Answer: The Omni

Phileas Bogg, a veteran Voyager, winds up with young Jeffrey as his sidekick because Jeffrey's dog eats the guidebook to his time-traveling device. Jeffrey let Phileas know what needed to be corrected in each adventure. Although very educational and quite enjoyable, "Voyagers!" fell to CBS's ratings juggernaut, "60 Minutes", after only one season.

5. Anne Francis turned heads as the fierce but fetching private detective Honey West, the title character of an ABC series during the 1965-66 season. Honey West also raised eyebrows by keeping which of the following animals as a pet?

Answer: Ocelot

Found in the southwestern United States and throughout much of Central and South America, ocelots are about twice as large as the common housecat and are excellent nocturnal hunters. Although these cats are at home in the trees, they are also great swimmers. Despite the novel choice of pet, and Anne Francis's good looks, "Honey West" did not last very long.

6. Despite its success during the 1950s and 1960s, "Dragnet" has not translated into a hit since then. In regard to the syndicated version of "Dragnet" that ran during 1989-90, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Answer: The show was set in San Francisco

Like the original "Dragnet", the 1989 incarnation was set in Los Angeles. Unlike the original, though, there was no Joe Friday, and Walter Schumann's classic theme "Danger Ahead" (aka, "The Dragnet March") had been replaced by more contemporary music. And, unlike the original, an African-American had a key role in the new series.

The late Thalmus Rasulala played Capt. Boltz, one of two watch captains (Don Stroud, as Capt. Lussen, playing the other) keeping an eye on detectives Vic Daniels (played by Jeff Osterhage) and Carl Molina (Bernard White).

This version of "Dragnet" yielded 52 episodes, and ran as a package with an updated version of another Jack Webb hit, "Adam-12".

7. Steven Spielberg's homage to the great anthology series of television's early days, "Amazing Stories", managed a short but honored two-year run on NBC from 1985 to 1987. In fact, a number of well-known actors and directors took turns directing segments for the series. Which of the following people did NOT direct a segment of "Amazing Stories"?

Answer: Kevin Costner

"Amazing Stories" proved to be a fertile ground for Hollywood talent during its run. Among those directing segments, in addition to Steven Spielberg himself, were Brad Bird ("The Incredibles"), Joe Dante ("Twilight Zone: The Movie"), Danny DeVito and Burt Reynolds. Kevin Costner didn't direct a segment of "Amazing Stories", but he did appear alongside Kiefer Sutherland in one of its best-known episodes, "The Mission", about a World War II bomber on its last mission.

8. James Sutorius played crusading newspaper reporter Mike Andros on the short-lived drama "The Andros Targets", which ran on CBS from January to July, 1977. In which eastern city was the show set?

Answer: New York

Following closely on the heels of the Watergate scandal, "The Andros Targets" focused on investigative journalism, in the form of tackling corrupt politicians, the drug scene and pornography. The hour-long show held down the 10 PM slot on Monday nights during the majority of its brief run.

9. The daytime version of the Pictionary-inspired game show "Win, Lose or Draw" ran on NBC from September 1987 to September 1989. Which veteran actress served as the host of the show?

Answer: Vicki Lawrence

On "Win, Lose or Draw", two teams, each with two celebrity guests and a civilian contestant, tried to answer puzzles based on drawings, a la Pictionary. The show's set featured couches that faced each other and afforded the teams good views of both the audience and the game easel. Vicki Lawrence managed the daytime festivities, while Bert Convey and Robb Weller handled the nighttime version from 1987 to 1990.

10. Before hitting it big on Comedy Central with his own series, comedian Dave Chappelle starred opposite Christopher Gartin in the very short-lived sitcom "Buddies". Running on ABC in March of 1996, "Buddies" was a spinoff of what other ABC sitcom?

Answer: "Home Improvement"

The character of Dave Carlisle, which Chapelle played in "Buddies", first appeared on "Home Improvement", in an episode entitled "Talk to Me", in March 1995. Jim Bruer played Carlisle's partner, John Butler, in that episode. Christopher Gartin played him on "Buddies". The show focused on Carlisle's and Butler's business, a small videotaping and film service, and the bigoted family members (played by Judith Ivey and Richard Roundtree) who kept the flames of racial strife alive.

Thanks to the eight edition of "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows", by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, and the Internet Movie Database for the additional information in this quiz.

Source: Author cag1970

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Gamemaster1967 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Television's Greatest Misses Trivia Quiz

There are hit series and series that miss. None of the TV shows in this quiz lasted more than two seasons. How much do you know about these short-lived wonders?

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