Q. We enjoy Swoosie Kurtz of "Sisters" and wonder how she came to be called Swoosie. - S.L., Temple City, Calif.
A. It's a much-told tale: It's her real name. Kurtz's father, Col. Frank Kurtz, was a decorated flier in World War II. His plane, a B-17D, was named "The Swoose" (half swan, half goose). When his daughter was born in 1944, the nurse wrote Swoosie on the birth certificate and it stuck.Q. My mother told me that Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Is this true? - D.B., Hudson, Ohio.
A. Hamill was in a near-fatal automobile accident, but it was before filming "Star Wars" in 1976. Since the last of the "Star Wars" movies, "The Return of the Jedi" in 1983, Hamill, 41, has done mostly stage work and a few TV appearances.
Q. Can you tell me if Shadoe Stevens of the new sitcom "Dave's World" was once a disc jockey in Texas? I'm from there and that name is so familiar. - J.W., Charlotte, N.C.
A. You probably know Stevens, 46, from his weekly radio show "America's Top 40," which he has hosted for five years and is heard nationally. Stevens also has a batch of TV credits, including "Hollywood Squares" and "Max Monroe, Loose Cannon." Stevens was born in Jamestown, N.D. His real name is Terry Ingstad. He has been a disc jockey in Boston and Los Angeles.
Q. I just finished reading the John Jakes trilogy that began with "North and South." I would love to see the TV movie but can't find it on video. Will it be shown again on TV? - S.G., Southfield, Mich.
A. The first six-hour miniseries recently has been issued on tape. Retail price about $200. It's unlikely the first two "North and South" miniseries will be repeated again on the ABC network. Meantime, Part III is in production for telecast later this season. Kyle Chandler ("Homefront') will fill in for Patrick Swayze as Charles Main.
Q. What was the name of the first sitcom Tony Randall was in? I think he played a school teacher. - S.R., Evanston, Ill.
A. The first sitcom was "Mr. Peepers," the Wally Cox show that aired 1952-55. But Randall's first series was the TV version of the long-running radio serial "One Man's Family," seen 1949-52.
Q. What happened to the woman who played Vivian Banks on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air"? - D.F., Lake Forest, Ill.
A. Janet Hubert-Whitten was fired by the producers after what was described as "a long-running feud." Some cast members said that she caused arguments on the set and delays in production. Daphne Maxwell Reid replaced her.
Q. I was delighted when I watched "seaQuest" on Sept. 26 to see my heartthrob of years ago, Turhan Bey. Has he been on TV before and I never saw him? It's been so long since I've seen him in anything. Even at his age, he's still sexy. - C.F., Glendale, Calif.
A. Bey, 73, has spent most of the past 30 years in Vienna, where he worked most often as a photographer. His last Hollywood movie was "Prisoners of the Casbah" in 1953.
Q. What happened to Frank Fontaine? He was about as funny as anyone I've seen and he had a beautiful voice. - L.P., Owosso, Okla.
A. Fontaine was a minor radio and TV comic until Jackie Gleason cast him as "Crazy Guggenheim" on his show, 1962-66. When the Gleason show ended, Fontaine did some nightclub work but gradually faded from sight. He died at 58 in 1978.
Q. While I enjoy Graham Kerr, a.k.a.The Galloping Gourmet, on The Discovery Channel, I have to wonder what made him become so health conscious. - S.E.H., Northville, Mich.
A. Two things: He discovered good nutrition, and more importantly, his wife suffered a heart attack and stroke.
Q. Several years ago, before the success of the musical "Les Miserables," I saw a TV movie in which Richard Chamberlain played Jean Val Jean. His performance has been in my memory through the years. What are the chances of it being rerun by PBS? - H.A.H., Rock-mart, Ga.
A. Chamberlain has done many classic TV and movie roles - "The Count of Monte Cristo," "The Man in the Iron Mask," "Richard II" - but he never played Val Jean. The movie you remember probably was the 1978 TV production with Richard Jordan as Val Jean and Anthony Perkins as Javert. It was the fifth, and most recent, telling of Victor Hugo's story.
Q. Please give the address for "Wings." - R.S., Factoryville, Pa.
A. Write: Paramount Television, 5555 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036-3197.
Q. Tell me what other shows, movies, etc., Patricia Richardson of "Home Improvement" has been seen in? She looks very familar. - B.S., Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
A. Actually, Richardson's TV credits are three failed ones: "Eisenhower and Lutz," "Double Trouble" and "FM." She's appeared in two movies: "In Country" and "Lost Angels."
Q. After seeing the NBC movie "Cruel Doubt," I'm sure Jack Webb played a detective in the first part but he wasn't listed in the cast. Why? - Mrs. S.J., Taylor, Mich.
A. "Doubt" was a 1992 TV movie. Jack Webb died in 1982.
Q. My sister and I have been around for years: I say the neighbor on "My Sister Sam" was Richard Masur. She insists it was someone else. Who was it? - J.J., Prairie View, Ill.
A. David Naughton, from Dr Pepper TV commercial fame.
Q. My friend and I have a bet: He wants written proof. He says the original "Star Trek" ran six years. I say two. Who wins? - D.C., Philadelphia.
A. You're close, but no gold star. "Star Trek" was on NBC from Sept. 8, 1966, to Sept. 2, 1969, and many of those shows were reruns.
Q. I understand that Rod Serling of "Twilight Zone" is deceased. In what year did he die and from what? What years did the show run? - M.L.T., Detroit.
A. Serling was 51 when he died from heart surgery complications in 1975. "Twilight Zone" ran 1959-64. Serling both wrote and narrated the series. Later, he narrated "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" and hosted "Night Gallery."
Q. Tell me what has happened to Clint on "One Life to Live." I saw the show and he looked so thin. Was he ill? - V.A.P., Orlando, Fla.
A. Clint Ritchie, 55, who plays Clint Buchanan on "OLTL," was badly hurt in a tractor accident at his California ranch last May. The soap wrote in a near fatal plane crash for his character to explain his absence. He went from 213 to 152 pounds but is slowly gaining weight after a long, complicated recovery.
Q. Can you possibly tell why "The Guiding Light" has a different actor playing Billy Lewis? Was the other Billy fired or did he leave on his own? All my friends agree that the old Billy should return. - L.E.K., Wayne, Pa.
A. Jordan Clark, who played Billy for four years, was put on "hiatus" to work out personal problems that were affecting his work, according to a "GL" spokesperson. Geoffrey Scott, who took over as Billy in August, was last seen as Mark Jennings in "Dynasty."
Q. Tell me about Sean Astin of "Encino Man" and "Rudy"? How old is he? Is he single? - N.L., Portland, Ore.
A. Astin is 22, the son of actors John Astin and Patty Duke. He made his acting debut at 7 with his mom in an ABC "AfterSchool Special," "Please Don't Hit Me, Mom" and his movie debut at age 12 in "Goonies." He's married.
Q. Please give an update on Bruce Cabot. He was in many John Wayne movies. Is he related to the late Sebastian Cabot? - D.O., Burlington, Wis.
A. Bruce Cabot's real name was Etienne de Bujac. He was a native of Carlsbad, N.M., and no relation to the British Sebastian Cabot. Bruce Cabot's last movie was a James Bond opus, "Diamonds Are Forever" in 1971. He died in 1972.