Starring as the Second Banana Quiz

Answer: Art Carney

"The Honeymooners" aired on American television between 1955 and 1956, but it has been a very influential series despite its limited number of episodes. The show featured Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows as Ralph and Alice Kramden, along with Art Carney and Joyce Randolph as Ed and Trixie Norton.

Ralph was a bus driver, frustrated by his lack of success and prone to dreaming up implausible get-rich schemes. Norton, a municipal sewer worker, is Ralph's neighbor and best friend. He's rather dim-witted and often the target of Ralph's bellowing and verbal abuse, playing the perfect foil to Gleason's character.

Art Carney had a successful career after "The Honeymooners", even winning a best actor Oscar for "Harry and Tonto". He also had significant roles in "The Muppets Take Manhattan", "The Late Show", and "House Calls".

Answer: Jean Stapleton

Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton played the couple Archie and Edith Bunker in the series "All in the Family". Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers played Mike and Gloria Stivic, their son-in-law and daughter. Archie was a blue-collar worker who was very opinionated and narrow-minded. Edith was the peacemaker in the family, even when Archie became angry and insulted her as "Dingbat". Mike and Gloria Stivic lived in the Bunker household, attempting to save money until his job prospects improved.

"All in the Family" was a landmark television series, running for eight years. Archie was extremely conservative in his political and social views, bringing him into conflict with Mike, better known to Archie as "Meathead". The differing views of the two main male characters provided opportunities for the show to explore important social and moral issues.

Jean Stapleton, or Edith, may have seemed to be a weak character at first glance. But she was a foil for Archie's temper and prejudiced views. She was patient and loving, seemingly subservient. However, she was willing to take a stand and provided astute observations.

Answer: Demond Wilson

Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson starred as Fred and Lamont Sanford in the comedy series "Sanford and Son". The show, inspired by the British series "Steptoe and Son", ran for six years on American television. It was based in a very poor ghetto area of Los Angeles, where Fred Sanford was a junk dealer.

He was a cantankerous widower with visions of self-importance, grouchy and prejudiced. He was notorious for avoiding hard work, citing his supposed arthritis or faking heart attacks. His son, Lamont, had to watch over his father's tendency to involve himself in questionable get-rich schemes. Lamont was a foil for Fred's humor and attacks, being called a "big dummy" and having Fred interfere with his social life.

Demond Wilson had some acting roles after "Sanford and Son", eventually becoming a minister serving former drug addicts and released prisoners. Fittingly, his autobiography was entitled "Second Banana".

Answer: Valerie Harper

Mary Tyler Moore was first noticed on television as a model for Hotpoint appliances and later as the unseen switchboard operator in the "Richard Diamond" series. Her first major role was the wife in the "Dick Van Dyke Show" from 1961 through 1967. From 1970 through 1977, she starred in the "Mary Tyler Moore Show", a comedy set in the newsroom of a Minneapolis newspaper.

The cast of the show included Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, and Cloris Leachman. All three starred in spin-off television shows as the same characters they played on the Mary Tyler Moore show.

Harper's character, Rhoda Morgenstern, was a brash New Yorker, contrasting with Mary Tyler Moore's polite and urbane character, the Midwesterner Mary Richards. At first, they clashed over an apartment rental, but later became the best of friends.

Answer: Ed McMahon

Ed McMahon was the quintessential Second Banana, who supported Johnny Carson while avoiding the limelight. McMahon was noted for his drawn-out introduction to the show of "Here's Johnny". He was noted for his boisterous laughter during Carson's monologues and guest interviews. Carson and McMahon had worked together on the quiz show "Who Do You Trust" for six years before their thirty-year run on "The Tonight Show".

McMahon was a flight instructor during World War II and flew 85 combat missions in the Korean War. He served as national spokesman for several corporations, hosted the television series "Star Search", and had several minor acting roles. He hosted the telethon for muscular dystrophy, with his 41 appearances being second only to Jerry Lewis.

Answer: Jim Nabors

Jim Nabors was offered a one-shot appearance on the third season of the "Andy Griffith Show", appearing as the dim-witted gasoline attendant Gomer Pyle. That episode was so popular that Nabors was offered a permanent role on the show and later had a spinoff series: "Gomer Pyle - USMC".

Nabors was an excellent singer, and Griffith had discovered him during a nightclub performance. He would appear on every season's premiere of the "Carol Burnett Show", since she considered him a good-luck charm and a close personal friend. He was also well-known for singing "Back Home Again in Indiana" for thirty years at the start of the Indianapolis 500 automobile race

Answer: Prunella Scales

John Cleese and Prunella Scales starred as Basil and Sybil Fawlty in the renowned comedy series "Fawlty Towers". Fawlty Towers was a dysfunctional hotel in Devon, and Basil, the owner, was very rude to guests and subject to rather harebrained ideas to improve the status of the hotel. Sybil was often a foil to Basil's ideas and tantrums and was generally able to control Basil with her tongue.

The hotel staff was the sensible chambermaid Polly, played by Connie Booth, and the headwaiter Manuel, played by Andrew Sachs. Booth, who was married to Cleese at the time of the series, co-wrote the episodes with Cleese. The headwaiter Manuel had limited command of the English language, and his confusion became part of the comedy. Another feature of the series was that the guests of the hotel were quite frequently members of demographic groups, which triggered Basil's rudeness and prejudices.

Prunella Scales had a long and successful acting career after the conclusion of the "Fawlty Towers" series.

Answer: Regis Philbin

Regis Philbin (1931-2020) was an American actor, comedian, and television personality. He was the longtime host of the morning talk shows "Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee" and later with "Live! with Regis and Kelly". He also was the moderator of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

However, he spent many years in the background before reaching that success. He started conducting popular local talk shows, but failed in his first national show as a replacement for Steve Allen. His career took a dramatic upturn when he was selected to be Joey Bishop's sidekick in a late-night show competing with Johnny Carson. Bishop would playfully tease Philbin with various "put-downs", which Regis accepted.

After the Joey Bishop show ended, Philbin was a fixture on local television talk shows for about 15 years before he starred in nationally syndicated shows with Kathie Lee Gifford and later Kelly Ripa. He also hosted several game shows.

Answer: Larry Linville

Alan Alda was the primary star of the television show "M*A*S*H", playing the surgeon Hawkeye Pierce. Pierce and fellow doctors on the show, Trapper John McIntyre and later B.J. Hunnicutt, were pranksters who were decidedly opposed to the absurdities of war and the military life they experienced.

One constant foil to Pierce was fellow surgeon Major Frank Burns, played by Larry Linville. Burns was a career military doctor, whereas Pierce had been drafted and chafed under the strict military rules. Two immediate areas of conflict were Burns, as the ranking officer, attempting to enforce discipline, and being an incompetent surgeon. The married Burns was having an affair with the head nurse Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, which provided frequent opportunities for Pierce to exploit.

Eventually, Larry Linville became disenchanted with the one-dimensional portrayal of Burns and left the show. Afterwards, he acted in several shows, including some short-lived series. However, he never attained the same level of success he had in "M*A*S*H".

Answer: Barbara Feldon

Don Adams and Barbara Feldon starred as agents 86 and 99 in the comedy series "Get Smart". The show, created by Mel Brooks, was a spoof of the popular secret agent and police shows of the 1960s, such as the James Bond and the Pink Panther films.

Adams, as Maxwell Smart, was a bumbling member of the secret Government agency known as CONTROL. Like Inspector Clouseau of the French police, Smart managed to succeed in spite of his clumsiness and lack of awareness. Barbara Feldon, as the unnamed agent 99, was his glamorous assistant, who was highly efficient and often saved Smart from himself.

Answer: Tim Conway

"The Carol Burnett Show" was a highly successful variety show that ran for over ten years on American television. Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, and later Tim Conway were supporting cast members in a number of sketches on the show.

Conway was a frequent guest during the first years of the show before becoming a regular contributor. He was noted for his physical comedy and often was able to induce the other actors into laughter with his impromptu performances. He was noted for his Oldest Man character on the show.

Conway had starred on the show "McHale's Navy" as the bumbling character of Ensign Parker before his role on the Burnett show. Later, he starred in the short-lived "The Tim Conway Show" and continued his career with guest appearances and voice work on other shows.

Answer: Jason Alexander

Jerry Seinfeld is an American comedian, who had a very successful television show, "Seinfeld," from 1989 through 1998. The show was a fictionalized version of his life with co-stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, and Jason Alexander.

Alexander played the memorable character George Costanza, the bumbling best friend of Seinfeld on the show. For his role, he was nominated for seven Emmy awards and four Golden Globes

Answer: John Banner

Bob Crane starred in the unlikely hit television comedy show "Hogan's Heroes", which aired between 1965 and 1971. Hogan was the lead officer in a German prisoner of war camp. The prisoners conducted espionage and sabotage efforts inside the camp and assisted resistance groups without the knowledge of the German officers.

The head German officer, Colonel Wilhelm Klink, was played by Werner Klemperer. He was oblivious to the actions of the prisoners, more concerned with the possibility of being sent to the Eastern Front if any prisoner escaped. John Banner played the rotund Sergeant Hans Schultz, the frequent victim of the prisoners' pranks and often willing to ignore their clandestine activity.

Klemperer, the son of famous conductor Otto Klemperer, emigrated with his family from Germany to the United States in 1933. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

John Banner was born to Jewish parents in Austria and immigrated to the United States after Hitler annexed Austria. He served in the United States ARmy Air Force during World War II. Banner lost several members of his family during the Holocaust.

Answer: Dan Rowan

"Laugh-In" was a highly successful American comedy show, running from 1968 until 1973. Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were co-hosts of the show with an ensemble cast that included Judy Carne, Henry Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Jo Anne Worley, Alan Sues, and Lily Tomlin. "Laugh-In" was a very fast-paced show with madcap sketches, many of a political or naughty nature.

Rowan and Martin had been an established comedy team, and "Laugh-In" had been planned as a one-show summer special. However, the show was so successful that it was selected for a regular run and soon became the top-rated show in America. Originally, their roles had been reversed, and Martin was the "straight man" for Rowan's comedy. Their interplay was similar to that of Tom and Dick Smothers with Martin playing the role as the off-the-wall, zany character and Rowan trying to be the sensible partner.

Answer: Tony Robinson

Rowan Atkinson starred in the popular British comedy series "Blackadder", produced between 1983 and 1989. Although there were several later "Blackadder" specials, the four main series of "Blackadder" consisted of several episodes set in different periods of history. Each series starred Atkinson as the antihero nobleman named Edmund Blackadder and his loyal servant Baldrick, played by Robinson. Each Blackadder and Baldrick was a descendant of the previous generations.

In the first series, set during the reign of Richard III, Blackadder was rather dim-witted and Baldrick was clever enough to save Blackadder from himself. In the later incarnations of the show, the roles were reversed, and the Blackadder character is shrewd and scheming, whereas Baldrick is rather foolish.

Sir Anthony Robinson, originally a stage actor, attained national acclaim for his role as Baldrick. Following "Blackadder", he hosted several long-running historical documentaries, including "Time Team" and "Fact or Fiction".