Red, White, and Matches

Began a gloomy Memorial Day with material from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. Since Memorial Day began as Decoration Day honoring the soldiers who fought and died during the Civil War, all of the material revolves around that conflict. The most touching is the lone prose piece, "Light Bread and Apple Butter." A starving Union soldier and his dog wins the trust of a mother and her brood with his good manners and his volunteering to chop wood for them in exchange for the title meal. The poems were "Barbara Friechie," "The Sword of Robert E. Lee," and "Sherman's Ride."

Switched to Disney war-related shorts while I ate breakfast. Though Mickey Mouse didn't really figure into the World War II shorts, he did do one short based around World War I in 1929. "The Barnyard Battle" pits scrappy Mickey against huge Hun cats. Mickey uses his wits - and a convenient piano - to take those big cats down.

Goofy and Donald Duck were far more popular by the time the US entered the war in 1941. Goofy managed to get into two war shorts. "How to Be a Sailor" starts off as one of his typical how-to spoofs, with Goofy learning semaphore and trying to tie knots, but it ends with war footage and him being shot at the enemy. "Victory Vehicles" gives us a variety of conveyances, from Pogo sticks to literal golf carts, designed to get Goofys to where they're going without using rationed metal or gasoline. (By the way, I agree with Leonard Maltin in the intro to this cartoon. The song "Hop On Your Pogo Stick" is rather catchy.)

Donald was by far the biggest and most beloved character in Disney shorts by the 1940's, and he had the lion's share of war-related material. "Donald Gets Drafted" when he's swayed by the glamour offered on the recruitment posters. He wants to be a flyer, but Sergeant Pete would rather have him stand attention on an ant hill. He does finally get to fly after a disastrous check-up in "The Sky Trooper," but not in the way he planned. He finally gets the best of Pete in "The Vanishing Private," where he's doused with an invisibility paint while camouflaging a cannon. Pete follows "The Little Man You Can't See" on a Merry chase around the base. 

"Der Furher's Face" won an Oscar in 1943 for its surreal imagery depicting Donald dreaming he's a worker in a Nazi munitions factory. "Fall Out-Fall In" has Donald first trying to set up his tent, then attempting to sleep as the snores of his fellow soldiers keep him awake. "Commando Duck" is sent into the heart of Japan to contact their men. In the end, he's able to wipe...no, wash...out the enemy with the help of a rubber raft and a lot of water.

The Pink Panther was one of the few major animated characters to join the Vietnam War in "G.I Pink." Unlike Donald, he was swayed by the power, but doesn't have an easier time than Disney's irascible duck did 25 years before. Cranky drill sergeants, angry mascots, and land mine-ridden obstacle courses make him wish he'd just stayed at home. 

Headed out after "G.I Pink" ended. I just caught one of the new NJ Transit buses up the White Horse Pike. The lack of stairs is probably intended to make the bus more wheelchair-accessible, but while they're cleaner and smell better, the seats are harder and a lot less comfortable. I had no idea how you asked the driver to get off. There were no buttons, like on the old buses. I originally said Barrington, but Lawnside was closer to where I wanted to start anyway. (I later discovered that you pull on a yellow rope to get off, rather than a button.)

Another Red, White, and Blue Thrift Shop just replaced the long-empty K-Mart in the Lawnside Shopping Center a few days ago. Between the cloudy, warm weather, the new store, and this being one of the few things open on a major holiday, you can guess that they were mobbed. I did manage to dig up a few interesting items. I had no idea Major League had a soundtrack, let alone one on LP! I had even more luck with CDs: 

Journey - Raised On Radio

Diana Ross - Anthology (2-Disc set)

Soundtrack from Prince of Egypt

The Great Ladies of Rock & Roll: The 60's

And one interesting-looking young adult book: 

The League of Secret Heroes: Cape - Book One, by Kate Hannigan

Hiked down to Barrington after I left Red, White, and Blue. Thank heavens the weather held. It hadn't rained since this morning...and to my knowledge, it hasn't rained again since. It was just gloomy, cloudy, humid, and warm as I headed across Clements Bridge Road to the Old Rail Tavern. I had a tasty Italian Chicken Cutlet with provolone cheese and sauteed broccoli rabe and crunchy sweet potato fries with cinnamon cream cheese dip on their covered patio area while listening to a large family chatter on the other side of the room and half-looking at the college men's lacrosse game on TV. (Princeton killed Notre Dame, by the way, 16-9.)

The Barrington Antique Center is two doors down. This rabbit warren of tiny rooms filled with every possible vintage item, from Victorian glassware to relatively recent DVDs and Barbies, is open all week and on most holidays. My best find here was a stuffed version of Rick Raccoon from Shirt Tales. I had no idea there even were stuffed Shirt Tales. Rather appropriate, given I've been watching the show. (I'll have to look around for stuffed versions of Digger and Pammy, too.) Grabbed a bag of buttery sour cherry thumbprint cookies that were really yummy. I also picked up two children's records, The Care Bears' Birthday Party and readings of two original Winnie the Pooh stories. 

I originally wanted to get a drink at Berri Caffeinated, but they were closed by quarter after 3. I just walked down to the White Horse Pike to wait for the bus instead. Once again, it was on time, and there were no problems. I pulled the rope just in time. They let me off at the perfect spot to get home quickly.

Went straight into another Match Game Memorial Day marathon when I got home. In addition to many of the same episodes seen on Saturday, this one expanded to feature soldiers who appeared on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour and Match Game '90 as well. The Match Game '90 episodes were the hilarious Veteran's Day week shows with Marines as contestants and in the audience. The Marines really adored soap stars Karen Wittier and Fiona Hutchinson, cheering everything they said or did. In the case of Karen, their affections were warranted. She proved to be more than a pretty face when she twice won big money for the contestants. Fiona spent most of the week flirting with Ronn Lucas and Scorch.

Match Game Holiday Extra - Memorial Day Celebration 2026

Finished the night with two more wartime shorts, this time from Universal. "21 Day, Once a Month" debuted just weeks before the US joined the war, making it perhaps more timely than Universal planned. Woody Woodpecker has a cameo in this parody of the peacetime draft featuring toy soldiers. He also figured into one of the few wartime shorts Universal did. Like Donald, he wants to be an "Ace In the Hole," but his sergeant has him shaving horses. The Big bulldog definitely regrets it when Woody finally does get into the air!

Match Game Mouse Club

Began the morning with breakfast and Pac-Man. Tired Pac-Man reads Pac-Baby the story of "Neander Pac-Man" and his discovery of Power Pellets in order to get him to sleep. He ends up being "Backpackin' Packy" when he has to take the Pac-Baby Scouts on a camping trip after the original leader stubbed his toe. He ends up teaching the kids more about chomping ghosts than setting up tents and marking trails.

Since I was already at Tubi, I moved to Murder She Wrote next. Jessica is initially delighted when the woman anchor of a local news show wants to interview her and see how she lives in Cabot Cove. The residents are thrilled, too...until another anchor with less interest in Jessica and small towns than in digging up big stories takes over the interview. It becomes an "Obituary for a Dead Anchor" when the boat the man rents blows to smithereens, and supposedly takes him with it. He's not as dead as he thinks, but the man who was killed removed him from a big story involving a drug-dealing art collector. Jessica has to save Cabot Cove's reputation, her own, and his when she tries to find out who really had it in for the producer.

Watched a quick Donald Duck short while eating lunch and getting ready for work. Donald lets Chip and Dale shovel his sidewalk in "Corn Chips." The duo retaliate by stealing his popcorn. His attempt to get it back just ends up making even more of a mess for him to shovel.

Called Uber a little early, after the cartoon ended. Thankfully, I was able to get one in 7 minutes going to work...because it took me 19 minutes going home at 6 PM. (And that was with normal weather.) At least there was no trouble or traffic either way.

Work was a madhouse today, with long lines for most of the afternoon. Everyone has seen the weather forecast. On one hand, even if we get a ton of snow, it'll likely be slushy or not really stick. It's been too warm lately for it to freeze up and linger like it did last month. It's the wind and colder temperatures later on Sunday and on Monday that concern me. Still not cold enough for it to freeze up or stick around, but cold enough for there to be some icy patches and the snow to get blown around and make visibility difficult. I was alone for most of the afternoon, too. The head bagger had a family emergency and went home early. They did get a college boy to help later, but he first had his break, then had to return to his original job handling self-checkout. At least it was sunny and warm, in the 50's, and I was able to buy my favorite Caramel Coconut Cookies from the Girl Scouts.

When I got home, I had dinner while watching Frosty Returns. I go further into this strange 1992 semi-sequel to the Rankin-Bass Frosty specials at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Frosty Returns

Finished the night making the bed while tonight's YouTube Match Game marathon was on. Though Mickey Mouse hadn't appeared in a theatrical short in over 20 years when the show started in 1973, he still occasionally turned up as the subject for questions. Most of them joked about his relationship with Minnie, what he really wanted more than anything, or him finally firing Donald Duck. 

Fannie Flagg had a sequined Mickey Mouse shirt she wore at least twice during the original 1973-1979 run of the show. There were Mickey questions on the only episode to feature two male contestants in early 1977 (both of them very cute), and the wild week in 1973 with McLean Stevenson and Nancy Dussault. The first Mickey question appeared during the first week with Brett, Charles, Bert Convy, and Betty White. There would be another in 1979 with Convy and Robert Walden, too. 

Celebrate Disney's big cheese with these hilarious episodes that will have you all ears!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Match Game Meets Mickey Mouse Marathon

Christmastime Is Here

Began the morning with breakfast and The Bears Who Saved Christmas. When their family is stranded in a cabin on Christmas Eve, adventurous teddy bear Holly (Mary Kay Bergman) and her brother Christopher (Charlie Adler) take it on themselves to find a tree and make their owners' holiday a little merrier. They're helped by a flashlight that's afraid of the dark (Henry Gibson), a compass with no sense of direction (Johnathan Winters), and a kindly mother beaver (B.J Ward) and her son. 

Hurried off to work after that. I was only alone for the first hour. One of the college boys came in at 10 and took over the sweeping...and then another one arrived at 11 and did the sweeping. I was outside the whole time. At least it was a lot busier today than it was on Monday! People surprisingly had some pretty big orders. I figured most folks would just be grabbing milk and wrapping paper. Even with two other boys helping, we had to work hard to keep up with the carts. 

At least the weather was right for it. It was sunny, bright blue, and very windy, probably blowing 20 miles an hour. The temperatures were in the lower 40's, chilly, but not overly so for this time of year. 

Soon as I finished, I cut across Oaklyn to WaWa. Wanted to make use of those gift cards I got from the kids and get a treat for lunch. I got a roast beef hoagie, a soft pretzel, a peppermint cookies and cream smoothie, and a bag of potato chips. Normally, I'm not a chips fan, but I couldn't resist a bag of mozzarella sticks and marinara-flavored. That's not something I've ever seen before. I did have trouble ringing up the gift cards in the self-checkout machine. Good thing one of the women working at the cash register is a friend of mine and was able to help. 

Went straight home after that. Changed, then watched Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales while I ate lunch. This series of skits was originally made to be filler in an hour slot with A Charlie Brown Christmas, but it does have some entertaining material in its own right. Love Sally writing to "Samantha Claus," her method of getting a Christmas tree when she can't cut it down, and Snoopy's troubles as a sidewalk Santa.

Pulled out the old Christmas photos after I ate. The oldest of these go back to my very first Christmas in 1979, when Bruce and Mom were still together. I'm wearing the cutest yellow Mickey and Minnie Mouse pajamas! I can see toys I'd have for years in the background, including one I still have, TJ the Dakin teddy bear. TJ is currently sitting with the smaller Beanie Baby and Meowchi stuffies on the shelf over the hardback novels. 

There's photos from later in the 80's, too. I can see my second typewriter, the gray and white plastic one that actually typed (my first was a white and orange Tomy Typer), next to me as I open Battle Cat in 1984. There's a Polaroid shot in 1989 of me holding Candi, the porcelain doll Mom gave me that year. I still have Candi, too. Her gold ringlets are messy from many brushings. Her pink ribbon is faded and has rust spots, and her white dress is yellowed and dirty, but she's one of only three porcelain dolls I've kept over the years.

The focus in the 90's and 2000's shifts to Keefe and to Rose's parties with her friends. I should show the kids in the after-school program the photo of Keefe proudly holding out the packs of Pokemon cards I got him. I'm pretty sure that picture was from around 98-99. I'll bet most of the little kids have no idea they go that far back. Keefe's always loved to build, even when he was little. He was so thrilled with the K-Nex sets Mom gave him and the Bionicles Lego sets he got from me. 

Watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation as I sorted through the pictures. All Clark Griswauld (Chevy Chase) wants is a good old-fashioned family Christmas, with tons of presents under a huge tree and all of his family surrounding him. As often happens with Clark, what he imagines and what actually happens are two entirely different matters. The two sets of grandparents he invites over don't get along. The thousands of lights on his house short the neighborhood power grid. His yuppie neighbors Todd (Nicholas Guest) and Margo (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) are ready to strangle him for the mess his antics keep making in their home. Mid-way through, Clark's cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his family turn up in their rattletrap RV and cause even more chaos. In the end, as the tree burns and the SWAT team comes through the windows, Clark finally realizes that we can't make Christmas perfect...but we can make it memorable.

This is an old family favorite of mine that we all watched throughout the 90's. Mae Questal and William Hickey steal the last half-hour or so as dear, senile old Aunt Bethany and her exasperated husband Uncle Lewis. Brian Doyle-Murphy has a lot of fun as Clark's obnoxious boss, too. Scatological and sexual humor makes this for teens just starting their own Christmas breaks and adults who have probably been through almost everything Clark does here at one time or another.

Switched to working on The WENN Nutcracker Suite next. With everyone on the train, Betty has the chance to ask the Nutcracker about Pirlipat. She calls him Scott at first, but he still claims that isn't his name. She gently tells him that she'd never abandon him, no matter how many mistakes he made or how ugly he was.

Watched A Disney Channel Christmas as I worked. Mom taped this blend of two earlier Disney TV specials, "From All of Us to All Of You" and "Disney's Christmas Gift," in 1988, and I've watched it almost every year since. The first half is "From All of Us," with Jiminy Cricket introducing segments from winter or Christmas-related shorts like "Pluto's Christmas Tree," "The Art of Skiing," "Donald's Snow Fight," and the gorgeous "Once Upon a Wintertime." The second half showcases segments from Disney films that depict parties, gift-giving, winter, or magic, the Donald Duck short "The Clock Watcher," the two Santa Claus Silly Symphonies, and the lovely black and white Mickey short "Mickey's Good Deed." It ends with the Past segment from Mickey's Christmas Carol, which was so new when this first debuted, Jiminy says it's "now in theaters."

Moved to the Looney Tunes for Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales. Unlike the Halloween special, this one is all-new material. The first short is a take on A Christmas Carol, with Bugs as Nephew Fred, Yosemite Sam as Scrooge, and Porky as Bob Cratchit. The second takes Wil E. Coyote and Road Runner's usual antics into snow-covered mountains as the Coyote chases his quarry on skates. The third has the Tasmanian Devil invading Bugs' house dressed as Santa and how Bugs gets rid of him.

Next up was Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus from 1974. This charming retelling of the most famous editorial letter in newspaper history has Jim Backus as the voice of Francis Church, the editor who wrote the letter, and the story's narrator. The style screams "Bill Melendez" and basically looks like Victorian Peanuts with actual speaking adults thrown into the mix. 

Put on The Bishop's Wife during dinner. Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) prays for guidance in building his huge new cathedral. He can't secure the funding from fussy Mrs. Agnes Hamilton (Gladys Cooper), who insists on making it a monument to her late husband. He's working so hard, he neglects his lovely wife Julia (Loretta Young) and his daughter Debbie (Karolyn Grimes) and ignores old friends like the Professor (Monty Wooley). Henry gets quite a shock when Dudley (Cary Grant), an impossibly suave angel, turns up claiming he's the answer to Henry's prayer. Henry doesn't think so when Dudley proceeds to take his place with Julia, and she falls for him. The Professor reminds Henry that he has one big advantage over Dudley. He's human, and Dudley is not.

The cast is simply luminous in this charming tale. Young is so patient and lovely, you can understand why a bishop and angel almost came to blows over her. Grant's debonair angel is a lot of fun, too - check out his quick method of decorating Christmas trees! Highly recommended during the holidays if you're a fan of the trio or looking for a quieter holiday movie.

Finished the night with a couple of specials. I went further into The Small One and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2022 and 2019 respectively.

The Small One

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Raggedy Ann and Andy In the Great Santa Claus Caper has Chuck Jones' fingerprints all over it. The antagonist is a very smart Wil E. Coyote-like wolf. This fellow isn't content to chase road runners. He creates an unbreakable substance he calls "Gloopstick" that he intends to cover Santa's toys with, so the children will have to buy toys from him. When Raggedy Andy is one of the wolf's victims, Ann and Andy avoid the claws on his machine and shows the wolf that their love is stronger than any Gloopstick.

Here's even more classic Christmas specials to watch before Christmas dinner tomorrow!

The Wish That Changed Christmas

The Night Before Christmas (1968)

The Smurfs' Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas 

The Christmas Tree

A Cranberry Christmas

'Twas the Day Before Christmas (A Chucklewood Christmas)

Fleischer Brothers Classics: Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Woody Woodpecker - The 12 Lies of Christmas

The Nutcracker (Russia 1974)

For Better Or for Worse: The Bestest Present

Ziggy's Gift

Olive the Other Reindeer

The Teddy Bears' Christmas

A Wish For Wings That Work

The Adventures of Candy Claus

And as Jiminy Cricket said earlier, from all of us to all of you, have a very merry Christmas, and the happiest of holiday seasons! 

Dolls On Veteran's Day

Began my Veteran's Day with breakfast and Idol On Parade. I go further into this 1959 British military comedy that made a star out of singer-songwriter Anthony Newley at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Saluting Our Veterans - Idol On Parade

Spent most of the morning dressing the dolls. Molly, Samantha, and Josefina wear their original "meet" outfits. Molly is in her blue argyle sweater, blue felt skirt, the white dickey with the rickrack trim, white socks, and strap shoes borrowed from Sam. Josefina wears her red "meet" skirt with the brown flower print with her long-sleeved nightgown camisa, as the shift that came with the outfit is short-sleeved and too chilly for November in New Jersey. Sam wears her mauve checked dress. I have a really hard time squeezing Felicity into her blue and gold brocade dress (the outfit the most recent version of the doll came in), but she looks so pretty in it that it's totally worth it.

Jessa's ready to do art inside on cold November days in the late 90's Artist Outfit with the lime green t-shirt, fringed overalls, and splatter-print button-down shirt and matching high-top sneakers. Ariel wears the beaded flared jeans from the 2004 modern meet outfit, the boots Whitney originally came in, and a square-necked turquoise and teal peasant blouse Lauren sent ages ago. I love the soft white dress with the red flower print and attached red cardigan I found for Whitney a few years ago. I wish I could get a human-sized version of the dress without the attached cardigan. Kit's in an eBay find, a hand-knitted burgundy sweater with a brown, yellow, and green plaid wrap skirt. Barbara Jean looks elegant for class at Cherry Hill High East in her black and magenta mini-dress with the white satin top, black velvet collar, and soft magenta jacket.

Switched to the Donald Duck wartime shorts as I cleaned up and ate a quick lunch. From 1942 to 1944, Disney did a series of shorts that had Donald as a frustrated soldier in the Army. These honestly came off more like mini episodes of MASH than the surreal lunacy they were doing over at Warners and Famous Studios in the early 40's. "Donald Gets Drafted," and he thinks he's going to be a big flying ace. He ends up dealing with cranky Drill Sergeant Pete instead. He does manage to get in the air during "Sky Trooper," but Pete puts him in with the paratroopers. Their attempt to push away a missile while in the air has explosive consequences!

My favorite of the Donald Duck wartime shorts is "The Vanishing Private." This is the only time in the entire series that Donald gets the better of Pete. When Pete tells Donald to make the cannon "hard to see," he covers it with an invisibility paint. After Donald gets the paint on himself, he leads Pete on a wild chase after "the little man you can't see" all over the base.

"Fall Out, Fall In" is more typical. Donald wants to eat and sleep after a long, grueling hike, but first his tent won't cooperate, then his fellow bunkmates make too much noise for sleeping. "The Old Army Game" is more disturbing today. Pete chases Donald around the base after he's gone AWOL, but it has what Donald thinks is more drastic consequences when he's hurt. "Commando Duck" is the last Disney war short, and the only one to get Donald into actual combat. Donald goes to a (heavily caricatured) Japan, where he proceeds to wipe...no, wash...out the enemy.

Speaking of caricatures, the most famous Disney war short is probably the Oscar-winning "Der Fuhrer's Face." Donald's surreal nightmare about dealing with the Nazi's control of Germany is one of the most imaginatively animated pieces of work Disney ever did. Even the jaunty title song became a hit for comedy orchestra Spike Jones and His City Slickers.

Rushed off to school just as "Commando Duck" was ending. We did get outside for about 40 minutes around 3:30-4 PM. Admittedly, it wasn't the nicest day for running around a playground. While we never got the snow other parts of the northeast reported, it was cloudy, windy, and very cold, in the mid-40's. I did have a lot of fun hopping with one of the little girls in the leaves blown up against the chain link fence around the playground. There weren't enough leaves to jump in, so we hopped in them instead. We had so much fun, some of the other kids did it, too. 

Once again, after we got in, we split up the kids. Half stayed and colored and played with toys in the cafeteria. The others played Heads Up 7 Up in the library. That started out all right, but the older kids kept picking the same people, and the younger ones were often too shy to pick anyone. I was actually kind of grateful when we eventually gave up and moved the kids back to the cafeteria.

Jessa was at home and waiting for me when I got in. We had dinner at the Olive Garden in Cherry Hill near the library. I was feeling the need for comfort food, and I haven't been to Olive Garden since college, when my ex-boyfriend Max would occasionally take me to the one in the Hamilton Mall's parking lot. There was a long line when we arrived. Tons of veterans were taking advantage of a special menu. At least it didn't take us that long to be seated. We both had salad, bread sticks and the Endless Bowls of Pasta. I had angel hair, meat sauce, and Italian sausage. She had rigatoni, meat sauce, and meatballs. Oh, yum! That really hit the spot. Even the salad was incredible. And the bread sticks were so soft and salty! We both took our second bowls home, and I got the remaining bread sticks as well, since Jess said she didn't want hers.

Finished the night with 4th season episodes of MASH on Disney Plus. "It Happened One Night" as the surgeons deal with heavy shelling from the US side, a freezing cold night, a young man who keeps going crazy every time he hears the shelling, Klinger trying to run off, and Radar's nervousness around their new Colonel Potter. Poor Radar is still nervous around Potter, which the older man notes when he writes his "Dear Margaret." It takes a horse Hunnicut and Hawkeye saved to show the young man he has more in common with his new commanding officer than he thought. Father Mulcahey has to deal with his own commanding officer (Ned Beatty), which Hunnicut notes as he writes to his "Dear Peggy." 

Afternoon Delight

Started off the day with a quick breakfast and the classic Donald Duck and Chip and Dale short "Crazy Over Daisy." In the early 1900's, Donald rides a huge wheeled bike to woo Daisy with chocolates. Chip and Dale drive him crazy, but his way of dealing with them doesn't impress Daisy.

Hurried off to work after that. Work was, once again, no trouble whatsoever. It got a little busier later in the day, and I had a slightly harder time keeping up with the carts, but it still could have been worse. I was in and out quickly and with little fuss.

After I got home, I quickly changed and went right back out again. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and just warm enough, probably in the lower 60's. It was too nice to hang out inside all day! I had lunch at the Legacy Diner. They were still fairly busy at quarter of 2, but I did get a good booth near the window. Oh, yum! The three enormous pumpkin pancakes were fat and fluffy, the best I ever tasted. Had some decent bacon, too.

Rode down to Haddon Heights next for their Fall Fest on Station Avenue after a quick stop at the Audubon WaWa for money. I parked next to the bounce houses and mini-scrambler ride, and I saw a mini merry-go-round that had already been shut down. The block where Anthony's and Market Links is featured craft booths, a table selling children's books for Halloween, and food trucks, while local services advertised on the other side of the tracks. They were still mobbed when I arrived, even though it started around 10. 

I ended up at the Haddon Heights Library, which advertised a book sale. They didn't have nearly as much there as Mt. Laurel or Cherry Hill does at theirs, but I did learn that their children's room is in the basement (and the stairwell area is brightened by a lovely mural). Ended up with two copies of a Peanuts book I have for Amanda and Lauren's Christmas bags and boxes.

Doc's Finds was also very busy. I didn't have a lot of room to check out their bins of records, especially the dollar bins under the main shelves, but I did make some decent finds. Most of my K-Tel collections are from the 70's, but I did manage to dig out two from 1983, Starlite and Hit Explosion. I also pulled two vintage children's albums from the dollar bins: 

Golden Records retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with Art Carney

Disney retelling of The Story of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates 

Also found one 2-disc CD set:

Aerosmith - Gold 

I also got to chat with the owner a bit. He admired my Pikachu and Eevee backpack (apparently, he's a big Pokemon fan) and wondered where I'd been. I told him about the after-school program and how much fun I was having with the kids.

Returned to the Market Links Cafe next to get a smoothie. I went with "The Purity," which is apples, cinnamon, oats, milk (I went with almond), and honey. Oh, yum. Though it was a bit gritty, it did indeed taste like an apple pie in a cup. Sipped it outside as I watched the kids whirl around on the colorful Scrambler. 

Stopped at the Oaklyn WaWa on the way home. I was still thirsty, so I thought I'd try something different. I love that they have one of those Coke Freestyle machines. It's fun to make your own flavors! I ended up with Coke Zero Peaches and Cream (peach and cream). Not bad. I tasted peach and vanilla, so I knew it at least worked.

Put on Zombies 4 when I got home. I go further into the most recent entry in Disney's light-hearted horror musical parables at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Saturday - Zombies 4: Rise of the Vampires

Had dinner and spent the next few hours watching tonight's Match Game marathon. With Gene and many of the panelists (including Brett and Charles) having starred on Broadway or done musicals, it was likely inevitable that dancing would turn up on the show. Indeed, two of the show's semi-regulars, Bobby Van and his wife Elaine Joyce, had danced on film and on Broadway. Bobby danced in several major MGM movies of the 50's, including Kiss Me Kate. Elaine was the lead in Sugar, the first Broadway musical version of Some Like It Hot, in 1972. 

There was the time in 1975 when Allen Ludden and Betty White were on the same panel. A lady insisted she'd belly dance if she won money. She did win $5,000...but the music department played "The Star Spangled Banner!" That didn't stop Brett and Betty from doing their own interpretations of belly dancing. Joyce Bullifant got to show off her own early dance training in 1979 when she did a terrific jitterbug with a contestant who was a champion performer, complete with the music department kicking in an instrumental swing tune.

Some of the contestants were darn good dancers, too. There was the jazz dancer Richard drooled over in 1976 who eventually showed off a few high kicks. A tap dance teacher taught Gene a few steps in a syndicated episode. Gene himself would occasionally break out a vaudeville soft shoe routine to cover a slow panelist or just when the pace was flagging.

Bring your dancing shoes along to this swinging marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Dance Party Marathon

Fall Magic

It was raining at a pretty good clip when I got up this morning. I barely had enough time to call Uber...and of course, when I did, they took 16 minutes to arrive. Thankfully, there was no traffic when the guy did pick me up and the rain was starting to slow it down when I left, but I was still late to work.

That, thankfully, was by far the worst thing that happened all day. Despite the rain petering out by 10:30, the Acme stayed quiet the entire morning. It picked up slightly around 11:30, then went right back to being quiet. I had no problems getting off on time, changing, or picking up maple sandwich cookies on sale.

I had lunch at Applebee's. They were as busy as the Acme had been quiet. I must have caught the tail end of the lunch crowd. My grilled chicken ranch sandwich was delicious, moist and flavorful, with their crisp, salty fries. 

Picked up Uber here. This time, I managed to get them in 8 minutes...and went home. I had originally planned on going to the Thomas Sharp School from Applebee's, but the weather had turned sunny and breezy. There was no longer a reason to take Uber to the school. I could ride the bike. 

Watched a couple of cartoons when I arrived and got organized. Donald's "Winter Storage" of nuts is disrupted by Chip and Dale trying to get their paws on his acorns. Likewise, "All In a Nutshell" have the two chipmunks invading Donald's nut-shaped nut butter factory to get their paws on Donald's tasty product.

I did indeed ride my bike to school. Barely got there on time, which wasn't a good thing. We had a full house today, made even more so by the fact that we can't use the library this week. It's the week of the school's Book Fair. I'm so happy that they still do Book Fairs. I looked forward to Book Fair Week when I was in elementary school. Possibly due to their new purchases, they were pretty rowdy inside. They were tumbling all over each other in the halls and barely settled down to hear Leo the Late Bloomer and Pete the Cat.

Things went much better once we got outside. By 4 PM, the sun was out, the sky was a radiant blue, and the breeze was cool and fresh. If it wasn't for a few puddles on the street around the school, you'd never guess it even rained this morning at all. I did have to argue with a few of them about spending too much time on the swings - some of the girls in particular would stay on the entire time if allowed, and there's only two swings - but for the most part, they happily ran around and chased each other to the tune of "Doing the Flamingo," "The Floor Is Lava," "Love Is an Open Door," and songs from KPop Demon Hunters. Like I told the kids, the sudden transformation from a rainy day to perfect weather was the magic of fall at work. 

Headed straight home and into The Goldwyn Follies. I go further into this peculiar blend of ballet, weird comedy, and great Gershwin songs at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - The Goldwyn Follies

Switched to Match Game '76 after the movie ended. Caught the tail end of the week with Avery Schiberer, Jo Ann Pflug, and Fannie Flagg. Despite Brett's teasing her, Jo Ann (who always was one of the smarter women to sit in the fourth "ingenue" seat) did very well, getting most answers right.

Finished the night with the original cast album for Nice Work If You Can Get It, which also features Gershwin songs. This reworking of Oh Kay! basically changes Kay's name to Billie and adds a truckload of extra Gershwin tunes, including the title song. I don't know if I buy Matthew Broderick as the oft-married Jimmy, but Kelli O'Hara made a charming and spirited Billie. Not the most necessary thing in the universe, but if you're a fan of the leads or the Gershwins, it makes for a pleasant listen.

Ramblin' Woman

Since I already packed the novel I was reading, I started the morning with two American Girl books about vacations. Samantha Saves the Day when the boat she and the twins Agnes and Agatha took to Teardrop Island floats away. She has to navigate the twins and the kindly Admiral through the Sharp rocks around the island during a storm. Felicity Saves the Day reunites her with her beloved horse Penny. Her equine friend proves to be instrumental in helping her find her father's runaway apprentice Benjamin and convincing him to return to her father's service.

Lissie and Sam are far from the only ones to have eventful vacations! Paddington Takes the Road when he repairs a tricycle and joins the Tour De France. Of course, Paddington being Paddington, he goes down a steep hill, only to realize he forgot to add brakes. Donald Duck has an even worse time in The Grand Canyon. He falls off his burro, and Mickey has to take a raft though the rapids to rescue him.

Switched to the 2002 Strawberry Shortcake during breakfast. "Strawberry's Big Journey" takes her, Orange Blossom, Angel Cake, and a worried Ginger Snap on the road to see a certain flower at Tangerine Torta's home. Angel Cake and Ginger Snap complain about getting lost, and they encounter a young mechanic named Banana Twirl who wants them to stay in her little town. Even though things don't work out the way they planned, Strawberry reminds them that the important thing is they had fun on the way.

Mickey and Minnie go on their own adventure "Around the Clubhouse World" in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Professor Ludvig Von Drake has them get stamps on a passport from each country they visit. They encounter artist Donald and flapper Daisy in France, Goofy as a gondolier in Italy, Chip and Dale ready for the Dragon Dance in China, and Big Pete reveling in Egypt, a land where cats are gods.

After Mickey ended and I finished making the bed, I figured it was time to go. Soon as I had my bags downstairs, I called Uber. No trouble there whatsoever. He picked me up in 6 minutes and got me there in a little over 20. There wasn't even much traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway for once. 

Normally, I love walking around in 30th Street Station. It's a huge old barn that looks more like the lobby of an expensive hotel and makes me feel more elegant just being there. It's also in the midst of a years-long remodeling. The stained glass windows are blocked by scaffolding, and the stores are replaced by narrow booths. I got a pumpkin spice donut and a matcha latte at Dunkin Donuts, then sat down to read. After I got tired of sitting, I used the bathroom, then walked around until it was time to get in line.

No trouble whatsoever with either train. The train going to New York was full, but I did manage to get a seat to myself. I ate lunch and did crosswords. It got in about 15 minutes late, but that could have been worse. Bought a big soft pretzel outside of Moynihan Train Hall. Used the bathroom inside, then had a snack in the main hall and walked around until I saw a line for the train to Albany. The train was actually going to Chicago. I got to see the outside of the sleeper car and dining car. 

The train stopping at Albany left on time and arrived on time. It was full until we left Poughkeepsie, then most everyone got off, and I finally got the seat to myself. Before that, the lady who sat next to me spent the two and a half hours we were on the train reading. I colored Cheer Bear and Funshine Bear in the ancient Care Bears coloring book that goes so far back, it's based on Adventures In Care-a-Lot from the late 2000's. 

I love the view going to Albany. All you see in New Jersey are train tracks and suburbs. Upstate New York is a fairy land of shining lakes, beautiful old mansions, forbidding factories, bobbing boats with crisp sails billowing in the breeze, and lacy suspension bridges. No wonder Washington Irving thought there were Headless Horsemen running around in the area. 

Lauren was there right when I got in. She had her own adventures to talk about as we drove to Outback Steakhouse on Wolf Road about 20 minutes from the train station. She did a "buddy walk" with some of her co-workers that was really a long hike. Needless to say, between her hike and my long travel day, we were both famished. Neither of us are the biggest steak fans, but Outback does have other meats. She had seared ahi ahi tuna on a bed of vegetables, with green beans and mashed potatoes. I had grilled chicken with green beans (they were out of any other vegetables) and a baked sweet potato. We shared a Bloomin' Onion and brown bread. Oh yuumm! It was all so good, the only things left after we finished was half of the bread and a quarter of the Bloomin' Onion.

Finished the night after we got home and I took a shower with the Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. The classic cop show CHIPs was just getting started when Match Game was finishing its run on CBS. Brianne Leary, who appeared as a cop in its first year, actually turned up on Match Game before the show was even conceived. She was a contestant in 1976, and won quite a bit of money, too. She became the only contestant to later appear on the panel when she turned up for several weeks in 1979. Robert Pine (later the father of actor Chris Pine) was actually a semi-regular who appeared fairly frequently from 1979 through 1981. Randi Oakes did a few weeks during the syndicated run in 1980, and she and Pine would both later turn up on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. 

Let's hit the highway with the members of the highway patrol and keep the streets of LA safe for matching in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - CHIPs Actors on Match Game Marathon

Friday Afternoon Fever

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. It's "Swicheroo Day," and everyone switches places with one another. Alice eventually figures out how to rhyme and surprise people like the Cheshire Cat, and Rosa has fun helping with recipes like Cookie. Hattie and Fergie get switched with each other...and refuse to ask for help when they claim what they do is easy. The Cat and the girls remind them that it's not a bad thing to ask for help if you don't know how to do something. Glowing purple berries only drift in with the tide "Once In a Wonderland Moon." Alice has to figure out how to turn them into sea-going variations on Dole Whip before the moon vanishes, and the berries become shriveled, overly salty husks. 

Hurried out after that. I had a lot to do today, starting with an errand run at Target. Though my three-year-old niece Aurora's birthday isn't until October 1st, I wanted to get her and Amanda's cards out today. I bought a Disney gift card for Aurora. Mom says she's a huge fan of Minnie Mouse, so I thought she'd get a kick out of something from Disney's online store. I needed a new computer mouse rather badly. The Bluetooth one I bought a while back doesn't work with my new laptop, and my old USB port mouse is losing the pads on the bottom and eats batteries for breakfast. I finally found a smooth pink mouse that wasn't a bad price. Got a new pair of earphones too that could hook up to the cell phone I got in January.

Sprouts was next on my list. They sell "kids' meal" bags with chips, a sandwich, a bottle of water, a cookie, and a container of applesauce. Most of them had barbecue chips, which I don't like. The only one that came with regular chips was the almond butter and jelly sandwich. Why not? I don't think I've ever tried almond butter. The bag I bought last year was great for the train trip. Also small bags of mixed nuts and dried apricots for the trip and granola bars (buy one, get one half off) and soda for when I get home.

Headed down Cuthbert to the Acme next. Most of what I picked up here was for when I got back, including yogurt, soda, apples, and more granola bars. I did get a Propel for tomorrow. I'll likely need more liquids than just that tiny bottle of water that came with the kids' meal bag. Incidentally, I could absolutely see why I got off so easily this week. None of the stores were busy, not even Target. 

Rode down Cuthbert next and over to Haddon to hit PNC Bank. I wanted to take out money for the trip. I stopped at the outside ATM machine, got my money, and got out just as a car pulled up to the driveway. 

At least the weather was gorgeous for all the running around. The rain of the last few days was replaced by sunshine, blue skies, cool winds, warmth, and slight humidity. I enjoyed it as I made my way past the park and down to East Clinton.

Put everything away and packed my backpack while watching Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!) on YouTube. Charlie Brown is shocked when Linus signs the two of them up for a foreign exchange program to France. Peppermint Patty and Marcie are a part of the same program, while Snoopy and Woodstock tag along for the adventure. (And because Snoopy can somehow drive a Volkswagen.) Chuck gets an even bigger surprise when he receives a letter in French asking him and Linus to stay at the Chateau Mal Voison. As Marcie explains, this means House of the Bad Neighbor...and it turns out that the Baron who owns the house is anything but friendly. It's Linus who eventually finds out who wrote the letter and how they knew about Chuck. Elsewhere, Peppermint Patty gets a crush on the son of their host, while Snoopy sneaks out to a cafe to sing songs from World War II and drink root beer.

This is by far the most unique of the Peanuts' five (to date) theatrical films. First of all, it's the only Peanuts film where you hear adults actually speaking. It would have been strange for four 11-year-olds, a beagle, and a bird to travel through Europe without some adult intervention. It's also the darkest of the five Peanuts movies. Though the Baron ultimately does nothing to the boys besides being a lousy host, he does make serious threats. There's also the sweet story between Violette's grandmother and Chuck's grandfather that makes a nice contrast to Peppermint Patty's imaginary romance. 

Not everything works. Most of the first half, with Snoopy playing tennis at Wimbleton and the kids trying to figure out Cockney accents in London, is pure filler, and honestly, the story seems a little too dark for this particular franchise at times. This is still recommended for major Peanuts fans like me and families with older kids who know something about history. Those with younger kids or who are less familiar with the Peanuts outside of the holidays will want to start with A Boy Named Charlie Brown or The Peanuts Movie first. 

Switched to What's New, Scooby Doo? while eating lunch. Mystery Inc realizes that "Diamonds are a Ghoul's Best Friend" when they come to see the US play Russia in a major hockey match, only for "The Frozen Fiend," an icicle-covered hockey player, to steal the cup and the diamonds embedded in it. Fred wants to jump the gun and capture the ghoul before they've figured out who it is, but Velma reminds him why actually solving the case before they chase the bad guy is important.

(Oh, and I checked my Acme schedule at this point, too, just to make sure my vacation went through. Yes, it did. I'm off for all of next week, and in fact won't be going home until next Sunday.)

Put on a quick Disney short while getting ready for work. Donald thinks he's a "Hockey Champ" when he imitates then-popular figure skater Sonja Henie, then challenges his nephews to a game. That proves to not be a smart move. The boys almost literally skate rings around Donald.

Dropped off the birthday cards for Amanda and Aurora in the mail box, then made my way down the White Horse Pike and Collings to the Thomas Sharp School. Our dance parties for the last two days had been so successful, the teachers decided to have another one in the library, despite it being nice enough to go outside.

This time, they gave out glow sticks to the kids and turned off the lights, turning it into something of a disco dance party. It was hilarious. The kids were a riot running around with their glow sticks, trying to twirl them around their arms and perching them on their heads like glowing crowns. Even the teachers got glow sticks. We danced to "The Wiggle Dance," "Doin' the Flamingo," "Under the Sea," "Hakuna Matata," and songs from Frozen and KPop Demon Hunters. I hadn't had so much fun in ages.

After I got out, I made my way back down the White Horse Pike...but this time, I turned at CVS and rode into Oaklyn. Today was the last Final Friday block party of the year. "Final Friday" is two blocks on West Clinton of food trucks, craft booths, face painting and mini-golf for the little kids, and a local DJ playing hits under a tent. They were already pretty busy when I arrived, especially the long line for the barbecue truck! Since I'm going away tomorrow, I compromised. I had cheaper slices of broccoli-chicken teriyaki and tomato-basil-mozzarella pizza at Phillies Phatties, but for dessert, I treated myself to another one of those Bubba's Gourmet Creamery popsicles. Got chocolate-mint swirl. Oooh, so yummy and creamy...and very minty!

Put on Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Today's episodes covered the time future talk-show hostess Jenny Jones was a contestant on the show. She did very well, too, winning over $5,000. I learned quite a bit that I didn't know about her, like her being from Canada by way of Israel originally.

Worked on Maplepunzel next. Pavla slinks to King Thomas and Queen Gertie and, in the sweetest way possible, demands to have Maple fired. Not even Mr. Eldridge buys it. Maple has been nothing but a good and faithful servant. Gertie has her own reason to keep Maple on. Not only is she worried about Pavla keeping Victor from the rest of the household, but the coffee everyone's been drinking gallons of is putting people to sleep, not keeping them awake. She asks Maple to find out what's going on there.

Since I enjoyed Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown earlier, I finished the night with the far more typical The Peanuts Movie. Poor Charlie Brown just can't catch a break. He badly wants to impress The Little Red-Haired Girl, but whether it's a dressing as a cow for his sister Sally's talent show act, attempting to show off his moves on the dance floor, or writing a complete book report of War and Peace for her, nothing ever seems to turn out right for him. He thinks she doesn't notice him, but it's not until she chooses him as a partner at the end of the year that he realizes how much of an impact he's had on her and all of his friends. Meanwhile, his dog Snoopy writes a story about him being a brave World War I flying ace who saves a pretty poodle from the dreaded Red Baron.

Yeah, if you want to introduce your kids to the Peanuts outside of the holiday specials, I'd start here or with A Boy Named Charlie Brown. They're the most typical of the movies and probably come the closest to what the comic strips are actually like. I also love the animation style here. The kids look more like stop-motion animation, like they're almost made of felt, but their eyes have a hand-drawn style that allows them to have expressions closer to the comics. There's also the comics animation itself turning up in everyone's thought bubbles. No wonder this was a big hit a decade ago. It's probably one of Blue Sky Studio's best production and is really a sweet and charming treat. 

Library Dance Party

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and two classic Disney shorts. Chip and Dale are "Chips Ahoy" when they steal a boat in a glass from Donald and use it to cross a lake and get to a tree full of nuts. Mickey's looking for "The Simple Things" during a fishing trip. What he gets is a curious Pluto chasing the seagulls who want the fresh fish he's using for bait.

Hurried off to work after "Simple Things" ended and just made it on time. That was the worst thing that happened all day. The Acme was dead the entire morning. I honestly didn't have a lot to do. There weren't even a ton of carts to push. No wonder I got the weekend and all of next week off. Maybe the weather scared everyone off. It was cloudy, warm (though not to the degree of yesterday), and murderously humid. I was in and out with no trouble whatsoever. 

Made a quick stop at the pretzel shop on my way home for pepperoni-stuffed pretzels and two regular ones. Had those and grapes while watching cartoon episodes with characters playing superheroes. In My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Spike feels unwanted and unneeded when Twilight and the other ponies are repairing an old castle. They get sucked into the world of his comic and become "Power Ponies" who must defeat the evil Mane-iac in order to get home. Spike (and Fluttershy) prove that being quiet or small doesn't mean you're not a great superhero or a better friend.

The Backyardigans spoofed superhero tropes several times on their show, notably in the first season episode "Race to the Tower of Power." Austin is Captain Hammer, who can build anything with a magic hammer, while Uniqua is Weather Woman, the weather-controlling wonder. They have to stop Yucky Man (Pablo) and Dr. Shrinky (Tyrone) from reaching the Tower of Power and claiming the Key to the World.

I was going to take my bike to Thomas Sharp, too, but by the time I was ready to leave, it had finally started showering. Called Uber instead. The driver was a bit late. I got to the school just in time. The rain was still coming down when I finished, so I took Uber home, too. 

I think you can guess that the kids never went outside today. We were in the library almost the entire afternoon, but we still had a marvelous time. In fact, I think we had more fun in that library than we ever did outside. One of the teachers brought a speaker, playing "The Flamingo Dance," "Sharks In the Water," "Let It Go" from Frozen, and several songs from K-Pop Demon Hunters. One of the other teachers moved the tables out of the way so we could all dance. Oh boy, did we have fun! The kids were hilarious, swirling around, scooting on the floor, or wiggling their arms and legs. After our dance, we all settled down to hear Pete the Cat and Hop on Pop. Several kids claimed teacher laps, including mine. I hadn't had so much fun on a rainy afternoon in a long time.

When I got in, I worked on Maplepunzel. Queen Gertrude (Gertie) is tired of this so-called "Maple" (Pavla) not letting her see Victor and treating the servants badly behind her back. She recruits the real Maple to keep an eye on her, write down what she sees, and report back to her. Maple also enjoys hearing the stories told by their butler Mackie, who speaks fondly of his late wife Penelope, her strong healing power, and the little daughter they lost.

Watched Match Game Syndicated while working and as I had dinner. They started off finishing the week with McLean Stevenson, Eva Gabor, and Elaine Joyce. The next week introduced Edie McClurg as a semi-regular. She annoys some people, but I think her energy and her Valley Girl imitations are cute and funny. That week cut off early...because part of it is on the tape with the Jimmie Walker week that he still hasn't cleared for being shown. They skipped to the week with Robert Donner and giggly Betty Kennedy. Delightfully sarcastic Patty Duke sat in Brett's character actress seat that week.

Finished the night with The Love Boat at Paramount Plus. "Country Cousin Blues" has a country singer (Florence Henderson) falling for an old friend (James Noble) who is now a politician, which his actual girlfriend (Carol Lawrence) doesn't like one bit. Gopher thinks he's hit the "Jackpot" when he finds a purse full of money and fantasizes about how he'll spend it. A young woman (Randi Oakes) is on the boat with her father (Mason Adams), but rethinks being "Daddy's Little Girl" when he almost drives away a veterinarian (Frank Bonner) who seems interested in her. 

Nighttime Matches

Got a really quick start today with two classic Donald Duck shorts. "Out of Scale" may be the only time Donald tangled with Chip and Dale and all three came out winners. Donald wants to move their big tree off his model railroad, as it's out of scale. Chip and Dale inadvertently find a way to keep their home and let Donald have fun with his train. Humphrey the Bear is a "Beezy Bear" who wants to get over that barbed wire fence and get at Donald's honey. He keeps landing in the near-by pond, but he's the one who may end up all wet when Don catches wise to his hose trick.

I was really late getting moving, and late calling Uber...and of course, they took 12 minutes to arrive. Which meant yes, I was late to work. Ironically, I got the one going home in 4 minutes. No trouble either way once they did arrive, no traffic either time.

My 8 1/2 hour day was a bit of a pain. We were busy for most of the day, and I had no help gathering carts or the trash. I never did get to the trash. I was so behind on the carts, they pulled a bagger to help me with them around 2 PM. Though it was cloudy, hot, and murderously humid all day, it only showered once, briefly, when I was at work. 

Got my schedule at work. (For some reason, the schedule website is only working on mobile phones, not on regular computers and laptops.) In good news, more hours. In bad news, four days in a row, three of which are weekdays, which means I'll have to rush between jobs and likely won't have the time for much of anything. And I work early next Saturday, which means no farm market again. 

Went straight into dinner and tonight's Match Game marathon when I got in. Match Game Productions honored the 50th anniversary of the nighttime show's debut with some of its biggest winners. There was the Air Force officer who won by the skin of his teeth in 1977, and the handsome Naval officer who got Betty White in the Head-to-Head for "Olympia __" in 1980. Also in 1980, we had the charming man who wrote cookbooks with his wife and answered "Code of __" with "Code Of Arms," prompting Charles to create a "code of arms" for him. Bill Daily was excited to get "kissed by a man" after he won him $20,000 in 1979, but the guy really had his eye on Patty Duke. Richard gave a lady who asked for kisses for her and her family four for each...and then one more big one for winning! 

Buzzr unearthed a very funny episode with Eva Gabor and Bill Anderson in 2021 that had been lost for years. Gene teased an Asian gentleman about his affiliations during World War II, which may explain the show's disappearance. (At least the guy took it really well.) Brett was more interested in fluttering fans and trying to look ladylike. 

Celebrate 50 years of nighttime winners in this delightful marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Celebrating 50 Years of Match Game PM With Its Biggest Winners

Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with the 1967 TV version of Aladdin. I go into the Prince Street Players' version of the Arabian Nights story at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Family Fun Saturday - Aladdin (1967)

Oh, and I finally finished posting Hilary and the Beasts, which is now available in full at my Writer's Desk at the Riverside blog. 

Schoolyard Angels

Had just enough time for two Disney shorts with Donald and Chip and Dale before I headed to the Oaklyn School. Donald is "All In a Nutshell" when he steals their nuts for his nut butter business, and they infiltrate the giant nut where he makes the butter to get it back. They're "Dragon Around" when they attempt to defend their castle-shaped tree home from Donald's menacing steam shovel.

This time, after everyone arrived at the school, they got us all going organizing the materials that would be sent to the schools in the program. I went through books with a young woman who also loves reading. We figured out which age group the book was appropriate for before dropping them into bins for the schools, but we also had a long, cheerful discussion about the books we loved as children and what we were looking forward to doing in the program. She was originally from Atlantic City, so we also discussed the challenges of growing up in shore towns that largely close up the moment the summer ends.

We took our lunch break a little earlier, around noon instead of 12:30. I grabbed a tasty and sweet Coconut Caramel Smoothie from WaWa to go with my everything bagel and farm-market fresh apple. I ate my lunch on a bench at the small park across from the school. Even had the time to get a bottle of water and a soft, chewy, chocolatey s'mores cookie from Common Grounds.

I wasn't there for much longer after lunch, anyway. We worked so well together, we finished sorting through the books well before we broke to eat. She was still taping up books whose pages were coming loose when I came back. I helped the directors in the office put binders on shelves, sharpened colored pencils, and joined two other young women who were sorting through markers to make sure they worked. There wasn't much else for me to do after that, so I just left early at 2:30.

Been meaning to stop at Dollar General for ages. I grabbed a soda and Lysol wipes, which are cheaper there. Thankfully, they weren't all that busy. It was too nice of a day for people to be shopping. It was hotter and slightly more humid, but still sunny and breezy.

Put on She Loves Me Not when I got home. I go further into this 1934 Princeton-set Bing Crosby vehicle featuring Miriam Hopkins posing as a male student to hide from gangsters at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Back to School Again - She Loves Me Not

Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening writing Maplepunzel. Maple is the ward of Queen Pavla of the Berlania Kingdom, known for its black magic and prowess in battle. Hoping to control her strong healing magic, Pavla shuts Maple up in a high tower when she's 13. She dresses her in lacy gowns and constantly brushes her long coppery hair, which eventually becomes so long, she uses it to climb up the tower walls. Pavla hypnotizes Maple, keeping her voice to a whisper and her hair and mind tightly bound. When she's there. she's only allowed to sing dark Berlania dirges and create black magic spells.

When Pavla's not there, however, Maple is a very different creature. She's a free spirit who lets her red curls flow, dresses in looser, bright-colored peasant gowns, and plays songs she's written herself. She loves learning new songs and singing along with Eugenia, the sweet, plump yellow songbird who comes to her window every morning. She's also friends with Scott, a charming woodsman and guide who brings her gifts from far away places like Philly Town. He even brings along his companions from the woods, Foley the rabbit and Walter, the sweet cub who thinks Scott is his papa and Maple is his mama. Scott promises that in three days, he'll bring Maple a surprise. A wealthy prince hired him to lead him through the woods, and he thinks Maple might really like him...

Watched Barbie as Rapunzel while I worked. This is one of the earliest Barbie As/Is specials, and it shows in the stiff and waxy computer animation. Frankly, the story doesn't really have anything to do with Rapunzel, either, other than her being trapped in a tower and having long hair. Mother Gothel doesn't even climb her hair. Sweet Penelope the purple baby dragon, who struggles to be the fierce, brave monster her father expects of her, is honestly a far more interesting character. 

Did two Storybook International episodes from Tubi next. "The Twelve Months" is an Eastern European tale where a pretty and sweet young girl, tasked with finding out of season flowers and fruit by her jealous stepsister, stumbles onto the human embodiment of the 12 months of the year. They're more than happy to help her find the fruit and flowers when she's kind to them, but when the stepsister is demanding, they show her that it doesn't pay to be rude and mean. "Morwen of the Woodlands" is a lovely Celtic girl who marries an Irish prince in mourning for his no-longer-beautiful wife. His priest is determined to find out why she vanishes once a week, but his attempt at casting a spell on her has dire consequences.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Started off on the week with Richard Paul, Joyce Bulifant, and for the first time since the mid-70's, Jo Ann Pflug. The last hour moved onto the week after, with Bill Anderson showing off the watch he got from the 50th anniversary of the Grand Ol' Opry and McLean Stevenson caught between very pretty and witty young ladies Jonelle Allen and Debralee Scott.

Finished the night with Charlie's Angels. "Target: Angels" has the ladies on the run from a sniper who has attempted to kill each of them. Kelly even broke up with her boyfriend (a young, mustache-less Tom Selleck) to keep him from getting hurt. They eventually end up hiding in Charlie's mansion...before realizing that is what the killer wanted all along, and the real target is their elusive employer. 

September Songs

Started off this morning with the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology in honor of Labor Day. Their long piece for Labor Day is a biography of Samuel Gumpters, "The Grand Old Man of Labor" who helped spearhead the labor movement in the US. We also had poetry on jobs and the working man, including "The Village Smithy" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman.

Had just enough time for two work-themed Donald Duck cartoons before I left for my own work. "Out On a Limb" had Donald clipping trees...and using the clippers and tar to pick on Chip and Dale, before they figure out what's going on and turn the tables. Donald is "Old MacDonald Duck" who tries to swat a fly away from his cow Clementine, only for the fly to attack the poor cow.

Hurried off to work soon as "Old MacDonald Duck" ended. It wasn't busy when I arrived at 9, but it started picking up early as an hour later. I had a hard time keeping up with the carts until the afternoon bagger arrived at noon. No trouble here whatsoever.

After work, I rushed straight home, changed, and went back out. Treated myself to lunch at Sabrina's Cafe to celebrate Labor Day and the end of the summer season. As one of the few restaurants in Collingswood open on a Monday and a holiday, it goes without saying they were really busy. Fortunately, they were just starting to clear out when I arrived. I enjoyed huge lemon-ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote, lemon syrup, and whipped topping, turkey bacon, and a cute little mason jar mug of iced tea.

The real reason I was in Collingswood was to hit PNC Bank and use the ATM machine. I went inside, used the machine and got out in five minutes. Headed home after that, enjoying the continuing gorgeous (if slightly warmer and more humid) weather. I passed by a lot of kids enjoying their last few days of freedom in Collingswood and in Newton Lake Park, including three teen boys who looked like they just came from fishing.

Once I got in, I pretty much spent the rest of the day finally finishing Hilary and the Beasts. Mackie and Mr. Eldridge go downstairs to find wine to celebrate New Year's. Gertie to follows them to make sure that's all they take and to heat up appetizers. Enid chatters to C.J, telling him about her stories as he admires her bravery. Eugenia and Mr. Foley follow after them to the music room. Betty and Scott say they'll take their wine up to the library and discuss their future, while Victor and Maple say they'll do the same in the kitchen. 

Hilary asks Jeff why he kept begging her to marry him, to the point where it got annoying. The only way he could break the curse was if Hilary agreed to marry him as a Troll and accept him for what he was. She was a spy for several groups in Europe and wanted to keep that knowledge a secret, so she could continue to act in the US. She sent her magic directly into Scott's brain, locking his intelligence away. Victor had tried to run and get help, but had been caught by Pavla's monsters. Mackie claimed he'd known all along. Jeff also revealed that the roses in the hot house were his and Hilary's from their apartment in New York, which was why Hilary had recognized them, too. 

The story finishes up back at the writer's room in WENN in 1941. Hilary had been telling it to Betty and Maple, hoping to bump up her part in their Book at Bedtime version of "Beauty and the Beast." Betty finally says she considers Hilary's story to be too grotesque for the kid-oriented Book at Bedtime...but thinks an Agatha Christie-esque Gothic mystery "Beauty and the Beast" might be perfect for their crime anthology retelling of the classics Vengeance Is Mine. 

That's when the three "Lost Boys" turn up in the reception area, trying to slap ice on Victor's wounded eye. Yes, he now has a black eye, too. No, no one hit him. He was in such a hurry to get to the train station, he ran into a door. He tells Maple he wants to continue their date when he gets back from Washington and says he has enough time to walk her to the trolley. Scott tells Betty that he and Maple are more like siblings than lovers, even when they were lovers, and he wants to make amends. Betty finally agrees to a date at the Buttery.

Hilary isn't as open to making amends. Even if he did it to save Victor, Jeff running off and marrying Pavla still hurt her deeply, not to mention his rather immature behavior with his and Betty's date. Jeff says he thinks of Betty and Maple as more like sisters and did it to get him and Hilary arguing...and falling for each other again. Hilary's not hearing any of it. She runs out before Jeff can even walk her to the trolley, passing Eugenia and Mr. Foley happily returning from their own date as she does.

Wow. That's the longest story I've written since I completed Blank In Wonderland in 2022. I'm really proud of myself, for once. I'll be starting the next story tomorrow, soon as I get in from the first Healthy Kids staff orientation. (We're doing two in a row before school starts.) 

I listened to jazz while I worked. I fell in love with the gentle piano music from George Shearing and his Quintet after I found Satin Affair almost 20 years ago. Songs like "Early Autumn," "The Party's Over," and "Midnight Sun" were tailor-made for background music on real-life quiet early autumn afternoons. I spent years looking for more of his work...and all of a sudden, about five or so years ago, it just kept appearing everywhere, a common sight in record stores and yard sales. I finally turned up two more "fabric" titles a few years ago. "If I Should Lose You" and "One Morning In May" are my favorites from Black Satin. Blue Chiffon goes slinkier, with "Love-Wise," "Kinda Cute," and "I'm Old Fashioned."

Oscar Peterson pays respect to one of the great American composers in Oscar Peterson Plays the Irving Berlin Songbook. "Supper Time," one of the great sad blues laments, is the big one here. We also have "You're Laughing at Me," "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket," and "Remember."

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Fred Grandy, a giggly Dolly Martin, and crusty Mary Wickes joined in this week. Fred and Bart Braverman spent the week playing with kazoos and duck calls, to the point where it got kind of annoying.

Finished the night with quiz shows for kids in honor of schools reopening in New Jersey this week. If there's one thing I've learned from the kids...and remember from my own childhood...it's that kids are curious. They love questions and learning things just as much as adults, maybe more. I loved quiz shows when I was a kid. One of my favorite shows on PBS in the early 90's was Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego. Lynn "Chief" Thigpen and host Craig Lee give three kids the scoop on a bizarre crime committed by one of Carmen's many lackeys - in this episode, the Contessa steals the Ngorongoro Crater, home to one of the most significant wildlife preserves in the world. The kids follow clues from various figures performed by singing group Acapella, teaching geography at a time when seemed to be changing almost daily.

Kids and quizzes go far back. Juvenile Jury from the early 50's was one of the earliest shows created by Barry and Enright. Panels of young kids under ten years of age answer questions helping their peers out with their problems. Ok, normally game shows can't be called "cute," but some of the kids on this show were utterly precious. Barry was wonderfully patient and worked so well with them.

My sisters and I loved watching Jeopardy! with our parents in the late 80's and early 90's. We were far from the only kid fans of the show. Merv Grifftih Productions developed kid versions of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in the late 90's. Of the two, Jep! was mildly more tolerable and closer to the show it was based on. It's basically played the same as the adult version, only after two wrong answers, the kids get balls or confetti dropped on them, and after three, they're pulled out for a round. The graphics are incredibly late 90's early CGI and look chintzy today, but at least they didn't try to add stunts like they did with Wheel 2000.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader from 2007, based on the video game, let kids show their superior knowledge compared to many adults. Adults and kids answer increasingly difficult school-based questions. The adults have a chance to "peek" (see the answer), "copy" one of the kids' answers, or "save" (skip an answer). It's played something like a funnier school-themed Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, with its winnings ladder and the adults declaring if they lose that they are not, in fact, smarter than a 5th grader. With comedian Jeff Foxworthy as the folksy host, I can understand why this was a two-year hit for Fox and would do well in syndication later. 

See if you're smarter than a kid going back to school with these funny and unique kid quizzes!

Juvenile Jury (1953)

Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego (1991)

Jep! (1997)

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (2007)

Summertime Feuds

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and two classic Disney shorts on summer vacations. "Mickey's Trailer" is a modern push-button wonder that can go from bathroom to living area to sleeping area in an instant. All that push-button convenience turns out to be more of a mess than anything when Goofy, scrambling to get back in the car and drive, accidentally kicks off the hook and leaves Donald, Mickey, and the trailer careening down the hill! The gang enjoys a "Hawaiian Holiday," with Minnie doing the hula, Pluto chasing crabs, and Goofy attempting to hit the waves...and the waves hitting him back.

Headed to work after the second cartoon ended. No trouble here. It got busy later in the morning, and I had a harder time keeping up with the carts. Had some cold returns to make, too. Other than that, no real trouble. Even the weather cooperated. It was sunny and humid, but not quite as hot, probably in the mid-80's. 

Went straight home after work ended. Changed and had lunch while watching What's New, Scooby Doo? The Hex Girls of their direct-to-home-media films make their TV debuts in "The Vampire Strikes Back." Mystery Inc is invited to watch them film their latest video at a spooky castle, only to discover a vampire is stalking the filming. They think they put the man behind the vampire curse in jail...but then he keeps reappearing, and people seemingly turn into bats. When Fred vanishes and reappears as a bat, it's up to Shaggy, Scooby, and the girls to try their hand at their own traps and solve this mystery.

Switched to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning at Disney Plus next. I go further into this 2008 prequel, the last direct-to-home-media follow-up made to date, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

Spent the next few hours working on Hilary and the Beasts. Hilary joins Troll (Jeff) for dinner again. He's still trying to get her to marry him...but while she turns him down again, she's less insulting about it. "Not now," she says. He calls himself dumb; she says he's nothing of the kind. He also continues to insist that he owns the house, though Hilary rightly points out that he can't just go to a realtor in the state he's in and buy it. She tries to ask him about the curse, but something keeps choking him before he can go any further than to say they're all trapped there. He also blames himself for Bear's (Scott) damaged mind. Bear was the one who came up with a plot to discredit "she" (Pavla) in front of him, and was the one who worked on Eagle's (Victor's) papers...and he was viciously attacked because of it. 

Listened to the Holiday In Mexico/Weekend at Havana CD I picked up in Philadelphia last month while I worked. The only things these two films have in common are the Latin flavors and being so-so examples of typical mid-late 40's musicals. Mexico is the more varied, thanks to Jane Powell's operetta ballads and Jose Iturbi's classical pieces. Havana is mostly Carmen Miranda doing her tutti-frutti hat thing, though Alice Faye does get the ballad "Tropical Magic" and to sing "Romance and Rhythm" with Caesar Romero. 

Finished the night with dinner and tonight's game show marathon on YouTube. Match Game Productions did something a little different and honored Family Feud's 49th anniversary with some of its' most famous episodes from the Richard Dawson run. In fact, it kicked off with the last episode from the week the 1980 World Series winners the Philadelphia Phillies (including local legend Mike Schmidt) played the Kansas City Royals, with Kansas City doing much better here than they did in the actually Series. And that wasn't the last time a pro ball player would be on the show. Another one got on with his family a year or two later, and they played quite well, too. Another family sent in a video audition. Richard let everyone vote on whether they'd be on the show.

Some of the answers on this show could get almost as strange as Match Game. The Fast Money rounds in particular got some strange nervous responses, like the guy who said "jet" when asked to name something besides an airplane that would be in the air. There were also all the crazy gifts people gave Richard, like the red curly wig a redheaded family gave him to match them, or the lip-shaped lollipops a little girl gave him. 

Celebrate 49 years of the Feud with these hilarious early episodes!

Family Feud Classics - Best of the Best Instant Replay Marathon

Animation Salutes the Troops

Started off my Memorial Day with material from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. Began with the stories for Mother's Day, since I forgot to read it that day. The long story here is the charming tale of a little Ukrainian girl who gets lost while falling asleep in the wheat fields. She tells the people who help her that her mother is the most beautiful woman in the world...and to her, she is. There's also a few poems on motherhood, including a very sweet one that has a little boy describing how safe he feels with his mother always starting and ending the day.

Memorial Day began after the Civil War as Decoration Day, so all of the material in Colliers revolved around that conflict. The long prose piece was "Light Bread and Apple Butter." A young Union soldier befriends a southern mother and her children when he helps her with chores, and she gives him apples for his fellow soldiers. The poem was "Barbara Friechie," the old woman in Baltimore who holds out a tattered American flag to the fighting men.

Continued the Looney Tunes shorts during breakfast. Termite Terrace made three types of cartoons during the war years. "The Draft Horse" is an example of a character-based short, in this case a one-off. The title character is badly disappointed when, despite a comic physical, he's unable to join the Army's cavalry corps. He learns just how scary war is - and how everyone has a job to do, even if it isn't on the battlefield - when he gets caught in the middle of war games and ends up fleeing home. We also have "Hollywood Canine Canteen," with its dog caricatures of sailors and soldiers having a good time and of popular celebrities of the era, including ones like radio comedian Ish Kabibble and bandleader Kay Kyser who aren't as well-known today.

The second type of short are sketch comedies revolving around life in the barracks or on the home front. Warners started with these before the US even entered the war; the barracks spoofs "Rookie Revue" and "Meet John Doughboy" came out in October and July 1941 respectively and make fun of the peacetime draft. My favorite is "The Weakly Reporter," on life in the cities and suburbs during the war. I love the woman who fixes a whole factory with her one bobby pin! 

The third type are allegories on how we got into the war, and how we planned on winning it. "The Duckinators" uses barnyard fowl to parody the rise of the Axis dictators and how the US finally got involved with their destruction. "Fifth Column Mouse" uses mice and a cunning cat to depict how many countries were easily duped by the Axis powers and how they fought back.

For once, I made it to work just on time. Good thing, too. We were busy as heck for most of the morning. The carts kept vanishing no matter how often I brought them up front, and I had to sweep and put cold items away, too. I never did get to the trash. Thank heavens the weather was stunning today, breezy, sunny, and warm, without a cloud in the searing blue sky. You'd never know how much it's been raining lately.

Since I wasn't planning on doing anything fancy for dinner, I treated myself to lunch and a treat out. Picked up a slice of mushroom pizza, a slice of sausage, and a Diet Pepsi at Phillies Phatties. Enjoyed them in peace and quiet while listening to Spanish-language news on Telemundo. Everyone must have gone to Common Grounds, which was far busier. Got a slice of rich, buttery crumb cake and a Peach Matcha Sparkling Drink - matcha green tea with peach syrup in soda. Oh, yum. It was all so sweet and tasty.

When I got home, I took the laundry downstairs and I finished out the Looney Tunes, then moved on to the Disney wartime shorts. Donald Duck appeared in far and away the most war-related shorts. His first, "Donald Gets Drafted," has him lured by the Army posters that promise glamour and an easy life. He gets neither when Sargent Pete singles him out as incompetent, then makes him stand to attention on an ant hill! "Sky Trooper" continues Donald's longing for the glamorous life of a pilot. After he fails the physical, Pete sends him up with the paratroopers...then regrets it when they both end up tumbling out of the plane.

My favorite of the Donald wartime shorts is "The Vanishing Private." Donald follows Pete's orders to make a cannon "hard to see" a little too literally when he douses it with an invisibility paint. After he ends up in it too, "the little man you can't see" leads Pete on a wild chase all around the camp! "Fall Out, Fall In" gives us Donald's attempt to pitch his tent among the loud snores of his troop mates. He's "Commando Duck" who is sent to a (heavily caricatured) Japan to wipe...no wash...out the enemy.

Donald's most famous wartime short is "Der Fuher's Face." This surreal nightmare, with Donald as a worker in a heavily stylized Nazi Germany, won an Oscar for its wild, creative, terrifying depiction of Nazi propaganda and abuse. Even the title song was a huge hit for comedy orchestra Spike Jones and His City Slickers. 

Donald wasn't the only Disney character who went to war. "How to Be a Sailor" has Goofy learning about sailing through the years, then about modern sailing, including semaphore. The "modern" segment ends very obviously with Goofy and war footage. "Victory Vehicles" is a World of Goofy short depicting many different alternatives to cars during the war years. (And Leonard Maltin is right - the song "Hop On Your Pogo Stick" is rather catchy.) Like Bosko, Mickey got involved with World War I in "The Barnyard Battle." Unlike Warners' first star, Mickey's fight with Hun cats is portrayed more humorously, including him using piano keys as bullets in a machine gun.

Partially due to the financial trouble they were in during most of the 40's, the Walter Lantz Studio at Universal didn't dive into war propaganda as often as the other studios at the time. Like Donald, Woody Woodpecker wants to be an "Ace In the Hole" and fly a plane, but his bulldog sergeant has him shaving horses. He definitely regrets it when Woody does finally manage to get in the air. The first in a series of jazz-based Swing Symphony shorts was "21 Dollars a Day Once a Month," This one is another spoof of the peacetime draft, featuring a toy army singing about military life. (Ironically, it was released exactly a week before the US entered the war, making it perhaps more timely than Universal intended.)

The Pink Panther would be one of the only major animated characters to join the Vietnam War in "G.I Pink." Unlike Donald, who was swayed into the Army by the glamour of war, Pink is attracted by the power. Cranky drill sergeants, land-mine-riddled obstacle courses, and angry mascot dogs makes him wish he'd stayed home.

Switched to my America the Beautiful record set after "G.I Pink" ended and I finally remembered to put the laundry in the dryer. This two-disc Reader's Digest collection of patriotic music was released in 1986 in conjunction with the reopening of the Statue of Liberty after her multi-year restoration. We get everything from "The Grand Canyon Suite" to "American Patrol" to Kate Smith singing "God Bless America." The most unique is probably a medley of George M. Cohen hits performed by the Boston Pops, with the audience singing along to the most familiar songs.

Worked on my fanfic while the record was on. Edited and updated Mr. Eldridge and Scott discussing how magic was banned in Wennaria and how finding the remaining Guardians may be the key to driving them out of their land. Scott would search for them, but he's busy with many other activities, including being involved with the Rebel Society. Betty finally says she'll do it. Scott is worried that she's not ready, but Mr. Eldridge thinks it'll be good for her to get out and use her powers in the wider world.

I also added a flashback sequence, depicting how Scott got into trouble in the first place. As in the show, he was a sailor and thief who lied about being friends with the late King Victor in order to get a cushy job. Not only does Betty find out and turn him away, but Pruitt figures it out too...and he wants more than just to throw Scott in the dungeon...

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner, after I brought my dry clothes back upstairs and put them away. Sweet game show host Bill Cullen and lovely and witty Lee Merriweather joined in this week. Brett and Charles spent the week sniping at each other, while Betty was more reluctant to answer a question that involved flattening a cat.

Finished the night after a shower at YouTube with a later Family Feud Armed Services tournament. With the US entering another war, this time with Iraq, in 2003, Freemantle revived the Armed Services tournament for the Richard Karn Feud in 2004. This wasn't quite as comprehensive of a battle - there was no final game, and the Coast Guard didn't play - but it did produce some memorable episodes. Once again, the Marines just outplayed everyone, though they didn't do as well at the Fast Money.

Salute those men and women who fought and died in the Iraq War with these later Armed Services Feuds!

Army Vs. Navy

Marines Vs. Air Force

Navy Vs. Air Force

Army Vs. Air Force

Marines Vs Army

Marines Vs Navy 

Winds of Spring

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and the short "Beezy Bear." Humphrey the Bear keeps trying to get to Donald's honey boxes. First, he has trouble distracting the bees, then J. Audubon Woodlore the park ranger takes the board Humphrey used to hold up the wire fence. Donald intends to wash him out, but he doesn't want to be the one holding the hose when the water hits them!

It was late when I rushed out. I got there a little late too, which was the worst thing that happened during my entire 8 1/2 hour shift. It was dead when I came in. It did pick up considerably later in the day, to the point where I had a hard time keeping up with the carts after about 2:30-3. Had to put away a lot of cold items and mop the women's bathroom really fast, too. The weather was cold in the morning, and got cloudy and cold again after about 3-3:30, but it was sunny, windy, and relatively warm in between. 

Changed and put on Match Game Syndicated when I got home. By the time I got in, they were still on the week with Betty Kennedy in Brett's seat. Around when I started eating, they'd switched to the week where Jack Klugman sat in his ex-wife's usual seat so he wouldn't have to pay alimony. At one point, Gene and Jack had their backs turned to the camera while they "fished" in the "canal" behind the top risers. Gene and Charles got Jack a radio so he could hear the races, too. Brian Patrick Clarke of Eight Is Enough was the male ingenue that week who got to watch their shenanigans. 

Finished the night after a shower with specials and vintage TV episodes on Tubi. Scooby Doo! Ghastly Goals takes Mystery Inc to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for the International Soccer Cup. Shaggy and Scooby run afoul of a red horned monster when they try to help a couple of kids retrieve their soccer ball. The kids want their ball back because it's signed by a major soccer star, but the monster has a much greater interest in it. Turns out he spilled a formula for a super-bouncy rubber on the ball. Scooby will have to hit the field to help get the ball back and keep this horned creep from wrecking more havoc.

Hugs and Tugs are having their own problems in "Care About Spring," a later episode of Care Bears Family. When they won't help each other out, Gram Bear tells them the story of Jack and Jill, who are given a magic ring that could help save Mother Nature from the Witch of Winter. The kids are upset when they use the ring to help Wee Willie Winkie and Jack Be Nimble instead of with their mission. They go to help Mother Nature anyway...and get some surprise help from the friends they helped out along the way.