Dear Ken: How many actors have played G-man Dick Tracy in the movies?

Since Chester Gould debuted his comic strip in 1931, only three actors have portrayed Tracy in film. Ralph Byrd portrayed the police detective in four serials starting in 1937, in two movies in the 1940s and in a 1950-1951 TV series. Ralph Conway played Tracy in two 1940s flicks, and Warren Beatty played the flatfoot in a 1990 film. There is talk a new Tracy flick may be coming in a couple of years.

Dear Ken: What has happened to Stephen Collins, who played Rev. Eric Camden on “7th Heaven”? 

Collins, 64, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, plays Dr. Dayton King on the ABC sitcom “No Ordinary Family” and earlier this year appeared in “The Three Stooges” feature film. A rock ’n’ roll musician before he became an actor, he has released a couple of albums, including “The Hits of Rick Nelson.” Among the names of the bands he played with are Tambourine Charlie & The Four Flat Tires, The Naugahyde Revolution, The Flower & Vegetable Show, The Housemen, The Mustangs and The Trolls. He also has written a suspense thriller titled “Double Exposure.”

Dear Ken: What’s the dish on Deborah Ann Woll of “True Blood”?

The blue-eyed strawberry blonde, 27, who plays Jessica Hamby on the HBO series, is from Brooklyn, N.Y. She’s been a guest on a few other TV series and was in the movies “Mother’s Day,” “Little Murder” and “Highland Park.” She prepped for her TV vampire role by studying wildlife footage. “I watched a lot of animal videos and often attack footage. Stalking and attacking and killing are practices lost in most humans, so I needed to teach myself to do them,” she said.

Dear Ken: Did Marshal Dillon ever kiss Miss Kitty in an episode of “Gunsmoke”?

Nope. But Miss Kitty did kiss him: on the cheek in a 1971 Christmas episode titled “P.S. Murry Christmas.”

Dear Ken: What were the titles of Annette Funicello’s hit songs?

The former Disney Mouseketeer, now 69, recorded more than 100 tunes with several making the pop top 40 including “Tall Paul,” “Pineapple Princess,” “O Dio Mio,” “How Will I Know My Love” and “First Name Initial.” But my favorite is “Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy.” It makes me go bow wow.

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