August 10 – August 16 (2026)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

These fezzes were worn by Stan and Ollie in the movie “Sons Of The Dessert.” With them are the new Laurel & Hardy figures made by Wandering Planet Toys. Amazing that these still exist!

As I watched “Diamonds Are Forever” on the plane on the way to Chicago, I loved hearing the catchy theme song sung by Shirley Bassey. MAN they wrote some awesome Bond themes back in the day!

Monday the 10th – PHONE “PHUN”: PART 1! – If you remember from last week’s Wally’s Week, while my flip phone had put in years of good service, it was time to change it out. The USB-C power port had gotten clogged with junk over time and I could no longer seat the power cord into the phone to charge it. And it was losing power fast. I was down to about 60% battery, with no way to charge it back up. Over the weekend I got on Amazon and ordered two back-up batteries, a charger, and the latest model of the same phone. Now it was just a waiting game for everything to get here. Luckily the batteries were due to arrive today. So I headed to my box to pick up the two new batteries, and I also got the Captain Kirk tunic I ordered from a guy on Facebook. He announced that he had an amazing warehouse find of several tunics from the Anovos company in brand new condition. I leapt at the opportunity and purchased the XXL Captain Kirk tunic. Since it was a size larger than I need, I can easily have it tailored to my current measurements. The Kirk tunic I had made back in 2005 had been tailored for my recent Captain Kirk life-size figure (as was my Spock tunic), so I wanted to have a tunic that could fit me today. The likelihood that a tunic that was made for me over 20 years ago would still fit was wishful thinking anyhow. But this would ensure that I had a suitable Kirk tunic on-hand for any occasion. (In fact, I liked the quality of it so much, I contacted the guy and bought the Spock XXL tunic he had as well. While I’m having the Kirk tunic tailored to fit me, I might as well have the Spock tailored at the same time.) I also got a power cable for my computer, but once again, Amazon sent the wrong cable for the power supply in my new computer. This is the second time they sent the wrong one. I went over to Verizon to tell them about my phone issue, and they (naturally) couldn’t help me. They don’t do any repair or have any tools to try and dislodge the junk in the USB-C power port, so I was out of luck. In fact, while they DO sell this particular phone through special order, they don’t even carry it in the store. They DID say, however, that when I got my new phone in – they could activate it for me immediately. NEAT! On the way to their store I passed a place that I had read about on-line called Pixel Patch Repair. I headed over there to see if they could offer some sort of short-term fix for my issue. I talked to the owner Carlos (a VERY nice guy!) and he put it on his bench and looked it over with his high-powered microscope. He said that there was a considerable amount of metal shavings at the bottom of the port. Over time, as the power cord is plugged in and unplugged constantly, some of the metal in the port breaks off due to age and use. There wasn’t anything he could do to clean it out. I told him I was getting a new phone tomorrow, but I needed to keep this one charged a while longer. I also told him I just acquired two new batteries that I could use to swap out to keep it going. But he said new batteries are sent in transit at only 20-30% power. Rats. Then he said, “Hold on a second.” He disappeared into the back room and returned with a small box. He said that when he bought the business several years ago, there were a couple of odd pieces hanging on the display rack that he wasn’t quite sure what they were. But he thought they may solve my problem. Come to find out it was a small battery charger with moveable contacts that would accommodate virtually any battery for a camera or (at that time) a phone. I pulled out one of my new batteries that I had just gotten in the mail, he lined up the moveable contacts on the charger to align with the contacts on the battery, popped it in, and VOILA! I was in business! WOW! He didn’t even know what to charge me for it, since they weren’t a common item. He said, “How about 10 bucks?” I said, “GREAT!” Very cool. As I always say, “There are no such things as coincidences!” I was on my way to Wienerschnitzel to get lunch when I got a call from my eye doctor’s office. My trial contact lenses had come in. So I decided to head west, instead of east, and go pick them up. While I was in the area I’d hit In ‘N’ Out for a burger and fries instead. Which is exactly what I did. I’m going to try the contact lenses out to see if I like them. I used to wear contact lenses back in the “old days,” until I got Lasik surgery in 1997. For 25 years my long-distance vision was perfect. But Lasik only lasts about 20 years, so while my long-distance vision is still pretty good, I still need a little help with glasses. So, it’s back to contact lenses again. I’ll only use them for special occasions when glasses aren’t suitable. I drove back home to do some work, prepped some MP4 movies for my upcoming airplane trip to Chicago for Fan Expo, and pulled some fabric from the storage in my garage. Years ago I had bought a bunch of fabric that would be good for Star Trek pants. I had two pair of pants made for my Kirk and Spock life-size figures. Come to find out I still have 2 yards left. And after talking to my old friend Kathy Pillsbury (who made my Kirk and Spock tunics and pants originally) she said that should be enough for a new pair of pants. Though she hasn’t sewn in a long time (she’s focusing on other endeavors now) she said she does occasional sewing jobs for friends. She said she’d be glad to make me another set of pants! COOL! Unfortunately, the Star Trek knee-high boots I used to use no longer fit. As leather shrinks over time, they were a little bit tight on my feet. But since I’ve been doing my regular WOGs (walk/jogs) for the past couple of years, the boots would NOT zip up over my monster calves. So…I need to get a new set of boots made somewhere. I rested for a bit, and then typed out Wally’s Week. Whew! What a day!

Tuesday the 11th – PHONE “PHUN”: PART 2! – My pal Chris Malmin and I met at Paty’s to have some lunch on the patio, and then I went to my box to pick up my new flip phone. I headed over to Verizon to get it activated, but they said their system had been down all morning. The clerk said he would call me when it was back up so I could come in and get activated. So I decided to go get the Gray Ghost washed to kill some time. I still hadn’t heard from Verizon, so I went home to do some work. Then I got the call that the system was back up and working. I sped back to Verizon to get activated and get going. Luckily the two batteries I recently bought will also work in this new model, so I have plenty of back-up options for the future. I’ll just use my old phone as a drive in case I need anything transferred over. The Micro SD card in my old phone was transplanted into my new phone so all of my contacts, photos and music were present in the new phone. Slick! But as soon as I was activated the clerk went back to surfing the internet on his phone. I asked a couple of questions and all he said was, “I don’t know. We don’t sell that phone in the store.” I said, “Well, since you’re on the internet, could you look it up.” He said nothing and just continued surfing on his phone, seemingly disinterested in being of further service. I said, “Am I keeping you from something?” He quietly said, “No.” I looked at his shirt and he was wearing a company pin that said “Every customer. Every time.” But his attitude certainly wasn’t consistent with that motto. Very strange. So much for going “above and beyond.” I was prepared to tip the guy 20 bucks, but after getting that attitude of indifference I kept my money and walked out. Sheesh. The crap that passes for customer service these days. Especially with a certain generation. Ugh. I took my new phone back home and sat down to set my preferences. I‘m glad to finally have this crisis behind me. Now I can focus on heading to Chicago this Friday! I recorded my auditions, worked around the house, took my nightly WOG, spent some time outside enjoying an iced tea in the quiet night, came inside to make a salad, and watched an episode of “High Chaparral” before bed.

Wednesday the 12th – TOO CLOSE! TOO CLOSE! – After dropping off some mail at the post office, I went over to my box to pick up some packages. Amazon sent me the wrong computer cable AGAIN! That’s the third time they screwed up! Since I was cheated out of Wienerschnitzel on Monday, I headed over there to get some chili cheese dogs with kraut to go for lunch. I went to CVS to get some supplies for the weekend’s trip, got a few groceries, and then went home to put everything away. I did my auditions, relaxed for a bit, and then later I started doing a little packing. I took my nightly WOG and was having a great time enjoying the quiet night. But as I strolled through the complex I happened to look down to my left and I saw a SKUNK sitting in the grass. I was literally 3 feet from him…closer to a skunk than I EVER want to be! I made haste and got away, and it didn’t seem like the skunk was even aware that I was there, luckily! Yikes! The critters you meet at 3 in the morning! I didn’t spend much time in the anti-grav chair, as it was overcast and very humid. I got back inside and started packing. I made a pot pie and watched the final episode of “High Chaparral’s” second season. I love this show!

Thursday the 13th – A TRULY BEAUTIFUL DAY! – In the early afternoon I awoke and got on the phone with my computer guy Brian. He walked me through a few things he needed to do remotely to get my back-ups going again on my new computer. Then I did a little last-minute packing, loaded up the Gray Ghost and headed down the freeway to Petrelli’s Famous Steaks in Culver City. Whenever I have a flight out of LAX I’ve developed a new routine. First, I drive down to the west side of L.A. (near LAX) the day before my flight. At dinner time I visit a great steak place that I used to patronize all the time when I lived in Culver City. I have a delicious dinner (a double filet mignon!) and then check into a Hyatt hotel that’s literally five minutes from the airport! Getting a room there the night before a flight is TOTALLY worth the cost, when you weigh it against the stress and hassle of trying to get down the freeway in time to make your flight on the day of travel. This way I check in to my room, relax, have a nice enjoyable evening, and take the hotel shuttle to the airport the next morning, and I’m there in five minutes. Nice! The gal at the front who checked me in (Stephanie) was very nice, and she saw that I’ve been a Hyatt points member for a long time. (Thanks to all those stays in Palm Springs and Sioux Falls!) She gave me my key for a room on the 14th floor, and when I walked in I couldn’t believe my eyes. She had given me a CORNER SUITE! It was GORGEOUS! Membership has its privileges, apparently! My gal Angi drove over so we could hang out, since I hadn’t seen her in quite a while. Not only had she been traveling extensively, but she came down with the flu and had been dealing with that. But we had a lovely night, and the nice thing was…my flight to Chicago the next day wasn’t very early in the morning, and it was direct! No more getting stranded at my connection point, like last month in Dallas!

Friday the 14th – TECHNOLOGY HATES ME! – It was really nice to be able to sleep late and not have to get up at the crack of O-dark-30 to make my plane. I checked out at 11 and got to the airport by 11:15am. My flight was set to take off around 12:45pm. I got settled on the plane and just before they closed the cabin doors I noticed a guy that came onto the plane and sat a few rows ahead of me. I thought, “Man that guy has great hair! Silver. Thick. Amazing for a guy his age.” I saw a passenger bring up their phone to take a picture of the guy putting his luggage in the overhead bin. I just figured that person was also impressed with the guy’s hair and had to get a picture. But when the silver-haired gentleman got seated and looked out the side window…I realized. OH MY GOSH! IT’S KURT RUSSELL! I knew that Kurt was going to be appearing at the same show I was in Chicago, so it made perfect sense. But WOW! Kurt freaking Russell on my plane! It was great that nobody bothered him at all, and he read his newspaper in peace the entire flight. Unfortunately, when I went to plug in my Bose noise-cancelling headphones, they were dead. I figured the battery had been drained…so I put in a new battery. Nope. No go. I tried another battery. Nope. RATS! Perhaps a battery had exploded at one time, and there was some corrosion in the battery compartment. NOW what do I do for four hours? I turned on my iPod and it was completely drained of power. But it was fully charged when I left the house! What the heck!? The guy in the seat next to me sensed my problem and offered a spare pair of earbuds that he had gotten from the airline on a previous trip. Lifesaver! Luckily I was able to fire up my tablet and watch most of “Diamonds Are Forever” during the trip. When we landed in Chicago we had to stay on the tarmac for a while. As the pilot explained, the tug that was there to pull the plane away from the gate that we were supposed to use had malfunctioned, and until they could get a new tug on site to pull the other plane away, we had to sit on the tarmac. Luckily I didn’t have a connecting flight, but I could feel the tension of other passengers who did have tight connections. I felt their pain. First it was 15 minutes. Then it was a half hour. Then it was 45 minutes! GOOD GRIEF! I looked up and saw Kurt Russell quietly reading his newspaper and thought to myself, “I’m in the new Snake Plissken sequel…called “Escape From This #%$#)(%* AIRPLANE!” Once we got to the gate I let those with tight connections get off first, and then I walked off. I was directly behind Mr. Russell. I noted that he walked like a movie star. Adam West had the same kind of walk…straight, tall, shoulders back…elegant. It must be on-camera actor training. But as I was right behind him, I could see the faces of the people in the terminal who noticed him as he walked by. It was pretty cool. Nobody pestered him, but there were a lot of “Hi Kurt” and “Oh my gosh” reactions. Kurt’s a HUGE movie star, and everyone knew who he was. It kinda made me appreciate being an anonymous Voice Actor who could just slip quietly through the terminal and head to the baggage claim area with nobody noticing. As I waited for my baggage on the carousel I didn’t see anyone there to meet me. All of a sudden I heard, “Are you Wally Wingert?” I turned and met my contact, a friendly guy named Andy. He ushered me to my transport to the hotel…a black SUV driven by a nice gal named April. She opened the back door for me to get in and I said, “Can I ride up front with you? I like to see the sights.” She said, “Sure!” During trips like this I like to chat with the driver and get to know them and ask them questions about the things we’re seeing. Sadly, the trip to the hotel from the airport was really, really short. But it was fun anyway. I got checked into the Westin and found my room to drop my bags. Then I headed downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant to get a delicious burger and fries! I bought some snacks and supplies at the gift shop and headed upstairs to prep for a fantastic weekend!

Saturday the 15th – FAN EXPO CHICAGO: DAY 1! – It’s uncharacteristic for me to get to a convention early, as I like to arrive a little bit later when everything is in full swing. But I was so excited for this show I actually got there early…around 9:15. The show opened for VIPs at 9:30, and to the general public at 10. I got set up at my table and one of the first people I ran into was the great Keith David. I told him about our Voices Against Cancer charity in Sioux Falls and that we’d love to have him, and he seemed really interested! Wouldn’t THAT be amazing?! The activity at my table was non-stop all day. I saw my friend Kentaro Ito, the original Japanese voice of Renji Abarai from “Bleach” (I’m the English voice) and gave him a hug. He was seated right next to me, cleverly enough, as many people wanted us both to sign their Renji items. Ito San and I did a photo op together at a certain point and it was great fun. Then, back to the table. A young lady and her father approached my table and explained that they had driven all the way from Virginia just to meet ME! This kind of news always blows my mind. She was in a cool Arkham Asylum Riddler cosplay and I spent a good deal of time chatting with them. I asked them if they were busy for dinner later and if they wanted to grab a bite after the show. If so, I asked them to come to my table just before the show closed at 6. If somebody’s going to drive all that way to see me, I’m damn well going to buy them dinner at the very least! Ito San and I had a joint panel about “Bleach” later in the afternoon. But about 10 minutes in some guy brought in a crying baby. The baby continued to cry throughout the remainder of the panel, much to everyone’s chagrin. Obviously the father of the baby wasn’t there to see the panel, he just wanted to get the baby somewhere so he could attend to it. But in his rudeness and lack of awareness and concern for others, he kept the crying baby in the back of the room and it was pissing off the audience who wanted to hear what we had to say. It was made more complicated by the fact that Ito San spoke in Japanese and his comments were being interpreted by his wife Karen. It was very rude and annoying for this guy to keep that crying kid there. The moderator quietly told me he was texting security to have the guy removed, but nobody showed up. How unfortunate. How can people be so clueless and careless?! At the end of the show I headed back to the hotel to rest. I saw Christopher Lloyd walking around in the lobby. Surreal! Sammy and her dad arrived around 8:30 (they had a car) and drove me to the local pizza place so we could get some deep dish Chicago-style pizza. We had a great time chatting and laughing. Great people! They dropped me back at the hotel and I went upstairs to pack up to head out the next day. Since I was only there for two days of the three day convention, it was a quick turnaround.

Sunday the 16th – A VERY TOUGH SUMMER FOR AIR TRAVEL! – Once again I was all packed up and got to the convention early. One reason was that I needed to get to John Carpenter’s table to have him sign my original 1978 “Halloween” one-sheet movie poster. It’s filled with a ton of signatures from the actors in the film (including Jamie Lee Curtis!) but I wanted the horror master himself to sign it as well. I had purchased the autograph ticket on-line, had my code printed out, and I was ready. Ashley from Celebworx knew Mr. Carpenter’s representative, and he said he could get me in and out first thing so I could get back to my table. Sure enough, I was first in line. Mr. Carpenter pulled up on his rascal scooter and sat down at his table. I unfolded the poster and his rep said, “WOW! A real collector’s piece!” Mr. Carpenter asked where I’d like it signed and I said, (in true ‘movie speak’) “Above the title, please.” He signed a simple “JC” in the space above the title “Halloween,” and I felt like my piece had been blessed by the master. I thanked him and headed to my table with Ashley. FANTASTIC! Even though I do these shows as a signing guest, don’t forget that I’m still a collector too! Though it was a bit slower than Saturday, as Sundays usually are, I met some great people. There was the lady who wanted a Renji picture signed for her boyfriend who was in prison. She told an amazing story of how they met, and what the current situation is, that had everyone else in line enraptured. I love meeting people at these shows and hearing their stories! Since my flight back to L.A. was scheduled to leave O’Hare at 4:45 I thought I’d have to leave around 2:30. But I got a text that said my flight had been delayed to 6pm due to bad weather that was affecting incoming flights. So I hung around until about 4 instead and got to meet more people. By the time I got to the airport and got checked in, the flight had been delayed even further. First 6:45. Then 7. Then 7:15. By the time we got in the air it was 7:45, a full 3 hours later than our scheduled departure time. It’s been a very tough summer for air travel, and I’ve rarely seen it worse. Between weather problems, equipment problems, stalled tug units, staff issues, etc. – it’s been awful. But, at least I didn’t have a connecting flight. Actor Karl Urban had been at the show, and he was on my flight. I know his work as Dr. McCoy in the “Star Trek” reboot that happened a few years ago, but other than that I’m not familiar with his other stuff. But when you see him in person he’s very striking. He’s one of those people that when you look at him, you just know he’s an actor. And from all accounts, he’s a very nice guy too! On my flight I watched “Monty Python and The Holy Grail” with a pair of headphones I bought in the hotel gift shop. The first pair I bought at the gift shop weren’t working properly. The left speaker was dead. Luckily I checked them out before I left the hotel and exchanged them. But I was tired and I had very little voice left after the weekend. When we finally landed, and I got my baggage, I went out to the curb to find the shuttle back to the parking garage. Oddly enough, Megan and Jonah, two of the flight attendants on my flight, were also on the shuttle. Megan has been a flight attendant for 3 years, and she joined the airline after 12 years in the Air Force. She retired as a Captain. (I just love talking to people and finding out about their lives!) I got to my car and headed home. I was exhausted! I unpacked a little bit and relaxed. What a day. WHAT A WEEKEND!

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK