About This Quiz
The 1950s and 1960s had the most wholesome and uplifting televisions shows. From Lassie to I Love Lucy, how high can you score on this picture reveal game?When Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were expecting their second child, the pregnancy was written into their show, "I Love Lucy." Since the TV station would not allow the word “pregnancy” to be said on air, “expecting” was used. Desi Arnaz’s character, Ricky Ricardo, would hilariously pronounce this as “spectin'."
William Conrad was the original Marshal Matt Dillon on the radio series, "Gunsmoke" (1952 – 1961). When the series moved to television, he was not selected as the actor to portray Dillon – James Arness would play that role for 20 years! Conrad went on to star in what was perhaps his most famous role – the titular character of the TV series, "Cannon."
"Father Knows Best" originally aired as a radio series from 1949 – 1954 for a total of 197 episodes. It was a common practice for a successful series on the radio to be turned into a television series. There were 203 episodes of the "Father Knows Best" TV series, which ran from 1954 – 1960.
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Theodore “The Beaver” Cleaver was played by Jerry Mathers in every one of the show’s 234 episodes. Mathers got the part when he was 8 years old, but his career began when he was just 2. He had appeared in campaign ads, commercials and movies before becoming a part of the "Leave it to Beaver" cast.
"The Honeymooners" (created by and starring Jackie Gleason) ran for only one season -- 39 episodes. That was enough, however, for it to secure a place as one of the most iconic TV series of the 50s and 60s. It is widely believed that Hanna Barbera’s The Flintstones was based on "The Honeymooners'" characters and theme.
"Wagon Train" ran from September, 1957 – May, 1965 with Ward Bond taking on the starring role of wagon master. Ward had earlier played opposite John Wayne in the 1930 epic western, "The Big Trail."
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Upon its initial release, many critics gave "The Beverly Hillbillies" negative reviews. Television viewers, however, loved the show as evidenced by its #1 placement in the Nielsen rankings for its first two seasons. The show remained in the top 20 for eight of its nine seasons, but did not make the top 30 in season number nine.
Fred is voiced by Alan Reed (who bears a physical resemblance to the character). Although it is Reed’s voice we hear throughout the entire six seasons of the show, the pilot featured the voice of Daws Butler as Fred. Daws also supplied the voice of Barney Rubble in a few of the show’s season two episodes.
Like several other TV shows at the time, "Cheyenne" focused on the main character, Cheyenne Bodie, but had a long list of guest stars who were either famous at the time or went on to be. These include Dan Blocker and Peter Breck who later played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in "Bonanza" and "Nick Barkley" in The Big Valley, respectively.
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The Jetsons are often described as a futuristic version of The Flintstones. Although the two families live millennia apart, there is a 1987 made-for-TV movie in which they meet. In it, both families time travel and get a taste of what it is like to live in the other’s era.
Edgar Buchanan, who played Uncle Joe Carson, is the only cast member to have appeared in each of "Petticoat Junction’s" 222 episodes. Linda Kaye Henning (as Betty Jo Bradley) appeared in 220.
While "The Munsters" TV series ranked poorly during its two seasons, it became very popular after it was released in syndication. There have been several movies made based on the series. The first was released in theaters, and the others (one animated) were made-for-TV.
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Don Knotts won a total of five Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Deputy Barney Fife on"The Andy Griffith Show." Though neither Griffith nor the show itself won any awards, the Nielsen Ratings never ranked the series lower than 7th for its entire eight-season run of 249 episodes.
Sebastian Cabot played Giles French, valet to Brian Keith’s character, bachelor Bill Davis. While Cabot became very popular and was easily recognizable due to his role in the fice-season long "Family Affair," it is his voice with which some audiences are more familiar. Cabot is the narrator in several of the "Winnie the Pooh" films.
"Mission: Impossible" was created by Bruce Geller who was also, at one point, the show’s producer. The 1966 – 1973 TV series spawned a 1988 – 1990 revival starring Peter Graves, who also starred in the original series. The "Mission: Impossible" feature film franchise, with Tom Cruise in the lead, currently includes five movies from 1996 to 2015.
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