Ask American Profile 10/22/2006

Ask American Profile 10/22/2006

Q Last week I saw John Wayne’s movie The Comancheros. He sang a song with the words “the sun shines on pretty Red Wing.” I can remember hearing that song when I was a boy. What can you tell me about it?
—Chuck Ramires, Hollister, Calif.

“Red Wing,” a Tin Pan Alley song about a heartbroken Indian maiden, was written by Kerry Mills and Thurland Chattaway in 1907. It’s been performed and recorded by numerous artists through the years, including Bob Wills and the band Asleep at the Wheel. (And, by the way, it’s the moon—not the sun—that shines on the “shy little prairie maid” as she weeps through the night, mourning the loss of her beloved warrior brave.)

Q I don’t hear anything about my favorite singer, Ricky Van Shelton, anymore. Is he retired?
—C. Donatto, Oshkosh, Wis.

Not exactly retired, but close. The country crooner decided this summer to pack up after 20 years in Nashville, Tenn., and move back home to Virginia—a transition that he says marks the end of his performing career. “Perhaps there will be other musical projects I can pursue without being away from home for long periods,” he suggests, hinting about a CD of all-original songs he’d like to finish.

Q What can you tell me about my favorite CSI cast member, Jorja Fox? Is that her real name?
—Joseph Parisi, Annandale, Va.

A former teen fashion model, Jorja Fox, 38, was born in New York with the name Jorja-An Fox. She just began her 11th consecutive year on prime-time television, which has included recurring roles on ER, The West Wing and now CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. “I never thought CSI was going to make it,” she admits. “I thought, ‘Friday night, a show about death—this is going to be impossible.’ But there was just something incredible about it.” Fox is single and lives with her beloved boxer dog, Ali.

Q Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were such a great comedy team, but I’ve heard they didn’t get along personally. Is that true?
—Bradley Bueller, Bedford, N.M.

“Dean and Jerry were the first post-World War II superstars,” says Rick Saphire, Jerry Lewis’ personal representative. “Their public appearances generated a hysterical fan reaction unmatched until the advent of Elvis Presley. They worked together for 10 years in movies, nightclubs and television. Like all artists, they had ups and downs and eventually moved in different directions. The real point is not why they broke up, but that the two talented comedians worked together for 10 years.” Martin died in 1995. Lewis, 80, has been national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association for more than 50 years.

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