Is Abdul her birth name or stage name?
Q: When I was a kid, I loved when Senor Wences appeared on a TV show. One of his characters was a childlike face drawn on his hand, with his index finger being the upper lip and his thumb the lower lip. He attached a longhaired wig and placed his hand atop a headless doll, creating a delightful image. Another character was a gruff-speaking head in the box; the communication was a short, ‘S’awright’? he would ask as he opened the lid. The dummy would answer ‘S’awright’ as Wences slammed the door shut. OK, here are my questions. Senor Wences spoke with a heavy accent. Where and when was he born? What were the names of these two characters? ‘ E.W., Laredo, Texas
A: Senor Wences entered the world on April 17, 1896, as Wenceslao Moreno in Salamanca, Spain. Apart from being an excellent ventriloquist, his comedic timing was perfect. He was able to quickly change his voice between Johnny’s falsetto to the gruff-speaking Pedro. Senor Wences died in 1999, three days after his 103rd birthday.
Q: Paula Abdul is one incredibly talented lady. Not only is she hosting one of America’s favorite TV shows, ‘American Idol,’ she is an award-winning singer and choreographer. She is an acclaimed dancer and, if I’m not mistaken, she’s also a jewelry designer. Wow, I get tired thinking about it. Here are my questions: Is Paula Abdul her birth name or stage name? When was she born? Was she once a cheerleader for a professional sports team? ‘ W.A., Akron, Ohio
A: Born June 19, 1962, in San Fernando, Calif., Paula Julie Abdul performed as a cheerleader for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s.
Q: I don’t know much about baseball’s Hall of Famer Honus Wagner. What can you tell me about him? I love his first name, Honus. Who was he named after? ‘ I.H., Manchester, N.H.
A: Also known as ‘The Flying Dutchman’ because of his speed and his German heritage, Johannes Peter ‘Honus’ Wagner (1874-1955) broke into the majors with the Louisville Colonels (1897-1899) and then played with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-1917). His lifetime batting average was .329, and he stole 722 bases. In 1936, he was one of the five original members of baseball’s Hall of Fame, receiving the second-highest vote total behind Ty Cobb and ahead of Babe Ruth. As for the nickname ‘Honus,’ it evolved from ‘Hans,’ the name his mother called him in childhood.
Q: ‘The Abbott and Costello Show’ was a half-hour TV sitcom, starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. I think the show aired during the early 1950s. There was one character, an obnoxious little boy wearing a silly suit, who always annoyed me. Do you know who I mean? ‘ L.M., Jackson, Miss.
A: The sitcom aired from 1952 to 1954. Comedian Joe Besser (1907-1988) played Stinky Davis. Since Besser was born in 1907, he played a 40-something kid on the show. Dressed in a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit, he became famous for his outbursts of ‘You crazy, youuuuuu!’ and ‘Not so faaaaast!’ He went on to play one of the Three Stooges and later became a regular on ‘The Joey Bishop Show,’ another situation comedy.
Q: It took a couple of years to get this 50-year-old-plus body into shape. In my gym, they use mostly Nautilus or Nautilus-type exercise machines. How long has Nautilus been around? ‘ V.P., Nogales, Ariz.
A: Arthur A. Jones (1926-2007) first sold his Nautilus exercise machines in 1970. In 1986, he sold Nautilus and started MedX Corp., a company that made equipment for testing human strength, endurance and range of motion. He sold that company 10 years later and retired an extremely rich man.
(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at [email protected] or c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016)