Those Magnificent Mothers of Television Quiz

Answer: Lily Munster

Lily was born as the daughter of Sam Dracula, affectionately called, Grandpa (Al Lewis). She met Herman (Fred Gwynne) in Transylvania and they married in 1865. Upon coming to America they adopted Marilyn (Beverley Owens/Pat Priest), Lily's normal and human niece. Eddie (Butch Patrick), their werewolf son, was born later. Her dismal duties consisted of scattering trash around and dusting while using a vacuum in reverse. She donned a pale white complexion to match the streak in her long black hair. The bat-shaped medallion worn around her neck accessorized her deathly beauty.

Yvonne De Carlo portrayed the character of Lily Munster in the CBS sitcom, "The Munsters" (1964-66).

Answer: Florida Evans

Florida Evans faced complex challenges with her unemployed husband James (John Amos), three rebellious children, discrimination, financial burdens, and threatened evictions. The show focused, not only on the diverse views of a struggling African-American family, but universal families too. It was a realistic twist of sporadic situations showcased in the lives of a poverty-stricken family who was striving to move on up in the world. Mrs. Evans and her husband demonstrated good parental skills and never wavered in their responsibilities, even in the worse case scenarios. The Evans' children included "J.J." (Jimmie Walker), Thelma (BernNadette Stanis), and Michael (Ralph Carter).

Ester Rolle played Florida Evans in the CBS prime-time sitcom, "Good Times" (1974-1979).

Answer: Shirley Partridge

Shirley Partridge was finally coerced by her children to join them in the garage for some family, jamming time. She and her musical brood resided in a suburban area of San Pueblo, California. The impressive talents of each child produced several songs in the pop/rock genre. Their most famous hit, "I Think I Love You" (1970), hit number one on the Billboard charts. After hesitantly approving road tours, she obtained an old school bus in which the family painted in their own, "signature style". They performed their first live gig at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Partridge family included Keith (David Cassidy-stepson to Shirley Jones), Laurie (Susan Dey), Danny (Danny Bonaduce), Chris (Jeremy Gelbwaks/Brian Forster), and Tracy (Suzanne Crough).

Shirley Mae Jones depicted the musical mom to the popular showbiz group, "The Partridge Family" (1970-74).

Answer: Thelma Harper

The quirky family of Raytown often bickered with the elderly and outspoken widow, Thelma Mae Harper. Vinton (Ken Berry), her locksmith son, moved in with her, bringing his two teenaged children, Buzz (Eric Brown) and Sonja (Karin Argoud) along. To disturb mama's rural lifestyle even more, he started a somewhat silly relationship with Naomi Oates (Dorothy Lyman). To her dismay, he married the flirtatious food clerk. Nevertheless, this did not stop mama from voicing her opinions to the ditzy dingbat. In the final episode, Thelma was blessed with a granddaughter and namesake, Tiffany Thelma Harper.

Vicki Lawrence was superb as Thelma Harper on NBC's uproariously and entertaining sitcom, "Mama's Family" (1983-90).

Answer: Roseanne Conner

Roseanne yelled more than she spoke but kept the upper hand on the children and her husband alike. The Conner's were an average, sometimes dysfunctional, blue-collar family with both parents struggling to keep their heads above the water financially. Her children were Becky (Sarah Chalke/Alicia Goranson), Darlene (Sara Gilbert), and D.J. (Michael Fishman). Roseanne embarked upon issues and topics that no other sitcom producer would dare tread, considering them too taboo! A few of the subjects discussed were abortion, alcoholism, domestic violence, drug abuse, homosexuality, poverty, racial prejudice, sex, and teenage pregnancy.

Stand-up comedian, Roseanne Barr, was cast as the dominating mother in ABC's, comedy/drama sitcom, "Roseanne" (1988-97). Barr was presented with numerous awards for her hilarious motherly role.

Answer: Jane Jetson

The pleasant Jane Jetson possessed flair for fashion and shopped tirelessly at her favorite store, Mooning Dales. She was the happy homemaker of her husband George (George O'Hanlon) and their two children, Judy (Janet Waldo) and Elroy (Daws Butler/ Patric Zimmerman). The first family of the future lived in Orbit City at the whimsical Skypad Apartments. While at home, Jane was accompanied by Astro (Don Messick), an almost child-like canine. However, when George entered the room, Astro was quickly there to greet him with slobbering kisses!

Penny Singleton voiced the character of Jane Jetson in the cartoon, "The Jetsons". (Originally aired from 1962-1963, and syndicated from 1985-1987).

Answer: Ann Romano

After Ann's divorce, she relocated to Indianapolis. She set out to prove that she could single-handedly raise her two teenaged girls, Julie (MacKenzie Phillips) and Barbara Cooper (Valerie Bertinelli). However, her apartment building superintendent, Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington) stepped into a paternal position when help was desired. Subjects on this show were mainly considered behind-the-door issues. They involved segments of birth control, infidelity, pre-marital sex, sexual harassment, and suicide.

Former child-actor, Bonnie Franklin portrayed the single mom on, "One Day at a Time" (1975-84).

Answer: Marge Simpson

Marge met Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) in her final year of high school. She became pregnant and they were blessed with their baby boy, Bart (Nancy Cartwright). Soon their daughters, Lisa (Yeardley Smith) and Maggie followed. Marge was a nurturing and exceptionally enduring mother to all of her family members. Together, with her demanding workload and the family's embarrassing behavior, she was pushed over the edge that caused a mental breakdown. Like any marriage, the loving duo have had their share of ups and downs, but Marge remained faithful although temptation had been great at times.

Julie Kavner did the voice-over for Marge in, "The Simpsons"(1989- ). She has won several awards for her portrayal including, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance.

Answer: Victoria Barkley

Victoria Barkley was bold, strong-willed, and full of life. In the late 1800's, she inherited the massive ranch from the rich and influential Barkley clan. She was unquestionable the leader and manager of it too. It was here that she reared her children Jarrod (Richard Long), Nick (Peter Breck), Audra (Linda Evans), and her late husband's illegitimate son, Heath (Lee Majors). In a time when life was tough, Victoria proved to be even tougher.

The western series on ABC, "The Big Valley" (1965-69), featured Barbara Stanwyck as the rough and tumble mom.

Answer: Kate Bradley

Kate was as friendly and hospitable as "country folk" come. She was the owner and operator of the Shady Rest Hotel, which was near the railroad tracks. Her lovely daughters were Billie Jo (Jeannine Riley/Gunilla Hutton/Meredith MacRae), Bobbie Jo (Pat Woodell/Lori Saunders), and Betty Jo (Linda Kaye). The country's taxi service was the Hooterville Cannonball, a steam-operated train that took Kate on many trips to Drucker's Store where she purchased items for her B&B on credit.

Bea Benaderet played the role as the kind-hearted Kate in, "Petticoat Junction" (1963-70), on CBS network.

Note of Interest: The "Dog" (Higgins), as he was called on the show, was portrayed by the up and coming, famous canine, Benji.

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