Pop culture Q&A

December 18, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

Q. Back in the ’60s or ’70s there was a movie called “Say Goodbye, Maggie Brown.” It was about a doctor trying to save a young girl’s life. The doctor was played by Susan Hayward. I would like to have a copy of it.

A. The movie you are looking for actually is called “Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole.” It was made for television and first aired in 1972. The cast also included Darren McGavin, Michael Constantine and Nichelle Nichols. It was the last film starring Hayward, an Oscar winner for “I Want to Live”; she died in 1975 after long battling the effects of a brain tumor. I have seen a VHS release of it, with used copies for sale on Amazon.com. I do not know of an authorized DVD release.

Q. “Gigi’s” handsome Louis Jourdan — is he alive, age, where is he? Married, children?

A. The suave actor, now in his 90s, is still with us at this writing, although it has been close to 20 years since he last appeared onscreen (in “Year of the Comet”). He has been married to the same woman, Quique Jourdan, since 1946. After decades in Hollywood, they sold their house and moved back to France, where Louis said he felt more at home. They had a son, also named Louis, who died in 1981 at the age of 29 from an apparent drug overdose.

Turner Classic Movies has several showings of Louis Jourdan’s movies coming up, including “Madame Bovary” on Dec. 13 and “Letter From an Unknown Woman” on Jan. 23.

Q. There was a show on TV that was excellent, but it only ran for three or four weeks. It was called “Playboys.” We are very disappointed that they would take it off the air and not even finish the season.

A. I think you are referring to “The Playboy Club,” the NBC drama set in a Playboy club in the ’60s. While you and your friends may have liked it, not enough other people did. In spite of a lot of conversation and controversy about the show before it aired, according to EW.com the ratings started small and became smaller. NBC yanked it after three episodes. The network has those three available for online viewing at NBC.com, where the show is listed — with unintended irony — under “recent favorites.”

Q. I have the DVD of “The Return of the Secaucus 7.” I am sure (if an old person can be) that I saw a film titled “Secaucus 7.” The soundtrack included The Symphony for the New World. Every time I go on the Internet to try to find a copy, I get “The Return ...” Can you help me or do I need mental help?

A. The answer to that last question is not mine to give. As for the one before that, all I can tell you is that I do not know of a movie named just “Secaucus 7,” or of a similarly titled one with that music. That said, “The Return ...” deserves a place in anyone’s movie collection.

Q. I have watched the show “Dancing With the Stars” since it began, and I like it a lot. Could you find out why the music almost never matches the dance style? Latin dances should be danced to Latin music, not pop rock. Ballroom dancing calls for ballroom music, and there is lots of great music that was written just for that purpose in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s when ballroom dancing was very popular. The kind of music Harold Wheeler’s band plays for the most part is soft rock or pop rock.

A. I am reminded of what “DWTS” pro Cheryl Burke recently told AOL TV: “It’s just a show, not a real competition.” She was referring more specifically to the judges’ scoring (and could have added their bickering and histrionic behavior). But you also have to think of the music as part of the overall entertainment, whether it’s music by guest acts or the songs used in performances. And to entertain, the songs have to be recognizable to a fair portion of the audience — as well as to the contestants, who are often young and, uh, culturally challenged. Even then, the songs often fail to match the dance required.

2011 the Akron Beacon Journal

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