Alfred’s origins will be further explored on ‘Pennyworth’
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: I would like to know if you have any information on the series “Pennyworth.” Is it returning for a second season, and if so do you know when?
A: The “Batman” prequel focusing on the early years of Alfred Pennyworth has been picked up for a second season on Epix. As with many series, its return date is not clear because of the coronavirus pandemic. Production on the second season had begun in February, but by early March it had shut down. An Epix representative said on Wednesday that the series is still on hiatus.
Q: A few years ago I watched a Western movie that I enjoyed. It had Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. I believe at the beginning they were robbing a stagecoach. Can you help me with the title?
A: You probably saw “4 for Texas,” a lighthearted western from 1963 with Sinatra, Martin, Ursula Andress and Anita Ekberg. It begins with a stagecoach attack, although not quite the way you remember it. The cast also includes Charles Bronson, Victor Buono, Jack Elam and, really, a scene with the Three Stooges.
Q: The late Brian Dennehy starred in, I believe, a miniseries based on a true story, either in the late ’80s or early ’90s, which was televised on NBC. He portrayed a patriarch whose family terrorized a small town. The climax occurred when several of the men townsfolk ambushed Dennehy’s character, shot and killed him. Any idea?
A: The much admired Dennehy, who died in April, played an array of fascinating characters, some of them quite frightening. That includes his role as a sociopath in “In Broad Daylight,” a 1991 TV movie, which the TCM database sums up this way: “A group of small-town residents, terrorized by a local bully, decide to take the law into their own hands.”
Q: I would like to know if you remember a show back in the 1980s that involved a German shepherd guide dog named Pax. I believe the show took place in New Orleans and the male detective was blind. I would sincerely appreciate your assistance and if you could tell me if it is available digitally.
A: You are remembering “Longstreet,” a 1971-72 series starring James Franciscus as a blind investigator. The series has a cult following because some episodes featured Bruce Lee before his leap into international stardom. The complete series has been released on DVD.
Q: On the TV show “The Nanny,” one of the cast was a tall, thin, blond teenager whose last name was “Tom.” She was not seen or heard from after the show. I wonder if the actress with the last name “Tom” on “The Bold and the Beautiful” is related. I have been thinking about this for a while and hope you answer.
A: Nicholle Tom from “The Nanny” might be surprised by your description of her career, which has included dozens of screen appearances since “The Nanny” ended, among them roles on “Gotham,” “Masters of Sex” and “Survivor’s Remorse.”
But Nicholle is indeed the sister of “The Bold and the Beautiful” actress Heather Tom, who plays Katie Logan Spencer on the soap. And we shouldn’t forget their actor brother (and Nicholle’s twin), David Tom.
Q: What has Julianna Margulies been doing since she left “The Good Wife” in 2017?
A: Plenty. Credits include the movie “The Upside” and the TV series “Dietland” on AMC and the miniseries “The Hot Zone” on Nat Geo. She is also gueststarring in several episodes of the current season of Showtime’s “Billions.”
UPDATE: Fox has ordered another season of “Last Man Standing.”