'70s Entertainment Selection Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Starting with the books, the two published in the 1970s were "Shōgun" (1975) by James Clavell and "The Stand" (1978) by Stephen King. They have also appeared in other media - "Shōgun" in two TV series (1980 and 2024), likewise for "The Stand" (1994 and 2020). "Shōgun" was a work of historical fiction, depicting a version of Japan from around 1600 when European competition for Japan resulted in the Shōgunate restoration. The story was partly based on events and people of the time. It started with the marooning of a Dutch ship in Japan after most of the crew had died.

"The Stand" was a dark fantasy novel from Stephen King. Set in a post-apocalyptic world sparked off by a weaponised influenza, the novel started by recording how it spread and resulted in most of the world's population dying. The novel followed the survivors who formed groups that perhaps inevitably were fated to clash. In its "The Complete & Uncut Edition" (1990) this epic became King's longest stand-alone novel at over 1,100 pages.

On to the films, starting with the space opera "Star Wars" from 1977. Written and directed by George Lucas, it portrayed a fictional galaxy of space-farers where a rebel movement was struggling against a tyrannical empire. A moon-sized weapon was the main focus of this film. It became the decade's highest grossing film and received six Academy Awards, despite its initially limited release and assessed poor prospects. A 1981 re-release was retitled "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope", which allowed for the prequel trilogy.

Various superlatives have been applied to the 1973 martial arts film "Enter the Dragon". Financially, it was the most successful martial arts film at the time. It was also martial artist Bruce Lee's last film, released six days after his death. He was 32. In the film, Lee as a Shaolin monk and martial arts instructor was asked to go undercover to investigate a suspected crime lord, Han. He did this by joining one of Han's martial arts tournaments.

Musicals next. "Grease" was a stage musical before it was adapted for film. The stage premier was at a Chicago nightclub in 1971 with the film following in 1978. It had a Broadway run of nearly 3,400 performances, a record at the time. The story followed ten working-class teens as they encountered issues such as peer pressure, love and friendship mixed in with being cool and teenage rebellion. Taking its name from the 1950s working-class youth "greaser" subculture, the music relied on early rock and roll sounds. The raunchy, vulgar nature of the original Chicago production has been toned down over time.

The musical "Evita" premiered in London in 1978 with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It began as a concept album of the same name in 1976 (although with no song titled "Evita"). The musical's focus was the life of the Argentinian politician Eva Perón from her early years through her rise to power and to her death. The character Che acted both as a narrator and a critic.

The two '70s decade songs listed were "Imagine" by John Lennon and "Waterloo" by ABBA. The Beatles had broken up and the individual band members had their own projects by the time the song "Imagine" was released by John Lennon in 1971. It was the opening track from the album of the same name and often considered to be Lennon's signature song. The song encouraged the listener to imagine a world of peace.

The song "Waterloo" from 1974 marked the rise of the Swedish pop music group ABBA. It appeared in their second album and was the first single sung under the name ABBA. It became Sweden's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest of that year, which they won and brought them the attention they needed. It was the first of sixteen UK no. 1 hits. The song took its name from the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.

Originally shown on CBS between 1970 and 1977, the TV sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" starred the namesake American actress portraying an unmarried independent woman called Mary Richards, something of a rarity at the time. An ensemble cast supported Moore's character in storylines with complex characters and contemporary situations. The show won 29 Primetime Emmy Awards and resulted in three spin-off series: "Rhoda" (1974-78), "Phyllis" (1975-77) and "Lou Grant" (1977-82).

The final TV show was the American sitcom "All in the Family" which ran on CBS between 1971 and 1979. "Archie Bunker's Place" (1979-83) followed where the first one left off. These were modelled on the British TV sitcom "Till Death Us Do Part" (1965-75) and revolved around a working-class man, Archie Bunker, and his family. Two couples from two different generations living in the same house provided the scope for plenty of clashes in values.

For completeness, the dates for the wrong answers were: "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton (1990), "Rear Window" (film, 1954), "Carousel" (musical, 1945), "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson, 1983), "Careless Whisper" (Wham!, 1984), "Seinfeld" (TV, 1989-98).