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By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Thursday, Apr 16, 2009
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Q: About 25 years ago, I was watching an old black-and-white movie with a beautiful blonde woman with a very distinctive voice. My husband and I finally figured out that it was our great Katherine Chancellor from ''The Young and the Restless.'' I seem to think that James Cagney was in it, too, but I can't find anything in here that shows the two of them together. I think it was a gangster movie, but am not sure. Can you help, please?
A: I cannot find a movie featuring Jeanne Cooper, who plays Chancellor, and Cagney. That said, Cooper — also known for being the mother of Corbin Bernsen — has an enormous resume going back more than 50 years.
Her screen appearances have mostly been on television but there are movies, and some of them would qualify as crime films, including Plunder Road and Calling Homicide, both from the '50s. You might want to look at her credits on the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com) and the descriptions of movies there.
Q: I would like it if you can tell me what movie Phyllis Hyman was in as a singer in a nightclub. I could not find a movie score at her site.
A: Phyllis Hyman, a wonderful singer who died far too young in 1995, appeared in only three movies: Lenny, Fred Williamson's The Kill Reflex and Spike Lee's School Daze. School Daze sounds the closest to what you are describing, as she is a singer at a college dance. The song she performs, Be One, was written by Lee's father, Bill. The movie is on DVD, and the soundtrack, on CD.
Q: What happened to Pat O'Brien on ''The Insider?'' I know he had substance-abuse problems, but thought he had that under control.
A: According to the New York Post, after a trip to Iowa last fall, O'Brien sent an e-mail to colleagues that said in part: ''These people can't afford gas, books, food or schools or movies! I was approached a hundred times by people asking, 'Can you help us?' I tried to tell them we care, but they didn't buy it. They wanted to, but watching Anya [Sarre] and Lara [Spencer] pick out accessories makes the viewers want to vomit.''
O'Brien rather abruptly left the show soon after, with the show issuing a statement saying ''we have decided to part ways.'' This was just the latest trouble for O'Brien, who has reportedly made several trips to rehab.
Q: Do you know whether the movie ''The Sea Wife'' with Joan Collins and Richard Burton was ever released on DVD?
A: The 1957 film is on DVD. If you cannot get it through your local retailer, I have seen it for sale on Amazon.com, Deepdiscount.com and Moviesunlimited.com.
Q: For years I have been trying to locate a video of a movie called ''The Cat and the Canary'' with Bob Hope in 1939. Please see if it is available or going to be on TV.
A: The movie — one of several with the same title — was released on DVD, and I have seen it for sale at Moviesunlimited.com.
Q: What can you tell me about Richard Basehart of ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea''? When was he born and when did he die? Was he also in ''Knight Rider''?
A: Basehart was born in Zanesville in 1914. He was a reporter, radio announcer and stage actor before he started making movies in 1947; he often appeared in films in the United States and Europe, but his best-known role is as Adm. Harriman Nelson on TV's Voyage. His powerful voice also made him effective as a narrator of documentaries. He was an uncredited narrator for 83 Knight Rider episodes.
In 1984, he recorded a poem for the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The day after the ceremonies were televised, he suffered the first of a series of strokes. He died about a month later.
•
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. Mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.
Letters may be edited.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com and on Twitter.
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Get the full article here.
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