Sunday, May 30, 2010
By Rich Heldenfels
McClatchy Tribune
Q. I just want to know who the hunky man is in the Ford commercials showing on TV. These are the commercials where they swap a Ford vehicle for your personal car for a week. If this hunk of a man is not making movies, someone is making a big mistake.
A. That’s Mike Rowe, also known as the star and executive producer of Discovery’s “Dirty Jobs,” and as the voice of the “Deadliest Catch” series.
His official bio notes: “Without any formal training, he began his career as a professional musician, faking his way into the Baltimore Opera, and earning his union card in the process. Soon thereafter, he crashed an audition for the QVC Cable Shopping Channel, where he was immediately hired to sell dubious merchandise in the middle of the night. ... After that, he worked when he felt like it, narrating, writing, acting and hosting programs like ‘Worst Case Scenario’ for TBS, ‘On-Air TV’ for American Airlines, ‘The Most’ for History Channel, ‘No Relation’ for Fox and ‘New York Expeditions’ for PBS.”
He also has a Web site, http://www.mikeroweworks.com, “where skilled labor and hard work are celebrated.” He is 48 years old and lives in San Francisco.
Q. Quite a few years ago, I watched an old zombie movie on TV that I found to be quite chilling. I believe the title was “The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake.” I’d love to watch it again and see if it still creeps me out like when I first saw it in my 20s. Can you tell me if it is available on tape or DVD and if so, where I can find it?
A. There was a 1959 movie with that title. It was released on DVD in a Midnite Movies package with Boris Karloff’s “Voodoo Island.” If your local retailer cannot get it, I have seen it for sale online through Amazon.com.
Q. What has happened to the TV show “Trauma?” Has it been canceled, or what?
A. It has been canceled. At this writing, you can still watch some episodes online through NBC.com.
Q. There was a movie we watched several times — maybe in the mid- to late 80s — that starred a young Brooke Shields as a daughter of a wealthy family obsessed with cars. The movie was called “Sahara.” I have looked on the Internet, asked my local Blockbuster about this movie, but it’s as if the movie never existed.
A. Shields starred in a 1984 movie called “Sahara” that Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide sums up as a “tacky modern variation on ‘The Perils of Pauline.’” It was released on VHS but has not made the transition to an authorized DVD.
Q. Can you tell me what has happened to “Human Target” that was on Wednesday evenings before “American Idol”?
A. It finished its short initial run. But it has been renewed by Fox and will be back with new episodes in the fall.
Q. I’ve been wondering, is “Lie to Me” ever coming back? Fascinating program.
A. It will begin a run of new episodes June 7 and will be part of Fox’s fall lineup.
Q. I’m not sure of the date, but I believe it was in the ’70s, that I saw “The Many Faces of Peter Sellers.” In the movie, he played a Japanese prince, Gestapo agent, a British officer and some other characters. I can’t find any reference to this movie anywhere. Can you help?
A. It sounds as if you are remembering a 1974 movie variously called “Undercovers Hero” and “Soft Beds, Hard Battles.” Sellers’ six characters in the movie included General Latour, Major Robinson, Herr Schroeder, Prince Kyoto and Adolf Hitler. It is ranked among Sellers’ worst movies.
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