Category Archives: Quizes and trivia

It’s been too long! Another ‘What series is that TV-home from’!


It’s been ages since I last posted one of these. I thought I ran out of good homes to use, but since last time, we have seen many new shows. And as it turns out, I missed quite few older shows still. So here we go. What series are these houses from?

This first one is an oldie. A very popular show that ran from 1971 to 1979. It dealt with many controversial issues and after watching most of the episodes again recently, I as surprised to see how some issues still are relevant!

Mystery house number one

Mystery house number one

The second home is featured in a show that broke many records. I believe it is the most watched show ever. It ended only recently, and views on how it ended were mixed. In the show’s end it is derelict and neighbourhood kids use the pool as a skating ramp. The owner, the main character in the show, comes back while on the run from the law and everybody else to retrieve something he hid.

Mystery House number two

Mystery House number two

The show the third house is shown is, is another big hit with a recent season finale. Talks are there will be another season, but the person who lived in this house died in the show. So my guess is the show is ended. However, the other main character in the show recently got promoted in her job, and was about to deliver a baby soon. So maybe there is room for more after all.

Mystery House number three

Mystery House number three

The fourth mystery house is not technically a house but a building. And the show only featured the bit underneath the awnings. But when everybody there knows who you are, you could at least call it a second home….

Mystery House number four...

Mystery House number four…

Spot that teenage angst TV show!


Ha, love this theme myself. As a gay boy growing up I had angst galore, so I was lucky to grow up in the 90’s as this was the era of slow paced, grunge or retro style teenage voice-overed TV  shows about kids growing up with issues bigger then themselves. Yes, I watched a LOT of TV! But the nineties also brought us upbeat and sassy sitcoms with a plot. You know, a warning (don’t drink.. ever… at all.. or you’ll die) and a joke to mark the end.
Either way, it was comforting to see that at least writers of TV shows knew a bit about what I was facing every day. Oh, and in case you wonder; I grew up being perfectly happy.

 

See how much you guys watched. In style with my other quizes, I will give you a few images of a TV show house, and with a small hint, ask you to come up with the name of the show.

First one, maybe not quite fitting the theme per se, but the title of this sitcom says it all. It hurts growing up.

Mystery House 1

Mystery House 1

The next house featured in a show with a girl named after the process all teenage girls go through as they grow into womanhood. She shared the house with her dad, and I believe two brothers. Being a girl, growing up in an all men family is tough. A fast talking friend named somewhere between 1 and 10 did help though.

Mystery House 2

Mystery House 2

Next one up is a classic story. Poor kid, growing up in rich household. Where Will Smith moved to Bel Air, the guy in this show moves to another posh greater LA area. It aired for four seasons before it was pulled because of deteriorating ratings.

Mystery House 3

Mystery House 3

I guess a hint could be that the love interest of the main character, his skinny neighbour girl, has the same surname as the love interest of the main character in the show from the next house.

That next house is this.

 

Mystery House 3

Mystery House 4

A typical suburban 1940’s bungalow. The show was set a decade or two after is was built and featured a young David Schwimmer as the older sister’s love interest. Only for an episode or three, so not sure if that counts as a hint…Like I said though, the main character’s love interest shares a surname with the love interest of the show before this one.

Oh, another hint might be that rumour has it that the side kick of the main character was played by the later to become shock rocker  Marilyn Manson… This is so far from the truth it is not even funny anymore.

Mystery House 4

Mystery House 5

The last house was featured in a show that changed teenage drama according to many TV critics. It dealt with issues such as same sex parenting, homophobia, drug abuse and best friends stabbing you in the back. The show was devoid of all the obligatory happy endings which made it a bit more real and would often even leave you feeling a bit unsettled after watching it.

The main character tries to balance her life between the expectations of her parents, her former best friend, and her much cooler new best friend. Her much cooler best friend ends up kissing the boy she herself lusts after all throughout the series. And her geeky neighbour captures a lot of her life on camera. I personally can’t help but think that this inspired the creator of American Beauty to invent the character of Ricky Fitts.

OK, five TV shows dealing with teenagers growing up in various era’s and sometimes all’s well, ends well, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Spot that TV and/or movie home again!


Yes my loyal fans; it’s time for yet another pop culture moment. This time the theme is homes with columns. I guess they call it colonial.

I will drop a hint or two along the way, and as always, the winner gets my ever lasting respect! The name of the movie or TV show suffices. But, extra brownie points for those naming at least one character.

The first house is a true classic. The columns date all the way back to 1972! The lovely lass living here in a 1995 movie was supposedly inspired on Jane Austen’s Emma. I thinks she was just a bit naive yet meant well.

The columns date back all the way to 1972!

The columns date back all the way to 1972!

The next house is supposedly located in a posh area of Los Angeles. Not Beverly Hills, but the other one. The lead character moved here after his mum was tired with his chillin’ out maxin’ relaxin’ all cool and shootin’ some b-ball outside of the school. She got scared after he got in one little fight. Oh well, he lived happily ever after.

Not Beverly Hills but that other posh LA hood

Not Beverly Hills but that other posh LA hood

Then, in true colonial spirit, a proper plantation house in the deep and sweltering South. That’s all the hints you’re getting for this one by the way.

South

South

 

Then, a movie that is responsible for so many quotes it might be one of the most important movies of all time. The guy responsible was the motor behind pretty much all 80’s box office toppers. This particular movie was featured in another one of my quizes, yet that time it was a different house. The hint? How about this quote:

In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the… Anyone? Anyone?… the Great Depression, passed the… Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered?… raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects? It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression. Today we have a similar debate over this. Anyone know what this is? Class? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone seen this before? The Laffer Curve. Anyone know what this says? It says that at this point on the revenue curve, you will get exactly the same amount of revenue as at this point. This is very controversial. Does anyone know what Vice President Bush called this in 1980? Anyone? Something-d-o-o economics. “Voodoo” economics.”

"Um, he's sick. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw <......> pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious"

"Um, he's sick. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw <......> pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious"

And finally, another gem of a colonial porch on a house. Don’t let the Chinese looking kid on the porch fool you. He’s a tourist. In the town this show was set in, there was no room for foreigners. Bar the one French hotel employee, this town was all American pure bred all the way…. Or was it… come to think of it. There was a Chinese or Korean friend of one of the girls living in this house. And that friend had a mother who wouldn’t let her kid do anything.  And I think the French guy might have been gay…Throw in a black kid and it’s politically correct!

It was funny though. Except for the fact that the dialogues were too ridiculous to be true.

Love the porch

Love the porch

That’s it for now. Another quiz coming up, but I need to find a few more homes to fit in with the ‘Teenage angst’ theme I am hoping to go for.

In general, any suggestions, always welcome!

Spot more TV shows!


Ok, Ok, I like this the best I reckon, and I know many of you do too, pop culture quizes involving famous TV and movie homes.

This time, it’s all TV again, no movies. And it’s randomness galore as the era’s these shows aired are all over the place. However, I will try to cross reference you through the entire thing, as Hollywood is and always will be a world where 6 degrees of separation is a waste of time. To give you a bit of a first hint; I added some Italian spices as all shows feature one or more characters of Italian descent.

I want the names of the show, and the name of at least one of the characters of Italian descent.

Starting with house, or rather, building number 1. An all time favorite. This is the building where a couple of buddies, mates, chums or pals lived in this long running successful series. The clue is in the word I so desperately try to avoid.

Mystery TV home #1

Mystery TV home #1

House number 2 is set in a suburb not far from building number 1. It’s a suburb in new Jersey to be precise. The organisation of American-Italians criticized the show for stereotyping Italians. To be fair, the lead character has an almost Oedipus-esque relationship with his mother, who in turn has the hots for his uncle, who actually tried to get him whacked! And they eat a lot. But I have been to Italy plenty of times, lived there even, and that is what they do!

Mystery TV home #2

Mystery TV home #2

From the Jersey shores to the Florida beaches. Plenty a pensioner has done it. So did the characters in the show featuring this house.
Mystery TV show House #3

Mystery TV show home #3

TV critics actually compared this show with the much later airing HBO hit Sex and the City. Mind you, SATC features women at least half the age of the characters in the show I am looking for, but yes…four women, dating various men….one of them slutty…… I totally see it.
 
Talking of SATC.. one of the girls in that show had a part in the show I am looking for next. We set sail for the West Coast for building number 4. This building featured in a spin off show, spun off a popular show named after a famous zip-code. Not far from that zip-code was where this show was set. It all revolved around several people in the beginning of their careers living together in one place. Each with their own amenities by the way. They only shared a pool.
Mystery TV home #5

Mystery TV home #4

From this place, it’s a small step to the next house. If only because surprisingly many people from the previous show made their entry in this fictitious suburban street. That’s all the clues you’re getting by the way. I think this one is a bit of a giveaway…..
Mystery TV home #5

Mystery TV home #5

For the next, and final house, we take a step back. Both geographically and in time.  We lay down our hat in Milwaukee, and jump back a decade or 5, yes, those were the days.
To be honest, the fact that this show was set in Milwaukee is a little known one. The state is mentioned like, never, in the show. A better clue would be to tell you that one of the lead characters later made fame as director even picking up a few Oscars on the way. But as that might still be leaving a few of you clueless, one more clue. The Italian character in this show is called Arthur, but is more commonly known by his nickname. In fact, the only person allowed to call him Arthur, was the lady of the house in the picture.
Mystery TV home #6

Mystery TV home #6

 

 

That’s it, good luck! And as usual, the winner gets my ever lasting respect.