Dear Ken: Who was Mighty Manfred?
Make that Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog. This animated hound was the lazy, comical sidekick to Tom Terrific, a boy who lived in a tree house and, via his funnel-shaped thinking cap, could change into anything he wanted. Tom and Manfred’s most famous foe was Crabby Appleton, who was rotten to the core. The cartoon originated on “Captain Kangaroo” in 1957. Each episode ran for five minutes, so they aired one minute per day, Monday-Friday. Manfred had a sweet tooth for peanut butter sandwiches.

Dear Ken: Do you remember “Combat,” a WWII TV series starring Vic Morrow, that aired in the 1960s? Is it available on DVD?
“Combat!” ran from 1962 to 1967 for 152 episodes and was set in Europe. Rick Jason as Lt. Hanley and Morrow as Sgt. Saunders were in the show for its entire run. The complete series has been released on DVD. I have seen prices ranging from $116 to $300.

Dear Ken: Is Scott Caan, who plays Danny Williams in the new “Hawaii Five-0” TV series, the son of James Caan?
Yes, Scott, 34, is Jimmy Caan’s eldest son. He has a half-sister and three half-brothers. Scott’s movie credits include “Wild Horses,” “Enemy of the State,” “Varsity Blues,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds” and “Ocean’s 11” and the TV series “Entourage.”

Dear Ken: I saw a Disney movie, “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken,” the other night. Can you tell me who played the girl named Sonora, who learned to do a high-dive act on horseback. Where is she now?
That is English-born Gabrielle Anwar, 40, currently stars opposite Jeffrey Donovan as Fiona Glenanne in the TV series “Burn Notice.” The mother of three also acted in the movie “Scent of a Woman” and the TV series “The Tudors.” 

Dear Ken: When and where was Dr Pepper invented?
The beverage was concocted by a pharmacist, Charles Alderton, in Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas, in the mid-1880s. The company does not use a period after the “r” in the first word of the name.

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