Dear Ken: My favorite Thanksgiving movie is “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” starring John Candy and Steve Martin. Who was the car rental agent that infuriated Martin? 

John Candy (as Del Griffith) to Steve Martin: “Don’t let me stand in your way, please don’t let me stand in your way. The last thing I want to be remembered as is an annoying blabbermouth . . . You know, nothing grinds my gears worse than some chowder head that doesn’t know when to keep his big trap shut . . . If you catch me running off with my mouth, just give me a poke on the chubbs.” Edie McClurg played the agent.

Dear Ken: What’s the background on Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes on “The Walking Dead”?

Born Andrew Clutterbuck in London, Lincoln is the son of a civil engineer father and a South African mother, a nurse. He gained his education at Beechen Cliff School in Bath, England, and then the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Previously, he starred in three British TV series. His wife is the daughter of Jethro Tull musician Ian Anderson. 

Dear Ken: How many episodes were there of “I Love Lucy” and how many times was Lucille Ball married?

“I Love Lucy” ran from 1951 to 1957 for a total of 194 episodes. Ball was wed to Desi Arnaz from 1940 to 1960 and to Gary Morton from 1961 until her death in 1989 of dissecting aortic aneurysm at 77 years of age.

Dear Ken: How old was singer-songwriter Jim Croce when he died?

The Philadelphia native was but 30 when he perished in a plane crash in 1973 in Natchitoches, La. He had No. 1 hits with “Time in a Bottle” and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.” Among him his other popular songs were “I Got a Name,” “I’ll Have To Say I Love You in a Song” and “Operator.” His widow, Ingrid, has operated Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar in San Diego, Calif., since 1985.

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it