Took the laundry downstairs, then vacuumed and ran the Swifter in my rooms. Listened to the Julie Andrews Rose-Marie record I found yesterday while I worked. I believe this version of the 1924 operetta is from the mid-late 50's, probably around the time she made a splash in My Fair Lady. At the least, she does sound believable as the Canadian singer who falls for a trapper and dodges the attention of a wealthy businessman. Frances Day isn't a bad Lady Jane, but Meier Tzelniker's Hard Boiled Herman is annoying, and Giorgio Tozzi is a bit stiff as Jim. I do commend this for including all but the opening number and a second ballad for Herman and Jane, something that didn't always happen with 50's studio recordings. And yes, "Indian Love Call" does sound beautiful here.
Before I left, I finally called Abilities Solutions. Turns out yes, they'd gotten me another counselor, Bryanna. I called her, but caught her as she was driving. She sounds a lot younger and perkier than my previous two counselors...which may be what I need. I'd love to have someone who knows a bit more about the online job market and more up-to-date jobs, not to mention someone who won't be retiring anytime soon or leave abruptly over expensive insurance rates. At any rate, we'll be getting together at 10 AM on Thursday.
Headed out after I finished my call and moved the laundry to the dryer. It was too nice to hang out inside all day. Though it was still chilly, it wasn't frigid like yesterday. It was sunny and breezy, probably in the lower-mid 40's. I dropped a bag of clothes into the donation bin behind Dollar General, then crossed the White Horse Pike and strolled down Newton Avenue. Grabbed the coffee-table book The Golden Age of Jazz by William P. Gottlieb from the kiosk in front of the former Oaklyn Library. Wawa was busy with kids out of school, but I was still able to order a chicken-bacon ranch wrap (with real chicken, not deli meat), vegetable chips, and a Baja Blast Mountain Dew Zero.
Did two episodes of the Good Eats set I found a while back while eating lunch, making my bed, and bringing the laundry upstairs. "For Whom the Cheese Melts" has Alton explaining cheese in its many forms, showing how it's made and why it's important to choose the right cheese for melting. Things get a little goofy when he uses two football players to explain the war between two religions in Switzerland and how fondue was used as a peace treaty, and when he uses two pans as a sandwich maker for a late-night grilled cheese snack.
"A Bowl of Onion" is one of the earliest episodes from Season 1. It mostly focuses on the many types of onions, especially sweet onions, and how to cook them for the perfect French Onion Soup. (I also like him encouraging the use of an electric skillet for this recipe. My mother had one for years that she loved and used for everything from steak to pancakes.)
Dressed the dolls for early spring and St. Patrick's Day after "Bowl of Onion" ended. Kit wears her Birthday Wrap Dress with the coral pink sweater from her Photographer Outfit and white t-straps. Elizabeth's Summer Gown is a celery green that's really more appropriate for Felicity. Its quilted petticoat makes it more spring than summer. Molly is in the shamrock-print dress I found at a yard sale years ago. Josefina wears her Harvest Outfit with the sage-green print skirt and long-sleeved embroidered camisa. I'm so glad I bought Samantha's Special Day Dress when I did in 2015! It looks so pretty on her, and it costs an arm and a leg on eBay now.
Ariel wears another hard-to-find retired outfit, Julie's Calico Dress. Whitney is in a yellow, red, and green flower print Queen's Treasures dress with a net petticoat and ruffly Peter Pan collar. Barbara Jean goes daringly mod in a psychedelic-print mini-dress, white fur vest, and soft white go-go boots. Jessa wears the turtleneck from the Girl Scouts outfit with the green print, the pants from the original Blue Jean Basics set, yellow socks, and Springfield Collection sneakers.
Listened to the remaining two records I picked up from Goodwill the other day while working on the dolls. I believe the copy of Carousel I found is the original cast album release from 1948. The record is heavy, and though it's not in the best of shape, it played just fine. "Billy's Soliloquy" has him going further into what it would be like to have a daughter in a passage that was apparently cut right before opening and can only be found here. John Raitt sounds fine, especially on the soliloquy, but Jan Clayton is a bit on the bland side, and sounds too much like Jean Darling, the girl playing Carrie.
Mary Martin Sings Richard Rodgers Plays is exactly what it says on the tin. Martin performs songs written by Rodgers with Oscar Hammerstein or Lorenz Hart, sometimes with just him on the piano, sometimes with a full orchestra. Her "Getting to Know You" is so charming, I wish she'd done The King and I. She also does well by some rare Rodgers-Hart material, including "Moon of My Delight" from the 1928 flop Chee-Chee, "Sleepy Head" from the revue Garrick Gaieties, and the delightfully macabre "To Keep My Love Alive" from the 1943 revival of A Connecticut Yankee.
Put on Match Game Syndicated after the episodes ended. Bart Braverman spent most of the first episode trying to flirt with Debralee Scott and looking a little jealous of the attention tall, handsome blond Jim Staal got from Brett and Charles. Phyllis Diller made her first appearance in the second episode, and wasn't too happy when Gene pulled out his breath spray and aimed for a kiss. Fred Travelena tossed out voices next to her.
Finished the night on YouTube after a shower with some of my favorite female panelists on Match Game. Of course, we must start with Brett Somers. Brett came on the show during its third week in 1973 on the suggestion of her then-husband Jack Klugman, who wanted her to get out the house. I suspect he had no idea she'd get a career out of it. Brett would remain for the entire 1973-1982 run and turned up for three memorable weeks in 1990 at the request of her favorite drinking buddy Charles Nelson Reilly. Her wicked sense of humor, infectious laugh, and banter with Charles, Betty White, and others offset her tendency to hog the spotlight and complain about anything she didn't like, including long questions and women in the 4th seat who were younger than her.
Speaking of the 4th seat, probably my favorite lady who regularly sat there was Lee Merriweather. She initially turned up in 1973 and would appear off and on through 1981. Her offbeat sense of humor and ability to fend off Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn's advances matched her beauty and intelligence. One of her last appearances saw her doing a kickline with Fannie Flagg to explain the Rockettes to a British contestant that was the hit of the episode!
Fannie Flagg was one of the most popular regulars in the 6th "comedienne" seat. She also turned up in 1973 and would appear straight through to 1981 and was a semi-regular on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour as well. Years before she wrote Fried Green Tomatoes, she was a relatively well-known comedy writer and actress on records and TV. Her acting experience probably explains her fondness for dressing up. The episode I have here has her posing as Brett's nurse in the outfit she wore for her cameo in Grease as the school nurse who insists her caster oil has already gone missing.
Fannie and Betty White loved to tease Brett and Charles, but they had their own fun as well. Despite her frequently claiming she wasn't fond of sitting in the sixth seat, Betty was probably the best woman who played there. She almost never failed to give the right answer, or at least one that made something like sense. She got along extremely well with Richard and often did jokes with him, like the time they imitated Brett and Charles in this 1977 PM episode.
It's no surprise that acerbic Marcia Wallace became Brett's best female friend in later years. They shared the same salty and pointed sense of humor. Marcia could occasionally get a little too salty, as in this 1977 PM episode where she's censored for giving a naughty answer to where a guy lost a few inches. Marcia first appeared in 1974, but she really came into her own during the syndicated run and later in Match Game-Hollywood Squares and the 1990 show.
Debralee Scott started out in the ingenue seat, but though she may have been one of the younger semi-regulars, she was too spicy to be an ingenue. When she wasn't flirting with panelists or fighting with Ira over her answer, she was teasing Gene and Brett and getting quite a few right answers. Since her first episode ran in the 1976 marathon yesterday, I went with her second episode, where she got to hear Gene fuss over a smaller microphone.
I really wish Rita Moreno had appeared in more of the series. She was one of the funniest semi-regulars from the syndicated years, sassy and spontaneous. Here, you get to see her briefly host a question when Gene gets fed up with the audience reactions to the panel's answers.
Sweet Joyce Bulifant first turned up in 1974 and was a frequent semi-regular through 1981. She wasn't the best at actually matching the contestant, but her good-natured and child-like demeanor made her a nice contrast to the crustier panelists like Brett. She could also occasionally dig up a rather wicked sense of humor, especially when tossing digs at Gene. By far my favorite of her episodes is the one from early in 1979 where she gets to show off her dance training by joining a contestant for some terrific jitterbugging.
Celebrate Women's History Month with the delightfully off-the-wall antics of the best female panelists on Match Game!
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