What was bug's name?

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Nov 11, 2006 | by David Inman The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

Question: On "The Beverly Hillbillies," what was the name of Granny's "weather beetle" that could predict rain? I keep thinking the beetle's name was Earl, but I'm pretty sure that's not quite it.

Answer: Nope. It was Cecil. And that episode, "Granny Versus the Weather Bureau," originally aired on March 25, 1964.

Question: Could you please tell me if George C. Scott played on TV before he was in the movies? My husband thinks he remembers him playing either a social worker or someone in a similar profession in a TV show years ago. Nothing big riding on the answer, but it would help his ego if he were correct.

Answer: The show he remembers is "East Side/West Side," which ran on CBS in 1963-64. Scott played social worker Neil Brock, whose clients lived in the slums of New York. Midway through the season, to change the show's "downbeat" focus, Brock went to work for a U.S. congressman, but the show still bit the dust after one season.

Question: No one believes me when I mention a horror show from the early 1960s hosted by Boris Karloff. Did it exist or am I really crazy? Is it on DVD?

Answer: Exist it did. It was "Thriller," and it ran on NBC from 1960 until 1962. Karloff was the host and also acted in occasional episodes of this anthology series, which had titles like "The Premature Burial" and "Pigeons From Hell." The series is not yet on DVD, but some episodes are available on video.

Question: Whatever happened to "The Shield" on FX and "Wanted" on TNT? Are they scrapped or will they reappear?

Answer: New episodes of "The Shield" are scheduled to begin in January, but "Wanted" has been canceled.

Question: I would like to know the name of the actor who played the husband on "Maude" and the husband's name.

Answer: Bill Macy played Walter Findlay on "Maude," which starred Bea Arthur in the title role. It ran on CBS from 1972 until 1978.

Question: Can you tell me if ABC Family will be bringing the "Wildfire" series back in January? The season premiere was January last year, and I was wondering if it will be returning in January 2007.

Answer: "Wildfire" will be back in January.

Question: We are looking for a song with the title (or including the lyrics) "it's a jungle out there." It is a song suitable for 3- and 4-year-olds to dance to. Can you help?

Answer: Hey, what kind of schmo would leave the Allstar Dance Academy twisting in the wind? Could it be the theme song from "Monk," "It's a Jungle Out There," written and performed by Randy Newman? You can download it by visiting the USA network Web site.

Question: This seems like a silly question, but it has been driving me nuts for weeks. When ABC began running promos for the new show "Brothers & Sisters," they played a song. I thought that maybe this would be the show's theme song, but I was disappointed when, once the show began, I never heard the song again. I've run out of ideas about how to find the song, but I would know in an instant if I heard it. Can you help?

Answer: The song is "We Live" by Superchick, from the CD "Beauty From Pain 1.1."

Question: Can you tell me what happened to the TV show that just started called "Smith?" I watched it for two weeks in a row and suddenly, with no notice, it just disappeared. I'm so disappointed. What happened?

Answer: "Smith" was the first casualty of the fall season because the ratings were consistently declining from episode to episode. Some unaired episodes could be scheduled later in the season, but there's no definite word on that yet.

Question: Do you know when "Crossing Jordan" will return to the NBC schedule?

Answer: Well, it was supposed to return this month, but the programming honchos at NBC decided you wanted to see another big- money game show instead, so something called "1 vs. 100," from the producers of "Deal or No Deal," will take its place on the schedule. "Crossing Jordan" will return late this year or early next year.

Write David Inman in care of The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier- Journal, 525 W. Broadway, P.O. Box 740031, Louisville, KY 40201- 7431; or e-mail him at mail@askinman.com. Questions of general interest will be answered; personal replies are not possible.