Dave Willock

            On Wednesday morning I finished working out the chords for “Physique est sans issue” (The Physical is without Issue) by Serge Gainsbourg. On Thursday I’ll run through singing and playing the song in French and English and if everything is okay I’ll upload it to my Christian’s Translations blog. 

            I played my Kramer electric guitar during song practice for the second day of two. On Thursday I’ll begin a four day stretch of playing my Martin acoustic. The Kramer had been perfectly in tune for a couple of weeks but since the heat’s been on it has needed tuning before each session. I continued to work on learning to play my song “Vomit of the Star Eater”. I changed one chord. I’m just focusing on the first verse and chorus until I learn it because it still cuts into my practice time. 

            I weighed 85.6 kilos before breakfast. 

            Steve from Orkin pest control came and once again the landlord gave me no warning. It was just a follow up inspection after last month’s treatment. I told him that I’ve found on average a bedbug a day since he was here last. He found three live ones to the left of the old exit door at the head of my bed.

            Around midday I went over to Mobil Computers to talk with Tony about my CPU fan. I haven’t been there in years. He said he would have time to look at my computer if I bring it by on Friday. He said if the problem is the fan they might not make that kind anymore. 

            I weighed 85.6 kilos before lunch. I had Triscuits with five-year-old cheddar and a glass of limeade. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and on the way back I stopped at Freshco to buy toilet paper. 

            I weighed 85.9 kilos at 17:30. 

            I was behind on my journal because on Tuesday night I got sleepy while writing my review of Green Acres. I wasn’t caught up until 19:23. 

            I reviewed my song practice performances of “Time of the Yo-Yo” and “Le temps des yé-yé” from August 10 to 16. I played “Time of the Yo-Yo” on August 10, 12, 14, and 16. I played it with the acoustic guitar on August 10, 12, and 16. On August 10 the take at 8:00 was pretty good but there was traffic noise. On August 12 the take at 7:30 was pretty good but the lighting was bad. On August 16 the take at 10:00 was great, it looked good and I was expressive but there was traffic noise. On August 14 I played it with the electric and this was the best of the electric ones in English so far but there was traffic noise. Of “Le temps des yé-yé”, I played it on the acoustic on August 11 and 15. On the 11th the take at 5:30 was great in look, performance and expression but there was traffic noise. On August 15 the take at 8:45 was pretty good but there was traffic and bad light. On August 13 I played it with the electric but there was traffic noise. 

            I converted the 1913 silent film Race for a Life from MP4 to WMV. On Thursday I’ll convert the 1917 silent film Teddy at the Throttle. 

            I made pizza on naan with Basilica sauce, a cut up slice of ham, and five-year-old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching season 1, episodes 12 and 13 of Green Acres. 

            In the first story Eb announces during a rainstorm that Eleonor the cow is pregnant. Lisa puts a comforter on her, holds an umbrella over her and finally lets her spend the night in their kitchen. Eb warns that if Haney, the one who sold Eleonor to Oliver, finds out about a calf he may lay claim to it. He won a similar case in court because all of the county judges are his relatives. So Oliver hides it from Haney and buys a cradle from him as a distraction. But Haney misreads the purchase and spreads the rumour that Lisa is pregnant. Oliver’s mother Eunice tries to reach him at Sam’s store but Joe Carson answers and gives her the news. Eunice rushes from New York to Hooterville with an obstetrician. The doctor delivers the calf. At the end of the story Alice the hen has chicks. 

            In the second story it’s Oliver and Lisa’s anniversary although he doesn’t remember how many years they’ve been married. Lisa shows Eb last year’s anniversary photo and it shows she and Oliver in jail. She tells the story and we see a flashback. Lisa is wearing a beautiful red gown and they are getting ready to go to an anniversary party being held at the Waldorf. But just before leaving, Oliver checks on his little terrace farm and discovers that his corn is infested with corn borers. Now he refuses to leave for the party because he needs to nurse his crop. Eunice arrives and when she learns Oliver’s reasons for being late she starts to angrily throw his potted plants off their penthouse balcony. Oliver and Lisa are arrested. Back in the present day, Oliver arranges to spend their anniversary at the Shady Rest hotel. But before that can happen Eb shows him that he caught a wheat stem saw fly and if there are more he can say goodbye to his crop. Oliver calls up the Department of Agriculture but gets the secretary who dismisses his claim. Oliver says the whole valley might be wiped out so the head man better call him back or else. The secretary takes this as a threat and Oliver and Lisa end up in jail again. We learn that this was their tenth wedding anniversary. 

            The secretary was played by Dave Willock, who started acting in college. After graduation he went on the Vaudeville circuit with future star Jack Carson as the comedy song and dance duo Willock and Carson. They transitioned to radio in 1938, first appearing on Bing Crosby’s Kraft Music Hall. He then became a writer and co-star on The Jack Carson Show. His first movie role was in Good Girls Go to Paris. He played supporting roles in several Jerry Lewis films. He played the father of Davis and Crawford in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? He was the narrator of The Wacky Races cartoon show.