Sniffing Out a Favorite Fragrance From France

With spring in the air, Lola Adams of Los Angeles is looking for an eau de toilette called One Man Show, made by Jacques Bogart in Paris. Since it was a gift, Adams has no trail to follow, and the various department stores she has investigated have turned up their collective noses at her request. Can you help, or will Adams be forced to raise a stink over the lack of a French connection?

Lois T. was delighted as long as she was able to purchase Warner’s Get Moving bras, Style 1015. According to her, they did not “ride up.” But that particular item seems to have been phased out, and our reader has not been able to find anything that suits her. She would like to find a new source, or else a suitable replacement. Can you help, or will Lois be forced to sue someone for nonsupport?

Gertrude Kopp of Beverly Hills is searching for a service that embroiders monograms on men’s handkerchiefs. When she lived in the Philippines, she had no difficulty finding somebody, but now she has a pocket-size problem lining somebody up. Can you help initially, or will Kopp be convinced that this matter is nothing to sneeze at?

Eleanor Taylor of La Crescenta would love to find a vinyl Vagabond golf bag, which is a lightweight bag with only one pocket. She says the vinyl is easier to clean than the new plastic bags. Can you help, or will Taylor have to realize that another round of disappointments is just par for the course?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: John at (213) 869-4994 needs four-channel quadraphonic tapes for his four-channel tape player. Because the four-channel system never caught on, he says, large stocks of selections were not made available. Please help, because John is getting tired of going through channels in his search. . . . Gladys at (818) 242-8290 is trying to replace a Swanson built-in toaster that came with her 20-year-old house. The manufacturer is no longer in business. No other built-in toaster fits that particular space, and a different model would entail much rewiring and retiling. Please help, so that Gladys will no longer have to stare at a hole in the wall.

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items and for products that are no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that other readers may contact you directly.

H. Bogue of Ventura, who was looking for a comb-brush combination with teeth instead of bristles, can stop tearing his hair out. Cele Schreiber of Goleta says the Goody line of combs has one, No. 7103, that folds in. She also saw what Bogue is looking for in a nearby Target store.

Verna Scratch of Hollywood, who was looking for Argo starch, can start washing her dirty linen in private soon. Although not all major chains carry the product, Scratch should not gloss over Ralphs. Jeanette Guthrie of Downey, Bill Umhoefer of Hollywood, Cynthia Hilson of Los Angeles and Richard Fraenkel of Thousand Oaks say they bought the product at a Ralphs store; what’s more, it’s in the same red box that it has always been in, and it costs about 68 cents. Ida Stonish of Van Nuys says the Argo starch is available also in several Hughes markets. If Scratch feels like taking a ride to Woodland Hills, she can find the starch in Franklin’s Hardware, 21936 Ventura Blvd., according to Jacquelyn Hill. And Esther Blanke of Brea reports that Longs Drug Store in La Habra carries the product. We even had two readers who were willing to let Scratch have a box of Argo starch, but in view of the general availability, we see no need to bother them.

A few weeks ago, we held out little hope for Harold Blackmore (and a few other readers), who seemed stuck in a trap in their search for a miniature golf bag that is used as a pencil holder. But thanks to V. B. Eddas of Alhambra, everybody can start from scratch, because we have a source for the genuine article. The latest catalogue of Taylor Gifts, 355 E. Conestoga Road, P.O. Box 206, Wayne, Pa. 19087, lists the item (No. 8479) at $13.98 plus tax and shipping.

Last week, when we reported on Lillian Siegel’s search for a cardtable extender, we listed mostly mail-order sources. In the meantime, Mel Schaeffer of Diamond Bar writes that the table-linen department at the May Co. has the extensions through the same company that makes pads for dining-room tables. The item is round, folds in the middle for easy storage and costs $49.95.

Herb Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who have--or need--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.