By Ken Beck

Dear Ken: Where have I seen the face of the actor who plays Arthur in the new flick “Inception”?

That would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 29, who starred as Tommy Solomon in the sitcom “3rd Rock From the Sun” from 1996 to 2001. He has worked in plenty of movies since and has more lined up.

Dear Ken: For once and for all, was the Baby Ruth candy bar named after baseball player Babe Ruth or some American president’s daughter?

Probably neither. The Curtiss Candy Company originally had a chocolate candy bar they called the Kandy Kake. They reshaped it and renamed it Baby Ruth in 1921. Traditionally, the company has claimed that it was named after “baby” Ruth Cleveland, who was America’s favorite infant when her father, Grover Cleveland, became president in the early 1890s, but she died in 1904 at the age of 12. One reference source states the baseball player’s name was borrowed without his permission, but at the time, Ruth was still more famous as a pitcher than the homerun slugger he turned into. I guess some things we were never meant to know. In 1978, the same company that produced Baby Ruths, introduced a Reggie candy bar, named after Yankee slugger Reggie Jackson.

Dear Ken: How many episodes of “Sea Hunt” did Lloyd Bridges make and how many episodes of “Sky King” did Kirby Grant make?

Bridges starred as scuba diver Mike Nelson in 155 episodes of the 1958-1961 underwater drama. Son Beau appeared in two episodes, while son Jeff Bridges made three episodes.
Grant played Sky King, the flying cowboy in 72 episodes of the 1950s TV show, which also featured his niece, Penny, played by Gloria Winters. Grant died in a car accident at 73 while traveling to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger at Cape Canaveral. Many airplane pilots and astronauts were inspired to pursue their careers after watching Sky King soar the blue western skies in his “Songbird.”

Dear Ken: What happened to the actress that starred in the “Anne of Green Gables” TV series from the mid-1980s?

Canadian Megan Follows, 42, continues to work in film and television as well as working on the stage. She also has two teenage children and divides her time between Los Angeles and Toronto. She was a guest last year in an episode of ABC’s “Brothers and Sisters.” 

Dear Ken: Who was the lead singer of the Guess Who and can you help us remember their biggest hit records?

Well, while we’re on a Canadian run, the Guess Who originated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and scored their biggest hits with “These Eyes,” “American Woman,” “No Sugar Tonight,” “No Time,” “Hand Me Down World,“ “Undun” and “Share the Land.” The band’s best-known lead singer, Burton Cummings, 62, released his first album in 18 years, “Above the Ground,” in 2008.