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Do IT this week: Layering
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Q: I have been wondering about a movie I saw on TV in the early '50s called ''Belinda,'' it was about a girl who was a deaf mute who became pregnant. The movie was in black and white. It has stuck in my mind and I would like to know if it is anywhere around in a VHS.
A: I think you are remembering Johnny Belinda, a 1948 film about a sensitive deaf woman who is raped and impregnated by her rapist. The woman, Belinda, was played by Jane Wyman, who won a best-actress Oscar for her performance. She is also remembered as a star of Falcon Crest and as the first wife of Ronald Reagan. She died in 2007.
Johnny Belinda is available on DVD. If your local retailer cannot get it, I have seen it for sale online at Amazon.com. It was also released on VHS, if you really need that format. Amazon.com has it for sale that way as well, or you might want to check with your local library.
Q: I am interested in purchasing a tape or disc of a 1988 film we saw on TV called ''The Staircase.'' It starred William Petersen of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.'' Can you tell me where one might be available?
A: I can tell you that there is a 1998 film called The Staircase, with Petersen and Barbara Hershey. Hershey plays a dying nun who discovers that a chapel has been built without a staircase to the choir loft. Even though it appears impossible to build the staircase within the completed chapel, a stranger (Petersen) arrives and offers to help. The film was inspired by the story of a staircase in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, N.M.; you can read more about the real staircase at http://www.lorettochapel.com.
The movie was released on DVD and I have seen copies for sale at Amazon.com, Moviesunlimited.com and Deepdiscount.com. Beware of DVDs marked for Region 2, since they are not compatible with all U.S. DVD players.
You also want to be sure to get the movie with Petersen and Hershey, since there is also a documentary called The Staircase and a Rex Harrison movie called just Staircase, which I mentioned in a previous column.
A reader took me to task for not telling you all that there is more than one movie called Saving Grace when mentioning the Tom Conti film of that name; titles do get recycled, but if you know both the title and a cast member or two, you should be able to find the right video.
By the way, you're not the only one looking for Petersen's work. See the next letter.
Q: I am a fan of William Petersen of ''CSI'' fame and trying to locate a copy of his miniseries called ''The Kennedys of Massachusetts.'' Is there anywhere one can purchase a copy? I tried Amazon, and ABC television, which ran the series, with no luck.
A: I do not know of an authorized DVD release. When I checked on Amazon.com, it had VHS copies of the 1990 production, in which Petersen played Kennedy patriarch Joseph opposite Annette O'Toole's Rose Kennedy. But they were expensive, indicating that even the tapes are hard to find. I saw DVDs for sale at http://www.ioffer.com but cannot vouch for the source, quality or vendor.
Q: Can you tell me if any members of the cast of ''The Dakotas'' are still alive? Jack Elam was my favorite, and I am sorry he is gone.
A: Jack Elam, who died in 2003, was one of the great character actors, both in drama and comedy. In The Dakotas, which originally aired on ABC in 1963, he was J.D. Smith, deputy to Marshall Frank Ragan (Larry Ward). The cast also included deputies Del Stark (Chad Everett) and Vance Porter (Michael, or Mike, Greene). Ward died in 1985. Everett, later known for the TV series Medical Center, is still with us at this writing, and still acting. I do not know what became of Greene.
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. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
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