Sunday, March 17, 2024

It's a Great Day for the Irish

Started off my St. Patrick's Day with Colliers Harvest of Holidays. They only have one story for the holiday, but it's a biography of Patrick himself. I didn't really know much about him until I read this, other than he drove the snakes out of Ireland. He started on the Scottish coast as a slave, but fell in love with Ireland and its people and returned there after he studied to be a bishop. Patrick not only drove out snakes, but the druids and their magic as well. I also did the short version of Darby O'Gill from the Disney Stories from Other Lands anthology, which is really just his encounter with the leprechauns.

Switched to the fourth season of Happy Days while having breakfast. "Joanie's Weird Boyfriend" is a member of a tough local gang she's hoping to join after a St. Patrick's Day party at Arnold's in an attempt to prove to her parents she's not a child anymore. Turns out their initiation is not only more than she can handle, it doesn't thrill Richie or Fonzie, either. Fonzie calls in Carmine "Big Ragu" Ragusa from Laverne & Shirley to help them deal with the jerks.

Joanie's not the only one who spent her St. Patrick's Day trying to prove how adult she is. The Care Bears are called to Earth when a cloud of uncaring spreads across Earth. Grumpy is tired of only helping people in bad moods and wishes he could help, too. After he finds a wish-granting four leaf clover, he uses it to defend Care-a-Lot from No Heart, until he runs out of wishes. He then has to prove to No-Heart and a little boy named Alvin that "Grumpy's Three Wishes" aren't all it takes to be a hero.

Headed off to work after that. Other than watching a short presentation on the computer late in the day and sweeping spilled cherry tomatoes outside, I spent almost the entire shift sweeping or pushing carts outside. At least it's still a nice day for it at this point. It was warm and sunny, though not warm to the point that it was earlier in the week, probably in the lower 60's. I was in and out with no real problems.

Tonight's Match Game marathon started almost as soon as I got home. Ate dinner while watching "The Ladies of Hollywood," which I suspect was his Women's History Month theme. It kicked off with effervescent legend Rita Moreno hosting a question on a 1980 episode. Country comedy favorite Minnie Pearl is probably the best lady who only played one week. I really wish they got her back from the Grand Ol' Opry again. She was charming, funny, and a darn good player. I'm not sure beloved Broadway star Ethel Merman really got the humor, but she played very well. 

Glamorous Eva Gabor, on the other hand, usually got the humor, but didn't always have the best answers. She was such a sweetheart, and a real trooper, too. The episode they have for her refers to the time she hit her toe on a guy's foot and took the nail off, and she still played. Suzanne Somers was at the height of her popularity on Three's Company in 1977 when she became the only person from that show to appear on the original 70's-80's run. Cuban bombshell Louisa Moritz is best-known for starring in the Oscar-winning One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and her appearances on Match Game (and her very brief tops) could be equally wild. 

Oscar winner Patty Duke was mostly doing TV shows when she appeared on Match Game, including the syndicated episode here. Though her battle with bipolar disorder sometimes showed in her lackluster or manic performances, she looks like she's having a lot of fun here. Likewise, Connie Stevens was another sweetie from the 60's who made frequent appearances in syndication and also battled bipolar. Phyllis Diller would remain a favorite in comedy clubs and on TV until well into the 90's. She did a few weeks in syndication, and I wish she'd come earlier in the 70's. She's an absolute riot, probably one of the funniest ladies to sit in the fourth "ingenue" seat. TV favorites Arlene Francis and Lee Merriweather also did well in the fourth seat. 

Celebrate Women's History Month with some of the finest ladies of Hollywood in the 1970's and early 80's!


And here's hoping you also had a bright and sunny St. Patrick's Day, lads and lasses!

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Luck of the Match

Began the morning with breakfast and the first half of Top O' the Morning. I go further into this comic thriller with Bing Crosby as an insurance investigator joining Irish cop Barry Fitzgerald to find the stolen Blarney Stone at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.


Headed off to work before the movie ended. The store wasn't really busy, but the floral department was. While the floral manager blew up balloons, I trimmed bouquets, dropped them in buckets, and set them out in the floral department. After she left, I added more streamers to the balloons she blew up earlier to make them "deluxe." 

I just wish I was better at talking to people. I don't know what to tell them when the floral department manager isn't there. I'm still nervous about blowing up balloons, and I don't know how to handle complaints. One lady fussed over wanting a rose in a vase that was in perfect shape, with a perfectly tied ribbon rather than the partial loops we're supposed to make with the satin ribbon. People come in asking for ribbons to add to their bouquets and to blow up balloons that aren't even ours. I stammer and stutter and have no idea what to say. 

I was still pretty annoyed with that lady later. After I finished the balloons, I had just enough time to make one of those single roses in a vase with rocks on the bottom. I even did it in yellow to replace the one she'd whined about. And yes, I tied the most perfect darn bow I could manage. Grabbed a half-off loaf of Irish Soda Bread on the way out. 

Wanted to stop at Heartbeat Nutrition in Oaklyn on the way home for a milkshake. Turns out they're now open every day except Tuesday and Wednesday, but only until 3. I ended up back at a busy Common Grounds Coffee House to try something else off their March menu. The elderflower chai did taste of flowers and spice, but it was otherwise way beyond too sweet! Way too much honey or agave sweetener, I think.

Soon as I got home, I opened a huge box I found on the porch this morning. I hadn't ordered anything. Turns out it's my Easter present from Mom. She sent me a big box of breakfast goodies from an online company called Wolferman's Bakery. It came with a small Lemon Raspberry Bread loaf, a bag of blueberry English muffins, two big cranberry scones, and enormous cinnamon rolls that could be used as flotation devices if we get any more torrential storms. I'm going to be having some great breakfasts for at least the next two weeks. I texted her soon as I opened it and thanked her for the wonderful gift!

There wasn't much around for dinner, so I changed and went back out. Grabbed a tilapia sandwich with fries and a can of Diet Pepsi from Crown Chicken and Gyro around the corner on the White Horse Pike. It was only about quarter of 5, so they weren't busy other than one guy with a towering head of braids eating at a table.

Went home and ate while watching the rest of Top O' the Morning, then took a shower. Finished the night back at YouTube with the Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. It was all about the luck of the draw as we saw contestants who had extremely lucky wins, or brought something with them for good luck. In addition to the lady from the Buzzr episode earlier in the week who brought that Buddha statue, Gene took a 2 dollar bill from a lady who brought that for luck. An especially pretty young woman brought a tiny bear. 

Of course, luck comes in other forms besides physical talismans. Sometimes, contestants on the show just got plain lucky. More often than not, Richard Dawson was involved. As one young woman pointed out, she and her friends pretty much believed Richard was psychic...and considering some of the answers he managed to pull off the top of his head, I wonder if they might have something. There was also the episode of Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour where the contestant chose Nancy Stafford, who just happened to have the big 30 to give her 30,000. 

Discover all the ways you can get lucky in this winning marathon! 


Ended the night celebrating St. Patrick's Day and the start of spring on Tuesday with Lawrence Welk. Welk was German, but several of his singers had Irish heritages, and even those who didn't could pull off an Irish ballad or two.The entire crew started off with "It's a Great Day for the Irish" from the Judy Garland vehicle Little Nellie Kelly. I like Bobby Burgess and Barbara Boylen doing a charming Irish reel and Mary Lou Metzinger and Jack Imel telling one and all "If You're Irish, Come Into the Parlor."  Joe Feeney specialized in Irish ballads like "Dear Land Across the Irish Sea." I have no idea why they had Norma Zimmer sing "Hi Lilli, Hi Lo," which is actually from a movie set in France, not Ireland. Ava Barber's "Harrigan" and Anacani's "Shamrocks, Shelailghs, and Shenanigans" made more sense. 

The other big event this week is the spring equinox. Lawrence Welk honored the return of warmer weather with this 1977 episode. Feeney returns here with "The Sweetheart Tree." Tanya Falen sings about how "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year." Kathie Sullivan also has a sad lament, "Spring Is Here." Arthur Duncan's flying feet remind everyone to "Keep Your Sunny Side Up," while Mary Lou, Gail Farrell, and Sandi Griffiths are "Walkin' In the Sunshine." The ladies join Jimmy Roberts as he sings about "Springtime In the Rockies." Roger Williams was the special guest this week and got to play two of his biggest hits, the out-of-season "Autumn Leaves" and the somewhat more appropriate "The Impossible Dream." 

If you're Irish, German, or anything in between, come into the parlor and enjoy the start of Spring and St. Patrick's Day weekend with Lawrence Welk and his musical family!

Friday, March 15, 2024

It Might as Well Be Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Pups Save the Bunnies" who are invading Farmer Yumi's carrots. Skye becomes quite attached to them and insists on finding them a place to live that's away from the farm. Katie wants to take a pup to the "Pup-tacular" Dog Show, but they all get called away to save Mayor Goodway and Chickaletta when they're stranded at sea in a rowboat. The only one left is Rocky, who needs to get over his fear of water in order to be scrubbed for the show.

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while making my grocery list. Dan and the kids at school love their class pet, Snowball the Bunny, and are upset when Teacher Harriet accidentally lets him out of his cage. They get the entire neighborhood "Looking for Snowball" and learn about the importance of working together and asking neighbors for help. "Daniel's Neighbors Help" when first his mother gets sick, then him. Lady Elaine takes him to and from school and brings the Tigers chicken soup. X the Owl loans them books to read. Miss Elainia and her dad Music Man Stan brings Dan get well soon cards from school.

Checked my store apps to make sure I had all the online coupons I needed, then headed out to do my grocery shopping. I began at Target, dodging high schoolers off for lunch. I had an online coupon for TreSemme and for Nature's Valley vitamins. I just finished the shampoo; stocked up on conditioner, too. Got multi-vitamins and fish oil vitamins, but bought B12 instead of D, which is what I meant to get.

Did better at Sprouts. Decided to try the Bobo's Dipp'd bars in chocolate and peanut butter, since they were on sale. The lumpy Gold Nugget oranges were still 4 for $1; this time, I got five. Picked up the usual coconut milk, too. Found cranberry-orange mini-scones on a manager's clearance. I also got to sample a slice of Irish Soda Bread with cinnamon, cream cheese, and toasted coconut that was delicious.

Headed down the hill next, past the library, McDonald's, and Haddon Township High School to the Westmont Acme. I mainly needed apples and yogurt. Dannon Light n' Fit was on a decent enough sale for a 4-pack. Grabbed two more from Chobani. Picked up two Easter cards for Mom and for Rose and her family and a gift card for Mom's birthday. The bag of Honeycrisp apples wasn't on sale, but it was cheaper than weighing them. They were out of the cheaper mozzarella I've been buying for a snack. I ended up with one that was still on sale, if slightly more expensive. Had online coupons for Kind bars and one of the big cake slices. They had a rainbow cake with vanilla buttercream frosting that seemed a bit less huge than usual. 

Rode home on the street alongside Newton Lake Park. Though there were people jogging or walking dogs, I could see that much of the pathway was still flooded from the brief rain we had last night, and likely from all the rain we've had in the past few weeks. It looks beautiful, with buttercups lining the banks and buds on many trees, but it's too messy to ride on. I was worried about the weather, too. It was much windier and cloudier by quarter after 2 (though it never did rain), and a bit cooler. 

Put everything away when I got home, then went straight into a peanut butter and apple butter sandwich lunch and Let's Make a Deal. Things started out better this time, with a couple dressed in Tyrolean lederhosen and a peasant dirndl doing well on a guess the item's price game until the last item. They were smart to take appliances, since they were way off on the last price. A jester who won appliances earlier in the game joined them for the Big Deal of the Day. Neither of them got the big deal, but the jester did get some cookie jar money, and I don't think the Tyrolean couple were complaining too much about their living room furniture and TV.

Went online for my schedule next week and to put in for my birthday off. In good news, four days off, Tuesday for a dentist's appointment, Friday for the Rowan job fair. However, I also have the least hours I've gotten in over a decade, no floral department work, and two early days in a row. 

Switched to doing job research while running the remaining first season episodes of F-Troop. I had no idea until today that the set I bought was missing the 5th disc. I ended up doing the 6th one by default. "Johnny Eagle Eye" is a sharpshooting teen Native (Paul Peterson) who is five times better than anyone at Fort Courage. O'Rourke enters him in a shooting contest...until he realizes that he's the son of Sitting Bull, and the winner of the contest will be the bodyguard to the president.

"A Fort's Best Friend Is Not a Mother" when Parameter's mother (Jeanette Nolan) arrives from Philadelphia. She immediately starts bossing everyone around in the hope of getting her son promoted. O'Rourke and Agorn try to scare her off, only for her to insist on taking her son from this wild town.

O'Rourke isn't happy when he's chosen to take an officer's training course. Putting "Lieutenant O'Rourke, Front and Center" means he won't be able to run O'Rourke Enterprises. Agorn tries to get him out of it, then make sure he isn't promoted.

The Hikawis are the ones who are worried about "The Day the Indians Won." If they don't actually fight someone, they'll get kicked out of the Council of Indian Nations. Parameter and the troops at Fort Courage offer to let them win and make it look good for the Council.

The town drunk returns in "Will the Real Captain Please Stand Up?" He so badly wants to impress his daughter, he tells her he's the captain of F-Troop. The others try to sober him up long enough to look like a real officer.

Switched to Vega$ next. Country star Ginny Gordon (Ronee Blakeley) nearly lost her career to drugs and alcohol. She's trying to make a comeback, but a series of "accidents" are starting to look like suicide attempts. Dan believes she's too dedicated to her "Second Stanza" to end it all and suspects there's someone else at work here, especially after his friend Doc Severinsen (himself) reminds him that singers often sell more dead than alive...

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Marcia Wallace kicks off the first episode admitting that people complained about all the sleeveless and off-the-shoulder outfits she wore. She has no problems showing off those shoulders later during a question! In the second episode, everyone admires a small Buddha statue a lady brought with her for luck.

Finished the night at Tubi with the second Librarian film. The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines. Flynn Carson (Noah Wylie) wishes his mentor Judson (Bob Newhart) would take him more seriously and his mother (Olympia Dukakis) would stop treating him like a child and throwing women at him. He gets a chance to prove how adult he is when his apartment is ransacked. The only thing missing is a scroll he got in the mail earlier in the day. 

Turns out, it's a map that leads to King Solomon's Mines. There's a book in the mine that gives the user unlimited power over time and space. With the help of Emily Davenport (Gabrielle Anwar), who has more degrees than even he does, and native Jomo (Hakeem Kae-Kazim), he searches across Tanzania for the lost mines, dodging General Samir (Erick Avari)  and his men. He keeps running into his Uncle Jerry (Robert Foxworth), a friend of his father's...and it's not coincidence, as he knows the truth about Flynn's late father, how he died, and who he was really working for.

Just as good as the first one, if not better. I like that the stakes are a little more personal for Flynn this time. It's not just an artifact; it's a part of his family legacy. On the other hand, this being a TV production tends to show more with the very obvious projected backgrounds in the jungles and the mines. If you can handle the cheesy effects and like your action on the light side, you'll want to check this out.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Spring Fever

Began the morning with breakfast and the second season (er, helping) of Green Eggs and Ham. Sam is dying to know "The Mom Identity." His only clue is the green eggs and ham she made for him. After Guy's new invention shop explodes, he and E.B join him in East Flubria to find her chicken factory. They do manage to find the factory, then Sam's childhood home...but his mother has moved out. Turns out Sam's mother is doing work that's far more dangerous - and important to two warring countries - than working at an egg factory...

Thankfully, Karen is feeling much better, well enough for us to get together this morning. I'm getting worried, and Karen's boss is getting upset. I should have found a job by now, but I still really don't know what I want to do. I feel terrible about it. We finally applied for an editing job with the American Association for Cancer Research. Having lost my father, my stepfather, my uncle, and my first stepmother to cancer, that is something I feel strongly about. 

Went upstairs briefly to grab my purse and a bag and check something online, then went right back out. It was too nice to be inside all day. The sun was out, the sky was a searing deep blue, and the wind had gentled down to a breeze. It's supposed to drop back into the 40's by next week, so I wanted to enjoy the weather while I could. 

Made a quick stop at the Westmont WaWa for money and a Propel, then headed a block down to Samaritan Thrift. They were busy with ladies on their lunch break looking for cool and inexpensive stuff. I didn't have nearly the luck I have the last few times I came here. Found a pale blue lace-trimmed shirt with a K-Mart label. I may never see one of those again. Also picked up two 25 cent Easter cards for Mom and Keefe and Lauren and her parents.

Had lunch across the street at Que Ricas, the Venezuelan sandwich shop. Decided to try "the Shaggy" arepa, shredded chicken with grilled plantains, fried queso blanco, tomatoes, and cilantro sauce. Oh, yum! It was absolutely delicious, especially that fried cheese. Had it with a bottle of Coke Zero.

Headed a block down to Phideilty Records after lunch. They were a lot quieter than the mob at Samaritan across the street. I only saw one other woman, and she was looking for rap or reggae albums for her boyfriend in Brazil. No DVDs this time, but I did pick up six records (four from the one and two dollar bins) and a CD. 

Made my way down Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike to Haddon Heights next. Despite it being almost rush hour and most of the local kids having just gotten out of school, I thought it would be faster to stick to the main roads. I pulled in at Station Avenue Antiques around 3 PM.

Sometime in the eight months since I last visited them, Station Avenue Antiques started selling records on a large scale. They now had their own racks of newer records and boxes of older ones for a dollar. Dug a record out of a dollar bin and a more expensive one from the bin with the soundtracks, but didn't get anything else here. Had to dodge a lot of people here too who were out strolling or on their way back from work.

My finds today were:

The soundtracks from Roller Boogie, Sweet Charity, Reveille for Beverly, and Jam Session (the last two share a record)

The World of Swing, a two-disc Columbia collection of swing numbers, some of them obscure now.

Two K-Tel collections, Expressions and Top Star Festival

The Stylistics - The Best of the Stylistics

Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians - New Year's Eve with Guy Lombardo

Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain, the lone CD 

Headed down West Atlantic Avenue in an attempt to avoid the rush-hour traffic. I forgot East Atlantic is the street that goes under King's Highway and did have to cross there. Rode over the train bridge into Oaklyn to avoid the same mistake. 

Common Grounds Coffee Shop in Oaklyn was also very busy with families taking their children to dance classes or kids out of school looking for a more substantial treat than ice cream. I did see that Phillies Yummies had opened for the season, but despite the nice day, I wanted something stronger myself. Ended up with a Shamrock Mint Matcha (mint matcha green tea with milk) and a raspberry cream cheese "chuffin," a cinnamon roll baked in a muffin tin. Yum! The tea was wonderful, just minty enough, and the the chuffin was sweet and moist.

The floor show was pretty cute, too. There was this adorable red-headed toddler boy in a plaid shirt and suspenders who had too much energy to sit down. He jumped about and observed everyone around him, including me. He even called me pretty. Toddlers have exceedingly good taste nowadays.

Went straight into Girl Happy when I got home. I go into further detail on this Elvis vehicle about him chaperoning Shelly Fabares during spring break in Ft. Lauderdale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.


Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Robert Walden of Lou Grant and Judy Landers from the first season of Vega$ really upped the attractiveness quotient this week. Gene starts off by praising Charles, maybe a little too much, while Charles introduces Brett as Arlene Francis for some reason. There's also the contestant in the wild blue and white plaid jacket who is a real Renaissance man, and not a bad player, either. 

Finished the night with the Roller Boogie soundtrack while I worked on the Girl Happy review. As I discovered when I reviewed it back in September 2021, this movie has some really good songs for a disco roller skating musical.  My favorites are Cher's opening number "Hell On Wheels" and Earth, Wind, and Fire's huge hit "Boogie Wonderland." Other good songs you can partner skate to include "Good Girls" by Johnny Coolrock, "Evil Man" and "All For One, and One for All" by Mavis Vegas Davis, and "Takin' Life Into My Own Hands" by Ron Green. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Some Sunny Day

Started off the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures. "Petey O' Pete" is embarrassed when he cranks up Clarabelle's blender too high and it flies away, so he joins the gang's Irish-themed race to win the Pot of Gold. His attempts to cheat at every turn throw off everyone but Clarabelle, but all that gold may turn out to be a lot more foolish than he thinks. "Daisy Does It!" when she rushes to set up the county fair. Cuckoo Loca reminds her why it's important to take your time and follow directions.

Headed off to work soon as Daisy ended, stopping briefly to drop Kelly's birthday card in the mail. For once, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. It was absolutely gorgeous today, sunny, breezy, and in the 60's when I went to work. We weren't busy and the carts weren't bad, but I stayed out with them as much as I could get away with. I did sweep, gather trash, and brought a leaky pack of water to be disposed of, but I mostly stayed with the carts and enjoyed the spring sunshine.

Took the long way home after that. There were electrical vans on Nicholson, and the traffic was moving slow as molasses. I ended up cutting down Market Street in Audubon and over the train bridge into Oaklyn. They were quiet as can be, even on the White Horse Pike.

Watched Let's Make a Deal as I changed and got organized. The show didn't begin well. I came in just as three dealers in a row were zonked. Things picked up considerably from there. A lady dressed as Oscar the Grouch became one of the few people to win big on the Door 4 Wheel. Another wearing a pith helmet kept turning down boxes...until she picked the right one and won her entire deal, plus money. Two "Native" maidens and a scarecrow all picked up cash. The Native ladies turned their money in at the end for the Big Deal. One went home with a fat piggy bank. The other won a gorgeous living room set for her and her fiancee. 

Went back out soon as the show ended. It was just too nice to stay inside all afternoon, as I originally planned. Bought two soft pretzels from the pretzel shop on the White Horse Pike and strolled down Bettlewood. There's a low stone bench in the park, etched into the hills surrounding the back paths. I enjoyed my snack there, feeling the fresh breeze on my face and letting the sunshine warm my nose.

Walking through the park was far less of a picnic. Though it's starting to look like spring, with green grass and buttercups lining the banks, it's still slippery as heck back there. I had to carefully make my way around at least three spots of thick, black mud. After the third, I figured the park hadn't dried well enough for strolling yet. I took a set of stairs back up the hill between two houses and onto Oaklawn Avenue.

Ran the rest of F-Troop disc 4 after I got home. O'Rourke's attempt to "Go for Broke" in a crooked poker game ends with Fort Courage losing its pension money. Wrangler Jane corrals her wanna-be inventor cousin (George Gobel) to help get it back.

"The New I.G" (Andrew Duggan) has a fancy new rifle that he claims can take down any Native tribe. What he doesn't realize is the Hikawis would rather bargain than fight. O'Rourke and Agorn rush to warn them about his surprise attack and make sure they're prepared.

"Spy, Counterspy, Counter Counterspy" goes into the territory of the other genre spoof sitcom of the time, Get Smart. Everyone at Fort Courage is thrilled at first to test a secret weapon, sent directly from the government. A nasal-voiced spy who insists he's a master of disguise (Pat Harrington doing a very bad Maxwell Smart) arrived and claims a pretty lady is a traitor who is after the weapon. It isn't until Agorn tries to seduce the lady that they figure out who the real traitor is.

Inspired by the Hikawi's steam baths, O'Rourke sets up a steam room at the Officer's Club. Trouble is, Parameter has been patrolling it. He and Agorn try to instigate "The Courtship of Wrangler Jane" in order to get Parameter married and out of the Officer's Club...and then has Agorn court Jane to make Parameter jealous.

After doing some job searching, I worked on writing for a while. Charles is the one who figures out how to wind up Nip-Tok. He admits that his springs aren't what they used to be, which is why he's not out with the rest of the Army. Besides, he digs the Wizard. At least, the stories he's heard about him. 

Broke for dinner and Match Game '77 at 6:30. Dick Smothers and soap star Meg Bennett joined in this week, the latter to advertise a special featuring the CBS soap stars of the time, Getting to Know Us II. They all have a hard time with "Havana ___" on the Audience Match.

Let it run into Match Game Syndicated while I ate. The first episode featured Debralee Scott giving an answer to "Coco __" that seemed to make sense at the time, but didn't turn out to be the winner she thought it was. It was probably the only time on the entire run of the show that Gene actually won a bet on the Audience Match. He has less luck untangling his microphone cable from Bill Daily.

The next episode is another favorite from the syndicated run. Charles appears in the contestants' desks in the opening, claiming they make more money and he can finally get away from Brett. The others have more fun with their answers to "__ Cones" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night at Tubi with The Librarian: Quest for the Spear. I found one of the Librarians books, The Librarians and the Lost Lamp, at Dollar General last week. Since I'm enjoying that, I thought I'd go back to the beginning and give the original films a shot. Flynn Carsen (Noah Wylie) has been in school for over a decade and has many degrees, but no practical field knowledge. His professor and his mother (Olympia Dukakis) insist he find a job and get into the real world. 

Flynn receives a prestigious invitation to be interviewed for a job at the Metropolitan Public Library. Turns out that job entails a lot more than shelving books. There's a magical underground annex at the Library where precious objects from literature are kept. It's the Librarian's job to find these objects and make sure they're safe. On Flynn's first day, the Library's heavy security is breached by a group known as the Serpent Brotherhood. They stole a piece of the Spear of Destiny, the magical artifact that pierced the side of Jesus. Now Flynn, with the help of his Guardian Nicole Noone (Sonya Walger), has to find the other pieces, before they fall into the hands of the Brotherhood and their mysterious leader (Kyle McLachlan).

Oh boy, was this fun. Wylie is having a ball as the geeky knowledge nut who finally finds a way to use those decades' worth of degrees. I also like Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin as the two older members of the Library who introduce Flynn to its world. Check out Newhart taking on an entire horde of Brotherhood goons on his own! If you love comic action stories or lighter Indiana Jones-style tales, you'll want to join Flynn on this wild adventure through literary history. 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Spring Has Sprung

Began a late morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse after I finally got my TV signed back into Disney Plus. The gang is excited to find out where "Minnie's Rainbow" leads. Donald just wants that fabled pot of gold. Pete the Leprechaun is determined to make sure they don't find his loot and tries to lead them down the wrong path.

Switched to Press Your Luck while I got organized. This one was all about the guys. The lady didn't get much money in the first round and kept hitting Whammies in the second. The guys ran into their fair share of Whammies as well. It looked like the younger former football player was going to Whammy out, but he got $2000 that put him back in the game. The other got two Whammies in a row, before landing on a London vacation in the last second that put him over.

Headed out after Luck ended to run errands on the White Horse Pike. Started at Dollar General first. I didn't see the conditioner I wanted there, and their vitamin bottles were tiny and overpriced. I did pick up Easter gift bags for the kids, cards for my mom and my friend Kelly's birthdays this month, and a get-well-soon card for poor Karen. Didn't find anything I needed at Family Dollar. 

Got a treat at WaWa. I wonder if they're celebrating an anniversary this year, since their spring drink theme seems to be "birthday cake." I got the vanilla birthday cake smoothie and a soft pretzel. The smoothie was basically a vanilla smoothie with a slight buttery flavor topped with cake sprinkles. Not bad, but not "cake," either. Grabbed two Coke Zeroes for later today and tomorrow. 

It was too nice of a day to go home right away. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the wind that blasted Camden County for the last few days had gentled down to a stiff breeze. It had soared into the mid-60's by 2 PM, warm for mid-March. Hiked over the railroad tracks and down to the tiny Tracy Connors Park on the edge of Oaklyn. I goofed around on the playground, pretending to "drive" the red metal wheels, managing to climb through the blue tunnel and get down the hilly slide.

Hiked across Oaklyn and down Newton Road to CVS. Truth be told, their prices aren't all that great, either, but I did get buy one, get one half-off sugar free antacid here. Peeked at their Easter toys, but I think I'll wait until next week to pick up those.

Put on F-Troop while eating lunch when I got home. O'Rourke and Agarn are horrified when Wrongo Starr (Henry Gibson) is assigned to Fort Courage. He's a jinx who wrecks havoc wherever he goes. His bad luck does come in handy when Agarn falls for a lovely lady in black who has already buried three husbands. Wrangler Jane helps O'Rourke steer her to Wrongo and get "Wrongo Starr and the Lady In Black" away from the fort.

"El Diablo" is the first of two times Larry Storch played one of Agarn's criminal relatives. In this case, it's a Mexican bandit whom is wanted by the authorities. Agarn goes after him, only for him to turn up at Fort Courage. Turns out he's not nearly the bloodthirsty criminal everyone believes him to be, though...

Moved online to watch Palm Beach Weekend on Amazon Prime. I go further into this imitation Where the Boys Are spring break tale from Warner Bros at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 


Looked at jobs online. Checked the websites for Barnes and Noble, but there's no jobs at any of the near-by stores. The only bookseller job is apparently out in the Philly suburbs. Everything else is working in the coffee shop. I'm not a barista. I don't even drink coffee.

Switched to writing next. Nip-Tok reveals why he's not with the rest of the Oz Army when he winds down in the middle of reciting poetry. The others have to wind him back up again to get him to finish his verse and finish taking them to the Wizard.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Phyllis Diller looked surprisingly good in a nifty beaded wig, and had some funny answers, too. Charles finally admitted all the drinking they do behind the scenes on this show when he flat-out said he was hungover during one question. Gene's question about "Old Man Rayburn" hosting Match Game '99 hits a little harder today. Gene not only didn't host the short-lived and rather notorious Match Game '98, he passed away in November 1999. 

Finished the night with the 2-disc LP set for the 2018 revival of Carousel I picked up at Abbie Road last week. While this didn't see the acclaim that the revival of Oklahoma! did a year later, it did well enough to get nominated for Best Revival. The full Carousel Waltz takes up almost the entire first side and is absolutely gorgeous. I also like Jesse Muller's lovely Julie, especially her "What's the Use In Wonderin'?" and Renee Fleming's marvelous "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "June Is Bustin' Out All Over." Thankfully, the dated story isn't as obvious on the album as it apparently was during the show's run. (I do wish they hadn't dropped two songs, especially the villain Jigger's "There's Nothing So Bad for a Woman"). 

All in all, if you're a fan of Carousel or Rogers and Hammerstein like me, you'll want to take a look at this latest version of what amounts to their darkest show. 

Monday, March 11, 2024

The Wind Is Wild

Began the morning with breakfast and the season finale of Green Eggs and Ham. "Anywhere" starts with E.B getting upset over Sam selling the chickariffe...but like most of what Sam's done throughout the series, it's a trick. He's really trying to send it home. Michellee, Guy, and E.B help him get Mr. Jenkins up to the hot air balloon launch to Chickariffe Island, but Snertz is in hot pursuit...and unlike most villains in kids' cartoons, he's not going to suddenly turn good when he sees what he's done. There's also McWinkle and Glutz, and the Goat is still at large, too. Guy, on the other hand, realizes that his failed invention might be more useful than he ever imagined...and that having friends and a lady who loves you is even more important.

I don't know who at Warners decided to turn one of Seuss' simplest books into an animated miniseries version of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but I hope they got a huge bonus. This was an unabashed delight, with terrific performances from Michael Douglas as Guy and Adam DeVine as Sam, colorful animation, and a script that is well-balanced between hilarious and heartbreaking. Even the theme song "Backflip" is both catchy as heck and nicely echoes the "look beyond appearances" theme. If you want to see some creative Seuss or a show you can share with your younger elementary school-age kids, this is  highly recommended.

Switched to The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That while I got organized for work to check out another really good Seuss TV show. Sally and Nick are getting a lot less rain in their yards than we've had lately. The Cat takes them to the rain forest to teach them about "The Rain Game." They encounter ants, toucans, and howler monkeys and learn how the huge trees shade the creatures on the ground from rain and provide an important ecosystem. Nick's having a hard time giving up his too-small lucky sweater. The Cat takes him and Sally to the desert to meet Clyde the Coral Snake, who teaches them that "No Sssweater Is Better" than shedding a too-small skin.

Headed off to work soon as the episode ended. Took the bike again. It's still windy, but this time, it was sunny with no clouds and a little bit warmer. 

Spent most of my day in the floral department helping the manager refill all those empty bouquet buckets. We also rearranged the stuffed animals I put out the other day and decided what could be done with the rather plain-looking potted tulips, shamrocks, daisies, and hyacinths. I even got to make two arrangements. I think I should have taken a little more off the tulips - they looked too bunched. The bouquet of spring flowers, on the other hand, came out beautifully, and all I needed to do was trim it, add a white satin bow, and fluff it slightly.

Went straight home after I finished. Took the laundry downstairs and the trash and recycling outside while watching Vega$. Phillip Roth (Tony Curtis) isn't too happy about notorious white-collar criminal Christopher Vincente (Caesar Romero) staying at the Desert Inn. Turns out he has a reason to be concerned, but not the one he thinks. Vincente's latest scheme is kidnapping showgirls and selling them in a white slavery ring. After he's almost blown up in Vincente's mansion on Lake Mead, he manages to rescue one of the girls...but is reluctant to turn her over to Lieutenant Dave Nelson (Craig Morris) until he can get Vincente.

Put the laundry in the dryer, then did some job research. Applied for an appointment coordinator at a large remodeling company in Cherry Hill. They have a long list of benefits and decent pay, though I'm not entirely sure how well I'd handle scheduling a large company.

Worked on writing next. Nip-Tok (Nipsey Russell) is the hip poem-spouting head of the Oz Army. He leads them to the Wizard's home, but he can't tell them much about him. Seems he can appear to be anything, but hasn't been seen in the streets since the attack on the City.

Broke for dinner and to finally bring the laundry upstairs at 7PM. Watched Match Game Syndicated as I ate. Alan Oppenheimer is best-known to those who grew up in the 80's like me as the original voice of Vanity Smurf and Skeletor and Mer-Man on He-Man, among many others. He had a lot of fun during his only week on the show, which also included Dick Martin and Laurie Walters of Eight Is Enough. In the last episode of the week, Laurie shows off her sheer stockings and heels, while Betty White's not too happy when she's picked for the Audience Match and not her.

The second episode for some reason jumps right into the next week, with Fred Grandy and Phyllis Diller. Maybe they jumped ahead because this is one of the funniest episodes of the syndicated series. Gene gets a small shock from the question holder early in the episode. That escalates into a far bigger one, complete with wavy "shock" lines on the screen and Gene supposedly passing out. Charles insinuates he could take over Gene's hosting, but then decides it's not for him.

Finished the night on YouTube with another famous host, Jack Barry. Barry produced many shows with his partner Dan Enright, but I don't think many people remember that he also hosted several of them. He started out as the host of Juvenile Jury, their kid panel show. Very young kids, sometimes young as three, answered questions brought to them by other kids their own age. The kids were both intelligent and precious, and Barry worked very well with them and the other children they helped out.

Barry really hit it big as the host of Twenty-One. He managed to rack up the suspense as ordinary people answered questions posed to them in isolation booths. The first to make 21 points won. Unfortunately, it turned out that the wild success of this show was manufactured. Many of the contestants, including Charles Van Doren seen here, were given the answers here and on other game shows of the mid-late 50's. 

Not only did that end Barry-Enright Productions for a decade, it badly damaged Barry's reputation, despite him having less to do with the scandals than his partner. Though the panel game High Low and the daytime Tic Tac Dough that Barry hosted weren't fixed, the shows were cancelled anyway. Barry-Enright were done by 1959.

Barry worked in Canada for most of the 60's before returning late in the decade to take over from Denis Whorley as the host of The Generation Gap, and then as the host of the short-lived movie quiz The Reel Game. He tried working for Goodson-Todman in the early 70's, but came to the conclusion that he preferred being his own boss and returned to producing. Alas, his two shows on his own, Hollywood's Calling and Blank Check, flopped, and he ended up returning to Enright.

The first show to come out of their revived partnership was The Joker's Wild. Barry hosted this lightning-fast quiz show were people push the lever on a huge slot machine to get the subjects and, if they're lucky, a Joker. If they can answer the question, they win the  pot. The episode I have from early in the run features a hilarious and personable old gentleman named Tex who became the first person on the show to win a car.

Break the Bank never seemed to catch a break. It didn't run on ABC during 1976 with Tom Kennedy hosting, and it didn't last much longer in syndication with Barry at the helm, either. Too bad. This is a very funny show in the vein of Hollywood Squares, with celebrities tossing out quips on a huge board as contestants try to guess which is telling the truth about a question.

Barry continued to host The Joker's Wild until his death in 1984, even after CBS cancelled the show and they moved it to syndication. I believe his later seasons and Bill Cullen's two would later run on USA as well. The episode I have here from 1983 may be one I saw on USA as a kid, or even watched on TV with my parents.

Step out of the isolation booth to enjoy Jack Barry's world of huge slot machines, joking panels, and tense trivia confrontations!

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Sudden Storms

Started off the morning with breakfast and Working on a Dream. This was Bruce Springsteen's big hit album from a decade ago, spawning a #1 hit in the title song of the movie The Wrestler. I also like the album's title number, "My Lucky Day," and the lovely "What Love Can Do."

Headed off to work before the album was finished. Despite gale-force winds and biting chill, it was sunny enough when I left for me to take the bike. Besides, I'm tired of spending a ton of money on Uber. I'd rather save it for occasional trips out of town. Though my toe remains sore, my wrist does feel a lot better. 

Spent most of the afternoon dodging those winds and pushing carts. At least two other guys were there as well, allowing me to spend an hour inside putting away items people didn't want. Less than twenty minutes after I got back outside, the wind increased to near-hurricane levels, and the clouds that had been building on the horizon suddenly turned into a fierce snow squall. I didn't want to go back inside because I hadn't finished with the carts. Besides, I could tell that, even as the clouds arrived, they were already starting to break apart. By the time I rode home, it was back to being a sunny, windy day. 

Went straight into the Match Game Sunday Classics marathon when I got home. (Took a shower and had dinner a little later in the evening.) Some of the most memorable contestants of the entire CBS run came in its later years. Statuesque blonde Darlene spent the week she became the show's biggest winner up until that time flirting with Richard Dawson. There was also George, the sweet young man in the glasses who won big during New Year's week 1976 and into early '77. He said he intended to use some of his winnings to send his parents on a Hawaiian vacation. I hope they had a great time! 

The big winner of mid '77 was Bertha, a dear little old lady who just couldn't believe she'd gotten on the show. Everyone treated her like a queen, giving her a seat when she got to the Audience Match and bringing her water. She was such an absolute doll, she remains an viewer favorite. Bertha wasn't the only older champ who was a sweetheart, either. Down-to-Earth older man Bill was the first person to win big on the new Star Wheel in mid-1978 and the first to play on the new blue and orange set. 

The biggest winner ever on the show was Carolyn in 1979, who ironically won after she returned on a technicality. She went home with over $30,000 on the second-to-last week of the CBS run. Bill Daily was so excited to help her, he almost took his clothes off! Brett was thrilled when she helped her become the all-time champ, too. 

Some one-off contestants were pretty memorable as well. There was the poor nervous older lady who slipped and said she was retarded when she meant retired. Marge was a very cute lady, but her family tree was so large and unwieldy, Betty White took notes just to figure out who was married to whom. One of the contestants who came in after Carolyn had these really awesome Groucho Marx faces painted on her nails that must have taken forever to dry.

Come check out the big winners of the later CBS run in this thrilling marathon!

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Spring Showers and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Once Upon a Mattress. I go further into this vehicle for Carol Burnett at the height of her variety show's original popularity at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.


I didn't even have time to finish the movie before getting dressed and calling Uber. Though it wasn't raining when I left, it was once again supposed to rain later. The streets were already wet. I had a much harder time getting a ride there than home. The one going to work took 13 minutes. I barely got to work on time. Ironically, the driver going home came in less than a minute, and that was during rush hour and after the rain had long started.

Spent the entire afternoon in the floral department. The floral manager had a family event and had to leave early, but she left me written instructions to shelve three boxes of stuffed animals. Two contained sherbet-colored "gelato" teddy bears. The others were three types of rolly-polly spring animals. She actually bought the bubble gum pink axolotl for me - she came with the name Emma! I also watered pansies in bowls on a shelf outside and the pots of daisies and tulips inside, dusted the shelves in the floral department, and made two small rose bud arrangements in red and yellow. Grabbed dried pineapple from the clearance produce nuts and dried fruit on the way out.

And yes, sometime after I arrived at work, it did start pouring. It was pouring when I went home and would continue pouring off and on for the rest of the day. I think I even heard thunder at one point. 

Had enough time to finish Once Upon a Mattress before the start of tonight's Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. Game show hosts frequently appeared on Match Game, starting with Bob Barker the second week in 1973. Barker was one of three hosts who became a semi-regular in his own right, appearing frequently through 1980. Bert Convy turned up a lot for the first three years of the show, even after he started on his own show, Tattletales. He made one last appearance in 1979, on a very funny week that featured Patty Duke insisting Robert Walden strip off his sweater for them. 

The other semi-regular host was Bill Cullen. The Dean of Game Shows made fairly frequent appearances from the very funny week in late 1973 that also featured Cass Elliott through 1981. Allen Ludden did several weeks on his own in 1974 and one with his wife Betty White in '75. Jack Narz of Concentration turned up for a week in 1974 and made a cameo two days before the New Year to promote his Now You See It. Announcer Gene Wood did a week in 1974. Johnny Olsen sat in for Gary Burghoff when he was late due to Daylight Savings. Arlene Francis mostly turned up from 1973 through 1975, including the week Carol Bartos became the all-time winner at that point. Narz's brother Tom Kennedy and Peter Marshall of Hollywood Squares were seen during the syndicated run. 

Play along with your favorite hosts as they try to match the stars in this hilarious marathon!

Friday, March 08, 2024

Angels In the Sunshine

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Green Eggs & Ham. Guy and Sam are "There" and finally at Meepville, but they're still running into trouble. Sam manages to escape from the Goat with the chickagriffe, but Guy is captured by the Bad Guys. As it turned out, the "bad" guys are actually the B.A.D Guys, and not what Guy (or the audience) thinks at all. Sam tries to help Guy escape, but he's tired of Sam's lies and isn't hearing any of it this time. E.B and Michellee, on the other hand, come to an understanding of one another when E.B sees her mother's artwork in a gallery and realizes how good she is. They do end up at the big Gala for Snertz, but E.B is just as upset as Guy when she sees Sam hand the chickargriffe over to Snerz...

Switched to Buzzr for the tail end of the late 70's Card Sharks. The guy was the champ, but the lady passed to him on the Sudden Death round, and he chose the wrong card. The guy did better on Press Your Luck. They were finishing up a Whammy-free first round when I left.

I had a bunch of errands to run, starting with a stop at Sprouts. They still have the vanilla unsweetened coconut milk I've been drinking on sale, and the breakfast cookies, too. Found unique bumpy "Golden Nugget" oranges that were four for a dollar. They looked like slightly smaller versions of the Sumo oranges that have turned up in the past few years. Grabbed peanut butter cookies on clearance.

Quickly stopped at the Haddon Township Library to drop off books, then dodged men trimming trees near the high school on my way to the Westmont Acme. Mainly needed yogurt here. Took advantage of online coupons to pick up Ratio and Oiko Triple Zero, the latter in a four-pack. Grabbed more granola bars. Kind bars were on sale, and I had an online coupon for the Make Good Bites. Apples in bags were cheaper here than anywhere else, and the mozzarella cheese I've been buying was on a good sale. Grabbed bagels for lunch this week.

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. I didn't have much of a choice about riding on the paths, despite them being busy with people walking their dogs or strolling and enjoying the beautiful day. The paths over the hills are clogged with mud leftover from the heavy rain earlier in the week. At least it's starting to look like spring. The grass in the park remains yellow, but the trees are starting to show the first buds. 

Went straight home and into Let's Make a Deal while eating lunch and putting everything away. I have no idea why more than half the dealers wore Hawaiian or tropical get-ups, including a newlywed couple who were happy to win furniture for their new home. They understandably didn't want to give it up, but a very odd clown and a tourist did. Neither of them got the Big Deal, but she seemed to be happy with appliances and a grill, and he certainly wasn't going to complain about a stereo and bedroom furniture.

Got my schedule online around this point. In good news, two floral department days, no very long hours, and only Wednesday is early. However, I'm getting even less hours, the least I've gotten in almost a decade. It's not just me, either. Apparently, they're cutting hours across the board. I'm pleased and surprised I got into the floral department this week at all.

Switched to F-Troop while doing research on the publishing industry online. Yes, I'm aware that the publishing industry is hard to break into. It's still something that interests me. 

It's "O'Rourke Vs. O'Reilly" when a lovely and intelligent lady (Lee Meriweather) buys the building across from O'Rourke and turns it into a saloon. Worse yet, she figures out what O'Rourke and Agorn are doing and tries to blackmail them. They drum up a women's temperance union to put their competition out of business.

Things get hairy for the duo when they have to hide their liquor still after an inspector general arrives to find out how the Hikawis are getting drunk. They try "The 86 Proof Spring," but as often happens with these two, it backfires.

Parameter thinks he's just doing his duty when he rescues Chief Wild Eagle's daughter from a Native her father doesn't approve of. The Chief's singing "Here Comes the Tribe" when he insists on Parameter marrying his daughter. The others try to find her lover and end the wedding.

Everyone at Fort Courage says "Iron Horse, Go Home" when the Hikawis sell their land to the railroads. With nowhere else to go, they end up at Fort Courage. Not only is it a rough fit, but the Army men aren't exactly used to Hikawi ways and rituals, and vice versa. They try to get the railroad to go around the land instead.

Agarn claims to have killed Geronimo in an attempt to impress a pretty lass (Jackie Joseph, who was actually married to Ken Berry at the time). The news spreads like wildfire around Fort Courage and the entire area, before "Our Here, What's His Name?" is up for a medal from Washington. The real Geronimo isn't as amused, and now he wants his revenge on Agarn. 

Started writing around 5 PM. Bill introduces them to Nip-Tok (Nipsey Russell), the mechanical head of the Oz Army. Nip-Tok can wisecrack, recite poetry, and do excellent crowd control...when you keep his key wound. He claims he's nothing like the original head of the Army was. Richard thinks the head of the Army sounds too familiar...

Had Vega$ on while I worked. Things get scary at "The Pageant" when one of the contestants (Maureen McCormick) is raped while waiting for a date. Her horrified father (Robert Reed, her stepfather from The Brady Bunch) hires Dan to find out who did this to his daughter. The girl's testimony and description of the assailant helps them enough to use Bea as bait to lure this madman out of hiding.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. We get jokes in the opening about Richard Paul's cowboy hat, while Joyce does her idea of a stripping routine when asked to take off her bright white coat. We also meet a contestant who is an expert at sign language, and Gene makes a reference to the then-exploding Mount St. Helens when a lady from Oregon mentions they're dealing with the fallout.

Took a shower, then watched two episodes of Charlie's Angels in honor of International Women's Day. The season 2 finale has them as "Antique Angels" when they track a new fuel that was stolen to an antique car rally. While Bosley falls for one of the female car owners, the other three ladies don Keystone Cops costumes to figure out which car owner came in late enough to have made the theft.

They're "Pretty Angels All In a Row" when they too join a pageant, in this case to find out who's been scaring the ladies off. Kris and Kelly become contestants, while Sabrina and Bosley are supposedly TV reporters. Turns out that someone's been bribing judges, and kidnap a judge who can't be bribed. The girls need to figure out who's been giving those bribes, before on of the contestants really get hurt.

Finished the night on YouTube with From This Moment On...Cole Porter in honor of singer Steve Lawrence, who passed away yesterday. He and his wife Eydie Gorme did this early 80's special in England. They're joined by two stars who actually did appear in Porter shows on Broadway and film, Ethel Merman and Bob Hope. Hope's around for the stage segment with Lawrence as Porter as they discuss his first Porter show on Broadway, Red, Hot, and Blue. Merman joins Lawrence and Hope onstage, then is the hostess for the type of "swellegant, elegant" parties Porter reportedly favored. We also get a lovely ballerina who dances in can-can costumes with Parisian types to instrumental versions of music from Can-Can. 

I do wish they came up with a stronger finish than Lawrence and Gorme more-or-less repeating their Vegas act with Porter songs. It gets a little monotonous after a while. They didn't even bring Merman back in. Other than that, this is a really fun show if you love the four leads or Porter's music.

Here's the copy currently on YouTube; it comes with bonus Lawrence and Gorme performances at the very end.

Thursday, March 07, 2024

Ride In the Wind

Began the morning with a very quick breakfast and Green Eggs & Ham. Sam and Guy take a "Boat" to Meepville, hoping to evade The Bad Guys and the Goat. E.B and Michellee are also on the boat. Guy apologizes to Michellee about pushing her and E.B away at the cabin, while Guy rethinks his job when E.B talks about what a hero he is for saving Mr. Jenkins. Thing is, not only are the "Bad" Guys not really bad, but the Goat is still after them, and he's not about to take no for an answer.

Went online to do a few things, then headed out around 12:30. Stopped at WaWa in Collingswood for money and a Propel, then went to the Pop Shop to use up the last of that gift card Rose gave me for Christmas. I had Banana Cream French Toast and an iced tea. I suspect the "cream" was actually pudding, but it still tasted good, with lots of banana slices in the middle and cut up on the side.

While I waited for my lunch, one of the waitresses came out and told everyone that they were testing the fire alarm and not to panic. I think she forgot how popular the Pop Shop is with very young children and their families. The second the alarm went off, the two older kids near me covered their ears or stuck their fingers in them, and the poor toddler in the booth in front of me burst into tears and let loose with wails louder than the alarm. Thankfully, she quieted down when it went off. 

Cut across Collingswood and down the White Horse Pike to Audubon to check out Abbie Road next...but it wasn't there. The only thing in the store when I arrived was a yellow couch. I went down the street to Desserts by Design for two small jam sandwich cookies and to ask the head baker about him. Turns out he moved to King's Highway in Mt. Ephraim in October. It was only a ten-minute ride and I needed to work off the French toast anyway, so I let her write down the address for me and moved on.

Ducked across Audubon to King's Highway. Truth be told, it wasn't the nicest day. It spit slightly earlier, but by 1:30, it was just cloudy, windy, and chilly. I wasn't sure I was going in the right direction, but I pulled over on King's Highway and learned I was just a few blocks away.

Abbie Road was now housed in its own separate building in Mt. Ephraim along King's Highway. While it lacked the back office and cavernous basement, it did have far more space in the main building and a yard where I parked my bike. Bob was happy to see me and to have moved. It sounds like he was basically pushed out so they could put in an office and says he fits in better where he is. 

I'm a little disappointed that he no longer carries the TV show DVD sets he had, but I made some finds that were just as good. Along with The Benny Goodman Story, Laura, and a double feature set of Rhythm on the River and Rhythm on the Range on DVD, I found:  

Bruce Springsteen - Working On a Dream 

Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely

The soundtrack from The Commitments (CDs)

Rupert Holmes - She Lets Her Hair Down

Get It On! - Ronco rock collection from 1974

The original cast of the 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel

The soundtrack from It Happened In Brooklyn

Hogan's Heroes Sing the Best of World War II (Records)

Dodged traffic on the Black Horse Pike by cutting across Mt. Ephraim going home. I couldn't avoid crossing the busy Pike, though. Things were better in Oaklyn. I wanted to get a juice at Heartbeat Nutrition, but for some reason, they're only open on Tuesdays and weekends. Just rode home instead.

Went straight into Alexander's Ragtime Band when I got in. I go further into this through-the-years drama featuring Alice Faye, Ethel Merman, and Tyrone Power at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.


Did some job hunting for a while, then broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated. The first episode has everyone trying to figure out "Skip __" in the Audience Match, while Susan Richardson is nervous about doing "Aching __" in the Head-to-Head. Brett's so delighted with her new Match Game sweatshirt in the second episode, she does a bump and grind routine to show it off!

Finished the night listening to some of the records I've acquired lately, starting with the first two discs from Unforgettable Fifties. This 1988 four-disc collection features quite a few songs I didn't have elsewhere. Among my favorites from the first two records are "Catch a Falling Star" by Perry Como, "You Belong to Me" by Jo Stafford, "This Ole House" by Rosemary Clooney, "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" by Perez Prado and His Orchestra, and "Be My Love" by Mario Lanza.

Hogan's Heroes Sing the Songs of World War II is what it says on the tin. Four of the five Heroes were excellent singers, and they perform numbers that would have been popular when the show was set. This was a big surprise. I thought it would be a cheesy tie-in album, but the songs are legitimately well-performed. My favorite was real Frenchman Robert Clary's lovely "The Last Time I Saw Paris." He also joins Richard Dawson for a decent "Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square." 

It Happened In Brooklyn is one of the most underrated major MGM musicals. It's so sweet and low-key, it was the last MGM musical to be filmed in black and white. Sinatra, Peter Lawford, and Kathryn Grayson are hopefuls trying to make it in New York. Jimmy Durante helps them along. It introduced two charming standards, "I Believe" with Sinatra and Durante trying to encourage a young boy to follow his own dreams, and the gorgeous ballad "Time After Time." Durante and Sinatra have a blast with their duet "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart."