TV Decade - The 1980s Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Besides being a writer on "WKRP", Kampmann also helped write the feature films "Back to School" (1986) and "The Couch Trip" (1988). He was on "Newhart" during that show's first two seasons (1982-84).

Answer: A plastics factory

"The Cosby Show's" executive producers, Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, were also responsible for "Roseanne", and the two shows couldn't have been more opposite. Unlike Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad), who raked in big bucks as an attorney, Roseanne Conner worked a number of blue-collar jobs during the show's run.

Answer: "This is America, Charlie Brown"

The Peanuts gang--Charlie Brown, Snoopy, et al--had been featured in a number of prime-time specials through the years. But it wasn't until the 80s that they had their own prime-time series. "This is America, Charlie Brown" featured the Peanuts re-enacting various events in American history.

Answer: 1986

"Dallas" benefitted tremendously from the cliffhanger technique, as evidenced by the infamous "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger that bridged the 1979 and 1980 seasons. But this also proved to be the show's undoing, as Bobby's death in the 1985 season turned out to be Pamela's dream. The series, already suffering from falling ratings, would never recover from this debacle.

Answer: John Davidson

Davidson had frequently appeared as a panelist on "The Hollywood Squares" when Peter Marshall hosted. After "Squares", he went on to host "The $100,000 Pyramid" in syndication.

Answer: A celebrity imposter

Barry Bremen, a man known for being able to sneak onto the field and blend in with professional athletes, attempted to do the same thing at the Emmy Awards. Dressed in a tuxedo, Bremen stepped up to accept the Emmy for Betty Thomas, who was being honored for her work on "Hill Street Blues". Bremen may have gotten away with the switch, had he not given thanks to sportswriter Dick Schaap. Bremen was arrested and charged with grand theft.

Answer: San Francisco

Pernell Roberts, better known for playing Adam Cartwright on the popular western "Bonanza", assumed the role of the former Korean War veteran working in a San Francisco hospital. The show was a staple of CBS's Sunday night lineup in the 1980s.

Answer: Forrester and Logan

Created by William and Lee Phillip Bell, "The Bold and the Beautiful" debuted on CBS's daytime schedule on March 23, 1987. The show, revolving around the fashion industry, is set in Los Angeles. Both "Bold" and "The Young and the Restless" are taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles.

Answer: 1985

Susan Harris, who created the 1970s vintage sitcom "Soap", scored big with "The Golden Girls", a series about four older women actively enjoying their golden years. Each of the girls--Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan and Betty White--won Emmys for their work on the series.

Answer: False

Applegate played teenage daughter Robin Kennedy, opposite Robert Desiderio, on the short-lived ABC crime series "Heart of the City" (1986-87).

Answer: Plumber

Cosby's original intention had been for the Huxtables to be a blue-collar family, with Cliff being a limousine driver and Clair being a plumber. Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, former programming executives at ABC, weren't successful pitching the concept to their old network.

By the time NBC grabbed the show, the blue-collar Huxtables became the wholesome, sweater-loving family that would make television history.

Answer: Susan B. Anthony

Running on ABC from 1980 to 1982, "Bosom Buddies" gives a perfect glimpse of two actors before they became stars. Hanks, of course, went on to win Academy Awards for his roles in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump". Scolari would make his mark as television producer Michael Harris on the CBS series "Newhart" (1984-92).

They would reunite in 1998 on HBO's blockbuster mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon". Hanks served as executive producer, while Scolari was one of two actors to play astronaut Pete Conrad.

Answer: "Open House"

"Open House" was a reworked version of another Fox sitcom, "Duet", about two 30-somethings (played by Mary Page Keller and Matthew Laurance) who fall in love, get married, and start a life together. On "Open House", Keller's character quits her catering business and goes into the real estate game, where she has to cope with the dry wit of DeGeneres.

Answer: True

Before hitting it big in the movies, Jim Carrey labored on the small screen in this obscure and very brief series (it was on NBC's schedule for only four months in 1984). He played Skip Tarkenton, an animator at the fictious Buddy Winkler Productions. Joining him on the series were veteran actor Jack Gilford, voice impresario Don Messick, and actor Clarence Gilyard, Jr. (Texas Ranger James Trivette on "Walker, Texas Ranger").

Answer: Super Bowl XVI (San Francisco squeaks past Cincinnati)

In the 1980's, the Cincinnati Bengals lost two Super Bowls to the San Francisco 49ers by a combined margin of 8 points. Their first meeting, on January 24, 1982, at Pontiac, Michigan, earned CBS a rating of 49.1. It proved to be the highest-rated single sporting event on television in the 20th Century, and the fourth highest-rated single program in that time frame.