Quiet at Work

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Charlie and Lola. "My Little Town" is the play mat the kids' parents give them. Lola's upset when Charlie's block city and alien invasion starts to crowd out her park and zoo. When Charlie realizes he's pushing her out, they finally put their two sides of the city together to let animals and aliens live in harmony.

Hurried off to work after that. No trouble there. Got a ride to work in 4 minutes; didn't take a minute to get a ride home, even during the height of rush hour. Arrived at work almost literally just in time.

Not that it mattered. I probably could have been infinitely late. We were stone-cold dead the entire day. It never got even remotely busy. It's the last day of the month, we're between holidays, the Eagles are out of the playoffs, and there's no bad weather threatening. It might rain slightly on Friday, but that's it. It was just cloudy and cold again. 

They had a college student helping me most of the day who did the sweeping, and another one came in at 3. They were supposed to help clean for the corporate bigwigs who ended up visiting yesterday. There weren't all that many carts to push and barely anything to return. I even worked in the floral department watering plants and consolidating flower bouquets into fewer buckets. Frankly, I spent most of the day bored stiff.

Oh, and I heard from Karen. She finally got that voucher and wants to get together. I'll talk to her again on Friday when I get my schedule.

Put on the original cast of Chicago when I got home in honor of its Velma Kelly, Broadway legend Chita Rivera, who passed away yesterday. Chicago debuted in 1975 with Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, Jerry Orbach as mercenary lawyer Billy Flynn, and Mary McCarty as Mama Morton. This was performed as a parody of the type of vaudeville bills Kelly and Hart would have appeared in, turning the court trial into a ventriloquist routine, the ladies confessing their crimes into a tango, Mama's song into the number for the sassy older lady, and an acrobatic number for Rivera that is supposed to be what Kelly and her murdered sister did together. 

It was overlooked in 1975 due to the overwhelming success of A Chorus Line, but time has been much kinder to it. The revival is still running on Broadway at this writing; the 2002 movie version won an Oscar for best film. There's some great performances in the original cast, though, and a few songs that haven't been heard as often since the 70's (notably "I am My Own Best Friend.")

Had dinner while watching Match Game '76. Betty White struck again here, rolling Gene's pants legs down to get a rise out of him. Lee Merriweather scooted out from behind the desk to fix them. Meanwhile, Charles insists he's running a taxi service. He also mentions that the one-woman stage show The Belle of Amherst, which he directed on Broadway, was being filmed to be shown on Christmas Day (it was and it did), and that the Match Game panelists put up most of the money for it. (Incidentally, the tape for Belle still exists and, last I checked, can be found easily on YouTube.) 

Let it run into Match Game '79 while I ate. The first episode featured Charles and Gene promoting Charles directing opera and Gene's explanation as to how David Doyle got his trademark raspy voice. Charles gives Brett the "Pathetic Answer" award for what a ritzy movie theater has...and he's right, it is a pretty weird answer. Everyone tries to help the contestant figure out "I Need a __" in the Audience Match in the second.

Finished the night at Shout TV with Mystery Science Theater 3000. I think the robots and I both seriously regretted checking out The Sidehackers, a down-and-dirty revenge tale from 1969. It starts out more like the American International car racing movies, only with motorcycles with side cars that have nothing but tubes to hold onto ("sidehackers"). Unfortunately, the movie takes a turn for the ugly in the second half when racer Rommel (Ross Hagen) refuses to join smarmy JC (Michael Pataki), and they kill his girlfriend (Diane McBain). Uh, yeah. Needless to say, they did not show her death scene, nor some non-PC language later in the film. Even the robots had a hard time joking about the violent, soft-focus second half. I wouldn't touch this with a 100-foot pole unless you're a fan of dark, violent B-movie schlock from the 60's and 70's. 

Walk On the Pike

Began the morning with breakfast and Green Eggs and Ham. Sam initially manages to escape, but after he sees Guy take off, goes back to the cops and ends up in jail. Guy does as well in the hopes of breaking him out. They get help from a "Mouse" (Daveed Diggs) who was arrested for stealing a piece of cheese. Sam claims to understand his French accent and spoof Les Miserables song, but Guy just hears squeaking. Meanwhile, police-creatures McWintle and Gluntz are still on their trail, and Michellee isn't happy when she learns about their antics at the prison.

Switched to Buzzr for Press Your Luck. Whammies abounded in this episode, but it came down to the champ and the one lady. They kept exchanging spins for a while, until he finally hit a vacation to Tahiti that put him over the top. Split Second was a less-exciting game. The one man was ahead the entire time, including in the Countdown bonus round. He opted to return instead of taking a trip to the Bahamas. 

Did job searching while the shows were on. I did apply to a consulting firm in Cherry Hill, but still didn't see much else. Wish most editing jobs didn't require so much experience, and that some of them were actually in New Jersey. 

Headed out to run errands on the White Horse Pike around quarter of 2. I did finally find Spinbrush head replacements at CVS. They always did have a good toothbrush and toothpaste selection. I grabbed that, paid for it, and headed out.

Since the White Horse Pub is two doors down from CVS, I decided to try that for lunch. It's pretty much your typical sports bar and grill, with cracked vinyl seats, wooden floors that match the tables, and permanent barflies teasing the waitress and bartender about her hair. I had today's lunch special, the chicken salad wrap with onion rings, while watching yesterday's hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Ottawa Senators. Yum! The chicken salad really wasn't anything special, but the onion rings were amazing, crispy and flavored just right, and the waitress was a sweetheart. I left her a big tip...and frankly, I thought her long, curly hair looked just fine.

(Incidentally, the Senators won 4-3.) 

Managed to get across the Pike during rush hour to hit Dollar General. Mainly wanted Kind bars here. I also picked up little trinkets, like bead crafts and bubble wands, to put in Valentine's bags for Khai, Finley, and the daughter of a friend. 

I hadn't treated myself to cookies at Los Amigos Bakery in a while. In fact, I hadn't been there since I won that yule log cake on Christmas Eve. They're still mostly awash in Christmas decorations and baked goods. I don't think Valentine's Day is a big deal in Mexico. I ended up buying a container of simple vanilla and chocolate butter cookies to try. 

At least the weather is cooperating, and looks like it'll continue to for the rest of this week and into the weekend. It's cloudy, gloomy, damp, and in the lower 40's...exactly what it's supposed to do in late January-early February. As long as it doesn't pour or blizzard again, I think we'll be fine. 

After I got home, I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening dusting and vacuuming my rooms and doing the laundry. Watched Swiss Miss while I worked. I go further into this Laurel and Hardy feature about them getting caught between a composer and his opera star wife in the Swiss Alps at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Swiss Miss

Worked on the review after the movie ended, then watched Match Game '79 during dinner. Gene and the panelists are baffled by the contestant's answer to "I'll See You In __" in the Audience Match. She says "September," which apparently no one in the panel had heard of. A lady in the audience performed the 60's number for them, and did very well, too.

Finished out the night with the third season of WKRP In Cincinnati. "The Airplane Show" has Les taking to the skies in a bi-plane in order to compete with rival WPIG's traffic helicopter. He's ready to give up on the idea, until the former veteran flyer convinces him to fly downtown and have their own parade for Veteran's Day instead. (Incidentally, the stunts were performed by actual veteran Ohio aviator Harold Johnson.) 

"Jennifer Moves" into a sprawling Victorian home in a suburban neighborhood. She's thrilled at first, especially after the others help her. Her enthusiasm is dampened by a cheating husband and his obviously jealous wife, a corrupt phone salesman who is not what he seems, and Herb somehow managing to lose her piano.

Herb has his own problems with the reality show "Real Families." The hosts (Peter Marshall and Daphne Maxwell Reid) are supposed to follow him and his family around and see how clean-cut and perfect they are. Herb's family is far from perfect, and the hosts' attempts to dig up dirt at WKRP and at Herb's home only makes things worse. Herb finally reminds them just because everyone has some skeletons in the closet doesn't mean they want to share them.

The entire station is excited when "The Baby" arrives and Arthur's wife Carmen goes into labor. While Andy flirts with nurses and Johnny Fever babbles to nice older ladies, Arthur debates whether or not to be in the room with his wife. Whether he does or doesn't, he's reminded in the end that he and his wife are happy that they had this perfect bundle...and why he loves both of them very much.

Taxes and Games

I had just enough time this morning for breakfast and an episode of Green Eggs and Ham before I left. Having escaped the two officers, Sam and Guy end up working at a carnival to make money for the next leg of their journey. EB and Michellee are also at the carnival after EB accused her mother of not knowing how to have fun. While mother and daughter do learn that even the wildest rides can be enjoyable, Guy accidentally wrecks the ride he was working on, ending with him and Sam getting fired. They barely manage to escape with the Chickagriffe, and thanks to EB's tiny coin, now have the money to mail themselves in a "Box" on the next leg of their journey.

Absolutely no difficulty with Uber today. Both the morning and afternoon drivers arrived in four minutes and got to and from the Acme in five. No traffic anywhere.

Wish work was that easy. I was supposed to be in the floral department, but the store is still getting ready for the arrival of those corporate bigwigs. They brought in managers from other stores to make bouquets and do the organizing. I tried to help, but I mostly felt like I was in the way. One manager would tell me to do something, and then another would tell me to do something else, and then another would want me to do something totally different. I tried to help with the balloons, but I'm still no good at twisting the smaller ones, and I just couldn't seem to put them where anyone wanted them. I was overwhelmed and frustrated the entire four hours. And I stayed a little later to figure out where to put a box of unused animal vases, which meant I was late getting out.

Went straight into doing my taxes when I got home. This is a very simple process for me. I own no property, have no dependents, and work at one part-time job. Turbo Tax did most of the work. I'm getting about $940 back after paying them, a little less than last year. I'm actually getting a little bit more from the state, about $69. The entire process took less than an hour. 

Did some stuff online for a while, then broke for dinner and Match Game '79. Daryl started things off nervously helping the contestant with "__ Fare" on the Head to Head. There's more trouble later when a lot of panelists complain about Ira not matching "baby" and "litters." The second begins with Gene "playing" his microphone like a flute in honor of a high school marching band in the audience and Daryl showing off his long Pinnochio putty nose. Gene spends the rest of the episode playing around with a saw someone left on the set.

Finished the night at YouTube with picture and puzzle game shows. The big winner among puzzle-based shows is Concentration. This one began in 1958 as a cross between Memory and a rebus board. Contestants choose two numbers from the board; if the prizes underneath match, they reveal two more pieces of the rebus. Once they reveal enough, they can guess the rebus and win the prizes. The original show went from 1958 to 1974 and remains one of the longest-running shows on daytime TV. I went with one of the earliest episodes known to exist from around 1959 featuring original host Hugh Downs.

Other puzzle shows from the 60's didn't have nearly that much luck. The Face Is Familiar from 1966 has two celebrities helping their partners unscramble photos in order to guess the famous celebrity or guess whose eyes or nose appears onscreen. Kind of fun to play along if you know the era. Too bad this was only a summer replacement show with four episodes existing today, including the premiere I have here.

Later puzzle shows got a lot wilder. Whew! from 1979 incorporated strategy and trivia into its complicated game that had one person placing blocks on a huge board, and the other having to place the right word in a question as they go up the rows. The strategically-placed blocks make people lose time. Winners go on to the "Gauntlet," a row of 10 Hanna Barbara-designed cardboard villains holding monitors with replace-the-word questions. If a person can run the gauntlet and get the answers, they win $25,000. Despite being a heck of a lot of fun to watch, this doesn't seem to have ever worked, on CBS during its original run or during its brief run on Buzzr. It's a creative game that deserves a lot more than either network gave it.

The syndicated Catch Phrase from 1985 is another puzzle show I wish had gone over better. In this variation on Concentration, people had to guess what a robot was doing on a computer  screen. If they could guess the catch phrase, they'd be able to ask for numbers on a larger screen that would reveal a Super Catch Phrase. The bonus game had them guessing five Catch Phrases in a row on a bingo-type board. This one was a far bigger hit in England. It started there in 1986 and has run off and on ever since.

Kids got in on the puzzles with the Nickelodeon show Get the Picture from 1991. This variation on connect-the-dots had kids guessing trivia in order to connect the dots and guess the photo. "Power Surges" have picture guessing games or physical stunts that are worth extra money. The second round was more like Catch Phrase, with the kids choosing squares. I vaguely remember seeing this one on Nickelodeon when it was new. I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite, and it still comes off as a little dry today despite the goofy stunts.

Pictureka, which aired on what was then known as the Hub in 2010, is a far more fun variation on this. Two kids and a parent chase after pictures hidden among other objects in a stadium. This was so cute. I wish Nickelodeon or someone else would take another crack at it. It was fun to watch the moms and their kids run around that studio, looking for penguin stand-up artwork and other hidden pictures.

Of course, there's other types of puzzles. Win, Lose, or Draw is also based on a board game. It simply had two celebrities and a contestant drawing pictures in order to get those sitting down to guess the subject. This game and its variations were huge in the late 80's, and the game shows also went over well. Original host Bert Convy is in the episode I have here, along with Normal Fell, Jennifer Savidge, actual artist Dick Gautier, and Anne Bloom of Not Necessarily the News. 

Fast Draw was the earliest known celebrity art show from 1968. Here, two celebrities stand behind a drawing board and try to get their contestant partner to guess what they're drawing. Fast paced and fun, I'm surprised this one didn't make it out of '68. Long-time Jeopardy announcer Johnny Gilbert gets a rare shot at hosting here. 

Beat the midwinter blues solving puzzles and figuring out what that drawing represents in these challenging games!

Concentration (1959)

The Face Is Familiar (1966)

Fast Draw (1968)

Whew! (1979)

Catch Phrase (1985)

Win, Lose, or Draw (1987)

Get the Picture (1991)

Pictureaka (2010)

Into the Rain

Unfortunately, I overslept this morning. Didn't have time for much of anything but quickly writing in my journal, grabbing breakfast, and calling Uber. Fortunately, Uber was more on the ball than me. The driver took five minutes arriving in the morning. Didn't even take a minute when I finished work, and that was at 4 PM during rush hour on a rainy Sunday. 

I had a lot less trouble at work. I had to sweep the store when I arrived, but the afternoon bagger arrived around 11 and took over that. It had been cloudy, windy, and chilly when I went out to do carts. The rain arrived around 10, a fine, misty rain that continued, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the day. When I got too wet, I'd go inside and put away items people didn't want. No trouble whatsoever.

Went straight  home and upstairs to change. Listened to Wish while I got organized. This movie has had so much trouble, but I don't think the fault is in the music. Some of it is quite lovely. I'm especially fond of "At All Costs" and Chris Pine's villain song "This Is the Thanks I Get?" I suspect people were expecting more out of Disney than a strange little story about a girl who wants to release all the wishes trapped by the king of her land. 

Switched to the less comic Into the Woods next. I have the original cast of the dark musical fantasy that entwines the Grimm versions of four famous fairy tales - Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood - with a story about a baker and his wife who, on the advice of the Witch, go into the woods to find the four ingredients that will allow them to finally have a child. Everyone gets what they want, then regrets it when the wife of the giant Jack killed comes after them. Dark show is not for everybody, but some of Sondheim's best songs can be found here. I love "Last Midnight," Jack's "Giants In the Sky," Little Red and the Wolf's "Hello Little Girl," the Princes' "Agony," and the touching "No One Is Alone" and "Children Will Listen."

Went downstairs to take a shower and have dinner, then finished the night on YouTube with tonight's Match Game marathon. Energetic and charming Fred Grandy appeared on the show far more often than any other Love Boat actor. He was a semi-regular during the show's syndicated years. In fact, he made his first appearance during the final week on CBS in 1979 and turned up one last time on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1983. 

Probably Fred's most infamous incident was when his Love Boat co-star Ted Lange turned up and demanded he return the suit he wore this second. Fred ended up stripping down to his shorts and t-shirt. There was also the week in 1980 when he and Bart Braverman annoyed everyone by constantly playing with kazoos and other loud noisemakers. He also got to see Gene Rayburn get a nasty shock on the question holder...and then a worse one after Charles said he could take over the hosting. He was around for that wild week on Match Game-Hollywood Squares where McLean Stevenson complained that he got marker on his pants. The replacements Gene gave him were too big, prompting him to reveal more than anyone ever wanted to see right to the camera!

Let's hit the high seas with the pursuer on the Pacific Princess and a future politician in this wacky marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Featuring Fred Grandy On the Panel

Flowers and Matches

Began the cloudy morning with breakfast and Arlo the Alligator Boy on Netflix. I go further into this charming animated film about a half-alligator, half-kid who goes on a journey to find his birth father in New York City at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Arlo the Alligator Boy

I wasn't even able to finish the movie before heading to work. Uber was absolutely no trouble at all. Took the driver four minutes to drop me off and five to take me home. There was a little traffic on the White Horse Pike, but nothing crazy.

Work, however, was nuts all afternoon. In addition to it being close to the beginning of the month, we apparently have a group of big-shots from Acme's corporate offices visiting. The front end managers are frantically trying to get everything cleaned and organized in time for their arrival. The floral manager was up to her ears in bouquets when I arrived. Two college boys blew up balloons, but they didn't put them in the right places and forgot to put prices on half of them. I did make one very lovely pink and purple arrangement, but I mostly put out the ones she made. I was so nervous and scared that I'd do something wrong! They say I'm learning, but why can't I learn faster? 

I got my schedule online yesterday and confirmed it today. That visit, coupled with the weekend morning bagger taking off tomorrow, would explain a 7 hour bagging day tomorrow and a very early 8 1/2 hour day on Wednesday. I'm dreading both. The rest of the week is my usual middle of the day schedule in the floral department.

Did grab some things on the way home. The boxes of Kind bars are still on sale, and I needed to restock my yogurt and mozzarella snacking cheese. I'm not the biggest fan of donuts, but I couldn't resist a free coupon. Went with my favorite cream-filled. Picked up four bagels and a bag of apples for lunch next week. 

Once I got home, I finished Arlo, then finished out the second season of WKRP In Cincinnati. "The Doctor's Daughter" comes to visit when Johnny's daughter Laurie stops in Cincinnati on her way to "find herself." He's happy to let her and her obnoxious boyfriend stay with him at first, until they start making a mess of his place and he realizes that he needs to start being a father to Laurie, not a friend, even if she doesn't think so.

A sleazy photographer Herb hired to take pictures of Jennifer and Andy in bathing suits turn them into "Filthy Pictures" when he takes nude shots of Jen in the changing room and threatens to sell them to a major magazine. Andy, Johnny, Venus, and Arthur attempt to steal them, but they're not exactly Mission Impossible-worthy secret agents. Johnny and Bailey finally come  up with a way to trick the guy instead.

"Venus Rising" has the silky-smooth soul-loving DJ excited over a job offer to a big local station. He reconsiders his interest when it turns out that the station is automated, uses no DJs, and he would be there as a token minority hire. Herb tries to get attention and a raise by claiming he's also had a job offer, but no one really cares if he has or hasn't.

The staff of WKRP are very disappointed when they don't win the coveted "Most Improved Station" award. Worse yet, Johnny actually does get an award and lets it go to his head. The arguing among the staff gets so bad, Arthur finally calls a meeting and forces them to talk out their problems.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Joyce knows about the poppy field, but she can't see any way around it. The guys don't and are eager to get across to the Emerald City. 

Finished off the night on YouTube with a repeat of two premiere Match Game '75 episodes from earlier this week in better copies and tonight's marathon. Foster Brooks was known for playing lovable drunks (despite the fact that he never touched the stuff himself) in movies and on TV for decades. Needless to say, he had a great time doing three memorable weeks in 1979 and 1980. 

His first week ended with him attempting to frisk Betty White when Dick Martin claimed someone took his wallet. His second during the early run of the syndicated series featured one of the great walk-outs when the entire panel was so upset that an audience member came up with the top answer to "__ Balsam" and they didn't, they left the set. Unfortunately, an episode from that week also features Foster telling a joke that would be considered so racially insensitive nowadays, the episode is now banned from the airwaves. Foster was also the second answer on an Audience Match for "___ Brooks" in 1977. (Mel Brooks was on top.)

You'll be falling down with laughter from the antics of the funniest non-drunk who ever lived!

Match Game '75 (Set Wrecker)

Match Game '75 (Are You Married?)

Match Game Saturday Classics - Featuring Foster Brooks on the Panel

Mall Madness

Began the morning with a quick breakfast and PAW Patrol on Paramount Plus. Farmers Yumi and Al are transporting Mindy the Manatee back to the swamp when they drive into a ditch and end up with a flat tire. The Paw Patrol helps get them back on the road, then the "Pups Save a Manatee" when her tank comes unhitched and starts to break. The "Pups Save Breakfast" when they help get Alex and the mini patrol crew unstuck from a syrup tree, so they can all have syrup on their pancakes.

Called Uber after the episode ended. No trouble at all getting to and from Cherry Hill Mall. In fact, it barely took the first driver two minutes to arrive. The one going home picked me up in front of Urban Outfitters in four minutes. No trouble on the road, either, no traffic either way.

The driver let me off at Nordstrom, and I went straight to the Grand Concourse from there. The big square where the three branches of the mall meet is where Santa is at Christmas and most events at the mall are held. The job fair had only been going for a half-hour when I arrived. The one booth there that really interested me hadn't started yet, so I decided to return later.

Since the pedestrian bridge is right across from the Mall's main entrance, I figured I'd head to Target next. Though it was chilly, cloudy, and damp, it was neither cold like it was last week, nor foggy like yesterday and the day before. In fact, at one point, the sun tried to come out. The snow is almost entirely gone now, with only the occasional large hill of ice, salt, and dirt to remind us it had even existed. 

Target didn't have what I wanted, which was refill brushes for my electric Spinbrush toothbrush. I did find the LP soundtrack from the new Disney movie Wish on sale and a flavor of Made Good granola bars I hadn't seen before (vanilla with chocolate drizzle). They were busy, but I had no trouble in self-checkout. 

Had lunch at the Silver Diner, the little chrome building on the hill overlooking the Cherry Hill Mall. They're a Maryland franchise specializing in comfort food made with sustainable and healthy ingredients. I was dying to try their quinoa-coconut pancakes. Oh, yum! In addition to the coconut, the pancakes also had pecans and blueberries. They were silver-dollar sized too, so they weren't too big to eat in one sitting. Had it with iced tea and a fresh fruit cup.

Returned to the mall after lunch to take a second look at the job fair. There really wasn't much there. Several booths were empty. I mainly saw Camden County law enforcement and legal branches, a hospital, a local citrus distributor, and an environmental agency. (I found black-eyed susan seeds for a friend who loves to garden at the last-named.) Sun Newspapers only needed people to sell advertising, not writers.

Explored the mall for a while after that. Picked up an Eagles 2022 Conference Championship t-shirt for $5 at Fan Treasures, a small Philly sports store. Hit a really good sale at Old Navy and picked up a pretty rose-print t-shirt and a pair of chinos for $20 all together. (The shirt came to $2.09!) Didn't see anything of interest in Build a Bear, FYE, Rumi Life, Miniso, JC Penney, the Loft, or the Squishmallows store. (And forgot one thing I did want to look for at JC Penney, which is new slippers. My old ones are falling apart.) Stopped at Nordstrom's EBar for a sparkling water before I called Uber.

Put on the third BBC Scarlet Pimpernel movie from 1999, which has more in common with the second half of the 1982 film. Sir Percy Blakeney (Richard E. Grant) fakes a fight with his wife Marguerite (Elizabeth McGovern) in order for her to insinuate herself back into the French stage. They and his men are hoping to rescue the little Dauphin (Dalibor Sipek) from the horrible orphanage where they placed him after the death of his parents. Chauvelin (Martin Shaw) is well aware of who Percy is by now, and will do anything to make sure he doesn't get the boy out of the country.

Did some job searching and worked on things online for a while before breaking for dinner and Match Game '79. In the first episode, Gene does his own ballet dance in response to a question about how a tutu got dirty in Central Park as Charles, sporting a cowboy hat, teases him about it. In the second, Charles and Daryl Anderson say they've swapped glasses, while a cheeky contestant claims she wants to be Charles Nelson Reilly.

Finished the night with more second-season WKRP In Cincinnati. Communist-fearing Les is upset to be attending a Russian hog convention. He brings Bailey along...but when a Russian man falls for her and wants to defect, she and Andy have to figure out how to complete "The Americanization of Ivan" and get him through Immigration.

"Les' Groupie" is a cute little blonde who thinks he's the best newscaster ever. Les is thrilled with the attention, until she moves into his home and takes over his life. He asks Jennifer advice on how to get rid of her.

Everyone's excited when the Who is "In Concert" at Riverfront Stadium. Not only do they all have tickets, but they're able to give two away as well. Arthur even takes his son. Their delight turns to horror when they learn about the real-life tragedy that took place before the concert that involved 11 teens dying in a crush to get into the venue. None of them were personally involved, but they all feel terrible anyway. This episode is an interesting response to an actual disaster, and probably the series's most dramatic episode. It's also one of Les' best moments when he tells Bailey why they have to report the news, even when it's hard or tragic.

Under the Clouds

Slept in this morning, then watched A Pup Named Scooby Doo on Tubi while eating breakfast. There's "Snow Place Like Home" when the younger Mystery Inc heads to a mountain resort to do some skiing. Turns out the creepy couple who own the lodge where they're staying may lose it if they can't come up with the money to pay their debts. It hasn't snowed in ages, their snow machine is missing, and an ice monster is scaring off their customers. The kids get to literally to the bottom of this frigid mystery when they discover the nearby mine might not be empty after all.

Switched to Split Second after the cartoon ended. I came in mid-way during the first episode. Unlike the episodes from Tuesday, the kid who won had been winning pretty much the whole time, on the first episode and the second. He never did find the car and opted to return both times.

Put up the Valentine's Day decorations while the show was on. I don't really have that much, and I don't have the room for some of it to go out. Two candy boxes that were too pretty to throw away went on the entertainment center and on top of the DVD shelf. The shorter red tinsel garland went on the window; the longer white tinsel garland with red hearts filled in the area in front of the TV. My Valentine Webkinz Amoura the Love Frog and Valentina the Love Penguin went on book shelves in the front room. Hung three thick cardboard hearts on a satin ribbon on a door. Had room to hang a large red cardboard and mylar heart and two vintage cardboard decorations, a young pioneer miss getting a kitten from an adorable puppy and a bear holding a heart. The tin in the shape of a bear in pink holding flowers went on a book shelf in my bedroom.

Went for a short walk after the show ended. I originally planned on being inside all day, but it wasn't raining by 2 PM. It was much warmer, humid, and foggy in places, but not raining. The snow has almost entirely vanished from all but the most heavily-clogged spots, but it also made everything slightly greener than usual for this time of year. I dropped a box at the kiosk on the other end of the block, slid my late birthday card for my nine-year-old niece Lilah into the mail box, and bought pretzels for lunch at the pretzel shop on the White Horse Pike.

Had lunch (including a delicious cinnamon tea latte I made myself) while watching Wild Wild Winter on YouTube. I go further into the wackiest of the winter-based Beach Party musicals at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Wild Wild Winter

Did job hunting, including dropping an application for a data entry job at a toy and hobby distributor in Magnolia, while watching more second season WKRP In Cincinnati. It becomes "A Family Affair" when Venus takes Andy's sister out for the day, then doesn't bring her back until late. Andy's angry, but reconsiders his stance when Venus claims that he's angry because of the color of his skin.

Andy's not the only one having family trouble. "Herb's Dad" (Bert Parks) turns up at WKRP after escaping the Shady Rest Retirement Home. His son is furious, and isn't much happier when his salesman father tries to get him in on some big deal in California.

Jennifer finally decides to "Put Up or Shut Up" when Herb's wife goes on vacation and he asks her for a date. Herb's more interested than she is when they actually go through with it. Jennifer tries to convince him that there's really no feelings between them.

Worked on the Wild Wild Winter review for a while, then broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game '79 while I ate. The first episode begins with Paul Williams showing off his t-shirt that says "Support Your Local Cathouse." The second brings in Daryl Anderson and Donna Pescow, who see Gene try to get the marker off producer and cue card boy Roger Dobowitz.

Finished the night at The Roku Channel with the two episodes of Jim Henson's The Storyteller I hadn't watched yet. A young prince is so upset when he releases "The Heartless Giant," he vows never to trust anyone again. He goes after the giant when his brothers vanish and becomes his caretaker in order to find where he keeps his heart. The giant keeps it in a very obscure place, but the boy has help from three animals he aided on his journey. Though he does find the heart, he also learns a lesson in keeping promises when his brothers would rather eliminate their tormenter than make friends. (This is also the only episode of the series directed by Jim Henson himself.) 

"A Story Short" is the only time the Storyteller himself is a character in one of his own tales. He starts off as a beggar who tricks the king's cook into using a stone to make the day's soup. Instead of boiling him like the cook wants, the king will give the Storyteller a crown if he tells him a fairy tale a day. This works well for the Storyteller, until he realizes on the very last day of the deal that he can't come up with a single story. Another beggar, however, uses a little magic to give the Storyteller an adventure that allows him to come up with the most compelling tale of all. 

I really wish Muppet Workshop had been able to continue this series, even after Jim Henson died. Apparently, NBC found it too violent and wouldn't run the four episodes based around Greek myths. Too bad. Dark though they may be, they're also fascinating and beautifully filmed adaptations of lesser-known European tales that don't often turn up in North America. If you love the darker side of fairy tales or appreciate some of Henson's more fantasy-oriented ventures like Labyrinth, you'll have an equally fine time with the Storyteller and his sometimes magical, sometimes macabre world. 

(Oh, and it did finally start raining...around 10:30-11 PM, when I was long online. I think it's just supposed to be warm and foggy again tomorrow.)

A Foggy Day In Audubon

Began the day with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. "You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do," says Lola when she chooses a doctor kit for Lotta's birthday that she really wants. She opens it and plays with it, but Charlie finally reminds her that it's really for her best friend.

Since I wasn't sure what the weather was going to do later, I took Uber. The driver in the morning arrived in 6 minutes. I went through two drivers in the afternoon after the first canceled, but the second arrived in 7 minutes. No traffic either way, and that was with fog in spots this morning. 

No trouble this morning at all. The fog must have scared off our customers. It was misty, cloudy, and warmer than it has been, almost in the 50's. Even after the fog and mist vanished later in the afternoon, it remained cloudy and humid. We were quiet for most of the morning. I pushed carts, swept the store, and dodged a lot of rearranging going on. (Including in the floral department.) Wonder if they were going to repair floors in certain departments, since there were spots where they removed displays and shelves. (Including the floral department.)

After I bought a snack and another Zevia (creamy root beer), I hiked to the shopping center in the back of the Acme. I'd been wanting to deliver a bag of donations to Goodwill for weeks, but I hadn't had the time to get back there. Figured I'd finally do it today. After I dropped the bag in one of the carts behind the store, I went around front to see if they had any pants for work or interesting records. No in both cases, but I still came up with the film soundtrack from Moulin Rouge for 99 cents on CD and the supremely weird Gene Autry serial The Phantom Empire. 

Put WKRP In Cincinnati on when I got home. Everyone's excited in "Baby, If You've Ever Wondered" when the Arbitron ratings come in and they learn they've moved from number 16 in the ratings to number 14. Andy is disappointed that the move isn't higher, but Venus reminds him that any upward move for this failing station is a good thing.

"Bailey's Big Break" has her as assistant newscaster to Les. Les, however, is not willing to share the spotlight with Bailey, who is genuinely good. He keeps pushing her aside, until Andy has to intervene.

Real-life former Cincinnati Reds coach "Sparky" Anderson is hired by Arthur Carlson to do his own sports interview show. Trouble is, the show is a disaster. Anderson lacks on-the-air presence, and they either have no callers, or inappropriate ones. Carlson is devastated when it looks like he'll have to fire the man whom he considers to be his hero.

"God Talks to Johnny," and Johnny thinks he's going crazy. He's about ready to check into an insane asylum, and the others wish he'd just stop driving them crazy talking about it. It's Arthur who finally reminds him that maybe he's not as looney as he thinks. (At least, not about this.) 

Worked on writing for a while after that. Joyce and her friends are excited when they get out of the woods, but not when they come across a field of poppies. Joyce tries to run through them quickly, but they prove to be too overwhelming for her...

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. Grand Ol' Opry cowboy Guich Kooch gets to read a question about what a Texan who likes things big puts in his drink in the first episode. Debralee Scott ends up doing the Head-to-Head twice, but she has more luck with "__ Talks" than "Very __." Meanwhile, Gene scolds Charles for eating on the air during the second episode.

Finished the night with The Love Boat on Paramount Plus. In the fourth season opener, a young Tom Hanks is Gopher's overbearing college buddy who bested him at everything. He tells him Julie is his girlfriend...and then the two "Friends and Lovers" actually fall for each other. A single mother-to-be (Shelley Smith) is nervous to tell the guy she's fallen for (Dennis Cole) that she's about to become "Miss Mother." Three former Army pals (Nipsey Russell, Harvey Lembeck, and Jack Somack) wishes "Sergeant Bull" (Vic Taylor) would stop acting like they're back in the tank corps. They recruit a kindly housekeeper (Doris Roberts) to get him off their backs. 

Getting Things Done

Kicked off a late morning with a quick breakfast and Care Bears Family on Tubi. Champ tries to teach a little boy that there's "No Business Like Snow Business." The boy is afraid to go skiing again after he had an accident, but Champ takes him on various winter sports to remind him how fun it can be. Shreeky, however, is determined to trap Champ and keeps interfering with him and the boy. Meanwhile, Baby Hugs and Tugs beg Grump to take them sledding and skiing, even though he hates the snow.

Headed out for an errands run after the cartoon ended. I was originally going to go on Thursday, but that's the day we're supposed to get the heaviest rain. It was just cloudy today and much warmer, into the lower 40's. I decided to test my wrist by taking the bike, since many of the sidewalks are likely still clotted with snow and ice.

My first stop was the Haddon Township Library. I haven't visited them as often in the past  year because I keep buying or getting books. I'm on the last one I received as a gift, Red Sky at Morning, now. Besides, I wanted to catch up on some of my favorite mystery series. I also found a book I'd wanted to read after seeing the advertisement for the movies. I ended up with

Joanne Fluke - Pink Lemonade Cake Murder

Laura Childs - Honey Drop Dead

Paul Galico - Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and Mrs. Harris Goes to New York

Joanna Winspear - A Sunlit Weapon

Rode across the street to the Westmont Plaza next. Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. Despite it being 1:30, they weren't busy at all when I arrived. The only other people there were three older women lunching together. I enjoyed my spinach and feta omelet, toasted pumpernickel bagel, and roasted potatoes while listening to their chatter and reading Pink Lemonade Cake Murder.

Next stop was Sprouts. Wanted to pick up more coconut milk and those breakfast sandwiches on sale. Navel oranges were on a really good sale too, $1.98 for a large bag. Cans of Zevia were on sale $1.59 each. Decided I wanted to try different flavors, so I ended up with Creamy Root Beer, Ginger Root Beer, Cherry Cola, Cream Soda, and regular cola.

(Oh and...my wrist was still sore when I got home. I think I'll give it another few weeks and see how things go.) 

After I got home, I took the laundry downstairs, then did something I'd been putting off. I called L.L Bean to finally pay the $6.50 for the UPS shipping on my returned boots. The lady was really nice about it. Called them, gave them my number to pay, got off.

Put the laundry in the dryer, then did job hunting while watching Get Yourself a College Girl on the Internet Archive. I go further into this winter-set 60's teen movie at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Get Yourself a College Girl

Worked on writing next after bringing my laundry upstairs. Joyce appreciates the guys helping her, but she's worried that Ira may send more mooks. All three claim they're in it for the long haul. Avery is afraid to go back, and Richard and Charles have nowhere else they can go.

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. The first episode kicked off with Charles teasing Brett about her rather lovely black medieval-style dress. (Not that Charles was one to talk. He was wearing a green and orange satin jacket that made him look like an oversized jockey.) The others have a harder time figuring out a question about what Sleeping Beauty gets when she's awakened.

Sadly, the first episode of the next week is currently the only 1979 show that's lost. We pick up with cowboy Guich Kooch, Debralee Scott, and Paul Williams. Betty White hears her own jokes about the lions embroidered on her blue shirt, while Williams is far more nervous to help the contestant with "__ Towels" on the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night with more second season WKRP In Cincinnati. Everyone at the station is ready to head for the hills when Herb takes a second job as an insurance salesman. The only employee he manages to corner is Les, who becomes a "Bad Risk" when he crashes his scooter into the home of an elderly couple.

"Jennifer Falls In Love" with the handsome repair man at her building named Steele (Thomas Calloway) and is more than happy to tell Bailey all about it. She's shocked when it turns out the guy is only interested in her after Les gives away that she's the highest-paid person at the studio, which makes her reconsider her stance on the older men she dates who give her gifts.

Johnny learns the hard way about the power of the airwaves when he jokingly tells listeners to dump their garbage at the steps of Cincinnati's city hall during a garbage strike, and they actually do it. He's so shocked that they're actually listening that he develops "Mike Fright." Venus and Andy try to figure out a way to get him talking again.

Arthur's as shocked as anyone when his wife Carmen (Allyn Ann McLerie) reveals they're soon going to hear the "Patter of Little Feet." He's delighted at first, until his mother (Carol Bruce) reminds them of their ages and suggests an abortion. Like Les at the baseball game, they finally come to the conclusion that if it's something you really want, age is nothing but a number. 

The Yellow Roses of Oaklyn

Began the morning with breakfast and The New Scooby Doo Movies. They're ready to go skiing in Vermont, but "The Ghost of Bigfoot" has been scaring away everyone from the lodge where they're staying. While Fred and the girls get to the bottom of this mystery, Laurel and Hardy take jobs as bellhops and Shaggy and Scooby dive into the lodge's kitchen.

Headed out shortly after the cartoon ended. The roads are long clear by now. Absolutely no trouble whatsoever getting to work. The Uber driver going to work picked me up in 5 minutes. The one going home came in 7 minutes. The fact that it remains sunny, windy, and beautiful likely helps. 

With Valentine's Day just a few weeks away, the floral department is awash in orders and flowers for displays now. I spent the first half of my shift trimming beautiful bouquets of rainbow blooms and putting them out for people to buy. Made my first large "deluxe" flower arrangement during the last half-hour. It took me forever to figure out how to position the greens the right way, and then how to get the gypsum and roses to go the way I wanted them to. We got so caught up making the arrangements and cleaning up afterwards, we were both late getting out.

(At the very least, after restarting the arrangement twice, I think my yellow rose vase came out rather well. It's now a part of the display in the very front of the floral department area as you enter the store.)

Once I got home, I went right into job hunting. Began Season 2 of WKRP In Cincinnati as I worked. Johnny kicks off the season in hot water when he blows off a date with Bailey to see Buffy, an old girlfriend from California. He thinks he's impressing her, but she's more interested in taking him for everything he's got. The others try to help him deflect Buffy's lawsuit in the two-parter "For Love or Money."

Les is excited to talk the others into playing a "Baseball" game with WKRP's crosstown radio rivals WPIG. He was forced to take violin lessons as a child instead of playing games with the other children. Not only does the WKRP team play much better than you might think, but Les learns it's never too late to try something you were always interested in when he's called on to make a big catch.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Avery manages to scare the giant tiger-bear monsters the Kalidahs away by roaring at them. When they try to follow him over the log bridge, Richard chops it apart and sends them crashing into the ravine.

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. Brett and Barbara Rhodes were delighted by a handsome young college student from Maine who proved to be very charming. In the second episode, Gene showed how tall the kid was by comparing him to the almost-as-towering Barbara. Brett was so delighted by him, she ran down to give him a hug!

Finished the night at YouTube after a shower with game shows made for Australian audiences. Aussies apparently started later with TV than most countries, and they've had an even harder time digging up their early programming. The earliest original Australian show not based on a format from another country I could find was The Oz Game from 1988. Parent-child pairs answer questions based on Australian history. The higher score at the end of the day is the winner. Pretty dry stuff; I can understand why it only lasted a year.

The Aussies had a lot more fun with their children's games. Apparently, they had their own children's game show boom in the 90's and early 2000's, around the same time Nickelodeon put out its games in the US. A*mazing is a cross between Double Dare and Fun House. Host James Sherry asked questions to teams of kids from two different primary (what we in the US would call elementary) schools. After the questions, the kids would make a run through a long, complicated maze that somehow included a pit filled with foam rubber squares, giant paper mache penguins, and a slippery ice slide. This was honestly cute, and I'm not surprised it was a four-year hit on Seven Network.

Download from 2001 didn't get quite that off the wall. After an introduction from a creepy talking computer head, two contestants answer trivia questions in order to win a letter that was contained in the answer. The first contestant to answer got a point and had the letter placed in the correct part of the puzzle. The winners from the first two rounds would return in the third round to try to unscramble phrases. The show ran through at least three hosts. The episode I have here features the second, Nathan Lloyd.  Kind of interesting, especially if you're a spelling buff; this apparently lasted two years on Nine Network.

Adults could get even wilder on Australian game shows in the 90's. Good News Week is a very funny panel show with two teams of three comedians competing to see who can do the best ad-libbing on current event news stories. It's almost Match Game Does the News without the contestants. It apparently had a rough start, but ultimately became popular enough to have three short-lived spinoffs and to be revived on Network Ten in 2008. The episode I have here is the very first from 1996, with adorable Paul McDermott hosting.

Battle of the Sexes was a shorter-lived comedy show. Teams of two women and two men faced off answering trivia questions related to the opposite sex. This began as a radio game and seemed to do better as one. It debuted in 1998, but didn't last a year on Network Ten.

Australia also got caught up in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire fever in the 2000's. Along with importing that show from England, public broadcast network ABC made their own home-grown neon quiz shows like The Einstein Factor. Admittedly, laid-back host Peter Berner makes this a little less intense than the similar shows being made in England and the US in 2004. Each contestant is given a "special subject" to answer questions on. Subjects are often very specific and range from Harry Potter to World War II history. They're competing with and getting help from a "brain trust" of true experts in various fields. 

In round two, the topics listed will often have very little relation to what the subject actually is. The contestants select the answers, and the Brain Trust must agree to the selection. Round three features both the special subjects and general knowledge questions. Tough game play made this a major hit for the ABC in the mid-late 2000's.  The episode I have seems to be a typical one from 2007. 

Say "g'day!" to these wonders from Down Under!

The Oz Game Pilot (1988)

A*mazing (1994)

Good News Week (1996)

Battle of the Sexes (1998)

Download (2001)

The Einstein Factor (2007)

A Beautiful Day In Winter

Began my morning with breakfast and the soundtrack from the 1957 movie Funny Face, which I picked up from Innergroove during my Christmas vacation last month. Fred Astaire is a photographer who discovers book shop worker Audrey Hepburn and decides she'd be a perfect, fresh-faced model. The duo and his boss (Kaye Thompson) travel to Paris for the shoot, but she's more interested in meeting intellectuals than being photographed. This was all performed to the tune of Gershwin hits like the title song, "S'Wonderful," "He Loves and She Loves," "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "Clap 'Yo Hands." Astaire and Thompson perform the last as a spoof revival meeting at one of Hepburn's smoky haunts. Hepburn sings "Going On" in a sweet, if slight, voice that does make you understand why they wanted to dub her in My Fair Lady. 

Headed out after the record ended. Not only did I make sure to leave on time, but I had no trouble getting a ride. The roads are perfectly clear by now. Took me 4 minutes to get a ride there and 7 going home, with no trouble whatsoever.

No trouble at work, either. I spent almost the entire day outside. It was a lovely day for it. Windy, yes, and still chilly, but not to the degree that it has been. It was sunny and bright, with a sky so brilliantly blue, it hurt to look at it. The parking lot is melting and slushy, but no longer icy. I did have to dig a cart out of the snow on the side of the road near the liquor store and Octopharma Plasma, clean up broken eggs, and put cold items away. Otherwise, I was in and out without incident. I even got to see a very pretty pink and purple sunset.

Once I got home, I grabbed dinner and went straight upstairs to finish the rest of the night with the Match Game Sunday Classics marathon on YouTube. Brett Somers returns to the spotlight tonight in 25 of her most memorable episodes. I came in during the later 1974 shows, when she had an ongoing feud with the person handling the buzzer. At least twice when she started fussing, they played a cow horn sound instead of a buzzer, making her fall over laughing. 

The panel met her lovely grown daughter Leslie when she came to a taping in 1975. Also in 1975, during the week with Bill Macy, there was a cute question about who would play the Beast to Betty White's Beauty. A few months later, in the first full week of 1976, Charles Nelson Reilly and Marvin Hamlisch wrote a song for her, "The Brett Brett Song," which they all happily sang along to. She loved imitating Ethel Merman, including when the real Merman was on the panel. She did it so often, Merman actually told her to shut up. A nighttime episode gave us her and Gene's dueling push-ups. On another nighttime episode, a little old gentleman with a twinkle in his eye really enjoyed kissing her after the Head-to-Head!

That wasn't the only time Brett had an admirer. A handsome Air Force officer also gave her a smooch during a syndicated episode. She and Jack were divorced by 1978, but that didn't stop the others from holding a mock "wedding" for them at the end of the Friday episode. Many people joke about Brett's bad answers and her tendency to hog the camera, but there was one time she deserved the extra attention. She was the only person to match the contestant after four games in another syndicated episode, leading to a long round of applause and a standing ovation!

Bring a drink or two for everyone's favorite tipsy character actress in this delightful marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Brett Somers Top 25 Episodes

Queen of Games

The day did not begin well. I overslept and had just enough time to read, write, and eat before calling Uber. Once again, it took me forever to get a driver and them 13 minutes to arrive. And yeah, once again, I was 15 minutes late to work. Ironically, it wouldn't take me anywhere near that long to get home. By 3:30, the roads had been sufficiently cleared for me to get a driver and seconds and him to arrive in 2 minutes.

Considering the high today was 25, it's just as well that I spent the morning and early afternoon helping out in the floral department. I made small arrangements of alstroemeria flowers, one purple, one white, one yellow, and one a beautiful blushing, blooming cherry pink. Tied bows onto two earlier arrangements that Lorraine, the floral manager, made. I watered the plants while she was on lunch, then tried to put out the mylar Valentine's Day and birthday balloons she had inflated. I was able to get the Valentine's Day balloons on the tables, but the birthday balloons got too tangled for me to fix. Had more luck hanging baby shower balloons by the registers and birthday, anniversary, and number balloons on top of the cards. 

Got my schedule yesterday, but confirmed it today. In good news, three days off, mostly floral department work except Sunday (when the floral department is closed) and Wednesday (when the head bagger is off) and Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday off. Checking the Cherry Hill Mall's website revealed that the job fair was postponed to this coming Friday, so I'll still be able to attend. I do have fewer hours, but that's to be expected in late January. There's nothing really major going on right now, and won't be until the middle of next month.

Did a little grocery shopping after work. I mainly needed a gift card for Lilah, my niece who just turned 9. Had no idea what to get a 9-year-old, so I went with Michaels'. I know there's one in Cape May County. Mom worked there when it first opened. I restocked apples, yogurt, bagels, and the Kind protein granola bars in the two-packs. 

Went straight home and into tonight's Match Game marathon. (I had dinner and took a shower later in the evening.) Tonight was a more thorough celebration of Betty White's 102nd birthday than the short marathons on Wednesday. Though it did repeat some of the episodes from Wednesday, there were shows from 1973, 1978, 1979, and syndication that hadn't been seen earlier in the week. In one of Betty's earliest episodes in 1973, black actor Stu Gilliam took offense to "___ Tom" on the Audience Match. 

If nothing else, we got to see Betty's love of stripping. She did a mock-strip act at least five times during the course of the marathon. There was the one in 1978, a year later in 1979, and late in the syndicated run when everyone commented on her black see-through blouse. There was also the time Foster Brooks of the lovable drunk act "frisked' Betty while searching for Dick Martin's wallet earlier in '79.

My favorite episodes that hadn't already turned up came from the syndicated and nighttime runs. Betty made a grand entrance in another late syndicated show wearing a short flaming red dress that amply showed off her still-excellent legs. Later in the show, Sharon Farrell and Richard Paul inadvertently demonstrate mud wrestling and a man with a very scary laugh freaks out McLean so much, he takes off. Allen and Betty made one of their last appearances on TV together on a nighttime show from 1981. They're joined by Jimmie Walker and Jonnelle Allen, who get to see Betty and Allen enjoy sitting next to each other. 

Celebrate the life of the Queen of Game Shows with some of her best moments!

Betty White Birthday Weekend - Top 25 Episodes on Match Game

Finished the night with the Rankin-Bass Return of the King. I go further into this animated retelling of the beloved fantasy novel at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - Return of the King (1980)

At Home On a Snow Day

Began my morning by peering out a window. Yep, there it was. Two inches of clean, white snow, and it was still coming down hard. I knew I wasn't going to make it to the Cherry Hill Mall, or anywhere else, in that storm. Thank heavens I already had off work today. I'd have to call out anyway. I went back to my bed and laid down for another hour.

When I was ready to get up, I began the morning with breakfast and Jem on Tubi. The Holograms make a "Journey to Shangri-La" to add a more mystical sound to their music. In this show, it's where all music and arts stem from. Naturally, the Misfits just have to follow them. When Pizzazz and Roxy get sick, it's up to the Holograms to find the music at Shangri-La that will cure them. 

Switched to Buzzr for Press Your Luck. I came in as the second round commenced. The Whammies slammed a young woman, allowing a gentleman with a mustache and curly hair to win a boatload of prizes, including a fur coat apparently made right in Camden. The guy didn't do so hot in the second episode. He was defeated by a younger man there.

I'm glad Buzzr returned Split Second to the schedule. I have a soft spot for this lightning-fast Monty Hall-hosted syndicated quiz show from 1987. Monty asks three people a multiple-choice question with three answers. If all three contestants get the right answers, they get $10 in the first round, $20 in the second. If only two answer, it's $20 in the first round and $50 in the second. If one person answers, they get the whole $50 or $100. In the last round, contestants are given a set number of answers they must get based on how they came up in the previous round. If they win, they choose five boards to see if they pick up a car or something else, like money or a trip.

Both the games I saw today were terrific, literally down to the wire. The young woman who said she wanted to be a director came from behind in the last round to win. Her win in the second episode was less dramatic, but everyone was still really close. I always liked hearing Monty talk to the contestants during the first half of the show. The lady who says she collects pigs in the second episode came in for some mild ribbing from Monty.

The Let's Make a Deal 60th Anniversary "marathon" concluded with two big deal wins. One couple picked up a car right away in the first episode. In the second, a woman dressed as a cat with blue ears and a red bow and her husband traded in money to get the Big Deal of the Day, a gorgeous piano and a huge, luxurious fur. 

Switched to WKRP In Cincinatti while job hunting. I actually applied for a data entry job at a consulting firm in Moorestown. It at least says it has health insurance. Don't know if I'll get it, but it's something. 

Ran the last disc of the set to finish off the first season. "I Do, I Do....For Now" says Jennifer when a former boyfriend from  her home in West Virginia (real-life country singer Hoyt Axton) comes claiming she promised to marry him when he was younger. She claims Johnny's her current husband to ward him off, then has to appear to be married when he sticks around.

I went out to help a friend shovel her driveway and sidewalk around 4 PM. It continued to fall heavily, and had continued all day and would continue into the night. The original 2 to 4 inches were starting to look more like 7 to 10. At least it was light, fluffy snow that was easy to clean. Even so, she has a long driveway that curves downwards, and my right wrist is still really sore. It was hard to push on the snow shovel and get everything up like I should have. Neighbors from across the street ended up helping out.

Finished up WKRP when I got in. "Young Master Carlson" is Arthur's 11-year-old son, who runs away from military school when he's denied an officer's commission. Arthur's mother insists on the boy learning the ropes at the station. All he does is go through Jennifer's desk drawers and insult everyone in firing range. When he calls Venus a racial slur, his father finally lays down the law with the boy and reminds him that, military or not, he has to treat people the way he wants to be treated.

"Fish  Story" gets more than a little, well, fishy, when Herb dresses as a carp to be the station's mascot. He and Les get into a fight in a men's bathroom with the pig mascot from their crosstown rival WPIG. Bailey tries to break it up, but they all end up arrested. Meanwhile, a highway patrol officer tests Johnny and Venus' reflexes by having them drink between records. While Venus can't handle his beer, Johnny, for whom "drinking was something of a hobby," actually has better reflexes when he's drunk.

The season ends with "Preacher." Many listeners are calling in complaining about Little Ed Pembrook (Michael Keenan), a former wrestler who does their Sunday religious programming. Seems not only is he pushing his own church a little too fiercely, but he's selling Bible-themed merchandise on the side. His huge size intimidates everyone at the station but Andy and Bailey, who finally decide to hit him in his one sore spot - his wallet. 

Worked on writing towards the end of the episodes. Even after the group manages to get across, a huge bear-tiger beast tries to attack them. Avery manages to scare it off with a roar, even though he passes out after having done so.

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner. Scoey reminds everyone in the beginning that he could be doing less fun pursuits when they joke about the movie he was appearing in. Charles is even less happy when Richard does his own imitation of him.

Continued with Match Game '79 while having dessert. The first episode begins with Gene claiming Barbara Rhodes hadn't been there before and getting a kiss, when she appeared on the show many times before. Dick Martin ends up with a kiss, too! In the second, Barbara talks about her upcoming show, Mr. Dooley...which never arrived. This Norman Lear comedy about a black congressman had its title changed to Mr. Dugan before being scrapped all together after real black politicians considered it offensive. 

Finished the night on Netflix with the original Chevy Chase Fletch from 1985. Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher (Chase) is a reporter who uses a multitude of goofy disguises in his pursuit of the next big scoop. While posing as a bum on the beach in order to work on a story about drug smuggling, dying millionaire Alan Stanwyck (Tim Matheson) hires Fletch to murder him and make it look like a robbery. Fletch agrees to it, but doesn't trust a word the man says. He has every right not to. Turns out the guy is not only in perfectly good shape, he and local police Chief Karlin (Jon Doe Baker) have a stronger connection to Fletch's drug expose than he originally surmised.

This is one of those movies Dad loved when I was a kid, but I really didn't get. It's still pretty weird nowadays, what with Fletch imagining himself into a Lakers game and dodging goons in a wide variety of weird costumes. At the least, Chase, who later called this one of his favorite roles, seems to be enjoying himself. There's a few nice lines and jokes, especially when Karlin starts pursuing Fletch and he has to avoid the cops. If you love Chase or comic mysteries, you'll have a fine time figuring out who Fletch is going to appear as next.

Queen Bees at the Movies

Began the morning with a very quick breakfast and Green Eggs and Ham. Guy and Sam are in the "Dark" when the fox thinks they're after his eggs and chases them off the farm. They find themselves stranded with the Chicagriffe at a junk yard. Guy accidentally rekindles his creative spark when it's his inventions that save them from toxic sludge, and then get them to the nearest town. Meanwhile, Michellee takes EB to a quiet bed and breakfast. Her daughter thinks she doesn't understand her creative talents, but Michellee turns out to have talents over her own.

Headed off around quarter after 11. Ironically, considering all the trouble I've had getting Uber drivers over the past two days, I got one in 6 minutes this morning. No trouble on the road, either. He pulled up near the Cinemark 16 Movie Theater in a little over 20 minutes.

The Applebee's next door was dead when I arrived. I only saw two other groups of young adults having an early lunch. I think I'll go somewhere else next time. I did appreciate the hot black tea with lemon and honey, but the cheeseburger was flat and nothing special, especially for the $13 I paid for it. 

My quick run to Dollar Tree wasn't as quick as I would have liked, either. By 12:30, it was busy with the lunch rush hour crowd. All I wanted was a card for my niece Lilah's birthday and another one of those off-brand electrolyte waters in the giant bottles, but the line was across the store. Good thing another one opened, or I might still be there.

It was also a good thing I bought my tickets ahead of time, and the theater was the first one you saw when you made your way to the back. I barely had enough time for a bathroom break before rushing into the theater to see Mean Girls. I go further into the musical version of the 2004 teen comedy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Mean Girls: The Musical (2024)

In fact, I got there just in time for the commercials. You couldn't pay me to touch the horror movies The First Omen or Imaginary with a million-foot pole, but other movies coming out this year look far more up my alley. I'll likely review One Love, a biography of Bob Marley due next month, for my blog. Also of interest next month is Argylle, a Romancing the Stone-esque spoof of secret agent cliches about a writer whose thrillers seem to be influencing a group of real secret agents. Pixar's Inside Out 2 and the comedy IF (Imaginary Friends) look like they'll be worth checking out in late spring and early summer. 

Headed up the hill to WalMart after the movie ended. Thank goodness most of the sidewalks around the theater and WalMart had been salted, though I did have some difficulty dodging carts that were piling up around the curbs. On one hand, the weather was cloudy and blahh, but it was also slightly warmer than it has been, and much less windy, making for a decent hike.

I was hoping to find the Mean Girls soundtrack on vinyl, but once again, they look like they're waiting on it. Ended up with the original Sean the Sheep shorts series and Superman: The Animated Series from 1996 on DVD. Did some grocery shopping here as well. Picked up those Junkless granola bars, just enough yogurt for tomorrow and Saturday, raspberry lemonade Propel mix, and white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies on clearance.

Had no trouble getting home, either. The bus was right on time and barely half-full. It pulled up in front of the dentist's office on the White Horse Pike in Oaklyn at around quarter of 5. 

Did job hunting while watching more WKRP In Cincinnati. A woman leaves her baby on the studio's doorstep during Johnny's show. He's annoyed at first, but  he becomes so enamoured with the child that he claims "I Want to Keep My Baby," at least until he can find the mother.

Herb is hoping "A Commercial Break" for a funeral home chain will bring a lucrative and much-needed advertising contract to WKRP. The director claims he's looking for a hipper image that'll sell his plots to younger people. Arthur's not sure that's in the best taste, no matter how good the money is.

Everyone wants to know "Who Is Gordon Sims?" when the US Army shows up looking for him. Turns out he's Venus, a Vietnam War deserter who went AWOL shortly before the war ended. Arthur and Andy have to defend him and remind the Army that the war was long over by 1979. 

Worked on writing next. Avery can't get them over the larger chasm, so Richard chops down a long log to get them across. Avery's clumsy paws almost fall, but he does manage to get over.

Finally broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7:30. Gene doesn't do too well in this episode. First, he gets so tire of having to re-read a question to the panel, he ends up hiding behind  his sliding doors, and then Bill Daily "attacks" him over a bad answer. Later on, some of the comments he gave to a woman about her accent would likely offend a few people nowadays. Charles spends the episode wearing a hat with a blue card that says "tacos." 

Finished the night with the original Mean Girls on Paramount Plus after a shower. As I said on my musical blog, I never saw this until tonight. I was an adult when it came out in 2004 and had no interest in teen comedies. I don't love it the way a lot of people who grew up watching it in the 2000's do, but I did enjoy both versions. Lindsay Lohen was a much better Cady, especially when she realizes how much trouble she caused during the second half of the film, and Rachel McAdams was a marvelously nasty Regina.

Unfortunately, this movie very much reflects the attitudes of the time. A lot of the racial and sexual stereotypes have dated badly, making the teens' problems seem more comical than scary. It's still recommended for older teens the age of the kids in the movie who have been bullied or know how it feels to be caught up in cliques. 

Matches On Ice

Got a quick and late start this morning with breakfast and Charlie and Lola. "Snow Is My Favorite and My Best" says Lola, who waits and waits for the snow to start. When it does come, she, Charlie, Marv, Lotta, and Sizzles have a wonderful day sledding and making snow angels. Lola is disappointed when it's all gone the next day. Charlie takes her to the Arctic to show her why it wouldn't be much fun for it to snow all the time. 

I figured, with most of the roads clear, I'd have more luck getting a ride to work today. Nope. Once again, it took me 10 minutes to find a ride, and another 13 for them to arrive, which meant I was fifteen minutes late again. It warmed up enough by 2 that my driver going home only took six minutes to arrive. There was a little traffic going home, but it was going in the opposite direction.

Thankfully, that was the worst thing that happened the entire day. We were so dead when I arrived, I'm not sure anyone noticed I was late. By the time it started to pick up, I was almost done. I cleaned the bathroom and the employee room, swept the store, and gathered carts. That wasn't so bad. There were some icy patches on the parking lot, mainly around the corralls, but the sun felt warm when you could get out of the stiff breeze. I made sure to dress warmly, in layers and the new winter books Mom gave me for Christmas.

When I got home, I changed and had a snack while watching the 1985 Let's Make a Deal on Buzzr. Buzzr claims they've been running these at 2 for the show's 60th anniversary, but I suspect it has more to do with them switching the schedule around. At any rate, I got to see some of the most 80's costumes of the entire series. A lady in a track suit and bandana and a woman dressed as a perfect Charlie Chaplin won $1,000 and ended up hanging onto it. A young woman wearing a terrific Rainbow Brite outfit and her baseball player husband didn't do so well winning a luxury Greek trip, but they did pick up a modular sofa. They traded that in at the end, along with a pair of college co-eds in costume as Wonder Woman and Robin. The co-eds only picked up a little money in the Piggy Bank...but Rainbow Brite and her guy got the Big Deal of the Day, an extremely 80's dining room set. 

Went down for a nap after that. I've had a long couple of days. Plus, I don't think passing out in the gaming chair while watching Road to Utopia yesterday was a great idea. My right hip is really sore. I must have pulled a muscle. 

Passed out around 3 and didn't get up until past 5:30. Worked on writing for a while. Avery does manage to get everyone across, but they're more frustrated when they come across a larger chasm. This time, Richard is able to cut a log for them to walk over.

Broke for dinner and Match Game '76 at 6:30 (despite Buzzr's website saying they're still on PM). We start off with everyone figuring out "Jolly __" in the Audience Match. Fannie Flagg's slip of the tongue later would result in a contestant returning. Meanwhile, Gene fields jokes about his latest plaid jacket.

Spent the rest of the night on YouTube, honoring Betty White's 102nd birthday with two of her best episodes from 1974 through 1978. I came in to see everyone helping sweet Janet Finn with "Shuffle ___" in the Audience Match in 1974. Things got crazy when Orson ran down to kiss Gene and Richard and Betty ended up making out in their chairs!

The 1975 episodes were the two best from the hilarious week she and Allen Ludden appeared together. The second one, where Gene says "I've had Betty" in response to someone choosing her for the Audience Match, is especially funny. Love Brett and Betty really getting into "The Star Spangled Banner," too. She witnessed Richard spend a week flirting with a beautiful blonde contestant in 1976 and met another, much younger lady named Betty White in 1978. 

We also saw a lot of Betty rolling Gene's pants legs up, which she did when he would talk to the upper tier. When she did it during that week Allen joined her, he asked if she did that when  he wasn't there. (Yes, Allen, she does.) Once, she started, but Richard ended up finishing the dirty deed. In 1976, Lee Merriweather scooted out to roll his pants down. 

Honor Betty's birthday with some of her funniest moments on Match Game (including tonight's regular 1975 chat "premiere" episode, which also featured Betty). 

Birthday Bash (1974)

Birthday Bash  (1975) 

Match Game (1975) 

Birthday Bash (1976)

Birthday Bash (1977)

Birthday Bash (1978) 

Road to the Frozen South

First thing I did after I woke up was look out the window. Yes, it snowed last night...but only an inch or two. Freezing rain fell softly in the background, but the roads were clear. I figured I'd be fine going to work. 

Watched Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I ate breakfast and got ready. "Mr. Malik Comes Back to School" and the kids couldn't be more excited to see their substitute teacher again. They do learn a lesson in listening when he reminds me that there's a time for dancing, and a time to do something else. Daniel and Katerina have fun on "Daniel's Wintry Walk." They don't want to go in, until Mrs. Tiger coaxes them home for hot chocolate and to play with Margaret.

I had more trouble getting to work. It took me ten minutes just to find a driver this morning, and another 13 for him to arrive. Thanks to all that, I was 15 minutes late. Thank heavens, the road cleared enough by quarter after 3 for it only to take the driver 11 minutes to arrive. No trouble getting to or from work.

I hadn't been there more than five minutes before the floral manager and I headed out again. She scraped the ice off her car, then drove us down to Pennsville, near the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The Pennsville Acme was holding a workshop for floral department workers to exchange ideas and those interested in floral work to learn how to make bouquets and tie balloons. I was the only one who joined her. A manager and one of the girls who fill online orders were supposed to come, but they got scared of the weather and called out. Fortunately, the bad weather had likely scared off the traffic, and she stuck to the heavily-salted main highways. We arrived within 45 minutes.

The workshop took place in their cavernous warehouse room, twice the size of the Audubon Acme's. We were ten minutes late and rushed to the last table after signing in. There were already a ton of people gathered around tables, with colorful roses and lilies in buckets next to them, mylar balloons waiting against the wall, a container of latex balloons on one side, and vases of water waiting to be filled. 

We spent most of the two hours learning to do specific arrangements. I have to admit, most of what I did came out rather well. I was especially proud of a dark red "posie" nosegay in a small squat vase, cut short and with one rose pushing up among the others. I added two tiny pieces of gypsum that had been leftover from larger bouquets, and it looked rather sweet.

The last half-hour was devoted to tying latex balloons to the bottom of the larger mylar ones to make them a bit more "extra." I had a much harder time with this. I took forever to tie the darn balloons, and then I couldn't tie them together. Couldn't figure out how to get two longer balloons together, too. The floral manager says I'll get better with practice. 

After we left the Acme, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel about ten minutes from the Acme for lunch. They were surprisingly busy, considering the freezing mist was only just starting to subside at 1 PM. I suspect they may have had a lot of call-outs. It took us almost fifteen minutes just to get a waitress. Things went much faster after that. She had coffee and a massive grilled chicken salad on a plate bigger than a flying saucer. I had berry iced tea and "pancake tacos," eggs, cheese, and bacon in a pancake folded like a taco, with fried apples on the side. (It was supposed to come with syrup for dipping, but I didn't see any and didn't make a fuss. The waitress was harried enough as it was.) It was delicious, warm and filling on a cold, gray day.

Headed straight back to the store after that. There was slightly more traffic, but nothing overwhelming. Even so, we still arrived ten minutes after 3. Considering I was late arriving, it might actually be a good thing. 

Watched Super Password while I changed after I got home. Tom Poston and Vicki Lawrence continued with their week. This was never Tom's game. He moved a tad slow on the Super Password bonus round. No one had much luck on the main game, especially trying to figure out the puzzle revolving around a certain southern host who was in charge of then-fellow NBC show Scrabble and had a long-running hit with Love Connection...

Settled down with Road to Utopia after the show ended. I go further into this wacky trip to the Yukon with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Road to Utopia

Did some writing for a while next. Avery's scared to death, but he does manage to get everyone across. Joyce hugs him and tells him she's proud of him, but he's about ready to faint!

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7. We start off with "Afternoon __" on the Audience Match...and Gene and Brett not getting the obvious answer that was a big hit song a few years before. Elaine Joyce has far more luck with "New Orleans __" in a later Head-to-Head. 

Finished the night with something unique on YouTube. I found a dubbed live-action version of the German fairy tale Mother Holle from Russia, if the Eastern European-sounding names in the credits are any indication. A young boy manages to cheat Mother Death and ends up living with her cousin Mother Holle, who shakes the feathers from her bed and makes it snow all over the world. The mischievous boy falls for sweet human girl Elizabeth, and keeps sneaking out to see her. He finally leaves Holle's domain and grows into a man in order to be with her. Unfortunately, she's under the thumb of her obnoxious stepmother, who keeps trying to push her equally nasty daughter on him. 

He rejects her in favor of Elizabeth, leading the stepmother to seek revenge. She kills Elizabeth's prize peacocks and blames him, then insists he killed Elizabeth when she and her daughter were the ones who pushed down his new well. Mother Holle wants Elizabeth to stay with her and help her with her work. However, if Elizabeth doesn't return, the young man will either have to accept the stepdaughter's proposal, or be hanged.

Honestly, this doesn't have that much in common with the German Mother Holle. Originally, both daughters ended up in her domain. One would work and was industrious, and one was lazy and refused to help her or anything in the well. The boy was an actual prince, and there was no Mother Death. It's still a lot of fun to watch him lead Death with her scythe around by the nose and see his and Elizabeth's charming courtship. Worth seeking on YouTube if you love European fairy tales like me. 

The Password Is "Snow"

Slept in a little bit, then read a few bits from Colliers Harvest of Holidays for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Truth be told, the anthology actually came out while King was still alive. I usually read the material intended for United Nations Day on his holiday instead. I never even heard of United Nations Day until I read this book; I suspect it's seldom celebrated outside of New York nowadays. The first two articles of Dorothy Canfield Fisher's "A Fair World For All," Stephen Vincent Benet's "Prayer for a Better World," and several poems work just as well for King, who also advocated peace. 

After I finished the book and writing in my journal, I switched to breakfast and snow-related animated specials. Frosty's Winter Wonderland brings everyone's favorite snowman back from the North Pole, but he's lonely when the kids go home. The kids make him a snow woman as a companion, but she's not "all-livin'" like he is. Even as they try to figure out how to bring her to life, Jack Frost is determined to eliminate Frosty and make himself the most popular winter character.

She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown has Snoopy coaching Peppermint Patty for a big local figure skating competition. She insists on Marcie making her costume, but Marcie is hardly a dress designer. Snoopy ends up doing that, too, then has to fight with Schroder and several other boys playing hockey for the right to use the ice. It looks like her routine will end before it begins when Snoopy can't play the tape with her music, but Woodstock lends a wing so she can skate.

Put on Press Your Luck, which took over the noon spot on Buzzr starting today, while having a quick lunch. I came in just as a woman got hit with Whammies. She didn't make much money, but the guy next to her hit a hot streak. He ended up with over $11,000 and a trip to the Grand Canyon. He was the champion on the episode after that as I called Uber.

No trouble at all there. The driver going there picked me up in 4 minutes. The one going home didn't even take a minute to arrive. He even shared his pretzels and can of Pepsi Zero with me. No traffic going there, and not enough to hold anyone up going home.

Most of work wasn't really a problem. Once again, I spent the majority of the day pushing carts. It was cloudy and cold when I arrived. The snow didn't begin until around 1;30 - quarter of 2. In the afternoon, at least, all it did was look pretty coming down. It didn't really stick to anything until I was 40 minutes from being done, and it wouldn't stick to the streets until over an hour after I got home.

I just wish they hadn't made me do the sweeping when I only had fifteen minutes left until the end of my shift. I would have done it earlier if they asked me, but the head bagger did it. Fifteen minutes usually isn't enough time to get the sweeping done. I rushed through the store, pushing that broom fast as I possibly could. I just barely got out on time.

Watched Olym-pinks when I got home while changing and taking the laundry downstairs. The Pink Panther is part of the US ski team at Lake Placid, but one of his teammates is very jealous of his success. His attempts to cheat or match what Pink does usually ends with him in the lake or the snow and getting nothing but a cold. Meanwhile, Pink dodges a piano that is determined to chase him halfway across New York State.

Worked on writing for a while after that ended. When the quartet come across a canyon they can't jump, Avery says he'll get them over. Joyce points out how brave that is, even as Avery says he's scared to death.

Switched to Match Game '79 while eating dinner and putting the laundry in the dryer. Gary Burghoff is very nervous to help the contestant with "Bless Your __" in the Head-to-Head during the first episode. In the second, we meet a very peculiar contestant who collected rhino memorabilia, including a huge concrete rhino his wife didn't like.

Finished the night at YouTube with episodes of Password featuring Betty White, whose birthday would have been Wednesday, after I brought the laundry upstairs. Betty White began playing the daytime Password in 1961, but she wasn't seen on the nighttime version until '63. She quickly proved to be one of the show's best players, moving lightning-fast and never failing to come up with a good description of a word. 

Contestants weren't the only ones who appreciated her prowess. Host Allen Ludden was so impressed with her good heart and her quick mind, he married her in 1963. They announced their wedding on a nighttime episode with Jack Paar, who was a good friend of theirs. Their love and warmth is easily seen by their adorable, teasing interaction here. Betty continued playing this version until its demise in 1967, including when it switched to color in 1966. 

ABC revived Password in 1971. By this point, Betty and Allen were so associated with Password, they appeared together in an episode of The Odd Couple where Oscar Madison is invited on the show and Felix Unger tags along because he's dying to play. Sadly, ABC recorded over most of the episodes from this series. One of the few remaining shows comes from just a few months before the end of the run. Betty got to host Password while her husband played, and they both did very well, too! 

Part of the reason for Password '71's quick exit was it added way too many gimmicks in order to compete with bigger, newer shows like The Price Is Right and $10,000 Pyramid. Format owner Goodson-Todman finally figured out a way to update the format and make it work with Password Plus. Now, contestants and celebrities guessed clues to a word. They they got five words, they'd have to guess what the subject was.

Allen once again hosted...for the first year. He got sick, and Bill Cullen took over. By 1981, Allen was in bad shape, and Tom Kennedy had taken over. Betty is seen here in a very funny earlier episode teasing her husband by dancing with handsome John Phillip Law, and a later Kennedy-hosted episode where Betty is joined by Robert Pine, Brian Kervwin from Lobo, and Denver Pyle from The Dukes of Hazzard, all in character from their current shows. (Betty is supposed to be Sue Ann Nivens from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.) 

Password returned again as Super Password in 1984. Same deal, only this one was hosted by Bert Convy and included a mini-game where contestants had to answer an especially hard word. Betty continued to make frequent appearances on this show as well. Bert at one point called it "her show." Bert and the other celebrity that week Richard Simmons even celebrated her birthday on this episode from 1986.

Betty made one last appearance on Million Dollar Password from 2008. This one got hit hard with the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire bug, adding lifelines and a ladder that really didn't help gameplay. Regis Philbin was even the host. She appeared twice, the first time with comedian Adam Corrolla. The young man who played with her was utterly thrilled to have her for his celebrity. They even showed scenes from the Password episode where she and Allen announced their marriage; the look on Betty's face when she saw it again is priceless.

The password is...Betty! Celebrate the birthday of the Queen of Game Shows with the show she played so well, she married the original host. (And warning that the second Password '75 episode is inverted, in rough shape, and in black and white, but it's the only copy of that episode currently known to exist.) 

Password Nighttime (1963)

Password Nighttime (1963)

Password (1967)

Password (1975)

Password (1975) 

Password Plus (1979)

Password Plus (1981)

Super Password (1986)

Million Dollar Password (2008) 

Oh...and the Philadelphia Eagles' season ends on a very low note, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32-9 in Florida.