Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

DEAR STACY: I would like to know about Michael Learned, formerly of "The Waltons." Is she still acting? I always enjoyed her performances on that show. — Betty L., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR BETTY: Learned definitely is still working. In recent years she's done daytime TV ("One Life to Live," "All My Children"), prime time TV (she played Mrs. Wilk on season five of "Scrubs") and theater. She is set to take to the stage in Bend, Ore. in September in a production of "Driving Miss Daisy."

DEAR STACY: Could you tell us, please, what Dawn French is up to these days? She played the vicar in the PBS series, "The Vicar of Dibley." How is her health/weight situation? — Katherine G., Larchmont, N.Y.

DEAR KATHERINE: French and her comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders of "Absolutely Fabulous" fame, have been touring the U.K. this year with their "French & Saunders — Still Alive," billed as a "greatest skits" show. It will open at London's Drury Lane Theatre for a four-week run in mid-October. The 50-year-old comic actress, wed to Lenny Henry since 1984, continues to be active in British television as well as essaying film roles here and there. She provided the voice for Mrs. Beaver in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Still quite large (she has a line of plus-size clothing in England and promotes the idea that big can be beautiful), she reportedly has an autobiography coming out later this year.

DEAR STACY: Perhaps you can help me remember a movie in the 1950s, I believe, about a man who has a nightmare that he killed somebody, then wakes up and finds he has blood on his clothes. I'd like to see it again, but need the name, of course. Also, who starred in it? — G.P., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR G.P.: Bet you're thinking of the 1947 noir film "Fear in the Night," starring then-27-year-old DeForest Kelley, later of "Star Trek" fame. It's out on DVD.

DEAR STACY: I caught an old episode of "Magnum, P.I." the other night, and the guest star was John Saxon. He used to be all over the place. What's he been up to lately? — Alan D., Torrance, Calif.

DEAR ALAN: The 71-year-old actor of big screen ("Enter the Dragon," "The Appaloosa," "A Nightmare on Elm Street") and small screen fame is still pretty visible, popping up on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the "Masters of Horror" anthology series in the last couple of years.

He's also done independent films including the forthcoming comedy "Old Dogs," about a group of senior guys who put themselves between the mob and the cops when they mistakenly pick up a bag full of cocaine.

DEAR STACY: I am looking for a movie called "Stairway to Heaven" (aka "A Matter of Life and Death"). I think it was with David Niven. It was an old war romance movie. Thanks for the help. — A.S., New City, N.Y.

DEAR A.S.: Famous for its escalator-to-heaven scene, the classic 1946 British film, in which Niven plays an injured aviator arguing in a celestial court for the chance to go on living, is out of print. However, it's available for digital download via Amazon.com, and DVD and VHS copies can be found (try Amazon marketplace, Movies Unlimited, or eBay, and, as always, beware of too-good-to-be-true offers for copies of foreign releases).

DEAR STACY: Please settle a trivial question between friends. I say Tom Bergeron used to be on "Good Morning America." My friend says he never was on the show. Also, I'm curious as to where Tom is from, if he's married, his age. — Tennie S., N.Y.

DEAR TENNIE: Bergeron, 53, did appear on "Good Morning America" temporarily after Charles Gibson's departure from the program in 2006 to serve as anchor of "ABC World News Tonight." Bergeron was considered as a permanent co-host for the show, but that job finally went to Kevin Newman. The "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Dancing With the Stars" host hails from Haverhill, Mass. He is married and has two daughters, and splits his time between homes in Los Angeles and Greenwich, Conn.

DEAR STACY: Was the "ape boy" in the old show "Land of the Lost" played by Clint Howard, Ron's brother? — Jamie Z., Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR JAMIE: No. Philip Paley was the actor who portrayed Cha-ka, also known as "ape boy" in the 1974-1976 kids' series from producers Sid and Marty Kroft. The show, which retains a bit of a cult following, is purportedly being developed as a feature. Meanwhile, it's out on DVD.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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