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Quiz about The 1950s Most Popular TV Shows

The 1950s Most Popular TV Shows Quiz

American television was in its infancy during the 1950s as both corporate sponsors and the networks sought the right formula to attract viewers. This quiz is about their successes.

A multiple-choice quiz by rblayer. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
rblayer

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
208,471

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1303

Last 3 plays: Guest 12 (3/10), Guest 172 (4/10), Guest 98 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In 1950, four of the top six most popular shows included a corporate sponsor's name. Which of the following products was not pitched by these sponsors? Hint

Toothpaste

Soap

Razor blades

Gasoline

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. "I Love Lucy" hit the airwaves in 1951 and was immediately ranked among the top ten shows. What was the show's ranking for 1951? Hint

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. What television personality had two shows rated in the top ten for 1952? Hint

Arthur Godfrey

Pinky Lee

Milton Berle

Jackie Gleason

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Question 4 of 10

4. As strange as it may seem by today's standards, only one police drama was ranked in the top five during the entire decade. What was the most popular 1950s "cop" show? Hint

Tightrope

Richard Diamond, Private Investigator

Dragnet

Gangbusters

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. By 1954, most of the "theatre" and "playhouse" drama type presentations were gone, and Americans' tastes tuned to comedy-variety shows. What show finished second to "I Love Lucy" in 1954? Hint

The Jack Benny Show

The Toast of the the Town

The George Gobel Show

The Jackie Gleason Show

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What show dethroned "I Love Lucy" as America's favorite TV show in 1955? Hint

The $64,000 Question

Bishop Fulton Sheen

Disneyland

I've Got a Secret

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. What show, which would dominate the ratings for the rest of the 1950s, first hit the top ten in 1956? Hint

Life Is Worth Living

Rawhide

Perry Mason

Gunsmoke

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. What television personality's show finished in the top ten five times during the 1950s, the last time in 1957? Hint

Phil Silvers

Groucho Marx

Jan Murray

Red Skelton

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. By 1958, six of the top seven shows were westerns. What non-western was ranked number five? Hint

General Electric Theatre

Perry Mason

The Danny Thomas Show

Father Knows Best

10. After an overdose of westerns in 1958, only four finished in the top ten for 1959. Also noticeably missing from the top ten was a popular game show that had made the list the previous four years. What was the game show? Hint

What's My Line

I've Got a Secret

Name That Tune

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 01 2024 : Guest 12: 3/10
Mar 28 2024 : Guest 172: 4/10
Feb 25 2024 : Guest 98: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1950, four of the top six most popular shows included a corporate sponsor's name. Which of the following products was not pitched by these sponsors?

Answer: Soap

NBC had an obvious affinity for corporate named shows with "Texaco Star Theatre", "The Colgate Comedy Hour" and "Gillette Cavalcade of Sports". NBC also aired the "Philco TV Playhouse", named for a manufacturer of televisions. Most soap products were advertised during daytime programing, hence the name "soap operas".

2. "I Love Lucy" hit the airwaves in 1951 and was immediately ranked among the top ten shows. What was the show's ranking for 1951?

Answer: 3

"I Love Lucy" finished behind the ever popular "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" and the "Texaco Star Theatre", but went on to dominated the decade, and set the standard for television comedy for the next half a century.

3. What television personality had two shows rated in the top ten for 1952?

Answer: Arthur Godfrey

CBS network's "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" and "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends" were ranked second and third behind "I Love Lucy". The ukelele-playing redhead was one a America's most beloved entertainers in the early years of television.

4. As strange as it may seem by today's standards, only one police drama was ranked in the top five during the entire decade. What was the most popular 1950s "cop" show?

Answer: Dragnet

NBC's "Dragnet" actually finished as high as number two in 1953, unfortunately for actor/producer Jack Webb, "I Love Lucy" was in its heyday. "Dragnet" proved to be the prototype police drama for the hundreds that would follow.

5. By 1954, most of the "theatre" and "playhouse" drama type presentations were gone, and Americans' tastes tuned to comedy-variety shows. What show finished second to "I Love Lucy" in 1954?

Answer: The Jackie Gleason Show

All of the above shows finished in the top ten for 1954. The only dramas in the top ten that year were "Dragnet" and "Ford Theatre". Gleason had been the original Chester A. Riley in "The Life of Riley", and thereafter the immortal character of bus driver Ralph Kramden in "The Honeymooners".

6. What show dethroned "I Love Lucy" as America's favorite TV show in 1955?

Answer: The $64,000 Question

An early precursor to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", "The $64,000 Question" was television's most popular show for 1955. The cash that contestants competed for would equate to over $440,000 in 2003, using the Consumer Price Index. As a result of the quiz show "21" scandals, the popular show unfortunately went off the air.

7. What show, which would dominate the ratings for the rest of the 1950s, first hit the top ten in 1956?

Answer: Gunsmoke

The adventures of Marshall Dillon, Chester and Kitty in Dodge City ran for twenty years and 633 episodes, making "Gunsmoke" one of the longest running American television series in history. Actor Burt Reynolds got one of his first big career breaks playing blacksmith Quint Asper between 1962 and 1965.

8. What television personality's show finished in the top ten five times during the 1950s, the last time in 1957?

Answer: Groucho Marx

Other than "I Love Lucy" with six top ten ratings, Groucho's "You Bet Your Life" was the second most consistent show in popularity. The show was ostensibly a game show where contestants answered questions. In reality, the program's main attraction was the risque, wise-cracking host.

9. By 1958, six of the top seven shows were westerns. What non-western was ranked number five?

Answer: The Danny Thomas Show

"Gunsmoke", "Wagon Train", "Have Gun Will Travel" and "The Rifleman" were the four most popular television shows. "Maverick" and "Tales of Wells Fargo" were ranked six and seven, while "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" finished tenth. American's thirst for westerns peaked in 1958, and declined rapidly thereafter.

Answer: I've Got a Secret

Although it dropped out of the top ten, "I've Got a Secret" continued on the air until 1967. The affable host, Garry Moore was replaced by Steve Allen in 1964. In 2000, the Oxygen Network revived the game show with host Stephanie Miller. The simple concept of a person whispering a secret to a host; the secret being shown to the audience; and, a panel trying to guess the secret, has lasted almost half a century.
(Dates and rankings for this quiz were verified at www.popculturemadness.com.)

Source: Author rblayer

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
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