Ask American Profile 7/8/2007
—Pauline Anderson, Richfield, Utah
Yes, Jennifer is the daughter of the Little House on the Prairie TV star, who died when she was 7. Now 23, she stars as troubled teen Gwen Norbeck (and also as Gwen’s gap-toothed look-alike Cloe Babbitt) on the long-running CBS-TV daytime drama. Making her acting debut as a child in her father’s Highway to Heaven series, she recently was in Branson, Mo., where As the World Turns filmed four episodes about Gwen’s visit to the live-entertainment mecca to further her singing career.
Q In what state is the Green Acres town of Hooterville supposed to be located?
—Martin Dean, Boone, Iowa
The exact location of Hooterville, the fictional TV setting of both Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, was never stated on either show, although several clues place it in or near Illinois (in one Green Acres episode, it’s mentioned that Chicago is 300 miles away). But another TV series of the era, The Beverly Hillbilllies, added more mystery to Hooterville’s whereabouts. The Hillbillies clan was from the Ozarks and had connections to characters on Petticoat Junction, suggesting that Hooterville might be in Missouri. So don’t look for it on any map—you won’t find it!
Q I’ve seen Brandon Baker in a couple of Disney movies and would like to know more about him. He seems like a promising new star.
—Rose Tilden, Grand Forks, N.D.
The native Californian, 22, decided he wanted to be an actor at age 10 when his friends began auditioning for roles. Baker landed his first starring part in the 1999 Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami, a role he reprised recently in the network’s Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board. When not attending classes at the University of California at Santa Barbara, he surfs, skis, snowboards and skateboards—just like Johnny Kapahala, a role he calls “a dream come true for me.”
Q What happened to the actor who played the Gorton’s fisherman in TV commercials? I think he’s also been in movies and TV shows.
—S. Watson, Petersburg, Tenn.
Denny Miller portrayed the seafood company icon in TV commercials for 14 years, until 2005. But long before that, he was the first blond actor to portray Tarzan in the 1959 movie Tarzan, The Ape Man, had a recurring role on TV’s Wagon Train in the early ’60s and made hundreds of guest appearances on sitcoms and other series, such as Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch, Wonder Woman and Charlie’s Angels. Miller, 73, has a degree in physical education and wrote an award-winning 2006 book, Toxic Waist?, about America’s obesity problem. These days he lectures, leads relaxation classes and appears at film festivals, Western conventions and other events.
Q I’ve always been a fan of Joan Jett. Where is she now and what’s she doing?
—B.H., Westminster, S.C.
The “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” singer, 48, released her latest CD, Sinner, last summer and continues to perform with her band, The Blackhearts. Jett, whose real name is Joan Marie Larkin, is single and lives on Long Island, N.Y. “I went to a school reunion not long ago and some people reminded me I had said I was going to go to California to become a rock star,” the Philadelphia native says. “I hadn’t remembered that I had focused on it that early. To say that as a kid and actually do it is pretty cool. It just goes to show you that if you can believe in yourself, if you’re lucky and have the right timing, you have a shot.”
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