TV Actress not 'Boyz' mom

Q. Did Tasha Smith of the recent Tyler Perry movies "Daddy's Little Girls" and "Why Did I Get Married?" play the role of Ice Cube's and Morris Chestnut's mom in "Boyz n the Hood"? If not, who did play that part? I say she was the mom, but my daughters seem to differ.

A: Because they are correct. Tyra Ferrell played Brenda Baker in that 1991 film, not Smith.

Q: I remember a soap opera from the 1970s called "The Doctors." It seems like the regulars included some actors who became fairly famous, including Armand Assante, Kathleen Turner and Kathryn Harrold. My friends think I am making this up, as none of them remember the show.

A: "The Doctors," so named as to erase all confusion about its subject, ran on NBC from 1963 until 1982.

James Pritchett played one of the central characters, Dr. Matt Powers, for the entire run of the series. Other main characters included Dr. Maggie Powers (played originally by Ann Williams and later by Bethel Leslie and Lydia Bruce); Dr. Althea Davis (played by Elizabeth Hubbard for most of the show's run) and Dr. Mike Powers, played by all kinds of people, including Assante.

Turner played Nola Aldrich in 1978-79, and Harrold played the same role from 1976 until '78.

Other soon-to-be notables in the cast were Alec Baldwin (Billy Aldrich, 1980-82), Jonathan Frakes (Tom Carroll, 1977-78) and Ian Ziering (Erich Aldrich, 1981-82).

Q: I'm trying to find out the name of the father on "Dennis the Menace."

A: Dennis Mitchell's father is named Henry, and his mom is named Alice. Herbert Anderson played Henry on the sitcom version, which ran on CBS from 1959 until 1963. Robert Stanton played Henry in the 1993 film.

Q: I am trying to get more information about a documentary film I saw many years ago on PBS. It featured many vignettes about the Kalahari Desert, including a hilarious clip about elephants (and maybe some monkeys, too) that got drunk on some fermented fruit that had fallen from a tree. The whole film was great and I'd love to see it again. Is it on DVD?

A: Sounds like the 1974 documentary "Animals Are Beautiful People," directed by Jamie Uys, who also gave us "The Gods Must Be Crazy." It's on DVD.

Q: When I was in my teens in the early 1980s I remember seeing a movie about a guy with what I think was a vintage Willys coupe. He went around the country racing but got into some trouble along the way. I can't find any info on it. Can you tell me the title and if it's on video?