Pop culture Q&A

May 23, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Tribune

Q. Do you have any idea if or when “The Cleaner,” starring Benjamin Bratt, will return?

A. The series ended after two seasons. The first season has been released on DVD, and the second will do likewise June 1.

Q. In the late ’50s or ’60s, David McCallum and Robert Vaughn were in a spy series on TV. I cannot remember the name of the show. Do you?

A. That was “The Man From U.N.C.L.E,” which ran from 1964 to 1968 on NBC and inspired a spin-off, “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.,” with Stefanie Powers. U.N.C.L.E., by the way, stood for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.

Q. I have been awaiting the return of HBO’s “In Treatment.” The series was riveting! Will it air again?

A. HBO has ordered a third season of the series starring Gabriel Byrne for telecast later in 2010.

Q. Could you please tell me why “Supernanny” was taken off TV? I’m 83 years old and enjoyed it.

A. The ABC series finished its sixth season with the airing of its 100th episode in March. The network has reportedly ordered 13 more episodes to air in the 2010-11 season. But the show’s star, Jo Frost, told entertainment publication Variety that she may call it quits after those telecasts.

Q. I heard that the celebrities and dancers on “Dancing With the Stars” each make $200,000, and the winning couple an extra $110,000. True?

A. I’ve seen no official numbers. But TMZ.com obtained the court documents for 2009 champion Shawn Johnson, whose deal had to be approved by a judge because she was a minor; her contract guaranteed Johnson $125,000, with additional money for every week she lasted past the second.

By making it to the final, she earned at least $365,000, according to the documents, with a promise of even more if the show brought her back for special telecasts. As for the professional dancers, reports indicate they are paid by the appearance, at about $5,000 a week. Of course, besides the money, the show raises the profile of the performers so they can make more money from other ventures.

Q. Was John Wayne on the radio as a private eye who would act drunk? It was about 65 years ago. No one seems to know about this program. It was great. I am sure it was John Wayne. The director was Tay Garnett.

A. Good memory. Wayne starred in a show created by Garnett called “Three Sheets to the Wind” in 1942. According to “On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio,” Wayne played Dan O’Brien, an American posing as a drunk on a luxury liner sailing from England in 1939. Garnett created the series, directed and narrated.

Q. Many years ago I seem to remember a movie called “The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing.” Am I remembering this correctly? I cannot find anything about the movie.

A. There was a 1955 film called “The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing” starring Ray Milland and Joan Collins. It was inspired by a real-life scandal surrounding Evelyn Nesbit, whose husband, Harry K. Thaw, shot the famous architect Stanford White, who had been Nesbit’s lover. The movie has been released on DVD, both as a single title and as part of a collection of Collins movies.

Q. You said that Lee Van Cleef was a villain in the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” I believe you are thinking of Lee Marvin, who was the main villain.

A. Lee Marvin was the main villain in that film, but Van Cleef and Strother Martin played his henchmen.