Hurried out to work after the CD ended. Once again, we were busy all day, despite the dreary light rain when I arrived at 1 and the Eagles playing tomorrow night. Thankfully, the rain ended shortly after I arrived, leaving a cloudy, humid, warm for November day. I still needed help from one of the college boys who works in the online shopping department and another who cashiers to gather all the carts. Thankfully, this time, it slowed down considerably by the time I went home.
Listened to another recent CD find while eating dinner. I loved the concert documentary Summer of Soul when I reviewed it in January 2022. There are some fabulous performances here you just aren't going to find anywhere else. B.B King tells us "Why I Sing the Blues." The 5th Dimension perform two of their biggest hits, "Don'cha Hear Me Callin' To Ya" and their smash medley of "Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In" from Hair. Gladys Knight and the Pips give us "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," while Mongo Santamaria brings us the salsa side of Harlem with "Watermelon Man." Sly and the Family Stone have a rousing "Everyday People." We end with two fabulous numbers from Nina Simone, "Blacklash Blues" and "Are You Ready?"
Finished the night with tonight's Match Game marathon. Kaye Stevens was...er...well...a bit controversial with panelists and viewers alike. The fluffy-haired red-headed comedienne could be hilarious, with her trademark noisy cackle and the simple fact that she was obviously having a blast. No one on the show seemed to have more fun than she did. On the other hand, the laugh can get grating, she's occasionally not as funny as she thinks she is, she had the habit of flirting outrageously with any single guy she could get her hands on, and she had the habit of shoving herself into frame, notably with Richard (whom she seemed to have a bit of a crush on).
She was admittedly around for some classic episodes during the weeks she did in 1974. She was there when Burt Reynolds made a cameo appearance on the show. In fact, she stood by his side the entire time he was there. This would be Burt's only appearance on the 70's Match Game. (Sadly, his appearance on the 60's version is lost.) In the same episode, the other famous Bert, Convy, ran off with a contestant. There was the time Charles answered "Cherry" to what a low-rent psychic would use to make predictions with, and when Gene accidentally yanked soap star Trish Stewart off her seat. Jack Carter was a gentleman and helped her up, while Kaye and Brett chewed him out for not being more careful.
She was also around for some memorable contestants. There was CB Farnsworth, the lanky cop who eventually became one of the bigger winners of 1974. A pretty blonde teacher showed off the pinafore her kindergartners decorated. (It made her look rather like an older Alice In Wonderland.) Before CB, no-nonsense Shirley Kilgore won several games. She made her debut with What's My Line host Larry Blyden. Other semi-regulars who debuted along with her or appeared with her in '74 included Jimmie Walker, Anson Williams (to Brett's delight), Lynda Day George, and Loretta Swit.
Laugh along with the biggest cackler in show business in this wild and wooly marathon!
Oh, and I'm so glad I worked in the afternoon. It wasn't raining when I went home...but by the time the marathon had started, it was raining again, and much harder this time. It's rained off and on ever since, including a doozy of a thunderstorm around 9 PM. The thunder was so loud, it shook the house to its foundation.
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