Elie's Expositions

A bereaved father blogging for catharsis... and for distraction. Accordingly, you'll see a diverse set of topics and posts here, from the affecting to the analytical to the absurd. Something for everyone, but all, at the core, meeting a personal need.


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Thursday, March 06, 2008

TV Trivia Thursday #13

Hello and welcome to today's TV Trivia Thursday. I'll try to keep these coming at least every other week, and continue to welcome your suggested entries for future editions.

1) TTT #6 asked about the infamous "Bridgette Loves Bernie", the first TV show to prominently feature an mixed (Jewish/Gentile) marriage. Name the first cartoon series to do the same.

2) And on a related note, what prime time series starred a non-Jewish actor playing a Jewish character who was married to a non-Jewish character played by a Jewish actor?

3) Though this actor's name is practically synonymous with comedy, on television and other media, his only Emmy awards were for best lead actor in a dramatic series, which he won three times for an arguably groundbreaking role. Name the actor and show.

4) Several years before achieving widespread fame for his musical scores to movie blockbusters like Jaws, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones, John Williams composed the themes to two science-fiction TV series. Name the shows. Nope, not Star Trek!

5) And speaking of Star Wars, what sitcom did Mark Hamill leave, after starring in just the pilot episode, to take on his iconic Luke Skywalker role?

6) She's an A-list movie actress who's starred in numerous cinematic hits since the 1970s. But her father, though not an actor, had arguably an even greater impact on entertainment history, as the creator of two of the longest running shows on US television, both of which started in the early 1950s and are still going strong today. Name the actress and the two shows, and for extra credit, her unsung but TV history-shaping father.

7) And on a related note, what are the current top two longest-running television shows, and the only ones dating back to the 1940s that are still on-air?

8) And finally, a tried and true category: identifying well-know actors based on their real/birth names. In keeping with format, all of the following had prominent and long-running television roles, though they may have made their marks elsewhere as well:
a) Arthur Leonard Rosenberg
b) Michael John Douglas
c) Jonathan Leibowitz
d) Jameel Joseph Farah
e) Mendel Berlinger
f) Terry Gene Bollea
g) Suzanne Marie Mahoney
h) Nathan Birnbaum
i) Karolis Bučinskis
j) Benjamin Kubelsky

8 Comments:

At 3/6/08, 5:58 PM, Blogger LEL said...

2.Rhoda
4.The Twighlight Zone, Lost in Space
7.They would have to be soap operas. Guiding Light, As the World Turns
8.b.Michael Keaton I know who's real name is Michael Douglas but I don't recall he was ever in a tv series.
d.Jamie Farr

 
At 3/6/08, 9:22 PM, Blogger Elie said...

LEL: You are right about Michael Keaton - on both counts! Somehow I remembered him as being on a fairly long-running series, but the only one I can find was called "Working Stiffs" and lasted all of nine episodes. Thanx for keeping me honest

 
At 3/7/08, 2:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

8-J - Jack Benny

-- Clayton

 
At 3/7/08, 9:07 AM, Blogger Soccer Dad said...

7) Good Morning America and Today
8)
a) Tony Randall
c) John Stewart (Stewart I think is his middle name.)
h) George Burns

 
At 3/7/08, 12:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Not 100% about either of these, but I think that
8-E is Milton Berle, and
8-F is Hulk Hogan

-- Clayton

 
At 3/9/08, 2:34 PM, Blogger trn said...

5) Eight is Enough!

Can you name all eight children?

 
At 3/14/08, 9:49 AM, Blogger Elie said...

Thanks all! Here are the answers, most of which were at least partially supplied:

1) Rugrats is the cartoon; main character Tommy's mother is Jewish, father is not. Their differing backgrounds were dealt with very directly in several episodes and particularly the Chanukah and Passover specials.

2) Lel is right: Rhoda is the show. As famously spoofed on SNL, Valerie Harper is not Jewish, while David Groh, who played her husband Joe, is.

3) Bill Cosby, despite being one of the all-time greats of TV comedy, never received a Best Actor Emmy for The Cosby Show or any of his other comedic work. But he did win a Best Dramatic Actor Emmy three years in a row for his earlier role on "I Spy", which is considered to be a milestone as television's first non-stereotypical Black role.

4) Lel guessed one show correctly, Lost In Space. The other was called "The Time Tunnel".

5) Trn got it - Eight is Enough is the series. Hamill played David Bradford for the pilot only, replaced by Grant Goodeve for the rest of the show's run.

6) Pat Weaver, father of actress Sigourney Weaver, was president of NBC between 1953 and 1955, where he was responsible for launching both The Today Show and The Tonight Show.

7) The two longest-running TV shows, and the only two still surviving from the 40s, are NBC's Meet the Press, which launched on November 6, 1947, and the CBS Evening News, which started on August 15, 1948. The Today Show, which was part of the previous answer, is in third place.

8) Lel, Clayton, and Soccer Dad got most of them - here's the entire list:
a) Arthur Leonard Rosenberg: Tony Randall
b) Michael John Douglas: Michael Keaton, though as Lel noted he doesn't really meet the criterion of "prominent and long-running television roles"
c) Jonathan Leibowitz: Jon Stewart
d) Jameel Joseph Farah: Jamie Farr
e) Mendel Berlinger: Milton Berle
f) Terry Gene Bollea: Hulk Hogan
g) Suzanne Marie Mahoney: Suzanne Somers
h) Nathan Birnbaum: George Burns
i) Karolis Bučinskis: Charles Bronson
j) Benjamin Kubelsky: Jack Benny

 
At 3/14/08, 5:53 PM, Blogger trn said...

Shabbat Shalom, Elie!

P.S. David Mary Joanie Susan Nancy Elizabeth Tommy Nicholas

 

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