Pop culture Q&A

October 17, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. Jennifer Grey is the daughter of Joel Grey. On “Dancing With the Stars,” after she recently performed, they showed family. Was that Jamie Lee Curtis applauding her? How are they related?

A. Although the ABC show did mention family before cutting to Curtis, she and Grey are not related. Instead, Curtis has been part of a cheering section for her longtime friend. In addition to relatives, “DWTS” has other celebs supporting the contenders. You may also have noticed Eliza Dushku, of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Dollhouse,” cheering for her beau, Rick Fox.

By the way, Curtis — the daughter of the late Tony Curtis — told “Access Hollywood” that she was asked to compete on “DWTS” but had to turn it down because of family commitments.

Q. Is it possible to buy “Women’s Murder Club”? I feel cheated that it was pulled off the air.

A. I do not know of an authorized video release of the series, based on James Patterson’s novels.

Q. About 1972-74, I saw a movie called “Soldier Blue” with Candice Bergen and Peter Strauss. Do you know where I can obtain a copy?

A. The 1970 Western has been released on DVD. If your local retailer cannot get it, try online vendors such as Amazon.com, which is selling it for about $10, or Deepdiscount.com, where it’s about $7.

Q. Did Tyrone Power play the piano in “The Eddy Duchin Story”?

A. No. Pianist Carmen Cavallaro played the music of pianist and band leader Duchin, who was also the father of musician Peter Duchin. Cavallaro had a best-selling recording of his performances for the film; a separate movie-tied album included Duchin’s original recordings of songs used in the film. (Duchin died of leukemia in 1951, five years before the release of the movie.)

Q. I saw an Italian movie years ago, probably in the late ’60s. I think it had some measure of acclaim when it came out. It was about a head police detective who murdered someone (can’t remember who) and he purposely left some clues that pointed to him. I want to say the name was something like “A Citizen Above Suspicion” or something like that. Is it a figment of my imagination?

A. No figment. You are thinking of the 1970 movie “Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion,” or “Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto,” starring Gian Maria Volonte. It was nominated for Oscars for best foreign-language film and, the following year, for best screenplay; it won the foreign-language award. Unfortunately, the only DVD releases I know of are foreign releases in a format that may not be compatible with your U.S. DVD player.

Q. Is a DVD of “Barging Through Europe” available?

A. The 1989 series followed movie producer Richard Goodwin as he traveled through Europe by barge. According to Goodwin, there was a DVD at one time (although it appears to have been in a European format) but the quality “was very low by today’s standards.” He is no longer producing it, nor are there plans for a release by another company.

Q. I am trying to find the movie “Gold Coast,” filmed for Showtime. It starred David Caruso and Marg Helgenberger. It was filmed in the neighborhood where I grew up. Since I don’t subscribe to Showtime, how can I get a copy?

A. The movie, based on an Elmore Leonard novel, has not made it to an authorized DVD. There was a VHS release, and I have seen copies for sale on Amazon.com.