The Last Picture Show Trivia Quiz

Answer: I Love Lucy

'I Love Lucy' ran on the CBS network from 1951 until 1957, and starred Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz (her husband at the time), Vivian Vance and William Frawley. It was followed by a series of specials called 'The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show' (with various sponsor names included in the title, and later called 'The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour' in repeats) featuring the same characters. The last episode of that series was filmed the day before Lucille Ball filed divorce proceedings against Desi Arnaz.

In the final episode of the original series, Lucy managed to destroy a statue honouring participants in the American Revolution that Ricky was supposed to be formally dedicating.

Answer: The Flintstones

'The Flintstones' was basically a sitcom whose plots and characters could fit into a number of other shows, such as 'The Honeymooners'. The difference was that it was animated, and set in prehistoric times, so it incorporated a number of fantasy elements that made it memorable - the pet dinosaur, the pterodactyl that functioned as a garbage disposal unit, the car that operated via foot-power, and many more.

Then there were the stone-referenced names - the town they lived in, Bedrock; the surnames Flintstone and Rubble for the main characters; and the adaptation of names for guest characters such as Cary Granite are only a few examples.

The show ran from 1960 to 1966, and was followed by a large number of sequel shows, featuring various members of the original series.

Answer: Bewitched

Dick York was the original actor portraying the mortal husband of the witch Samantha, played by Elizabeth Montgomery. In 1969, he was so hampered by a back injury that he could not continue (even though most of his last episodes were written around his bedridden character to alleviate the physical demands placed on him), and he was replaced by Dick Sargent, who played the character until the show closed in 1972. No mention was made of the change in the story lines, but there were those of us who considered 'the new Darrin' to be a bit of an impostor.

Answer: I Dream of Jeannie

Jeannie, as you may recall, was a genie (portrayed by Barbara Eden) who was released from her bottle by astronaut Tony Nelson (played by Larry Hagman), who then became her master. Censors did not allow her costume to show her navel, but accepted her sleeping in the same house as her master because it was made very clear that she slept in her bottle. Of course, romance developed, and they married in the eleventh episode of series five, which originally aired on 2 December 1969.

In the final episode, Jeannie got Tony into trouble (what's new?) by arranging for his image to be used on cans of his cousin's homemade chili, contrary to NASA regulations.

Answer: M*A*S*H

"M*A*S*H", based on a movie of the same name that was based on the book 'MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors', portrayed life in a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War, and ran from 1972 until 1983 (much longer than the duration of the actual Korean War, as has often been noted).

The original commanding officer, Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson, was a genial but relatively incompetent officer, whose administrative shortcomings were ably covered by his company clerk, Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff).

When McLean Stevenson decided to leave the show, the script of the final episode was kept secret - even the actors only saw the final pages a few minutes before filming, so that their shocked reactions to the news of Henry's death, rather than of his safe arrival home, would be genuine.

In the next season, the new commanding officer was Colonel Sherman Tecumseh Potter, who ran the unit until the end of the series.

Answer: The Tonight Show

Johnny Carson first started hosting 'The Tonight Show' in October of 1962, taking over the role from Jack Paar. It was nearly 30 years later when he retired from show business, and passed hosting duties to Jay Leno. The final show that had guests and was filmed before a live audience was aired on 21 May 1992, and featured Robin Williams and Bette Midler, both long-time recurring guests. Carson's final speech on his final retrospective show read:

"And so it has come to this... I, uh...am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I want to thank the gentlemen who've shared this stage with me for thirty years, Mr. Ed McMahon... Mr. Doc Severinsen... and you people watching. I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you... And I hope when I find something that I want to do, and I think you would like, and come back, that you'll be as gracious in inviting me into your homes as you have been. I bid you a very heartfelt good night." (The quotation is taken from Wikipedia, which provides no further reference.)

Answer: Seinfeld

'Seinfeld' (1989-1998) billed itself as 'the show about nothing' - many episodes simply recorded the main characters' reactions to the small frustrations that are part of life in a major city. There were many notable characters over the years, a number of whom appeared as character witnesses against the stars during their trial, reminding us (and informing Judge Arthur Vandelay, whose name recalls to mind some of George's more memorable schemes) of their amazing level of self-centredness exhibited during the series.

The show also introduced us to the non-holiday of Festivus, celebrated by George's family, central to which is the Festivus pole as shown in the image for this question.

Answer: ER

George Clooney decided to concentrate on his movie career, and Doug Ross left 'ER' (1994-2009), although there were a couple of subsequent guest appearances. Doug Ross was first seen as a womaniser, but later settled into a serious relationship with Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), who discovered she was pregnant immediately after Ross had left for Seattle and a new start to his career.

She eventually left to be with him in Seattle, taking their twin girls with her.

Answer: Spin City

'Spin City' (1996-2002) was centred on the NYC mayor's office, with Mike Flaherty doing his best to cover up the incompetency of mayor Randall Winston (Barry Bostwick), but simultaneously making a hash of his personal life. When Michael J. Fox became ill with Parkinson's disease, his role was cut back, but he finally left in 2000.

In 'Goodbye, Part 2', which originally aired on 24 May 2000, Flaherty fired himself to protect the jobs of the rest of the team, and moved to Washington, D. C., where his career as an environmental lobbyist encountered trouble from Ohio Senator Alex P. Keaton (presumably the adult version of the character that Fox had previously played on 'Family Ties' between 1982 and 1989).

Answer: Friends

'Friends' (1994-2004) took us through the changing relationships of Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey - friends, siblings, lovers, and married couples at various times. The series ended with Rachel and Ross realizing they loved each other (we were way ahead of them) and planning to raise their daughter together. Monica and Chandler were surprised to find that the child they had planned to adopt turned out to be twins, and they prepared to move to the suburbs with their rapidly expanding family. Joey and Phoebe had lives to get on with, but both regretted the fact that their intimate friendship circle would never be the same. Still, there was that one last cup of coffee to share.