Rainy Day at the Libraries

BOOM!

I shot awake at quarter of 6 as thunder rattled my apartment. I hurried around as well as I could without waking up anyone downstairs, closing windows. As soon as I finished, I went right to sleep, listening to the sound of the rain patter on the roof.

It was 8:30 when I got up, but I was so caught up n finishing Rilla of Ingleside and just enjoying being in bed on a rainy morning that it was past 10:30 before I got to breakfast. Did an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures to honor the beginning of the school year as I ate. Babs and Buster, as Acme Looniversity's glee club, takes us from short to short in "Looniversity Daze." The first short has Buster having to face the school's mysterious and fearsome principal. Sweetie the Bird chases Bookworm in the library in the second short. In the third, Plucky gets out of Foghorn Leghorn's pop quiz by pretending to be sick. The cure proves to be far worse than the sickness when the nurse's assistant turns out to be Elmyra.

The rain had slowed down enough by 11:30 for me to head out to run errands. Started out at the Oaklyn Library. They were busy for them, with several people on the computers and a few families in the kids' area. Dodged people long enough to organize DVDs and take a look at the picture books and kids' series books. Took out a few movies here. For some reason, the Oaklyn Library is the only local library to have The Matrix Revolutions. Also grabbed Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the animated film Sing.

It had started showering again when I headed out around quarter of 1. Since it's only two blocks from the library, I ended up at Capitol Pizza for lunch. They were really busy for them with kids getting out of school and teens and office workers and shop keepers picking up a quick meal. Watched Action News and The Chew as I ate my slice of cheese, slice of mushroom, and gulped a can of Pepsi.

My next stop was a fast one at Dollar Tree for sponges. Thankfully, for once, they were not busy. I had no problems grabbing what I needed and getting out in less than ten minutes.

The Haddon Township Library, oddly enough, wasn't busy, either. Other than shelve an audio book, there really wasn't a whole lot for me to do. I did find a couple of books, though. Took out The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey (I love fairy tale retellings), Anne of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery (the last Anne of Green Gables book I haven't read), and one of the few Elizabeth Peters books I'd never seen before, The Night of the Four Hundred Rabbits. Also grabbed two beginners' crochet books.

The rain was down to sprinkles by this point. I took the short way down Cuthbert Road and across the White Horse Pike to dodge the weather. This was definitely no day for a ride through the park.

Went right online when I got home. Lance and his employees, including stoic, headset-sporting DJ Larry Botts and excitable Mexican Nino Numez, get unexpected help rounding up the Imperials from the local cops. (They were left an "anonymous tip" by Ben and Yoda.) Lance wants to get Leia, Charlie, and Chip out of there. Charlie's having none of it, grabbing Lance around the neck as soon as the cops are gone. This time, it's Larry who translates for his puffing boss that Bobby Fett is loading the tank with Hank Solokowski into a truck around back and is about to take off. Leia orders Charlie to let Lance go.

Broke for dinner around 6:30. Had leftovers, then made Lemon Bars for dessert. Watched the 1947 Good News while I ate. It's the Roaring 20's, and Tait College is filled with sleek Sheiks and feisty Shebas who are enjoying the era's newfound sexual freedom. Connie (June Allyson) is less interested in flaming youth than in her job at the local library. She's thrilled when football hero Tom (Peter Lawford) asks her to help him with French...until she finds out he's chasing the snooty new girl on campus (Patricia Marshall). Meanwhile, sassy Babe (Joan McCracken) is ardently pursuing bench-warmer Bobby (Ray McDonald), despite already dating a brainless football player (Loren Tindall).

The genesis of everything from Grease to the High School Musical films can be found in this spirited romp. The big thing here are the delightful ensemble numbers, the Oscar-nominated "Pass That Peace Pipe" and the finale "The Varsity Drag." Also look for an early appearance by crooner Mel Torme in "Be a Ladies' Man," "Lucky In Love," and a reprise of "The Best Things In Life are Free." If you like later musical school tales, you may want to visit Tait as well.

Finished out the night with the film version of How to Succeed In Business Without Even Trying while I went online. Robert Morse, Sammy Smith, and Rudy Vallee all reprise their roles from the original Broadway show, with Michele Lee an engaging addition as a far feistier Rosemary. I like how refreshingly modest this is, compared to other big-budget musicals of the mid-60's through the mid-70's. It bears closer resemblance to the sitcoms of this era than a typical musical, and it's all the more enjoyable for it. The director, David Swift, would concentrate on television after this, and it features actors like Maureen Arthur (as sexy bimbo secretary Hedy LaRue) who were better known for their appearances on the small screen.

If you're looking for a classic musical that's more about comedy and less about spectacle, are a fan of 60's and 70's sitcoms, or love the stage How to Succeed, this version is definitely worth looking around for.

And I'm glad I did get in a little earlier than I thought. It started to rain hard again shortly after I got in and has showered off and on for the rest of the night. (Though I haven't seen any more thunder storms like this morning at press time.)