"Vega$" - Do You Remember Dan Tanna? Quiz | Television

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Suave private investigator Dan Tanna often worked for Phillip Roth who owned a Las Vegas hotel and casino. What was the name of Roth's establishment?

Answer: Desert Inn

The Desert Inn properties consisted of the hotel resort, a casino, and a golf country club. Roth was seen as he ran the day to day operations of his Las Vegas empire.
The actual Desert Inn Hotel, Country Club Resort and Casino closed on August 28, 2000, after 50 years of operation.
Among the numerous one time owners of the complex was billionaire Howard Hughes, who checked in as a guest on Thanksgiving day of 1966, and ended up purchasing the hotel and resort for around 13 million dollars five months later.

2. Dan Tanna was often seen driving around the town in his red car with the personalized license plates "TANNA". What type of car did Dan own?

Answer: 1957 Thunderbird

"Vega$" star Robert Urich liked to say that the high-tech red 1957 Thunderbird convertible received more fan mail than he ever did.
Through the series' 67 episodes, there were only two Thunderbirds actually used in the filming. Both were nearly identical 1957 Thunderbirds, but one showed off it's wax job much better than the other one. Cameramen used the "show car" for close-ups and scenes where the car needed to appear in top notch condition. The other car was "souped up" for performance, slightly modified, and used for shots involving movement.
The 1957 red Thunderbird from "Vega$" was considered by many to be a television icon and is probably one of the most immediately recognizable sports car in television history.

3. Dan Tanna rarely had trouble finding a parking space whenever he returned to his residence. Where did Tanna live?

Answer: in a warehouse

Dan lived and worked out of a warehouse on the Las Vegas strip, next to the famed Circus, Circus Hotel and Casino. The warehouse was owned by the Desert Inn, and was converted into Tanna's living area. Dan was able to park his classic car in his living room.

4. Dan Tanna was a veteran of the Vietnam war. Dan occasional sought assistance from one or both of his closest friends who also served with him in the Vietnam. What was the name of the taller if his two buddies?

Answer: Harlon

Harlon Twoleaf, a tall, stern looking native American (played by Will Sampson) was the chief of a local Indian tribe. Dan's other friend was Mitch Costigian (played by Chick Venerra) who was a Las Vegas lounge singer. Both men would occasionally assist Tanna in investigating various mysteries.

5. Dan was sometimes assisted by no nonsense Lt. Dave Nelson of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, who would provide him with unofficial information. In the first year of the series, who was Dan Tanna's police contact?

Answer: Bella Archer

Bella Archer was a stern sergeant on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Bella (played by Naomi Stevens) was somewhat a mother-like figure to Dan, and often warned him of the consequences of his occasional violent actions. Sgt. Archer sometimes help Dan by providing him with information regarding his cases.

6. The series "Vega$" was known for the array of stars and celebrities who made guest or cameo appearances on the show. Which celebrity never appeared on "Vega$"?

Answer: Sammy Davis Jr.

While Davis never made a cameo appearance on the show, many other stars that were well known at the time did appeared on "Vega$." Celebrities appearing in bit parts or cameo roles included
Morey Amsterdam, Shelly Berman, Kim Basinger, Kim Catrall, Sid Cesar, Lola Falana, Caesar Romero Rodney Allen Rippy, and the Captain and Tennille.

7. Prior to the start of the series "Vega$", the lead character, Dan Tanna made an appearance on another series. This technically would make "Vega$" a spin off from another series. What show first introduced the character of Las Vegas based private investigator Dan Tanna?

Answer: Charlie's Angels

In the first episode of season three for "Charlie's Angels" entitled "Angels in Vegas." The Angels were dispatched to Las Vegas to investigate a murder and a series of accidents that plagued a casino owned by Frank Howell, who was played by Dean Martin.

In this two part episode, the Angels, in the course of their investigation, cross paths with an old friend of Charlie and Bosley, a Las Vegas private investigator named Dan Tanna. The episode originally aired on September 13, 1978.

8. The actual president of the Desert Inn made several appearances on "Vega$" playing himself.

Answer: True

Bert Cohen was the actual owner and president of the Desert Inn Hotel, Casino, and resort. On numerous occasions when Dan entered the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino, the audible background noise included the paged message, "Bert Cohen, paging Bert Cohen". Cohen did appear as himself briefly in a number of episodes.

9. In the early seasons, Tony Curtis played the role of Desert Inn Hotel and Casino owner Phillip Roth. What nickname did Dan Tanna call him?

Answer: Slick

Dan Tanna seem to share a special relationship with his boss and good friend, Roth. Dan frequently referred to his as "Slick".
The pet nickname was in reference to Roth's history in his younger days as a fast talking, screwed business man.

10. Dan Tanna's police contact and friend was Lt. Dave Nelson. The actor who portrayed Nelson was a veteran of another long running television series. What was the name of the series?

Answer: Mission Impossible

Greg Morris was featured in the role of electronics wizard Barney Collier in the series. Morris appeared in 166 of 171 "Mission Impossible" episodes, and was one of only two cast members who appeared for the entire run of the action series. The other performer was Peter Lupus, who played Willie Armitage in 147 of the 171 episodes.
In the 1988 remake of "Mission Impossible", team member Grant Collier, was the son of the original series Barney Collier, was played by Phil Morris, the real son of Greg Morris.

Source: Author AirBossJohnson

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

"Vega$" - Do You Remember Dan Tanna? Quiz

Long before "CSI" and before "Las Vegas", Dan Tanna was the resident good guy in Las Vegas. What do you remember about the television series "Vega$", its characters, and its stars? Some answers may require knowledge beyond the series. Good luck.

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