Pop culture Q&A

November 20, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

Q. For several years, my husband and I watched a show called “Airwolf” starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine. Whatever happened to Vincent? And did his “Airwolf” character, Stringfellow Hawke, ever find his brother?

A. According to “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows,” St. John Hawke, played by Barry Van Dyke, was found when the series began a run on USA Network after ending its 1984-86 telecasts on CBS. Vincent appeared in the USA Network premiere, which found his character seriously injured (and Borgnine’s killed). St. John was found and, after a brief reunion with his brother, became the lead character on “Airwolf.”

Vincent, now 67, went on to other work, mainly in forgettable movies. He battled alcoholism, was seriously injured in a mid-’90s car accident and admitted in a 2007 TV interview to considerable memory loss. Several sites have reported that he is living quietly in Mississippi. The last acting credit for him on the Internet Movie Database is from 2004. But he had his good moments onscreen, and I remain fond of the movie “Big Wednesday.”

Q. Help! Help! Recently, the movie “Sarah’s Key” was released in French with English subtitles. I vividly remember seeing a TV movie of “Sarah’s Key” in English. Everyone I tell this to disagrees with me. I have not read the book, yet I remember the story and scenes with clarity.

A. “Sarah’s Key” (“Elle s’appelait Sarah”) stars Kristin Scott Thomas and was based on the 2007 novel by Tatiana de Rosnay. Thomas plays a journalist assigned to write about the Vel d’Hiv roundup of Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris by French police; the roundup is significant not only as part of the Holocaust but because, as Time magazine once noted, it also is “an example of active French participation in Jewish persecution.” And as she investigates, Thomas finds herself also delving into the past of her French husband’s family.

The roundup also was the subject of a 2010 French film called “The Round Up,” or “La Rafle.” And there was a 1976 film called “Mr. Klein,” or “Monsieur Klein.” I have not found a TV movie about the incident. But you may be remembering a different movie; one reviewer observed that “Sarah’s Key” is “reminiscent of Costa-Gavras’ “Music Box” as Scott-Thomas uncovers truths about her in-laws.” That was a 1989 English-language film starring Jessica Lange as an attorney defending her Hungarian-immigrant father against war-crimes charges, with complications resulting from her investigation.

Q. I was stationed in San Francisco in 1945 when I saw a movie with Sid Caesar called “Tars and Spars,” which I believe was his first film. He tells his shipmates that they don’t have to go to the movies because he will tell them what they can expect to see. It was hilarious, and I have searched high and low for a copy.

A. I do not know of an authorized video of the musical, which was derived from a stage show and was indeed Caesar’s first film. But you can at least revisit Caesar’s movie monologue, since YouTube has the clip.

Q. I love Kathy Bates in “Harry’s Law.” Some friends and I were talking about spousal abuse the other night, which made me ask if they ever saw her in the film I believe was called “Gloria Clairborn.” It was a wonderful film, and I was wondering if there were plans for it to be broadcast on TV in the future!

A. The movie you are thinking of is called “Dolores Claiborne,” from 1995 and based on a Stephen King novel. Jennifer Jason Leigh also starred. I do not know of telecast plans, but it has been released on DVD.

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