Ron Randell

            On Saturday morning I almost finished editing “J'ai pleuré le Yang-Tsé” (My Tears Flood the Yangtze) by Serge Gainsbourg on my Christian’s Translations blog and I should have it published tomorrow. 

            I played my Martin acoustic guitar during song practice for the first of two sessions. 

            I weighed 86.8 kilos before breakfast. 

            My upstairs neighbour David came by to show me a Pentax camera because I’d told him I was looking for a camera. But he didn’t know about the video capabilities or the quality of the microphone. He wanted to give it to me but I have enough cameras for shooting pictures alone. I want something I can use for both pictures and videos that are of a higher quality than the Nikon Coolpix that Nick Cushing gave me. I find sometimes the videos seem out of focus on the one I’ve been using. 

            I discovered that the big beautiful cast iron casserole pan that I found yesterday is too big for my oven. I’ll hold onto it though in case I get a bigger stove down the road. The one I have doesn’t always work properly. 

            Around midday I went to Vina Pharmacy and picked up my Betaderm prescription. Then I went to No Frills where the red grapes were on sale. I bought seven bags. I also got two packs of raspberries, some bananas, a strawberry-rhubarb pie, cinnamon-raisin bread, two packs of naan, mouthwash, Basilica sauce, a jug of orange juice, and a container of skyr. 

            I weighed 87.7 kilos before lunch, which is the heaviest I’ve been at midday since April 14. I had saltines with five-year-old cheddar and a glass of raspberry lemonade.

            In the afternoon I took the tonga drum that I gave my daughter when she was two along with me on my bike ride just in case the African drum shop would be open on the way home. After riding to Yonge and Bloor and went down to College and then west to The Urbane Cyclist where I asked about trailers for my bike. This was the sixth place I’d tried and the only place that has trailers in stock. They had two kinds at the same price of $400: the solid flat kind and a folding model called a Burley Travoy that works better for me. It can also double as a hand truck and I could probably strap a shopping basket to it and so it’s very convenient. I bought it and it cost about $450 after tax. I didn’t really notice it while driving and was worrying that I’d lost it except when I was going past some construction cones and could feel the trailer wheels hitting them. 

            I stopped at the African Drum shop and finally found it open. Sékou explained that he was away at the end of last summer and that’s why I kept finding it closed. He said he’ll repair my drum for $50. I’ll pick it up next week. 

            I weighed 86.7 kilos at 18:15. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 19:45. 

            I was going to work on making a video for my August 29 song practice electric performance of “Joanna” but contrary to what I thought, that date is not synchronized on Movie Maker. Since I’ve already got an acoustic version on YouTube and since I don’t think that song sounds as good on the electric, I decided to work on the electric take of “Joanna Dancing” from September 3, which is already in Movie Maker. I made a project called “Joanna Dancing (Electric) and eliminated part A of that day’s song practice, then I worked on synchronizing the audio and video. I’ll continue that tomorrow. 

            I made pizza on naan with Basilica sauce and five-year-old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching season 1, episodes 23 and 24 of Bewitched. 

            In the first story Samantha’s neighbourhood desperately needs a traffic light on its busiest corner. The community organizes and has a rally at the school, inviting the mayor. But the mayor says the city’s policy is to only install traffic lights where there are a significant number of accidents. As the meeting ends, Samantha arranges for Endora to zap the mayor’s limousine so it won’t start. Samantha comes along and fixes it, then asks for a ride. The limo gets stuck in traffic and that same corner that is under discussion and he realizes that it needs a traffic light. 

            In the second story Samantha takes Endora to show her the mortal sport of bargain hunting. But then Samantha is challenged by the fact that she has to do the marketing while she is at the same time scheduled for a dress fitting. Endora offers her help by changing her own form to that of Samantha and goes for the dress fitting in her place. On the way there she meets an author named Bob Frazer who is in the store signing his book on Helen of Troy. When he sees Samantha he puts on the charm and Endora responds positively. They end up going out together four nights in a row with Endora still taking her daughter’s form. Then one day when Samantha is in the store Bob comes up behind her and nibbles on her ear. She slaps his face. Then she realizes that her mother has been seeing this man while looking like her. When she talks with Endora about it and her mother tells her his name is Bob Frazer she realizes that Bob is Darrin’s old friend and he’s coming over for dinner. Endora keeps her lunch date with Bob as Samantha and tells him Darrin is her husband. But he asks her to tell him she loves Darrin but she is unconvincing when she tries. Bob comes over to Darrin and Samantha’s place and tells Darrin that he’s fallen in love with the woman he’s been seeing and it’s Samantha. Darrin and Samantha talk alone and she explains what happened. Then Endora shows up, still in Samantha’s shape and Bob is told that Samantha has an identical twin. Endora has promised Samantha that she will break up with Bob. This episode really showcased Elizabeth Montgomery’s acting talents. She imitates Endora’s vocalizations and body mannerisms wonderfully. 

            Bob was played by Ron Randell, who started out acting as a teen on the radio for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He made his stage debut in 1937 and worked with the same company for several years while also acting in war propaganda films. He starred in the Australian movie Southern Cross. He was a fighter pilot during WWII for the Australian air force and shot down five Japanese planes. He moved to Hollywood and co-starred in It Had to Be You. He starred in Bulldog Drummond at Bay, Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back, The Lone Wolf and His Lady, The Shark God, and Most Dangerous Man Alive. He co-starred in Make Believe Ballroom, Tyrant of the Sea, Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard, China Corsair, The Mating of Millie, The Sign of the Ram, Captive Women, Desert Sands, Frontier Scout, Bermuda Affair, It’s a Great Life, and Savage Pampas. He starred in the British TV series O.S.S.