About This Quiz
You'll need to know more about the world than Jethro Bodine to get through this quiz! In fact, getting 100% on this quiz will put you up there with The Professor from "Gilligan's Island." Will you be able to use your TV history smarts to figure out all the names of these beloved characters? Or will you have some binge-watching to do?
During the '60s, television shows were still wholesome. But they did begin to move away from the traditional family picture that '50s shows always portrayed. Shows like "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and "Gidget" began to show one-parent families, and shows like "The Munsters" and "The Addams Family" offered an appreciation for different lifestyles. Filled with characters that we still reference today and actors who went on to shining careers, it's easy to see why many of the '60s show our elders loved are still popular.
Have you seen enough of them to know all these last names, though? Grab some tin foil for the television antennae of your memory, and tune into to every correct answer you can muster. Only a true TV trivia master will get over '98%, but how well you do? Answer as earnestly as Beaver Cleaver, and you'll find out!
When Jed Clampett strikes "black gold" during the first season of "The Beverly Hillbillies," the family's life was upended. For nine seasons starting in 1962, The Clampett family brought their own brand of life to Hollywood. The laughter hasn't stopped since!
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If you guessed that Velma's last name is Dinkley, you get a Scooby snack! If you not, you learned something about the series that originally ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1970. In case you were wondering, Hanna-Barbera's website confirms that Velma and Shaggy were once sweethearts. "Jinkies!"
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Dick Van Dyke might have been the major character on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," but he didn't use his own name. During all five seasons of the show, he starred as a writer. In true creative spirit, the series often featured storylines about the way he and the other writers hilariously disagreed.
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Airing within a week of "The Munsters," "The Addams Family" also debuted in 1964. After two years, it was canceled because network executives believed horror-themed comedy shows were oversaturating the market.
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From 1965 to 1969, "The Big Valley" chronicled the day-to-day life of the Barkley family on their Stockton ranch. Both on and off set, the actress who played Audra referred to lead actress Barbara Stanwyck as "mom." She wasn't her biological daughter, but they were close neighbors and friends.
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James Doohan found the role of a lifetime when he started playing Scotty on "Star Trek" in 1966. His fellow crew members call him by his nickname, but it's taken a play on his actual name, Montgomery Scott.
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Betty and Barney Rubble adopted little Bamm-Bamm after finding him on a doorstep. Neither the Rubbles nor the Flintstones had children until the third season of the show in 1963. Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles brought a whole new level to the show — and a cute love story, too.
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From 1964-1972, "Bewitched" produced 254 episodes! One of the most beloved shows of the era, it featured the magical escapades of Samantha and Darrin Stephens. Their daughter, Tabitha Stevens, was conceived during the first season and grew up on the screen.
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Deputy Barney Fife made life both difficult and hilarious for Mayberry's Sheriff Taylor. Played by comedic actor Don Knotts, the role was written out five years into the series. Barney moved to Raleigh to investigate crime, but he came back for many special appearances.
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"The Munsters" only ran for two seasons, ending in 1966. Although the show performed well, it was elbowed out by the release of "Batman." CBS decided to pull the plug because ABC was winning the time slot.
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The Clampetts were not about to move to Beverly Hills without taking Jethro Bodine along! He was such a popular character that the show often chronicled his search for both love and money.
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Featuring the futuristic Jetson family, "The Jetsons" is one of the few '60s TV shows that new generations got to enjoy. It was brought back to life in 1985 with new cartoons and again in 2017 with the release of "The Jetsons & WWE: RoboWrestleMania."
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When singleton Bill Davis is left to raise niece Sissy and five-year-old twins Jody and Buffy, he gets more than he bargained for! From 1966 to 1971, the family proved that anything can be worked through with a little laughter.
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Who could forget the Cartwrights? No matter what life threw at them from 1959-1973, they kept the Ponderosa safe from harm. With 431 episodes, it's the second-longest-running series in American television, right behind "Gunsmoke."
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As a single woman who didn't live with her parents and had career aspirations, Marlo Thomas' Ann Marie was a groundbreaking television character. Ann was originally supposed to get married in the series finale, but Thomas, who was also an executive producer, thought it would send the wrong message to young women who watched the show.
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Long before anyone wanted to know who shot J.R., Larry Hagman played Captain/Major Tony Nelson. Although he was great at handling military matters, his home life with Jeannie was another story! A match made in genie heaven or not, the couple proved their love for five seasons starting in 1965.
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First appearing in an episode called "New Neighbors," Eddie Haskell moved in next door and instantly began causing trouble for June, Ward, Wally and Beaver. When the show returned for the second time in 1958, Eddie, played by Ken Osmond, became a more prominent character.
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From 1964 to 1967, "Gilligan's Island" centered around the wacky antics of The Minnow's first mate, Willy Gillian. But it was chock full of lovable characters like The Skipper, The Professor, Ginger Grant, Thurston Howell, III and Mary Ann Summers, too.
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"Green Acres is the place to be. Farm livin' is ..." not really the life Lisa Douglas was comfortable living. For a whopping 170 episodes starting in 1965, watching Oliver and Lisa do their best to adjust to country life after leaving New York City was the comedic relief every family needed.
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Even on a deserted island, Tina Louise managed to make Ginger Grant look gorgeous. In fact, when the series was turned into a 1978 TV movie, she refused to return because they wanted to rough her character up too much.
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"Gidget" may have only run for one season from 1965-1966, but it inspired a generation of baby boomer girls. Starring Sally Field as a lovable surfer girl, the show explored '60s teenage angst and the complicated family relationships of the Lawrence family.
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Portrayed by the legendary Ann B. Davis, Alice Nelson was the glue that held the Brady Family together. For the show's five seasons she was always there to keep everyone calm, give advice and keep the household running like clockwork.
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"The Andy Griffith Show" was full of loveable characters like Aunt Beatrice Taylor, played by Frances Bavier. Although things were harmonious on camera, it was quite another story on set. Andy Griffith and Bavier did not care for one another, and she is said to have hated playing the role.
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Eunice Harper Higgins was a recurring character Carol Burnett played on both "The Carol Burnett Show" and "Mama's Family." Outspoken, fierce in her beliefs and a constant thorn in Thema's side, many consider it one of Burnett's best roles.
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When Doris Day began playing Doris Martin, she broke a few molds. A single mom traveling and trying to raise her sons, the show went through many phases during its five seasons. By season number four, Doris was a rising career woman.
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Tim O'Hara knows that his Uncle Martin is not from this world! And that's why he adopted him and tried to keep his identity a secret from all his friends and neighbors from 1963 to 1966. It always proves difficult since Uncle Martin O'Hara is always keen to show off his inventions!
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The show might be called "Father Knows Best," but every episode since 1954 has been mostly about Margaret Anderson talking her husband Jim down from the ledge. Parenting, even in the '50s, is never an easy task! The final episode of the sitcom aired in 1960.
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One of the earliest heroines on TV, Cinnamon Carter knew how to get the job done on "Mission: Impossible." A model turned spy, she knew how to handle herself in combat and look gorgeous while doing it. Played by Barbara Bain, the actress left the show after a contract dispute in 1966.
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Ozzie and Harriet Nelson had their hands full raising Ricky and David. Starting in 1952, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" had a 14-year shelf. Because Ozzie Nelson demanded a 10-year contract from ABC, it's still one of the network's longest-running shows.
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Based on Hank Ketchum's comic strip, "Dennis the Menace" was all too relatable for parents. Debuting in 1959, actor Jay North brought the troublemaker to life. The show had a small revival in 1994 when Nick Jr. began to air it.
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A departure from the family life depicted in "I Love Lucy," "The Lucy Show" was the roommate precursor to "Three's Company." For six years starting in 1962, Lucille Ball delivered her comedy stylings as the wacky Lucy Carmichael.
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Adapted from the "Archie" comic series and televised for one season in 1968, "The Archie Show" has the same name as the characters of "Riverdale," another adaptation. In both instances, Reggie's last name is Mantle.
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Wally and the Beav were well-behaved young men, but Lumpy Rutherford was another matter. Always the bully, young Lumpy always learned a few moral lessons or two when he visited the Cleaver home.
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Before becoming a TV show in 1963, "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" was a full-length film. Tom Corbett, played by Bill Bixby, struggles to raise his son as a newly-single father. Eddie was played by none other than Ron Howard.
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Vicki Lawrence's '60s rendition of Thelma Harper on "The Carol Burnett Show" was such a hit that it earned her the chance to play the role again in 1983. She continued to make audiences howl with her hilarious act until 1990.
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