You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Can you tell me what happened to the actress that played Mandy on "Last Man Standing"?
A: While the comedy starring Tim Allen was able to reassemble most of the cast from its ABC version when it began a new run on Fox, some parts changed. Molly McCook now plays Mandy Baxter, while Molly Ephraim played her on the ABC series. And Flynn Morrison, who played Boyd, has been replaced by Jet Jurgensmeyer.
The changes came for different reasons. As TVLine reported, "Last Man" executive producer Matt Berry said Ephraim "got involved in some different things" after ABC dropped the series in 2017, and she was not available when Fox picked up the show this year. As for Boyd, Berry said the show recast the role because they decided to have Boyd older. "We're bringing him back at the age of 12, so we can do some fun storylines about a young man on the cusp of becoming a man."
Q: Can someone please tell me if "Hawaii Five-0" has run out of storylines to do a show or what? The season premiere, "Cocoon," had the same lines, ship and even the room and breathing suit from the first show with Jack Lord back in September 1968.
A: I was surprised when watching the CBS drama's season premiere to see Leonard Freeman sharing the script credit with executive producer Peter Lenkov. Freeman created the original "Hawaii Five-O." He also died in 1974. But, the new episode was in fact a way of marking the series's 50th anniversary _ the Jack Lord version premiered on Sept. 26, 1968 _ by reusing a storyline from the original pilot, also titled "Cocoon."
Q: Is "The Little Couple" ever coming back?
A: Yes. The TLC series resumes Oct. 9 with a new storyline. The network promises "BIG changes for the Arnold-Klein family as they prepare to say goodbye to their longtime home of Houston, Texas and hello to the sunny city of St. Petersburg, Florida where Jen has recently accepted a job opportunity. It's a bittersweet move for Bill and Jen, one filled with both trepidation and excitement. On the one hand, they are sad to leave the home they've built and the memories made there; but on the other, they are excited to be closer to family and look forward to the new adventures that lie ahead."
Q: How long did "Chico and the Man" last? And who replaced Freddie Prinze after his tragic death?
A: The NBC comedy _ with Prinze as a Los Angeles Chicano named Chico and Jack Albertson as "The Man," garage owner Ed Brown _ began in September 1974. Prinze died by suicide in January 1977, during the show's third season. Still, the show returned for a fourth run with a new character, a 12-year-old foundling named Raul (Gabriel Melgar). As "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows" notes, Ed accidentally called Raul "Chico" in his first episode, and then declared, "You're all Chicos to me." The casting tactic did not work, and the fourth season was the show's last.
Q: Kay Starr was our favorite singer. I read that Patsy Cline's first hit song, "Walkin' After Midnight," had been written for Kay Starr. Do you know why Kay Starr did not record it? Did she or the composer of the song give the honor to Patsy Cline?
A: The notes with MCA's "Patsy Cline Collection" explain it this way: Don Hecht and Alan Block originally wrote "Walkin'" as a pop song and offered it to Kay Starr. Capitol, Starr's record label, rejected it and the song went unrecorded. Urged to write a hit for Cline, Hecht thought he heard a lot of pop in the supposedly country singer and dug out "Walkin'." Cline did not like the song, dismissing it as "nothin' but a little ol' pop song." Still, she finally relented, made the record _ and broke through with her first big hit in 1957.
