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By R.D. Heldenfels
POSTED: 07:43 a.m. EST, Apr 24, 2008
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag.
Q: I'm inquiring about an old time B movie actor who was born in Hamtramck, Mich. I was told by a cousin that he is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit. I would like to know his name and any other facts you might have.
A: It sounds like Tom Tyler, a western and B-movie actor. Although he was not born in Hamtramck, he spent part of his youth there and is buried in Detroit's Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Born Vincent Markowski, Tyler starred in Westerns going back to the silent-movie era, including a couple of serials. He was the villainous Luke Plummer in the John Wayne version of Stagecoach, a mummy in The Mummy's Hand, Captain Marvel in a movie about the comics hero and the Phantom in a serial based on that comic-strip character.
In his 40s, he began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis; he was in his early 50s when he died of a heart attack in 1954. The information here is drawn from a detailed biography on http://www.b-westerns.com, which has even more online, including a lot of photographs. There is also a book-length biography, The Tom Tyler Story: From Cowboy Star to Super Hero, by Mike Chapman with Bobby Copeland.
Q: It was with eager anticipation I followed your instructions to locate a DVD copy of ''Skylark'' contained in your column. Imagine the level of my disappointment when the info turned out to be bogus. There is no indication on any Hallmark Web site that they in fact sell any of their movies. BUMMER!
A: Nothing bogus there. I had checked the Hallmark site before I wrote that answer. Unfortunately, now, ''we are no longer in the online sales business,'' a Hallmark Hall of Fame rep said by e-mail. ''You will now need to order from your Hallmark Gold Crown store.''
Individual titles may not be for sale in the store, but they can be ordered, the rep said. ''All titles (currently on DVD) are in the distribution centers.''
Q: I enjoy ''Two and a Half Men'' immensely, both the new episodes as well as the reruns. I know that Conchata Ferrell, who plays Berta, was a regular on ''L.A. Law'' years ago, but what about the woman who plays Rose? What other TV or movie work has she done?
A: Melanie Lynskey, who plays Rose, is a native of New Zealand whose first credit is the Peter Jackson-directed Heavenly Creatures, also starring Kate Winslet. She has also been in Ever After, Coyote Ugly, Flags of Our Fathers and other films, as well as the miniseries Comanche Moon. She was a regular on Drive, a short-lived series on Fox. You can find more at the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com).
Q: For some time I have been trying to find a movie called ''Time Share'' starring Timothy Dalton and Nastassja Kinski. It's not in any of the video stores. It's not in the video and movie books. Anything you can let me know on where or how I could purchase this film would be greatly appreciated.
The movie was made in Germany and released in 2000; according to All Movie Guide, it was shown on the old Fox Family Channel in the United States that year. But it appears to have been released on DVD and VHS only overseas; Amazon.com sells a DVD that is in a European format that does not work in all U.S. DVD players. There might be sites that have converted it to the U.S. format for resale, but so far, I have not found one.
Q: Have you heard what is to become of the TBS comedy ''10 Items or Less''? It hasn't been on for a few weeks and I wasn't sure if TBS is renewing it for next season.
A: Part of your confusion might come from the show having short seasons. The first, in 2006, consisted of just five episodes. The second had only eight, with the last of that batch airing on March 4. A TBS representative said no decision has been announced about a third season.
Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.Letters might be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in a blog at http://www.ohio.com. You can find more columns, questions and answers at http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/heldenfels.
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag.
Q: I'm inquiring about an old time B movie actor who was born in Hamtramck, Mich. I was told by a cousin that he is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit. I would like to know his name and any other facts you might have.
A: It sounds like Tom Tyler, a western and B-movie actor. Although he was not born in Hamtramck, he spent part of his youth there and is buried in Detroit's Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Born Vincent Markowski, Tyler starred in Westerns going back to the silent-movie era, including a couple of serials. He was the villainous Luke Plummer in the John Wayne version of Stagecoach, a mummy in The Mummy's Hand, Captain Marvel in a movie about the comics hero and the Phantom in a serial based on that comic-strip character.
In his 40s, he began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis; he was in his early 50s when he died of a heart attack in 1954. The information here is drawn from a detailed biography on http://www.b-westerns.com, which has even more online, including a lot of photographs. There is also a book-length biography, The Tom Tyler Story: From Cowboy Star to Super Hero, by Mike Chapman with Bobby Copeland.
Q: It was with eager anticipation I followed your instructions to locate a DVD copy of ''Skylark'' contained in your column. Imagine the level of my disappointment when the info turned out to be bogus. There is no indication on any Hallmark Web site that they in fact sell any of their movies. BUMMER!
A: Nothing bogus there. I had checked the Hallmark site before I wrote that answer. Unfortunately, now, ''we are no longer in the online sales business,'' a Hallmark Hall of Fame rep said by e-mail. ''You will now need to order from your Hallmark Gold Crown store.''
Individual titles may not be for sale in the store, but they can be ordered, the rep said. ''All titles (currently on DVD) are in the distribution centers.''
Q: I enjoy ''Two and a Half Men'' immensely, both the new episodes as well as the reruns. I know that Conchata Ferrell, who plays Berta, was a regular on ''L.A. Law'' years ago, but what about the woman who plays Rose? What other TV or movie work has she done?
A: Melanie Lynskey, who plays Rose, is a native of New Zealand whose first credit is the Peter Jackson-directed Heavenly Creatures, also starring Kate Winslet. She has also been in Ever After, Coyote Ugly, Flags of Our Fathers and other films, as well as the miniseries Comanche Moon. She was a regular on Drive, a short-lived series on Fox. You can find more at the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com).
Q: For some time I have been trying to find a movie called ''Time Share'' starring Timothy Dalton and Nastassja Kinski. It's not in any of the video stores. It's not in the video and movie books. Anything you can let me know on where or how I could purchase this film would be greatly appreciated.
The movie was made in Germany and released in 2000; according to All Movie Guide, it was shown on the old Fox Family Channel in the United States that year. But it appears to have been released on DVD and VHS only overseas; Amazon.com sells a DVD that is in a European format that does not work in all U.S. DVD players. There might be sites that have converted it to the U.S. format for resale, but so far, I have not found one.
Q: Have you heard what is to become of the TBS comedy ''10 Items or Less''? It hasn't been on for a few weeks and I wasn't sure if TBS is renewing it for next season.
A: Part of your confusion might come from the show having short seasons. The first, in 2006, consisted of just five episodes. The second had only eight, with the last of that batch airing on March 4. A TBS representative said no decision has been announced about a third season.
Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.Letters might be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in a blog at http://www.ohio.com. You can find more columns, questions and answers at http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/heldenfels.
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