With his wide-brimmed leather hat pulled low and dark glasses — indoors, at night — the trivia king of Boston looks imposing, like a character from a crime flick. But ask him how his reign began, and he evokes a kinder, gentler era of entertainment.

“When I was growing up, Monday morning, the first day of school for the week, all the kids would talk about what we watched last night, ‘Lassie’ or ‘My Favorite Martian,’ ” says Morgan White Jr., 59, of Newton.