Ask American Profile 8/30/2009

Strawberry Alarm Clock, Charlie Chan, Candace Cameron

Q Whatever happened to the '60s group Strawberry Alarm Clock, and how did they get their name?
—Mark Lester, Wooster, Ohio

The psychedelic band, best known for the 1967 hit single "Incense and Peppermints" and their East Indian wardrobe, didn't have a name until after they'd recorded that song. "'Strawberry Fields Forever' was one of my favorite Beatle songs," explains original member Mark Weitz. "We took the word 'strawberry' and tried to hook it up to a second word. The room was quiet and this old alarm clock's hands scraped on its face, and the guitar player Lee Freeman looked at me, and simultaneously we said, 'Alarm clock.' And that was it." The band reunited in 2007 and is currently in the studio with several original members, including Weitz. They can be seen on the recently released DVD Love-In, which also features musicians Peter & Gordon, Jesse Colin Young and drummer Buddy Miles.


Q How many actors played Charlie Chan over the years?
—James Jackson, Hillsboro, N.H.

When you consider the foreign film versions and TV, there have been at least 10 actors that portrayed the Chinese-American detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers. The most famous were Warner Oland, who made 16 Chan movies between 1931 and 1937, and Sidney Toler, who starred in 22 films from 1938 to 1946. Roland Winters and Peter Ustinov also played Chan on film, while J. Carrol Naish starred in the 1957 TV series, and Ross Martin took on the role for a 1973 TV movie.     


Q What has happened to the actress who played D.J. on the TV series Full House?
—Allison Scott, Victorville, Calif.

Candace Cameron married former pro hockey star Valeri Bure at age 20 and left the spotlight to raise their three children, Natasha, 11, Lev, 9, and Maksim, 7. Only recently has she returned to acting. In the new ABC Family series Make it or Break It, she plays the girlfriend of one lead character's dad. "There are a few things I really love about this show, and one of the things is that it's such a large cast and I don't work every day, so I'm still at home a lot," says the actress, 33, who cherishes her memories of working on Full House.

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