Thursday, November 19, 2020

Nothing Sweeta Than Rita

Began the morning with breakfast and Rio Rita. I just picked this one up on Amazon as part of their Prime Day last month. I've wanted to see it for years, ever since I read about it in the book A Song In the Dark on early talkie musicals. I go further into the early talkie south-of-the-border operetta that introduced Bert Wheeler and Bob Woosley to audiences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Rio Rita (1929)

Worked on writing for a while after the movie ended. Gene can't seem to keep awake, even as Richard takes Brett over to his bed and binds and gags her with the sheets. He realizes too late that Richard drugged their tea and rum. Charles barges in to confirm his worst fears. The men aren't moving, and the Navy ship is getting closer. Richard pulls a gun on Charles to keep him from telling the men. He'll use him as a human shield to get past the only other people who didn't drink the rum, Jimmie (who's still on watch) and Gary. Gene passes out as Richard drags him on deck. He's the one who directed them to the Navy ship. He wants them to be found. 

Broke for lunch at 1:30. Went to the front porch and grabbed a flat package for me out of the mailbox. I ordered a couple of DVDs on eBay this week, including Happiness Is Peanuts: Snow Days. The main feature, She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown was the last Peanuts special themed around winter or the Yuletide holidays I didn't have. The "she" is Peppermint Patty, who's entered a local skating competition. Snoopy is her demanding coach. She expects Marcie to make her costume, but Marcie can't sew. Snoopy eventually does that, too. He doesn't prove to be as good with the tape recorders on the day of the skating tournament. When the recorder eats Patty's music, it's up to Woodstock to provide accompaniment to her routine.

Switched to Good Eats while eating a quick can of chicken and dumpling soup for lunch. I don't have the Thanksgiving episodes, but I do have a show Alton did about a fruit frequently consumed at Thanksgiving. "Cran Opening" gives us his recipe for cranberry sauce, as well as for cranberry granita and Cosmopolitans.

Clouds had moved in by the time I headed off to work, but it wasn't quite as cold as the last few days. Maybe that's why weren't as busy, either. It was on-and-off steady, not insane, but not dead, either. I forgot to put someone's card in towards the end of the evening and had to redo their order. Other than that, things went very well, and there were no other real problems.

Put on Sale of the Century when I got in. We had our second close game in a row, with no one really ahead and everyone winning or buying something. The younger man got barely ahead in the Speed Round. He did far better in the Bonus Round, getting the money with time to spare.

Finished out the night online, watching the Shirley Temple Babes In Toyland while writing my Rio Rita review. This hour-long version of the holiday operetta is an episode of Shirley Temple Storybook, her TV show from the early 60's that adapted children's books, fairy tales, and novels. No lovers needed here. It's just Uncle Barnaby (Johnathan Winters) and his goofy trio of mooks (including Joe Besser and Jerry Colonna. The mooks kidnap the Babes and leave them stranded on a sinking ship. Even after the kids escape, they have to evade Floretta the fortune teller (Temple) and her gypsies and the nasty citizens of Meantown in order to make it to Toyland and the kind Toymaker. 

Here's the episode, so you can enjoy this adorable version for yourself!

Babes In Toyland 

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