Ask Mr. Know It All

Q. I once read that the Bee Gees never recorded a song that they did not write themselves. Is this true?

A.D., Owensboro, Ky.

A. The Bee Gees were founded in 1958 and consisted of three brothers, Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The brothers wrote all of their own hits, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists, including “Chain Reaction” by Diana Ross and “Guilty” by Barbra Streisand.

Q. I have asked many people this question, and I hope you will know the answer: Where did last names originate?

J.P., Abingdon, Va.

A. Up until about the 12th century, there was little need for a last name. Most people lived in small villages, and everyone knew everyone. Soon, though, there was more than one person named Thomas or William or Mary. So people started taking on an additional name.

There were several ways a person could form his last name: Maybe William’s father’s first name was John; his name might become William Johnson. Similarly, Thomas might be the son of Thomas, and he’d be known as Thomas Thomason. Location would be another source of last names. A villager who moved to the big city might be called London, or someone with a house on a hill might be called Hill. Occupations provided many last names — Farmer, Smith (blacksmith), Taylor or Clothier. Names derived from Gaelic are less easily deciphered by modern English-speakers: Cameron means “crooked nose,” Kennedy means “ugly head” and Connolly means “valiant.”

Q. I’m relying on my memory for this so I could be a bit off. In the mid-1970s, Mark Hamill was cast in “Eight Is Enough.” Sensing the movie “Star Wars” would be a success, he asked to be released from his TV contract so he could concentrate on a movie career; the network said no.

What happened? He was never in the TV series.

K.E.T., Queens, N.Y.

A. At least for this recollection, your memory is right on target. Mark Hamill played the role of Luke Skywalker in the 1977 film “Star Wars.” As you said, he could smell success in the film and wanted to develop his career on the big screen. As for the TV series, he was originally cast as David Bradford in “Eight Is Enough,” a role from which he wished to be released. In December 1976, he was involved in a car crash that left him with facial scars. Because of the time it took for his face to heal, network execs decided to give him his contract release. The rest is Hollywood history. The role of David then went to Grant Goodeve, who played the eldest son from 1977 to 1981.

DID YOU KNOW?

Abraham Lincoln was the tallest U.S. President at 6 feet 4 inches; James Madison was the shortest at 5 feet 4 inches.

Q. Do you know of any English words that end with “mt”?

A.L.B., Scottsdale, Ariz.

A. For starters, there is “dreamt.” According to my Scrabble dictionary, these are additional acceptable words: daydreamt, outdreamt, redreamt and undreamt.

Q. I can’t spell the name of people who go about taking pictures of celebrities. The pictures, of course, are for publication. What is the origin of the name?

R.B., Redondo Beach, Calif.

A. The name is paparazzi (pah-puh-RAT-see); your definition is a good one. The origin comes from the name of a photographer in Federico Fellini’s 1960 film “La Dolce Vita,” Paparazzo. Fellini chose a word that describes the buzzing of a mosquito in Italian dialect.

“Paparazzi” is the plural form of “paparazzo.”

Q. I heard that squirrels are not a threat for rabies. Is this accurate?

S.E.B., Shenandoah, Pa.

A. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Small mammals such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rabbits and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the U.S.”

Q. Alice Lon was one of the singers on “The Lawrence Welk Show.” When and where was she born? Did she marry? I’m almost certain she’s dead.

R.G., Reading, Pa.

A. Alice Lon was born in Cooper, Texas, on Nov. 23, 1926. She began singing when she was 6, and by the time she was 10, she had her own radio show in Shreveport, La. In 1946, she married her first husband, Bob Waterman; they had three sons. During this time, she was hired as a vocalist for Don McNeil’s radio program, “The Breakfast Club.” In 1953, Lon auditioned for and was hired by Lawrence Welk to replace Roberta Linn as a new “Champagne Lady” — the name of the female singer on the show. She left the show in 1959. Some say she was fired because she revealed her knee during a skit; others say she wanted more money and decided to try a career as a solo performer.

In early 1962, Lon wed George Bowlings and settled in Dallas, where she ran a dress shop. In 1981, she lost her battle with scleroderma, a form of skin cancer, at age 54.

Q. It’s been many years since I have seen anything with Mariette Hartley. Has she retired? When and where was she born?

J.E.A., Dudley, N.C.

A. Mary Loretta “Mariette” Hartley was born June 21, 1940, in Weston, Conn. Her first movie was “Ride the High Country” (1962). She appeared on “AM America,” the predecessor of “Good Morning America.” She has been married three times and has two children.

Of all of her acting credits, she is probably best known for her series of Polaroid commercials with James Garner, which started in 1977. They had such great chemistry in the ads, many people thought they were married. She made a T-shirt that said, “I am not Jim Rockford’s wife!” Garner played Rockford on “The Rockford Files.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Since they were introduced in 1902, there have been 54 different animals featured in Barnum’s Animal Crackers.

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

2013 Gary Clothier