[March 26, 2009]

Actress has famous parents

Mar 26, 2009 (The Akron Beacon Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .

Q: Is Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" the daughter of Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay? Tell me something about Mickey Hargitay. What is Mariska's acting experience and what has she appeared in recently? A: She is the daughter of Mansfield and Hargitay, who wed in 1958 and split about five years later. Mansfield was the famous movie bombshell, who died in an auto accident in 1967; Hargitay was known mainly as a bodybuilder -- Arnold Schwarzenegger played him in a TV-movie about Mansfield -- and died in 2006.

Mariska Hargitay has been a working actress for more than 20 years in television and movies. You can find a detailed list of credits at the Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com. Her most recent work has been on SVU, which can be demanding enough; in January, she suffered a collapsed lung and ensuing complications.

Q: A number of years back a vampire movie (possibly British) was made starring David Niven and Teresa Graves (of TV's "Get Christie Love.") Can you tell me the title and whether or not the movie is available.

A: Vampira -- released in the U.S. as Old Dracula -- starred Niven as Count Dracula and Graves as Countess Vampira. I do not know of an authorized release of the 1974 film on video in the U.S. I did see a VHS at http://www.amazon.co.uk, but that's in the British video format. And, if you search on your own, be careful because there are several other films called Vampira.

Graves, also known for a stint on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, was on track to be a major star. But she left acting after Get Christie Love ended its short run in 1975 and focused on work with Jehovah's Witnesses. She died in 2002 in a fire in her home. Niven died in 1983; he had been suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Q: My husband and I love to watch the "WKRP in Cincinnati" reruns and noticed that the theme music sounds a lot like the voice of Richard Sanders, who played Les Nessman. Does Richard Sanders sing the theme song to WKRP? A: No, although many viewers of the show think so. The opening theme was sung by Steve Carlisle.

Q: Could you tell me if "October Road" is coming back on TV? My husband and I really loved the show.

A: The series ended its two-season run in 2008. The first season is on DVD and the second season is due on DVD in May. The show's creators moved on to Samurai Girl and more recently Life on Mars. According to Broadcasting & Cable, there have been allusions to Road in both those shows. For example, Mars had a sign referring to "Cataldo Homes," tenements named after an October Road construction-business villain.

Q: I recently purchased the "Hawaii Five-0" DVDs. Upon watching the pilot, I was surprised that James MacArthur was not starring as Danno. Any idea why the quick change between the pilot and the first episode? I agree with the choice, just curious.

A: According to MacArthur's official Web site, Tim O'Kelley, the first Danno, "was not well received by a test audience." Producer-writer Leonard Freeman remembered MacArthur from the Clint Eastwood movie Hang 'Em High, which Freeman produced and co-wrote, and brought MacArthur into Five-O. He remained with the series from 1968 to 1979, 11 of its 12 seasons.

But, he says on the Web site, "I grew bored. After Leonard Freeman died [in 1974], the series began to stagnate. It had started out very fresh and 'cutting edge' with stories and villains relevant to the times, but this did not continue once he was gone. The stories became more bland and predictable and presented less and less challenge to me as an actor." Q: Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.

Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com.

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