Ask Mr. Know-It-All

November 6, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Gary Clothier

Q. What can you tell me about Dale Robertson? I have his “Tales of Wells Fargo,” but I can’t find any other movies. Where and when was he born? Does he have a family?

G.J.C., Porterville, Calif.

A. Dale Robertson was born in 1923 in Harrah, Okla. He got his acting break because movie producers thought he looked and sounded like Clark Gable. He parlayed those good looks and his Oklahoma accent into many roles in Hollywood Westerns.

With the evolution of television, Robertson appeared in many TV Westerns during the 1950s and 1960s. He is possibly best-known for his role as Jim Hardie in the TV series “Tales of Wells Fargo.” He also played the role of gambler-turned-railroad baron Ben Calhoun in the TV Western “Iron Horse.” He portrayed a Texas millionaire in a series titled “J.J. Starbuck.” He was one of the hosts, along with Ronald Reagan, on “Death Valley Days.” Robertson later appeared in the inaugural season of “Dynasty” (1981).

Robertson received the Golden Boot Award in 1985 and was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. He is retired and lives with his wife, Susan, on a ranch near Oklahoma City, not far from his birthplace. He has at least two children from previous marriages.

Q. What happened to TCM host Robert Osborne?

P.U., Naples, Fla.

A. The 79-year-old Turner Classic Movies host was said to have undergone minor surgery this summer for an unspecified ailment. He planned a three-month vacation after the surgery and planned to be back at work in time for the TCM Classic Cruise in December. Osborne has been the host on Turner Classic Movies since its inception in 1994.

Q. It seems we are being bombarded with TV commercials. How many minutes per hour are being broadcast?

K.P., Pardeeville, Wis.

A. The number of commercial minutes varies, depending on the time of day and whether you are watching network or cable television. Programming takes up 40 to 44 minutes of each hour, leaving 16 to 20 minutes to be filled with commercials and other promotional material.

Q. President George W. Bush once owned the Texas Rangers baseball team. Who now owns the team?

T.M., Sayville, N.Y.

A. The team is now owned by former baseball pitching great Nolan Ryan. The purchase was completed shortly after the start of the 2010 baseball season.

Q. Could you please tell me how many breeds of dogs there are?

I.P., Alton, Ill.

A. The American Kennel Club recognizes 157 dog breeds. I talked to a breeder who said she thinks the number of breeds worldwide tops 5,000. She went on to say that number continues to rise as breeders continue to breed for different traits.

Q. Have Gregg and Pitman become obsolete? I would appreciate a short history of both.

Z.G., Kalamazoo, Mich.

A. I assume you are referring to the two shorthand systems. Pitman Shorthand was devised by Sir Isaac Pitman (1813-1897) and was first published in 1837. The system became incredibly popular with secretaries, reporters and writers. It was improved many times and was used in more than a dozen languages.

The system became less popular after John Robert Gregg (1867-1948) introduced Gregg Shorthand in 1888. Gregg Shorthand is still popular. A system named Teeline, introduced in the late 1960s, has become more common in recent years. It is based on spelling rather than pronunciation.

Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.