Pop culture Q&A

February 13, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. I love “NCIS.” I was wondering about Abby on the show. Are any of her tattoos real?

A. Many are. “I think I’m on 13 or 14,” Pauley Perrette, who plays Abby, told TVGuide.com several years ago. “On ‘NCIS,’ not only do they love my tattoos but they give me more. The neck one is a vinyl transfer.”

Q. There was a great series called “Reilly: Ace of Spies,” starring a young Sam Neill. Is it available anywhere? If anyone can find it, it’s you!

A. Well, this time, at least. My mailbox is full of questions about things I can’t find. The ’80s miniseries starred Neill as Sidney Reilly, a legendary real-life spy said to have been the inspiration for James Bond.

The program has been released on DVD, and I have seen online vendors offering it for as little as $20.

Q. Thank you in advance for info on the recording artist in the Subaru commercial where the lyrics begin “This is powerful stuff.”

A. That is a song called “Powerful Stuff” by Sean Hayes — not the “Will & Grace” actor but a singer-songwriter; the song has also been used on the NBC series “Parenthood.” It’s from Hayes’ album “Run Wolves Run.” You can find more about him at www.seanhayesmusic.com.

Q. I have been watching the series “Last of the Summer Wine” for years. I was wondering what happened to cast members Dame Thora Hird, Gordon Wharmby, Dora Bryan, Kathy Staff and Bill Owen.

A. The British show aired from 1973 to 2010 and is considered the world’s longest-running sitcom. It has seen its share of losses.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Owen, Staff, Hird and Wharmby have all died. Dora Bryan is apparently still with us and turned 88 on Feb. 7. But a Daily Mail report in 2008 said her acting career was over because of frail health, “failing memory and inability to learn lines.”

This next comment involves my recent discussion of Bob Denver’s post-”Gilligan’s Island” work; in answer to a previous question, I noted his co-starring on a series called “The Good Guys.”

Q. Regarding what Bob Denver starred in after “Gilligan’s Island”: He also was ]in a syndicated series with Forrest Tucker in the early ’70s called “Dusty’s Trail,” a cross between “Wagon Train,” “F Troop” and “Gilligan’s Island.”

A. Thanks for mentioning that. I was aware of “Dusty’s Trail” but thought “The Good Guys” — which closely followed “Gilligan’s Island” and was several years before “Dusty’s” — was what the reader was recalling.

Still, “Dusty’s Trail” does come up in discussions among Denver fans, and now it has been noted, too.

Q. I contacted you several years ago about the movie “You’re in the Army Now” starring Jimmy Durante. At the time, you indicated that you could not find that movie in any home video format.

I was wondering, if maybe in the last five years, it has been made available.

A. I still do not know of an authorized release (and do not recommend unauthorized ones). However, Turner Classic Movies has scheduled it for telecast March 30, so warm up your video recorder.

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.

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