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Ray Walston played the main character of the series. What is the name of his character?
A. Uncle Martin O’Hara
The Martian is found by a newspaper reporter who takes him in as his roommate and passes him off as his "Uncle Martin." The other choices listed are character names that Ray Walston has portrayed. He had such iconic film, television and stage roles as Luther Billis (South Pacific), Mr. Applegate (Damn Yankees), J. J. Singleton (The Sting), Mr. Hand (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Candy (Of Mice and Men), and Judge Henry Bone (Picket Fences).
B. Luther Billis
C. Mr. Applesgate
D. J.J. Singleton
What is the name of the young newspaper reporter who takes in “Uncle Martin�
A. Tim O’Hara
Tim O’Hara took in “Uncle Martin†while he repairs the space ship which crash landed on earth. The other names are characters that the actor has portrayed, namely Tom Corbett on the ABC comedy-drama series The Courtship of Eddie's Father, stage illusionist Anthony Blake in the NBC crime drama series The Magician, but he is perhaps best known for his role as scientist Dr. David Banner on the CBS sci-fi drama series The Incredible Hulk.
B. Tom Corbett
C. Anthony Blake
D. Dr. David Banner
Who is Tim O’Hara played by?
A. Mark Ruffalo
B. Bill Bixby
Bill Bixby played Tim O’Hara in the series. You may recognize the other choices as actors, who like Bixby, portrayed The Incredible Hulk. Did you know that Ray Walston was in The Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby, in which Walston played Jasper the Magician in an episode called "My Favorite Magician".
C. Lou Ferrigno
D. Edward Norton
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How did it all start?
A. A human-looking extraterrestrial in a one-man spaceship crash-lands near Los Angeles
B. A young newspaper reporter on his way home from Edwards Air Force Base spots a spaceship coming down and investigates
C. The reporter takes the Martian home and keeps his identity secret until the Martian can fix his ship
D. All of the above
There’s a bit more to the backstory. Tim O’Hara was reporting on the flight of the X-15 at Edwards Air Force Base. The X-15 had nearly hit the spaceship and caused it to crash. The Martian refuses to reveal any of his Martian traits to people other than Tim to avoid publicity or panic. Ray Walston did a wonderful job at portraying a Martian, the character 'Uncle Martin' was ranked #3 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends" (1 August 2004 issue).
Uncle Martin has an occupation on Mars, what is it?
A. An anthropologist
Uncle Martin was an anthropologist on Mars. He was a kindly professor that specializes in the Earth's relatively primitive culture. He is also revealed as an inventor throughout the series. Ray Walston achieved his greatest success as Uncle Martin although Walston had difficulty finding serious roles after the show's cancellation due to type casting. By the 1970s and 80s he guest-starred in such series as Custer, The Wild Wild West, Love, American Style, The Rookies, Mission: Impossible, Ellery Queen, The Six Million Dollar Man, Little House on the Prairie, and The Incredible Hulk among others.
B. A biologist
C. A miner
D. A psychiatrist
Do you remember the name of the newspaper that Tim O’Hara works for?
The New York Times
The Chicago Tribune
The Los Angeles Sun
Tim O’Hara worked for The Los Angeles Sun. The actor, Bill Bixby, is multi-talented. In a 1989 Entertainment Tonight interview he talked about his other loves besides acting. “The opportunity of producing, directing and acting … that’s just too exciting to me! That isn’t work – it’s play! (laughing) And I get paid for it! And I love it!â€
The Wall Street Journal
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What types of powers did Uncle Martin have?
He can become invisible
He is telepathic
He can levitate objects
All of the above
Uncle Martin has various unusual powers: he can raise two retractable antennae from his head and become invisible; he is telepathic and can read and influence minds; he can levitate objects with the motion of his finger; he can communicate with animals; he can freeze people or objects; and he can speed himself (and other people) up to do work. These could really come in handy for mere mortals like us!
Although those were powers Martin had in Seasons one and two, what happened to his powers in season three?
A. He lost his powers completely
B. He gained new powers
Martin was able to do much more in the third and final season, such as stimulating facial hair to provide him and Tim with a quick disguise, and levitating with his nose. The situations got a little more far-fetched as ratings went down in the second season and MGM picked up the show.
C. He had the use of his powers but was not allowed to use them
D. None of the above
What types of inventions does Martin build?
A. A time machine
B. A molecular separator
C. A pill that store memories
D. All of the above
Ostensibly an inventor by trade, Martin also builds several advanced devices, such as a time machine that transports Tim and the Martian back through time. Another device he builds is a "molecular separator" that can take apart the molecules of a physical object, or rearrange them (a squirrel was made into a human). Another device can take memories and store them in pill form to "relearn" them later. Other devices create temporary duplicates, or levitate Martin and others without the need of his finger.
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Where did Martin and Tim travel in the time machine?
A. To medieval England
B. To St. Louis in 1849
C. To Hollywood in the early days
D. All of the above
Martin and Tim travel back to medieval England and other times and places, such as St. Louis in 1849 and the early days of Hollywood. But they really mess with time when they bring Leonardo da Vinci and Jesse James into the present.
Where do Tim and Uncle Martin live?
In a high-rise apartment
In an upscale suburbs with an acre to each house
In a garage apartment
They lived in a garage apartment owned by a congenial but scatterbrained landlady, who often shows up when not wanted. She and Martin have an awkward romance from time to time but Martin never gets serious for fear of going home to Mars. She later dates a vain, cold-hearted, plain-clothes police officer, Detective Bill Brennan, who dislikes Uncle Martin and is highly suspicious of him.
In two hammocks
What is the name of Tim and Uncle Martin’s landlady?
A. Mrs. Brown
Mrs. Lorelei Brown was the scatterbrained landlady that rented the garage apartment to Tim. Lorelei Brown was portrayed by Pamela Britton whose first role in a major production was as Frank Sinatra's girlfriend in Anchors Aweigh. She played the comic role of "Meg Brockie" in the original 1947 Broadway production of Brigadoon on Broadway. She returned to the big screen opposite Clark Gable in Key to the City (1950), and then went on to make her most significant film appearance in the classic D.O.A., also in 1950.
B. Mrs. Red
C. Mrs. Turquoise
D. Mrs. Shader
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What actor portrayed Detective Bill Brennan?
A. Alan Hewitt
Alan Hewitt as Detective Bill Brennan was added to the cast in the second and third seasons. Hewitt, known for his work in My Favorite Martian and as the district attorney in How to Murder Your Wife, was a popular guest-star. He could be seen in Alfred Hitchcock Presents , Maverick , 77 Sunset Strip, Daktari, Leave It to Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, Dr. Kildare , Bewitched , I Dream Of Jeannie , The Lucy Show , F Troop , The Wild, Wild West , Ironside , The Bob Newhart Show, The Phil Silvers Show and Perry Mason to name a few.
B. Burt Reynolds
C. William Shatner
D. Dick York
Do you know the name of the street that Mrs. Brown’s house is found?
A. Greenhill Road
B. Palm Court
C. Elm Street
D. All of these streets, the episodes would show different streets
It doesn’t make sense, but in an episodes during each season a new address was mentioned or shown on Mrs. Brown’s house. No official explanation was given for this. There was a constant, Tim's apartment. When the series was remade into a feature film, the outdoor set of Tim's apartment (with the exterior right-angled staircase) is almost exactly the set from the 1960s TV show.
The one-man space ship shown on the series was based on what?
A. The shape of Quisp Cereal
B. On a 1962 e-type Jaguar hood and grill
Although you can get QUAZY energy from eating the saucer shaped Quisp Cereal, the one-man space ship was not based on the cereal shape. Instead the spaceship design was based on a 1962 e-type Jaguar – at least the hood and grill of one. It was actually made of wood and then painted silver. It was sold at a car auction in 1985 for $750.
C. On an upside down bowl on a saucer
D. None of the above
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The My Favorite Martian series was also remade as a feature film in 1999 starring Christopher Lloyd as the Martian and Jeff Daniels as Tim. How did it do?
A. It was panned by the critics
B. It was well received by the critics
C. It was panned by movie goers
D. A & C
The critics did not like it, nor did the fans. The film grossed $36.8 million domestically against a budget of $65 million. Ray Walston was featured in the film and played another Martian who had been trapped on Earth since the time of the first series and wore a similar space suit from the series. Instead of being an Uncle of Tim O’Hara, his cover was now that of a Government investigator of unidentified flying objects.
In the movie, Christopher Lloyd mentions to Tim that he had a friend named "Neenert", one of his planet's most gifted Martian scientists, who came to Earth in 1964 but never came back. What other similarities to the series did the movie mention?
A. In both TV and movie, Ray Walston is revealed to be an alien.
In the movie, Tim is a news producer, not a news reporter, and Mrs. Brown is nowhere to be seen in the movie. However, Armitan is played by Ray Walston, and is revealed to be an alien, too. The writers were very clever, Armitan’s name in the movie is an anagram for "Martian".
B. In both, Tim is a news reporter
In both, there is a Mrs. Brown
None of the above
What was the name of Martin’s nephew who crash-landed on Earth?
A. Andromeda
Uncle Martin's nephew, Andromeda, appeared in an episode called, “When You Get Back to Mars, Are You Going to Get It.†Andromeda, originally devised to bring younger viewers to the aging show, disappeared without explanation after this single episode and was never referred to again. Although his character was brought back to life when the TV series was remade into a cartoon.
B. Alpha Centauri
C. Sam
D. Harold
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What is the name of Tim’s boss?
Mr. Burns
J. Pat O'Malley portrayed Mr. Burns, Tim's boss, but only in the first season. O'Malley appeared in eight episodes of My Favorite Martian, but the following season he was cast in Wendy and Me. O’Malley was well known TV actor and voice actor for Walt Disney with a career that spanned over 40 years.
Mr. Shale
Mr. Colson
Mr. Piper
What is "Martin O'Hara's" alien name?
A. Exigius 12½
His real name is Exigius 12½. His name is revealed "We Love You, Mrs. Pringle," it was heard again when his nephew, Andromeda, crash-landed on Earth in the show's third season.
B. Andromeda
C. Big Dipper
D. XL 10
What character was brought into the cast to foil detective Brennan’s plans to entrap Martin?
A. Brennan’s new partner
B. Brennan's boss, the police chief
Brennan's boss, the police chief, was involved in many episodes in the third season, generally as a device to humiliate the overzealous detective. The police chief was played by Roy Engel who had an “authority figure†image. On Bonanza, he had a semi-regular role as Virginia City's Doctor Paul Martin, and in The Wild, Wild, West he had a recurring role as President Ulysses S. Grant.
C. A canine partner for Brennan
D. None of the above
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Who were some of the famous people from the past that Tim and Martin visited in the time machine ("CCTBS", a cathode-ray centrifugal time breakascope)?
A. Leonardo da Vinci
B. Jesse James
C. Duchess of Brimstone
D. All of the above
The Duchess of Brimstone with the Magna Carta, Leonardo da Vinci helping Martin rebuild his space ship and meeting Jesse James in the Wild West, made My Favorite Martin unique and entertaining. Although the time machine was a great way to introduce new stories and characters, ratings dipped even further in the third season due to redundant stories, usually involving Martin's time machine.
Who is talking? “We don't have love at first sight on Mars. Either it was too silly to bother with, or it was something we discarded in our Dusk Ages.†Tim O'Hara: “You mean the Dark Ages?†%0D“We were never that primitive.â€
Uncle Martin
Mocking some of the customs and beliefs of society was an insightful and entertaining device used in shows with characters from another planet (Mork and Mindy, Alf, 3rd Rock from the Sun, etc. ) The writers for the My Favorite Martian were very talented and included a total of eight women which was almost unheard of at that time.
Andromeda
Mrs. Brown
Bill Brennan
In which episode would you hear this quote? Uncle Martin: “Ah, ah, Miss Glutz. Um, my nephew and I were wondering if, uh, you perhaps could use a couple of extra hands.†Loralee Glutz: Oh, good heavens no. One for each arm is plenty, thank you.â€
A. Go West, Young Martian
In the episode, Go West, Young Martian, Tim and Martin have mistakenly been transported to 1849 St. Louis and need to get back to their house in Los Angeles in 1849 to the time machine (CCTBS - cathode-ray centrifugal time breakascope.) They run into Mrs. Brown's great-grandmother, Loralei Glutz who has a personality that is extremely similar to the current Mrs. Brown. This episode title parodies the famous quote by American newspaperman Horace Greeley promoting Western expansion, “Go West, Your Manâ€.
B. Home is where the Time Machine is
C. Ride ‘em Martian!
D. Oh, horse flies
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Who replies to Jenny Holbrook’s vacation plans: “I was planning on taking a trip around the world this year.†“Yes, and then next year she can go someplace else.â€
Uncle Martin
Tim O’Hara
Mrs. Brown
In Season Two, the episode, “The Martian’s Fair Hoboâ€, Uncle Martin mistakes a hobo, Shorty Smith, for a Martian Scout and brings him home. Shorty quickly becomes accustomed to the comforts of life and when Martin learns the truth, Martin and Tim have a hard time getting rid of him. The title is based on the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical and movie My Fair Lady.
Bill Brennan
What is the name of the episode where Mrs. Brown says this to Uncle Martin as his stretcher is being wheeled to a waiting ambulance? “Now, just relax, Martin. You know, doctors can cure anything these days. I know because I watch television.â€
A. Rx for Martian
In the episode, Rx for Martian, Martin can make it back to Mars since a deviation of its orbit brings it temporarily closer to Earth than normal. This 10-hour window of opportunity is ruined when he slips down the stairs and sprains his ankle, which also sprains his disappearing antenna. Mrs. Brown immediately calls an ambulance to the scene. When the ambulance physician takes Martin's vital signs, they rush him to the hospital since his vital signs aren't "human".
B. Double Trouble
C. The Great Hospital Breakout Caper
D. None of the above
What happened in the episode called, Pay the Man the $24?
A. Tim tampers with history when he goes back in time - and talks the Indians against selling Manhattan
In the episode Tim accidentally implied to Chief Buffalo that the $24 or 60-guilder sale price was a steal, the Chief thinking that he meant that Peter Minuit is trying to steal the island, cancels the sale. Chief Buffalo's daughter, Little Feather, takes a liking to Tim. Unbeknownst to Tim, he and Little Feather get engaged. Although it all sorted itself out in the end, you may have noticed Little Feather who was portrayed by Shelley Morrison. Known for her long career playing Indian and Hispanic roles, her latest was “Rosario†the vinegary El Salvadoran housekeeper who doesn't mince words with her socialite boss in the sitcom Will and Grace.
B. Martin becomes a blood brother of a racehorse when a mosquito bites Martin and then the animal
C. Pete Dudley, a real estate salesman, convinces Mrs. Brown that she should sell her ramshackle of a house, which causes a problem for Tim and Martin, especially in hiding the spaceship
None of the above
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Martin is always having antennae troubles. Which of these things have happened to him in the series?
A. Martin sprains his ankle, which sprains his Antennae, keeping it in the up position which drains his powers.
B. Due to the stress of a young neighbor who constantly interrupts Martin while fixing the ship, his antennae get stuck in up position.
un spots cause him to have no control over his powers, antennae, and invisibility
D. All of the above
In the episode, Rx for a Martin, Martin sprains his ankle which sprains his Antennae. In the episode, If You Can’t Lick ‘em, a young neighbor who keeps popping up unannounced causes Martin so much stress his antennae gets stuck in the up position, again draining his power. And when sun spots cause him to have no control over his powers in the episode, Going, Going, Gone, Martin needs a stabilizing influence to get his invisibility under control.
There were scripts written for season four although the series was cancelled after the third season. What happened to those scripts?
A. They were tossed in the garbage
B. They are on display in the TV Hall of Fame Museum
C. They were used for the feature film remake
D. They were used for the My Favorite Martian cartoon
The cartoon utilized a number of scripts from what would have been season four of the live action show. To appeal to a younger audience, Uncle Martin is joined by his Martian nephew named Andromeda, nicknamed "Andy", who only has one antenna and thus lesser powers than Uncle Martin and did appear in one episode of the television series.
What other programs on the air at that time had a similar premise to My Favorite Martian?
A. Bewitched
B. I Dream of Jeannie
C. Green Acres
D. A & B
My Favorite Martian was created at a time when ordinary family sitcoms needed a little kick. In the same vain as I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched, the story revolved around someone who possessed greater than human powers living among us normal folk. The use or the restriction of use of those other worldly powers often created some very comical situations.
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The theme music had a special sound, what was it?
A. It was performed with an electro-theremin
The theme music for the series was composed by George Greeley and performed on an electro-theremin by Paul Tanner, a former member of Glenn Miller's band. It was influential in Brian Wilson's engagement of Tanner in 1965 and 1966 to work with the Beach Boys on their landmark hit, "Good Vibrations." Greeley also scored the series; an album of his music from the first two seasons was released by La-La Land Records in 2007 (dedicated to the composer, who died while the album was being prepared).
B. It sounded like early Hip Hop
C. It was the precursor to Electronic music
D. None of the above
When did the series air?
A. 1963-1966
My Favorite Martian aired September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes (75 in black and white: 1963–65, 32 color: 1965–66). Although it only aired for three season it had the same number of episodes that today shows would have after five seasons. In other words, it aired approximately 36 episodes a year instead of the today’s normal which is between 20 and 26.
B. 1966-1970
C. 1960-1965
D. 1961-1970
Why did the show end?
A. Ratings had fallen
B. The stories became redundant
C. Ray Walston had to leave due to health reasons
D. A &B
In its first season, My Favorite Martian did extremely well in the Nielsen ratings, ranking at #10. However, by the end of the second season the show had dipped to #24. Still, the series was doing well enough to be renewed for a third season. Ratings dipped even further in the third season due to redundant stories, usually involving Martin's time machine, and the series was canceled.
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What category (categories) did My Favorite Martian receive nomination(s) for in the TV Land Awards?
A. Greatest Gear or Admirable Apparatus
B. Most “Out of this World†Character
C. Superlatively Supernatural
D. All of the above
My Favorite Martian received nomination in these TV Land Awards in 2006: Greatest Gear or Admirable Apparatus and Most “out of this World†Character. In 2005 it was nominated for Most “Out of This World†and in 2004, it was nominated for Superlatively Supernatural. And let's not forget that the character 'Uncle Martin' was ranked #3 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends" (1 August 2004 issue).
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror films nominated My Favorite Martin for which of these awards?
A. Saturn Award for Best DVD Retro Television Release
In 2005 My Favorite Martian was nominated for the Best DVD Retro Television Release. And the DVD really felt retro, especially because the first two seasons were filmed in black and white while the third season was in color.
B. Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Television Series
C. Saturn Award for Best New Media Television Series
D. None of the above
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