1976: Disco, Rocky & The Love Boat - How Well Do You Know The Bicentennial Year In Entertainment?
Written by Tom Cohen
Last updated · 8 min play time
1976 was a sweet year. Our country turned 200, Disco was in full effect, there were some award-winning movies, and a peanut farmer from Georgia was elected the 39th president of the United States. How well do you know this year from the era of leisure suits and bellbottoms?
In 1976, things were pretty groovy. Disco was the hottest thing going, Andy Warhol was at the top of his game, and flared pants and big afros were spotted everywhere from Sunset Boulevard to Broadway. The 1970s was the decade of some legendary films, from Rocky to Taxi Driver to A Star is Born. Television was in its sitcom heyday, with shows like All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Happy Days and The Jeffersons getting high ratings and making America laugh.
In this quiz, we're going to test your knowledge of the highs and lows of 1976 entertainment. So put on your tube tops, don your sequined halterneck shirts, blazers and spandex shorts, and fire up your Disco ball. Can you dig it?
Quiz written by
Tom CohenI'm a 3-time Emmy-winning game show producer, writer, director and published author. I dig traveling, watching hockey, photographing wildlife and exploring the cultural and social fabric of society.
1976 Entertainment Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 109 Plays · No comments
Question 1
For all you fans of the series The Love Boat (admit it!), you have the 1976 movie of the same name to thank for the series. What was the sexy ship that set sail every week from 1977 onward?
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AU.S.S. Starfish
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BS.S. Pacific Princess
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CThe Mediterranean Mayflower
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DH.M.S. Pinafore
S.S. Pacific Princess
The Princess Cruise Lines company agreed to let the 1976 movie and subsequent series feature their real ships in nearly every episode of the series. Another one of their ships, the Island Princess, was also featured. As you can imagine, it was great publicity for the company.
Question 2
When it comes to memorable moments from a 1976 movie, nothing quite compares to the infamous "bucket of blood" scene. What film used corn syrup and food coloring to replicate the pig's blood that soaks the protagonist?
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AThe Omen
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BCarrie
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CThe Pig's Blood Chronicles
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DLook What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby
Carrie
The "bucket of blood" scene is among the most memorable of all the movies adapted from Stephen King novels. It's so iconic that you can buy a "Carrie Bucket of Blood" costume on Amazon for Halloween.
Question 3
The 1976 Academy Awards featured the first film since 1934's It Happened One Night to sweep the "Big 5" categories. Directed by Milos Forman, name this Jack Nicholson vehicle.
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AOne Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
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BThe Passenger
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CThe Shining
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DChinatown
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
As described on Rotten Tomatoes: "The onscreen battle between Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher serves as a personal microcosm of the culture wars of the 1970s – and testament to the director's vision that the film retains its power more than three decades later."
Question 4
A remake of Wild Cherry's 1976 smash "Play That Funky Music" was actually the A side of Vanilla Ice's hit song "Ice Ice Baby". Finish the insightful lyric: "Dancin' and singin', and movin' to the" what?
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AGroovin'
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BMusic
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CTunage
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DUpper East Side
Groovin'
That's right, it's "Dancin' to the Groovin'," which of course makes no sense grammatically. But that's disco, baby! The Wild Cherry version, not Vanilla Ice's, was ranked as the number 93 on Billboard magazine's "All-Time Top 100 Songs" in 2018.
Question 5
In 1976, Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics and one of the participating athletes recorded a record seven perfect 10s in her sport. As they say in French: "sensationnel!" Name this storied athlete.
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ANadia Comaneci
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BDorothy Hamill
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CEdwin Moses
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DBruce Jenner
Nadia Comaneci
At the 1976 Montreal games, Nadia Comaneci competed in Gymnastics, which is the only sport represented by the possible choices in which you can get earn a "10". Dorothy Hamill competed in the winter games in Innsbruck.
Question 6
In the summer of 1976, the series Alice debuted on CBS, introducing the expression "Kiss My Grits" into our collective lexicon (for better or for worse). What was the catchy theme song of this successful show?
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A"There's a New Girl In Town"
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B"Alice in Wonderland"
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C“Making Our Dreams Come True"
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D"Welcome Back"
"There's a New Girl In Town"
The theme song "There's a New Girl in Town" was sung the star of the show herself, Linda Lavin. The songwriting, David Shire, also contributed to the soundtrack to <i>Saturday Night Fever</i>.
Question 7
1976 saw the second installment of a documentary that chronicled some of MGM's biggest movies of all time. Hosted by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, what was the name of this film?
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AThat's Entertainment, Part II
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BFancy Feet of Film, Part II
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CPresenting Hollywood, Part II
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DLong Live The Musical, Part II
That's Entertainment, Part II
The <i>That's Entertainment</i> films - in 1974 and 1976- were very successful retrospective collections of some of MGM's greatest films. In the 1976 film, several new musical numbers featured Astaire and Kelly, including scenes which they danced together for the first time since <i>Ziegfeld Follies</i>, 30 years earlier.
Question 8
1976 had a lot of great music, but let's start with the biggest hit of the year. With the lyric "What's wrong with that, I'd like to know" what song topped Billboard magazine's Top 100 songs of the year?
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A"If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago
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B"Silly Love Songs" by Wings
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C"Rock 'N Me" by Steve Miller Band
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D"The Boys Are Back In Town" by Thin Lizzy
"Silly Love Songs" by Wings
"Silly Love Songs" was the biggest hit Wings ever had, and one of the biggest of Paul McCartney's career. McCartney previously hit No. 1 in the year-end Billboard chart as a member of the Beatles with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964 and "Hey Jude" in 1968.
Question 9
The only thing better than a disco classic is a disco classic reimagined by Gloria Estefan. Who recorded the original 1976 version of "Turn the Beat Around" that Estefan reimagined in 1994 for the movie The Specialist?
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ADiana Ross
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BElton John and Kiki Dee
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CVicki Sue Robinson
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DAlicia Bridges
Vicki Sue Robinson
"Turn the Beat Around" was Vicki Sue Robinson's only big hit, and in 1980 she was relegated to singing backup on Irene Cara's hit "Fame". Ironically, big-time fame wasn't in the cards for Vicki Sue.
Question 10
A lot more came out of the Bicentennial year than just patriotism and fireworks, like one of Schoolhouse Rock's most famous songs. Created as part of a celebration of America, and voiced by famed trumpeter Jack Sheldon, it was called "I'm Just a" what?
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AFlag
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BBill
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CFounding Father
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DCountry
Bill
In the famed segment, which is now a classic, kids are taught about how a bill becomes a law, how it must go through Congress, and how it can be vetoed, In the song, the bill is for the law that school buses must stop at railroad crossings. How quaint.
Question 11
Known more as writer and director of movies such as Defending Your Life than a serious actor, who made his acting debut in 1976 playing one of Betsy's co-workers named Tom in Taxi Driver?
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AGarth Brooks
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BAlbert Brooks
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CMel Brooks
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DJames Brooks
Albert Brooks
In <i>Taxi Driver</i>, Brooks' character - much like a lot of the characters he played in the future - was a hapless joke teller that tried, but failed, to protect Betsy from DeNiro's Travis.
Question 12
When it comes to celebrities' personal lives in 1976, two of the top stories were Tina Turner filing for divorce from Ike in July, and Liz Taylor marrying her 6th husband in December. Who did she marry that time?
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AEddie Fisher
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BJohn Warner
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CLarry Fortensky
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DWoody Allen
John Warner
Liz Taylor's marriage to John Warner that year marks her first to a sitting Senator. Taylor helped Warner's electoral campaign but soon got bored with their life in DC. Their marriage lasted only 6 years.
Question 13
Believe it or not, some kid actors from the 1970s actually turned out okay. In 1976, Helen Hunt was just getting started, playing a young girl named Helga Wagner on what series?
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AHawaii 5-0
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BSwiss Family Robinson
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CMad About You: The Early Years
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DMarcus Welby, M.D.
Swiss Family Robinson
<i>Swiss Family Robinson</i> was one of Helen Hunt's first acting credits. On the series, she played a young girl who was stranded on the island from the same shipwreck as the Robinsons, and was taken in by the family. She was just 12 when the show premiered.
Question 14
You can't talk 1976 pop culture without mentioning the real heavyweight at the box office: Rocky. Instead of Talia Shire, who did the studio almost tap to play the iconic character Adrian?
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ABea Arthur
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BCarrie Fisher
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CMeryl Streep
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DSusan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
When casting for the role of Adrian, there were many actresses being considered. As explained by Stallone: “First it was Susan Sarandon, and then we thought, 'Well, maybe she’s too sexy." Dammit Janet, you could have been in <i>Rocky</i>!
Question 15
ABC cornered the market on hit shows in 1976, holding down the top two most popular series of the year with Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. Which of these other series that year called American Broadcasting Company home?
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AOne Day at a Time
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BM*A*S*H
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CAll in the Family
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DCharlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
The Aaron Spelling series Charlie's Angels" premiered on ABC on September 22, 1976 and ran to June 24, 1981, a total of 115 episodes.
Question 16
The 1976 novel Trinity is a classic of historical fiction, all about the strife in Ireland in the 1970s. Described by the New York Times as having a "kind of relentless power," who wrote this novel about the clash between Catholics and Protestants?
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ALeon Uris
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BJim Davis
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CJack Higgins
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DGore Vidal
Leon Uris
<i>Trinity</i> explores Irish history stretching from the Great Famine to the Easter Rising, centering on two families, and is one of the most beloved works of historical fiction to come out of the '70s. If you guessed Jim Davis, well...he was the author of the Garfield comic strip.
Question 17
In 1976, the very first song from "Weird Al" Yankovic called "Belvedere Cruisin'" aired when a Southern California DJ named "Barry" Hansen played it on his show. By what name is Hansen better known?
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ARick Dees
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BHoward Stern
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CDr. Demento
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DCasey Kasem
Dr. Demento
When "Weird Al"'s mom caught him listening to Dr. Demento's show, she forbid him to listen again. But still, when Dr. Demento visited Yankovic's school in 1976, young 16-year old Barry gave the DJ a homemade tape made on his "cheesy little tape recorder". The rest is history.
Question 18
If you were a teenager in 1976, and you weren't listening to the album Frampton Comes Alive, you weren't really alive, man. What Rolling Stones song did Frampton cover on that legendary double album?
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AJumpin' Jack Flash
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BRuby Tuesday
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CSatisfaction
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DThere was no Rolling Stones cover
Jumpin' Jack Flash
Frampton loved this song by the Stones, and had included on his earlier album <i>Wind of Change</i>. The song was the only non-original Frampton song on the live 1976 album.
Question 19
What happened in the garage of Steve Jobs' parents' house in 1976 would forever change the world, and lead to the creation of Apple TV+ more than 40 year later. In what California town was the garage where Jobs and Wozniak conceived of Apple?
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AFresno
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BLos Gatos
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CLos Altos
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DPalo Alto
Los Altos
As described by Atlas Obscura: "There are a few garages that are thought to be part of profound changes in the way we live our lives, and one of them is in the northern California town of Los Altos. It’s here that Steve Jobs, the heart and soul of Apple Computers, grew up." You can actually take a tour of the garage next time you're in NorCal.
Question 20
In 1976, Robert Redford was arguably at the height of his career, and his ability to make female moviegoers swoon brought millions to the movies. Who starred opposite Redford in the actor's only movie released that year?
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AJames Caan
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BBarbra Streisand
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CPaul Newman
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DDustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
1976's <i>All the President's Men</i> in which Redford and Hoffman played Woodward and Bernstein, is to this day one of the great American movies. The film won a slew of Oscars, but lost out to <i>Rocky</i> for Best Picture.
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