Tales of a Rainy Day

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man. "Evil-Lynn's Plot" is to turn herself into a sweet young woman to trick the elf-like residents of Widget into giving up their Cordite mineral. Skeletor wants to make a sword that's even more powerful than He-Man's. The Widgets learn a lesson about not believing everything you see when they end up being the ones who help He-Man out after Evil-Lynn reveals her true intentions.

Took down the summer decorations and put up the fall decorations while the cartoon finished. Not only is today the first day of fall, but for once, it feels like it. It was cloudy and rainy and barely in the 60's. The stuffed owl with the book and the candy corn candles and the stuffed pumpkins and apples and raffia bow wreath and wooden leaf, pumpkin, and acorn hanging went up today. The Halloween decorations will go out in about two weeks. 

Spent the rest of the morning looking up the basics on Habit for Humanity and finishing yesterday's blog entry. On one hand, I wasn't looking to have a home built for me, but they apparently do build condos, too, and they can help with finding homes for low-income families. I'll do further research on this and the waiting lists when I get back from vacation.

Listened to CDs and cassettes while I worked. 20 #1 Hits of the '20's does feature a few songs that are still well-known today, like "St. Louis Blues" by Marion Harris, "Singin' In the Rain" performed by Cliff Edwards, and Van & Schenck turning "Ain't We Got Fun?" into a comedy novelty number. Others here are far more obscure. "Charmaine" is a graceful waltz from the rowdy silent comedy What Price Glory. Eddie Cantor has fun with "No, No Nora," while Al Jolson brays about his "Swanee." The patter from "Two Black Crows" has dated far less well today.

Switched to Let's Pretend while eating a quick chicken-Swiss wrap for lunch. "Faithful John" is a servant tasked with keeping watch over the handsome young prince in his care. He discovers a conspiracy to kill the king, but can't tell him why he has to shoot a horse or remove drops of blood from his wife, or he'll turn to stone. The fairy who cast the stone spell claims the prince can only free John by killing his own son. Fortunately, just threatening the child here is enough to release John. In the actual fairy tale, the prince does kill his children and use their blood to free John, but John returns them to life. 

"The Little Mermaid" is probably the least-changed of the stories I listened to today. It's pretty much the story as Hans Christian Anderson wrote it, up to and including the dark ending where the mermaid dies and comes back as a spirit. "Why the Sea Is Salty" is more obscure today, and a lot more fun. A young peasant brings a salt grinder out of the sea, but is delighted to discover it can grind a lot more than rocks when it creates instant wealth for him and his wife. His greedy brother buys it, but can't control it. Nor can the captain who also buys it, but creates so much salt, it goes into the sea...

"The Elves and the Shoemaker" is the most changed. The original story is just a poor shoemaker who is helped by elves who make shoes he can sell. Some versions of the story do give the shoemaker a wife. Here, he has a wife, a son, and a pretty daughter. The last is coveted by the miserly old man who owns the store and will throw them out if she doesn't marry him. Of course, the person who bought the most shoes from the Shoemaker just happens to be the head of the town. 

I hurried out at around 2:25. It rained for most of the morning, but the rain was long gone by 2 PM. It was cloudy and cool, but not raining. I figured I was all right to take the bike to Thomas Sharp. Maybe it's just as well that we only had 16 younger kids today, 5 in my group. It started raining harder while they were eating their snacks. There could be no thought of anyone at any age going outside. 

Things did get noisy when the older kids came in the cafeteria to eat their own snacks. By the time we left, the head teacher settled the kids down with an art project. She cut out paper ice cream scoops, cones, bowls, cherries, and whipped cream topping and glued them to sheets of construction paper. The kids could decorate them however they wanted. One girl went with a rainbow sherbet cone. Another did what she called her "Superman cone," a red cone with blue and red ice cream scoops and a red cherry. When I didn't admire artwork and sharpen colored pencils, I built apartment buildings and space stations with the boys at the magnetic tile tables. By the time I left, there were only two girls and a boy remaining, and one of the girls went when I did. 

Thank heavens it wasn't raining when I got back out, even though my bike was soaked. Given it was still cloudy, cool, and humid, I went straight home. Hit the shower when I got in, then had dinner while watching Match Game '76. Most of tonight finished out the week with Susan Sullivan and Gary Burghoff. By the end of the night, they'd skipped ahead slightly again as everyone welcomed Orson Bean back to the show. 

Finished the night with a more recent episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Emily became the first female host to interact with the 'bots as they tried to figure out the treasure-hunt adventure film Beyond Atlantis. This story of boat owner Vic (Patrick Wayne) who has to deal with sleazy hustlers and falls for an anthropologist Dr. Katherine Vernon (Lenore Stevens) while searching for massive pearls around a remote island is both creepy and pretty darn dumb. The only normal-looking humans on the island are of course the king (George Nader) and his gorgeous daughter Syrene (Leigh Christian), whom he wants to produce an heir who is a heck of a lot more attractive the the bug-eyed, in-bred inhabitants of the island. She chooses Vic, but despite her grabbing him and doing things in coral underwater, he's already in love with Katherine. The rest of the gritters just care about the enormous pearls they've dragged up from the sea.

Um, yeah. On one hand, this does have its fun points, including them looking for pearls and just how tough East Eddie (Sid Haig) is. There's also some pretty decent cinematography on and around the island, when they're on land. All that swimming underwater looks murky and dull, and likely was there because underwater photography was still pretty new in 1973. Wayne and live wire Haig are the only people who come off as even remotely interesting. The ping-pong-eyed natives are more likely to give you nightmares than make you long for the wonders of the South Seas, the sets are minimal, the story silly and cliched. Honestly, it's for aficionados of bad B-action and horror films and major camp lovers only. 

(Oh, and to my knowledge, the rain has not returned since I got home. It's stayed cloudy, windy, and cool the rest of the night.)

Out In the Sunshine

Got a really quick start this morning with breakfast and a classic Mickey Mouse short. "Mickey's Rival" introduces Mortimer Mouse, a long-nosed rival for Minnie's affection. Minnie thinks he's adorable, but Mickey doesn't appreciate being made fun of. Then a bull attacks, and Minnie sees the vast difference between someone who is "a perfect scream" and someone she can rely on.

Thankfully, Uber worked out just fine today. I called the one going to the Acme late, but they came in 10 minutes and got me there just in time. The one going to Thomas Sharp also took 10 minutes. I got there slightly late, nothing to worry about. It took me a few minutes to find one going home at rush hour, but when I did, they came in 5 minutes.

No trouble anywhere else, either. The Acme was dead as a doornail. I spent the entire time outside, pushing what carts there were. The head bagger did the sweeping and the trash. It was cloudy and breezy when I went to work, but the sun started coming out towards the end of my shift. By the time I was walking to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center in the back of the Acme, it was sunny and gorgeous, in the lower 80's.

My schedule is a lot more workable, too. I only work at the Acme on Sunday and Wednesday, and Wednesday is the only double shift next week. Six hours on Sunday does mean I'll miss the Eagles game, but I also have Monday fully off - the Collingswood School District is closed for Yom Kippur - and leave for Pittsfield a week from tomorrow.

Had a quiet, calm bento box lunch at Futomaki Japanese Restaurant in Audubon Crossings. There was no one there but me and an old man in the back. Some people did come and pick up food, but they didn't stay. I enjoyed my California Rolls, fried scallops, rice, vegetables, salad, soup, and crispy salmon in peace. Stopped at Sonic for a banana milkshake afterwards and to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Went back to the Acme to buy more maple leaf sandwich cookies and get 60 dollars for the week before calling Uber.

The after-school program could have been a lot worse, too. We only had 13 kids all together, 5 in my group. I got my kids in and out of the bathroom pretty quickly, with a minimum of fuss. The moment they finished snack time, we took them outside. It was really too nice to stay inside! With fewer kids, I let them on the swings a little earlier, too. There was some squabbling over who would swing with whom, but almost all of them eventually got a turn. Since there were two kids left by 5 PM and two teachers, I got to leave early. 

Got to see more The Price Is Right when I arrived at home. One nervous, sweet lady from Texas did the Grocery Game like a champ. She wasn't the only person who was nervous. Dian had to take the register at the Grocery Game over from Janice, who was out sick, and she was just as scared! Another lady didn't have as much luck with the Squeeze Game. A pregnant woman managed to get the first two prizes on the Range Game, but took too long on the second prize and didn't get the car. The first showcase was a generic dining room. The second Showcase was about as early-mid 80's as you could get. Johnny Olsen found himself caught between models with weird hair who show him what happens on a "punk rock" airline. 

Let it continue into Match Game '76. The first episode introduced a very pretty young student who took so long to answer a question, Gene ended up sitting down and spent five minutes prodding her. Maggie Smith beat her handily. She was finally beaten the next week by a gentleman named Ed Sullivan. Bill Anderson's presence on the panel made for lots of country music jokes. He was joined by Debralee Scott and Fannie Flagg.

Finished the night at Tubi with Manhunt of Mystery Island. This 1945 serial features Linda Stirling as Claire Forrest, the daughter of a professor (Forrest Taylor) whose scientific device could revolutionize energy use, if he and his colleague can be found. She and private eye Lance Reardon (Richard Bailey) follow the trail to remote Mystery Island, where a group of men who are the ancestors of the infamous pirate Captain Mephisto intend to use Forrest's machine for their own gain. Worse than that, they have their own "transformation Ray" that can turn one of them into Captain Mephisto (Roy Barcroft) himself. 

Strange plot, even for a serial, but the mix of pirate lore and science fiction proves to be more potent than you might think. Yes, Claire is constantly rescued, but she also has her own heroic moments, including being the one who actually takes down Captain Mephisto in the end. There's some great set pieces, too. Bailey is a dull stick of wood as Reardon, but Barcroft is obviously having way too much fun as the great pirate captain come to life, and Stirling shows why she was the most popular female serial star of the 40's. One of the last great Republic Picutres serials is a must-see for fans of the genre or unique sci-fi stories. 

Finding Home

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel celebrates Grandparent's Day in "Daniel's Grrific Grandpere." He's disappointed when the tide is too low to take his Grandpere's boat out, but Grandpere shows him all of the wonderful treasures that can be found on the beach at low tide. Dan and Jodie love "Making Mozies With Nana." Nana shows them how to replace the chocolate chips with raisins when you're out of chocolate chips and decorate boxes to give them to everyone in the neighborhood.

I went online to look up the remaining material I needed for Clarifi...or tried to. I've been looking for the quarterly statement for my investment account on PNC and couldn't find it, no matter how much I checked or looked back in the archives. I ended up writing the information down instead. 

Listened to Phil Collins while I worked. Apparently, Dance Into the Light was not a huge success in 1996, either as a CD or in its two singles. Considering how often the title song and "It's In Your Eyes" turned up on the radio in the late 90's, I find that kind of hard to believe. Many of the other songs take more of a world music bent, like "The Same Moon," "Lorenzo," and "Just Another Story." 

Called Uber around 11:25. Even leaving later than planned at the start of the lunch rush hour, I got an Uber driver who came in 5 minutes. There was some traffic in Haddonfield, but I still got there on time. Clarifi turned out to be in one of the office buildings next to the Cherry Hill Library on King's Highway. Once the Uber driver dropped me off, I had no trouble finding the elevator and then their office. Their door was locked, but they had a bell, and Donna the housing counselor let me in.

In good news, she praised my good credit score (over 800!) and that I saved as much as I did and did as much as I have on my own. The bad news is...even two incomes aren't enough to buy a condo in an expensive state. I genuinely do like her idea about looking into Habitat for Humanity and talking to them. I'll do the research next week and try reaching out after I get back from vacation. I still don't like the idea of getting on waiting lists, though. I don't want to live in an attic forever. Some waiting lists take years before something is available. She suggested getting on a rental list, too, even though I tried to tell her how badly I want to own my own home. I want something that is mine, that'll never be taken from me again. I'll look at the waiting lists after vacation.

Went next-door to the Cherry Hill Library after my appointment ended. The office building is set pretty far off the street behind another building. I thought the library would be easier to find. Called Uber after I went to the bathroom. They arrived in 10 minutes, giving me enough time to grab a Diet Coke from the soda vending machine in the library.

I got home at quarter of 2. That was barely enough time to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grab my water bottle, and hurry back out on my bike. I ended up being five minutes late to Thomas Sharp. Not a good thing at all. The head teacher had other things she needed to do today and tomorrow and won't be around to help out. The kids were crazy before, during, and after snack time. They just wouldn't listen. 

They did a little better when we finally got them outside. It was cloudy earlier in the day, and even showered a little bit when I was riding down the White Horse Pike. By 3:30 when we got the kids out, it was sunny, hot, and humid. Many of them stayed under the trees, calling out to joggers and dog walkers, turning ivy leaves into rings, and looking for ladybugs in the mulch. There was some squabbling over the swings later, but they all eventually got at least one turn, and most of them got two or three. They had so much fun, the remaining two teachers were taking the last remaining boy to the blacktop to play with the five remaining older kids as I left.

Went straight into The Price Is Right when I came home. The regular Showcase had games as a theme, including a pinball machine, a nifty curved TV, and a trip to Las Vegas. The big "theme" Showcase was the models helping Johnny Olsen go back to college. The "prizes" were their gifts to him, including a gorgeous roll top desk, a stereo that reminded me of my mother's in the 80's, and a car. The lady who went with the college package went over. The other lady got her Vegas vacation.

Stuck around for Match Game '76. Nipsey Russell and Dr. Joyce Brothers saw the excitable young lady who won yesterday have trouble with "Denver __" on the head-to-head. The next two winners did better, including a charming young woman named Maggie Smith (no relation to the English actress).

Finished the night with Dancing Pirate at Tubi. I go further into this unique swasbuckling musical, the first musical film in three-strip Technicolor, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - Dancing Pirate

They Seek Him Here

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man. Adam's sword does a "Disappearing Act" when Orko accidentally sends it back in time while cleaning his room. Orko and Cringer have to go back in time to retrieve it after Skeletor kidnaps Adam and uses him as ransom to bring He-Man out of hiding. Man-at-Arms creates a He-Man robot to use as a decoy while they rescue the real thing.

Called Uber after that. No trouble here today at all. The first driver arrived in 9 minutes. I got to the Acme just in time. I called the second driver early. They arrived in 8 minutes and got me to Thomas Sharp School more than 20 minutes before my shift started. The one going home, to my surprise, came in 5 minutes during the height of rush hour.

The Acme wasn't much of a problem, either. It's the middle of the week and the middle of a relatively calm month. We were quiet until around noon, by which time a college boy was sent out to help me with the carts and trash. I mostly spent the morning sweeping and pushing carts with no trouble whatsoever.

I hadn't had lunch at Rexy's in ages, so I went across the street next. They too have a new fixed price lunch menu, $20 for an entree, dessert, a drink, and soup or salad. I went with an enormous fried cod sandwich with Asian slaw, huge but slightly bland onion rings, iced tea, and the most delicious bowl of broccoli cheddar soup I'd ever tasted. It was topped with sour cream, croutons, and more shaved cheddar. Thick, rich, and decadent. The tiramisu was more disappointing. They said it was homemade, but the middle tasted frozen. It must have been in the freezer with the scoop of orange sorbet before they brought it to me and they didn't give it time to defrost all the way.

After I got to Thomas Sharp, I relaxed at the curved stone wall surrounding a tree and a small garden before going inside to start my shift. The kids were in the hall again when I came in, but at least they weren't out there for long. We had 19 kids today, 7 at my table. There was no trouble in the bathroom - in fact, they got in and out pretty fast. They did get noisy in the cafeteria, but they weren't there for very long. Soon as they all finished eating, we took them outside. 

That didn't work out the way it has the past two days. Though it remains sunny, it was a little warmer and slightly more humid, in the lower 80's, with barely any wind. The kids gathered under the shady trees, looking for ladybugs and digging into its bark to find more bugs. I waited a half-hour to let them on the swings. It didn't help much. All they did the entire time was fight over who got to swing with whom. At least they all had their turns by 4:30, when we finally took them inside to color pictures of unicorns and the Avengers. I finished the picture of Joker-Pruitt, Shadow Man Scott, Lunar Lady Maple, and Power Girl Betty fighting against an urban landscape, then did one of Mr. Eldridge, Gertie, Lady Voltage Hilary, and Magnetic Boy C.J.

Went straight into The Price Is Right when I got home after I took out the recycling. Once again, the Showcases were a tad on the chintzy side for this show. The regular Showcase was just a game table, dining room furniture, and china. The "story" Showcase had a prize for each of the four seasons. Dian's summer dune buggy was the big prize there. 

Let it continue into Match Game '76 after dinner. Eager Jimmie Walker and sassy Roz Kelly joined Betty White and the others for one of the funnier weeks of the year. Brett spent one episode teasing Betty about her lime-green peasant blouse, calling her a Swiss Miss. Roz wasn't too happy about a question that said what she'd do when Fonzie called for her. (One of the reasons she left the show was she most definitely wasn't the type of girl who came when called.) There was also the hilariously effervescent contestant who clung so hard to Gene when she won, he had to reach around her to shake the other contestant's hand. Richard got a little too into kissing her after she won the Audience Match. Roz grabbed Gene for a kiss, and Betty somehow ended up with announcer Johnny Olsen.

Finished the night at Tubi with The Scarlet Pimpernel. The version I watched is from the anthology DuPont Show of the Month from 1960. Maureen O'Hara is Marguerite, Michael Rennie is Sir Percy Blakney, Reginald Denny is Chauvelain, and a young William Shatner is Sir Andrew. The first half honestly sticks to the original story very well, slightly revising how Marguerite finds out what her husband is up to. The second half is more condensed, ending with Percy tricking Chauvelain and replacing his men with the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel at the Inn rather than following him in disguise. 

I wish the copy here was in better shape, because this wasn't bad. Rennie was a tad stiff, but Shatner was charming and O'Hara was a wonderful, fiery Marguerite. I don't know if this is the first version of this story I'd seek out, but if you love O'Hara or secret identity swashbucklers or want to see a different side of Shatner, it's worth checking out once. 

Night of the Soaring Children

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Uncle Rusty is "The Big Bear Sitter" when Mother and Father Bear go out and he looks after Little Bear. Little Bear and his friends show him how to be a good babysitter. Father Bear and Uncle Rusty take Little Bear to "The Top of the World," or at least on a surprising journey hiking up a mountain. "The Campfire Tale" involves a certain little bear who wanted to bring his mother the moon and tried to carry it in a bucket.

By the time the cartoon ended, it was so late, I called Uber. Not that it helped going to work. Even with the driver taking less than the advertised 13 minutes, I ended up being three minutes late to work anyway. I did better later. The driver going to Thomas Sharp arrived in 7 minutes, and I called them early. The one going home took 8 minutes. Thankfully, no dodging road work this time (though the drivers going to the Acme and Thomas Sharp did report having to deal with it elsewhere, including on the highway). 

That was really the worst thing that happened all day. Work was so quiet, I helped the floral department manager reload the racks that hold plastic bags for the bouquets for an hour when there wasn't much else to do. The head bagger was there, too. Apparently, Acme wants more baggers on duty, even when they aren't really necessary. It did pick up enough by noon that we needed more help, but even that could have been worse. I was in and out with no major problems whatsoever.

Headed in the back next to have lunch at Tu Se Bella's. Even at quarter after 1, they had a long line of ladies deciding on what slices of pizza they were going to take home. I ended up with shrimp and broccoli and tomato-mozzarella-basil and a bottle of Diet Pepsi. Ate while watching Chopped on the TV over the soda cooler. The younger girl seemed to do the best on the smallest budget with the strangest ingredients. One of the guys who restarted his pasta dish three times when he realized how brittle the pasta was looked like he was on the verge of getting cut when I headed out. (The other guy's ground camel and vegetables bowl honestly didn't sound that bad.)

I stopped briefly at Sonic to check something on my phone, but decided I'd have something totally different for a treat instead. Chick Fil'A was still mobbed and still had a long take-out line even at 2 PM. Good thing I just decided to try their Dragonfruit Pineapple Frozen Lemonade. Oh, yum! Just what I needed. Lighter than ice cream, but heavier than Sonic's slushes, with a nice, sweet tropical flavor. Finished it while walking over to the Acme, where I used the bathroom and called Uber early. 

Thomas Sharp was actually a bit less crazy. We had 19 kids, 7 at my table. Good thing, too. We started out in the hall. The music class ran over again. This time, I avoided fuss over snacks by taking the kids to the bathroom right away. When we did get back into the cafeteria for snack time, we were there just long enough for me to read Steam Train, Dream Train and Angelina and the Princess to two enraptured girls before we got them packed up to go outside. 

The weather remains too gorgeous for anyone of any age to be inside for long. It's still sunny and dry, if a bit less windy than yesterday. They were all happy to run around on the slides and check the mulch and the tree for ladybugs, except for the three-year-old twin girls who kept trying to get on the swings no matter what we said. There was also the group that kept running over to a spider web attached to the chain link fence and running away screaming, even though no spider was in evidence. 

There was slightly less fighting over the swings today, maybe because one of the boys who insisted on staying on the whole time wasn't here today. Two of the boys and two of the girls spent most of the time switching off, but they did share. I think only one of the kids didn't get a turn, and he was the only one who was more interested in slides and drawing with chalk on the patio leading to the steps than the swings. 

It was quarter of 5 when we got the remaining 7 kids back inside. The kids colored artwork from Avengers and K-Pop Demon Hunters coloring books, while I worked on artwork of Joker Pruitt, Shadow Man Scott, and Lunar Lady Maple from one of my in-development WENN fanfics, Captain Victor, Shadow of Power (and got to tell the kids what I could about the story). By the time I left at 5:15, there was one younger kid and maybe five older ones left.

Took the trash out, then watched Match Game '76 and had dinner. Nancy Kulp of The Beverly Hillbillies made her only appearance this week...but while she played well, I think her brand of humor may have been a little too dry for this show. Avery Schriberer and Joyce Bulifant seemed more at home with the comedy, especially on a question asking what a lady did to a guy's mustache when she was feeling amorous.

Finished the night at Pluto TV with The Wild Wild West. "Night of the Druid's Blood" has James West on the warpath when he sees a professor friend of his burned to death after he warns him about a certain woman (Ann Elder) who had charmed him. James and his partner Artemis Gordon think they've stumbled onto a druid cult when they see the lady leading what seems to be a full-on druid ceremony. James finally discovers after he's attacked by a phony magician (Don Rickles) that there's more mad science than magic involved here, and that the lady has something more sinister in mind for the senator she's lured into her clutches. 

Perfect Indian Summer

Started off a busy morning with breakfast and the Monchichhis. Moncho is thrilled when they inadvertently awaken his hero, the Mighty Manfred. He's really more of a "Helpless Hero" who would rather eat pies and brag than face danger. The others let him take the glory when they're the ones who stop the Grumplins from chasing them, but he really learns a lesson in bravery when they go on a quest to find a banshee's treasure.

Hurried out the moment the cartoon ended, but it wasn't fast enough. I had to dodge a lot of road work I forgot about, not to mention the traffic on Haddon Avenue. Considering the road work, I'm probably lucky I was only about 5 minutes late at SJRA Radiology on the border of Haddonfield and Westmont. Thankfully, it didn't take long to sign in and get my mammogram done. I went in, changed into my wrap, they squeezed my chest, and I left. 

Continued down Haddon Avenue next to the Haddonfield Library. On one hand, heavy remodeling a few years ago left this as one of the largest, most modern, and best-looking of the local libraries. It also left it a maze. There's more tiny rooms in that building than there is in your average haunted house. I had to ask where the non-fiction was. Turns out it was in the basement. 

Once I got down there, I spent a pleasant 40 minutes or so looking at a guide to Disneyland. Why Disneyland? Well, for one thing, I've never been there. I've never been to California, period. Closest I've gotten is a brief stop over in Salt Lake City. I've been to Walt Disney World, but not since 1990. For another thing, I used to like looking at Disney World guides at the Haddon Township Library when I first moved here 20 years ago. Thought I'd give the other coast a try.

I was originally going to eat at the Bistro, but it was getting kind of late when I finally got out of the library. Opted for the Haddon Diner instead, which is on the way home. I had two very large, fluffy banana pecan pancakes. Yum! They were huge, full of thick banana and pecan pieces. I did manage to eat most of them and drink half of a glass of iced tea. 

There wasn't much time when I finally got home, so I read a chapter of Cookies and Clairvoyance by Bailey Cates while listening to the soundtrack from K-Pop Demon Hunters. This was a huge hit on Netflix last year, and the music is a big part of why. "Golden" was the hit and won the Oscar, but my favorite is the dynamic "Takedown" as Huntrix challenges their male rivals. The boys respond with the moody "Your Idol" and almost annoyingly catchy "Soda Pop."

Went back out to the Thomas Sharp School, and yes, I made it on time. The kids were all standing in the hall when I arrived. The music classes expanded to Monday and Tuesday. We did get them into the library for some coloring. I joined a few of the kids at my table to draw a rainbow. 

Once we got back into the cafeteria, there was some confusion. They started eating their snacks, but most of them hadn't used the bathroom yet. One boy refused to leave his snack for anything, but I did get the rest of my group down the hall to the bathrooms. Thankfully, no trouble there. They all got in and out relatively fast.

We weren't inside for very long after snack time anyway. It was just too darn nice to spend the day inside! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was sunny and dry, with a nice, cool wind. It wasn't too hot for them to run around the slides and draw with chalk this time. Maybe it's just as well that there were fewer kids who wanted to ride the swings, because I had trouble with some of the ones who did. A few of them just would not get off once they were on, even with a five minute limit and other kids who wanted to ride. One girl threw a fit when she couldn't ride with her friend and hid behind a tree, and that was after she'd already been on the swings three times. Thankfully, by 5PM, there were two left, and we'd moved them around to the blacktop to play with the three remaining older kids.

Made a short stop at CVS on the White Horse Pike to use the bathroom and buy Ibuprofen. I didn't realize I was out yesterday, or I would have gotten it at the Acme. At least CVS wasn't busy, and I was able to get what I needed quickly.

Went right into Match Game '76 and dinner when I got home. Didi Conn, later of Grease, made her first of two appearances on the show this week. She was joined by the ever-creative Patti Deusch and by lovably nutty Dick Martin. 

Finished the night at YouTube with some of the most unique game shows ever created. Unfortunately, unique ideas don't always translate to big ratings. Canadian show Pitfall from 1981 started out like Family Feud, with two contestants guessing how the audience will vote on four answers in a certain category. Winner goes on to face the dreaded bridge. They have to guess questions on a hydraulic lift set. The set might go up and down randomly. If it does go down, they lose time to answer. Not only was this awkward to watch, the lavish up and down set proved to be so cumbersome to sustain, it bankrupted its producers. Neither the contestants nor host Alex Trebek ever got their money or prizes. 

Not all creative flops had fates that were that dire. Most of them were more like The Money Maze from 1974 and The Magnificent Marble Machine from 1975. Money Maze had two couples answering questions, with the husband guiding the wife through the title labyrinth to prizes. Magnificent Marble Machine was a giant pinball machine that contestants played to win prizes and cash with the help of a celebrity teammate, in this case Florence Henderson and Roddy McDowell. A young Nick Clooney hosted Money Maze. Art James was in charge of the Marble Machine. 

Both shows ran into the same set problems as Pitfall, though in this case everyone did get their cash and prizes in the end. That lavish Money Maze was difficult to set up, cost ABC a bundle, and the show ultimately did badly in the ratings. The Marble Machine was cool to look at, but cumbersome to play and not all that exciting to watch. 

Whew! from 1979 may be the ultimate big-set crazy idea. One person sets up blocks on a board filled with goofy puns surrounding a topic. The other contestant is the "charger" who answers the puns and figures out what the real word that belongs there is. Winner answered questions while running through a "gauntlet" of Hanna-Barbara-designed baddies. It's too bad this doesn't ever seem to have worked, on CBS in 1979 or when it re-ran on Buzzr a few years ago. Buzzr's commercials were right that it is as fun to watch as it is to say.

Not every big set or unique idea went over that badly. Press Your Luck and The Joker's Wild are two beloved shows that find ways to make their big sets work without getting dull or cumbersome. Press Your Luck has people answering questions to earn spins, then going around on that famous board in the hope that the animated Whammies don't steal their cash and prizes. Joker's Wild does something similar, but this time it's answering questions on a huge slot machine. 

Game Show Network had its own problems with big concepts in 2002. Russian Roulette has six contestants standing on trapdoors. One contestant asks another a question. If they answer correctly, they earn money. If they don't, they may end up sliding through that trapdoor and out of the game. Though this one did manage two seasons and is fondly remembered by Game Show Network fans, it proved to be a little too unworkable (host Mark L. Walhberg and several crew members accidentally fell in those trapdoors too) to keep around beyond a year. 

See which big idea worked and which didn't with these creative explorations into some of the most imaginative game shows of all time!

The Money Maze (1974)

The Joker's Wild (1974)

The Magnificent Marble Machine (1975) 

Whew! (1979)

Pitfall (1981)

Press Your Luck (1984)

Russian Roulette Pilot (2002)

Kids and Memories

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel's Babysitter" is Prince Tuesday, who watches him while his parents are out dancing. He's happy to join Dan in his homemade "jungle," to get him into his pajamas, and to help him find his stuffed Tigey when he's missing. "Daniel Goes to School" and is worried when his dad leaves. Dan Sr. reminds his son that he'll be back at the end of the day...and Daniel Junior likewise reminds Miss Elania that her mommy will be back when her locket with her parents' picture goes missing.

Let Family Feud run on Buzzr as I made my grocery list. Started off with the second half of a John O'Hurley episode. They jumped back to early 80's Richard Dawson as I got my backpack together. The episode was actually a special week from 1985 showcasing then-Olympic winners like Greg Loughanis and Evelyn Ashford. (Incidentally, I've seen the full week...and the ladies wiped the floor with the guys.) 

Headed out as the episode got started. I had a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it in. Started at the Target Starbucks. Though it was cloudy and cool, it was also a bit on the humid side. I got a Pumpkin Cream Matcha Latte. Not bad. A little on the fruity side. 

Finished it at Sprouts. Mainly wanted to restock oat milk and more of that Nektar Pop there. (The latter is still buy one, get one free.) The ginger molasses bakery cookies weren't on sale, but they're so good, and they only come out during the fall. The deli container I picked up called the shredded turkey "turkey carnitas." I don't think it tastes like that, but it doesn't taste bad, either, and I figured it would be fine for salads and sandwiches this week.

Rode past the Haddon Township Library and High School to the Westmont Acme next. Restocked granola, blue tortilla chips, soda, Swiss cheese and yogurt. I'm almost out of razors, and I found a good brand of shaving lotion half-price. Went back and got a pack with turkey sliders, green grapes, and flat pretzel chips after I realized I forgot to pick up lunch.

Took the long way home across Newton River Park. It remains green and beautiful there. The breeze whistled through the big green leaves as the sun finally broke through the clouds. I pushed my bike up the path over the hill, ducking under a thin tree that broke and bent over. 

Put everything away, then had lunch and watched The Rockford Files. "The Countess" (Susan Strausburg) hires Rockford to handle a blackmailer (Dick Gautier) who was threatening to turn incriminating photos over to her husband (Art Lund). Rockford sees the blackmailer shot on the beach, only for the cops to think he did it. The gangsters the blackmailer work for have their own reasons to be after him.

I got my schedule at this point, either. I am not happy at all. The days I took off for my mammogram, eye exam, and housing counseling appointments are my only days off. I have three double-shift days, two in a row. On one hand, the eye appointment is on Saturday, which means I have that day fully off. On the other hand, I have a lot to do to prepare for the housing appointment, and when am I going to get my grocery shopping done? 

Headed out to Thomas Sharp School after the show ended. I left so early, I had the time to ride around and enjoy a day that had become sunny, warm, and only slightly humid. I need to be more careful where I ride, though. I ended up on Route 70. There's no sidewalks bordering West Collingswood on Route 70. I stepped in a grass-covered hole and almost really hurt myself. Thankfully, no harm done other than surprise, but I do know to stay away from there now.

We had the same 20 kids we've pretty much had all week, 7 at my table. I did have trouble getting them to clean up, but they were better in the bathroom. This time, we got everyone outside early. It was just too nice of a day for them to not hit the playground this time. Yes, they kept asking me when they could on the swings until I let them on. Two of the boys got into such a fight over where they were in line and when they could go on, we had to separate them. The other kids were happier dancing to "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, "Pup Pup Boogie" and the theme from Paw Patrol, the title song of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, and songs from Moana and Encanto. 

Things went much better once more kids went home. By the time the last girl who hadn't gone on the swings was taking her turn with a friend who loves the swings, there were five younger kids left. We took them inside around quarter of 5. I spent the remaining time drawing Victor, Jeff, and Celia in their "Captain Power" outfits and Grace Cavendish as "The Queen of Darkness" and admiring their coloring in pictures of ice cream cones and unicorns. When I left at 5:15, there were two older kids and one younger one remaining. I stopped briefly at Speedy Mart for a bagel and a Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi on the way home before heading back.

Watched the end of The Price Is Right when I got in. Came in just in time to see the lady who won the second Showcase Showdown. I'm a bit surprised they were playing the Christmas episode in early September. The first "Showcase" was the simpler theme of how to prepare for the holidays. It included Christmas records played on a stereo, Christmas shopping money, and a station wagon to haul gifts. The second one was the "story" Showcase, as ditzy secretary Holly used the prizes (including a sports car) instead of office equipment to create memos.

Let it run into Match Game '76. The second half of the night brought in Greg Morris, Elaine Joyce, and Fannie Flagg. Elaine spent most of the time either flirting with Gene or sniping with Brett, whose quips seemed to really get on her nerves sometimes.

Finished the night with some fond childhood memories on YouTube. Someone uploaded a marathon of two BrainGames episodes from 1983, including commercials and the full version of the famous HBO opening with the camera panning over those miniature buildings as the music builds to a crescendo. BrainGames was usually a half-hour show (though I seem to remember some episodes turning up occasionally between shows) that ran six different funny mini-games based around history, memory, animal trivia, and recognition. 

"Tales of Wrongovia" teaches history as it invites players to spot the bit of history that wouldn't have existed in the time period depicted. "Safari Solitaire" showed four different animals (and one nervous narrator with a Texas accent) and asked viewers to guess which animal lived or did something differently from the others. "Uninvited Guests" had four figures at a posh party. The viewer has to decide which party guest is the gate crasher. "Memory Rock" has viewers trying to remember the details of a rock band scene. "The Riddler" is pretty much standard jokes. "Aceps Gevoya" and "Splatnart" were word scramble games. The first had an alien trying to get home, the second a nurse and mad scientist building a monster. "Whosamawhatchamacallits" is a long word for a guess the person, place, or thing from clues and a distorted picture. "Museum Mistakes" has viewers trying to help a cop figure out what's fake in classic artworks.

We used to love playing along with the games on this one! Some of the information on the trivia games and a lot of the art style is pretty dated...but on the other hand, other games like "Animal Solitare," "Uninvited Guests," and the word scramble mini-skits remain hilarious and fun to this day. Here's the marathon if you also loved to crack open your mind back in the day or think your kids will enjoy this (and can get around the cheap animation). 

HBO Braingames Marathon 

And yes, I do remember the events of September 11th, 2001. Twenty-five years ago, I was beginning the first day of my final semester of Stockton College. I go into further detail at my blog entry from September 11th, 2023. 

Games and Memories

This Magic Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man. It's "Like Father, Like Daughter" when Teela follows He-Man and Man-at-Arms after they go to find out what's going on with Skeletor's latest plot, even those her father told her not to. Man-at-Arms is glad his daughter came along after all when she's the one who rescues him from Skeltor's latest brilliant scheme, an animal and robot lizard army.

Spent the rest of the morning putting the new ink that came from Amazon in my printer and printing out some things I badly needed, including my train tickets for vacation in two weeks, the packet from Clarifi, and my tax return. I'm nervous. I don't know how to tell Clarifi that I don't have that many expenses. I live in an attic, and I only buy clothes and toiletries when I need them, not every month. I spend way too much money per month, too, especially on food. 

Listened to CDs from my July vacation as I worked. Yellow Submarine was the last original Beatles album I didn't have before July. The Beatles may have considered enjoyable music hall-style ditties like "All Together Now" and "Hey Bulldog" to be throwaways, but I think this is one of their most fun albums. In addition to the title song "All You Need Is Love," we also have George's pointed "Only a Northern Song" and "It's All Too Much." The Songtrack CD includes all of the music from the movie. Most of it is taken from the Beatles' earlier albums, with "Nowhere Man," "Think For Yourself," "Eleanor Rigby" and "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" coming off the best. George Martin's score from the film is lovely in its own right, notably "Pepperland" and "Sea of Monsters."

The Beatles were on the verge of splitting up as the songs on AM Gold 1969 debuted. Most of these are way lighter than you'd think coming from such a troubled year. As a kid, I always thought "This Magic Moment" and "Wedding Bell Blues" were from the decade before. Broadway got on the charts with three hits from Hair, its title song by the Cowsills, "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night, and "Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver. The Supremes also had two huge hits, "Someday We'll Be Together" and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," the latter with the Temptations. Dionne Warwick gets more romantic with "This Girl's In Love With You."

Ate a quick peanut butter and jelly lunch, then hurried out to Thomas Sharp. Fortunately, I got there in plenty of time. We had 20 younger kids today, 7 at my table again. The kids were fine in the bathroom, but things got a little crazier after lunch. For one thing, it was past 4:30 before any of them went outside. It was just too hot and humid for them to be running around. For another, they were there when the older kids were eating lunch in the cafeteria, which means everyone was yelling at once. I did read three different stories (and sang the lyrics to "Zip-E-Dee-Do-Dah" and "How Much Is That Doggie In the Window" in a Disney Princess board book) to two girls who kept holding each other rather tightly.

Things calmed down a bit when the older kids did go out on the blacktop. The younger kids didn't join them until past 4:30, when there were only five left. (And one stayed inside to read.) I had a wonderful time hopping from one number in a colored circle to another, following a very funny little girl across the board as boys shot hoops behind us. I was too hot and tired to chase her across the blacktop, though! In fact, they were just taking the last of the older kids inside when I left; the last younger kid went home when I did. I wonder if they should have gone inside a lot earlier. The older kids kept coming inside to fill their water bottles, and their faces were red as tomatoes.

Settled down with the second half of The Price Is Right when I got home. I arrived just in time to see a woman win at Penny Ante. I think she only used one giant penny. She also won the Showcase Showdown and made it to the Showcases. These Showcases were kind of on the chintzy side for Price. The story Showcase (about the other models trying to help Dian with her headache) ended with the girls taking Dian on a Mediterranean cruise. The big prize on the non-story showcase was a snow mobile.

Match Game '76 was a lot more fun during dinner. Gary Burghoff is joined by two hilariously crusty older character actresses this week, Mary Wickes and Betty White. Richard was happier to help a very sweet Asian student win money for her education.

Finished the night with High School Hero at Tubi. I go further into this school-set B-comedy about teens trying to give their school football team a boost at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Back to School Again - High School Hero

Hot Weather Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear Sing a Song" has Little Bear and all of his friends singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." After they exhaust that, they make up their own song with very silly lyrics until Mother Bear calls Little Bear to bed. They want to build "A House For Mitzi" in the treetops, but Mitzi would rather sleep in the branches. "Up a Tree" has monkey Mitzi teaching Little Bear the fine art of tree-climbing and jumping into fall leaves.

Called Uber next. Today was my first double shift of the school year, and my heel simply wasn't up to three long rides. Fortunately, no trouble with my rides. The one going to work came in 10 minutes and got me there literally with no time to spare. The one going to Thomas Sharp came in 8 minutes. I had a harder time getting a ride home from Thomas Sharp at rush hour, but they eventually came in 10 minutes as well.

The Acme was dead as a doornail for almost the entire morning. Once we get past Labor Day and the kids go back to school, the only thing going on until mid-October is Eagles football on Sundays. One of the managers did fuss at me to try to figure out how to make the women's bathroom smell better. This may be nearly impossible. It's a bathroom with no ventilation in a 60's era building. I sprayed it with Glade and hoped for the best. Otherwise, I spent the day just sweeping and putting cold items away and gathering the few carts. It was finally starting to pick up just as I left.

Changed shirts quickly, then went around the corner to Applebee's. I hadn't eaten at the one near the Acme in ages. They were even quieter than the Acme when I arrived, despite it being just past 1. I think I saw a few people eating on the other side of the room, closer to the bar. I got a cheeseburger, salty fries, and Diet Pepsi as part of a $10.99 lunch offer where you could buy certain items with fries or bread sticks and a soda for a fixed price. 

After lunch, I quickly returned to the Acme. Needed to use the bathroom, and I forgot to bring a snack to eat with the kids. Grabbed mouthwash, too. Perodontax was on sale. Called Uber a little early. I just sat at the tiny circle garden outside of the school before it was time to join them.

On one hand, we were a lot busier. There were 20 younger kids all together, 7 at my table. I only had trouble in the bathroom with that one pokey girl again. We didn't give them much chance to misbehave in the cafeteria after snack time. We ended up taking them out early, but...that might have been a mistake. It was dry and sunny but much hotter, in the upper 80's. They spent most of the time looking for ladybugs under the shady tree and begging to ride the swings, then arguing when they got on them. It's probably just as well that we decided it was too hot to keep them out and brought them in early.

I think they actually had more fun inside. The head teacher cut out apples, leaves, and stems. They glued the leaves and stems on the apples, then colored them any way they wanted. There was even cut-out shapes and feathers to decorate them with. Some kids just colored a red apple. Some made rainbow apples. Some forwent the coloring and covered them in bits of tissue paper and cut-out hearts and stars and feathers. Even I got to join in. My apple was a rainbow of fall colors - red, red-orange, orange, yellow. I glued the little heart and star cut-outs on the border.

When I got home, I went right into The Price Is Right. A young lady and a sailor had made it to some peculiar Showcases. The "regular" showcase started off with the usual furniture, but ended with a car, rare for the non-story Showcases. The models as "Prize Busters" turning Johnny Olsen's ugly old furniture into a lavish TV and couch and his house into a brand-new trailer puts this episode firmly in late '84-early 85. 

Match Game '76 got even goofier. Scoey Mitchelll spent the week encouraging and ogling a pretty, plump contestant. At one point, he even got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of a round. He returned riding on the turntable before the Audience Match! He also pointed out to the audience when they booed him that he could be doing much worse things with his time. 

Switched to Hart to Hart after dinner. Jennifer gets caught up in "The Shooting" when a very particular British commercials director insists on her being the perfect model for his latest opus. She objects at first, but enjoys being the center of attention...until the casting director is killed and a model who resembled Jennifer is nearly run over. Jonathan is the one who discovers that a man Jennifer put in prison is out for blood, and isn't adverse to blowing up the entire production if it'll take out Jennifer, too. 

Moved to Let's Pretend next. "The Six Swans" is pretty much a standard retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson story. "Thumbelina" gets slightly more creative. The frogs and beetles who find her in the story are replaced by bumblebees in the version on the cassette - I guess bees come across better on radio than frogs or beetles. The rest of the story goes as usual. (Although I never did like how quick Thumbelina is to throw off her name or the woman who raised her.) 

Finished the night with a few Hungarian Folk Tales at YouTube. A young girl will buy "The Cursed Castle" if she can make enough money after a year. She gets help from a friendly black cat who is definitely not what he seems. "Martin and the Cursed Princess" is "The Enchanted Frog or Cat" elsewhere, up to and including him working for the frog for three years and her giving him beautiful clothes and embroidery. "A Talking Vine, a Smiling Apple, and a Jingling, Tingling Peach" is a variation on "The Singing, Springing Lark." This time, it's the title objects that a father cannot find for his daughter and a pig who insists on marrying her. As with "The Cursed Castle," this little piggy is a lot more pleasant than what he seems.

All Quiet On the Oaklyn Front

Started off the morning with breakfast and Monchhichis. Moncho and the others visit "Cloud City" when it arrives over Monchia and won't stop raining. An old magician friend of Wizzar's was accused of stealing the magical key that drives Cloudy City and produces its weather. The real thief is the owl king's buzzard prime minister, but he keeps saying everyone else did it. The Monchhichis have to rescue their magician friend, then find the key and convince the king that they're no thieves.

Headed out on my bike after Monchhichis ended. It was a gorgeous day for a ride up to Haddon Heights. I did have to dodge some sidewalk and street repair in between Audubon and Haddon Heights, but otherwise, it was a lovely ride. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It remains sunny, breezy, and dry, probably in the lower 80's. 

My first stop was the Haddon Heights Library. I've been there a few times, but I've never really explored them for very long. Their non-fiction books are in a loft-like area upstairs. I found a book written in 1991 on the Broadway musicals of the previous decade, including long-forgotten flops like Tintypes, Rags, and Dance a Little Closer. 

I dug up another Images of America book in the history section that proved to be even more interesting. I didn't know the Coast Guard base at Cape May went so far back. It started as a Naval base during World War I and would be one again in World War II. In between, the Coast Guard used it to catch rum runners and train recruits. In fact, Cape May is the recruit training ground for new Coast Guard trainees. No wonder I have fond childhood memories of seeing young guys in Coast Guard sweatsuits jogging down Ocean Avenue, past the Beach Theater, chanting sea shanties as they followed their sergeant. (The houses where most of my friends on the base in the 80's lived are brand new, though. In fact, they'd just been built when my friends moved into them.) 

I had lunch a block down the street at Ralph's Pizza. I made it there just in time. I no sooner ordered a brownie, an unsweetened iced tea, and two mini stromboli (pepperoni and cheese steak), than a pack of elementary school-age boys came barreling in behind me. All six of them managed to slide into one booth with their pizza while I enjoyed my meal at a smaller one. Honestly, far from being offensive, they were really funny (other than they did block the sidewalk with their bikes as I was trying to leave).

Stopped at the big CVS down the White Horse Pike on my way home. They didn't have the Listerine Gum Protection mouth wash that I wanted. I had more luck buying those Nature's Valley vitamins buy one, get one, and bags of small toys for my Trick-or-Treat Mystery Bags next month. 

There was a package waiting for me when I got home. I ordered one of those Radio Spirits clamshell sets of a specific old-time radio show from the 90's on eBay, in this case Let's Pretend. I know it's a kids' show, but it does retell fairy tales that don't often turn up elsewhere, like "The Yellow Dwarf," "Princess Moonbeam," and "The Donkey, the Table, and the Stick." I started off with something better-known. Their version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" starts off pretty normal, with a slightly older Jack climbing that stalk and taking his father's hen and gold back from the giant. Where this one diverges is in the end. Jack has to rescue kid cousins of his who were taken by the giant, too. 

Headed off to Thomas Sharp after "Jack" ended. We all started off in the library, due to the first music class of the year in the cafeteria. This time, we had 19 younger kids, 6 at what would normally have been my table. Other than one young lady being pokey, I had no trouble with them in the bathroom. In fact, it ended up being a rather pleasant afternoon. They drew on a paper taped to a table and played with Barbies and magnetic tiles after lunch, then went outside. I was able to get them to wait long enough this time that there was less arguing about the swings. They all took their turns while running around and dancing to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2 and songs from The Lion King, Encanto, Trolls, Moana, and Frozen 2. 

When we got back inside, the remaining five kids had new toys to play with. The older kids came in from the blacktop as they set up atom-shaped building toys and plastic farm animals with a fenced enclosure, a tractor, and hay. There were only two younger kids and five older kids left by the time I went home, and one of the younger kids headed out at the same time I did.

Took a shower when I got home, then had dinner while watching Match Game '76. Tonight finished out the week with Dick Gautier, Fannie Flagg, and Della Reece. There was a lot of joking about Dick's artwork on his cards, including a really nice caricature of the champ he gave to her. Fannie's attempt at artwork wasn't quite that...developed. There was also Richard hugging another contestant after she won and refusing to let go, even when Gene tried to separate them.

Moved to the final three episodes of Remember WENN next. Gertie's writing again in "The Sunset Also Rises." This time, it's a TV script about a fading radio star (Hilary) who wants a writer (Scott) to create one last big show for her...but the others butt in with their own ideas. Hilary would rather play the ingenue, Eugenia and Mr. Eldridge think they'd make great divas, and Victor...is there, too.

"At Cross Purposes" starts with a woman walking in...who turns out to be Jeff in costume for Charley's Aunt. Jeff's outfit ends up inspiring everyone at the station to jump into drag in order to avoid process server Cribby Menlow (Ray Ianncelli), who has marriage papers for Jeff and is familiar with Scott and Maple, too. It's newsgirl Betty, however, who runs in with the real "big, big news" - Pearl Harbor was bombed. The US has just entered World War II.

Which takes us into the series finale "All Noisy On the Pittsburgh Front." Victor claims there's a "captain" coming to take care of military business at WENN, but it's not likely to be the lunatic in camouflage gear (J.K Simmons) who thinks he's Amazon Andy. Scott, who has enlisted, and Victor get Betty up against the wall about who she really loves, Eugenia asks Mr. Foley to marry her, and Hilary claims she's married to someone else...

And that, sadly, is that. The show was supposed to get a fifth and final season, but was canceled instead when the new head of AMC wanted to focus on movies instead. The abrupt ending of the series still hurts, even after 30 years. At least AMC is acknowledging its existence now. It can be found in full on AMC Plus. The first two seasons are free on Plex, and most of the first two seasons and a few scattered episodes of the fourth are currently on the Internet Archive. Even with the truncated ending and off-and-on 4th season, I still recommend this for fans of period shows or sitcoms that go way outside the box. 

Finished the night with I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat. Surprisingly, the Looney Tunes songs are actually really good. The title song, as you can guess, is on Sylvester and Tweety's relationship. "Daffy's Rhapsody" shows how he feels about being the resident miser and oddball. "Yosemite Sam" tells us why he loves his guns and chasing after Bugs. "That's All Folks" is a charming ballad for Petunia Pig as she wishes Porky would pay more attention to her. Too bad the other side is given over to songs about Bozo the Clown, whom I have no interest in whatsoever, and frankly gets annoying. The Tunes' numbers are honestly pretty fun, especially Porky and Petunia's sweet "That's All" number. 

Hot Day On the Swings

Started the morning with breakfast and more of the Monchhichis. Thumkii accidentally cracks one of the "Jingle Pods" used in the Happy Works after he gets caught in the pipes. Moncho and Kyla have been arguing over who is in charge after Wizzar goes on vacation, and it does them no favors when they use his magic to retrieve a pod, only to be captured by moving musical notes who are the land's guards. Moncho and Kyla finally figure out how to work together when they have to save Thumkii and the prince of Harmony.

Spent the rest of the morning listening to A Bing Crosby Collection, Volume 1. According to the back of the album, these are songs recorded from 1928 through 1932 that either hadn't been released at all or were wildly out of print by the time this record came out in 1978. It's interesting how often the liner notes complain about pretty songs like "With Summer Coming On" and "Rose of Mandalay" being old-fashioned and banal. Maybe they were in the disco era, but nowadays, they sound charming. Some of these songs, like "Lazy Day," "I Found You," and an otherwise-lovely "Love Me Tonight" have major sound problems that are acknowledged on the back of the album. "Waiting at the End of the Road" and "You're Still In My Heart" sound better. We even get what amounts to comedy recording, Bing laughing in the background of one of those "smile and go on" numbers of the early Depression, "We're a Couple of Soldiers."

Rushed out at noon. It was too late to eat lunch out, so I stopped at Speedy Mart and bought an enormous blueberry muffin and an apple. Got bagels for lunch this weekend there, too. I just made it there in time. I was grabbing my apple just as a big group of teenagers out of Collingswood High School down the street arrived looking for snacks. I bought my lunch and the bagels and rushed out, arriving at Thomas Sharp just in time.

We had the same amount of kids today, 12, but this time, we started with 7 older kids and five younger ones. I spent a lot of the afternoon reading books in the after-school program's book bins and the Muppet Babies fairy tale book I bought in Philadelphia during vacation to two enthralled little misses. One of the girls did request we skip "Little Red Riding Hood" because the wolf scared her, even though I showed her that Piggy and her granny were ok in the end. Otherwise, they both loved it.

We still had all 12 kids when we went outside this time. On one hand, I could understand why the wanted to take the kids out earlier. It was a gorgeous day. Sunny, hot, and humid, but not to the degree of yesterday. On the other hand, there were too many of them to go on the swings right away...and most of them weren't happy about that. They asked us "can we go on?" every five minutes until we let them on. And then, all they did was argue. There's only two swings, and they're very popular. At least they all got on at least once before we all went back in. I drew with one of the little girls on a sheet of paper taped to a table in the cafeteria. By the time they let me go at quarter after 3, there was one younger kid left and five older ones.

I rode across Newton Lake Park, down Lees Lane and across Cuthbert to Westmont Plaza. Started this week's grocery shopping at Sprouts. In all honesty, I didn't really need much there or at the Westmont Acme. Picked up oat milk, buy-one, get-one soda, and half-price bakery vegan chocolate chip caramel cookies at Sprouts. I didn't like the price on their shredded chicken, so I thought I'd try sliced turkey steaks instead. Restocked yogurt, tuna, granola bars, and granola at the Acme. I had online coupons for grapes and apples, and Olipop soda was on a really good sale. They still have slices of that "patriotic" red, white, and blue cake left from the big 4th of July celebrations on clearance, too. 

Cut through Newton Lake Park going home. Everything is so fresh and green! The path over the hill to the Haddon Township Environmental Center smells so wonderfully earthy. The woods were dark, with cool breezes rustling through the deep green leaves. The rain has really done the grass and trees some good. I was just glad it wasn't so dry anymore, even if the ground under me was a bit muddy.

Ran the second half of The Price Is Right on Buzzr while I put everything away. Started off with a college girl who claimed she didn't know anything about The Clock Game, but won her two prizes in excellent time anyway. Likewise, the lady after her kept getting the rules wrong in The Race Game, but she still won all four prizes on her second try. The third lady didn't have nearly as much luck with Plinko. She only managed 100 dollars. The generic Showcase had trips to England, India, and Japan and a fancy globe. The "story" Showcase let Professor Johnny Olsen go back in time to show flapper Janice how a stereo was an improvement on a Victrola, and a sports car could outrun any gangster! Janice must have really gotten into being a flapper. She kept doing the Charleston to the Dixieland music, even as the credits ran.

Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, slightly more hours next week. Bad news, I work on Labor Day...and I work more hours than I should be. I'm supposed to only work 9 to 1 on weekdays. They have me at 9 to 2. I need to remind them that I can't always do that. 

Let it continue into Match Game '76. Bert Convy, Patty Duke Astin, and Fannie Flagg joined in for the entire two hours. Charles brought the pregnant contestant a suitcase after she won the Head-to-Head a third time, "just in case something happened." Bert kept trying to kiss and hug the contestants, even when he wasn't the one giving answers on the Audience Match.

Finished the night with more fourth season Remember WENN. "The Follies of WENN" is the burlesque show Scott puts on when a friend of his offers him $1,000 to stage a girlie show on a Sunday. The station intends to use the money to save Mr. Winthrop's (the nervous sponsor from the first season) school. Meanwhile, Betty and Maple want rooms in the new wing of the boarding house where Betty lives, but they're both afraid that the people who run it won't approve of their jobs...until the head chairman (Mickey Rooney) claims he wants to take the show to Broadway!

The station may be heading for a "Pratfall" when they're nominated for 16 Golden Lobe Awards, Pittsburgh's prestigious radio award. Eugenia tries for truth in radio and actually work out during her exercise program, while Scott looks for a letter from Victor and Hilary tries to butter up the others when she finds out someone at the station is in charge of the nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Trophy.

Be True to Your Pre-School

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. It's "A Whale of a Tale" when Father Bear tells Little Bear how he helped Mighty the Whale when he was trapped on the beach years before. Mighty and his own baby get to return the favor when Father Bear's fishing ship is caught in a storm. "Mitzi Arrives"...bubbly Mitzi the Money, that is. She wants to fit in with the others, but Emily and Duck don't appreciate her jump rope rhymes that make fun of them. Mitzi finally makes it up to them with a rhyme that admits she was wrong. "Granny's Old Flying Rug" can seemingly take Little Bear, Emily, and Tutu the dog anywhere, until they're stranded on a deserted island. Little Bear's mermaid friend helps them out.

Listened to CDs while I worked online and made the bed. Hot! Hot! Hot! is a collection of tropical-themed songs put out by Pier 1 Imports, of all places, in 2002. There's a lot of familiar songs here, from the infectious title number by Buster Poindexter to Elton John's hit "Island Girl" to the darker "Caribbean Queen" by Billy Ocean. Of the more recent songs and covers, I liked Baha Men's spicy version of "Kokomo" and the appropriately titled "Feel Good Island Music" by Ho'omu'a.

Rewind is one of the many, many Rolling Stones greatest hits collections. I believe I have the original US CD version that starts off with "Miss You" and includes "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" and "Hang Fire." I bought it mainly because it has two of my favorite Stones songs, "It's Only Rock and Roll" and "Brown Sugar.

Didn't even finish the Stones before I headed out. I wanted to have lunch before the after-school program started. Since it's down the street from the school anyway, I ate at Crust N' Cravings on Collings Avenue. Had two slices of cheese pizza and a can of Diet Dr. Pepper outside at the picnic tables on their patio. It wasn't really that bad of a day. It was hot, yes, and killer humid, but there was a really nice wind that helped cool things off considerably.

As it turned out, there wasn't much to worry about at Thomas Sharp, at least not today. We had 12 kids all together, 9 pre-school and kindergarten, three older. I suspect most of the kids went home with their parents or are still on vacation. Two older kids and two younger ones left within a half-hour of their arrival. We had to start in the library, due to a gym class running late. By the time we moved the kids to the cafeteria for lunch, we were down to one older kid and 8 pre-schoolers. They played with magnetic tiles and bristle blocks and brand-new Barbies for about an hour and a half while listening to "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo & Stitch and songs from K-Pop Demon Hunters and Encanto. 

There were six kids left when we took them out to the playground. Since they all ran to the swings anyway and there were so few of them, we let them use the swings from the outset. In fact, there were so few kids, there wasn't even much arguing over them. One girl was initially upset when she couldn't go on right away, then probably had more fun finding bugs in the mulch anyway. She found what I believe to be a bug's outer exoskeleton and chased one of the boys with it. The head teacher came out around 3, by which time we were down to three kids, two younger girls and the one remaining older boy, and his dad was on his way. They let me and the head teacher for the older kids go early. 

Since I got out earlier than expected, I decided I deserved a treat. I thought of riding to WaWa for a smoothie, but it really was getting hotter and a lot more humid by that point. Stopped at Dunkin' Donuts instead for a Berry Daydream Refresher. Turns out that basically meant "mixed berry drink topped with marshmallow foam." As such, it was a little sweet, but not that bad. 

Put on Remember WENN after I got home while writing down all of the qualities I wanted in a friend. "Hilary's Agent" is looking for a new job after he fails to realize she's gunning for one of the title roles in a Broadway production of Caesar and Cleopatra that's trying out in Pittsburgh. Hilary poses as her own fictional agent to get said role, then drives everyone crazy with her demands, even producer Rex Noble (Daniel Benzali).

"The Birth of a Station" was considered controversial in the WENN fandom when it first debuted. Cora (Debra Wiseman), a very hungry expectant mother, turns up at the station looking for Dr. Talbot. Trouble is, he's a character on their medical drama Young Dr. Talbot. Jeff poses as the doctor for her, while the others try to figure out how they can get her to the hospital during a transportation strike.

Finished Rewind next, then switched to records. Fire Into Music is a unique collection of instrumental jazz/R&B fusion tracks. Fun, funky numbers like "Supership" by George Benson and "Such a Night" by Esther Phillips sounded like nothing else I ever heard. Deodato turned out a truly epic jazz version of "Also Sprach Zathura," while Stanley Turrentine's "I Told Jesus" has mild gospel overtones.

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner. We finished out the Ron Pallilo/Mary Wickes week tonight. A cheerful contestant with a mile-high Afro didn't end up getting his money (rumor has it he may have been related to a CBS employee). Richard was far happier to help a very pretty and very pregnant young woman.

Moved to Wake Up and Live on YouTube next for Labor Day Weekend. I go further into this adorable Fox comedy with Alice Faye and Jack Haley at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Labor Day! - Wake Up and Live

Finished the night with more records I picked up during my July vacation with Lauren. Dave Grusin did the atmospheric score for Murder By Death. To hear atmospheric, moody pieces like "Broken Bridge" and "Gather at Table," you'd think this wasn't a hilarious parody of mid-20th century murder mysteries. The farce is clearer when the music picks up in the Main Title or at "I'll Park the Car/Cobwebs" and "Lockin' It Up/Twain Tango." Probably not the most necessary thing in the universe, but if you love this movie like I do, the score is worth having.

No one does the classic American songbook like Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Songbook kicks off with a gorgeous, bluesy "But Not for Me." Her "The Man I Love" and "He Loves and She Loves" are also lovely. She has more fun with "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "Clap Yo' Hands," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."

Harvests and History

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Pleasure Valley" seems to be the ideal amusement park to all of the Shirt Tales but Pammy. Turns out she's right to question this seemingly innocent carnival when she learns that the barker has a far more sinister plan than feeding them too many hot dogs. "The Ghost Out West" is trying to drive the group from an abandoned ghost town. They decided to turn things around and get to the bottom of the mystery by playing ghosts themselves.

Headed out to the Collingswood Farm Market as soon as the cartoon ended. It was late by the time I got there, almost 11:30. There wasn't much left out. The summer produce is out in full now. Berries and peas are gone, replaced by enormous purple eggplants, Chinese beans, red plums, grapes, corn, melons, and every kind of summer squash that ever existed. I bought fat peaches and small, tart red plums, and picked up a cold, minty Chocolate Mint Cream Bar from the Bubba's Creamery cart. Surprisingly, while the Farm Market was busy, it wasn't jammed like usual. The cloudy, thickly humid day and threat of storms might have scared some folks off, plus there was how late it was. They were starting to close as I finished my chocolate mint bar.

Headed down Atlantic Avenue to the PATCO station. Parked the bike there, bought my ticket, and headed up to the tracks. I was surprised to see one of the kids from Thomas Sharp and her family on the platform. They were going in the opposite direction to Philadelphia for a walk around the Independence Hall area. I told them I was going to Haddonfield. I wanted to take another look at the actual Cherry Parke Condos. Her mother asked if I would be staying at the school. For now, yes. I like working with the kids, even if sometimes they overwhelm me when they're all together.

They left before I did. I had to wait another 12 minutes for the train. When it came, there were no problems, and it was fairly empty. It pulled into Haddonfield less than 5 minutes later. 

I got turned around when I got off. Ended up wandering down one of Haddonfield's tree-lined streets past many lovely old Victorian and Edwardian homes. Finally found my way to Haddon Avenue, then down to Tanner Ave to the Bistro for lunch.

The Bistro is my favorite restaurant in Haddonfield. Their breakfasts are amazing! I sat in the nice, chilly, dark-paneled main room and ate thick multi-grain French toast topped with fresh strawberries and whipped butter. Had bacon with that and washed it down with unsweetened peach ginger iced tea. Yum! I'm glad they were able to get me a seat. It was pretty busy in there, mainly with what looked like families and groups of friends out on the town for lunch.

Peeked around in Happy Hippo Toys next. They were even busier than the Bistro with kids and their parents looking for gifts or new toys. Good thing I saw something I wanted right when I walked in. There was a bin of 9-inch Care Bears. I was surprised to see Bedtime Bear and Birthday Bear, whom I've never run into anywhere else. They were a bit expensive, but I ended up with Bedtime Bear. I'd save Birthday Bear for my actual birthday in the spring, but Bedtime will be out all year. (And probably sleeping through most of it.)

Walked down King's Highway next, reading signs about Indian King Tavern, where the Council of Safety met during the Revolutionary War, and Greenfield Hall, the home of the Haddonfield Historical Society. (Both are currently closed and under heavy remodeling.) Found a mid-90's edition of Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace in a book kiosk. Passed the enormous Haddonfield High School and the lovely yellow Victorian building I hope they are remodeling. Turned left at Clements Bridge Road, across from the lovely Wallworth Park. This time, I went down a block to the Cherry Parke Condo buildings.

The condo buildings are pretty identical to the rental apartment buildings further down, with no shutters or balconies. (Though I did see fire escapes on some condos in the back.) It does have what looks like a well-maintained pool. I'm guessing they were all built in the early 50's. They have a charming two-story Colonial design, but they're all showing their age (though Cherry Parke seemed to be in slightly better-shape than the apartment buildings) with junk and old furniture piled against the dumpsters and no landscaping besides patchy green lawns surrounding narrow sidewalks. 

This probably wasn't the ideal day for exploring condos. It wasn't that hot, but it was cloudy, breezy, and thickly, murderously humid. I was soaked as I hurried back down King's Highway, desperate for a drink...and despite the clouds, it hadn't started to rain yet. I finally rested at the smaller Haddon Culinary two blocks from the PATCO Station. I grabbed a Coke Zero and a soft pretzel, then saw that they had coffee and tea drinks and got a very milky chai latte. After I finished, I hurried down to the PATCO and caught the train back to Collingswood, then rode my bike home.

Took a much-much needed shower, then finished up with dinner and tonight's Match Game marathon. In honor of the World Cup ending this weekend, the theme were "countries around the world." Usually, it was jokes about Richard Dawson being from England or Fannie Flagg dressed as Swedish Greta Garbo. Gene attempted fake Japanese with real Japanese character actor Pat Moriata, who just looked at him weird. There would be an Audience Match question like "Made In __." Another time, Gene spent an episode substituting the "blank" in the questions with "Schnick Schnack," which apparently they do in the German Match Game. This led to a round of German accent jokes, especially from Richard, who worked with real Germans and Austrians in Hogan's Heroes. 

One of the most notorious episodes of Password Plus also snuck in. Dick Martin wasn't too happy when he used "France" for "French" and was called on it. He complained so much, Tom Kennedy almost walked off the set twice. The episode went completely off the rails from there. Dick got so goofy, it felt more like an episode of Laugh-In than of Password Plus, and Betty White ran with the lunacy. 

Celebrate matching around the world in the spirit of competition (and learning the difference between "France" and "French") with these wacky episodes!

Match Game/Password Plus Saturday Classics - World Cup Edition (Celebrating Our Countries Finale) 

(Oh, we finally got that thunderstorm about 20 minutes after I got out of the shower. It was noisy, but it didn't linger for long. It returned about two hours later and didn't linger for long then either.) 

Heating Up Independence Day

Began the morning with the 4th of July selections from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. The big pieces here are a chapter from Little Town on the Prairie that has Carrie, Laura, and their pa enjoying lemonade and a pony cart race at their growing little town and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. There was also the first part of the Constitution and several smaller poems on independence and fireworks.

Started Ben & Me during a quick breakfast. The "me" in this case is Amos Mouse, who helped Benjamin Franklin create some of his greatest inventions, from the Franklin Stove to the Pennsylvania Gazette. Amos thinks Ben's gone too far after he has him ride in that famous electrifying kite and leaves. He begs Amos to come back during the American Revolution and help him out again. Their agreement to no more tricks becomes the basis of the Declaration of Independence. 

Thank heavens Oaklyn pushed their parade back to 9 AM today. I wouldn't have seen it if it stayed at 10. Even at 8:50, it was already steamy and in the 90's. I dropped Finley's birthday gift off at Rose's house, then got a free cotton candy water ice from Yummies Palace's cart and free red, white, and blue beads from the Oaklyn Civic Association. A little boy who was already dripping sweat handed me a 250th anniversary America flag. 

Thankfully, the parade was more-or-less on time. The cardboard boat with a Jaws theme won first place. I liked the group dressed as butterflies the best. There was only one other kid next to me, jumping out to gather the tons of candy all of the baseball teams and various groups threw. I gave some of my candy to the little kids in wagons behind me, some of it to him, and still had tons of Mamba, Tootsie Roll Fruit Chews, and Dum Dums lollipops leftover to share with Lauren when she visits. 

Oh, and I ran into Rose and Finley towards the end of the parade. No, they weren't doing anything today. Rose was sending the kids to have a barbecue with their father at his mother's house, and she just wanted to rest. I pointed them towards the Civic Association's booth with Hot dogs, mini bags of chips and Cheetos, and baby pools filled with ice, soda, and water. 

Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House to get a cool treat. The line for drinks was long, but it moved fast. I got a Peaches and Cream Lemonade. Peach syrup with very tart lemonade topped with foam. Not bad, though that lemonade was very, very puckering!

Finished Ben & Me after I got in, then switched to classic shorts while I got dressed for work. "Patriotic Popeye" tries to keep his nephews from setting off balloons, until they end up being carried into the sky by one, and he needs spinach to intervene. "Donald's Failed Fourth" has Donald trying to set up for a picnic with Daisy in front of the fireworks, but the blanket and chairs won't cooperate.

Called Uber after the cartoons ended. It was just too hot to ride my bike. To my surprise, it only took me 7 minutes to get a ride. I figured it would be much longer on a very hot major holiday. It took me 9 minutes to get a ride home. No problems or traffic either way.

Work could have been a lot worse. It got crazy around noon and was picking up again when I left at 5, but the in between wasn't really that bad. I did spend most of the time outside pushing carts, but I had help from one of the college boys (who did most of the sweeping), and I went in for water when I got too hot. I was in and out with no trouble. 

Listened to A Musical Souvenir of America On Parade when I got home. Yes, this was the music from Disney's big Bicentennial parade at the parks in 1975 and 1976. The songs are mostly instrumental versions of traditional American tunes like "Turkey In the Straw," "O Susannah," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "I've Been Working On the Railroad," but somehow "Animal Crackers In My Soup" slips in there towards the end...and Disney being Disney couldn't resist including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." 

Finished the night on YouTube after a shower. The owner of the Match Game Productions channel did something different and showed us how other game shows celebrated the 4th of July. One show actually started on the 4th, the 1988 Family Feud with Ray Combs. Press Your Luck had Whammies setting off fireworks and snatching cash in 1985. Markie Post and Richard Shannon (with hair!) played each other on Super Password in 1986 just prior to Post joining Night Court (and even obliquely mentioned it on the episode). A patriotic episode of Price Is Right from 1975, just a few months before they expanded to an hour, had a Bicentennial salute to George M. Cohen as one of the Showcases. 

Classic Concentration was the only show to decorate for the occasion, offering flags everywhere, a trip to Washington DC, a paper mache George Washington, red, white, and blue cars to choose from, and Canadian Alex Trebek in an American flag tie. Things were more normal on 4th of July episodes of the Richard Dawson Family Feud, other than a few picnic-related questions. Susan Richardson and Wesley Eure did battle on Password Plus. The first 4th of July on Body Language had Betty White simply being outplayed by lanky Ed Begley Jr. Lisa Benet had more luck against Jason Bateman during their teen month the next year, while Kennedy set off sparklers. The Bob Eubanks Card Sharks introduced a new bonus round, while Jim Perry dealt with some pretty unique contestants, including a very funny old man named Ed, in his earlier version from 1979 and 1980. 

Celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary game show style in these hilariously patriotic tributes!

Saturday Game Show Classics - 4th of July Game Show Marathon

Called Mom during the marathon to wish her a happy 4th. She was enjoying hers in pretty much the same way, watching Ken Burns documentaries on PBS with Keefe. Keefe's wife Julia took their children to visit her family, so they were relishing the peace and quiet. They hadn't done much today, but Keefe did take Mom to his favorite restaurant earlier in the week. 

Oh, and there were no fireworks this year. Not only was it too hot, but there were some pretty bad storms later in the evening. That didn't stop people from setting off their own fireworks, including a beautiful display of sparkling green and pink just a few houses down from here on East Clinton.

Here's hoping your 4th of July was just as much fun...and a lot cooler. 

Rain Is In, School Is Out

Slept in, then had breakfast while watching Paw Patrol. We find out just how the Pups got their powers in the hour-long special "Mighty Pups." They're the first ones on the scene when a meteor lands on the beach in Adventure Bay. The moment they get close to the meteor, they discover it's granted them all superpowers! Unfortunately, the second people on the scene were whiny Mayor Humdinger and his bratty nephew Harold. Harold now has the ability to build anything...including a giant robot that steals the meteor, kidnaps Ryder, and terrorizes Adventure Bay. Speedy Chase has to step up as leader, before Harold smashes all of the town and their floating base ends up crashing.

During the second half of the special, I went through my rock records. I only cleared out one, and most of them were in pretty good shape organizational-wise. I was hoping to clear out more, but some of these, I've wanted since I was a kid! And some of them I had when I was a kid.

I didn't really trust the weather today. It wasn't raining at quarter of noon, but there were going to be storms later. I called Uber. Thankfully, no trouble there. I got one in 8 minutes going to the Thomas Sharp Elementary School. Only took 5 minutes for the one going home to arrive, and that at the start of rush hour. No trouble either way. 

On one hand, there were 8 younger kids on the last day of school, 3 at my table (one went home within ten minutes of her arrival), and 10 older kids. There were so few younger kids, we condensed it down to two tables and took them all together to the bathroom. Good thing they ate pretty fast. We wanted to get everyone outside to the blacktop before the storms came. It certainly looked like rain as the kids played kickball, drew with chalk, and chatted along the chain link fence under the shady green trees. It was gloomy and warm, with air thick enough to cut it with a sharp piece of chalk. We had them out for about a half-hour before the first tiny drops hit our noses. The drops got fatter and fatter as we grabbed the balls and the Lego bin and dashed inside.

On the other hand, they got pretty crazy once we were inside, and not just because of the loud storm. The head teacher broke out Play Doh, but the older boys kept throwing them around, and one of the younger boys got upset when a younger girl grabbed his color and mixed them. The little girl kept wrapping her Play Doh in paper and coloring her "dumplings," even when we told her not to. Two of the older boys fought and wouldn't listen to anyone all afternoon. The head teacher pulled out the projector and tried to run Rio. No sooner would we get the kids sitting down and watching it than the internet would cut out, or the head teacher would be called somewhere and would take her phone and its power with her. 

(Incidentally, I reviewed Rio at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in August 2024. I go further into the film itself there.)

Rio

The storm finally subsided around 3:30, long enough for us to get the kids back on the blacktop again. I was supposed to be done at 3:30, but I stayed a little longer to help with the remaining younger kids. Fortunately, by that point there were only two younger kids left. I watched the boys shoot baskets and the other kids draw with chalk on the rapidly-drying blacktop. When the last two younger boys left with their mothers and older siblings, I left, too.

I was originally going to watch Superman: Doomsday when I got home. When the DVD I bought from Goodwill didn't work, I ended up going with another Bowery Boys movie instead. The guys are Ghost Chasers when Whitey and Sach become interested in spiritualism. Slip makes use of this to convince Louie that his deceased Uncle Jake wants him to give the Boys $100. He then uses the $100 to expose a phony medium who was conning one of the ladies in their neighborhood. The medium ends up pointing the finger at another phony female spiritualist. The guys go after her while Sach gets help from a real ghost (Lloyd Corrigan) whom only he can see.

Switched to Match Game '75 during dinner after the Boys ended. They're well into the New Year now. Cool cat Greg Morris joins Brett and Gary on the top tier. Richard wonders what he's gotten himself into when he finds himself between daffy Joyce Bulifant and whimsical Fannie Flagg on the lower tier.

Finished the night at YouTube after a shower. In honor of Buzzr running a long-lost episode of Password Plus from 1982 with Lucille Ball and Dick Martin, I ran a few other episodes of shows that are mostly lost or not well-known now. Plus isn't the only game show with episodes missing. Before videotape became cheaper in the mid-80's, game shows were among the genres mostly likely to be wiped and reused by networks. NBC wiped the entire run of the original 60's The Match Game, before CBS revamped it to the wacky format that's still in use today. This all-star episode from 1964 featuring Betty White, Bennett Cerf, Robert Q. Lewis, Henry Morgan, Joan Fontaine, and Peggy Cass is one of three surviving shows currently online.

The Richard Dawson Family Feud is missing a lot, too. ABC erased shows into the early 80's. Episodes before 1982 are sort of scattered, including this one from 1981 where Johnny Gilbert does the announcing. Poor Gene Wood had an accident with a chainsaw and was out for several weeks.

Individual producers didn't do so well with keeping their shows around, either. NBC had ended erasing tapes by the time Sale of the Century debuted in 1983...but producer Reg Grundy would erase them until the end of the decade. That's why you're more likely to see a syndicated episode from 1985 or one of the episodes from the show's final year in 1988-1989 on Buzzr than an early episode...and probably why the premiere episode seen here is in such horrible shape.

Some later flops are hard to find as well. Nickelodeon still has most of its older shows around and has re-run them on its channels and on Paramount Plus. Splat! is one of the few that's mostly missing. Between shows in 2004, kids at Nickelodeon Studios in Universal Florida would compete at messy tasks. Winner got slimed. It was cute and the kids look like they're having fun. Too bad the interstiles only lasted five months, and this was the last show to be filmed at the Nick Studios before they shut down. Only two episodes and a lot of fragments exist today. 

Not everything that's lost stays missing. Within the last six months, someone posted almost all of the episodes from the long-vanished 1975 music game show Musical Chairs on YouTube. This one is significant in several ways. It boasted the first black game show host, super-hip singer Adam Wade, and an all-star array of performers on their way up, like country singer Linda Hargrove, or down, like Bobby Rydell and Broadway star Gretchen Wyler, along with an extremely mid-70's geometric set. Too bad it only lasted a few months. The game play is complicated, but there's some great songs here. 

Learn more about our TV history with these long-lost episodes that are finally out of the vault for all to enjoy!

The Match Game (1964)

Musical Chairs (1975)

Family Feud (1981)

Password Plus (1982)

Sale of the Century (1983)

Nickelodeon Splat! (2004)