Ask American Profile 6/15/2008

Q I saw Patti Page perform recently. How wonderful she is! Is she working on any new projects?
—Charlene Olson, Jackson, Calif.

One of the most successful female recording artists in history, Page—born Clara Ann Fowler in Oklahoma in 1927—has sold more than 100 million records since the late 1940s and thrilled millions of fans with her signature versions of “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window” and “Tennessee Waltz.” And the music keeps coming. She continues to perform more than 30 shows each year, and her latest CD, Country In My Heart, features a duet with country superstar and fellow Okie Vince Gill on “Sweet Home Oklahoma.” She and her husband, Jerry Filicotto, split time between homes in San Diego and Bath, N.H., where they operate a maple syrup business called Hilltop Farm.

Q Was the original Walking Tall movie a true story, or Hollywood fiction?
—Walter Watkins, Greenville, Miss.

Hollywood took a few liberties with some of the details, but otherwise the 1973 movie was an accurate depiction of Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, who almost single-handedly cleaned up rural McNairy County from rampant corruption in the late ’60s. His real-life exploits needed little embellishment—he was shot eight times, survived seven knife wounds, fought off six men at once (sending three to jail and three to the hospital), smashed more than 100 moonshine stills and once hopped onto the hood of a speeding car, smashing through a side window and subduing the man who was trying to run him down. He died in 1974 when his Corvette veered off the road, hit an embankment and burst into flames. His amazing story became the subject of the original movie and two sequels, an early ’80s TV series and a 2004 Hollywood remake starring wrestler-turned-actor The Rock.

Q I’ve watched General Hospital since the early days of Luke and Laura and think Tony Geary is one of the best actors in the business. What can you tell me about him?
—Kathy Adams, Orlando, Fla.

Single and never married, Geary, 61, spends seven months each year in Los Angeles filming General Hospital, then returns to his home in Amsterdam. “It’s the most liberal place in the world,” he says. “I’ve always been at odds with the conservative.” If Geary, a native of Coalville, Utah, comes away with his sixth Daytime Emmy Award on June 20, he’ll break his current tie with All My Children’s David Canary for the most Outstanding Actor honors. In addition to his three-decade association with the daytime soap series, he’s also starred in more than 50 stage productions and appeared in nearly 60 different TV shows and movies.

Q I have heard they are making a movie based on the old television show Get Smart. What became of Don Adams, the star of the original series?
—Ricky Naismith, Palestine, Texas

Adams died at 82 of lymphoma and a lung infection in 2005. The role of bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart, which he made famous, is played by Steve Carell, star of TV’s The Office and the movie Evan Almighty, in the new big-screen comedy adaptation of Get Smart, in theaters June 20. Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) plays Agent 99, Maxwell’s partner in espionage, originally portrayed by Barbara Feldon.

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