Dear Ken: Who were the stars in “The Big Chill?” I seem to remember that most of them were relatively unknown when they made the picture but most of them did pretty well for themselves.
Your 1983 flick indeed had a stellar cast. Those on their way up the Hollywood list included Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, JoBeth Williams, Tom Berenger and Jeff Goldblum. The plot involved seven old college friends, now in their 30s, coming together again for the funeral of another of their college-day pals. The irony lies in the fact that dead friend was played by none other than Kevin Costner, who appears briefly as a corpse, and he probably has had the biggest career of the lot.

Dear Ken: How old is Joan Collins of TV‘s “Dynasty” fame? How many times has she been married?
The London native is 78 and is married to hubby No. 5. Her sister, writer Jackie Collins, is 73. In Joan’s next movie, “Dogs in Pocketbooks,” she plays a high-powered Hollywood agent. Her troubled client will be portrayed by Lydia Hearst Shaw.

Dear Ken: Did TV legend Andy Griffith ever make any western movies?
Griffith, 85, starred in “The Second Time Around,” “Hearts of the West” and “Rustlers’ Rhapsody.” Only the latter was a true western, and all were comedies.

Dear Ken: What is singer Patti Page, famous for “The Tennessee Waltz” and “How Much Is That Doggy in the Window,” doing these days? Does she still perform?
Page, 83, who was born in Claremore, Okla., has sold approximately 100 million records. She has not yet retired as she keeps on singing and singing. Her birth name was Clara Ann Fowler, while her nickname is “The Singing Rage.”

Dear Ken: I just saw the movie “Cowboys and Aliens” Where have I seen the cowboy who played Wes Claiborne before?
That was Buck Taylor, famed as gunsmith Newly O’Brien on “Gunsmoke.” His pop was character actor great Dub Taylor.

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