Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

HOLLYWOOD Q&A

- BY ADAM THOMLISON

Q: What happened to the Kyra Sedgwick show “Ten Days in the Valley”? It hasn’t been on in a while.

A: Focus on the good news: “Ten Days in the Valley” is coming back soon! And with a double episode! (It seems it’s trying to make up for the lost time — the show, as you point out, has been off the air since Oct. 22.)

Now hang on to that good news while I tell you the rest: It’s moving from Sundays to Saturdays, where it will air for a few more weeks before most likely being canceled.

Star Kyra Sedgwick herself announced the news of the move on her Twitter account, with just a hint of sarcasm, saying that “the good people at ABC” had moved it, and that fans should “stay tuned for details!!”

As for the likelihood of cancellati­on, that’s usually what follows a move to Saturday night — it’s the night with the lowest average viewership, so networks often treat it like a dumping ground for shows they don’t want to air in the more lucrative spots.

Hollywood Reporter TV correspond­ent Kate Stanhope pointed out that “the news is not surprising given the drama’s low ratings thus far.”

The “thus far” is interestin­g here. ABC let it have just four episodes before more or less giving up on the show, which tells the story of a crime-TV producer whose own daughter goes missing.

Q: I love the movie “Topkapi,” but only recently found out it was based on a book. Has the author done any other movies?

A: That’s actually a trickier question than it sounds. Author Eric Ambler has done quite a few movies, but most of them were not based on his books.

England-born Ambler, considered one of the godfathers of the literary thriller, was also a successful screenwrit­er in Hollywood in the 1950s and ‘60s.

He wrote original scripts for a number of films, including “A Night to Remember” (1958), which told the story of the sinking of the Titanic (39 years before James Cameron got around to it). In fact, most of Ambler’s original screenplay­s were nautical stories — he even wrote the first draft of the screenplay for the 1962 classic “Mutiny on the Bounty” (which was actually based on another author’s book), but star Marlon Brando reportedly rejected it.

His novels, on the other hand, were mostly spy stories. Among the other films based on his books are “The Mask of Dimitrios” (1944), “Journey Into Fear” (1942) and “Background to Danger” (1943).

Also, if you’re looking for the novel “Topkapi,” you won’t have any luck. The book was actually titled “The Light of Day.” It was released in 1962, two years before the film.

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