Talk:Ron Randell

Latest comment: 3 years ago by Nickm57 in topic Claims of War Service

Yacht wreck edit

If my memory serves me well, I recall that either Ron Randell or Laya Raki (or, maybe, both of them) were involved in a yacht wreck in the far north of Australia. I remember that there was some considerable fuss in the press at the time. I can not recall whether the fuss was simply due to their "celebrity" or whether there was some controversy involved with the circumstances of the event or the seaworthy status of the yacht. Perhaps someone with a better memory, or more detailed reference resources, can clarify this.Lindsay658 22:48, 19 April 2007 (UTC)Reply

Did he actually marry Amanda Blake? edit

I'm doubting he ever married Amanda Blake. Her page says nothing about it, and neither does either his IMDb page or hers.

  • Here's a newspaper article from March 1951, saying they were to be married in Mexico. But there's nothing saying they actually went through with it, or about any subsequent divorce.
  • In September 1952, he became engaged to Marie Keith. In June 1953, they divorced; Amanda Blake was described there as his "former fiancee", not his former wife. This strongly suggests that they changed their minds and did not marry. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 20:09, 4 October 2011 (UTC)Reply

Robert Clarke edit

So... RR died on the same day as someone who was in a film with him 53 years before. Is there some connection? Were they friends? Is this anything other than a coincidence? Otherwise its just mind-numbing trivia with no reliable source. Nickm57 (talk) 09:31, 2 January 2018 (UTC)Reply

Claims of War Service edit

One of the problems in depending only on contemporary newspapers accounts for WP is that they are not always accurate. There's no reliable evidence Randell had any Australian Army service, other than passing references in two lightweight magazines listed here. But it's not verifiable anywhere else. He is not listed anywhere in the WW2 nominal role or in the Australian Archives, which should verify this. If he had TB as is claimed, he would not have been enlisted in the Army at all - which might have been the problem. He certainly did head to the Mayo Clinic in the US in June 1943, but the San Francisco Examiner for October 21 and 27, 1943 notes him appearing on stage in the play "Mr and Mrs North" (not the film). I suggest the section as it stands misleads readers and be deleted, or at least reworked. Nickm57 (talk) 07:56, 11 July 2020 (UTC)Reply

Which I have now done, as well as making some corrections (eg being the youngest of three, his father being an accountant etc). His familial connection to William Richard Randell (1824-1911) and William Beavis Randell is real but I'm not sure how this distant connection helps the reader understand Randell, so I deleted it. Randell was undoubtedly a determined self-publicist, which may be why he was so sensitive about not serving in the military. His two brothers did serve, as verified by the WW2 nominal roll. Nickm57 (talk) 05:53, 13 July 2020 (UTC)Reply
It's actually still quite difficult to read this article, heavily dependent as it is on Randell's own publicity and lists of things he didn't do.Nickm57 (talk) 23:45, 20 August 2020 (UTC)Reply