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TV Gets Real(er) Trivia Quiz

The '60s and '70s brought a number of social changes to TV programming, portraying life a bit more accurately than "Father Knows Best." Here's how.

A multiple-choice quiz by nutmeglad. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
nutmeglad

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
191,081

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2846

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 175 (4/10), Guest 98 (7/10), Guest 174 (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. "Chico and the Man" highlighted Freddie Prinze, the son of a Puerto Rican mother and Hungarian father. Who played the role of 'the Man' in this groundbreaking sitcom? Hint

James Komack

Lloyd Bridges

Jack Albertson

Ray Bolger

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. PBS broke new ground with the first reality show, "American Family." What was the name of the featured family? Hint

the Lords

the Waynes

the Louds

the Clarkes

3. African-Americans started to appear in guest roles on many TV shows. In one guest spot on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," screen actor Godfrey Cambridge starred. What was his job in this hilarious episode? Hint

airline pilot

best-selling author

talent agent

FBI agent

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. With the growing popularity of the Women's Liberation movement, "Maude," starring Bea Arthur, spun off from "All in the Family" and became a huge hit. What was Maude's family relationship with the Bunkers of "AITF?" Hint

none

Archie's sister

Edith's cousin

Archie's cousin

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. This show had the first African-American in a starring role. The African-American was Bill Cosby. Who was his co-star on the breakthrough "I Spy." Hint

Robert Culp

Patrick McGoohan

Robert Vaughn

Don Adams

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Buzz words were everywhere. Who coined the oft-repeated, "The Devil made me do it?" Hint

Red Skelton

Lily Tomlin

Dick Martin

Flip Wilson

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" broke ground by showing an independent, single woman "making it on her own." What was the occupation of the fiance Mary left when she moved to Minneapolis? Hint

lawyer

doctor

actor

it was never mentioned

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. "The Smothers Brothers" show pushed the political envelope before being smacked down by CBS and removed from the air. Which of the following was a writer for this groundbreaker? Hint

Steve Martin

Lorne Michaels

Buck Henry

George Carlin

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Homosexuality was virtually unknown on the tube (unless you want to count Paul Lynde's 'Uncle Arthur' from "Bewitched," which was kind of ambiguous)until "Soap" introduced the openly gay character 'Jodie Dallas'. Who played this groundbreaking part? Hint

Bob Tichy

Bill Bixby

Billy Crystal

Martin Mull

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. "All in the Family" broke all the rules, dealing with racism, homophobia, rape, mental retardation and other TV taboos. The show was actually (and loosely) based on a British sitcom. What was it called? Hint

"All in the Family"

"Till Death Us Do Part"

"The Loading Dock"

"The Family Plot"

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 17 2024 : Guest 175: 4/10
Apr 03 2024 : Guest 98: 7/10
Mar 29 2024 : Guest 174: 9/10
Mar 15 2024 : Guest 68: 8/10
Feb 28 2024 : Guest 209: 6/10
Feb 26 2024 : Guest 172: 9/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Chico and the Man" highlighted Freddie Prinze, the son of a Puerto Rican mother and Hungarian father. Who played the role of 'the Man' in this groundbreaking sitcom?

Answer: Jack Albertson

Long-time film actor Albertson, who died in 1981, played the cranky garage owner and Prinze's boss. It was the first time a Spanish speaking character had a title role in a sitcom. ("Zorro" doesn't count.) James Komack was the producer.

2. PBS broke new ground with the first reality show, "American Family." What was the name of the featured family?

Answer: the Louds

The idea was to simply follow a typical American family through daily life. Instead we saw a surprise revelation of homosexuality, difficult dinners, raw nerves - hey, wait, that DOES sound like a typical American family. Pat and Bill Loud decided to divorce during the shooting of this slice of American life.

Answer: FBI agent

The FBI stakes out the house across from the Petries', much to Rob's delight. Cambridge plays an FBI agent suffering from a terrible toothache. He agrees to let Rob stand vigil, at which point Rob asks Cambridge to hand him "the binos." In another episode of this groundbreaking show, African-American actor Greg Morris (Barney on "Mission Impossible") plays the parent of the child that Laura believes was given to her by mistake at the hospital.

Answer: Edith's cousin

Maude was Edith's cousin and a thorn in Archie's side. Maude's catchphrase was, "God'll get you for this, Arthur (or Archie)." The show took a humorous look at the flipside of the right-wing Archie Bunker with Maude's knee-jerk liberal views.

5. This show had the first African-American in a starring role. The African-American was Bill Cosby. Who was his co-star on the breakthrough "I Spy."

Answer: Robert Culp

Cashing in on the spy show craze ("Secret Agent", "Mission: Impossible", etc.), the show used a mixture of comedy and action to achieve ratings success. At the time, Cosby had already achieved crossover recognition for his non-threatening stand-up comedy.

6. Buzz words were everywhere. Who coined the oft-repeated, "The Devil made me do it?"

Answer: Flip Wilson

Flip dressed in drag to play 'Geraldine', an over-the top character who pulled out that phrase whenever she was caught doing something risque. Wilson continued the traditional variety show format, but hey, he was an African-American host of his own show - another important breakthrough.

7. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" broke ground by showing an independent, single woman "making it on her own." What was the occupation of the fiance Mary left when she moved to Minneapolis?

Answer: doctor

Early in the first season, the fiance shows up to try to win back Mary. Turns out, he's a real jerk - a doctor - but a jerk. Mary sees this and realizes that she doesn't need a man, something June Cleaver could never imagine.

8. "The Smothers Brothers" show pushed the political envelope before being smacked down by CBS and removed from the air. Which of the following was a writer for this groundbreaker?

Answer: Steve Martin

Martin got his start with this show before going on to movie stardom and a semi-regular role on "Saturday Night Live." In fact, Martin is a terrific writer who's written a couple of books and plays.

Answer: Billy Crystal

Crystal had gained some success as a stand up, but this role brought him to the attention of the world. The show, for some reason, has only been rerun once.

Answer: "Till Death Us Do Part"

Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin bought the rights to the British show which ran on the BBC in the mid-'60s and featured a bigoted dock worker, much like Archie Bunker. And, for the British quiz takers, what was the name of the main character on "Till Death Us Do Part"?

Source: Author nutmeglad

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Gamemaster1967 before going online.
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