Reader Complains of Stumbling in the Dark

Carole Kretschmar of Pacific Palisades wants to get hold of a battery-operated night light that can be attached to a wall with a suction cup. There is no electric outlet where she needs illumination, and she just broke a toe in the dark hallway. Can you light up Kretschmar’s night life, or will she really have to be on her toes before she’s up against the wall?

Robert Hahn of San Simeon has been unable to find a fireplace gas key in the shape of a zebra-- even in San Simeon, where zebras run loose on the Hearst ranch. Can you strike a spark of hope in Hahn’s heart, or will he not find the key to this puzzle and have to settle for a horse of a different color?

Helen Sheely of Temple City is looking for an Orthopod exercise system , which she claims is good for a bad back; but so far she has been unable to locate one. Can you help, if only to get Sheely off our back, or will her search for better health end up only as an exercise in futility?

Joseph Manfredi of Ojai is interested in a local source for an after-shave lotion called Barber Shop Bay Rum . Can you help Manfredi save face without giving him any lip, or will it be impossible to hold him at bay before, in desperation, he tries some real rum?

Lois Gaines of Palm Desert has a 4-year-old granddaughter in New Zealand who fell in love with E.T. and wants an E.T. doll. Neither New Zealand shops nor most American stores carry this item any longer. Would you like to get an “E” for effort while making Gaines happy, or will her granddaughter have to come down to earth after a fruitless extra-territorial search?

Reader-to-Reader-Help Line: Gail at (213) 692-8339 would love to replace mugs and plates of the “Once Upon a Time” series, each with a nursery rhyme scene (Humpty Dumpty, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, etc.); her set was lost in the Whittier quake, and the company that made them is no longer in business. See what you can do to make life more bearable for Gail; after what she’s been through, she deserves a fair shake. . . . Mildred at (818) 249-4833 is interested in metal hair curlers of all sizes; the item has not been seen in stores for about five years, she says. How about calling Mildred--and offering to send her enough curlers to make her hair stand on end? . . . Speaking of hair, Carol at (213) 431-7687 is after some hair-coloring shampoo called Roux Tone and Tint . She says it was sold in beauty salons only, but no one in her area seems to carry it any more. Please do something before Carol loses many more gray hairs over this dilemma. . . . Betty at (213) 670-5412 would be delighted if she could find a Flexi Flyer again and give it to her grandchildren. This was like a sled, with wheels, and was made about 30 years ago. If you could do some wheeling-dealing and supply Betty with one of these, she would absolutely be flying high with joy.

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

Jerry Donin of Pomona, who was looking for somebody who makes custom neckties, didn’t have to stick his neck out very far to get some sources, even though he may have to travel pretty far to fulfill his wishes; both suppliers are located right in Los Angeles. Byllee Cravats, 8323 W. 3rd St. (not far from Farmers Market, though) makes custom ties. A bit farther west, Gary R. Fisher of Zantar Design Concepts, 1801 S. Bentley Ave., (213) 473-8979, says he has designed neckties for a number of political and show business personalities and would be happy to do the same for Donin.