Ask American Profile 9/17/2006

? & the Mysterians, Carol Duvall, Glenn Ford, Marcia Cross

Whatever happened to ? & the Mysterians, who had the hit "96 Tears”?
—Jackson Niemi, Vanetten, N.Y.

Despite promotional claims of being born on Mars, the out-of-this-world lead singer of ? ("Question Mark”) & the Mysterians, Rudy Martinez, actually hails from Texas and grew up in Saginaw, Mich. His oddly named band recorded its only hit single, the two-chord classic "96 Tears,” in 1966. The group continues to perform as a club act, and a documentary film about Martinez and his one-hit-wonder career, ?Are You For Real?, is in the works.

What can you tell me about Carol Duvall, the "Craft Lady”?
—Lois Anderson, Ludington, Mich.

The HGTV network's "Queen of Crafts” began her career in the 1960s on a local TV station in Grand Rapids, Mich., and in 1994 joined HGTV, where she hosted the popular Carol Duvall Show for 10 years. (The series ceased production in 2004, but continues to air in reruns.) The divorced Duvall raised two sons as a single mom and currently is working on a book. "I have 55 years of procrastinating to catch up on,” says Duvall, who wants to take time to do some scrapbooking.

Please give some information on actor Glenn Ford.
—Ben Johnson, Bishop, Calif.

Ford, who served in the U.S. Marines during World War II and eventually starred in more than 100 movies, died Aug. 30 at his home in California. He was 90 years old. His films included Gilda with Rita Hayworth, 3:10 to Yuma, Blackboard Jungle and Superman, in which he played Clark Kent's father. Best remembered for his Western roles, Ford was a member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and was known for years as "the fastest gun in Hollywood" (he could draw and fire a pistol in 0.4 seconds). The son of a Canadian railroad executive, Ford married four times and had one child, Peter, who is co-writing his dad's biography.

Did Marcia Cross from Desperate Housewives once play Jerry Seinfeld's TV girlfriend? I have a bet with my best friend, who swears it wasn't the same actress.
—Melanie J., New Albany, Miss.

Cross portrayed a dreamboat dermatologist who dated—and then dropped—Jerry in a 1997 Seinfeld episode. The award-winning actress, now best known as Bree Van De Kamp on Desperate Housewives, may not be a real doctor, but in 2003 she earned a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University at Los Angeles.

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