TV Comedians
She substituted for Johnny Carson until she received her own talk show.
Who is Joan Rivers? She called Carson to tell him the news that she would start her own talk show, and he hung up on her and never spoke to her again.
The decade saw people move to these places on the outskirts of cities.
What are the suburbs? It was sometimes cheaper to pay a mortgage on a suburban home than it was to rent in the city.
Lionel Richie performed “Endless Love” as a duo with this former Supreme.
Who is Diana Ross?
You wore these to keep your legs warm in the 1950s; now they’re all the rage in fashion, but they’re skintight instead of baggy.
What are leggings?
If you were about to get into a fight, you would be cruisin’ for one of these.
What is a bruisin’? Cruisin’ for a bruisin’.
She got her start on Groucho Marx’s You Bet Your Life and soared to fame with her housewife routine, which included quips about her marriage to her fictional husband, Fang. According to biography.com, she is known for her “eccentric costumes, overdone makeup and trademark laugh.”
Who is Phyllis Diller? She got her break during the mid-1950s. By the 1960s, she was appearing on stage as an actress. In 1970, she took over Carol Channing’s Broadway role in Hello, Dolly!
Children born throughout the decade of the 1950s belong to this generation.
What is baby boomer? Boomers were born from 1946 to 1964.
Stevie Wonder “just called to say” this.
What is “I love you”? The 1984 hit tune was “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”
Everyone used to have a dedicated camera, but this device has replaced them for all but professional photographers and serious amateurs.
What is a smartphone (or similar)?
When everything was going swell and you had no cares, it was said you had it made in this outdoor condition.
What is the shade? Made in the shade.
He is best known for his routine “Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV.”
Who is George Carlin? Another memorable routine is “It’s a Big Club, and You Ain’t in It.”
The Anti-Communist frenzy of the 1950s led to the House Committee on Un-American Activities led by this congressman.
Who is Joseph McCarthy? Many creatives and actors were blacklisted as a result of these hearings. While the hearings were in progress, the FBI, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, was spying on American citizens in search of subversive activities.
Bonnie Tyler’s hit “Total Eclipse of the [missing word]” was one of the decade’s top hits.
What is heart?
Incandescent bulbs have given way to any one of these.
What is compact fluorescent (CFL), halogen, or LED? They are supposed to last longer and save energy and money.
Another way to say a car peeled out was that it burned this.
What is rubber? Drivers of muscle cars often showed their muscle by burning rubber.
This comedian, who often substituted for Johnny Carson, was known for his jokes about marriage and everyday life.
Who is Alan King? He once said, “If you stop and think about it, nearly all great humor is at the expense of someone or something.”
Returning soldiers from World War II financed homes and attended college through 1956 as a result of this bill.
What is the G.I. Bill? Its official title was the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. In 1966, the bill was extended to all veterans, including those who did not serve in a war
This woman with wild hair recorded the hit tune “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
Who is Cyndi Lauper?
Indoor plumbing is nothing new for most of us, but some rural citizens are still using these facilities not attached to the house.
What are outhouses? Outhouses are stll commonly used for camping and hiking and portable outhouses are used today for events, such as concerts or parades.
Someone living the good life lived in this city.
What is fat? Fat city.
He had a variety hour named for him, and he was famous for his characters “Freddie the Freeloader” and “Clem Kadiddlehopper.”
Who is Red Skelton? The show was The Red Skelton Show and then changed to The Red Skelton Hour when it expanded from 30 minutes to an hour. The show won three Emmy Awards.
This Frankie had a string of hits in the 1950s and was best known for Rawhide’s theme song
Who is Laine? His hits include “That’s My Desire,” “Mule Train,” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Their 1980s hit tune was “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.”
Who are the Eurythmics? Listen to the catchy refrain: “Sweet dreams are made of this, Who am I to disagree, Travel the world and the seven seas, Everybody’s looking for something.”
We used to go to the movies as often as once a week; today we use this technology to bring them to us via Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.
What is streaming?
When you had to tell your mother something bad, you might tell her not to flip this accessory.
What is her wig? Flip your wig.