Pop culture Q&A

August 28, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Pop culture Q&A

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. Like you, I am a big fan of “The Closer.” Although I know the names of the two principal roles, I would like to know the real names of the rest of the cast. Each character is so great, the interplay of personalities is what makes the show so good. I especially enjoy Lt. Provenza. I sure would appreciate it if you could list the names in your column.

A. Aside from Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Johnson, I am not sure who else you consider a principal, so I will run through the rest of the cast. It includes G.W. Bailey as Provenza, Tony Denison (Flynn), Robert Gossett (Taylor), Corey Reynolds (Gabriel), John Tenney (Fritz), Michael Paul Chan (Tao), Raymond Cruz (Sanchez), J.K. Simmons (Pope) and Phillip Keene (Buzz). Gina Ravera was previously a regular, as Daniels. Mary McDonnell recurs as Raydor; she will star as Raydor in “Major Crimes,” the sequel to “The Closer” that will follow that series’ end in 2012. And I have to make note of Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin, who appear from time to time as Brenda’s parents.

Q. Will ABC extend “Rookie Blue” into the fall? It is an excellent show.

A. ABC calls the series a “summer drama,” and summer is when its first two seasons have aired on the network. Although it is not in ABC’s fall lineup, that does not mean the show will end when the leaves turn. The network has ordered a third season, most likely for summer 2012.

Q. Two, or possibly three, of the famous Marx brothers appeared on a single “made-for- television” production many, many years back. (One of the stars was the famous “mute” brother — Harpo.) As I recall, not one word was spoken during the entire enactment. It involved the two (or three) planning a “heist,” which involved them impersonating police authorities — right down to their mistakenly miscopied police cruiser. I saw the original but have never found a rerun or rebroadcast. Do you know what this is?

A. That was the last TV appearance together by three Marx brothers (Groucho, Harpo and Chico). Called “The Incredible Jewel Robbery,” it was a 1959 installment of General Electric Theater, the anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan. In his biography of Groucho Marx, Stefan Kanfer describes the piece this way: “Harpo and Chico acted in pantomime, stealing goods, running from the police, and assuming disguises, with Chico made up as a cop, and Harpo camouflaged as Groucho. At the last moment the real Groucho entered, articulating the show’s only spoken line: “We won’t talk until we see our lawyer.”’ You can see some clips from it on YouTube.

Q. Was there a TV series called “The Sheriff of Cochise County?” If so, who was the actor playing the main character?

A. There was a TV series called “The Sheriff of Cochise.” According to “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows,” it was made from 1956 to 1960 for national syndication.

Q. Whatever happened to “Heroes?” I have not seen any explanation about it. Is it canceled? Was it not one of the most popular TV shows?

A. The serialized drama ended in 2010 after four seasons on NBC. It was popular and critically well-received at first. (I was hooked during the first season.) But the quality declined significantly beginning in the second season, and viewers drifted away. You can find old episodes for viewing on Hulu.com.

Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfelsthebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, Ohio 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions. Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.

2011, Akron Beacon Journal