TV Q & A: Lori Laughlin is a soap veteran

Question: I know that Lori Loughlin of the new series "Summerland" was also on "Full House." But I'm also sure she was once a regular on a daytime soap. The horrible part is that I can't remember which soap, and because I can't no one believes me. Please help.

Answer: There, there. You're not alone. As long as there is blood in my veins and oxygen in the atmosphere, I will be here, solitary and thankless toil though it may be, to validate, vindicate and reassure the unwashed masses such as yourself.

Yes, Loughlin played Rebecca Katsopolus on ABC's "Full House" from 1988 until 1995 (and the reruns will be airing on Nick at Night until about 2115). Before that, she played Jody Travis on the ABC soap "The Edge of Night" from 1980 until '83.

Question: I 'd like to find out what happened to some child actors who were in TV shows and movies in the 1950s. Whatever happened to Johnny Sheffield, who played Boy in the Tarzan movies? I think he had his own TV show called "Bomba." Another is the boy who was in a movie called "The Invisible Boy." Then there was a blond boy who was in a few movies, one of which was "Major Benson" with Charlton Heston. Are these people still alive?

Answer: We'll take them one at a time. Johnny Sheffield is now 73, so maybe now we should refer to him as "John." He dropped out of show business after his last Bomba movie, "Lord of the Jungle," was released in 1955. He appeared in "Tarzan" movies from 1939 until '47 and Bomba movies from 1949 until '55. (The Bomba movies were re- edited and turned into a 1962 syndicated TV series.)

The young star of 1957's "The Invisible Boy" was Richard Eyer, who is now 59. His last credit was a 1967 episode of the ABC series "Combat!" He later became a schoolteacher.

And Tim Hovey, who appeared in 1955's "The Private War of Major Benson," among other movies, made his last appearance in the 1959 film "Money, Women and Guns." He died of a drug overdose in 1989. He was 44.

Question: I know you can find the answer to this. What was the name of the show that was on with Burt Reynolds and Marilu Henner? Arthur Hill played his father-in-law. And there was a little girl. Did she grow up to be the movie star Kate Hudson?

Answer: I think the show you're remembering is "Evening Shade," which ran on CBS from 1990 until 1994. Hal Holbrook played Reynolds' father-in-law, not Hill. And daughter Molly was played by an actress named Candy Hutson, who did not grow up to be Kate Hudson.

Question: I love watching reruns of "The A-Team." Everybody is shooting but no one is seriously hurt or deceased, cars fly up in the air, turn over and everyone crawls out unscathed. I know that one of the stars, George Peppard, is deceased, and I see another star, Mr. T, occasionally on TV. I wonder about the two other regulars, Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict. Are they still active and, if so, in what shows have they performed?

Answer: Well, Schultz, who played H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock, makes a nice living these days supplying the voices for video games. His credits include "Star Trek: Elite Force II," "Crash Nitro Kart," "Lords of Everquest" and "Final Fantasy X-2." Dirk Benedict, who played Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck, also does a bit of voice work for video games.

Question: I know this is the time of year when all of the shows kind of fade out until the fall. But I hope that "American Dreams" will be back. I really like that show. Will it return this fall? Please tell me that it hasn't been taken off the air.

Answer: "American Dreams" will be back in the fall on NBC on Sunday nights.

Copyright C 2004 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.