Question: Who played Robert McCall on The Equalizer? My uncle wants to know. Thank you. — Eddie
Televisionary: I'll deliver the goods, Eddie, but I'll be honest with you — it's a good thing you invoked your uncle. I might not have done it just for you.
Actor Edward Woodward portrayed McCall, a former cloak-and-dagger man seeking to make up for his past misdeeds by helping the desperate folks who answered his newspaper ads. The Equalizer ran on CBS from 1985-89.
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Jon Voight says he's not happy about the new "Billy Bob" tattoo etched onto the bicep of his daughter, wacky actress Angelina Jolie.
Voight tells TV Guide Online he's concerned that his daughter's growing tattoo collection might limit her ability to take on various acting roles. So far, however, the veteran actor has had no luck keeping the Girl, Interrupted star out of the tattoo parlor.
"I'm not crazy about anybody having tattoos," says Voight. "She somehow sort of sneaked into getting them. I've always said to her, 'Ang, what are you doing? You want to be able to play anybody. If you're covered with tattoos, that makes it harder.' She says, 'Dad, they'll just cover them up with makeup.' But I know that can be harder than it looks."
Voight doesn't have much to say about Jolie's apparent blossoming
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Question: OK, here's the deal. Me and my friends have actually gotten into arguments over this one. Growing up as little girls in the 1980s, we all watched She-Ra, a cartoon spin-off of He-Man. My friends insist that She-Ra was a blonde, but I can put my life on it that she was a redhead!!!! Please settle this one once and for all. — PeanutButterKidd
Televisionary: Sorry, 'Kidd, but you're not going to like this one, although you can solace in the fact that you didn't go all the way with your wager. Truly settling it would have meant me tracking you down and killing you.
She-Ra, who went by the more formal name of Princess Adora, was most definitely a blonde. He-Man, her brother, had a reddish tint to his hair and She-Ra herself sometimes had a golden tone to her locks, but I'd definitely have to side with your friends on this one.
Gold seems a more appropriate hair color for both brother and sister, given that they were created by Filmatio
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Question: Do you remember a sci-fi show called Ark II? I believe it starred the original Jack Abbott of The Young and the Restless. What was its premise and who else starred? Thanks! — John A. Wick
Televisionary: The live-action Ark II started on CBS's Saturday morning schedule but shifted to Sundays during a run that lasted from 1976 to 1979. It did indeed star Terry Lester, who portrayed Jack Abbott on Y&R, and also featured Jean Marie Hon, Jose Flores and a trained chimp named Adam (trained chimps being a mainstay of the Saturday morning diet in those days).
The basic premise was that pollution had put a serious hurting on our fair planet and it was up to Lester, who played a scientist named Jonah, and a host of other brainy types with Biblical names to cruise around in a futuristic ATV and do their best to restore Earth to its former vibrant glory.
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Question: Who played Bailey on WKRP in Cincinnati? — Tina Sparks
Televisionary: Oh, so it's "let's humiliate The Televisionary by asking him about someone else he had a crush on" time again, is it?
Then again, I suppose there's no way you'd know that unless I told you, which I just did. Ah, me.
I must say that as a wee Televisionary, I was not alone in mooning over the beauteous Jan Smithers. In fact, I was in darned good company — Smithers had her fans during the show's initial run and James Brolin was married to her in the days before, apparently, malevolent pixies made off with his good taste and he decided waking up next to Barbra Streisand seemed an attractive proposition. (Save the hate mail — I'm dead on with that and you know it.)
However, even I was surprised to find that while my fickle affections moved on, there are smitten Smithers fans with disturbingly thorough web pages out there. In the words of
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Question: I was talking with some friends who ride Harley-Davidsons about what type of motorcycle the Fonz rode on Happy Days, but nobody could come up with an answer. Did we ever know? — Paulette Cohn
Televisionary: You just had to send me a toughie that will most likely get me bombed with mail telling me what an idiot I am, huh, Paulette? (I mean, more than the usual amount.)
The answer to your question is that we sort of know, though I'm sure it won't be to the satisfaction of die-hard Harley aficionados, so let me say up front that I know this answer is a little vague. In my book, it's better to commit that sin than attempt to nail the details and get it wrong. Unless, of course, I can convince everyone I'm dead sure of what I'm talking about, in which case I'll let the false details fly. (Warning: The previous comment was inserted to see if The Televisionary's boss is paying attention.)
Anyway, it seems Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Wink
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Question: I have just two words to say about ER's GORGEOUS new doctor, Goran Visnjic: George who? What can you tell me about him?
Televisionary: The bad news first — he's married (though I'm sure he and wife Ivana wouldn't quite classify that as bad news).
Other than that disappointing tidbit, I can tell you Visnjic, who portrays recent addition Dr. Kovac on the hit NBC series (Thursdays, 10 pm/ET), hails from a small town in Croatia and counts swimming, diving and fencing among his hobbies.
If you're looking to stage your own Visnjic film fest and wish to concentrate on roles major and minor, you can start with Practical Magic, check out The Peacemaker (which stars that guy whose name you so conveniently forget) and then follow this
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Question: What was the name and number of the agent who used to hide in the mailbox on Get Smart? — Sandra Corey
Televisionary: Would you believe there's no simple answer to that query, Sandra? Truth is, it was three different men playing two different numbers.
In the show's first season, Victor French (Carter Country, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven) was agent 44 to star Don Adams's agent 86 and Barbara Feldon's agent 99. Dave Ketchum took over the hiding-in-the-strangest-places duties as agent 13 before Al Molinaro (Happy Days, The Odd Couple) stepped in and revived ol' 44.
Get Smart is on my long, long list of old shows that deserve to be running again somewhere in this age of old-is-new cable networks. It's a classic of the corny-humor form, which comes as no surprise given that most of its gags leapt from the minds of Mel Brooks (read more
Question: I was wondering if Colin Hanks from Roswell and the new movie Whatever It Takes is related to Tom Hanks? I think they look alike.
Televisionary: They certainly do look alike and there's a very good reason for that: Master Hanks is Tom's son by his first wife, actress Samantha Lewes, who parted ways with the lad's father when Hanks the younger was 8.
As you say, Colin plays nerdy Alex on the WB teen drama Roswell and also can be seen on the big screen in Whatever It Takes. His series, though worthy, is struggling in the ratings and his less-worthy movie was a disappointment at the box office, but I'd say his career shows promise.
Hey, his dad started out in a dress and just look at him now.
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Question: Could you please find out who sings the opening song on Jack and Jill?
Televisionary: Sure thing. "The Truth About Romeo" is by New York City-based duo Pancho's Lament (musicians Jeff Cohen and Pete DeMeo), whose songs have also been included in episodes of Dawson's Creek and Party of Five.
You can find out more about them, check out some of their other tunes and order their CD on their site.
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