Began a rainy, gloomy Columbus Day morning with readings from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. The essay and mostly comic poems here are surprisingly realistic about what Columbus did and didn't do for the 40's and 50's, even referring to the natives he stole from their homes and discussing how he never did find the wealth of Asia he was looking for.
The rain slowed to a mild shower as I switched to breakfast and Split Second. This time, one of the women completely dominated both the other woman and the male champ. She had a tougher time with the guy in the Countdown Round, but ultimately pulled ahead. Unlike a lot of folks on this show, she decided once was enough and opted to take a vacation package instead of trying for the car.
Worked on writing for a couple of hours after I ate. Brett, Charles, and Richard's men all step to his side, claiming they too should be arrested, since they also stole from nobles. Far from arresting them, King Allen offers Richard Ira's job as Sheriff and his home Hogan Manor back, which he accepts gratefully. He's also ready to admit he wants to court Lady Lee (Merriweather), who is certainly interested in him.
Broke for a quick lunch at noon. Had it while watching Match Game. Soap star Rosemary Forsyth, poet and comedian Nipsey Russell, and sweet Joyce Bulifant join Gene and the regulars to make jokes about Gene being a little drunk when he stumbles down the stairs. (Actually, he was probably the only person on-stage besides the contestants who was sober. Gene took medication and couldn't drink.)
Thankfully, by the time I went to work, the bad weather was down to cold, blustery wind and dark clouds. The Acme wasn't busy when I got in, but it picked up big-time by the evening rush hour. Good thing my relief was on time. I was in and out with no problems other than getting flustered over a few customers early-on.
Picked up a few things on the way out. Bought a gift card for my friend Amanda's (late) birthday present and cereal. Found a half-price box of Shredded Wheat on the clearance rack. It was banged up, but I don't care about that. It's cheap. Rode home in a misty, chilly shower.
Put on more Match Game and had leftovers for dinner when I got home. The 5 PM episodes dropped back to 1976. I came in just in time to see George Kennedy get a question right.
The 6 PM episodes from 1974 got even wilder. It's too bad Gene's former boss Steve Allen never appeared on the show again, and this would be popular comedienne Kaye Ballard's final outing. They both added a great deal to an episode that included making fun of Fannie Flagg's fox fur collar. The second show was a bona-fide classic (it's even included on my DVD set). Everyone walked out after a contestant answered a question with 'boobs." Gene asked Fannie if she could show hers...er, answers. Fannie was embarrassed, but Richard had no problems showing the panel his chest.
Match Game PM was a tad subdued by comparison. Dick Martin made an agreeable replacement for Charles Nelson Reilly (who was on Broadway directing a play), while Orson Bean had fun teasing Brett and Gene and Bill Daily drooled over lovely ChiPs actress Brianne Leary. Things picked up with Sale of the Century. Though everyone won something, a woman challenger who claimed to be a poker sharp showed her willingness to gamble by buying an Instant Bargain and blowing everyone away at the speed round. She picked up a shopping spree for a new leather wardrobe on the Match the Prizes board.
Had three ripe bananas that really needed to go, so I made Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread while the shows ran. Yum! It came out beautifully in my new stove, a little brown but just sweet and moist enough. It tasted wonderful and smelled amazing in the oven.
Finished out the night on YouTube with the first Match Game marathon since the 4th of July. Tom Kennedy appeared in a week of Match Game episodes in 1981, joining Joyce Bulifant and Lawrence Welk singer Gail Farrell, along with regulars Brett, Charles, and McLean Stevenson. Though he was primarily there to advertise his taking over Password Plus, he played very well and seemed to enjoy himself thoroughly.
Speaking of Password Plus, the operator of the MatchGameProductions channel is going to stretch the shows a bit on Sunday and do a marathon of Tom's appearances on and hosting Password Plus. Join us at 3 PM for a longer marathon honoring this game show legend!
For now, here's Tom's only week on Match Game:
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