Update on ‘Laramie’ stars; ‘Goldbergs’ releases up in air
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: I would like to know what happened to actors Robert Fuller and John Smith of the old Western series “Laramie.” Are they still living? I think Fuller was on “Emergency!” and “Wagon Train,” but the last time I saw him was on a “Walker, Texas Ranger,” in the mid-1990s. I never saw Smith after “Laramie.”
A: Fuller is still with us at 83 years old, complete with a website, www.rob
ertfuller.info. Although the Internet Movie Database does not list a screen credit for him since “Walker, Texas Ranger,” in 2001, he still makes public appearances with his wife, actress Jennifer Savidge. During a June visit to the Memphis Film Festival, one fan, having learned Fuller no longer had his “Laramie” hat, presented him a specially made copy of the chapeau.
Smith continued acting after “Laramie,” including in a guest role on “Emergency!” in the 1970s, but his screen acting ended around that time. He died in 1995 at age 63.
Q: I’m wondering if you know when “The Goldbergs” Season 3 will be released on DVD? I have researched everywhere on the internet and can’t find anything. At one point, I did see somewhere that May 2017 was a release date, but it’s still not available.
A: The show has not announced plans for release on DVD of either Season 3 or Season 4, although representatives of the show did not rule out releases. For now, both seasons are available as digital downloads via iTunes and Amazon.
Q: My question may be a little outdated and possibly something you have already addressed, but is there a reason the first two seasons of “Knots Landing” were released on DVD, but not the remaining 12? Was the decision based on poor sales of the first two seasons?
A: “We’d love to release the rest of this series,” the show’s studio, Warner Bros., said in a widely reported statement in 2010. “The problem is that there are heavy music clearance costs involved. Our company is dedicated to resolving these long-standing music stalemates, but the process is very timeconsuming. We certainly know of strong fan interest in this great series.” The music rights appear to remain a problem. And they are made more so because, as TVshowsondvd.com has noted, sales of the first two seasons did not demonstrate widespread customer interest in buying other seasons. That lack of interest would not encourage Warner to invest in those music rights.
Q: I’m interested in learning what happened to the young woman who was on “Today’s Take” with Al Roker. I remember she was a close friend of Prince.
A: You are thinking of Tamron Hall. NBC decided in January that it will be ending “Today’s Take” this fall to make room for a new daytime show with the network’s latest star, former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly. An obviously insulted Hall then left the network, including her work for its cable companion MSNBC. “The last 10 years have been beyond anything I could have imagined, and I’m grateful,” she said in a statement. “To all my great colleagues, I will miss you and I will be rooting for you.”