ASK MR. KNOW-IT-ALL: A life as big as Texas

QUESTION: I saw a movie from the 1940s in which Betty Hutton played Texas Guinan. She sang in a nightclub and always started her act by saying, "Hello, suckers." If you know anything about this film, I would appreciate any information. I've looked for it for many years. - C.L., Paxton, Ill.

ANSWER: The movie is titled ``Incendiary Blonde'' (1945). Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan, played by Betty Hutton in the film, was born on Jan. 12, 1884, in Waco, Texas; she died at the early age of 49 in 1933. In between, she lived a fascinating life. She studied music and became a vaudeville singer, actor and chorus girl. She appeared in silent movies and later talkies. With the beginning of Prohibition in 1920, she seized the opportunity and opened a speakeasy - the 300 Club - in New York City. Her club became the place for anyone who was someone. With her new career, she hobnobbed with the rich and famous as well as notorious gangsters. She amassed a fortune but lost most of it during the Great Depression. She formed another act and went on the road, but while in Vancouver, British Columbia, in November 1933, she became ill and died, one month before the end of Prohibition.

QUESTION: Is Robert Culp from the 1960s ``I Spy'' TV series still living? He was always a favorite of mine. - D.C., Hamburg, Pa.

ANSWER: Robert Martin Culp entered the world on Aug. 16, 1930, in Oakland, Calif. His career has spanned more than 50 years, but he is possibly best known for his role as Kelly Robinson on ``I Spy'' (1965 to 1968). His latest film, ``The Assignment,'' is in postproduction and scheduled for release this year. While his performances have been mostly in television, he has also appeared in many films and has worked as a screenwriter and director.

QUESTION: I would like to know whatever became of actress Terry Farrell. Since leaving the sitcom ``Becker,'' she seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. Where did she go? - J.B., Peoria, Ill.

ANSWER: Since her role as Reggie Kostas on ``Becker,'' she hasn't been in many mainstream productions. She is living in Hershey, Pa., with her husband, Brian Baker, and their son. Baker is best known as the commercial spokesperson for the cell-phone company Sprint. In February of this year, they appeared onstage together in the Hershey Area Playhouse production of ``Love Letters.'' A note to ``Star Trek'' fans: Farrell played the role of Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax in ``Star Trek: Deep Space Nine '' during the 1990s.

QUESTION: An avid bear collector, I have many Boyds Bears. I'm curious - who or what is Boyd? - B.K., Wall, S.D.

ANSWER: Gary Lowenthal and his wife, Justina Unger, founded Boyds Bears. They had been running an antique shop but found it difficult locating better-quality antiques, so they began making reproductions. They produced their first bear for their newborn son. Knowing a good thing when they saw it (as the saying goes), they began selling stuffed bears named for the town of Boyds, Md., where they lived and operated their business.

QUESTION: What is rose gold? I've seen it, but how is it created? - J.S., Palm Springs, Calif.

ANSWER: Pure gold, which is 24-carat gold, is soft and a bright-yellow color. Traditionally, other metals are combined with gold to give it strength and color. Rose gold - also referred to as red or pink gold - occurs when copper is combined with the gold, giving it a rosy color. The amount of copper added to the alloy determines the intensity of color; the more copper, the more red the color of the gold.