Question: When I was a kid, I remember watching a western series with Chad Everett and that ugly character actor with a bad eye -- you know who I mean. What was the name of that show, and when did it run?
Answer: The late Jack Elam probably will go down in show biz history as "that ugly character actor with a bad eye," and he wouldn't mind a bit.
The show was "The Dakotas," which ran on ABC in 1963. Larry Ward played Marshal Frank Ragan, who kept law and order in the Dakota Territory with the help of three erstwhile deputies -- J.D. Smith (Elam), Vance Porter (Michael Greene) and Del Stark (Everett).
Q: There was a TV series about park rangers in the 1970s or '80s. What is the title and who were the stars⢠It was a drama series.
A: Methinks you mean "Sierra," which ran on NBC in the fall of 1974. It was produced by Jack Webb, who also gave us "Dragnet," "Adam-12" and "Emergency," and it featured the exploits of rangers Tim Cassidy (James G. Richardson), Matt Harper (Ernest Thompson) and Julie Beck (Susan Foster).
The series lasted only until the end of the year, but at least Thompson went on to do all right -- he wrote "On Golden Pond."
Q: I remember watching a movie on an Alaskan cruise. It starred Jean Simmons, and it was about she and her brother checking into a hotel and he disappeared, and no one wanted to help her find out what happened. We had to go to dinner before the end, so I missed it. Can you tell me the title and whether the movie is on video or DVD⢠By the way, the reason I was in my stateroom was because of seasickness, not boredom.
A: Hey, if you say so. The movie is 1950's "So Long at the Fair," and it also stars Dirk Bogarde, David Tomlinson and Honor Blackman. Alas, it isn't on video or DVD.
Q: My friends think I'm crazy when I talk about a TV miniseries I saw on PBS. It was a British production about a woman killing everyone. She began by killing her ex-husband's wife and ended by attempting to kill her son. I know it sounds gory, but the character was really interesting, and I'd love to see it again. Can you tell me the name of this movie and whether it's on DVD?
A: Sounds like "Mother Love," a 1989 PBS miniseries with Diana Rigg, David McCallum and James Wilby. It's not officially on DVD, but there are bootlegs out there.
Q: We have been trying for a few years to remember the name of a TV movie from a couple of years ago that was based on a true story. The story involved a beauty queen (I believe) and a star football player from Hawaii. He ended up being a wife abuser, but the local people refused to believe he could actually be this way. Please help us with the title!
A: That's the 1992 TV movie "Miss America: Behind the Crown." It was the story of Carolyn Sapp, Miss America 1992, and her relationship with abusive boyfriend Nuu Faaola. Sapp played herself and Ray Bumatai played Faaola.
Q: On the Oct. 8 episode of "Bones" there was a song at the end. I would like to know the name of the song and who the artist is.
A: It's "River of Sorrow," by Antony and the Johnsons.
Q: There was a show seen in central New Jersey somewhere around 1965 that was a summer replacement and featured a scene where the crime-fighting scientist carefully measured things into a beaker and heated it over a Bunsen burner in his lab, finally pouring it into a coffee mug and drinking or serving it. It was the first show I saw recorded on video tape instead of film, and I think it took place at some seashore. Seems to me the main guy had a goatee and used his lab to solve crimes. I keep thinking the name was something like "Dr. Coffee," but I get a reference to a series of books, but no TV show. My father and older brother (with whom I used to watch it) have no recollection of it, but the visual memory of that scene and the sand dune on live-looking video tape will forever haunt me. Can you help?
A: The show you remember is a summer replacement series called "Diagnosis: Unknown." It aired on CBS in 1960, and then reruns were shown on one or two summers thereafter, and it was shot on video tape.
The show's hero was Dr. Daniel Coffee, played by Patrick O'Neal. Phyllis Newman played his girl Friday Doris Hudson, and Chester Morris was his police contact, Det. Lt. No-first-name Ritter.
