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RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
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Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
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Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
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New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 06, 2008
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Q: I heard recently that Robert Redford is engaged. Is that true?
A: In a German magazine interview in May, Redford said he was indeed engaged to German artist Sibylle Szaggars. She is 19 years his junior. No wedding date has been set, nor did Redford indicate they were in any hurry. They have reportedly dated since 1996. Redford's first marriage ended in divorce in 1985.
Q: Two of the famous Marx brothers starred in a TV spoof many years ago about a bank robbery in which no words were spoken (I don't believe). Can you help with title, availability and other information?
A: From what I can find, you are probably remembering The Incredible Jewel Robbery, a 1959 installment in the anthology series General Electric Theater. (The series was later syndicated as Star Showcase.) Harpo and Chico Marx starred, and Groucho made a walk-on appearance at the end. I could not find an authorized release of it on home video.
Q: Help me find out more about a TV movie many years ago starring Robert Culp. He was the husband/parent in a house that was being terrorized by a group of thugs. Rather than being run off by them, he decided to stand his ground and fight. I don't recall any other co-star's name.
A: That was most likely Outrage!, a 1973 ABC movie. The book Movies Made for Television sums it up as ''one man decides to wage war against a gang of teenage punks besieging an affluent community.'' Besides Culp, it starred Marlyn Mason, Beah Richards, Jacqueline Scott and Ramon Bieri. I do not know of an authorized release of it on video. I have seen DVD copies for sale online, including at http://www.ioffer.com and http://www.raredvdworldwide.com, and the latter has a clip from the film posted on YouTube. But I cannot vouch for the source or quality of those videos.
Q: I am looking for a CD by Yma Sumac, the beautiful five-octave singer, called ''Legend of the Jivaro.'' Could you tell me where I can find this?
A: Sumac, who died Nov. 1 at the age of 86, was a ''Peruvian-born singer whose spectacular multi-octave vocal range and exotic persona made her an international sensation in the 1950s,'' the Los Angeles Times recently noted. You can find out more about her at the Web site http://www.yma-sumac.com.
As for Legend of the Jivaro, a 1957 album which claimed to contain ''the songs of the notorious Jivaro head-hunters,'' it was released on CD a little more than 10 years ago. It does not appear to be in current release but I saw old copies for sale at Amazon.com and several other online retailers.
Q: Is Richard Thomas, best known as John Boy on ''The Waltons,'' the voice talent on the BMW commercials?
A: Right tax bracket, wrong car. Thomas has done voice work for Mercedes-Benz.
Q: I have been watching in vain for the ''Medium'' program with Patricia Arquette starring on Monday nights last season to start in the fall lineup on TV. Has this series been canceled?
A: No. NBC renewed it for telecast in early 2009, after the end of this season's NFL telecasts.
Q: I would like to know what you can tell me about a movie back in the late '60s or early '70s with Richard Burton and Rex Harrison. I believe the title was ''The Staircase.'' Where can I get a copy of this movie?
A: Staircase (no ''the'' in the title) was a 1969 film based on a play by Charles and Dyer. Harrison and Burton played a gay couple, which was supposed to be enough to get people into theaters. Except it wasn't. I do not know of an authorized video release of the film. I did see a DVD for sale at http://www.ioffer.com and a VHS on http://www.robertsvideos.com, but I cannot vouch for the source or quality.
•
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 may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com.
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Get the full article here.
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