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Mr. Whipple, John Denver & Kris Kristofferson, Carl Smith

I can remember a commercial when I was a child about Mr. Whipple saying, “Please don’t squeeze the Charmin.” Did he ever do any other commercials or any other acting and what is he doing nowadays?
—Linda S., Kentucky

Dick Wilson, who played Mr. Whipple, is now 87 years old and retired, and still receives regular delivery of his lifetime supply of Charmin. Though he was a busy character actor for years, appearing on TV shows such as Bewitched and McHale’s Navy, and in the films World’s Greatest Athlete and The Shakiest Gun in the West, he’ll always be Mr. Whipple to the Baby Boom generation that grew up with him. Last year, in conjunction with the first TV Land Awards honoring classic TV, viewers of the nostalgia channel TV Land named the Mr. Whipple spots Best Retro TV Commercial. Wilson starred in those memorable commercials for more than 20 years, until 1985. “People say to me on the streets, ‘Hey, don’t squeeze the Charmin!’” Wilson told a reporter in 1995. “I tell them, ‘Hey, you can squeeze whatever you want.’” He came back for a series of new ads in 1999 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the squeezable toilet tissue.

My friend and I have a little bet going about John Denver and the date he passed away. I say it was after 2000 and he says before. Also, I say Kris Kristofferson wrote and sang Me And Bobby McGee and he says Janis Joplin did it first. Could you help us out with this? Somebody is going to have to do 100 pushups.
—Edward T., Texas

How about 50 push-ups each? You’re both right and wrong. John Denver, the singer known for such hits as Take Me Home Country Roads and Rocky Mountain High, died in 1997 at age 53 when the small plane he was piloting crashed in Monterey Bay, Calif. That’s one correct answer for your friend, but you’ve got the right history on Me and Bobby McGee. Kris Kristofferson wrote the song, which was a country hit for Roger Miller in 1969, and included it on his 1970 debut album, Kristofferson. Janis Joplin recorded it for her 1971 album, Pearl. It was her only No. 1 song, but she died from a drug overdose before she got to see that success.

I watched the CMA Awards last year and was pleased to see that my all-time favorite country music legend Carl Smith was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. What is he doing now?
—Sarah J., Wisconsin

Smith is married to country music singer Goldie Hill, whom he wed in 1957. They live on their quarter-horse ranch south of Nashville, Tenn., and have three children—Lorri Lynn, Carl Jr., and Larry Dean. Smith and his first wife, the late June Carter Cash, were married from 1952 to 1957 and had one daughter, singer Carlene Carter. Smith, who was born in Maynardville, Tenn. (pop. 1,782), recorded hits such as Let’s Live a Little, Hey Joe!, and Mr. Moon. The singer, who was known for his good looks and country love songs, sold flower seeds to pay for his first guitar and mowed yards to pay for the lessons. He was a regular on the Grand Ole Opry before leaving in 1956 to try his hand at acting, appearing in two Westerns. He later co-hosted ABC-TV’s Four Star Jubilee. From 1964 to 1969, Smith hosted 190 episodes of his own Carl Smith’s Country Music Hall on Canadian television. His singles on Columbia Records continued to chart through 1973.

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