Sleuths Trivia

1. Which Medical Crime Drama that debuted in 1976 featured a lead character that was a retired Captain in the US Navy?

From Quiz Seventies Crime Shows

Answer: Quincy M.E.

"Quincy" debuted as a 90-minute show in rotation of the "NBC Sunday Mystery Movie" series. Because of the show's popularity it became an hour-long series that lasted until 1983. The show revolved around Medical Examiner Dr. Quincy and his assistant, lab assistant Sam Fujiyama, solving murders in a variety of ways. Jack Klugman played Dr. R. Quincy and appeared in 147 of the 148 episodes during the run of the series. The producers of Quincy M.E. insisted on the show being realistic and employed Marc Scott Taylor, formerly of the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office, as a consultant. "Prime Suspect" premiered in 2011. "Cracker" and "Foyle's War" were British crime dramas.

From Quiz TV Cop and PI shows

Answer: Thomas Magnum

The only factoid I will include here is that his first film appearance was with Mae West, who rightly forecast his coming fame. If you know that you are a Selleck fan.

From Quiz Famous TV Detectives

Answer: Jim Hutton

Frederic Dannay and James Yoffe, cousins from Brooklyn, NY, collaborated on the stories about Ellery Queen, writing under that name. It has been said that Ellery Queen may be the best known American fictional detective. If this is true it is probably because, in addition to the many books, there have been a large number of movies, radio shows and television shows based on their work.

From Quiz Classic TV Private Eyes

Answer: Kelly Garrett

The role of Kelly Garrett was the last role to be cast by the producers. The original concept was to have one brunette, one redhead, and one blonde. Kate Jackson was on board from the beginning of the project, cast as Sabrina Duncan, and was set to play the lead angel. Farrah Fawcett as Jill Monroe, was the next to join, completing the requirement for a blonde, but the producers dropped the hair color concept and brought in Jaclyn Smith (cast as Kelly Garrett) to complete the trio. In the story line, Kelly was an orphan who joined the Los Angeles Police Department before going to work for the Charles Townsend Investigation Agency.

From Quiz TV Classic Sleuths

Answer: 'Mannix'

With Mike Connors. Jack Warden did 'NYPD'; Buddy Ebsen was Barnaby Jones. Robert Taylor starred in 'The Detectives'.

From Quiz Diddy or Didn't He?

Answer: Alias

Did you get the hint, "not her real name"? Alias! Jennifer Garner starred in the powerhouse series "Alias" (2001-2006) as the stunning and accomplished CIA agent Sydney Bristow. Bristow assumed a new alias each week to carry out a secret mission. "Alias" won many awards and nominations, as did Garner.

From Quiz Mixed TV Detectives

Answer: Thomas Magnum

Magnum is known for his trademark mustache, Hawaiian shirts, living on the estate and using the car of the unseen Robin Masters, solving crimes and dealing with his boss Higgins. He is played by Tom Selleck.

From Quiz Seventies Crime Shows

Answer: Columbo

"Columbo" featured shows in which the viewer was aware of who the killer was and the manner in which Lieutenant Columbo solved the cases. Bing Crosby and Lee J. Cobb were originally considered for the part of the unconventional police detective but were both unavailable. The producers selected Pater Falk despite the fact they envisioned an older character. The series originally ran until 1979 but was revived ten years later and lasted until 2003. The dog's name was "Dog". "Hec Ramsey" debuted in 1972 and starred Richard Boone as a former Western lawman specializing in the emerging field of forensics. Banacek also premiered in 1972 and starred George Peppard as investigator Thomas Banacek. Buddy Ebsen played a private detective who worked with his daughter-in-law (Lee Meriwether) on "Barnaby Jones" (1973).

From Quiz TV Cop and PI shows

Answer: Sonny Crockett

From Ted Nugent to Phil Collins and acts diverse as Sheena Easton and Glen Frey, it became the thing to get on the show for musicians who usually contributed a song as well as sometime dubious acting skills. And lest we forget most of America and the world first saw a young Bruce Willis here, with hair, in 1984.

From Quiz Famous TV Detectives

Answer: Mike Connors

During the first season, Mannix was part of a detective agency called Intertect. In the second season, he was on his own except for his secretary, Peggy Fair, who was played by Gail Fisher. Gail was one of the first African-American TV actresses to have a regular role in a television series.

From Quiz Classic TV Private Eyes

Answer: InterTech

Mannix did not like the fact that his cases were chosen by a computer, and he did not meet his clients before starting an assignment. In the second season, Mannix left InterTech and opened his own private investigation business. "Mannix" was considered at the time to be one of the most violent shows on television. Over the eight seasons of the series, Mannix was involved in numerous fights, knocked unconscious 55 times, and shot 17 times.

From Quiz The Jig is Up

Answer: Bill Cosby

All four of these men made names for themselves in the realm of standup comedy, and had some success on television and in film, but it was Bill Cosby who became the first African American actor to be the lead in a network television show when he took on the role of Alexander Scott. In the days before professional tennis was a high-profile career, travelling the world to play tennis in a different place each week, and mix with the higher levels of society that supported the tennis bum lifestyle was a convenient cover for spies. At least, that was the show's premise. Kelly Robinson (Culp) was the competitive tennis player, Scotty was his trainer. For the most part, the espionage activities they were asked to undertake were relatively plausible in the context of world events at the time. The success of the show was due in large part to the chemistry between the two leads, with the focus as much on their interaction with each other as on their actual assignment. The stories often considered the uglier aspects of espionage, with Kelly and Scotty reflecting on the morality of their jobs as well as engaging in lighthearted exchanges.

From Quiz TV Classic Sleuths

Answer: 'Peter Gunn'

With Craig Stevens and Lola Albright. Reed Hadley starred in 'Racket Squad'; William Conrad was Cannon.

From Quiz Diddy or Didn't He?

Answer: Get Smart

"Get Smart" (1965-1970) was a comedy satire, revived briefly in 1995. Created by the hilarious Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the show featured the bungling and daft Secret Agent 86, Maxwell Smart (Don Adams), as well as Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) and Chief (Edward Platt). They all work for CONTROL, a secret intelligence agency, fighting crime and world threats. Agent 86 has special gadgets, not at all like those of James Bond, such as a telephone in the sole of his shoe.

From Quiz Mixed TV Detectives

Answer: Columbo

Seriously I really think it is the same coat through the long run of the show and movies. It is always great seeing the people getting nervous when they realized he knows and they are about to be arrested. Columbo is played by Peter Falk.

From Quiz Seventies Crime Shows

Answer: Cannon

William Conrad starred as Frank Cannon who drove a silver Lincoln Continental Mark III and was often shot or beaten during the course of his investigations. In addition to using martial arts Cannon would occasionally knock suspects down with his large belly. The series ran from 1971 through 1976 and featured many well known actors as guest stars. Martin Sheen had a role in the first episodes of the series as an ex-policeman named Jerry Warton. "Michael Shayne" starred Richard Denning and lasted one season in 1961. "Madigan" was a 1968 movie that became a recurring show on "NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie" in 1972. "Longstreet" starred James Franciscus as blind insurance investigator Mike Longstreet.

From Quiz TV Cop and PI shows

Answer: Francis Muldoon

This comedy show ran from 1961 to 1963 and is notable for recurring roles for three black actors, Ossie Davis, Nipsey Russell and Frederick O'Neal. They all portrayed fellow police officers in the Bronx. Shot in black and white the cars were painted red and white but came out the proper shades of black and white on film. This was done so they would not be mistaken for real black, green and white NYPD cars of the time.

From Quiz Classic TV Private Eyes

Answer: the estates' guard dogs

Higgins maintained two large Doberman named Zeus and Apollo to patrol and protect the grounds of the Robin Masters' estate. The dogs seem to enjoy chasing Magnum around the estate.

From Quiz The Jig is Up

Answer: Roger Moore

While all four of these gentlemen were, at one time or another, James Bond on film, it was Roger Moore who first became familiar as Simon Templar, a character created by Leslie Charteris in the 1920s. Moore was familiar with the books, and had actually tried to get the production rights himself, so he was keen to accept the part. Simon Templar (in case you haven't seen the show, or don't have an immediate expectation from the actor) was the kind of character you can envisage being played by Cary Grant - suave, confident, happy to skirt legalities in a good cause, and with a sense of humor. He tried to help people who had been victimised in some way, and let down by those who were officially supposed to assist or protect them. The plots started out as basically whodunnit mysteries, but later seasons gained a fantastic touch and involved a higher level of intrigue from espionage elements (similar to the evolution at roughly the same time of 'The Avengers', almost certainly no coincidence).

From Quiz Diddy or Didn't He?

Answer: Bones

"Bones" premiered on the USA Fox channel in 2005, running its tenth season in 2014. Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is the no-nonsense forensic anthropologist, affectionately called "Bones", who works with FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and other excellent forensic specialists. They trace identity, cause of death and killer, from human remains. Brennan tends to be awkward in relationships and overly concrete, which lends a comic touch to the gruesome but fascinating crime show. Appellation is a word Bones would use, meaning name.

From Quiz Mixed TV Detectives

Answer: Joe Friday

This classic cop was always tough with his demeanor and always played the part of the hard nosed detective. He lasted for years on the radio and the small screen. He was played throughout the series "Dragnet" by Jack Webb and in the movie remake by Dan Aykroyd.

From Quiz Seventies Crime Shows

Answer: David Janssen

David Janssen began working in crime dramas when he played the lead role on "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" in 1957. He went on to star in "The Fugitive" (1963) before "O'Hara, U.S. Treasury" and "Harry O". On "O'Hara, U.S. Treasury" Janssen played a treasury investigator who was usually assigned to other government agencies and worked undercover. In "Harry O" Janssen was a former police officer in San Diego was was disabled after taking a bullet in the back and started his own private detective agency. Farrah Fawcett-Majors has a role as his neighbor and occasional girlfriend. Ironically "Harry O" was cancelled and replaced with "Charlie's Angels" in 1976. Martin Milner was a regular on "Adam-12". Robert Wagner starred on "It Takes A Thief" from 1968 to 1970. Lorne Greene had the title role of "Griff" for one season in 1973.

From Quiz TV Cop and PI shows

Answer: Kookie Kookson III

This show utilized Efrem Zimbalist Jr. playing "Stu" Bailey a character from the novel 'The Double Take' written by Roy Huggins one of the creators. This book was later made into the movie 'I Love Trouble' in 1948. This series featured new talent like William Shatner and Gena Rowlands as well as established stars like Fay Wray and Peter Lorre. It was so cool it even had contemporary sports figures like Sandy Koufax appearing. Sounds like a blue print for 'Miami Vice' which followed years later.

From Quiz Famous TV Detectives

Answer: Dennis Franz

Born in Mayfield, Illinois in 1944, Dennis Franz dropped his actual last name, Schlachta, when he became a performer. He looked so much like a stereo-typical policeman that he was constantly offered roles portraying one. Detective Andy Sipowicz was the 27th time he played a cop.

From Quiz Classic TV Private Eyes

Answer: Richard Roundtree

Roundtree reprised his role from the movie for this ill-fated television series. When originally aired, the series was one of three elements that rotated in the Tuesday 9:30-11:00 time period on CBS during the 1973-1974 season. The other two series were "Hawkins" and "The New CBS Tuesday Night Movie". Shaft only produced seven episodes.

From Quiz The Jig is Up

Answer: New York City

The series was based on a series of novels (originating as a short story in 'The New Yorker' magazine) which were turned into a radio show before being adapted for television. Jerry North (Richard Denning) was formerly a naval officer and a private detective, before becoming a publisher; his wife Pamela (Barbara Britton) was the one who actually seemed to stumble across the murders into which she dragged her husband. He preferred a traditional, logical approach; she worked on intuition, and (irritatingly) usually got to the solution before him. The show ran for one season (1952-3) on CBS, and half a season (Jan-May 1954) on NBC. The second season concentrated more on the actual mystery, making it less of a situation comedy and allowing Pamela to be less ditzy than the first.

From Quiz TV Classic Sleuths

Answer: 'M Squad'

Robert Urich was Spenser; James Franciscus was Longstreet. Dennis Weaver was McCloud.

From Quiz Hors D'oeuvres in the Court!

Answer: JAG

"JAG" centered around the cases of a team of US Navy lawyers led by Commander Harman "Harm" Rabb (David James Elliot), and Marine Lt. Colonel Sarah "Mac" McKenzie (Bell). JAG is the acronym for Judge Advocate General. The JAG Corp prosecutes and defends active duty soldiers in criminal actions. The lawyers in JAG were part trial attorneys and part active duty soldiers creating an exciting blend of crime drama and action adventure. "JAG" broadcast for one season on the NBC network, but was cancelled due to low ratings. In an unusual move, rival network CBS picked up the show where it became a solid ratings success and lasted for nine more years. "JAG" later spun off the hugely popular "NCIS" franchise. "JAG" premiered at a time when the US Navy was dealing media scrutiny for alleged sexual abuse and discrimination. As such, the Navy did not initially provide technical support for "JAG" fearing more negative publicity. Ultimately the show's overall positive portrayal of the US Navy and the work of the JAG Corp earned the Navy's cooperation and technical assistance.

From Quiz Mixed TV Detectives

Answer: "Tony" Baretta

The often disguised cop would go home to his pet cockatoo. This classic cop rode a rotted out Chevy Impala that was as memorable as he was. Baretta was always in some sort of disguise during his investigations. He was portrayed by Robert Blake.

From Quiz Seventies Crime Shows

Answer: Dan August

Norman Fell played the role of Dan August's partner on "Dan August". The series was set in the fictional town of Santa Luisa, California. The series was based on a 1966 book by Harold R. Daniels titled "The House on Greenapple Road" that was made in to a television movie in 1970. "Dan August" didn't garner a sufficient audience and was not renewed but the show fared well in re-runs when Burt Reynolds' career surged during the seventies.

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