Outrunning the Storms

Got a quick start today with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Fred enters the Mystery Machine into an off-road race vehicle in "The Fast and the Wormious" to join a Mexican off-road rally race. This might be one of the weirdest episodes of the entire series. The drivers are all attacked by a massive worm that damages their vehicles. Fred and the others have to figure out what's going on here, dodge an annoying geek with a crush on Velma, and get to the end of the race before everyone else!

Headed out after the cartoon ended. I had errands to run in Collingswood, starting a quick walk to PNC Bank after I locked my bike at the rack behind the senior center. I did have to wait a minute to use the indoor machine, but once it was free, I went in, got my money, and went out.

Stopped at Sabrina's Cafe for lunch next. They were busy, but I did manage to get a table near the bathrooms. My original thought was eggs, but their Key Lime Pie Pancakes sounded too good to miss...and they were. The thick lime custard topping and graham cracker crumble were absolutely amazing, even if the pancakes themselves were a bit dry. I washed it down with sweet Matcha Lemonade.

Collingswood Music is one of the few stores in town open on Mondays, so I went there next. Two pre-teen boys were discussing guitar lessons with the owner when I arrived. I didn't do nearly as well there as I have in the past, only coming up with: 

Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow?

Swing Concert: Carnegie Hall Concerts 1938/39 (Apparently a collection of the Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Kansas City Six concerts recorded at the famous venue around this time.) 

Went back up Haddon Avenue, first for a quick stop at Haddon Culinary. It looked like they were selling fruit from the Farm Market. $8.99 was a bit steep for cherries and strawberries, but I did get blueberries along with a Coke Zero. Peeked around at the Collingswood Library, but saw nothing of interest and just ended up using the bathroom.

It had been hot, sunny, and killer humid again when I left for Collingswood. Heavier clouds began to gather as I rode through Newton Lake Park and up the White Horse Pike to Dollar General. I didn't like the look of the weather and limited my stop there to grabbing a card and a bag for Finley's birthday. It was thundering even as I jumped on my bike. The rain finally started about 20 minutes after I got in, and it would rain off and on, sometimes complete with thunder, for the rest of the day. 

After I got in, I took the laundry downstairs, then put on Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while vacuuming, Swiftering, and dusting. Slim (Abbott) and Tubby (Costello) learn a lot more about English detective methods than they could have imagined when the two cops are in London during a series of horrific murders. Kicked off the force after they were unable to stop a women's suffragette rally from descending into chaos, they become determined to capture this fiend. 

Turns out it's the brilliant Dr. Jekyll (Boris Karloff) whose formula has turned him into the monstrous Mr. Hyde (Eddie Parker) who is committing the murders. He's in love with dancer Vicky Edwards (Helen Westcott), but when she falls for journalist Bruce Adams (Craig Stevens), Mr. Hyde goes after him. Tubby discovers the truth, but he keeps turning into animals and monsters after taking one of Jekyll's potions. He and Slim have to race against time to save their friends and prove that this monster is the one causing all of the mayhem.

Yeah, not the most accurate retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but definitely one of the most fun. Despite it being set in London, almost no one has an accent. This is meant to be pure goofiness. There's some surprisingly decent special effects on this one for the time, especially when Lou turns into a mouse or a monster. Definitely recommended for fans of Abbott and Costello or comic mysteries.

Put the laundry in the dryer, then switched to Mystery at the Wax Museum while finishing the dusting and wiping down the window. Sculptor Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) may love his highly detailed work in wax for his London museum, but his partner Joe Worth (Edwin Maxwell) just wants to burn the place down for the insurance. Igor goes up with it, turning up twelve years later in New York at another wax museum. Now he's hired sculptors to recreate his masterpieces. Reporter Florence Dempsey (Glenda Farrell) smells a story, especially after a girl turns up dead and her boyfriend is questioned. With her editor Jim (Frank McHugh) demanding a sensational story, she and sculptor Ralph Burton (Allen Vincent) set out to find the truth about Ivan's incredible works...and what's under the wax.

Who knew the frothy pastels of Two-Strip Technicolor could get this scary? This would be one of the last movies done in this format, and it somehow makes Igor's creations even more sinister. I believe I have the re-release from 2020, and the print is honestly pretty good, without too much wear or tear. Farrell tears into her role as the mouthy reporter, and Atwill makes a suitably chilling mad sculptor. Highly recommended for 30's horror fans, or those who don't think Technicolor can be spooky.

Reluctantly finished off Remember WENN while finishing the cleaning and settling down to write. "At Cross Purposes" kicks off when Jeff turns up at the station in a dress for his role in Charley's Aunt. He's not the only one who ends up in a dress when a process server appears at WENN with marriage papers from Pavla Nemcova...but Scott and Maple are convinced he's after them and end up cross-dressing, too. (Incidentally, the dress works fine on lanky Hugh O'Gorman. On big, bear-like Kevin O'Rourke...not so much.) The episode ends with newsgirl Betty announcing that it's December 7th...and America is now at war.

"All Noisy On the Pittsburgh Front" brings Victor back, happily declaring that he's now running a station for military personnel in addition to WENN. All of the male staff members attempt to join the military...but the only one who actually can is Scott. He and Victor finally put Betty on the spot regarding which one she loves more. Meanwhile, the others deal with a loony (J.K Simmons) who thinks he's Captain Amazon, Eugenia proposes to Mr. Foley, and Hilary claims she's married to someone else.

And that's...it. I'm still salty to this day about AMC's poor treatment of this show. While I am glad that they're now at least acknowledging its existence and putting it on their website and elsewhere, they shouldn't have interfered with the 4th season or cut it off like they did to begin with. This is one of the best sitcoms made in the late 90s. It feels more like something HBO made over a decade later. It deserves far better than it ever got, and thank heavens it can now be seen by the much wider audience it deserves.

In fact, I'm not ready to let this show go yet. Not this time. I'll let it go for the rest of the week, but I might start over with "On the Air" next Monday after we get past the 4th of July weekend. Besides, I'm writing fanfiction again. I missed this show too much to stop now.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated after dinner and bringing the laundry upstairs. For some reason, Buzzr jumped way into the syndicated shows here. The first one featured a handsome young contestant who gave Marcia Wallace a kiss and danced with her for helping him with the Audience Match, to her surprise and delight! The second featured a funny older British lady who wrote dirty limericks, but couldn't really figure out the game very well.

Worked on writing while Match Game was on and afterwards. Hilary, Maple, and Betty dream themselves into the rose garden surrounding the mansion at night..but it's summer rather than winter, and they're all dressed in early 30's splendor, complete with a yellow rose-print dress for Hilary. Jeff turns up first, in his tux from "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" and "Pratfall"...but he's not waiting tables now. He warns Hilary to look beyond appearances, and tells her he's still in her heart. 

He's flanked by two shadowy figures, one larger and wearing a white tux (Scott always did look gorgeous in his white tuxedo from "Pen of Gertrude Reece" and "Pratfall"), the other taller and wearing a simpler black tux (I don't think Victor ever got the chance to dress up, even in "Pen of Gertrude Reece"). The ladies duck into the shadows, only to find that the men can neither speak, nor leave the darkness. Maple still tells the taller guy she likes him, while Betty ends up in the strong arms of the other.  

Pavla turns up as the wind blows, leaving withered roses in her wake. She's flanked by shadowy creatures resembling the Troll who immediately grab Betty back. Her shadowed suitor angrily attacks the creatures, only to be punched in the stomach and held down. Maple tries to defend the taller one, but he's captured too when she runs over to help Betty. Hilary does manage to scratch Pavla before the creatures knock her out. Jeff's screaming to look past appearances and the roaring wind are the last things she hears before she passes out.

Finished the night with the Fairie Tale Theatre "Beauty and the Beast." Klaus Kinski is an unlikely Beast, but Susan Sarandon is a glowing Beauty in this retelling of the 1946 French film. The sequences at Beauty's home are shot on film, the only ones in the show to be so. Look for Anjelica Huston as one of Beauty's spoiled sisters. 

Milestone Matches

Started the morning with breakfast and the 1993 version of On the Town. Apparently, this was a semi-staged version done in London, with Tyne Daly as Hildy the Cab Driver, opera stars Frederica Von Stade and Thomas Hampton as Claire and Gabey, and Samuel Ramey singing "Pitkin's Song." Yes, Daly does get to go to town with "I Can Cook, Too," and a hilarious "Come Up to My Place." "Some Other Time" aches with longing, too. There's also the odd finale, "The Intermission Song." 

Switched to Billboard Top Hits 1988 while I worked on writing, and then as I had lunch and got ready for work. I would have been 9 years old when these songs were on the chart. These were peak years, as these songs helped me dream when my body was changing and my family unraveling in ways I wasn't ready for. Songs like "Shattered Dreams" by Johnny Hates Jazz, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" by Billy Ocean, the driving "Seasons Change" by Expose, and "Wild Wild West" by Escape Club provided me with dreams at a time when it seemed like my entire world was falling out from under me.

For once, I headed out to work at the right time and got there with time to spare. No trouble here, other than the evening manager can be a bit demanding. She was telling me to gather carts, even when I was trying to get on break. Sent out one of the cashiers to do it. I don't know why I was the only bagger on this afternoon anyway. Usually, baggers overlap on Sundays. There wasn't enough cashiers, either. We had long lines all day, even when it wasn't that busy. At least some of the managers were willing to help with the bathrooms, even as I gathered carts and trash. And it was hot and humid again, too, probably in the lower-mid 90's. 

Went straight home after work. Jumped in the shower, grabbed dinner, and spent the rest of the night watching today's Match Game marathon. Tonight, we highlighted the milestones and memories from the later years of the original CBS 1973-1979. Of course, this included the infamous School Riot, where Debralee Scott and Richard Dawson argued that their answer of "Finishing School" matched a contestant's "School" answer. Richard was still in a pretty decent mood at this point, even doing a eulogy for Polly Holliday's microphone when it dropped and died. He only protested slightly during the first week with Eva Gabor when it was announced that Match Game would be moving to mornings, before The Price Is Right. 

That would prove to be its undoing. The show was wildly popular in afternoons, when kids and people coming home from work could enjoy its cocktail party vibe. It proved to be a mismatch with Price, despite Bob Barker being a semi-regular. Moms watching soaps were far less interested in cocktail parties than kids. Moving it back to afternoons was too little, too late. Redoing the set in mid-1978 and bringing in the Star Wheel that doubled money and would choose who the contestant played with on the Head-to-Head was supposed to jazz up the proceedings. It just further upset Richard Dawson, who had previously been everyone's favorite choice for the Head-to-Head. He finally left the show about three weeks later and hadn't really been playing much before that.

The show finally lurched to a conclusion in 1979. It didn't even get a send-off on CBS. In fact, the last week wouldn't run anywhere but New York until GSN picked it up in the 2000's. Gene and Brett and Charles came into 1979 with hope, but by the end of the year, they'd be in syndication. At least Gene got to give Bill Daily his jacket for his wedding. (And considering Bill would be seen wearing it during the syndicated series, he must have kept it well after that.)

At any rate, check out some of the wild and crazy happenings during the later years of the CBS run!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Featuring Special Milestone Episodes 1977 - 1979

Ice Cream and Muppet Dreams

Overslept this morning and got a really quick start with breakfast and one more Disney "Three Little Pigs" short. "The Three Little Wolves" are so adorable, you wonder how the pigs could fear them. They're even naughtier than dear old wolf Dad, though...and they're hungry! Practical's brothers keep blowing a horn for a joke, but he doesn't think it's funny when the wolf almost makes them into cub chow. It's Practical's wolf-attacking machine that finally scares off this family of predators for good.

Rushed out the door so late, I ended up taking Uber. Even that didn't arrive for 9 minutes, and I was still late. Ironically, it only took 4 minutes for the car going home to arrive. No trouble either way.

Work wasn't a problem, either. It was steady, but it's the end of the month, and we're between holidays. Most people are likely waiting for next weekend and the 4th of July to go shopping. Plus, while the weather wasn't killer hot like last week, it was still sunny, warm, and humid. Swept and pushed carts with no trouble whatsoever.

When I got home, I had changed and settled down while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Daisy's Pony Tail" grows to Rapunzel lengths when Goofy accidentally douses her with Professor Ludwig Von Drake's growth formula. Mickey and Goofy first have to join her in finding Witch Pete's tower, then get him to give up the Rapunzel Flowers that will shrink her hair back to normal.

Went back out after the cartoon ended. Humid though it was, it still wasn't a bad day. I felt like a treat. Got a cappuccino milkshake at La Morense Plus. I drank it, but it was kind of strong for coffee ice cream. Don't know if I'll do that again. Stopped at Family Dollar for a Diet Dr. Pepper...and regretted it. I saw a massive bug on the floor, and the customers were noisy and annoying.

Put on Muppets Most Wanted after I got in. I go further into this crime caper sequel to The Muppets at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Muppets Most Wanted

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts while the movie was on. The three women settle in for the night, with Betty and Maple wondering where they saw the eyes on the Eagle and Bear before. Betty and Hilary point out that there is something seriously wrong here. Not only do animals not normally talk, but Betty insists that she doesn't think Bear is a bear or a simpleton. Something has shattered his mind. 

Hilary calls C.J at the Nixon Theater in Pittsburgh to see what he's found out. C.J found out something, all right. Not only is Pavla Nemcova there and taking Hilary's old "Rivals" role, but despite Pavla's claim that Jeff loves her, Jeff is not there. He, Scott, Victor, and Mr. Foley are missing. Pavla says they're in Europe, but he thinks she's lying. He's also going to get Doug Thompson to find out who actually owns the mansion, because it's probably not a troll.

Finished the night at YouTube with today's Match Game marathon. About two years ago, the owner of Match Game Productions interviewed former Match Game and Price Is Right producer Roger Dobowitz. In addition to hearing his wonderful stories about all the crazy things that happened on those shows, we got to see some of his most memorable appearances on Match Game. Poor Roger tended to get picked on quite a bit, whether it was due to his bad spelling (he once put down "parachute" as "pair of shoes") or just because he was there. As resident cute nerd, he tended to come in for a lot of jokes to that effect, like the time Richard and Gene grabbed him and pulled up his t-shirt. There was also the time he got teased about his love of roller coasters, and the time he somehow managed to get a streak of black ink over his eye.

Learn more about the history of Match Game with one of it's most beloved backstage people!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Roger Dobowitz: Production Assistant on Match Game (Interview and On Camera)

Cooling Down Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Pups and the Lighthouse Boogie" has Skylar releasing Cap'n Turnbot from a lighthouse when an ore blocks the door and Zuma getting Mayor Goodway and Alex's boat out of a storm. Zuma's upset that he's missing the big "Pup Pup Boogie" dance game tournament...but the Cap'n has a way to make him very happy.  For once, "Pups Save Ryder" when he's caught on a ledge with a stray goat...but they have to chase his pad first when it ends up in a grocery truck making deliveries.

Switched to Super Password briefly while I made my grocery lists and got organized. Pat Harrington and a hilarious Edie McClurg were the celebrities here. After they answered the first puzzle, I headed out to do this week's grocery shopping.

Began at Sprouts. I mainly needed dried fruit here - went with golden raisins. Small sale on cookies. I couldn't resist their detectable peanut butter. Grabbed soda and granola bars on sale, too. Headed down to the Acme next. Also got soda and granola bars, the latter Kind Kids' Bars on unusually good sales. Grabbed bagels for work this week. Stocked up on yogurt and cherries, and strawberries were on a good sale with an online coupon. Picked up a square of strawberry cake for a treat.

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. The park was really busy with joggers, walkers, and bikers out enjoying the weather, to the point where I eventually took the path over the hill to get some quiet. It was cloudy, windy, and cold here today, in the upper 60's. Quite a difference from the past week, but after the past week, I'll take it. 

After I got home, I had lunch while watching Remember WENN. It's "Past Tense, Future Imperfect" when Victor breaks yet another date with Betty, and Betty explains to Maple (and Scott) how she became the cornerstone of the station. On her second day, Victor's habitual "grandeloquence" leaves her thinking he's in love with her. (That comes later.) Hilary still thinks she's after Jeff, and Eugenia's got in her head that she wants Mr. Foley, too. Victor has to explain that it's Betty's raw potential he's interested in.

"The Sunset Also Rises" is Gertie's second attempt at a script, this time for the then-brand-new medium of television. It turns into a spoof of Sunset Boulevard. At least initially, Hilary is the grande dame actress and Scott is the writer she bedevils...but the others jump in with their own ideas, of course. (And...this is another episode that has always bothered me. Though there are some funny moments, and watching Hilary scare the Dickens out of Scott is amusing, Sunset Boulevard fits neither the time period, nor the show's tone. AMC should have just let Rupert do his Maltese Falcon spoof.) 

Got my schedule here. It's a lot quieter than I figured for the 4th of July. I did ask for that off, but I only work Wednesday and the weekend. I guess they had a lot of help this week. 

Switched to records while I finished yesterday's blog entry. Dumbo may be one of Disney's shortest films, but it's long on charm and good music. The lullaby "Baby Mine" is the heartbreaking standard here. Though many people nowadays don't appreciate how the crows who find Dumbo and Timothy on that electrical wire are portrayed, it doesn't change the fact that their "When I See an Elephant Fly" is a showstopper. We even get a jaunty instrumental demo at the very end, "Spread Your Wings."

I think I like Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook even better than her Gershwin Songbook. Every one of these songs is a sheer delight, from the hilarious "A Fine Romance" to the aching "Why Was I Born?" My favorites are her languid opener "Let's Begin," the charming "You Couldn't Be Cuter," and a gentle "Remind Me."

Put on Laugh-In next. This early 3rd season episode featured a very eager Sonny Bono and a very blase Cher at the height of their original popularity. We also get the Laugh-In ladies dressed as bikers to introduce the news and sketches on social climbing. 

Watched Match Game '74 during dinner. This was the last episode of one of the last weeks of 1974, featuring Avery Schriberer, and in her only appearance in the franchise, Phyllis Newman. (I have the feeling from an episode earlier in the week that Phyllis took some of the booing and Brett's insults a little too personally.)

Spent the rest of the evening working on Hilary and the Beasts. Bear, Eagle, and Mr. Rabbit take the ladies and their luggage to their room. Not only is it decorated exactly to Hilary's taste, but Maple and Betty's couches are being made up by an eager half-human, half-golden retriever puppy (Enid) who delights at Betty's typewriter and hopes they can make up stories together. Nobody will talk about what's going on.

Betty asks the Bear his real name, but his mind is blank. He only knows his name is Bear. He also knows that the Troll bought the house and grew the roses in the hot house for "a lady," but can't remember who she is or her name. Maple is happier to pepper Eagle with questions, even as he tries to nudge Bear into remembering who he is.

Finished the night at YouTube with a pair of childhood memories that are part of the reason I'm such a huge fairy tale fan. During the 80's, Nickelodeon ran an anime called Grimm's Fairy Tales. They not only adapted the usual stories like "Beauty and the Beast," but ones that were far less familiar. I went with one favorite and one unfamiliar version of an old favorite. The favorite is "Snow White and Rose Red." This pretty much runs with the original story of two girls who help a bear defeat a gold-stealing gnome, but they do give the bear's younger brother more to do in the end. 

"Beauty and the Beast" follows a variant called "The Summer and Winter Garden" where it's snowing on one side of the Beast's castle and summer on the other. Other than that and Beauty's (in this case, Maria) father dies in the end, this is a pretty straightforward retelling. 

Me and the Beasts

Started the day with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Glimmer convinces Adora to attend the "Princess Prom," a major event that only occurs once a decade. Adora's hoping to get its child ruler Frostina to join the Princess Alliance. Glimmer's jealous that Bow to Perfuma to the Prom. Adora's shocked that Catra and Scorpia are there too...but she can't get anyone to listen that they might be up to something until it's too late...

Headed out to run errands after the cartoon ended. I had a bag of donations for Goodwill, and I needed to return the too-small underwear I picked up on vacation to Lane Bryant. I accidentally took the labels off one before I realized it was the wrong size, so I wasn't able to return that (I'll just drop it in the Dollar General clothes bin with a bag of other clothes I don't want), but I did return the other four. 

Not only was I feeling hungry enough for a decent lunch (I hadn't had a big breakfast), but for the first time in over a week, the weather was decent. It was windy, sunny, and killer humid, but while hot, it was only slightly above where it should be for late June, probably in the mid-80's. Rode across Audubon to the Legacy Diner. Had three huge, tasty Chunky Monkey pancakes with chocolate chips and bananas, a bowl of fruit, and unsweetened iced tea. Filling and tasty. 

Made a quick stop at WaWa on the way home for drinks. They were having a 2 for $4 sale on Pepsi. Grabbed Pepsi Zero and Mountain Dew Zero, used the last of my gift card, and rode home.

Went straight into Remember WENN after I got home. Everyone at WENN is taking a "Pratfall" when they're nominated for 16 Golden Lobes, Pittsburgh's prestigious radio awards. Scott and Jeff are competing with each other, both in the lead role of Young Doctor Talbot, while Hilary tries hard to campaign for an all-around excellence award and Eugenia attempts to put truth into her exercise program.

It's a "Work Shift" when Mr. Eldridge's mistake with the scripts leaves everyone frustrated. Motivational speaker Arden Sage (Greg Germann) encourages the others to "walk in another's shoes" for a day...which teaches the cast a lesson in appreciating their own jobs when Scott fetches everyone coffee, Hilary is stuck behind the switchboard, Gertie and Mr. Eldridge are acting, and Maple attempts writing. (If nothing else, besides being one of the better episodes from the 4th season, this episode finally ends the running gag about what Mr. Eldridge does at the station. He's the go-fer and janitor who does all the little chores no one else has any time or inclination to do.)

Switched to I Dream of Jeanie while writing Hilary and the Beasts. I go further into this charming B-movie biography of Stephen Foster at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

I Dream of Jeanie (1952)

Spent the rest of the evening working on Hilary and the Beasts. Hilary, Betty, Maple (and Hilary's considerable stack of luggage) take a cab past Pittsburgh's Millionaire's Row to an enormous, stunning stone manor house on the end of the street. They're greeted at the door by a twitching human rabbit who doesn't talk (Mr. Foley) but does carry Hilary's bags. They manage to get everything to the living room before they finally meet the master of the manor...a roaring, hideous troll-man (Jeff) who immediately yells that Hilary was late and her sisters are going home. Hilary counters with he could stop acting like a baby and if her sisters go, she goes. Betty is terrified. Maple is thrilled - this is her first movie monster up close!

The ladies find an unlikely defender in a timid, lumbering half-human black bear (Scott). He stumbles slowly out to haltingly protest the Troll making them leave. The Troll calls him an idiot, tells him to help Mr. Rabbit with the luggage, and shoves him. Betty tends to him when he trips over the luggage and tells him she doesn't think he's stupid. 

Maple's absolutely ecstatic to be in what amounts to a moving zoo...and she's even more so when a handsome half-human bald eagle (Victor) swoops down to lend his own wings. The Troll yells at him for hiding in his rooms, but he ignores him. Maple is utterly smitten with a giant human eagle who can fly and even strokes his wings. Betty wonders why he's the only creature who's silent. The Troll growls that his bird tongue doesn't allow for human speech. All three of the ladies recognize the men's brown eyes, but none of them can quite place them...

Watched Match Game '73 and Match Game '74 during dinner. The first episode brought in Bert Convy and a wisecracking Jack Carter in the episode thankfully before the one where Gene wore that hideous plaid suit. Pat Harrington and Betty White turned up in the '74 episode, which also brings us one of the biggest winners on the show, sweet Janet Finn (and the fact that her vest matched Gene's checked vaudeville suit).

Finished the night honoring a female rock legend. Pearl was Janis Joplin's final studio album, her biggest hit, and her most influential album. "Me and Bobby McGee," her declaration of freedom, is the big one here. I also liked "Mercedes Benz" and the all-too-prophetically titled "Buried Alive In the Blues." Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits tosses "Piece of My Heart," "Summertime," and "Ball and Chain" into the mix. 

Are You Ready for the Summer?

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and and the first two "Three Little Pigs" Disney Silly Symphony shorts. "The Three Little Pigs" is the original one, and it's pretty basic. Practical Pig's brick house proves to be a sanctuary when the Big Bad Wolf destroys his brothers' homes. "The Big Bad Wolf" also pursues cute, rounded Little Red Riding Hood, but the pigs are there to save her and Granny, too.

No trouble at all with Uber today. It remains too hot for biking! The one going there in the morning arrived in 7 minutes. Thankfully, I left earlier and was there in plenty of time. The one going home didn't even need a minute to arrive. No traffic either way.

It's too hot for shopping, too. The Acme was pretty dead all morning. It remains murderously hot, sunny, and humid here. I'd sweep, then would go outside and get all the carts done that I dared, then would go inside for drinks or to put loose items away. No problems whatever. By the time the heat and the crowds started picking up, I was finishing my shift and on my way home.

Since I was already used to the heat from work, I changed, then went right back out again. I had planned on spending the rest of the day outside, so I figured I'd get a short walk in. Headed to the A&A Pretzel Shop to pick up lunch. Grabbed two regular pretzels, a cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel, and a Diet Pepsi, then headed home.

Watched What's New, Scooby Doo? while I had lunch. "Mummy Scares Best" when the gang joins Fred's idol Melbourne O'Reilly at a dig in Egypt. Turns out a mummy has been supposedly turning the tourists into zombie minions. No one believes this at first...until even Mystery Inc is hypnotized, and it's up to Shaggy and Scooby to save the day!

Spent pretty much the rest of the afternoon and evening doing things online and working on Hilary and the Beasts. Doug Thompson turns up at the door with flowers to take Betty out. Betty is not interested in going out. She's writing scripts and claims she doesn't have time for skating and outings. Hilary has no trouble pushing her at Doug. She'd rather see her with Doug than someone like, oh, her ex-husband's perpetually lying manager Scott Sherwood. Betty claims Scott had tried to hit on her, but she wasn't interested...even though there's a bit of hurt in her eyes, like she almost wished she could have been, if he'd just tell the truth for once.

Maple flings through the door at this point, all tears and anger. The only thing the boss at the Crimson Follies was interested in was getting her on his couch. She tells her sisters, and when C.J comes in, brother, that she wants to be seen as more than just a pretty face and body. Her siblings assure that they, at least, give her nothing but respect. 

Mackie arrives next, wild-eyed and horrified. He stayed at a palatial old Gothic mansion overnight when it turned out that there was no theater job. He never saw any of the servants, but he heard voices and the purr of a cat. Someone brought him a fine meal and led him to an enormous bedroom to sleep, but he never saw anyone. He did go to a green house in the back garden to find a rose for Hilary. The moment he took the rose, he was attacked by a towering, disgustingly ugly troll-monster with greenish skin, curly horns, and a warty face. The creature threatens to send him to the cops for stealing his property unless he gives up his oldest daughter as payment. 

Hilary is determined to square this debt for her father, but Maple insists on them all going. It sounds like a great adventure to her. After all, how often will they get to see a Lon Chaney monster up close? Betty's far more reluctant to join in. Someone has to stay and watch Mackie. C.J finally says that he'll do it. He'll also ask questions about the mysterious mansion and monster sightings at the theater where he works. Maple finally talks Betty into it on the suggestion that she do research for her radio scripts. 

Watched Remember WENN first as I worked. "The Birth of a Station" was controversial when it first debuted. A pregnant young woman (Debra Wiseman) turns up at the station during a transit strike. Not only does she go into labor, but she's determined that Young Dr. Talbot should take care of her. Trouble is, he's the character Jeff plays on the show of that title. Jeff has to be the doctor for real, while the others try to find a way to get her to the hospital.

"The Follies of WENN" was originally intended to be an hour, but was dialed back to a half-hour due to AMC's meddling during the 4th season. Scott agrees to take $1000 from an old buddy who wants a burlesque show on the radio to pay for a failing orphanage. All of the WENN ladies are recruited, and some get more into it than others...much to the annoyance of Jeff and Scott!

Switched to records after WENN ended. Secret Love is a wide-ranging collection of ballads, some going back to the 60's. I remember seeing commercials for this when I was a kid. Though I do have a lot of these elsewhere, there's some that I don't have yet - "Get Closer" by Seals & Croft, "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick, "If I Could Reach You" by the Fifth Dimension, and "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" by the Casinos.

Moved to Match Game '73 during dinner. Came just in time to catch the tail end of the very first episode of the series. Michael Landon made his only appearance, Richard Dawson his first. The next episode skipped way ahead to later in the year. Pat Harrington joined a far more typical panel that included Brett, Charles, Richard, and Betty White.

Finished the night with Meatballs at Tubi. It's shaping up to being the wildest summer on record at Camp North Star in the backwoods of Canada, what with Rudy, a lonely camper (Chris Makepeace) running away on the first day and Tripper (Bill Murray), the head counselor living to break rules. Not to mention, there's all the counselors in training, every single last one of whom are horny, opposite-sex crazy, and ready to break rules. Things really heat up during the Olympiad, the big end-of-the-summer competition with wealthy Camp Mohawk. Mohawk either out-guns them or cheats, until Tripper reminds them that it just doesn't matter, and the best thing about any competition is having fun.

Murray and Makepeace basically steal this wholesale as the confused nice kid who spends the summer bonding and running with Tripper. They were such a hit, they actually added more scenes with them (including them playing cards). 

We're Having a Heat Wave

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan and Prince Wednesday weather this heat wave by giving out lemonade at "The Lemonade Stand." Dan throws a fit when Prince Wednesday shakes the lemons off the tree before he can count them, and Prince Wednesday gets upset when Dan hands Queen Sarah her lemonade instead of him. Queen Sarah reminds them that it's important to express anger and talk things out. Likewise, Miss Elainia and Dan get "Mad at the Beach" when Dan accidentally splashes sea water in Elainia's eyes and the waves wash their sandcastle away. Dan Sr. is no happier when the kids go to the water without his permission. He reminds them to talk things out.

Watched Remember WENN next. Victor and Betty want to turn Betty's epic blending of Shakespearean plays "When In Rome" into a three-day marathon to beat a big record. The entire cast winds up saying "And If I Die Before I Sleep" when they try to do whatever they can to stay awake. There's treachery afoot from the man who is supposed to be covering the story (John Ratzenberger) and his nurse. With the cast half-ready to drop, it's up to Victor, a sick Maple, Mr. Eldridge, and Gertie to learn what this nasty newspaper man is really up to. (And a personal note - for all the problems with the 4th season, this makes up for a lot. The wild shenanigans that go on in this one makes it my personal favorite episode of the entire series.)

Hilary proves she's her own best friend when she becomes "Hilary's Agent" to land the role of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. The problems start when she has to produce said agent and dresses the part. Now she's playing two roles when the producer (Daniel Benzali) turns up to talk to her. (Honestly, Eugenia gets by far the best line in this one!) 

Did some paperwork, then spent a lot of the morning and early afternoon messing around online. Listened to CDs while I worked. Broadway star Barbara Cook performed some of her best-known songs during her concert at Carnegie Hall. My favorites were the original version of "My White Knight" from The Music Man (she was the original Marian Paroo on Broadway) and "Magic Moment" from the flop The Gay Life. We also got a charming "When I Marry Mr. Snow" and lovely "Time Heals Everything.

I got bored with sitting around 1:30 and headed out to lunch. Yeah, it really was that hot. The smothering heat came at me in waves. It was too hot to have lunch anywhere but Capitol Pizza around the corner. They have water ice along with the pizza. I had a slice of broccoli, a slice of mushroom, a cherry water ice, and a Diet Pepsi while ignoring the true crime show that was on, then the dull Hollywood gossip show.

Put on records when I got home. I really regret having cleared out the DVD version of the Barry Manilow Copacabana TV movie, as I now can't seem to find it online. At least I found the soundtrack. There's three additional songs here, all for Tony, that didn't make it to the West End. "Changing My Tune" and "Big City Blues" are additional Copacabana chorus numbers. "Cal Me Mr. Lucky" is a bit snazzier. While the charming "Who Needs to Dream" number obviously doesn't come off on a record, we do get Tony's "Sweet Heaven" and the big "El Bravo."

La La Land is a different show business story all together. Even on the LP, it's still hard to beat that dynamic opening "Another Day In the Sun." "A Lovely Night" is just as adorable here, and Stone comes across especially strong with "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)." There's some nice instrumental jazz tracks too, notably "Mia & Sebastian's Theme" and the famous "Planetarium" dance in the stars.

Switched to Up In Central Park while writing. I go further into this 1948 tale of a newly-arrived Irishman who helps a young reporter expose corruption at Tammany Hall in the 1870's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Up In Central Park

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts next. Hilary's version of the story turns her into Hilary Booth-Bloom, who has just slunk back to Pittsburgh in January 1930 to discover her family in vastly reduced circumstances. Her father Mackie, a renown actor, lost his wealth in the stock market, and they now live in a tiny brownstone house on an ordinary residential street instead of a glittering New York penthouse. She's still licking her wounds from her beloved husband Jeff divorcing her and marrying Czech actress Pavla Nemcova. Her siblings Betty and C.J handle their reduced circumstances far better. She doesn't mind writing radio shows and taking care of the family, and he'd rather work on the electrical wiring of a theater than at Carnegie Mellon. Vivacious Maple is trying to get a job with the Crimson Follies, but Hilary wants her to marry someone wealthy who will take care of her.

Mackie's thrilled when he gets a role in a Shakespearean production across town. Hilary points out that the theater is falling apart, but Mackie's just glad to have a role. He even offers to get his children gifts. Maple wants a new dress. Betty asks for books, C.J tools. Hilary only wants one perfect rose. She used to grow them in a rooftop garden, and they remind her of Jeff. Besides, it's winter. Her tiny bare garden isn't growing now.

Switched to Buzzr during dinner. The first Match Game episode was from the second week in 1973. Bob Barker, Richard Dawson, and Della Reece were joined by the only Waltons cast members to appear on the show. Michael Lerned seemed to enjoy herself, but poor Richard Thomas looked like a deer caught in the headlights. The second episode jumped way, way back to one of the few 60's episodes to exist. This black and white show featured an all-star special with Joan Fontaine, Betty White, and Peggy Cass playing Bennett Cerf, Henry Morgan, and Robert Q. Lewis.

Finished the night with more records and CDs. The LP Beauty and the Beat! expertly melds the smooth sounds of the George Shearing Quintet with an aching Peggy Lee. "If Dreams Come True," "Isn't It Romantic?", and "They'll Be Another Spring" are especially good here. 

The second disc on the John Denver Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits set is pretty useless, just a few unreleased tracks. (They couldn't have gotten those on the first disc?) That first disc, though, features some of Denver's most beloved songs. Among my favorites of his are "Calypso," "Country Roads," the aching "Fly Away," "Poems, Prayers, and Promises," and the unlikely "Perhaps Love" with Placido Domingo. 

Send a Little Love My Way

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. The first season ends with a bit of "Sunny Side Up." The kids awake one day to learn that night is literally day, and it's day on the half of Wonderland when it should be night. That's fun for the kids, but it's making the talking flowers wilt. Alice and her friends learn a valuable lesson about community service when they hold a can drive to get enough Sunny Side Greens to make a frittata that'll let the flowers bloom. It's "A Supreme Pizza Problem" when Alice makes a pizza for a big pizza party at Hearts Palace, but Hattie and Fergie add a few too many toppings that make a mountain out of a dough molehill. Alice finally reminds them that less is more, and they remake the pizza by following the right original recipe. 

It was too hot to ride the bike to work. Took Uber there and back. Unfortunately, I left too late, and the Uber going to work took 9 minutes to arrive. I was two minutes late. Far fewer problems going home. It only took me 3 minutes to get a ride. No trouble on the road whatsoever.

No trouble at work, either. Yes, I did push carts, but I was also encouraged to come in, get a drink, cool off, and do other things. I gathered trash, swept the store, did returns, and cleaned up the bathrooms. Between the heat, it being the end of the month, and the major summer holiday being next week, I think you can guess we were dead as a doornail. Most people were probably in a pool, hiding in the air conditioning, or at the Shore. 

Put on Remember WENN while eating lunch, and then as I began my story. I reluctantly got the ball rolling on the fourth season with "Some Time, Some Station." The only one who ends up getting hurt from that gunshot is Pruitt...but Victor's scrambled mind is still in and out, leading him to think it's the start of WENN's broadcast day. Meanwhile, Mackie thinks Pruitt got what he deserves, Maple happily flirts with Victor, Betty and Scott try to process his declaration of love, and Jeff admits what happened with the whole Pavla mess.

Mr. Eldridge is saying "Thanks a Lottery!" when he wins big on the Swiss Lottery. Pruitt, arrested and out of the picture though he may be, isn't done causing trouble indirectly. He's shunted WENN into another company and made a ton of new rules, including a mandatory age for retirement that Mr. Eldridge is long past. As the others contemplate how to spend the money, Jeff is still pursuing Hilary and trying to get her to read the letters he sent her. Mr. Eldridge thinks he lost the tickets...but what he actually ends up doing with them not only saves the station and his job, it gets them permanently out of the hair of people like Pruitt for good.

"You've Met Your Match" is a bitter chocolate bon-bon wrapped in Hilary's frustrations. Hilary commandeers the WENN version of The Dating Game so she can date Victor and make Jeff jealous. Needless to say, absolutely nothing works like she planned. She ends up with an equally frustrated Scott (who just admitted his many deceptions to Victor), and Jeff ends up with Betty. Let's say Jeff and Betty's attempts to make Hilary jealous probably weren't the best ideas either ever had. Not all the dates are so mismatched. Maple is more than happy to finally have Victor's attention, Mr. Eldridge and Gertie comment on everyone else, and Eugenia and Mr. Foley are so delighted, they're late coming back!

And that is the inspiration for my newest WENN fanfic. Honestly, that episode always bothered the heck out of me. Hilary in particular is obnoxious, and while I do like seeing Victor and Scott get along (even after Scott admits his own duplicity) and Maple finally get a chance with Victor (and Eugenia and Mr. Foley are too cute for words), the rest of it is more sour than fun.

The women of WENN think so, too. Hilary and Betty storm into the Writer's Room after Hilary punches Jeff, mad as heck at their personal "beasts" and each other. Hilary wishes Jeff wasn't so quick to jump into things and would dial down his troll-like temper. Betty wishes she could trust her brawny bear of a Scott and that maybe he wasn't quite so quick with that silver tongue. Maple storms in too, her date with Victor having been cut short by him taking off for Washington again. She really likes him and thinks he's cute...but oh, why can't this eagle clip his wings and just run his station, instead of flying to the nearest cause? 

The talk of their "beasts" leads Hilary to their "Book at Bedtime." Hilary wants to re-write "Beauty and the Beast." Not only does she want to be Beauty, of course, but frankly, the haughty sisters and brothers from the original French tale smack a little too much of "Cinderella." Why can't the siblings get along and all save the Beast, like in "Snow White and Rose Red"? Why can't the evil fairy have a better motivation for turning the Prince into a Beast besides his parents didn't like fairy tales? What if the Prince was involved in a marriage contract he couldn't get out of and had to save his two best friends? 

So yeah, that will take us into a Gothic tale of broken Beauties, loyal siblings, Stock Market crashes, and three men not only transformed physically into Beasts, but into mental shells of their former selves. Oh boy, do I have ideas for this one. I have ideas going half-way across Camden County, maybe across South Jersey. I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can do with this.

Listened to Showstoppers: Historic Victor Recordings while I worked. I thought it went well with the ladies and WENN's 40's setting. These songs go back to the early 20th century, as George M. Cohan redefined the American musical with intimate numbers like "Life's a Funny Proposition After All." Fannie Brice aches with "Secondhand Rose," and Blanche Ring brays "I've Got Rings On My Fingers." Later vintage tunes include "Night and Day" by Fred Astaire, "You're the Top by Cole Porter, and "My Ship" by Gertrude Lawrence. We even get the spoken word comedy number "Tips On the Stock Market" (just as it was crashing) from Eddie Cantor. 

Switched to The Love Boat after a shower and during dinner. "The Lady from Laramie" (Nancy Dussault) hires a handsome Italian (Ceasare Danova) to teach her Italian, not knowing he's a gigolo traveling with the lady who hired him (Marti Stevens). "Vicki Swings" when she tries to be older than her 14 years to impress an 18-year-old youth (Patrick Labryorteux) who is pursuing another girl (Irlene Mandrell). A honeymooning couple (Juliet Mills and Buddy Hackett) check into the honeymoon suite to find out about the ghost of the "Phantom Bride." The man gets Gopher involved, but the woman wishes he'd pay attention to her, not ghosts.

Did a couple of game show episodes honoring Pride Month at YouTube next. Charles Nelson Reilly, for instance, was told a gay man would never work on television. Nowadays, he's best-known for his TV appearances, including on Match Game. He's one of the best things about it, happily trading barbs with his drinking buddy Brett Somers, as he does here.

Paul Lynde held court on an entirely different panel show. He spent most of the 70's as the witty center of Hollywood Squares.  He wasn't much for improv, but could toss out scripted zingers better than almost anyone on television, as he does here.

What's My Line had Mystery Guests of all stripes, from every corner of show business. Liberace was at the height of his original champagne piano success when he appeared on this 1956 episode. (It also gives us a rare glimpse of modernist architect Frank Lloyd Wright.) Arlene Francis does guess him rather easily.

Body Language was a "show for the uninhibited," a hilarious cross between charades and Password Plus.  Sweet Tom Villard gave his all in this 1985 episode, but he wasn't able to get past smart and elegant soap star Constance McCashilin.

Celebrate Pride Month with some of the funniest people around!

What's My Line (1956)

Hollywood Squares (1972)

Match Game (1977)

Body Language (1985)

Hats Off for Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and the soundtrack from Honeymoon In Vegas. Reinforcing the Vegas setting and the cadre of Elvis impersonators seen in the movie, all the the songs here are covers of Elvis hits. Some are actually better than the originals. Billy Joel's "All Shook Up" was a hit at the time. Travis Tritt's raucous "Burning Love" and Trisha Yearwood's "Devil In Disguise" are my favorite tracks. I first heard Tritt's when Lauren played it on her own Spotify list and loved how much fun he had with it.

Switched to Billboard Top Hits 1985 while getting ready for work. Power ballads, cheesy but fun dance songs, and big numbers from movies were roaring up the charts 40 years ago. The big one here also echoed that year's blockbuster film. "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News would prove to be just as popular as the movie it came from, Back to the Future. The other big number here is from a more obscure film. St. Elmo's Fire isn't as well-remembered today, but it's title song, also known as "Man In Motion," is a dynamic dance song redolent of the mid-80's. Other good ones here include "We Built This City" by Starship, two touching ballads, "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister and "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon, and the theme from Miami Vice by Jon Hammer.

Though it was thankfully a bit cooler, it was also cloudy and murderously humid. I called Uber to be on the safe side. The driver going there and going home both came in 3 minutes. There was more traffic going home, but otherwise no real problems.

No problems at work, either. I pushed carts for most of the day. It remained cloudy, hot, and sticky up until it started to shower around noon. That didn't last more than a half-hour. After the rain ended, it remained killer humid, but the sun came out, and it got even hotter. Needless to say, we weren't busy, especially for a Sunday. In addition to the heat, we're between holidays and events, and it's the end of the month. I did gather outside trash and swept for the last two hours, but I was really in and out.

Went straight into dinner and tonight's Match Game marathon when I got home. Quirky headgear abounded on this show, mainly thanks to Charles Nelson Reilly. He often wore them to cover up or as a distraction from his infamous toupee. Among the hats he wore were blue and blue and red captain's caps (which usually prompted a round of "Captain Andy" jokes), a straw boater, a straw cowboy's hat (that Brett joked looked like a planter's hat), and a rather ugly orange, white, and yellow boater. 

Charles, of course, was hardly the only person to sport a hat on the show. Richard wore a big, furry Russian-style hat in an episode. Someone gave it to Charles, but it was too tight for his wig. Richard spent that episode speaking in his idea of a Russian accent and making bad Russian jokes. Richard and Charles sported wide-brimmed straw hats on a nighttime episode, claiming they were members of "the Big Picture Hat Society." Gene and Richard eventually used the hats to hide their kisses to the contestant at the end of the episode! There was also the Easter episode where Fannie and Brett's ugly Easter bonnets migrated to the heads of Tom Bosley and Gene Rayburn, and the time Brett wore her own flowered straw hat in honor of Minnie Pearl being on the panel.

They got the most fun out of headgear on the syndicated episodes. One featured Richard Paul sporting a fireman's hat. He claimed he could pull the flaps down if the people on the upper tiers got too wild! There was also the time everyone wore hard hats in honor of a contestant who worked in construction. Gene once came out in a suede patched shirt and cowboy hat in honor of a cowboy hat Charles wore the day before. Charles called a cowboy hat worn by their director Marc Breslow ugly...prompting the cameras to focus on Charles' white cowboy hat rather than him. Melody Scott-Thomas wore a very weird baseball cap with a propeller on it later in syndication. Bill Anderson originally wanted to give Gene a baseball cap, but he gave it to Charles instead (despite the latter fussing that it would get caught on his toupee).

It's hats off for the Match Game panel in this hilarious explorations of headgear in all forms!

Match Game Sunday Classics - "Hats Off" Marathon

Muppets and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and three quick Bluey shorts. Bluey wants to use "Magic" to force her mum Chili to play with her and Bingo, but Chili insists that magic should only be used for good. Bandit wants to teach his daughters to play "Chest" (chess), but the girls are more interested in the chess pieces, and Chili thinks he's being a bit hard on them. Chili needs some time alone, so Bandit encourages the girls to play "Sheepdog" to distract them with the help of Judo's mother Wendy.

It was so hot when I left, I took Uber to work today. I had no problem getting there. The driver arrived in 9 minutes and got there just in time. Going home was harder. I had to run through two drivers before I could find one who would take me home. At least he picked me up in 7 minutes. No traffic either way.

I was not up to work today. I'm tired from having been up way too late to work on notes, and I had a massive sinus headache. I think I'm coming down with a cold. Plus, there's the heat. It hit 99 today here, and will get up to 100 for the next few days. Though we weren't that busy (we're between holidays and events, and there's a lot of other things people would rather do in the heat), I did have to clean up a mess in the bathrooms and gather carts. I got so hot and tired by the end of the day, I spent the last hour doing returns inside (even though there wasn't that much to do). 

Oh, and though I got my schedule yesterday, I confirmed it today. Yes, I have to work during the worst of the heat. Tuesday is the only day during the heat wave I have off. At least Monday and Wednesday are early days. The head bagger took Monday off. Honestly, if I still feel this lousy tomorrow, I might end up calling out. 

Took a much-needed shower when I got home, then grabbed dinner and finished with tonight's YouTube Match Game marathon. Tie breakers were fairly common on the show. More often than not, two contestants wouldn't score at all, and the panel and an exasperated Gene would keep playing until someone finally did. This resulted in several episodes that had so many tie breakers, they wouldn't even get to the Super Match. 

Frankly, it made the show move slow as molasses...which is likely why, by the time of the syndicated episodes, they'd created the Sudden Death tiebreaker. The contestants write down the answer to a question on two tablets, then Richard, Brett, and Charles (the whole panel, in later years) try to guess the answer. This had its own problems, but it worked well enough to carry through to Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. Probably the most infamous use of this was in a 1978 nighttime episode, Richard's last. The contestants were so hapless, Charles matched each of them once, then matched the man again on that tie.

Of course, sometimes, people just got a little tied up on this show. Richard once tied up Betty with tape on a 1976 episode. Gene wound his microphone cable around a contestant and danced off with her during a syndicated episode.

Get tied up in the wacky antics of the panelists and some pretty crazy tie breakers in this wild marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Featuring Ties, Tied Up, and Tie Breakers

Oh and here's my review of The Muppets...and look for Muppets Most Wanted next week!

Family Fun Saturday - The Muppets

The Kids are Alright

Began a beautiful morning with breakfast and something different on Tubi. They have a lovely half-hour book version of Beauty and the Beast from 1990, narrated by Mia Farrow. This one is based on the original French story, where Beauty has spoiled sisters, the servants are invisible, her father is a merchant, and the Beast was cursed by a fairy when his parents didn't believe in fantasy. It's charming and brittle as Farrow herself.

Worked on notes for Hilary and the Beasts while watching two more cartoons. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic goes western for "Over a Barrel." Applejack is excited to deliver a new apple tree to her settler relatives in the frontier town of Appaloosa. The Ponies realize they're smack in the middle of a land dispute when their train is attacked by stampeding buffalo. Applejack's cousin Braeburn is excited about the new apple trees they just planted, but the local native buffalo say they planted them on their stampeding grounds without permission. Though the buffalo were there first, the ponies still try to get them to share...and they may be in the middle when the stampede takes place and the town fights back.

(And...er, while the idea of Ponies going western is cute, I suspect this probably doesn't get re-run often. The depiction of buffalo as Natives is a little stereotypical, and the buffalo really were there first.)

In honor of the first day of summer (and its new version set to debut on Disney Plus soon), I switched to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and "Pete's Beach Blanket Luau." Pete invites the gang to the lake to cool off on the hottest day of the year, but first, they have to clean up trash, then find a shady spot for their party.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, especially compared to what it will be this weekend. It was warm, but not to the degree of next week, in the mid-80's and not that humid. There was a nice stiff wind that kept everything from feeling too hot. 

Given it was their last day of school, you likely won't be surprised to hear that the kids got pretty noisy today. They all kept running around, regardless of who told them not to. Thank heavens we were able to take them all outside, not once, but twice. The first time, we had more kids. They spent most of the hour we were out there playing cops and robbers. The second time was the end of the day. The head of the program turned our outdoor day into a game by asking the kids questions about the program and giving them all time on the swings as the prize. They all had so much fun out there! We had a great time drawing inside, too. They kids were fascinated by my attempt to draw Hilary and Troll Jeff and Maple and Eagle Victor from Hilary and the Beasts.

I'm so glad I took this job. Between vacation, the kids, rediscovering WENN, and starting to write stories again, this has been the nicest month I've had in years. I will certainly be applying for the fall program. I'm going to miss those kids! One of the girls gave me a huge hug. Three of them gave me their artwork and paper fans. The father of another girl gave all the caretakers $10 gift cards to WaWa for doing so well taking care of their daughter. I sat with the very last pre-school boy, chatting about water parks and thrilled that we finally got the swings to ourselves before his parents came for him.

I had already planned on getting some kind of a treat after we got out. That WaWa gift card meant I could have one on the kids. I rode up to the WaWa on the White Horse Pike and treated myself to a larg coconut cream milkshake. So sweet and cooling on a fairly hot day!

After I got home, I resumed with the notes and finished out the third season of Remember WENN. "The Ghost of WENN" has everyone on edge during a horror broadcast. Mackie is nervous about the actor who played the part of a lawyer having died when the script got to page 13. Hilary is a bit cheered from having won a radio award...but she's even more anxious than Mackie when the spooky voice seems to target her.

More than any other episode, "Caller I.D" cements why radio is unique among mediums. Mackie dismisses a young woman who calls his music show and claims she's going to jump off a building...until Eugenia confirms that she is out there. She demands that they put on a grand broadcast of all their shows blended together. Not only do they inadvertently create the crossover event, but when she comes to the studio, they give her a chance to see what her idols look like for real...and that the real magic of radio (and TV) is what your imagination conjures.

"Happy Homecomings" are anything but when Betty hears another Johnathan Arnold on the radio. She spends the episode trying to open that locked strongbox...and getting a major shock when she finally does. Meanwhile, Scott not only discovers that codes are still going out through WENN, but that Victor Comstock is alive and well...and brainwashed...

Yeah, this is the infamous episode that left the entire fandom screaming at the top of their lungs...for six months. Before the fracas with finding a place to live in 2021-2022, that was the longest six months of my entire life. It's a good example of why the third season is far and away my favorite season of the series. Though Jeff is missed, some of the series' best and most dramatic episodes turned up here, including "Homecomings," "Who's Scott Sherwood," and "Mr. and Mrs. Singer." This is where the show really became the blend of heart-rendering drama and comic hilarity that makes it such an underrated delight to this day.

Watched The Muppets while I worked. I'll go further into the hit 2011 revival of the beloved puppet characters at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog tomorrow.

Finished the night after dinner with the French Beauty and the Beast at Kanopy. Almost every version of Beauty, from the Fairie Tale Theatre episode to the Disney animated and live-action films, owes something to this 1946 fantasy about a beautiful and kind young woman (Josette Day) who takes her father's place as prisoner to a hideous Beast (Jean Marais). Marais is also Belle's arrogant suitor, who very likely inspired Disney's Gaston. The details here are exquisite even now, with Belle wandering around in the shadows and the Beast turning up with a bloody stag, moving statues and smoke everywhere. If you're a fantasy and or fairy tale fan like me and can handle subtitles, this is an absolute must-see. 

Of Beauties and Beasts

Got a quick start today. Had just enough time to write in my journal and eat breakfast before I hurried off to meet Bryanna at the Haddon Township Library. I arrived 15 minutes late, but she wasn't upset. She just wanted me to sign some paperwork for her bosses. I told her I'm loving my current job so much that, in the fall, after my late September vacation with Lauren, I'd like to start actively looking for a more appropriate second job in a library or another school to replace the grocery store job. I don't belong there. I'm bored and burnt out and have been for years. I'm tired of doing things I don't want to do. Now that I know what I want to do, I'd like to do it all the time.

Made a quick run to Sprouts next. Found chocolate chip cookies on clearance and soda on a good sale. Grabbed coconut milk, an Italian hoagie on a multi-grain roll and sliced pineapple for lunch, three fruit leather bars for a snack at school, and dried apricots from the bulk bins here as well. Headed down the hill and past the library to the Acme next. I didn't need a whole lot more here. Mainly restocked soda, granola bars, and yogurt. Picked up blueberries here, too. Neither store was especially busy, and I was in and out of both places in less than an hour. 

Had the hoagie and pineapple for lunch while watching What's New, Scooby Doo? Shaggy's "Big Appetite In Little Tokyo" gets the gang into a heap of trouble when he eats a pizza that was cursed by "The Ancient One." They're in Japan after Velma's Dogbot won a prize, but that won't get them out of this mess when the police think Shaggy really did destroy Tokyo and follows them.

Hurried out to the Thomas Sharp School next. I took the bike. Though it was oppressively hot and humid, there was a nice enough breeze for me to get away with it. Had no trouble parking this time and arrive just as the kids were.

With only one day left of school and this being a holiday, the kids were really rowdy today. The boys in particular would not calm down, in the hallway or during lunch. They were a little better when we all settled in to draw and build. It goes without saying on such a killer hot day that no one went outside. The girls in particular loved the drawings of Cape May and the Wildwood Boardwalk I made on green construction paper, and they made more fans. (One girl even gleefully held up a fan to make herself look like a peacock!)

Stopped at the Speedy Mart on Collings Avenue to get a drink on the way home. I got a cinnamon raisin bagel for lunch tomorrow, too, along with that Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. (And I will absolutely have to remember both their amazing bagels and Crust N' Cravings this summer.) 

Put on more Remember WENN when I got home. Hilary is "Courting Disaster" when Jeff's obnoxious lawyer Drake Stanley (Andrew Seear) sues Hilary for $100,000 in damages. With Scott defending her and Mr. Eldridge at the judge's stand, this court gets more than a little out of order, until Betty and Gertie find a way for Jeff to intervene.

The cast is saying "And How!" when they're chosen to broadcast a monumental episode of the network western The Strange Loner. Turns out that man who plays "The Strange Loner" is really a lush and a womanizer who is supposed to be leaving the show for Hollywood, but passes out on the Green Room floor. Meanwhile, the others find the kindly Native American man who plays his companion Rondo (real-life Native American activist Russell Means) to be far more congenital, while Eugenia shares her tasty new food discovery - pizza!

And...while I do want to finish my Land of WENN fanfiction eventually, I've been working on an idea that goes way back and is just too delicious to not do now, especially given I'll be starting the 4th season episodes next week. Hilary's "Beauty and the Beast" story dates to that spate of fanfiction I came up with in 2015. Among those ideas I came up with was a series of short to mid-length takes on folk and fairy tales (and with Mackie, Shakespearean fantasy) revolving around a member of the cast. "Beauty and the Beasts" would have been the next fairy tale if I hadn't lost interest in WENN and switched to Star Wars. 

This one has its basis in "You've Met Your Match"...but also in Hilary and Betty's frustrations with their men in the 3rd and early 4th season. Betty wishes maybe Scott wasn't quite so smart and and quick to jump into schemes. Hilary wishes Jeff would stop getting into marriage contracts he can't get out of. Maple turns up after her date, annoyed that Victor cut it short due to him taking off for Washington again. She liked their date and was hoping he'd ask her on another, wishing that maybe Victor would clip his wings a bit and actually stick to running his station.

Hilary at this point also addresses Betty's "Beauty and the Beast" script for later that day. She asks Betty why the older sister can't be the Beauty for a change? This leads directly into the story. Mackie is the father who wanted a rose for older daughter Hilary. Betty and Maple are her sisters, C.J her brother, and she gets along just fine with all of them. In fact, Maple drags Betty along with Hilary when she goes to the Beast's crumbling mansion on the edge of Pittsburgh. The trio are greeted by not one, but three beasts - a raging troll, a gentle black bear with halting speech, and an elegant bald eagle who can only squawk - and have to figure out who cursed the trio and why...and who they really are under the fur, feathers, and warts. 

"Beauty and the Beast" is one of my favorite fairy tales...and honestly, I agree with Hilary. I think there should be more older sister protagonists. There's a touch of two other beauties and beasts stories, "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" and "Snow White and Rose Red" here. I'm going to see if I can start it tomorrow or early next week. (Won't be able to do much else next week - it's supposed to be even hotter.)

Switched to Rappin' next. I go further into this very 80's rap comedy-drama featuring Mario Van Peebles as the young rapper from Pittsburgh who rallies his neighbors to save their homes at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Rappin'

Finished the night with classic jazz on LP and CD while I worked on the review. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Songbook is part of the series of albums where Fitzgerald interprets the songs from some of the most beloved composers of all time. Her aching "But Not for Me" is my favorite here. We also kick things off with a sassy "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and get a charming "They All Laughed" and "I Was Doing All Right." 

Miles Davis' Love Songs give us a gorgeous glimpse into his softer side. "Someday My Prince Will Come" is lovely and is by far my favorite track here. Other good ones include "Stella By Starlight" and "I Thought About You." 

As Time Goes By

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. Alice and the kids want to go "Back to the Root" and find her great-grandmother's root cellar. The Cheshire Cat insists he has a map that will allow them to remember. Initially, it seems like he only wants to fly kites or play croquet...but that's what takes them "Back to the Root" and allows them to remember all the fun the original Alice had with her friends. "Alice the Piefecionist" wants to make the perfect corn pie for the Mad Hatter's harvest tea party. She gets so caught up with her baking, she forgets that being there and having fun with her friends is more important than making the perfect pie.

I messed around online a bit with the new "Notebook" that came with my laptop before heading out...and going back for my cell phone, which I need to sign in. I also stopped to get soft pretzels for my lunch. All that and noon traffic made me 10 minutes late to the school.

As it turned out, I probably could have been infinitely late. We had five pre-schoolers (and the older girl who helps watch them) today. Most of the younger kids went home with their parents after the pre-school graduation ceremony earlier in the day. The vast majority of the kids there were the older elementary schoolers. I did note to the kids that it was nice to be able to hear us think when we ate, take far less time with the bathroom, and there was no squabbling in line for the two swings. The older girl even arranged a fun game of hide and seek tag on the playground. 

We did end up cutting that playground time short, though. It was sunny, but hot, windless, and very, very, cut-with-a-knife humid. It was a lot cooler in the basement gym/cafeteria, where we all crowded around tables with the older kids and drew with colored pencils and crayons. Like I said yesterday, I'm continually impressed with what good artists the kids are. One gave me her artwork, a flower and a Pokeball, today. By 3 PM, two of the kids left, and they didn't need three people and a kid to watch three kids. I ended up leaving early. 

Made a very quick stop at Dollar General on the way home. The pre-schoolers weren't the only ones who graduated today. The daughter of a friend of mine graduated junior high. I grabbed a card for her and a Mountain Dew Zero and headed out. I didn't like the look of the weather, and indeed, it did rain shortly after I got home. 

Put on Remember WENN when I got in. "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" is one of my favorite episodes of the series and is the episode that really got me hooked on WENN. Receptionist Gertie Reece's radio script becomes a hilarious dead-on spoof of Casablanca, with Scott as Rick, Betty as Ilsa, Eugenia as Sam, Mackie as Renault, Maple as the cafe singer and the immigrants, Hilary as the ex-girlfriend, Jeff as the waiter, C.J as the bartender and a Nazi, Victor as Victor Lazlo, Mr. Eldridge as Carl, and Mr. Foley as a German commander (and Gertie speaks for him, of course). Much like the real Casablanca (and mirroring WENN's ultimate fate), Gertie doesn't have an ending for her play. Betty writes who she thinks she should be with...then doesn't tell Gertie. Sometimes, it's better to come up with your own conclusions.

Sweet Eugenia the organist gets the spotlight in "Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy," the first episode I recorded. Desmond Quist (Daniel Davis), a British intelligence officer, insists that there are still codes going out over the airwaves. At first, he insists that the cast paraphrase their shows. When they protest that, he goes after Eugenia, who has been heard speaking German and having clandestine phone calls. Eugenia, however, knows darn well what Quist is up to and teaches him a lesson in trust and paranoia. 

Switched to records while working on writing. The title song of Etta James' At Last! is probably the best-known here, and the one most associated with her. It's far from the only song of note here, though. Other soulful ballads here include "Stormy Weather" and "I Just Want to Make Love to You." We even get a few bonus songs in "Don't Cry Baby" and "You Know What I Mean."

I haven't seen the film Somewhere In Time, but it's pretty well-known for its gorgeous, romantic score. That's ably represented here by sweeping titles like "The Journey Back In Time" and "Is He the One?" We also get Roger Williams' hit "Theme from Somewhere In Time." 

Labyrinth is all together a different type of romantic fairy tale. David Bowie's "Magic Dance" and the gorgeous ballad "As the World Falls Down" are the best-known titles here. There's also "Chilly Down" for the chorus. Some of the instrumental pieces aren't bad, either, especially the finale "Underground."

Got a little further on the writing. Hilary is so delighted with Betty's play, she wants her to remain in Port Harbor permanently. Betty says no. She has to move on and find the Guardians and their remaining talismans. 

Finished the night with some Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Final Sacrifice is a recently-re-released Mike episode, and one of the most recent they made fun of. This 1990 Canadian fantasy adventure has a geeky kid and a big, burly backwoodsman searching for a lost city that was originally found by the kid's father. They're pursued by a cult who wants to use the kid as the ultimate sacrifice. The woodsman was originally a member of the cult, and he's not about to let that kid get hurt now.

Hoo boy. Ripe 80's-early 90's cheese of the cheapest sort. It's pretty obvious this was made by a film student on a minuscule budget. It's mostly the characters stumbling through the Canadian plains. The minimal dialogue is dull, the characters stereotypes or confusing, the plot a mess of cliches. and the villains consist of one guy in goth clothes and a bunch of burly guys in masks. Unless you have a deep-seated need to hear robots make many Canadian jokes or have a true love of 80's-90's camp fests, I'd stay far away from here. 

Rainbow World

Got a quick start today with a very late breakfast and She Ra and the Princesses of Power. "In the Shadows of Mystacor" takes an anxious Adora to the home of Glimmer's aunt Castaspella. She's preparing for a ritual that will renew the magical barrier on Mystacor and keep it invisible from harm. Glimmer and Bow don't believe her when she claims Shadow Weaver is present...but when something disrupts the festival, Adora has to face her fears and her past to defeat it.

Hurried out after that. Stopped quickly at the Speedy Mart on Collings Avenue to get a banana, bottle of water, and blueberry muffin for lunch. Bought them, hurried down the street to the school. I got the bike up the hill, but when I came around to the playground, the gate seemed to be locked. I ended up going back around, which made me slightly late.

At least the kids were able to go outside today! It was cloudy, humid, and cool, but not to the degree of yesterday. Considering how rowdy the boys were in the halls going to the bathroom and during lunch, it's a very good thing. Even then, there was trouble. One of the boys ran into one of the girls, who hit the chain-link fence, opened a scab on her elbow, and rushed to me in tears. I played nurse and cleaned and bandaged her elbow while the boy apologized profusely behind us. Also sat with one of the girls who said she didn't feel well - poor baby later admitted she had a cold - and argued one of the boys off the swings when another teacher and I reminded him that he'd been on there for way too long. 

The kids had more fun drawing inside. I didn't know 4-year-olds had such wonderful eyes for color and detail! Their rainbows and pink stages looked absolutely gorgeous. They were also fascinated by my drawing a rainbow that looked like the Squishmallow last week and my attempts at doing Hilary, Jeff, Betty, Scott, and Maple. One of the girls even helped me, adding to Maple's flowered hat. Another gave me her pink and blue stage artwork.

Once again, I was able to get off early at 4 PM. Went straight home this time and put on Remember WENN as I settled in. Mackie gets the spotlight in "A Star In Stripes Forever." Betty attends a convention in Utica, leaving Mackie in charge. It goes to his head, until gangster Palermo Racine turns up at the station. Turns out Mackie once worked for him, but ended up in prison. Eugenia tries to play him, but it's Scott who comes up with the idea to reveal just enough to get rid of Palermo Racine for good.

Maple's wondering why everyone thinks she's "A Girl Like Maple" when the guys don't mind her joining their bad jokes, but try to shield Betty and Eugenia from them. She falls hard for Congressman Bob Farraday (Boyd Gaines) when she uses a deep, cultured voice for the political interview show Men In the Headlines, but worries what he'll think when he hears her real Brookyn accent. The others try on their own Brooklyn accents to help her out, but ultimately, she learns an important lesson in being true to yourself and your own way of talking.

Worked on Land of WENN while the show was on. I finally completed the sequence where Jeff manages to escape Hilary's attempts to handcuff him and flee to a carriage, which is where I stalled in 2015. Here, Betty uses a nail file to free Hilary. She does manage to free her in time for their last show, but Hilary's noticeably subdued and missing Jeff badly. 

Switched to Emilia Perez during dinner. I go further into this controversial Oscar-winner for Pride Month at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On Streaming - Emilia Perez

Watched Sale of the Century after the movie ended. No contest here. Even with buying a huge TV and VCR set and a media center, the one guy was ahead the whole time. Though he did fall back a bit during the second half, he came on strong in the Speed Round. He turned down the fireplace prize, citing him living in Las Vegas and hardly needing it, deciding to continue on for larger prizes. 

Finished the night with some of my recent record and CD acquisitions. Justus, as you can guess from the title, was the direct result of the Monkees' reuniting in the late 90's. It was the first time since 1967 that they wrote and performed everything themselves...and while I think this album is underrated (and it's certainly better than the previous guilty pleasure Pool It), some attempts at hard rock and grunge make this another one that's very of its time. "Never Enough" got the most promotion on its release, but my favorites are Micky's driving "Regional Girl" and "Dying of a Broken Heart" and Davy's sweet "You and I" and "It's Not Too Late." 

The soundtrack from Moana 2 also has it's good points. "Beyond" is hilarious and "Get Lost" dynamic, but most of the music misses Lin-Manuel Miranda's touch. The opening "We're Back" is awkward, while Dwayne Johnson's "Can I Get a Choo-Hoo?" is just too silly. Your mileage may vary, depending on how much you enjoyed both films. 

Night of the Children

Started off a gloomy, wet morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Velma's hoping to pick up the latest action figure for her cousin from the hottest toy store in town. Turns out it's "Toy Scary Boo" when they learn that the toys have been attacking the store and destroying property. They stay at the store overnight in order to solve the mystery.

Switched to PAW Patrol while getting organized and ready for work. "Pups Go All Monkey" when a monkey who is brought to Adventure Bay on a train takes off with the grocer's fruit truck and the Paw Patrol have to rescue them. "Pups Save a Hoot" after they discover that their friend Little Hoot's mother is trapped in a tree that has blown over. They race there to make sure the tree doesn't end up getting blown off a cliff.

I thought work started at 12:30. Turns out it's 12:15. Between it being late by the time I was ready and the ongoing cold and damp weather, I called Uber for a ride. Thankfully, they arrived in 5 minutes and got me there in plenty of time.

Needless to say, the kids were very excited to be on their last week before the end of the school year. The boys in particular were noisy and rowdy, especially when they had to wait while the girls went to the bathroom. Even "The Quiet Game" just ended with them shushing each other loudly and still yelling. Things went better after snack time. I shared reading with a new assistant who arrived that day, then drew with the kids for the rest of the day. They admired my artwork for my planned Remember WENN Beauty and the Beast and Man Who Minded the House stories. My attempt at drawing a friend's cat didn't come out nearly as well, but they seemed to like it well enough. 

The little girls even came up with their own project, coloring in the blank papers and turning them into rainbow fans. This was not only creative, it was practical, too, given how hot it's supposed to get later this week. One girl gave me her pink and purple striped fan. It was sweet of her, even though I didn't have the heart to tell her that I already have three fans at home. 

Enough kids had gone home by 4:30 that I was able to get off an hour early. It was just as well. I needed to run a few errands on the way home. Since the rain was long gone by then and it was just damp and cold, I walked back to Oaklyn. Stopped at Dollar General for Clorox wipes and a Coke Zero.

Put on Remember WENN when I got home. Betty Roberts is excited when she gets a job offer from The New Yorker, but she's reluctant to leave WENN. The others learn "The Importance of Being Betty" when they try to do her many jobs, including Pruitt doing the writing and turning every show into a treatise on finance. It's not until he wrecks havoc on her favorite, This Girl's Kinfolk, that she realizes how much the station means to her. 

Hilary is the one who gets wrecked havoc on in "Mr. and Mrs. Singer," another notoriously traumatic episode. Jeff has been trying to call her from London, but she keeps missing him. After he gets cut off yet again, she discovers a beautiful Czech refugee named Pavla Nemcova in the Green Room who claims to be married to Jeff. Betty, Scott, and Mr. Foley help the devastated Hilary reveal that this European gold-digger cares more about her own interests than a husband.

"Nothing Up My Sleeve" was a huge deal when it debuted near the end of the phenomenal run of Seinfeld. Jason Alexander plays a devious mentalist who charms a vulnerable Hilary. Maple, however, recognizes him as a former vaudeville colleague who would play up to older women, then use his "magic" to get a major secret from them, reveal it on the air, and get money. Maple, Scott, and Betty help her reveal this smooth talker for the fraud he is. Meanwhile, a jealous Mackie keeps trying his own magic trick on anyone who will or won't listen.

Switched to The Wild Wild West for dinner and a Rat Pack reunion. "Night of the Returning Dead" has Jim and Artemus encounter a ghostly rider who seems immune to bullets. The local sheriff (Peter Lawford) is more suspicious of a former slave (Sammy Davis Jr.) who can speak to animals. Seems he may be channeling the spirit of an officer who knows a lot more than he'll tell...

Finished the night on YouTube, celebrating Juneteenth week with black hosts and panelists. Sammy Davis Jr. did turn up in numerous game shows, but he seemed to have the most fun on an episode of Family Feud where his friend Richard Dawson was the host. He did get to ask the first question...and I don't know who enjoyed it more, Sammy, the contestants, or Richard laughing up a storm in the studio.

What's My Line featured Mystery Guests of all races and walks of life. One of the most fascinating surviving episodes debuted in 1960. From the coach and athlete who also transported chicken feed, I suspect this was also supposed to be a lead-in to the Olympics in Rome a few weeks after this episode aired. This would also explain 4-time track gold medalist Jesse Owens as the Mystery Guest. I loved hearing him talk about his victories in Berlin in 1936 and how he shoved those gold medals "right down Hitler's throat," as Bennett Cerf put it.

Nipsey Russell was a welcome presence in any game show he appeared in, but he especially shined where words and describing them were involved. He was a natural for the Pyramid variations, spouting off his signature poetry and more than able to hold his own in the Winner's Circle. I have a mid-80's $100,000 Pyramid episode here that ably demonstrates why he was so popular.

Lynn Swann hosted the 1990 To Tell the Truth briefly before Alex Trebek took over, but he wasn't a bad panelist, either. Here, he helps everyone figure out which kid invented a flushing sink that would clean itself and which lady managed to fool a thief who stole her husband's early cell phone into returning it by making him think she was going on a date with him. Sarah Purcell and producer David Niven Jr. join him and Australian host Gordon Elliott here.

By the 90's, minorities had begun to make inroads as host, not just panelists or one-off celebrities. Former football player Ahmad Rashstad hosted the short-lived word game Caesar's Challenge in 1993, the last daytime game show on NBC to date. Energetic (and occasionally annoying) Phil Moore hosted Nick Arcade, which had kids playing video-type games and answering questions to win prizes, on Nickelodeon in 1992. I have a special featuring the cast of the then-popular Nick show Welcome Freshman here. 

Celebrate Juneteenth with these Black game show pioneers! 

What's My Line? (1960)

Family Feud (1979)

$100,000 Pyramid (1985)

To Tell the Truth (1990)

Nick Arcade (1992)

Caesar's Challenge (1993)

Fathers and Matches

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Billboards Top Hits 1987. There's some heavy-hitters here that were a major part of my childhood. Two of them, "Heaven Is a Place On Earth" by Belinda Carlisle and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship remain two of my favorite songs. Other memorable hits from that year include "The Lady In Red" by Chris De Bargh, "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" by George Michael and Aretha Franklin, "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House, and "I Heard a Rumor" by Bananarama. 

Headed to work even before the CD ended. Work was busy when I got in, not surprising for Father's Day weekend and a weekend where the weather was less than wonderful. Though it never rained hard, it was cloudy, gloomy, and cold all day, with occasional light sprinkles. I spent the afternoon gathering carts and the outside trash with no real problems. 

Finished the Billboard Top Hits CD after I got home and did things online, then went into Jimmy Buffett. "Come Monday" is the standard from the Ballads disc, and one of my favorites of his songs. It perfectly encapsulates that laid-back island vibe he was known for, and I was disappointed that the CD set Jodi gave me in 2021 that belonged to Dad was missing the Ballads disc. Other familiar songs here include "I Heard I Was In Town," "Little Miss Magic," and "He Went to Paris."

Finished the night with the Match Game marathon. Quite a few fathers, either ones in real-life or who played fathers on TV, turned up on the 70's-80's run of the show. TV dads and movie father figures who appeared included Tom Bosley, Pat Morita, Pat Harrington, and Michael Landon on the first week. Proud single dad Richard Dawson mentioned his beloved teen sons several times, even bringing the younger Gary onstage for his birthday. Jack Klugman also occasionally mentioned his two sons with Brett Somers. Robert Pine, best known nowadays as the father of actor Chris Pine, was a semi-regular in the late 70's-early 80's. Orson Bean had his own large brood with his wife Carolyn. Gene brought two adorable toddlers onstage in 1978. One was Donald Ross and Patti Deusch's son Max. The other was Gary Burghoff's darling little girl Gina. 

No one got more out of being a dad on Match Game than McLean Stevenson. During his 1978 appearance on the show (his first time since 1974), his lovely daughter Jennifer came up onstage near the end of the show, sporting red, white, and blue ribbons in her hair and a Star Wars T-shirt. (McLean was raising a very intelligent child there.) He'd bring two kids onstage during the syndicated era to share in the fun, a little girl named Michelle who kept giggling the whole time, and a little boy.

Share the fun with your father on these hilarious Match Game episodes!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Father's Day Marathon 2025

Back to Work

I slept so late, I had just enough time to write in my journal, grab my breakfast, and call Uber. It was cool and cloudy, and I did hear it was supposed to rain later. Not to mention, I had a lot of restocking to do after vacation. The Uber driver arrived in 7 minutes and got me to work with two minutes to spare. The one going home picked me up in 4 minutes, despite it being rush hour by then. 

Spent most of the first hour looking for the broom to sweep the store with. They apparently polished the floor last night and forgot to put it back in the right place. I ended up panicking when I couldn't find it, and the managers sent someone else out to do carts. 

Things went much better after I finally found the broom abandoned behind a cart. I swept the store, shelved loose items, and gathered carts. I had more help later, both from the kid they sent to help out earlier, and the afternoon bagger who did the trash. It showered lightly, enough to make me damp and a little chilly, but certainly nothing like the storms they predicted. I got out with no trouble whatsoever.

For once, I'm pretty happy with my schedule. I only work Sunday and next Saturday. Not as thrilled with the 7 1/2 hour work day or that I'll have to miss the farm market again, but at least it's not as early as today. I put in for Wednesday as a vacation day. The Thomas Sharp School is going to need me at the after school program all week. The kids are on half-days, and they'll be starting at 12:30 instead of 2:30. The vacation day will make up for the money lost from taking Wednesday off. 

I did have quite a bit of shopping to do. Restocked sodas (many of which were on fantastic sales), granola bars, yogurt, and mouthwash. Had online coupons for cookies, the Gatorade Zero Cherry drink mix, cherries, and blueberries. Found a really nifty bag with a colorful print of a Ferris wheel against a bright blue sky. Indulged in a glazed donut, thanks to a free online coupon.

Went straight into dinner and the Match Game marathon when I got home and put everything away. Vicki Lawrence only had a sporadic affiliation with the 70's-80's Match Game. She was on the very first week with Michael Landon in 1973...then promptly disappeared until 1978. She wandered in with the rest of the Carol Burnett Show cast (including Carol Burnett herself in her only Match Game appearance), then did a week on her own. 

Vicki didn't really make an impression on Match Game until she became a regular on Match Game '90. There, she was one of the funniest panelists on the show. She joked with Charles, teased Ronn Lucas and his puppets Scorch and Chuck Roast, and feuded with host Ross Schafer. She even cut off an especially ugly tie of his. She also played very well, frequently winning big bucks on the head-to-head.

She was one of the best things about the notoriously bad Match Game '98. This cheap attempt to steal some of the Hollywood Squares revival's thunder reduced the panel to five, featured an ugly pastel set, and for some reason, added "subjects" before choosing a question. Host Michael Berger was far too dull and laid-back for a wacky comic panel show, and they tried too hart to play up the "party" aspect. Some things did work. Vicki could be hilarious, Nell Carter was adorable, and though Judy Tenuta could be shrill, she was  good at putting the blase Berger in his place.

Dive into the 90's with Vicki Lawrence into these rare forays into later Match Games!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Vicki Lawrence On the Panel

Oh, and it did finally pour...late at night, well after everyone was at home. 

And here's my review for this year's Father's Day musical on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog, Here Comes the Groom. 

Happy Father's Day! - Here Comes the Groom