Ask Mr. Know It All

By Gary Clothier

Q. Whatever happened to the handsome French actor Louis Jourdan?

M.B., Hubbard, Ohio

A. Louis Jourdan was born in 1921 as Louis Gendre and was educated in France, Britain and Turkey. He made his film debut in 1939, but his acting career was put on hold during World War II, when he joined the French Underground.

After appearing in a dozen films in France, Jourdan was invited in the late 1940s to come to the United States, where he continued his successful movie career. By the time he retired in 1992 after filming “Year of the Comet,” he had appeared in more than 60 movies.

Jourdan moved back to France with his wife, the childhood sweetheart whom he married in 1946 and to whom he remains married today. They had one son, Louis Henry, who died of a drug overdose in 1981.

Q. Is it true that an off-color diamond can be changed to a better color by some process?

Blairstown, N.J.

A. Yes, it is true. There is more than one process to enhance a diamond, including putting a rough stone under pressure and high temperature. Irradiation also can be used to modify the color of a diamond. Laser treatment can enhance clarity by removing inclusions.

The Internet contains a wealth of information about “diamond enhancement” and about companies that provide the service. I also suggest you contact a local jeweler and ask for additional information and suggestions.

Q. After several hours of intense basketball against guys who were half my age, I was hurting, especially my back, which I said was “out of whack.” What is “whack”?

A. Many sources tell us the term “out of whack” refers to something that is not in top form or working well, but few sources provide the term’s origin.

I turned to Michael Quinion of World Wide Words, who offers a convincing possibility. According to Quinion, the phrase “in fine whack” previously was used to describe something fit and sturdy. As John Hale described Abraham Lincoln in 1863: “The Tycoon is in fine whack. I have rarely seen him more serene and busy. He is managing this war, the draft, foreign relations and planning a reconstruction of the Union, all at once.” So “out of whack” possibly arose as an opposite to the saying “in fine whack.” That still does not answer the question of what “whack” is. No one seems to know.

Q. Why did the makers of Dial soap give it that name? How long has it been around? I recall my family using it in the early 1950s.

A. Dial soap was introduced in 1948 and was the first soap designed to fight perspiration odor.

According to Dial Corp. information, several names were explored.

Finally, the name Dial was chosen to express the soap’s “’round the clock protection.”

Q. I recently watched a TV show called “Rumrunners, Moonshiners and Bootleggers” on the History Channel. This episode featured Junior Johnson, who developed his driving skills as a young man by evading the law while delivering moonshine. After retiring from the bootlegging business, he became one of the early superstars of NASCAR. I’d like to know if he is related to Jimmie Johnson, also of NASCAR fame?

D.M.M., Arbor Vitae, Wis.

A. According to Jenny Mayer, manager of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, Junior and Jimmie are not related.

DID YOU KNOW?

Astronaut John Glenn ate the first meal in space: pureed applesauce. The applesauce was squeezed from a tube aboard Friendship 7 in 1962.

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

Copyright 2011 Gary Clothier