Growing up, we loved board games. “Jeopardy” and “Family Feud” were family favorites, and knowing facts and trivia always helped clinch a win.
A few years ago, I found a website, IMDB – the Internet Movie Database – that listed all kinds of media information, from plot summaries to cast members to my favorite category, trivia.
While watching something on either television or my computer, I usually search IMDB trivia, and all kinds of useless information fills my phone screen.
One rainy afternoon when going down memory lane, I decided to see what I could find out about some of my favorite television shows from the 1970s and 1980s. If you wonder what happens behind the scenes, keep reading.
Credit goes where credit is due – facts here are courtesy of the IMDB website.
“Little House on the Prairie.” This was my weekly cry show. This little family always found a way to tug at my heartstrings. Fun fact – when the Ingall family sat down to eat, the stars had Kentucky Fried chicken, definitely not a delicacy in Minnesota’s pioneer days.
“Happy Days.” Richie, Fonzie and the crew were always there for a feel-good show about growing up. Little-known fact – a teenage boy was contemplating suicide and wanted to talk to Fonzie. Winkler took the call and convinced the boy to give life another chance.
“WKRP in Cincinnati.” Not a Thanksgiving goes by that I don’t watch the clip – “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” I’m not alone. Every November, thousands of people watch that video on YouTube.
“All in the Family.” Bigot Archie has a full-fledged liberal for a son-in-law. Archie and Meathead allowed us to open the door to uncomfortable conversations. Fun fact about Edith: The show made fun of Jean Stapleton’s singing, but in reality, she was a professionally trained singer who’d performed in musical theatre.
“The Jeffersons.” A spin off from “All in the Family,” George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) was a successful, vain Black man who carried the show. Fun fact: Isabel Sanford was the first Black actress to win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy Emmy award.
“The Munsters.” To say it was a stretch of the imagination to have a Frankenstein-style man and a Bride of Frankenstein woman living in a creepy mansion appear normal makes me laugh now. That doesn’t include the strange Uncle Fester. Fun fact: Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster) was 6’5” in real life. But he needed to be even taller, so he wore shoes that elevated him by four inches.
“Taxi.” A sitcom about life in a New York City taxi-cab office. I have lots of favorite scenes, but when Jim takes the driving test and asks what a yellow light means, the result still cracks me up. And nobody can down a beer in one gulp like the despicable Louie DePalma.
“Dallas.” Like 83 million other people, I had to tune in to see who shot J.R. Fun fact: The house used as the “Southfork Ranch” house was a real Texas residence called “Duncan Acres.” Years later, the Duncan family was forced to sell the house, and it is now a museum devoted to the show.
“Gilligan’s Island.” I had to stop watching this sitcom because I was frustrated about people being trapped on that island. Fun fact: the show’s crew could only make props that would’ve been found on the island. They loved the challenge.
The next time you sit down to watch a movie or TV show and wonder about the back story, check out the IMDB website. Then you’ll know useless facts that somehow make you feel smart.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Library.