Television Families Trivia Quiz

Answer: insurance salesman

Jim worked as a salesman and manager for the General Insurance Company in the fictional town of Springfield. He was portrayed as upright, responsible, and wise father to his and his wife Margaret's children, Bettie, Bud and Kathie. He never let his work interfere with his responsibilities as a father and a husband.

Answer: The Jetsons

"The Jetsons" was another creation of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. "The Jetsons" was a futuristic family while "The Flintstones" (also Hanna/Barbera) was a pre-historic family. George Jetson was husband to wife Jane and father to daughter Judy and son Elroy. He worked for a tyrannical boss named Mr. Spacely at the Spacely Space Sprockets Company in Orbit City.

Answer: Nevada

"Bonanza" aired on NBC from 1959 to 1973. The Ponderosa Ranch was located near Virginia City, Nevada. The Cartwright Family was made up of patriarch Ben and his 3 sons, Hoss, Little Joe, and Adam. The Ponderosa was named after the majestic ponderosa pine.
I almost forgot their Chinese cook, Hop Sing.

Answer: San Pueblo, CA

The fictional neighborhood, in San Pueblo, CA in which the "Partridge Family" lived also appeared in "I Dream of Jeanie" and "Bewitched". David Cassidy was the teen idol of the 70s and he was so into his role as Keith Partridge that he experienced a real-life identity crisis.

While "My Three Sons" portrayed a single father raising a family, the "Partridge Family" portrayed a single working mother.

Answer: Cunningham Aircraft

Chester A. Riley was the patriarch of the family. His wife was Peg and his son's name was Junior. Much like Ralph on the "The Honeymooners," Chester was always getting into trouble, usually by coming up with a new idea (Jackie Gleason did play Chester briefly on tv). The show was sort of a forerunner for family sitcoms that followed.

Answer: Plum Creek

"Little House on the Prairie" aired on NBC from 1974 to 1982. The tv series was based on a book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The tv show's characters took their last name from the author's middle name. The show addressed many issues, such as racism, poverty, addiction, and many others.

Answer: True

"The Addams Family" appeared on ABC. "The Munsters" aired on CBS. "The Munsters" was created to counter ABC's "The Addams Family". "The Munsters" first aired on September 24th, six days after "The Addams Family" first aired. "The Munsters" won the ratings war but "The Addams Family" has had a greater cultural impact.

Answer: safety inspector

"The Simpsons" first aired on FOX in December 1989. The patriarch of the Simpson family is Homer, a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Other characters include his wife Maggie and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. "The Simpsons" has set all kinds of records for longevity, but the characters themselves never seem to age.

The animated Simpson family is meant to depict the average American family that lives in the fictional town of Springfield.

Answer: The Dick Van Dyke Show

"The Dick Van Dyke" show ran on CBS from 1961 to 1966. The show centered around Dick Van Dyke who played Rob Petrie. His tv family was composed of his wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) and son Ritchie (Larry Matthews). Rob was a comedy writer for a tv variety show starring Alan Brady (Carl Reiner). Reiner created the show which was based on his experiences as a writer for Sid Caesar on "Your Show of Shows".

Answer: Obstetrics

"The Cosby Show" was the number one rated show in the 1980s along with "All in the Family". Bill Cosby was dubbed "America's Dad" until later issues emerged. "The Cosby Show" was ground-breaking because it featured an upper middle class African American family. Bill Cosby's character was an obstetrician.

Answer: Kelsey's Bar

"All in the Family" aired for 9 seasons all throughout the 1970s. There was no subject matter that was sacrosanct; everything from racism to menopause to abortion to impotency was tackled. The show takes place in the borough of Queens, NY and the "watering hole" is Kelsey's Bar.

The regular cast included the family patriarch, Archie Bunker, a kind-hearted though bigoted husband and father trying to figure out the world around him. His wife Edith is a loveable klutz who has the wisdom of Athenia. Their daughter Gloria is married to a college student named Michael, whom Archie calls "Meathead". Michael is "pro" everything and Archie is "anti" everything.

Answer: Winchester Model 1892

"The Rifleman", starring Chuck Conners and Johnny Crawford aired from 1958 to 1963. The show was set in New Mexico in 1881. It was the first prime-time tv show to feature a single male parent. The rifle used on "The Rifleman" was an 1892 model Winchester, lever action which was customized to allow Conners to "spin-cock the rifle. This show paved the way for sitcoms like "My Three Sons" and "The Andy Griffith Show".

Chuck Conners played in both Major League Baseball (Brooklyn Dodgers 1949, Chicago Cubs, 1951) and the National Basketball Association (Boston Celtics 1946-48).

Answer: The Barkley Ranch

"The Big Valley" was a tv western set at the Barkley Ranch in California. It ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969. The matriarch of the Barkley family was Victoria, played by Barbara Stanwyck. Her children were Audra, Jerrod, Nick and an illegitimate son named Heath. The show tackled many timely cultural issues of the 1960s.

Answer: Timmy Martin

"Lassie" ran from 1954-1971 on CBS. From 1957 to 1964 Lassie lived on the Martin farm with a family composed of Paul and Ruth Martin, Uncle Petrie and a foster child (later adopted) named Timmy.

Answer: Mary Martin

"Dallas" aired on CBS from 1978 to 1991. The series centered around the Ewing family. Larry Hagman was the son of Mary Martin. While she pursued her stage career Larry was raised by his maternal grandmother. Despite his heavy drinking, he was known to have as many as five bottles of champagne a day while on the set, Hagman's character was the only one on the show to have appeared in every episode.