Dick Kleiner

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Has Rooney ever won an Oscar?

http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- Q: Mickey Rooney just turned 79 in September. In his long life as a very good actor, did he ever win an Oscar? Not long ago, our local newspaper ran a list of the 100 best actors of all time and, if he was mentioned at all, it was at the bottom. I feel bad about this. -- I.W.B., Hartwell, Ga.

A. Rooney received an honorary Oscar in 1938, when he was 18, and again in 1982 for his 60-year-career. He has been nominated for Oscars four times, in 1939, 1943, 1956 and, finally, in 1979.

Q. We watch TVLand. What has become of Kathy Garver (Cissy on "Family Affair") and Bailey Quarters (of "WKRP In Cincinnati"). Have they been on other TV shows? -- J.H., Belfield, N.D.

A. Neither Garver, nor Jan Smithers, who played Bailey Quarters, has been a regular on any other TV show.

Q. Please, please help me! The other night, on the Odyssey Channel, we saw a movie, "Race to Freedom." It was about the underground railway and I need it to show my 4th grade class. It was made in Canada. Could you please tell me how I could get this film? -- H.R.L., Mound City, Kan.

A. Unfortunately, we know of no video that is out of that film.

Q. I read in a tabloid that one of my favorite programs, "Judge Judy," was rigged. Any truth to this rumor? Say it isn't so! -- W.J., Minonk, Ill.

A. It isn't so. Judy is a real judge, and the cases that come before her are real cases. There may be some rehearsals, but otherwise what you see is what you get.

Q. While flipping through the channels, I came across a movie with Kyle MacLachlan. What's he been doing lately? - W.W., New York City

A. MacLachlan will star in the NBC movie, "The Spring," airing Sunday, Jan. 16, as a man who stumbles onto the incredible secret of a small town -- a fountain of youth. "He's a bit of an innocent in the beginning as anyone would be coming into something that loaded," MacLachlan told my editor about his character. "What he sees on the surface, he makes some judgments. But there's a much darker story to it. This spring -- this fountain of youth -- is a great way for the townspeople to stay young. It's a dilemma because as you get older, you can't do the things you want to do. Age takes its toll. You don't want to be reminded that it all comes to an end. But it's one of the corners that we turn as we get older. My character tries to assimilate himself in the ways of the town to try to adjust. It's both a curse and a blessing. The people are tied to this community and this source of water."

Q. Can you tell me what happened to the actor, Anthony Dexter? He was the actor who portrayed Rudolph Valentino in the movie, made in 1931, called "Valentino." Is he still alive? -- D.C., Naples, Fla.

A. Dexter, who never outgrew that casting, is still alive at 80.

(Send your questions to: Ask Dick Kleiner, c/o Newspaper Enterprise Association, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

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