Fun Trivia » Entertainment » Radio » Adventures in Odyssey

The team at "Focus On The Family" was considering a radio drama, but first, they wanted to run a test program to see how the listening audience would respond. "Family Portraits" aired thirteen weekly episodes before "Adventures In Odyssey" was launched. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Focus On The Family, Family Time, Meet Mr. Whittaker

A listener writes Connie's radio show saying, "Dear Connie, What is the point of Valentine's Day? I mean there is not a lot to it. I spend the whole night on February 13 signing silly cards that have a picture of a bear on them, saying "Have a Beary Good Valentine's Day. Is there anything more to it than that? Signed, All Valentined Out". Difficulty: Hard.

 

"Crazy in Love", "Hearts for Jesus", "Love Comes Softly"

Stan the plumber thanks Chris for giving him a chance because people don't think that he is very good. Chris told him she believes everyone deserves a chance. When it looks as if Stan succeeds in fixing the faucet, Chris says it takes a lot more than a few mistakes to make a person a failure. However she has a chance to practice her philosophy when she notices the sink is flooding and the water won't turn off. Stan scrambles to fix it but ends up flooding the place. Difficulty: Hard.

 

paying him in pepperoni pizzas for his service, a free episode of Adventures in Odyssey, a brand new toolbox to introduce the theme of giving

Nick tries to prepare Whit and Connie to meet his friend Vince from New York. When Nick tells them about Vince he tells them about Vince's past. Vince used to be called "The Bad Guy", ripped off stores, and got in many fights. Nick tells White and Connie not to talk about his family, religion, or anything that has positive feelings. He tells them just to say "Hey." and nod when Vince asks them a question. Difficulty: Average.

 

Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh

Hal Smith was the first to voice Whit, which he did from the first episode of "Adventure in Odyssey" in 1987, all the way until his death in 1994. Whit was temporarily written out of the series by having him go on an archaeological trip to the Middle East.
Paul Herlinger became the second person to voice Whit from 1996 to 2008 (until Paul quit due to health issues). Unlike when Hal died, Whit was not temporarily written out of the series.
Andre Stokja took over the role of voicing Whit in 2009.
Walker Edminston provided the voice of Tom Riley and Bart Rathbone (along with some minor characters) but not Whit. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Hal Smith, Andre Stojka, Walker Edminston

Davey Holcomb is always making mistakes, to the point he gives up. The neighborhood children make fun of him because nothing he seems to do works. However Whit convinces Davey to help him repair an old copier that they transform into a pizza oven. However when they demonstrate it, the pizza oven blows a fuse. Davy runs away but Whit finds him later and gives him a slice of pizza that the other children are enjoying back at Whit's end. Whit shows Davey that we can learn from mistakes and transform them into something that's better. In many Odyssey situations, Whit has reflected on his own mistakes in the past to give wisdom to others. Difficulty: Easy.

 

The Search for Whit, No Stupid Questions, Lights Out at Whit's End

Before Connie came to Odyssey she lived in California. Pamela was one of her old friends that became a Christian and helped Connie to become one as well, when Connie visited. Connie become suspicious when her mother tries to hide phone calls and doesn't tell her what is going on, however when Pamela shows up at Whit's End, Connie is extremely overjoyed! Difficulty: Hard.

 

Colorado, Illinois, Indiana

Eugene began working at Whit's End in the episode "Connie". Difficulty: Hard.

 

Eugene Meltzner, Katrina Shanks, Jason Whittaker

When Jack is talking to Whit, near the beginning, he needs to break up a fight between these two boys. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Nick and Charlie, David and Tim, Nathan and Zack

John Avery Whitaker, or "Whit," is a Christian inventor, author, and businessman who brings adventure to the small town of Odyssey. Difficulty: Average.

 

Tom Riley, Jack Allen, Edwin Blackgaard

John Avery Whittaker, better known simply as Whit, was introduced in the first episode of "Family Portraits". He went on to serve as a long-standing main character on "Adventures In Odyssey" and is still there. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Tom Riley, George Barclay, Connie Kendall

Soldiers approached the Roman Emperor, Claudius II, also known as "Claudius the Cruel". When his fighting men asked him if they could spend time with their families, Claudius was outraged. Claudius believed a family man longed only for home not victory. He outlawed all marriages and made a law saying anyone who commits marriage ceremonies would be put to death. Difficulty: Hard.

 

He was made at his ex wife and wanted to avoid future dates with prospect women., He was afraid that the population of Rome would get too large to protect., He wanted to keep the soldiers from becoming too friendly with their countries enemies.

Whit tells a person on the telephone he has to go serve a hungry pack of coyotes. At the customer's surprise, Whit explains it is the Little League baseball team. However when Whit turns his attention to the kids, they are very down about losing the game and blame it on one person, Davey. During the game Davey struck out three times, knocked over the portable backstop, cleated his own second baseman, and the entire team tripped over him when he bent down to tie his shoe. They blame Davy for the lost game and all the disasters. Their teasing is so bad, Davy decides to quit the team. Difficulty: Average.

 

They forgot to practice before the game, Coach Riley forgot to yell out instructions, They had to forfeit because they cheated

Connie is telling Bible stories to the kids at the chapel during the rainstorm. Bethany's Mom suggests she go and join for the hour, and Bethany reluctantly does. When Bethany becomes apart of the story, Connie becomes the narrator of all the "Genesis revised" editions in Bethany's imagination. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Whit, Tom, Jack

Connie tells Nick that he is wrong about his friend. Vince has agreed to take kids on a fishing trip with her and has shown that he is a really nice individual. Nick is upset because he doesn't believe Vince has changed. He tells Connie that it is impossible for God to change that much. He tells Connie that he will prove to her that Vince hasn't changed by tempting him to do the bad things he used to. Difficulty: Hard.

 

He thinks that Connie would like Vince better the way he used to be., He thinks having a Christian for a friend is embarrassing., He wants to make Vince a stronger Christian by testing him.

Whit was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. The year of Whit's birth was unknown but believed to be in the 1920s, since Whit was at a very young age when he fought in World War II. Although born in Scotland, Whit didn't have a Scottish accent. At a young age, Whit and his family moved to the United States. Very little was known about Whit's early life. Difficulty: Hard.

 

England, Portugal, United States

Before her death, Jenny Whittaker fought hard to save the Filmore Recreation Center from being torn down. A councilman had wanted to wreck the old building to build a mall, but Jenny insisted that the place could be recreated for the sake of the memories it had for the townspeople. She wanted it to be a place where "kids could be kids" and use their imagination, unlike the entertainment video arcades in the mall would provide.

Jenny never got to finish her fight because she fell ill during one of the debates and was rushed to the hospital. She died a short time later. Whit at first didn't pick up her dream until he was encouraged by another councilman. Whit made an offer for the recreation center, bought it, and made it formally Whit's End, a discovery emporium "where kids could be kids". It since has become the most famous building in Odyssey. Difficulty: Average.

 

Whit's son, Jason, Whit's grandson, Montey, Whit's daughter, Jana

Connie finds out when she shows Pamela the Imagination Station that Pamela is visiting her because she has a serious problem. Pamela wants to fix mistakes between her and her boyfriend that happened two months ago. Her boyfriend and her had been seriously dating and two months ago started having problems with their relationship. Connie finds out that Pamela is pregnant. Difficulty: Hard.

 

she wants to help her boyfriend, she wants to relive her memories with Connie, she wants to see what it is like to be a mom in the future

Connie's age was mentioned in "Thank You, God". June Kendall said she was thankful that 16 years ago she was blessed with Connie. Difficulty: Hard.

 

23, 10, 21

It is pronounced e-yo-ay. Difficulty: Hard.

After his wife was suddenly struck ill and died, Whit renovated an abandoned community center into an ice cream shop and local hangout for kids. Difficulty: Average.

 

Whit's Ice Cream Shop, The Odyssey Ice Cream Parlor, John's Ice Cream

When he saw the notice, St. Valentine declared that the emperor had declared war on families. He believed every citizen should fight back because marriages were apart of God's law. He told Titus it was impossible to outlaw something that had been created by God. Valentine told Titus marriages were the backbone of families and families were worth fighting for. When Titus told Valentine that his words could cost him his life, Valentine asked Titus, "Wouldn't you rather die fighting for family than allow the family itself to die?" Difficulty: Hard.

 

Families were not important or worth the trouble. , The emperor made a law because he was a victim., The emperor had outlawed true love.

Whit takes Davy around and tells him that the displays are for kids to discover things. Some of the things were his inventions. Davy is shocked to find out Whit is an inventor. Whit laughs and tells Davy all you have to do to be an inventor is find an idea and figure out how to make it work. He shows Davy the special place called "Inventor's Corner" in Whit's End and his private workshop. Difficulty: Average.

 

"You need to be super smart and make all A's in school.", "You need to be the most popular person in the crowd.", "You need to have several college degrees and experience."

Bethany is crying for help when she is left with the shower running and water is going everywhere. Noah and his family show up to rescue her. Noah tells her to quickly get into the "Ark-Vac". When Bethany asks what it is, Noah says, "It's this big boat!". Bethany questions Noah that it is supposed to be an ark. Noah replies, "Ark, Vac, same thing." He tells Bethany to climb aboard. Difficulty: Hard.

 

The Titanic, The Santa Maria, A Disney tugboat

Nick puts a pack of cigarettes on the front seat and hides with Connie to see what Vince will do. Vince takes the cigarettes out and crushes them between his fingers. He throws the rest away. Nick shrugs and tells Connie that smoking is a bad habit, everyone should give it up. He persists to try to mess Vince up. Difficulty: Average.

 

a bottle of alcohol, a girlfriend, a stolen TV

Whit was a signalman in the Navy during World War II. The ship he was on was called the USS Irongate. During the war, he became friends with Lieutenant Reginald Duffield. Whit discussed his faith with Duffield and some point after that, Duffield became a Christian. During one of the battles, part of Whit's right ear got blown off. He also received a bullet wound in his leg after saving Duffield's life. Difficulty: Average.

 

Marines, Armed Forces, Coast Guard

Whit started writing an encyclopedia while he was raising his own children. From that, Whit has always had a mindset that there are new things to discover and teaches children at Whit's End. His encyclopedia turned into a company know as the Universal Press Foundation, which has aided missionaries, stood for Christian rights, and has been dedicated to teaching children the truths of God's Word. When Philip Glossman tried to tear down the town recreation center, Whit stepped in as a representative from Universal Press to buy it and make it Whit's End. Later when Tom Riley tells the story to Connie, he reveals that Whit is the chairman and founder of the company. Difficulty: Average.

 

Christian United Education , United Christian Press, Chicago Children's Education Foundation

This was mentioned at the end of the special 10th anniversery episode of "Connie Part One". Difficulty: Hard.

 

Kenneth, Avery, Thomas

In "Promises, Promises," Connie mentions her dog. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Spot, Frank, Champ

The Imagination Station is an invention of Whit's that is something like a time machine that takes people back to given points in history with the help of their imaginations. Some other inventions of Whit's are the Room of Consequences and the Transmuter. Difficulty: Average.

 

The Time Machine, The Adventure Train, The Room of Time Travel

This is an episode about failure. Through one of his flop inventions, Whit teaches a young boy to keep trying even when he fails. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Whit's Visitor, Welcome to Odyssey, Welcome To Whit's End

Valentine had previously helped Christians escape imprisonment because of a secret opening in the wall. Valentine moved rocks and helped Titus escape when the guards were not looking. The guards were baffled and told their superiors that "he had disappeared". The emperor told the jailer if it were not for him being his cousin, he would have executed him for allowing Titus to escape. Difficulty: Hard.

 

He knocked out the guards and burned down the prison., He bribed the guards with millions of Roman gold coins., He petitioned the emperor for a public pardon in exchange for renouncing his faith.

Whit asks Davy for help with his machine and brings it out for the kids to see. Whit calls it "Whit's Flop" because the machine never worked. He invites the kids to guess what it was supposed to be. Whit is excited as Davy begins to explore the machine and Davy becomes encouraged. However when he pulls a lever and it breaks off in his hands, the kids tease him once more for being a failure. Davy runs outside believing that he cannot do anything right, but Whit follows him. Difficulty: Hard.

 

The machine starts having electric shocks, The machine falls completely apart on the floor, The machine catches on fire

Noah tells Bethany God is judging the world because of El Nino, a crazy Californian bandit. El Nino left the shower running while he was trying to rob a stagecoach. Then he got into his pinto and rode to Santa and Nito to join Christopher Columbo. According to Noah, God wasn't too happy. So God let the bathtub overflow and the rains come causing the huge flood! Noah's son Hamlet says, "Typical Californians. I hope they fall right off into the ocean." Difficulty: Hard.

 

Al Capone, Bethany's older sister, Billy the Kid

Nick brings Vince to an alley and shows him a bag of combustibles and garbage. He tries to convince Vince to relive the old memory they had of setting a bonfire when they lived in the city. Vince tells Nick that he would rather not. He tells Nick that he had gone to the police and apologized for all his wrong actions when he became a Christian. The police had been shocked at Vince's honesty and didn't arrest him. Difficulty: Average.

 

rob a bank, trip an old lady, beat up kids walking home from school

Jerry Whittaker was Whit's oldest son who died in the Vietnam War. Jerry felt that he had to go to Vietnam, even though his brother, Jason, didn't want him to do so. After his death, Jerry's mother (Jenny) decided to go into volunteer work. Also, Whit unintentionally started favoring his other son, Jason, causing Whit's daughter, Jana, to feel left out. Difficulty: Average.

 

father, grandson, cousin

Fiona Donald became apart of Whit's life after his real mother died. At first Whit and his stepmother did not get along, but later they became best friends. One day when they were racing together, Whit's stepmother did not see a branch and fell off the horse. The accident blinded her and Whit did not understand why his stepmother was not angry at the situation or at God. Whit's stepmother's attitude and faith eventually led him to be a Christian. (Episode: "Thank You, God") Difficulty: Easy.

 

she was lame since her birth, she wasn't a Christian, she died of cancer

Connie goes to Whit and asks him to talk to Pamela. Connie explains to Whit the problem that Pamela is pregnant.

Whit's heart aches for all the anguish Pamela must be feeling. Pamela is surprised he doesn't shake his finger at her. Whit wants Pamela to tell her parents and tells her that she is probably underestimate their support.

Pamela wants the baby to disappear. Whit tells her that she may think it is her choice, but it is not her baby's choice.

Whit tells Pamela she knows its a baby, her baby. He tries to explain to her that there are programs in churches for adoption. Difficulty: Easy.

 

it's just like getting an ingrown toenail removed, she knows it is against her beliefs but will do it anyway, she believes Jesus will understand if she has an abortion

If you got this one right, you've either seen the summary of the episode, like I have, or have heard the episode. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Anne, Kendra, Jessica

Donna gets the idea of reading the words to a hymm from her old best friend, Karen. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Amazing Grace, It is Well, All Things Bright and Beautiful