Television

Monty Hall was a medical school student in Manitoba, Canada before he hosted “Let’s Make a Deal” (NBC, CBS, 1963-76).

“The George Burns and Grade Allen Show” (CBS) was on radio eighteen years-1932-1950 before it started on TV. It was on on both TV and radio for one year-1950. The TV version ran until September 1958.

“Amos ‘n’ Andy” (CBS, 1951-53) with Spencer Williams as Andy Brown and Alvin Childress as Amos Jones, was the first all-black sitcom on TV. Amos was a cabdriver, Andy a bachelor.

Hawkeye’s real name on the TV series “M*A*S*H” (CBS, 1972-83) was Benjamin Franklin Pierce.

The exterior of the bar in the TV series “Cheers” (NBC, 1982) was filmed at a Boston bar called “The Bull and Finch” on Beacon Street across from the Boston Common.

“Dirty Sally” (CBS, 1974) was a spin off of “Gunsmoke” (CBS, 1955-75).

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both appeared in a 1964 episode of the TV series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (NBC, 1964-68) called “The Project Strigas Affair.”

Liberal Tom Braden and conservative Pat Buchanan were the original hosts of the cable news show “Crossfire” on CNN. In 1989, Braden was replaced by Michael Kinsley. During Buchanan’s 1992 presidential campaign, several people filled in for him, including Robert Novak and Linda Chavez.

The four dancers known as the Ding-a-Ling Sisters came from the larger dancing group, the Golddiggers. They appeared on “The Dean Martin Show” (NBC, 1965-74) from 1970 to 1973.

“Lonesome Dove” was the name of a town in south Texas. Retired Texas ranger Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall) ran a ranch near there.

The title character in the TV series “My Mother the Car” was a 1928 Porter with Ann Sothern’s voice. The “Porter” is a fictitious make.

Playboy centerfold Barbi Benton was Maxx, part of a rock group called Sugar, on the 1977-78 ABC TV series, “Sugar Time!”

Danny Thomas’s real name was Amos Muzyad Jacobs (or Jahoob).

In the 1961-62 season, the “Top Cat” series was on Wednesday nights from 8:30 to 9:00 P.M., on ABC.

Jacqueline Kennedy lead a nationally televised tour of the White House in 1962.

Jackie, Marlon, Tito, and Michael Jackson of the original Jackson Five, along with brother Randy and sisters Maureen (Rebie), La Toya, and Janet appeared on the variety series “The Jacksons” (CBS, 1976-77). Jermaine, the fifth member of The Jackson Five, did not appear. The Jackson Five provided voices for the cartoon series “The Jackson Five” … Read more

William (Bill) Loud and Pat Loud were the parents of the family on the TV series “An American Family” (PBS, 1973). Their five children included Lance, their twenty-year-old son. They lived in Santa Barbara, California. The twelve-hour TV series first aired in February 1973.

Peter Deuel (aka Duel) played Hannibal Heyes (alias Joshua Smith) and Ben Murphy played Jed “Kid” Curry (alias Thaddeus Jones) on “Alias Smith and Jones”. After Deuel died of an apparent suicide, Roger Davis took over the role of Smith.

“The Wizard of Odds” (NBC, 1973-74) was the first American game show hosted by Alex Trebek. The Canadian-born Trebek is now host of “Jeopardy!” (syndicated, 1984).

Don Novello played Father Guido Sarducci on “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975), who has since gone on to occasional roles in films such as The Godfather Part III (1990).

Will Robinson (Billy Mumy) is easy to remember from the many scenes in “Lost in Space” where the Robot shouts things like “Danger, Will Robinson!.” The other Robinsons were his sisters Penny (Angela Cartwright) and Judy (Marta Kristin); his mother Maureen (June Lockhart); and his father John (Guy Williams). Also aboard the Jupiter II were … Read more

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (CBS, 1970-77) had three spinoffs, all on CBS: “Rhoda” (1974-78); “Phyllis” (1975-77); and “Lou Grant” (1977-82).

The song that made Carol Burnett famous was “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles,” which she introduced in a New York nightclub in the late 1950s and debuted nationally on “The Tonight Show” with Jack Parr.

Old Gold cigarette packs started dancing in TV commercials in 1950, in a spot called “Dancing Butts.” Women wearing huge Old Gold packages did the dancing.

Jane Withers was Josephine the Plumber, who sang the praises of Comet Cleanser in the 1960s.

The population of Cicely, Alaska, setting of Northern Exposure was 815.

Corbin Bernsen of “L.A. Law” played a “boy” in the black action film Three the Hard Way (1974). The film, directed by Gordon Parks Jr., starred Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, and Jim Kelly.

Yes, Jay Silverheels (Tonto on “The Lone Ranger,” ABC, 1949-57) was a Mohawk who grew up on a reservation in Canada.

Gerald Finnerman, who had also been the cinematographer on the TV series “Star Trek” (NBC, 1966-69), photographed the black-and-white ’40s episode, “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice,” on the TV series “Moonlighting” (ABC, 1985-89). Finnerman was nominated for an Emmy for the episode.

“The Guiding Light” (CBS, 1952) was the daytime TV drama which the rock group the B-52s once performed on.

Jerry Mathers (TV’s Beaver on “Leave It to Beaver,” CBS, ABC, 1957-63) appeared on the Hitchcock film The Trouble With Harry (1956). Mathers played Tony, Harry’s son.

No, Peter Falk, aka Lieutenant Columbo, never appeared on the series “Mrs. Columbo” (NBC, 1979). It was never completely clear that the title character, Kate Columbo (Kate Mulgrew) was even married to the rumpled policeman. Midway through the short-lived series, the character was renamed Kate Callahan and the title became “Kate Loves a Mystery.”

The stairs in the TV show “Upstairs, Downstairs” were at 165 Eaton Place in London. The house actually filmed was No. 65, but to avoid lawsuits, the producers glued a “1” in front of the “65.”

James Mason played Tiberius, John McEnery played Caligula, Richard Kiley played Claudius, and Anthony Andrews played Nero in the miniseries “A.D.” (Anno Domini) (NBC, 1985).

Arnold Ziffel’s parents on the TV series “Green Acres” (CBS, 1965-71) human parents were Fred and Doris Ziffel of Hooterville. His porcine parentage is unknown.

In cable TV language, a dedicated channel is a channel that offers only one kind of programming, weather, rock music, home shopping.

A Remington electric shaver could shave “the short, close fuzz of a peach without harming its tender skin”, in 1954, long before Victor Kiam bought the company.

The cartoon character Mabel first appeared in 1954 advertising Carling Black Label Beer.

Loretta Swit played Chris Cagney and Tyne Daly was Mary Beth Lacey in the 1981 TV movie pilot “Cagney and Lacey”. In the series (CBS, 1982-88), Meg Foster played Cagney in the first few episodes; she was replaced by Sharon Gless. Daly continued as Lacey.

Sister Bertrille, born Elsie Ethington (played by Sally Field) was the Flying Nun’s name on the TV series “The Flying Nun.” Convent San Tanco, in Puerto Rico, was the name of her convent.

The towns which the following soap operas set in are: “All My Children” (ABC, 1970–)–Pine Valley “Ryan’s Hope” (ABC, 1975-89)–New York City “The Guiding Light” (CBS, 1952–)–Five Points “The Edge of Night” (CBS, ABC, 1956-84)—Monticello (a violent midwestern city) “The Secret Storm” (CBS, 1954-74)—Woodbridge, New York “As the World Turns” (CBS, 1956–)—Oakdale, Ohio

“What’s My Line?” was the longest-running prime-time TV game show. It ran seventeen years from 1950 to 1967 on CBS.

Jonathan Winters, who hatched from an egg sprouted from Mork’s navel in 1981, played Mork and Mindy’s baby on the TV show “Mork & Mindy” (ABC, 1978-82).

WGBH in Boston produces Masterpiece Theatre (PBS, 1971). “The First Churchills,” in twelve episodes beginning on January 10, 1971, was the first series broadcast on “Masterpiece Theatre” (PBS, 1971).

The Simpsons live in a town called Springfield.

Sonny Bono has been mayor of Palm Springs, California, since 1988.

Chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs joined the “Today” (NBC, 1952) cast in January 1953. Ratings immediately soared. Muggs was let go four years later when he got too old and hard to handle. NBC said that Muggs had “decided to terminate” his position so he could “extend his personal horizons.”

On their syndicated TV show, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert have been putting thumbs up and down to movies since September 1982. They first gained national fame on PBS’s “Sneak Previews” in 1977.

The original TV game show “Jeopardy” ran from 1964 to 1975. It was hosted by Art Fleming.

Veteran character actor George Tobias played Abner Kravitz on the TV series “Bewitched” (ABC, 1964-1972). Alice Pearce was the original Gladys Kravitz; Sandra Gould replaced her when Pearce died in 1966.

Walter Winchell (1897-1972), the veteran newsman who began his television career with “The Walter Winchell Show” (ABC, 1952-55), narrated “The Untouchables” (ABC, 1959-63).

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton appeared on “Here’s Lucy” (CBS, 1968-74) in 1973.

Michael St. Gerard played Elvis in the short-lived TV series “Elvis” (ABC, 1989-90).

Bud Collyer was the host when the show “To Tell the Truth” ran on prime time on CBS. When it went into syndication in 1969, Garry Moore took over.

Yes, Mike Wallace hosted five game shows: “Majority Rules” (194950); “Guess Again” (1951); “Who’s the Boss?” (1954); “The Big Surprise” (1956-57); and “Who Pays?” (1959). Mike Wallace also became a correspondent on “60 Minutes” (CBS, 1968) in 1968.

On the TV show “Outer Limits” (ABC, 1963-65), Vic Perrin’s voice was used for the line, “There is nothing wrong with your television set; do not attempt to adjust the picture”.

Gomer Pyle was the gas station attendant in Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show” (CBS, 1960-68) before he joined the Marines.

Kate Bradley’s (Bea Benaderet’s) daughters on the TV series “Petticoat Junction” were named Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and Betty Jo. Billie Jo was played by Jeannine Riley (1963-65), Gunilla Hutton (1965-66), and Meredith MacRae (1966-70). Bobbie Jo was played by Pat Wood-ell (1963-65) and Lori Saunders (1965-70). Betty Jo was played by Linda Kaye (Henning) … Read more

Rocket J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose, Boris Badenov, and Natasha Fatale. “The Bullwinkle Show” aired on ABC (and later NBC) from 1959 to 1963 in 147 episodes.

Walter O’Malley, owner of the Dodgers started the practice of blacking out home baseball game telecasts, when he moved the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1957.

The One-Armed Man on “The Fugitive” (ABC, 1963-67) was Fred Johnson, played by Bill Raisch. He was captured in the final episode, which aired on August 29, 1967.

In the original British TV series, “The Avengers”, Patrick Macnee’s Steed played opposite Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale. Blackman later became known as James Bond’s love interest, Pussy Galore, in Goldfinger. By the time the series was imported to America in 1966, Diana Rigg, as Emma Peel, had replaced Blackman.

Yes, the TV series “Dragnet” (NBC, 1952-59, 1967-70) was based on real cases. It may have been the original true crime drama, with all shows fashioned from cases found in Los Angeles police files. All scripts were reviewed by the police and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office.

The TV series “Happy Days” (ABC, 1974-84) generated three spinoffs: “Laverne and Shirley” (ABC, 1976-83) “Mork and Mindy” (ABC, 1978-82) “Joanie Loves Chachi” (ABC, 1982-83).

There was an entire family of performers under Buffalo Bob (Bob Smith) and Howdy Doody. They included Clarabell the Clown (Bobby Nicholson), the Princess (Judy Tyler), and Chief Thunderthud (Bill Lecornec). Howdy was operated by Lee Carney.

Wilkins Coffee was the first product advertised by the Muppets, in 1957. The Muppets were featured in an eight-second commercial in which one Muppet fires a cannon at another to prevent him from drinking his Wilkins coffee.

The evil aliens in “Battlestar Galactica” were the Cylons. Patrick Macnee provided the voice of the Cylon leader.

Daniel Stern, who played a burglar in Home Alone (1990) and a bicyclist in Breaking Away (1979), was the grown-up voice of Kevin Arnold, narrating “The Wonder Years” (ABC, 1988). Fred Savage plays the young Kevin Arnold.

“Radar” O’Reilly’s real name in the 1970 film and 1972-83 CBS TV series “M*A*S*H*” was Walter. Gary Burghoff played the character in both TV and film.

Shirley Jones (Shirley); David Cassidy (Keith); Susan Dey (Laurie); Danny Bonaduce (Danny); Jeremy Gelbwaks (Christopher, 1970-1971); Brian Forster (Christopher, 1971-1974); and Suzanne Crough (Tracy) played the Partridges in TV’s “The Partridge Family” (ABC, 1970-1974).

Miss Brooks’s first name was Connie on the TV series “Our Miss Brooks”. The character was played by Eve Arden on “Our Miss Brooks” from 1952 to 1956 on CBS.

Jack Parr, the host of the late-night show “The Tonight Show” began his run on NBC July 29, 1957, and ended it March 30, 1962. He followed Steve Allen, who hosted the show from 1954 to 1957. The show was not live; it was taped earlier in the evening, as it is now.

Tiny Tim and Miss Vicky were married on “The Tonight Show” on December 17, 1969.

Horace Rumpole (Leo McKern) is married to Hilda Rum-pole (Peggy Thorpe-Bates, Marion Mathie) on the TV show “Rumpole of the Bailey” (Thames, 1978-88). He usually refers to her as “She Who Must Be Obeyed.” The series has appeared on PBS’s “Mystery!” (1981).

The name of the puppet-king in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was King Friday XIII.

CNN began broadcasting in 1980.

Mae Questel provided the voice of Winky Dink, better known as the voice of Betty Boop. Fifty cents bought a Winky Dink TV Kit, a plastic sheet and magic crayons to use on your television set during the show.

The name of Hawkeye Pierce’s (Alan Alda’s) tent on “M*A*S*H” (CBS, 1972-83) was The Swamp.

The animated ad featuring a cartoon child crying, “I want my Maypo” first aired in 1956. Maypo is a maple-flavored oatmeal, new at the time.

On the 1971 CBS miniseries “The Six Wives of Henry VIII,” the wives were: Catherine of Aragon—Annette Crosbie; Anne Boleyn—Dorothy Tutin; Jane Seymour—Anne Stallybrass; Anne of Cleves—Elvi Hale; Catherine Howard—Angela Pleasence; and Catherine Parr—Rosalie Crutchley. Henry VIII was played by Keith Mitchell.

Brian Blessed played Augustus, George Baker played Tiberius, John Hurt played Caligula, and Derek Jacobi played Claudius, on the TV series “I, Claudius” (BBC, 1976).

“Search for Tomorrow” (CBS, 1951-1982; NBC 1982-1987) was the longest-running daytime TV drama. However, “The Guiding Light” is the longest daytime drama to run on both radio and TV. It began its run on radio in 1937. It has been on CBS-TV from 1952 to the present.

Henry Fonda endorsed GAF on TV. Robert Young endorsed Sanka. Andy Griffith endorsed Maxwell House.

The wrestler Gorgeous George’s real name was George Wagner.

“Dr. Kildare”: “Three Stars Will Shine Tonight,” sung by Richard Chamberlain (reached #10 in 1962) “Dragnet”: “Dragnet Theme,” Ray Anthony Orchestra (reached #3 in 1953) “The Greatest American Hero”: “Believe It or Not,” by Joey Scarbury (reached #2 in 1981) “Happy Days”: “Happy Days,” by Pratt and McLain (reached #5 in 1976) “Hawaii-Five 0”: “Hawaii … Read more

Goldie Hawn was a regular on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” (NBC, 1968-73) from 1968-70.

The Goodwill Games were first held in July 1986, in Moscow. The brainchild of Ted Turner, the games included events such as basketball, boxing, gymnastics, track and field, and wrestling.

“Roseanne” (ABC, 1988) was the top-rated TV program in 1990.