Let’s see how well you can recall these obscure and not-so-obscure memories from the world of television past (answers at the end of the column):
1. In what old western series did Clint Eastwood play the character Rowdy Yates?
2. What Johnny Carson character presented the Tea Time Movie?
3. Speaking of Johnny, what game show did he host early in his career and who was his announcer?
4. Who played Superman on TV and what metal made Superman helpless?
5. What was the name of Superman’s alter ego and where did he work? Can you also name the female reporter, the office boy and their boss?
6. Who played Jason McCord in the old series Branded, and for what earlier series is he better known?
7. What’s the longest-running game show on daytime TV, and who was its first host?
8. What was the longest-running animated series in prime time?
9. Which U.S. network was the first to air all its shows in colour and when?
10. What was the first 90-minute TV series?
11. Who starred in the old, old series Our Miss Brooks? Also, can you name her favourite student, the principal of the school, the biology teacher and the biology teacher’s pet frog?
12. Name the three original Charlie’s Angels. Also, what was Charlie’s last name and who was his assistant?
13. What was the name of the restaurant next door to 77 Sunset Strip? Also, name the actor who played Kookie and the hit novelty record his role produced.
14. What did Davy Crockett call his favourite gun? Also, who was Davy’s partner and can you name the loudmouth bully in the keelboat river race?
15. In The Man From U.N.C.L.E., what did those five letters stand for?
16. How long did Perry Mason originally run on TV, who played Perry and did he actually ever lose a case?
17. What classic show opened with the words: “There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man ...”
Answers
1. Clint was Rowdy Yates in Rawhide.
2. How could we ever forget the Tea Time Movie host was Art Fern.
3. Johnny was the host of Who Do You Trust? His announcer, not surprisingly, was Ed MacMahon.
4. George Reeves played Superman, and it was Kryptonite that made him weak.
5. It was “mild-mannered reporter” Clark Kent. Clark worked at the Daily Planet newspaper along with reporter Lois Lane and office boy Jimmy Olsen. Their boss was editor Perry White.
6. Jason McCord was played by Chuck Connors, who you will no doubt remember from the earlier series, The Rifleman.
7. The longest-running daytime game show is The Price is Right, and the first host was Bill Cullen.
8. The longest-running prime time animated series? Well, for a long time it used to be The Flintstones, which originally ran from 1960 to 1966. But now, The Simpsons is obviously No. 1, debuting in 1989 (still on the air). South Park at No. 2 debuted in 1997 (still on the air). King of the Hill at No. 3 aired for 13 seasons (1997 to 2010). Family Guy at No. 4 debuted in 1999 (still on the air).
Arthur, although not in prime time, is actually the second longest-running animated program, debuting in 1996 (still on the air).
9. NBC went all-colour in 1966, CBS in 1967 and ABC in 1968.
10. The first 90-minute series was the western, The Virginian.
11. Eve Arden played Miss Brooks. Her favourite student was squeaky-voiced Walter Denton, played by a very young Richard Crenna, who went on to a long and successful career as a serious dramatic actor. The principal of the school was Osgood Conklin, played by Gale Gordon. Mr. Boynton was the biology teacher and his pet frog was MacDougall.
12. Charlie’s last name was Townsend, his assistant was Bosley and his three original angels were Kelly, Sabrina and Jill, who were played by Farrah Fawcett, Jacklyn Smith and Kate Jackson. Although I can’t remember who played who, which is not surprising as I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast or if I took my pills!
13. Next door to 77 Sunset Strip was Dino’s Restaurant. Edd Byrnes played Kookie, the parking lot attendant, and the song was Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb.
14. Davy (Fess Parker) called his gun “Old Betsy.” His pal was Georgie Russell (Buddy Ebsen) and it was big Mike Fink who thought he was “King of the River.”
15. U.N.C.L.E. stands for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.
16. Perry Mason, starring Canadian actor Raymond Burr, ran from 1957 to 1966 and in all that time, Perry only lost one case. Actually, his client was innocent, but she lied to him to protect another person.
17. With those words we’ve just entered, The Twilight Zone.