Dear Ken: What has happened to Angela Lansbury of “Murder, She Wrote” fame? We’re enjoying the show again in reruns.

Like the Energizer Bunny, the star of stage, screen and TV keeps on ticking and just opened in a revival of “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” on Broadway with Candice Bergen,  John Larroquette, James Earl Jones and Michael McKean. Last she year she starred with Jim Carrey in the movie “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” The London native, 86, who became a naturalized American citizen in 1951, has earned five Tony Awards, three Oscar nominations and 18 Emmy Award nominations. The mother and grandmother has said she would love to return to Cabot Cove and the role of sleuth Jessica Fletcher. “The people involved, Universal and CBS, they have to get together. They don’t realize what an exciting thing it would be if we did that!” she told the press last year. Lansbury next co-stars as Katherine Heigl’s daughter in the film “Adaline,” about a woman who remains ageless in her 20s.

Dear Ken: My husband loves Chester on “Gunsmoke.” Can you provide some facts about the actor Dennis Weaver?

The Joplin, Mo., native studied drama at the University of Oklahoma where he was also a track star, and, in fact, he nearly made the U.S. Olympic team in the decathlon in 1948. Weaver served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy during WWII and later learned his craft at the Actors Studio in New York before signing a contract with Universal Studios in 1952. Of course, his big break came with the role of Marshal Dillon’s trusty, limping deputy which earned him an Emmy in 1959. Weaver also starred in the TV series “Kentucky Jones,” “Gentle Ben,” “McCloud” and “Buck James.” The father of three sons died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 81.

Dear Ken: We saw where singer Davy Jones of The Monkees died recently. How many Top-10 songs did The Monkees have? Did they ever hit No. 1 on the pop charts?

The Monkees sold more than 65 million records in the 1960s. They had three No. 1 songs: “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Daydream Believer.” Their other Top-10 tunes were “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Valleri,” while “Words“ made it to No. 11. Jones died of a heart attack at age 66 on Feb. 29 near his home in Indiantown, Fla.

Dear Ken: What’s the skinny on Elizabeth Olsen, who stars as Sarah in the movie “Silent House”?

Would you believe that Lizzie, 23, is kid sister of Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen of “Full House” fame? This Olsen began acting at 4 and was in two movies last year, “Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding“ and “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” She has two more movies due soon: “Red Lights” and Liberal Arts” and looks to be making three more: “Very Good Girls,” “Therese Raquin” and “Kill Your Darlings.” 

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