Can You Pass a 1950s TV Trivia Quiz?

By: Heather Cahill
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Pass a 1950s TV Trivia Quiz?
Image: CBS

About This Quiz

Television's Golden Age brought the world some of the greatest shows of all time. It was a time when black and white television transitioned to color and some of the most famous stars on Earth dominated the industry. It brought everything from mystery and horror to Westerns and comedies to the small screen, paving the way for television after it. What was your favorite television show from the era?

Do you know the names of televisions theme songs at the time? Can you name the biggest stars and the shows that they were on? What fun facts do you know about television shows of the time? There is so much to know about '50s television, so brush up on your trivia to ace this quiz!

Can you name the '50s game show that Groucho Marx hosted? Do you know which television show never had rehearsals? Can you name the show where you would hear the phrase: "I gotta kill that boy, I just gotta!"? If you said yes to any of these questions, you really know your stuff!

So, if you think you're a true '50s television fan, or if you just know your trivia, this one is for you. Take the quiz to see how well you know the shows of the decade!

Who created Desilu Productions?
Elvis Presley and Arthur Miller
Richard Nixon and Elizabeth Taylor
Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnaz
Frank Sinatra and John Wayne
The character Tonto is from which television show?
"Dragnet"
"Hopalong Cassidy"
"The Lone Ranger"
"Lassie"
Which television show is the phrase "Get out of Dodge" from?
"The Jackie Gleason Show"
"Andy Pandy"
"Gunsmoke"
"Leave it to Beaver"

Advertisement

Which of these shows was a popular crime show in the '50s?
"Dragnet"
"The Rifleman"
"American Bandstand"
"Candid Camera"
Which television actress gave birth to her child in real life on the same day that her character on her television show gave birth?
Grace Kelly
Lucille Ball
Kim Novak
Ruby Dee
What was "Candid Camera"?
a drama
a mystery
a prank show
an action

Advertisement

Which of these shows is a children's television show?
"Gunsmoke"
"I Love Lucy"
"Texaco Star Theatre"
"Andy Pandy"
Which of the following characters is from the television show "Dixon of Dock Green"?
Constable George Dixon
Etta Stone
June Cleaver
Ben Cartwright
Who hosted "American Bandstand"?
Dick Clark
Johnny Cash
John Wayne
Elvis Presley

Advertisement

Who played the Captain on "Captain Kangaroo"?
Clark Gable
Rock Hudson
Bob Keeshan
Clint Eastwood
Who portrayed "Hopalong Cassidy"?
Marlon Brando
James Stewart
John Wayne
William Boyd
Which president appeared in the show "Wagon Train"?
Bill Clinton
John Adams
Ronald Reagan
Martin Van Buren

Advertisement

Who was one of the main characters in "Rawhide"?
Gil Favor
Jim Quince
Ian Cabot
Yo-yo
Who narrated "The Twilight Zone"?
Frank Sinatra
Jack Lemmon
Eve Arden
Rod Serling
What was the first television show to put a toilet on screen?
"Bonanza"
"Have Gun - Will Travel"
"Maverick"
"Leave it to Beaver"

Advertisement

Which actress from "It's A Wonderful Life" had her own show in the 1950s?
Virginia Patton
Gloria Grahame
Lillian Randolph
Donna Reed
Groucho Marx hosted what game show in the '50s?
"What's My Line?"
"Father Knows Best"
"You Bet Your Life"
"The Today Show"
Which actor from the show "Bonanza" hated it?
Pernell Roberts
Guy Williams
Lorne Greene
Michael Landon

Advertisement

What television show was based on a book?
"The Real McCoys"
"Gunsmoke"
"Perry Mason"
"Lassie"
Which '50s television show shares a city name with "The Simpsons"?
"Our Miss Brooks"
"Captain Kangaroo"
"Perry Mason"
"Father Knows Best"
Which of these shows starred Walter Brennan?
"The Lone Ranger"
"Dragnet"
"The Real McCoys"
"Captain Kangaroo"

Advertisement

The episode "Hadley's Hunters" from the television show "Maverick" is filled with what?
love
hit songs
crime
cameos
Is it true or false that Lassie was a boy?
True
False
"Melancholy Serenade" was the theme song for which television show?
"The Lone Ranger"
"Leave it to Beaver"
"I Love Lucy"
"The Jackie Gleason Show"

Advertisement

In which show would you hear the phrase: "I gotta kill that boy, I just gotta!"?
"It's A Wonderful Life"
"You Bet Your Life"
"Texaco Star Theatre"
"The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"
Which of the following did "Our Miss Brooks" transition into?
movie
video game
novel
comic book
What was the most-watched television show in 1955?
"Maverick"
"Rawhide"
"The $64,000 Question"
"I Love Lucy"

Advertisement

Which actor from "The Rifleman" became a recording artist?
Joan Taylor
John Harmon
Johnny Crawford
Chuck Connors
The "Texaco Star Theatre" starred which of these famous actors of the '50s?
Milton Berle
Clark Gable
John Wayne
Jackie Gleason
Which television show aired one episode that was silent?
"The Honeymooners"
"Lassie"
"The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"
"77 Sunset Strip"

Advertisement

Which show first started filming in Grand Central Station?
"What's My Line?"
"The Today Show"
"You Bet Your Life"
"The Rifleman"
Which show from the '50s was the first to air more than 1,000 episodes?
"The Lone Ranger"
"Dragnet"
"The Jackie Gleason Show"
"Howdy Doody"
Which famous show got its start in the '50s?
"The Today Show"
"I Love Lucy"
"Candid Camera"
"Our Miss Brooks"

Advertisement

Which television show spawned a radio show?
"77 Sunset Strip"
"American Bandstand"
"The Twilight Zone"
"Have Gun - Will Travel"
Which show did not have rehearsals?
"Rawhide"
"The Honeymooners"
"What's My Line?"
"Dixon of Dock Green"