Rusc Old Time Radio General Knowledge #1

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| By Paul Smithson
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Paul Smithson
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Quizzes Created: 12 | Total Attempts: 3,305
| Attempts: 900
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  • 1/20 Questions

    What do the radio shows Blondie, Dick Tracy, Li'l Abner, Popeye the Sailor, Little Orphan Annie, and Red Ryder have in common?

    • They were all first broadcast in the 1930s
    • They were all adapted from comic strips
    • They were all became broadway musicals
    • They were all adapted from broadway musicals
    • They were all made into full-length films
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Radio Quizzes & Trivia
About This Quiz

Are you an old time radio expert or a nostalgia newbie?
Let's find out with these twenty general knowledge questions ranging from the simple to the sublime.
Good luck!
Ned
www. Rusc. Com

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  • 2. 

    What is the claim to fame of the old time radio show Clara, Lu and Em?

    • It was the very first radio show broadcast in 1920

    • It was the first radio soap opera

    • It was the longest running radio show of all time

    • It was first show to be taken of air due to a public petition

    • It was the first radio show to contain nudity

    Correct Answer
    A. It was the first radio soap opera
    Explanation
    The claim to fame of the old time radio show Clara, Lu and Em is that it was the first radio soap opera.

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  • 3. 

    Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were famous for playing Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson on radio and in films. Is it true that none of the episodes in which Rathbone and Bruce starred on the radio were filmed with the two actors as Holmes and Watson?

    • True

    • False

    Correct Answer
    A. True
    Explanation
    During the 1940s, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, famous for playing Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in films, repeated their characterizations on radio on The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which featured both original stories and episodes directly adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. None of the episodes in which Rathbone and Bruce starred on the radio program were filmed with the two actors as Holmes and Watson, so radio became the only medium in which audiences were able to experience Rathbone and Bruce appearing in some of the more famous Holmes stories, such as "The Speckled Band". (Source: Wikipedia)

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  • 4. 

    How many episodes of The Adventures of Sam Spade were broadcast between 1946 and 1951?

    • 51

    • 81

    • 131

    • 221

    • 301

    Correct Answer
    A. 221
    Explanation
    Between 1946 and 1951, a total of 221 episodes of The Adventures of Sam Spade were broadcast.

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  • 5. 

    The lead character of Broadway Is My Beat was a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide. What was the character’s name?

    • Danny Clover

    • Danny Glover

    • Jack Webb

    • Lamont Cranston

    • Danny Webber

    Correct Answer
    A. Danny Clover
    Explanation
    The lead character of Broadway Is My Beat was named Danny Clover.

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  • 6. 

    Who played Amos in the Amos 'n' Andy?

    • Freeman Gosden

    • Charles Correl

    • James "Jim" Jordan

    • J. Carrol Naish

    Correct Answer
    A. Freeman Gosden
    Explanation
    Freeman Gosden played Amos in the Amos 'n' Andy show.

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  • 7. 

    Which science-fiction show came first?

    • Dimension X

    • X Minus One

    Correct Answer
    A. Dimension X
    Explanation
    Initially a revival of NBC's Dimension X (1950–51), the first 15 episodes of X Minus One were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers, including Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts,[1] of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, Frederik Pohl and Theodore Sturgeon,[2] along with some original scripts by Kinoy and Lefferts. (Source: Wikipedia)

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  • 8. 

    What was the name of the detective played by Jack Webb in Dragnet?

    • Jack Friday

    • Joe Friday

    • Jim Friday

    • James Friday

    • Joey Friday

    Correct Answer
    A. Joe Friday
    Explanation
    Joe Friday is the correct answer because it accurately identifies the name of the detective played by Jack Webb in the TV show Dragnet.

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  • 9. 

    What was Abbott and Costello’s signature routine?

    • What's on next?

    • It's your turn?

    • Who's on first?

    • Who's next?

    Correct Answer
    A. Who's on first?
    Explanation
    Abbott and Costello's signature routine was called "Who's on first?" This routine involved a humorous dialogue between the two comedians, where Abbott would try to explain the names of the players on a baseball team to Costello. However, due to the confusing names of the players, Costello would constantly misunderstand and ask questions like "Who's on first?" This routine became one of their most popular and enduring acts, showcasing their comedic timing and wordplay.

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  • 10. 

    Who played the married protagonists John and Blanche Bickerson?

    • Goodman Ace and Jane Ace

    • Howard Duff and Lurene Tuttle

    • James Monks and Virginia Gregg

    • Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce

    • Don Ameche and Frances Langford

    Correct Answer
    A. Don Ameche and Frances Langford
    Explanation
    Don Ameche and Frances Langford played the married protagonists John and Blanche Bickerson.

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  • 11. 

    Where was the setting for Father Knows Best?

    • Deep South

    • Midwest

    • California

    • Alaska

    • Mexico

    Correct Answer
    A. Midwest
    Explanation
    The correct answer is Midwest. "Father Knows Best" was a popular American sitcom that aired in the 1950s and 1960s. The show was set in the fictional town of Springfield, which was located in the Midwest region of the United States. The setting in the Midwest reflected the traditional American values and family dynamics that the show portrayed.

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  • 12. 

    Fibber McGee and Molly was one of the longest running radio shows. Across how many decades did the broadcasts span?

    • 1

    • 2

    • 3

    • 4

    • 5

    Correct Answer
    A. 3
    Explanation
    Fibber McGee and Molly is an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture. (Source: Wikipedia)

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  • 13. 

    The Great Gildersleeve was a spin-off show of which radio situation comedy?

    • Fibber McGee and Molly

    • Little Gildersleeve

    • Easy Aces

    • The Bickersons

    • Amos 'n' Andy

    Correct Answer
    A. Fibber McGee and Molly
    Explanation
    The Great Gildersleeve was a spin-off show of Fibber McGee and Molly. This means that the character of Gildersleeve was first introduced in Fibber McGee and Molly and then got his own show.

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  • 14. 

    Which radio show has been broadcast continuously since 1950 up to the present day?

    • Red Ryder

    • Suspense

    • Unshackled!

    • Fibber McGee & Molly

    • The Twilight Zone

    Correct Answer
    A. Unshackled!
    Explanation
    One of the very few still-running shows from the earlier era of radio is a Christian program entitled Unshackled! The weekly half hour show, produced in Chicago, Illinois by Pacific Garden Mission, has been continuously broadcast since 1950. The shows are created using techniques from the 1950s (including home-made sound effects) and are broadcast across the U.S. and around the world by thousands of radio stations. (Source: Wikipedia)

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  • 15. 

    Which year and month is widely considered to be the anniversary of the end of the old time radio era?

    • June 1959

    • July 1960

    • August 1961

    • September 1962

    • October 1963

    • November 1964

    Correct Answer
    A. September 1962
    Explanation
    The 40th anniversary of what is widely considered the end of the old time radio era (the final broadcasts of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Suspense on September 30, 1962) was marked with a commentary on NPR's All Things Considered. (Source: Wikipedia)

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  • 16. 

    In the old time radio show Calling All Cars, which city were the crimes based?

    • Chicago

    • New York

    • Los Angeles

    • Boston

    • Miami

    Correct Answer
    A. Los Angeles
    Explanation
    The crimes in the old time radio show Calling All Cars were based in Los Angeles.

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  • 17. 

    On which radio network was the Mercury Theatre on the Air classic War of the Worlds first broadcast?

    • NBC

    • CBS

    • Mutual

    • ABC

    Correct Answer
    A. CBS
    Explanation
    The correct answer is CBS. The Mercury Theatre on the Air classic "War of the Worlds" was first broadcast on the CBS radio network.

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  • 18. 

    In which year was the first radio news broadcast made?

    • 1925

    • 1920

    • 1915

    • 1930

    • 1905

    • 1910

    Correct Answer
    A. 1920
    Explanation
    The first radio news program was broadcast on August 31, 1920 on the station 8MK in Detroit, Michigan; owned by The Detroit News, the station covered local election results. This was followed in 1920 with the first commercial radio station in the United States, KDKA, being established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Source: Wikipedia)

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  • 19. 

    According to the March 1922 issue of Variety, how many radio sets were in use in the USA?

    • None

    • 100,000

    • 1,000

    • 250,000

    • 500,000

    • 1,000,000

    Correct Answer
    A. 1,000,000
    Explanation
    On March 10 1922, Variety carried the front page headline: "Radio Sweeping Country: 1,000,000 Sets in Use." (Source: Wikipedia)

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  • 20. 

    From which hotel were the early episodes of Amos and Andy broadcast?

    • El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs, California

    • The Sheraton, Manhattan, New York

    • Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas

    • The Knickerbocker Hotel, Los Angeles

    Correct Answer
    A. El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs, California
    Explanation
    The early episodes of Amos and Andy were broadcast from the El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs, California.

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  • Current Version
  • Mar 17, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Nov 22, 2012
    Quiz Created by
    Paul Smithson

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