Theme Songs From US Sitcoms (1970-1979) Quiz

Answer: There's a New Girl in Town

"Alice" ran for nine seasons and 202 episodes. It was the story of a widowed titular character who was heading to California and an attempt at a music career. Fate intervened and she found herself working instead as a waitress in a Phoenix diner. The series was adapted from a 1974 film "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore".

The theme song "There's a New Girl in Town" was performed by series star Linda Lavin. The song was written by David Shire (music) and Alan and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics).

Answer: Those Were the Days

Based on the British series "Till Death Us Do Part", "All in the Family" lasted for nine seasons and 205 episodes. The series presented, in part, a clash between a more traditional older generation and a more progressive younger generation. The series was Number One in the Nielsen Rating for its second through sixth seasons. Two popular series--"The Jeffersons" and "Maude"--were spun off "All in the Family".

"Those Were the Days" was famously performed by series stars Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton. Lee Adams (lyrics) and Charles Strouse (music) wrote the song.

Answer: Home to Emily

Set in Chicago, the series focuses on the work and home lives of psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley. "The Bob Newhart Show" lasted for six seasons and 142 episodes. In the finale of Bob Newhart's 1980s series "Newhart", a framing device suggested that the series "Newhart" was all a dream of Dr. Hartley. The series was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1977.

Lorenzo and Henrietta Music composed the instrumental theme song "Home to Emily". Emily, in this case, refers to the wife of Bob Newhart's character, Dr. Hartley.

Answer: Rock Around the Clock

Lasting for eleven seasons and 254 episodes, "Happy Days" was a nostalgic look at the 1950s. Episodes of the show were set 19 years before the initial run. A breakout character from the series was Fonzie (ironically since network executives weren't keen on the character at first). "Laverne & Shirley" and "Mork & Mindy" were both spin-offs of "Happy Days".

The ending theme (and the opening theme starting in the third season) was "Happy Days". For the first two seasons, however, the series opened with "Rock Around the Clock", written by Max C. Friedman and James E. Myers. The song, performed by Bill Haley & His Comets, had reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in 1955.

Answer: Making Our Dreams Come True

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams starred on this spin-off of "Happy Days", playing characters that they had played on that show. "Laverne & Shirley" lasted for eight seasons and 178 episodes. While the first five seasons were set in Milwaukee, for the final three, the pair had moved to Southern California. A highlight of the series was the physical comedy of the two leads.

Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox composed the theme song for "Laverne & Shirley". The song, "Making Our Dreams Come True" was performed by Cyndi Grecco.

Answer: Love Is All Around

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was set in Minneapolis, MN, at a fictional television news program. The series lasted for seven seasons and 168 episodes. The series was a Top-10 Nielsen Hit for its second through fourth seasons. The series won 29 Emmy Awards during its run, including ones for six different cast members. The program was one of the first US television series with a central female character who was not dependent on a man.

The opening credits an iconic shot of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat into the air. The theme song was "Love Is All Around", performed and written by Sonny Curtis.

Answer: Suicide is Painless

Lasting for eleven seasons and 256 episodes, "M*A*S*H" focused on a medical unit during the Korean Conflict. While the series was a Top-10 Nielsen Hit for nine of its seasons, the finale "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" is one of the most watched programs in the history of US television with over 125 million viewers. The series ran long enough that it created several key characters who were not part of the 1970 movie or 1968 book that inspired "M*A*S*H".

The series theme song "Suicide is Painless" was carried over from the film. Johnny Mandel composed the music and Michael Altman wrote the lyrics (used in the movie, but not the television series).

Answer: C'mon, Get Happy

"The Partridge Family" tells the story of a band made up of members of the same family. It was inspired by a real band, the Cowsills (who were originally intended to be the stars of the show). In reality, apart from vocal contributions from Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, the other cast members largely lip-synced and mimed to the contributions of studio musicians. The series lasted four seasons and 96 episodes.

"While We're Singing" (written by Wes Farrell and Diane Hildebrand) was used as the theme song for the first season of "The Partridge Family". "C'Mon, Get Happy" (written by Wes Farrell and Danny Janssen) was the theme for the other three seasons. Both songs share the same tune, but have different lyrics. David Cassidy provided vocals in both cases.

Answer: The Streetbeater

The series "Sanford and Son" was based on the British series "Steptoe and Son". Set in the Watts section of Los Angeles, the series focuses on a junk dealer and his son. Interestingly, Redd Foxx, who portrayed Fred Sanford, had the real name John Sanford. The series stayed in the Nielsen Top 10 for its first five seasons.

Legendary producer Quincy Jones composed the instrumental theme song, "The Streetbeater". Though released as a single, the song only reached #294 on the Billboard charts.

Answer: Come and Knock on Our Door

"Three's Company" lasted for eight seasons and 172 episodes. The series featured two women and a man who shared an apartment in Southern California. From its second to its seventh seasons, the series was a Top-10 Hit in the Nielsen ratings. Physical comedy and farcical misunderstandings were the basis for the show's comedy.

Joe Raposo composed the show's theme song "Come and Knock on Our Door", which was performed by Ray Charles and Julia Rinker.