Perhaps unintentionally, paternity issues resurfaced in the other comic war horse in the set, a spoof of "Pennies From Heaven," again with lyrics by Eddie Jefferson.

These were usually to do with infidelity and/or paternity issues, but other subjects covered included troublesome teenagers or surprise family reunions.

Even when the narrative loses momentum, as happens when it is wading through complicated paternity issues, Walters's characters vibrate with the envy and spite of their pent-up grievances.

But as the trial continued yesterday, the transcript of Tuesday's sessions and the judge's ruling demonstrated how legal jockeying over the paternity issue, which began even before the trial, has gone on unabated.

The Chinese understanding of zoology is that mother turtles are always fooling around, so this is a way of raising the paternity issue.

DNA was used for the first time just six months ago, in a complicated rape trial in which the criminal charges trumped the paternity issue.

Mr. Rale, Ms. Smith's lawyer, said the paternity issue would be addressed at a court hearing on Friday in Los Angeles.

Adoptions, women who married and changed names, and paternity issues can also throw a spanner in the works.

The judge, Barrington D. Parker Jr., agreed to question potential jurors on their attitudes about paternity issues.

Judge Barbara S. Jones has excluded testimony on the paternity issue, ruling that it was irrelevant to the extortion case.