Entertainment in the 1970s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Holmfirth

Roy Clarke created the sitcom 'Last of the Summer Wine', which first aired on the BBC in 1973. It was set and filmed in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, and centred on the misadventures of three older men called Compo Simmonite, Norman Clegg and Foggy Dewhurst. It ran for 295 episodes over thirty-seven years.

I remember Compo being infatuated with his neighbour Nora Batty and spending much of his time trying to impress her, even though she wasn't interested in him. Nora was known for her distinctive hairnet, patterned dresses and famously wrinkled stockings, which Compo found strangely attractive.

My favourite characters were Howard and Marina. He was a married older man and she was a younger, glamorous blonde who worked at the local supermarket. He was always trying to sneak away with her. Their secret bicycle rides provided one of the show's longest-running comic storylines, with Howard constantly trying to avoid his wife Pearl discovering what he was up to. Hilarious!

Answer: The Sweet

Glam rock was definitely glamorous in the early 1970s, and The Sweet were one of the popular bands of that era. The line-up featured Brian Connolly on vocals, Steve Priest on bass, Andy Scott on guitar and Mick Tucker on drums. Alongside Slade, T. Rex and Mud, they were regulars on Top of the Pops throughout the decade. They were a favourite of mine and I thought Brian had a great voice.

'Wig-Wam Bam' reached number four on the UK Singles Chart in 1972. The band went on to score bigger hits with 'Block Buster!', which reached number one, and 'Ballroom Blitz', which peaked at number two.

After leaving the band, Brian pursued a solo career and later toured with his own version of the Sweet. However, his health had already suffered badly from years of heavy drinking and smoking. I remember being shocked by the dramatic change in his appearance, because he didn't look well. In 1981 he suffered a series of heart attacks, leaving him with lasting health problems. He died in 1997, aged 51.

Answer: Ingrid Bergman

I would think that few writers have matched Agatha Christie for sheer output. She wrote 66 detective novels and 14 collections of short stories. She also wrote six novels under the name Mary Westmacott, using the pseudonym so she could write about subjects quite different from her usual mysteries. Her other work included plays, poetry and non-fiction. Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple became two of crime fiction's most famous detectives.

The film adaptation of 'Murder on the Orient Express' brought together an impressive cast, including Albert Finney as Poirot, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Maggie Smith. Ingrid Bergman played the Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, giving her her third Oscar.

The film was directed by Sidney Lumet and received six Oscar nominations in total. It's one of Poirot's best-known cases.

Answer: Judge Dredd

'2000 AD' quickly established itself as a British comic with a very different approach to science fiction and adventure. Judge Dredd made his first appearance in the second issue, or Prog 2, created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. Set in the future city of Mega-City One, Dredd is a Judge with the power to act as police officer, judge and executioner. He became its longest-running character, appearing in stories for decades and helping establish the comic as one of Britain's best-known science-fiction titles.

He has also appeared outside the comic, with Sylvester Stallone playing him in the 1995 film 'Judge Dredd' and Karl Urban taking the role in 'Dredd' in 2012. The character's world has continued to expand through spin-off comics, novels, games and other adaptations, and '2000 AD' itself remains a weekly publication.

Answer: Save Your Kisses for Me

The 1976 Eurovision Song Contest was held in The Hague, Netherlands. Brotherhood of Man won with 'Save Your Kisses for Me'. The song was written by Tony Hiller, Martin Lee and Lee Sheriden. Martin and Lee were the two male vocalists in the group along with Nicky Stevens and Sandra Stevens. The song received 164 points, finishing 17 points ahead of second-placed France.

'Save Your Kisses for Me' went on to become a major international hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart and also topped the charts in several other countries. It sold millions of copies worldwide and was one of the biggest-selling Eurovision winning songs of its time.

Answer: Connect Four

Connect Four was licenced by Milton Bradley in 1974 after inventor Howard Wexler came up with the idea of a strategy game played on a vertical board. He wanted to make something different from traditional games such as checkers and chess, which are played on a horizontal surface. He eventually settled on a grid seven columns wide and six rows high, using coloured checkers that players dropped into the columns.

The game is simple to learn. Each player drops coloured discs into a vertical grid, racing to line up four in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally. There is more strategy involved than its straightforward rules suggest, however. Connect Four was mathematically solved independently in 1988 by James D. Allen and Victor Allis, both showing that the first player can force a win with perfect play.

The result depends on the opening moves, with the centre column being the strongest starting position. Despite being a solved game, Connect Four remains a popular two-player game and is still produced today.

Answer: A haunted hotel

Stephen King's 'The Shining' was his third novel, following 'Carrie' and 'Salem's Lot'. The story takes place mainly at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, where Jack Torrance accepts a job as winter caretaker and moves there with his wife Wendy and their young son Danny. Danny possesses a psychic ability known as 'the shining', which allows him to perceive things that other people cannot. Stephen has said that the idea for the novel was influenced by his own experiences and fears surrounding alcoholism and family life.

He came up with the idea for the story after staying with his wife at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado in 1974, shortly before the hotel closed for the winter. They were the only guests remaining and were given room 217, which helped inspire the fictional Overlook Hotel. The novel was adapted into Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Although the film differs from the book in several important ways, it has become one of the best-known adaptations of Stephen's work. He has been critical of some of Kubrick's changes, particularly the portrayal of Jack Torrance.

I can visualise that scene where Jack Torrance becomes increasingly violent and tries to break through the bathroom door with an axe while Wendy is trapped inside and he delivers the famous line 'Here's Johnny!' after making a hole in it. Yikes!

Answer: Ford Gran Torino

'Starsky & Hutch', a favourite of mine, ran on ABC from 1975 to 1979. It starred Paul Michael Glaser as Detective Dave Starsky and David Soul as Detective Ken 'Hutch' Hutchinson. Their trusted informant was Huggy Bear, played by Antonio Fargas. The car driven by Starsky was a red 1975 Ford Gran Torino with a distinctive white stripe running along its sides.

The Gran Torino became so closely associated with the series that examples used in the show have become collectors' items. The television cars were modified with features including air shocks, special wheels and the distinctive white stripe. They also had heavy-duty suspension and reinforced bumpers for the demands of filming. Several different cars were used during the series, with some surviving after production ended.

The show's famous red-and-white colour scheme was also offered by Ford as a production-car combination, although the television cars had additional modifications for their on-screen work.

Answer: Cherish

David Cassidy became a major teen star through his role as Keith Partridge in 'The Partridge Family', while also developing a successful solo career. His first solo single was a version of 'Cherish', which was originally recorded by The Association. In Britain, 'Cherish' was paired with 'Could It Be Forever' as a double A-side, and the record reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in 1972.

His solo career was particularly successful in Britain. 'How Can I Be Sure' reached number one on the UK Singles Chart later in 1972 and 'Daydreamer' topped the chart the following year. 'Could It Be Forever' reached number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but its double A-side release with 'Cherish' became a much bigger hit in Britain.

David was a favourite of mine when I was a teenager. I felt it was a shame that he was regarded primarily as a pin-up boy, because he had a great voice. I continued to follow his career until he passed away. He publicly acknowledged having problems with alcohol, and shortly before his death he revealed that he had been suffering from liver disease. He died on 21 November 2017, aged 67, from complications related to liver failure.

Answer: Marie Osmond

Following his success in 'Saturday Night Fever', John Travolta played Danny Zuko in 'Grease'. Olivia Newton-John was initially unsure about playing Sandy because she was 28 and felt she might be too old to convincingly play a high-school student. She agreed to a screen test with John before accepting the role. Marie Osmond had previously been considered for Sandy but turned it down because she disliked the idea of Sandy changing her appearance and personality at the end of the story to win Danny back.

The film became one of the biggest successes of 1978, and its soundtrack produced several hit singles. 'You're the One That I Want', sung by John and Olivia, spent nine weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and 'Summer Nights' also topped the chart for seven weeks. The soundtrack album itself spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one in the US.

I was really surprised on learning about Marie Osmond turning down the role, because 'Grease' is my all time favourite. I've lost count of how many times I've seen it and I never get fed up of watching it. I just love it. It's one of those classics that never ages. I can't imagine Marie playing Sandy, somehow. Of course, that might be because I have become so accustomed to Olivia.