Three Actors in Search of a Show... Quiz

Answer: Good Times

"Good Times" was a Norman Lear spinoff of "Maude". It ran from 1974 through 1979. The sitcom revolved around the Evans family, after Florida Evans left Maude's employ, she and her family moved to apartment 17C in a housing project in urban Chicago, Illinois. James and Florida were played by John Amos and Esther Rolle, respectively.

They had three children, i.e., Michael, the youngest, Thelma, the middle and the oldest, James, Jr., called "J.J.", a teenage artist. J.J. was played by Jimmie Walker, with his weekly catchphrase "Dyn-o-myte!".

Answer: Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries

"The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" featured teenage sleuths solving crimes (without the help of "The Mystery Machine"). The shows, broadcast between 1977 and 1979, were based on the novels by several different authors, written under the pen names of Franklin W. Dixon and Carolyn Keene. Frank and Joe Hardy were the sons of private detective Fenton Hardy, while Nancy Drew's father was a criminal attorney, so they came by their crime-solving abilities naturally. Joe and Frank were played by Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson, respectively; Pamela Sue Martin (Fallon on "Dynasty") was the eponymous Nancy Drew.

Answer: Dallas

If you lived through the 1980s without watching the nighttime soap opera "Dallas", you were either very unusual or very young. The show lasted from 1978 through 1991, with plots centering around the oil-rich Ewings from Southfork Ranch. Jock Ewing was the patriarch, with Miss Ellie by his side.

They had three sons. J.R., the oldest and greediest, was played to menacing perfection by Larry Hagman. Bobby was the 'nice guy', played by Patrick Duffy, who went on to the sitcom "Step by Step". Gary, the youngest son, was smart enough to move to "Knots Landing". Victoria Principal was Pamela Barnes Ewing, Bobby's wife.

Answer: C.P.O. Sharkey

Don Rickles (1926-2017) was an actor and a comedian who parlayed his insults into a career which spanned over 60 years. "Mr. Warmth" appeared on many early TV shows, but made his film debut in 1958 in "Run Silent, Run Deep". He also appeared on late night talk shows where he became a household name.

In 1972, Rickles had his own show but, if you blinked, you may have missed it. From 1976 to 1978, he starred as a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy, "C.P.O. Sharkey". The sitcom was based in a recruitment center in California, with Harrison Page as Chief Robinson and Elizabeth Allen as Captain Quinlan, and everyone as a foil for the abuse that just kept coming.

Answer: The F.B.I.

Let's talk about Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (1918-2014). First of all, did you know that his father, Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., was a famous violinist, and his mother was an operatic soprano? His daughter, Stephanie, became a famous actress ("Remington Steel").

The good-looking young actor (Efrem, Jr.) was cast as one of the leads in the popular detective show "77 Sunset Strip", which ran from 1958 until 1964. The following year, Zimbalist was cast as F.B.I. Inspector Lewis Erskine in the Quinn Martin Production of "The F.B.I." (1965-1974). Philip Abbott played Arthur Ward, Erskine's boss, with William Reynolds as Special Agent Tom Colby.

Answer: Eight Is Enough

"Eight Is Enough", from 1977 to 1981, was an early "dramedy" which centered around Sacramento, California columnist Tom Bradford and his eight "independent" kids. A "coming-of-age" show about the trials and tribulations of Mary, David, Joanie, Nancy, Elizabeth, Susan, Tommy and Nicholas, it also depicted widower Tom (Dick Van Patten) and his attempt to find a new life. One of Tom's sons, Tommy Bradford, was portrayed by Willie Aames who appeared in TV movies. Tom Bradford's new wife, Abby, was played by Betty Buckley who went on to win a Best Actress Tony Award in 1983 for playing Grizabella in "Cats".

Answer: Baa Baa Black Sheep

"Baa Baa Black Sheep" was the original name of the war-themed TV show which was subsequently retitled "Black Sheep Squadron", and which aired from 1976-1978. Robert Conrad (from "Wild Wild West") played Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington, the squadron's leader.

The Marine Attack Squadron was a group of fighter pilots stationed in the Pacific during World War II. Simon Oakland (who you might recognize if you saw him) played Brigadier General Thomas Moore, and Dirk Blocker (Dan's son) was First Lieutenant Jerome Bragg.

Answer: The Jeffersons

Between Norman Lear and Mary Tyler Moore spinoffs, a person could have spent the 1970s and 1980s just watching shows from these producers. As I'm pretty sure you know, it all started in 1971 with "All in the Family". That soon spun-off "The Jeffersons" (1975-1985), about an upscale dry cleaner who was "movin' on up to the east side" of New York City.

Sherman Hemsley was the narcissistic George Jefferson, with Isabel Sanford as his delightful wife Louise ("Weezy"), and Paul Benedict as the wacky British neighbor, Harry Bentley. Marla Gibbs was the wise-cracking maid, Florence Johnston.

There was also Mike Evans and Damon Evans, both of whom played Lionel Jefferson at different times.

Answer: The Incredible Hulk

"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry", was the catchphrase said by Dr. David Banner, before he turned green and outgrew his clothing. This was actually the opening sequence of "The Incredible Hulk", derived from the Marvel comic book character, and turned into a TV show which ran from 1978 to 1982.

It's those pesky gamma rays that turned rational scientist David Banner (Bill Bixby) into the huge seven foot tall being known as the Hulk, played by Lou Ferrigno. All along, investigative reporter Jack McGee (Jack Colvin) was trying to expose the Hulk as a deadly menace and also enhance his journalistic career.

Answer: Adam-12

Early television in the United States featured a lot of Westerns and police dramas like "Dragnet" ("dum da dum dum"). In 1968, a new Jack Webb creation appeared on the small screen; it was called "Adam-12". It focused on two police officers, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, who patrolled Los Angeles, California.

It ran until 1975. "1-Adam-12" means the patrol car operates in Division One, "A" for Adam means two officers, and 12 is the reporting district, i.e., Central Division, LAPD. Pete and Jim were Martin Milner ("Route 66") and Kent McCord ("Jag" and "Farscape"), with William Boyette ("Seahunt" and "Death Valley Days") as Sergeant MacDonald.