Dolls Rock On

Began the morning with breakfast and Monchichhis. Melmot is a "Misfit Grumplin" who is too gentle and friendly to fit in with his fellow nasty Grumplins. He helps Thumkii escape from Grumplor, only for the other Grumpkins to follow him and in an attempt to invade Monchia and make it look like he did it. Thumkii knows better. Melmot finally reminds them that it doesn't matter what you look like if you're a good guy at heart.

Ran a few errands after the show ended. I was hoping to find more moisture eliminators at Dollar General. Nope, but I did pick up the smaller yellow bottle of Tide there. Wanted to see if they had my gum toothpaste at CVS, but they were too expensive. Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for a sweet chai latte instead. I just barely got there in time. I had no sooner sat down with my drink than hordes of college kids came in and the line was nearly out the door.

It was too hot and humid to linger outside for long. Besides, it kept saying it was supposed to rain. (It still hasn't at press time.) I headed home for lunch. Ate while watching Paw Patrol. "Pups Save an Elephant Family" when Marshall spies a lone baby elephant near their camp on a jungle safari, then it strands Cap'n Turnbot and Francois in their tree house. After they rescue them, they have to get the elephant back to its mother. "Pups and the Mischievous Kittens" introduces the Kitten Catastrophe Crew, Mayor Humdinger's spoiled kittens whom he's dressed like the Paw Patrol. They help him wreak havoc on Adventure Bay when Mayor Goodway is competing for a Cleanest Town award. Chase's allergies help him figure out what they're doing...and stop the naughty mayor and his kitty friends from causing more trouble.

Dressed the dolls for school and lessons next. Molly wears Kit's School Skirt Outfit, which is really too pink for Kit. She prefers her original blue School Outfit with the plaid jumper. Samantha is in her 2015 BeForever "meet" outfit, the pink Swiss-dotted dress with the wide lace collar and burgundy velvet sash. Felicity will take tea in her yellow Tea Lesson Gown with the embroidered roses. Jess is dressed for after Catholic school her original striped "meet" outfit shirt with jean capris and teal jelly strap shoes. Ariel is in the pale blue Swiss lace sundress with the crocheted vest I found her in. Josefina is ready for the end of summer in her orange and yellow striped Summer Dress. (Unfortunately, the boots that went with it fell apart last year.) Whitney looks chic and ready for class in her "Sweet Memories" purple checked poodle skirt and turquoise scarf. Barbara Jean's nubby pink and gold minidress came from eBay.

Listened to records while I worked. Bless Its Pointed Little Head was the first live album from Jefferson Airplane in 1969...and boy, did they get into this! They really push some of their best-known songs, especially "Plastic Fantastic Lover" and "Somebody to Love," to their absolute limits at the time, going nearly into hard rock. "Fat Angel" and "It's No Secret" also benefit from the harder approach. Apparently, this did well at the time despite critics not knowing what to make of it. Definitely worth looking for if you're into the band's early sound.

Eric Clapton did even better by Slowhand in 1977. The first three songs on this album are among his biggest hits, the hard driving "Cocaine," sweet "Wonderful Tonight," and rollicking "Lay Down Sally." "Next Time You See Her" is a darker bluesy number, while "May You Never" and "Peaches and Diesel" lighten things up a little on side B. One of Clapton's definitive albums is a must if you're a fan of his. 

Moved from Eric Clapton and the blues to the Commodores and R&B for their 1985 album Nightshift. This was their second album after original lead singer Lionel Richie went solo, and it featured what would be their biggest hit after he left. The driving title song was a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, both of whom had died the year before. I remember it being on the radio a lot during the mid-80's, and it still turns up fairly frequently on oldies and 80's radio stations to this day. I vaguely remember "Janet" being fairly popular at the time as well. Most of the other songs aren't at their levels. This album is extremely of its time, with electronic dance riffs like "Animal Instinct" and "Play This Record Twice." You may be better off looking for "Nightshift" and "Janet" on 80's playlists unless you're a huge fan of the band.

Switched to Remember WENN while vacuuming and Swiftering the floors and dusting the rooms. "The Ghost of WENN" seems to be walking the halls of the station when Hilary hears a mysterious voice during a late-night horror broadcast. Betty joins her in trying to figure out what's going on, and why this ghost has a thing for cranberry jelly. Meanwhile, Mackie is more nervous about the broadcast and the old story that an actor died when reading his lines on page 13.

"Caller I.D" distills the magic of radio better than any other episode of the series. Mackie's running records for a late-night music show when a secretary named Jane Smith (voice of Alice Playten) calls in and says she's sitting on the edge of a building, ready to jump. Seems she's tired of her humdrum job and is convinced that if her life can't be like the glamorous radio shows she listens to, she doesn't want to live. The WENN staff throw together some of their most popular show to talk her down...then realize that they're now the "passionate listeners" who care as much about Jane as she does them.

The third season ends with the literal bang that is "Happy Homecomings." Betty worries about Victor's safety when she hears another voice performing Jonathan Arnold on the shortwave and spends the episode trying to open that strongbox. When she finally does, Victor's contact isn't who she expects...and Victor isn't what he seems to be, either. Meanwhile, Jeff comes home as well, but Hilary is still furious about the Pavla mess and refuses to work with him, and Scott has discovered that yes, there are still codes going out over the airwaves, but not in what they've been performing. He's about to tell Betty when he walks into the Green Room and ends up with a gun in his face...held by Victor Comstock...

Hoooo boy. This is the cliffhanger that left the entire WENN fandom, including me, screaming for six months straight. Longest six months of my life until the housing fracas in 2021-2022. All I wanted from December 1997 to June 1998 was to pass my college classes and find out the endings to those blasted cliffhangers! This is why the third season is far and away my favorite. On one hand, Jeff is missed, and this is a lot darker than the seasons that came before it or after it. That's why I like it. This is where the show dares to go places that sitcoms don't often explore even now, from betrayal to death to the importance of the imagination. "Who's Scott Sherwood," "Happy Homecoming," "Caller I.D," and "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" are my favorite episodes here, though I also love "Mr. and Mrs. Singer," "In the WENN Small Hours," and "A Girl Like Maple." Those cliffhangers signal a lot of changes for the fourth season, not all of them welcome...

Moved to Match Game '76 after I took a shower. By the time I got to there and dinner, they were finishing out the Pat Moriata week. Robert Hedyges of Welcome Back Kotter made his only appearance on the show the next week, joined by Fannie Flagg and Broadway legend Ethel Merman. Richard was more interested in kissing and hugging the contestant, whether she won the Head-to-Head or not.

Finished the night with quiz shows for children, teens and college kids. Quiz shows for kids go back way further than you might imagine. One of the most popular game shows on radio in the 40's and 50's was Quiz Kids. A panel of five children answered questions sent to host jovial Joe Kelly by listeners. The kids were chosen for their high IQs, personalities, and poise in front of a mic, or later camera. It wound up being one of the most popular game shows on radio in the 1940's, endlessly parodied and praised. Though it was one of the earliest game shows moved to TV, it never did as well here. I have an episode here from 1949, one of the earliest surviving episodes of a TV game show. I can see why this was so beloved. The kids are genuinely funny and smart, and substitute host Fran Allison seems to genuinely enjoy listening to their answers.

GE College Bowl was almost as much of an institution in the 50's and 60's. This is about as simple of a quiz show as you can get. Teams from two colleges play answer tough questions in a heated battle of the minds. It's a battle to prove size doesn't matter in the colorized episode I have, as small private New York University squares off against big state college University of Oklahoma.

College Bowl became the standard against which every high school bowl game was set. Practically every local public broadcasting station in the 70's and 80's ran some variation on College Bowl with local high school teams pit against one another. Many of those shows proved to be so popular, they're still running to this day. The version I have here, High School Challenge, started in 1984 on the Flint, Michigan PBS station and has apparently been running there ever since. 

Producers Barry and Enright noticed how popular their kids' weeks were on their The Joker's Wild and created the kids's-only Joker! Joker! Joker! in 1979. Kids get to spin the famous wheel and answer questions from subjects like "Disney Characters" or "Superheroes" tailored to them. I really wish the current owners of the show would do something like this again. The kids are hilarious, and host Jack Barry really seems to enjoy guiding them and their parents through the show.

Jeopardy would do something similar for Game Show Network almost two decades later. Jep! from 1998 had kids tossing out the questions to the answer. However, two wrong answers, and they get something dropped on them, like colorful balls or socks. Three wrong answers, and they're pulled out of the game for a turn. This pretty much screams "late 90's." I will say that, while not great, it is better and a lot more fun than Merv Griffith's too-cheesy attempt to make a kid's Wheel of Fortune around the same time. 

Nickelodeon did better by Make the Grade in 1989 and 1990. Though there are stunts in the form of "Fire Drills" that allow them to switch seats and get more squares, most of the emphasis here is on what the kids know. Three kids answer questions from school related topics like math, science, English, phys ed (sports), and current events. There's also one random "elective" topic usually revolving around Pop culture (in the episode I have here, famous redheads). The kids have to answer one question from each topic and from grades (difficulty levels) 1 through 12 to win. This is one of my favorite game shows Nick did in the late 80's along with Double Dare. It's almost refreshing to see a show on Nick put emphasis on what the kids know, rather than how well they can throw a gunk-filled balloon. 

Teens had their own fun in syndication in 2000 with Pressure 1. An offshoot of an earlier syndicated show for teens Peer Pressure, this one emphasized questions rather than stunts. Four kids answer questions. Those who answer two right move on. The one who don't has to relate their most embarrassing moment. In the next round, the first winner gets to choose a subject with a punny title from which to answer questions. The winner gets to pick the next topic. Two move on to the final round, where they have to answer the most questions correctly in 60 minutes. Interesting idea, but a bit on the cheap side - you can tell this was intended for syndication. The kids do seem to get into it, though, especially in the lightning round. 

Go back to school with these hilarious quiz kids as they try to make the grade under pressure and show they have what it takes to really rule the airwaves!

Quiz Kids (1949)

GE College Bowl (Colorized) (1960)

Joker! Joker! Joker! (1979)

Make the Grade (1990)

High School Challenge (1996)

Jep! (1998)

Pressure 1 (2000)

Hard Candy Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Donald Hatches an Egg" when Goofy mistakes a unique long, slender egg for a rock and it gets attached to Donald. Mickey, Goofy, Daisy, and Don talk to birds and chickens in an attempt to find its mother, but it's really closer to a type of lizard egg.

Called Uber after that to get me to work quickly. It sure did the trick. The one going to work came in 7 minutes, and I actually arrived early for a change. The one going home was more of a problem. It kept fluctuating, but I think it finally took about 8 minutes. No problems on the road.

No problems at work, either. I spent the entire day scrubbing the shelves filled with Acme generic soda and chips that are the first things you see when you enter the store. Whatever was on there before made them grimy and sticky, especially under the soda! It was so bad, I needed Easy Off spray and at least five boxes of eraser sponges, and the last two shelves never did come fully clean. At least the head manager seemed to think it came out well. I ran a feather duster over end cap shelves in the back for the last half-hour.

Grabbed a few things after work that I forgot yesterday. The Westmont Acme didn't have the pulled rotisserie chicken from the deli, and I totally forgot that I needed Swiss cheese slices. Grabbed coconut macaroons off the bakery clearance racks.

Went straight in the shower to wash off all that grime when I got home, then put on the soundtrack from The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. Honestly, it's a shame Dolly Parton didn't do more musicals. I've loved this version of the hit 1979 Broadway show since I was too young to understand what was really going on at the Chicken Ranch. It used to turn up a lot on cable in the early and mid-80's. Charles Durning, as a politician denying he was using the Chicken Ranch's services, has so much fun with his one number "Side Step," he got an Oscar nomination. Dolly does better by the one standard to come from this score, "Hard Candy Christmas," and her own additional "I Will Always Love You."

Speaking of Dolly, tonight's Match Game YouTube marathon honored Dolly with episodes featuring mentions of her or questions where she was an answer. By 1978, she'd replaced Raquel Welch as the du jour performer to make chest area jokes about. Almost every question where she was an answer got a chest joke in there somewhere. Some of the best episodes of the later series and syndicated run had Dolly references. There was a reference in the infamous episode where a contestant answered "Friend and Ollie" to "Cuckoo ___" and another during the Game Show Host Week with panelists who either were game show hosts (Bill Cullen, Peter Marshall) or would be in the future (Betty White, Elaine Joyce). There were references to Dolly as late as the first week of Match Game '90 with Joe Alasky and Sally Struthers. 

Celebrate the life and legacy of this beloved lady with this hilarious marathon you'll go "Cuckoo" for!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Dolly Parton Tribute

Finished the night with The Exciting Lena Horne. This one looks like it goes way back, probably to the early-mid 50's. For all the "exciting" claim, most of the songs here are pretty dark, from "Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen" to "Little Girl Blue." I prefer the slightly more upbeat "At Long Last Love" and "More Than You Know." 

At Home In the Rain

Got a quick start on a cloudy morning with breakfast and a couple of shorts featuring the entire Disney gang. They're all excited to be on a "Hawaiian Holiday" as Mickey plays the ukulele and Minnie practices her hula. The others have less luck on the beach. Goofy just can't seem to figure out surfboarding, Donald sits on a starfish, and Pluto does battle with a very crabby crab.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy leave the shores of Wakiki to hit the road in "Mickey's Trailer." This state-of-the-art (for 1938) RV has everything an animated animal could want in a modern trailer...except a driver who can take over while Goofy eats. When he rushes to take control of the vehicle, he accidentally sends Mickey, Donald and the trailer back down a busy and treacherous Hill.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. Considering the weather, the drivers arrived surprisingly fast. The one this morning came in 4 minutes, the one going home in 10 despite the heavy rain. No trouble either way other than ongoing road construction and some flooding in Oaklyn.

Work was no trouble, either. I spent the morning cleaning deli displays and the large cases for seafood and chicken and dusting the latter. We were pretty quiet for almost my entire shift. Sometimes after my break at 11, the sky finally opened, and it started pouring. It was pouring when I called for a ride home, and it would continue pouring and storming off and on for most of the day. 

Went straight into lunch and Remember WENN when I got home. "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" has the station's receptionist (Margaret Hall) showing Betty her magnum opus radio script, Rendezvous In Rabat. This turns into a hilarious spoof of Casablanca, with Scott in the Rick Blaine role, Betty as Ilsa, Victor Comstock as Victor Lazlo, Maple as the cafe singer and the refugees, Mackie as Major Renault, C.J as the bartender and a German officer, Mr. Eldridge as Carl the waiter, Hilary as Rick's rejected girlfriend, and Jeff as the waiter. As with the real Casablanca, Gertie's having a hard time figuring out an ending. Nothing that she or Hilary suggests passes muster. Betty types out her own idea of whom Ilsa should end up with before insisting to Gertie that she should really figure out her own ending.

"Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy" is the station's kindly organist who is delighted to be dating British secret agent Desmond Quist (Daniel Davis). He claims there are still secret codes going out over the airwaves and makes the cast "paraphrase" their scripts to keep them out of enemy hands. Eugenia's been receiving mysterious calls and speaking German words, but it turns out there's a far more benign reason for her behavior than spy capers.

Switched to Clue after lunch in honor of Tim Curry, who passed away two days ago. Based on the board game, six strangers are called to a dinner party at the spooky Hill House by Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving). They're each given a weapon and reveal that Boddy has been blackmailing them. After the lights turn off, Boddy is found dead, and everyone has a means and a motive. Butler Wadsworth (Curry) tries his best to explain it all as they try to figure out who did it "in the hall, with the revolver," before they become the next victims!

This is an old favorite in my family. We taped it somewhere around 1987 and watched that tape for over a decade. Mom used to call it our "stormy weather movie." I can still quote most of the dialogue. Curry is delightful as the supercilious butler, but the entire cast of some of the 80's best comedians has a blast. 

The movie starts slow with the set up, but give it time. By the end, you'll be breathless just watching Curry run around summing up all the murders! There's also the gimmick of having multiple endings that baffles critics to this day, but makes it the perfect rainy-day DVD watch. (The DVD lets you choose a random ending, or watch all three, as in the video and streaming versions.) Highly recommended for your own stormy day viewing if you're a fan of Curry or any of the comedians or love a good ensemble comedy.

Moved to The Gong Show next at YouTube in honor of singer Jaye P. Morgan, who died yesterday. Morgan was a staple on the wackiest amateur show to almost be live from Hollywood, at least until she bared her breasts in an episode. She was joined in the show I saw by Steve Martin and Arte Johnson. The tuba players were surprisingly fun and a guy playing his lips was honestly pretty nifty, but the singer attempting to ape Neil Diamond was terrible, and I had no idea what the guy with the dog was doing there. 

Went to Disney Plus for Morgan's episode of The Muppet Show. You'd think a lady who frequently judges the weirdest amateur show on television would have no problems with the Muppets, but first she's not happy when she ends up in a bird costume for the cutesy "Tweedle Dee," then gets hit with bombs all over the place. She finally bonds with Scooter's crotchety uncle JP Gross, the owner of the Muppets's theater, and gets a pretty nifty rendition of  "That Old Black Magic" with the Electric Mayhem.

Stayed at Disney after a shower for The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in honor of Peter Cullum, who did the voice of Eeyore in this show. The second episode of the show kicks off with "Friend, In Deed." Rabbit is so fed up with Pooh borrowing his honey, he makes him think he's moving. The others really think he's moving and try to get him honey from a hive so he'll stay. Piglet sees Eeyore sitting on the cliff side and thinks he's sad. The others try to be a "Donkey for a Day" and make him happy, but they do what makes them happy, not him. It isn't until Piglet admits he doesn't know what makes Eeyore happy that the gloomy donkey shows Piglet what he was really doing on the cliff.

Moved to Match Game '76 as I made nectarine-banana pancakes for dinner. Gene wears a very, very bright red coat in the first episode that prompted a lot of cracks from the panelists, including Mary Wickes telling him to stay out of the bullring. The first episode of the next week with Bill Daily and soap ingenue Bennye Gatteys was rather important, as it kicked off with Gene announcing that Richard is going to host a new show called Family Feud in the fall...

Finished the night at Tubi with Blue Valley Songbird. I discuss this Lifetime musical drama from 1999 featuring Dolly Parton as a troubled singer at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

A Salute to Dolly Pardon - Blue Valley Songbird

Rainy Day Games

Started the day with breakfast and Monchichhis. It's a "Double Play" when the Grumplins create a machine that can turn a Grumplin into a Monchichhi. They target Patchit, the Monchichhis' inventor, repair-monkey, and head of the Happy Works, capturing him when he goes out for a ride on his new helicopter. When the others realize that's not Patchit, they go after him, only for him to rescue them when they're captured and sent to the Grumplins' mines.

It was pouring like crazy when the cartoon ended. I had to call Uber. There was no way I could take the bike...but I called too late. They couldn't arrive for 20 minutes! I ended up being very late, more than 20 minutes. At least there was no such trouble later. The second driver arrived in 9 minutes. No trouble on the road, not even flooding. 

Thank heavens that was the worst thing that happened all day. The rain stopped shortly after I arrived. It started again around 11. As you can imagine, the store wasn't busy. It didn't even pick up a little bit until almost before I was done. Another bagger came in and helped with the carts after around 10 as well. I was in and out with no trouble. Even picked up Bob's Red Mill instant oatmeal on clearance.

Instead of going straight home, I had the Uber driver drop me off at WaWa to use the ATM machine. Grabbed a Caramel Coconut Smoothie, Chicken Teriyaki Wrap, and Miss Vickie's chips there, too. The smoothie was frankly a bit watery, but the sandwich was yummy when I got home. Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time I was at WaWa, though it remained cloudy and thickly humid. I did get home dry.

Did something different when I got in and watched Sesame Street. The brand-new special "Storm On Sesame Street" has everyone in the neighborhood preparing for a major storm that's supposed to hit New York. Elmo's dad asks him to find three objects that will help make everyone feel better. He's joined by Abby Cadabby, her mom, and her stepbrother Rudy. Rudy's very nervous about the storm, so Elmo tries to distract him. He's helped by Bert and Ernie (who took in animals) and Big Bird (who is lining up stuffed animals for hugs, including his own Radar teddy). Later, after they see the havoc the storm wrecked on Sesame Street, they play superheros to fix everything, but learn that even the smallest help can have the biggest impact.

Switched to records while vacuuming, dusting, Swiftering, and taking the laundry downstairs. Since I just watched Sesame Street, I started off with Sesame Street Story Time. Luis, Maria, and Bob narrate short original fairy tales featuring the Muppets. Most of them, like "The Legend of the Lovely Linda," "Ike and Ilk," "The Story of Ira and Inex," and "The King Banishes the Letter 'P'," teach letters and their sounds. "The King's Picnic," "The King's Nose," and "The King and the Fireman" go more into the roles of kings and what they do. The theme of "The King's Problem" is very similar to "Storm On Sesame Street," showing how you don't have to be big or fast to do something important.

When We Were Very Young is an adaptation of a book of poetry by Winnie the Pooh author A.A Milne, and is in fact where Pooh made his debut. While ironically they don't use the poem that introduced Pooh ("Teddy Bear"), some of the others are lovely. "Daffydowndilly" and "The Mirror" have a sweet edge of melancholy to them, while "Disobedience," with its reverse of a child trying to care for a wayward parent, has an almost macabre ending. 

Salad Days was a long-running hit in London during the mid-50's, and frankly one of the most peculiar hit musicals I've ever heard. College students Timothy and Jane get married secretly, due to his disapproving family wanting him to find work. They eventually agree to watch a homeless man's piano for a month. It seems like an easy assignment, until they realize the piano makes anyone who hears it want to dance. One of Timothy's many uncles is a government official who bans the piano. After it goes missing, another uncle who is a scientist takes them in his flying saucer to find it.

Um, er, yeah. Good thing the music is genuinely charming, because the story is plain bonkers. Eleanor Drew and John Warner get the sweet "We Said We Wouldn't Look Back" and "Oh, Look at Me," while the more lively "Out of Breath" and "We're Looking for a Piano" are the closest this show gets to chorus numbers. Drew gets two solos, "I Sit In the Sun" and "The Time of My Life." This isn't a big show. It's played on the one piano. It is pretty cute, though, and apparently continues to remain popular with amateur groups in England and the UK. If you like British musical comedies, you'll probably want to hear this, but it's not for someone looking for a meatier story or one that makes sense.

I almost passed out listening to Salad Days. Switched to the American Musical Theater CD...and I did pass out there after the third song. I went down at around quarter of 5 and finally got up around 6:30. I'll listen to the rest of it later this week. 

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner and after I brought the clothes upstairs. Most of the episodes covered the week with Scoey Mitchelll and Susan Howard. The last half-hour took us into the next week, with Orson Bean, Betty White, and the only appearance of character actress Pat Delaney.

Finished the night after a shower honoring the 100th anniversary of NBC this year with some of their most memorable game shows. Password, for instance, started on CBS when it began in 1961. Password Plus moved the franchise to NBC in 1979, and it would stay there for Super Password starting in 1984. Although Super with Bert Convy was the bigger hit, Plus introduced the format both shows used that had contestants not only guessing words, but how they were all connected into a word. (And Password has gone back to NBC for its current version after Million Dollar Password ran on CBS in 2008.)

NBC wasn't nearly as good at keeping its shows around as CBS. Most of the Chuck Woolery and the early Pat Sajak daytime episodes of Wheel of Fortune are gone for good. The episode I have here from 1979 is one of the survivors. They're missing a lot of Hollywood Squares, too. We do have this episode from early in its short-lived nighttime run with Buddy Hackett in the center square, when it was one of the funniest and hippest game shows on TV.

You Bet Your Life was more fortunate. Groucho Marx's son was able to save most of his father's show from being junked. He absolutely made the right call. Not only is this one of the few surviving game shows from its era, but Groucho grilling contestants and tossing out quips to wanna-be comedians and inventors is still hilarious over 70 years later. 

By the time Classic Concentration debuted in 1988, NBC had largely begun to drop daytime game shows. It would be one of the last game shows on the network, running until 1991. The success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at ABC in 2001 prompted NBC to bring another popular British game show stateside. The Weakest Link is even darker as stone-cold hostess Anne Robinson presides over a group of people who vote off the worst player or "weakest link" after every round. The show ran into audience fatigue with "big money" game shows and didn't run a year. It did much better in its revival with Jane Lynch starting in 2020.

Celebrate NBC's centennial with some of its most beloved and popular games! 

You Bet Your Life (1950)

Hollywood Squares (1968)

Wheel of Fortune (1979)

Password Plus (1982)

Super Password (1987)

Classic Concentration (1991)

The Weakest Link American Premiere (2001)

The Room Where It Happens

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Mother Bear helps her son plant sunflowers in "Little Bear's Garden." He imagines that the sunflowers grow so big, they lift him and No Feet to the clouds. He's delighted by the vegetables that grow so big there, until they start getting a little too big and crowding him and No Feet out! In order to become "Prince Little Bear" and marry Princess Emily, King Owl declares that he must defeat a dragon...but when he helps his friends instead, he learns that kindness is its own reward. Little Bear makes "A Painting for Emily" of her beloved doll Lucy while he watches her and Emily's dog Tutu. Tutu, however, does everything she can to get in on the painting, too.

Worked a little online, then spent the rest of the afternoon vacuuming and deep-cleaning the attic rooms. I dusted under the books...and spent a little too much time reading them, especially the ones on musicals. I'll dust under the 4th of July decorations on Sunday, after the holiday. The back room was especially bad. I don't know why the bedroom always gets so dusty! Maybe it's because the one and only window is there. It was killer hot up there, too. The air conditioner was full-blast, and it was still hot. The fans did nothing but move hot air around.

Watched 1776 as I worked. I went further into this classic 1972 musical on the creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in July 2019. 

1776

Had a very quick and belated lunch while watching Hamilton on Disney Plus. (I would finish it much later in the evening.) This could almost be called the flip side of 1776 as we switch our focus from firebrand John Adams to non-stop author and politician Alexander Hamilton. "The ten dollar Founding Father without a father" (Lin-Manuel Miranda) grows up in the Caribbean, but takes a slow boat to New York. He joins other firebrands in pushing for the American Revolution, becomes "Right Hand Man" to General George Washington (Christopher Jackson), and marries sweet and lovely Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo). Her sister Angelica (Renee Elsie Goldsberry) loves him, too, but marries another man for her sister's sake. 

Hamilton continues pushing and writing after the war, eventually clashing with the more conservative Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs). He runs into trouble when he has an affair and a furious Eliza burns his letters. The death of their son Phillip (Anthony Ramos) in a duel brings them back together after news of Hamilton's affair goes public. Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) is furious with him for backing Jefferson for the presidency and challenges him to his own duel...one that Hamilton won't recover from. It's Eliza, however, who ends up preserving his legacy for generations to come.

First of all, you're probably wondering why I'm not reviewing this for the musical blog. Like Disney's London version of Frozen, this is a recording of a stage show, and it really falls under different strictures. That said, I can see why this is still running on Broadway at press time. The music is incredible (even if you're like me and aren't a fan of rap), the performers are dynamic, the dancing is fabulous. If you know anything about Hamilton and American history, you also know that this is a fairly dark show. The second half gets mired in its endless "Cabinet Battles" and moves about as fast as 1776 at times. Still, if you love Miranda or want to see a more modern take on American history, this is worth checking out for families with older kids and teens and stage aficionados. 

I got so tired of that endless second act of Hamilton, I cut it off early around 6:30 and went out to run errands. (I finished it later in the evening.) Stopped at Dollar Tree first. I mainly needed pads, but given the extreme heat, I picked up a bottle of Propel water, too. They were surprisingly busy for dinner time with mothers and families on their way home from work picking up their own little things.

Headed two blocks down to Crown Chicken and Gyro next for a quick dinner. They too were quiet for 7 PM on a hot day. I guess everyone stayed home in the air conditioning to eat. I enjoyed my tilapia sandwich, fries, and Diet Pepsi listening to classical music and watching glorious images of a green and glowing Canada on the TV over the dining area.

Walked further down to La Mortense Plus to get something sweet to cool off. Despite it being past 7:30, they weren't busy, either. I had no difficulty ordering a chocolate banana milkshake. Slurped it as I headed home. Even that late in the day, it was still sunny, hazy, killer humid, and hot as heck, in the lower 100's-upper 90's. The milkshake could only do so much. I was sweating bullets when I got home.

Which is why I relaxed a little bit, then went right in a much-needed shower. After I got out, I finished the night watching The Fleet's In on YouTube. I go further into this classic Navy musical with William Holden and Dorothy Lamour that introduced "I Remember You" and "Tangerine" at musical blog. 

Happy 4th of July! - The Fleet's In

Swinging Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan gets into a "Circle Time Squabble" when he and Miss Elania want to be waiters for Chrissy, and then they both want to sit next to her during their circle time. Teacher Harriet helps calm them down and show that no matter how angry they got, there are better ways to work out their problems than hitting. "It's Not Okay to Hurt Someone," especially when that someone is your little sister. Dan gets angry when Margaret crawls through his block farm entrance, and his mom isn't happy when he washes his animals instead of coming to dinner. They both discuss that it's not right to hurt someone and how to calm down before you lash out.

Spent the rest of the late morning and early afternoon vacuuming, Swiftering, and dusting my rooms. Listened to Mean Mothers: Independent Women's Blues, Volume 1 while I worked. These aren't the depressing laments most people think of when they discuss rhythm and blues. These sassy ladies of the 20's, 30's, and 40's were tough women at a time when women were only just starting to fight for their rights and their dignity. Songs like Bessie Brown's "Ain't Much Good In the Best of Men Nowadays," Bernice Edwards' "Long Tall Mama," and Blue Lou Barker's "I Don't Dig You Jack" dig into the bawdy world of strong women who don't put up with foolishness from anyone, let alone their men. We even have two standards, "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Lil Green and "Baby Get Lost" by Billie Holiday.

Switched to the 2001 Nero Wolfe while eating a quick lunch. This stylish A&E series adapted the famous series of mysteries from the 40's and 50's, with Maury Chaykin as the corpulent, orchid-loving private eye of the title and Timothy Hutton as his assistant (and the show's narrator) Archie Goodwin. Kicked off with the series opener "The Doorbell Rang." Wealthy Mrs. Rachel Bruner (Debra Monk) turns to Nero and Archie to get the FBI to stop following her. Turns out there's something more sinister going on than government agents following a rich lady around town when Archie discovers connections to the murder of a journalist investigating illegal FBI practices.

Hurried off to school even before the show ended. I was slightly late...which may have been a moot point. The kids were sitting in the hall when I arrived. This was the music class day, and the library is still being used by the school art show. Not a good thing, since we had 26 kids today, 10 in my group, and they were all wound up. We couldn't get any of them to sit down in the cafeteria. All they did was run around. 

They were wound up outside, too. Two of the boys jumped on the swings before we told them they were allowed to. I had to fight to get them off, and then to get them all in line when we did let them on. I'm tired of them all running at me once with "Me first!" and "Can I go on next?" They need to learn to wait their turn. If they get out of line to run with the others, they lose their turn and go to the back of the line. The other kids danced to "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo and Stitch, "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, and songs from Encanto, Moana, Moana 2, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

We finally took the remaining 3 kids back to the blacktop with the older kids around 5 PM. I sat with the one remaining girl inside. She's a bit shy, and I think she was hot after running around in the playground. I stayed with her until the head teacher came in to wipe down tables and said she'd stay with her. I headed out after that, making a quick stop at the Speedy Mart on the way home for a Propel and a treat.

After I got in, I took the trash outside, took a shower, made dinner, and went upstairs. Finished Nero Wolfe, then watched Match Game '74. Charlie Brill, slender husband of Mitzi McCall, made his first of two appearances on the show. He was joined by the delightfully daffy Joyce Bulifant and the delightfully sassy Marcia Wallace.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. Annoyed that his new suit was switched with a larger one belonging to a mysterious Mr. Sole, Jonathan decides to make the switch himself. The last thing he and Jennifer expect to find in Mr. Sole's room is a dead man in the closet. Turns out the man doesn't exist. He was part of a CIA sting to flush out a member selling information to the highest bidder. It becomes a lot more than "Hart and Sole" when Jonathan offers to help out, and the man ends up kidnapping Jennifer.

Join the Circus

Got a quick start today with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "The Tale of the Moo-Maids" is the first of three fantasy-based episodes in a row. Daisy is devastated when she loses a string of pearls in Mickey Lake that belonged to her Great Gram-Quacker. The others dive under the lake to find them and help Queen Clarabelle of the Moo-Maids find her lost crown.

It was so late when I was finally ready, I called Uber. Of course, they took 13 minutes to arrive, and I was late to the Acme. Thankfully, not only did they only take 8 minutes going to Thomas Sharp, I called early. It took me a little longer to get a driver home after the first one canceled, but I did find one who came in 6 minutes. 

Thankfully after all that, work was fine. It wasn't really busy until later, and even that could have been worse. It started showering around 11 AM, which probably helped. (I also ended up pretty damp while I did the carts.) Other than I did have to replace the toilet paper in the women's bathroom, there were no problems whatsoever.

After my carb-heavy lunch and dinner yesterday, I opted for something with a lot less cheese. I went to Futomaki in the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center behind the Acme for lunch. Had a bento box with salmon and vegetables in teriyaki sauce, California rolls, rice, and scallops. I enjoyed a nice, quiet, serene lunch. The only other person there was an Asian gentleman working on his laptop. Went back to the Acme after that to get granola (which I forgot last Saturday) before calling Uber.

Things largely went better at Thomas Sharp School. For one thing, the rain was long gone by the time I got there. It hasn't rained since about 12:30. For another, I had 8 kids at my table, and they were perfectly fine in the bathroom. There were 27 all together, which meant the cafeteria did get pretty wild. Two of the girls did goof off under the tables again and tried to eat their snacks on the floor. They were kept back for 10 minutes so the head teacher could talk to them while the rest of us took the other kids outside.

Things went better once we did get out. For one thing, by 4 PM, it was cool, cloudy, and windy but perfectly dry, probably in the lower-mid 60's. For another, they were able to get on the swings by 4:30, but didn't stay on long. We have a new teacher, a long, lanky male college student. The kids had a ball chasing him around as they listened to the Taylor Swift songs "Welcome to New York," "Shake It Off," and "Wildest Dreams," the kids' dance number "The Gummy Bears Song," "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, and songs from The Lion King, Moana, and KPop Demon Hunters. Two of the boys left when I did, leaving the one remaining girl to go inside with the two remaining teachers and join the older kids.

Vacuumed and Swiftered my bedroom while watching The Price Is Right. I came in for a heartbreaker of a Three Strikes that ended with the contestant getting the third strike at the last minute. The Showcase Showdown went better. One lady got 95 on her first try that no one else could touch. The Showcases were a generic furniture and trip and one of the Time Capsule sci-fi skits, this one ending with a speed boat. It got really close, but the lady who hit that 95 needs to look into boating lessons...

Stayed at Buzzr for Match Game '91 as I moved to dusting and washing the window. Evidently, they're stopping here for now, or at least until we get into their National Game Show Day all-new episodes marathon next month. Vicki Lawrence, comedian Bob Sarlatte, and Marcia Wallace spent the two episodes watching Jimmie Walker flirt with a very pretty contestant, and then pretty much claiming he's going to marry her after he helps her win big bucks.

Since they switched to the first episode of Match Game '73 after that, I spent the rest of the night after dinner watching The Greatest Show On Earth. This Cecil B. DeMille three-ring melodrama won an Oscar for its glittering costumes and huge spectacle, and while it's been criticized as one of the weaker Best Picture winners, it's hard to rival this one for sheer fun. No-nonsense Brad Braden (Charleton Heston) is the manager of Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, the biggest traveling circus in the US. His girlfriend Holly (Betty Hutton) is furious when he takes her out of the center ring and replaces her with The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), who is a bigger draw. 

She and Sebastian spend the next few performances trying to out-perform each other as Holly falls for him and Sebastian flirts with his former girlfriends Angel (Gloria Grahame) and Phyllis (Dorothy Lamour). Holly's devastated when one of Sebastian's tricks go wrong, and it looks like he might be out of the ring for good. The circus has even bigger problems. Angel's jealous ex-boyfriend and former elephant trainer Klaus (Lyle Bettger) and busker Harry (John Kellogg), whom Brad fired when he found him cheating customers, try to steal from the pay car, setting off a disastrous train collision that brings Buttons (James Stewart), a former doctor-turned-clown, out of hiding as well. It's Holly who finally figures out why the circus means so much to Brad when she almost loses him and ends up making the show go on herself.

Like I said, for a comedic soap opera that gets fussed about for being lightweight compared to the other Best Picture competition in 1952 (including High Noon), this is honestly way more fun than it ought to be. The cast mostly delivers, especially Gloria Grahame as sarcastic Angel and Stewart as kindly Buttons, though Lamour could have more to do. Some of the details (including how Brad is eventually saved after he's badly hurt in the train accident) are a little too campy for words...but there's no arguing with the spectacle. You can't get more circus than this movie. The spangles-and-feathers costumes are incredible, and they really pop in my Paramount DVD copy. If you're looking for something fun and thoughtless and feel like joining the circus (and have a spare two and a half hours on your hands), join Holly on the trapeze and check this out.

Fifty Years of Angels

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. While his parents and friends nap on the shore, "Little Bear's Mermaid" swims with him. The others don't believe she exists, but Little Bear knows better. "Father's Flying Flapjacks" will be a surprise for Mother Bear. Little Bear wants to help, if he can catch those flapjacks before Mother Bear sees them! Father Bear tells his son that his "Maracas" from Mexico are his favorite treasures. Little Bear's friends somehow turn them into pirate treasures and are convinced Father Bear defeated a pirate.

Hurried out the door after Little Bear ended. It's supposed to be nice for the rest of the week, so I took the bike. I'm still getting used to riding it again. I was one minute late. 

That was the worst thing that happened all day. In fact, the Acme was quiet almost the entire morning. It didn't pick up until I was just about ready to leave. They even pulled a college boy from stocking to help me later. I had no major problems, and I was in and out.

It was such a nice day, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Though it was chilly, in the mid-50's, it was also sunny and relatively warm when you could get out of the wind. It's really spring here now. Flowers and tiny yellow green leaves are sprouting on the trees. Gardens are carpeted with rainbows of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. There was only mild traffic near the Wal Mart entrance to Audubon Crossings. Otherwise, it was pretty quiet everywhere.

Had lunch when I got home while watching Paw Patrol. "Pups and the Beanstalk" is Rubble dreaming that Alex is a giant who comes down a huge beanstalk and wrecks havoc on Adventure Bay! The Paw Patrol has to figure out what will get him back up the beanstalk. "Pups Save the Turbots" introduces Cap'n Turbot's French cousin Francois. Skye thinks he's so sophisticated, but he's not much help when his cousin first falls off his boat while trying to take photographs of the elusive Blue-Footed Booby, then needs to take that photo.

Spent the next few hours vacuuming and dusting the rooms. Listened to the soundtrack from Sing 2 while I worked. There's some sensational covers here, including the chorus versions of "Let's Go Crazy" and "Where the Streets Have No Name." Some of the songs that were covers in the film have their original versions here, notably "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Could Have Been Me." Other good numbers include Scarlet Johanssen's "Heads Will Roll," Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly enjoying their duet on "There's Nothing Holding Me Back," and Johanssen and Bono's lovely "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." (Look for the cast singing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" as a bonus track.)

After the record ended and I wiped the windows and electronics, I went down for a long nap. Fell asleep at 4:30 and didn't get up until almost 7! I've been so tired the last few weeks. I've had a lot going on, from the bad knee to the bad tooth to my trying to get a loan. I'm really wiped out. This week's schedule doesn't help, either. I'll likely be working five days in a row, Saturday 8 1/2 hours.

Watched Match Game '90 when I rolled out of bed. Dolly Martin returned to the show in the first episode, joined by Charles, Fred Travelena, Pam Stone, Sally Struthers, and an overly energetic and noisy Richard Simmmons. Phyllis Diller turned up for the first time in the next episode and happily flirted with Ronn Lucas and Scorch.

Finished the night with the pilot movie for Charlie's Angels in honor of their 50th anniversary this year. The "Angels" are three beautiful private detectives, tough blonde Jill (Farrah Fawcett), sensible Sabrina (Kate Jackson), and sensual Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) who work for wealthy Charlie (voice of John Forsythe), a man they've never met. Their current assignment is to prove that a vineyard owner was murdered by his second wife (Diana Muldur) and his foreman (Bo Hopkins). His daughter is supposed to inherit the estate, but vanished years before. Kelly first poses as her, then infiltrates the gang to find out what they have in mind. Sabrina takes over posing as the daughter, while Jill plays her secretary and a moonshiner's daughter who agrees to sell the seemingly worthless swampland where the millionaire may have met his demise. Look for a very young Tommy Lee Jones as a family friend who catches on that there's more than meets the eye to these ladies. 

Musical Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and the soundtrack from For the Boys. I reviewed the film back in 2022 after James Caan's death, but I've had the CD for years. I've loved this soundtrack since the movie came out in 1991. We get a wide variety of music, from "PS I Love You" done as a slow ballad to the rousing 40's numbers "Billy-a-Dick" and "Stuff Like That There" to a really sweet "In My Life." If you love Bette Midler, you'll definitely want to have this.

Called Uber soon as I got downstairs. I couldn't get a ride for 13 minutes, but I gave myself plenty of time to get it, and I got to work just in time. In fact, the first guy who was supposed to drive me canceled. It took 10 minutes for them to pick me up after work. No traffic either way.

Work was crazy when I first arrived. It was busy, the carts were empty, and I kept being called to do fifteen different things at once. I'd be sweeping, then would be called to clean up a broken gallon water bottle and put away eggs before I could even get outside. Things went better later in the afternoon, when it calmed down a little and a second bagger came in at noon. He took over the sweeping and inside chores, leaving me free to do the carts and enjoy a lovely afternoon. It was sunny and breezy, not as warm as yesterday, but still decent for this time of year, probably in the mid-40's. It was just starting to get busy again when I finished.

Vacuumed and Swiftered after I got home and changed. Finished For the Boys and listened to Please Please Me as I worked. This is the Beatles' debut album, featuring their earliest hits, "Love Me Do," "I Saw Her Standing There," "PS I Love You," "Do You Want to Know a Secret," and the title song would be their first singles. It was a smash hit out of the gate...in their native England. Us Americans wouldn't take to Beatlemania until after they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and even then Capitol wouldn't release this album in full over here until 1987. Many people would be surprised to see how many covers there are, too. Of the covers, my favorites are their classic "Twist and Shout," Ringo's "Boys," and the charming "Anna (Go to Him)."

Finished the night with more musical Match Game. In addition to featuring many musicians, like Bill Anderson, Minnie Pearl, Jon "Bowser" Bauman of Sha Na Na, and Irlene Mandrell, the show had frequent questions about musicians and music. Elvis, who was in the midst of his Las Vegas residency years during most of the CBS run, turned up in a lot of questions that joked about how he does his famous hip-swinging dance. Others referred to his songs, like when "Heartbreak Hotel" was an answer to "Heartbreak __" in an Audience Match. There were also many questions about musical instruments. Musicians like Marvin Hamlisch, Jon Bauman, and Paul Williams would actually play songs on a toy piano on the show as well.

Play along with the Match Game Orchestra and learn more about the music of the 70's and early 80's in this harmony-filled marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Elvis, Rock & Roll, and the Musical Orchestra Marathon

Wild and Crazy Kids

Got a quick start today with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. "Mer-Mysteries" begins as a spoof of film noir when the Rebellion return to Bright Moon from a failed attempt to retake one of their previous strongholds. Mermista comes to the conclusion that there must be a spy in their midst, which leads to accusations flying wildly all over Bright Moon and clues being found in black and white. As it turns out, Mermista is right. There is a spy at Bright Moon...but it turns out to be a distraction when Double Trouble reveals that Mermista's kingdom is in grave danger.

Dusted the rooms, filled a bag with clothes I didn't want, and got the Valentine's Day cards together while watching Scott Joplin. I go further into this 1977 biography with Billy Dee Williams as the "King of Ragtime" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Scott Joplin

Headed out to have lunch and run errands on the White Horse Pike after the movie ended, starting with dropping all the cards in the mail box. Thank heavens it wasn't freezing anymore. It was cloudy, windless, and in the 40's, perfectly normal mid-February weather. I don't know why I thought the clothes donation bin was behind the Family Dollar. It's behind Dollar General. Since I was down that way, I had a quick lunch at Dunkin' Donuts to finish that gift card one of the kids gave me for Christmas. The turkey sausage and egg sandwich and mini-hash browns weren't bad, and the brownie batter donut was a bit dry, and the "brownie batter" thin and messy. The hot chocolate was really sweet and creamy, though.

I went home to take out the trash and wait for Uber. No trouble there today. The driver to work didn't even take four minutes to arrive. The one going home took 10 during rush hour. No traffic, no trouble getting there.

The kids were a lot wilder. If they weren't battling colds and sniffling, they were battling cabin fever. I don't think any of them have been outside to play since the middle of last month. Two of the littlest girls got so crazy after lunch, throwing rubber food everywhere and running all over, they were kept in the cafeteria instead of joining the rest of us in the library. Two older boys were even worse in the library, arguing, yelling, pointing fingers, breaking magnetic tiles, and building too-tall skyscrapers and letting them fall and make a mess. Two more girls ripped the paper one of the teachers taped to a table for stenciling so badly, we finally gave up, removed the paper, and gave everyone regular sheets of paper to color on instead. At least we managed to get them together enough to help clean up and get everything back to the cafeteria before I left.

On the other hand, I had 10 kids at my table, and they did clean up quickly when we went to the bathroom early. They were a little crazy in the bathrooms, but I got them back with no trouble. Two of the girls even gave me (or my arms) a big hug. 

I read inside for a little while when I got home, then went out to dinner with Jessa around quarter after 6. We ate at the Philly Diner in Runnemede. This is the huge chrome diner and sports bar with the massive panels on top that the bus passes on the way to the Deptford Mall. Their food was pretty tasty, too. Jessa had a gyro. I had a crab cake sandwich. We both had fries, cole slaw, pickles, and chicken orzo soup. My sandwich was so gigantic, half the crab cake ended up on the plate, but it was really tasty. The coconut cake I had for dessert was even better.

Since we were in Runnemede, Jess drove us to the shopping center next to the Acme. She wanted to show me a store that sold closeouts and overstocks, but it was closed by 7:30. We ended up a few doors down at Dollar Tree instead. I just got a birthday card for Jess, freeze-dried strawberries for a recipe I wanted to make later this week, and a Zootopia bag. Jessa got notebooks and cards. 

Finished the night after a shower with the third CDs from two of my favorite series. Unsung Musicals covers shows that closed on the road or had such short runs on Broadway they were never recorded. On the third volume, the second is represented by two lovely songs from short-lived musical versions of popular plays and books, "Reveille Sun" from Here's Where I Belong (musical East of Eden) and "Simple Words" from Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen (musical Teahouse of the August Moon). We also have "Nothing To Do With Love" from a show called Personals that definitely sounds like it was written by the creators of Friends, the hilarious teen lament "At the Same Time" that was from the first attempt at a musical Freaky Friday, and two songs from a musical version of It's a Wonderful Life that has yet to play Broadway, its title number and "In a State." 

Lost In Boston gives us numbers cut from hit shows, or ones that at least made it to Broadway. The third album kicks off in high style with one of my favorite cut numbers, the hilarious "Mama's Talkin' Soft" from Gypsy. There's also another funny teen lament, "You Don't Have to Kiss Me Good Night" from The Music Man, the touching soliloquy "Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10" from Sweet Charity, "Travelin' Light" from Guys and Dolls, and two dropped songs from the troubled Seesaw, "Big Fat Heart" and "Pick Up the Pieces."

Music and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and the soundtrack from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. To be honest, most of the songs from the original film didn't make it into the remake. Of the ones that didn't, my favorite is Snow White's sweet "With a Smile and a Song," which she sings to the animals after she wakes up in the forest. The CD I found at a yard sale a while back also includes two cut comic numbers for the Dwarfs, "Music In Your Soup" and one intended for the party spot that was taken by "The Silly Song," "You're Never Too Old to Be Young."

It's still pretty cold...and I still have a nasty cold myself. I've been coughing and blowing my nose like crazy since New Year's Eve. Decided I'd take Uber to avoid the weather. That might not have been the smartest thing on a cold Sunday morning. It took 16 minutes for the driver to arrive, and I ended up being late. Ironically, the driver coming home came in 2 minutes. No trouble getting to or from there.

Work wasn't a problem, either. I was outside the whole time. There was a boy there to do the sweeping and the inside trash. I did gather the trash in the employee room, but I was mainly pushing carts and enjoying the day. It was sunny, breezy, and still fairly cold, in the mid-30's. 

Had to grab a few things I forgot yesterday after work. Needed cough drops and pads rather badly. Grabbed Propel to hydrate my poor dry throat. 

After I got home, I put everything away, then vacuumed and Swiftered the rooms. Made the bed, too. I have six blankets on my bed, and they eventually start to fall off if left for too long. Plus I just put the bears from under the tree back.

Listened to two of my recent record acquisitions as I worked. The Vamp of the Roaring 20's is a follow-up to the soundtrack to the TV show The Roaring 20's. It's the same deal - Dorothy Provine, backed by eight chorus girls, singers, and two small combos, performs hits of the Era of Wonderful Nonsense. There's a couple here that even I haven't heard of - "Freddy the Freshman," "Doin' the Sigma Chi," "Bashful Baby," "He Looks at Her and Then He Goes Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha," "I Know that You Know," "Mama Goes Where Papa Goes," "You've Got That Thing." Fun stuff if you love the songs from this time period.

I never even heard of Ellie Greenwich until I heard of this show, but apparently she wrote Leader of the Pack and many huge hits of the early 60's with her then-husband Jeff Barry. Other popular songs she wrote in part or in full, here performed by her friends Annie Golden and Darlene Love, include "Be My Baby," "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry," "Do Wah Diddy," "And Then He Kissed Me," "Hanky Panky," "Chapel of Love," "Christmas - Baby Please Come Home," "I Can Hear Music," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Maybe I Know," and "River Deep, Mountain High." 

While this seems like an early form of the jukebox biography that would begat shows about Greewich's fellow Brill Building writers Carole King and Neil Diamond in the last ten years or so, it was heavily re-written between off-Broadway and Broadway to be more like a revue. Considering it only ran for two months and got bad reviews, that doesn't seem to have worked. It's apparently done better in regional theaters. Here, it comes off as a vanity project, with Greenwich playing her older self and her friends dominating the proceedings. It doesn't help that Greenwich isn't nearly as well-known as Diamond or King today. Unless you're a huge fan of these songs or Greenwich, you're probably better off looking for the original recordings.

Switched to the Eagles game next. That did not go well. They started off well enough against the Commanders in the first half, but faltered by the time of the second. They ended their season on a low note, with the Commanders taking them down 24-17.

Finished the night back at YouTube with dinner and the second half of that Match Game body marathon. The most famous "body part" incident is Gene Rayburn accidentally telling a lady she has a pretty something besides dimples in one of the most infamous bloopers in TV history. There's also Richard answering "Hand" to "Trench __" in the Audience Match and continuing the joke for the rest of the episode (and for several years thereafter), and the time during the Syndicated series when a physical therapist helped Patty Duke with her knee...and a besotted Jack Jones ran out for her to do the same for him. 

Marcia Wallace got censored for referring to a certain male body part in one 1977 nighttime episode. Another nighttime episode had Brett, Charles, and Richard Paul singing about "The Eyes of Texas," while the contestant ended up in Jamie Lee Curtis' lap. Eva Gabor showed off her bare shoulders in a ruffled top in 1976, while Abby Dalton, Fannie Flagg, and Brett Somers walked off when a contestant talked about women's chests in 1974.

The body really is a wonderland in this hilarious look at the crazy things our bodies can do!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Your Body Is a Blank (Part 2) Marathon

Welcome to the Holidays

Began the day with apple pie for breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. Daisy takes the others mini golfing, but she finds more holes than there should be on the course. She and the others have to figure out who made those holes, and how to help them and still let Daisy get her hole in one.

Rushed off to work the moment the cartoon ended. Work was busier than I thought it would be for the day after Thanksgiving, especially early-on. It did slow down later in the morning as more people focused on other types of shopping. It being a cold day probably didn't help. It was sunny, yes, but still very windy and bitterly cold, barely in the 40's. The wind didn't make gathering carts easy! They all tried to blow away from me.

And I got my schedule next week. In good news, three days off the Acme in a row, including Sunday. I'll be having my annual pre-Christmas get-together with my friend Amanda that day. In bad news, fewer hours, and working next Wednesday and Friday means I'll have two days next week where I have to rush between jobs. 

Did this week's grocery shopping after I finished my shift. Mainly needed to restock apples, yogurt, soda, and granola bars. Found the Acme's generic organic chocolate chunk-coconut granola on clearance. I've never seen Fresca at the Audubon Acme, but they did have Orange Vanilla Coke Zero. Got something small for Amanda, along with cards and candy canes for the Christmas tree (which I'll be putting up this weekend).

Went home and put everything away, then watched two episodes of What's New, Scooby Doo? while eating leftovers for lunch. "Gold Paw" is a gold-covered spook running around Fort Knox, turning military officers into gold statues. Mystery Inc is there to visit Scooby's old friends the Secret Six puppies, who have been tired and going to bed with dirty paws. Turns out they and the Gold-ade Factory next door are at the heart of a mystery revolving around mysteries military explosions that are damaging the factory.

"Reef Grief!" has one of the most unique monsters in the entire franchise, and may be one of the very few times the monster in question wasn't really the villain. Scooby, Shaggy, and the others are in Australia for a major sand castle building contest. The entrants have just begun to disappear under the sand when an enormous coral creature appears, attacking everyone. When Shaggy and Scooby vanish too, the others have to figure out why the creature has left the Great Barrier Reef, and who's the one who is really behind the disappearances.

Headed back out after Scooby ended. After a brief check around Target for one last Christmas present, I finished my grocery shopping at Sprouts. Picked up coconut milk, soda, and peanut butter cookies. They still had plenty of the apple fritter-flavored cranberries left, so I grabbed some of those, too. 

Spent the next hour after I got in and put everything away taking down the Thanksgiving and fall decorations. I'll be putting the Christmas decorations starting tomorrow afternoon. After I got everything down, I vacuumed and Swiftered everything.

Listened to two more True Value Happy Holidays records as I worked. Volume 13 from 1978 is the oldest True Value collection I currently own. 13 and 16 have pretty similar line-ups, probably due to both being from RCA. Both feature Julie Andrews, who sings "Deck the Halls" in 16 and "Jingle Bells" in 13. Perry Como kicks 13 off with "There's No Christmas Like a Home Christmas" and gets "Christ Is Born" in 16. Both feature at least one country singer. Charlie Pride performs "Christmas and Love" in 13, while Dottie West gets the sweet "You are My Christmas, Carol" in 16. Eugene Armandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra perform "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" in 13 and "Angels We Have Heard On High" in 16. Henry Mancini and His Orchestra have "The Christmas Song" in 13 and a medley of traditional carols in 16.

Volume 13 also tosses in Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass with a livelier "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Lorne Greene recites The Night Before Christmas on Volume 16. Also on 16, we have Roger Whittaker performing "Christmas Is Here Again," and Ella Fitzgerald's rollicking "Sleigh Ride."

Had dinner and watched Match Game '76 and '78 while eating dinner. We started out with the smoky-voiced older contestant Evelyn finishing her long run. For some reason, they skipped way ahead after that to early 1978, before the set changed and Richard left. Joe Gargiola's only week on the show coincided with the introduction of a new camera angle that showed the backs of the panelists and what they were doing. Betty White and Debralee Scott had more fun flirting with the camera and flouting the new angle.

Watched Nutcracker: The Motion Picture on Tubi next. This exquisite version of the beloved ballet was filmed in 1986, with genuinely creepy sets and costumes designed by Maurice Sendak, of Little Critter and Where the Wild Things Are fame. Certainly, the squat, big-toothed Nutcracker looks like his work. Though the first half is pretty consistent with other retellings, it's the second half where this differs. The Spanish dancers are Arabian, and the Arabian Dance is performed by a woman in a peacock costume. The Chinese dancers perform with a huge gnome. Even Drosselmeyer goes Arabian in the second half, where he directly competes with the Nutcracker Prince for a decidedly adult Clara. This is also another version where Clara and the Nutcracker Prince take over the Sugar Plum Fairy's dances. The unique sets and costumes alone make this worth seeing for fans of The Nutcracker or ballet in general.

Finished the night at YouTube for something else that's truly unique. Kevin Perjurer of Defunctland created a four and a half hour documentary on the Walt Disney Company's attempt to create "Living Characters," aka Audio-Anamatronics that can talk and interact with theme park guests. They were apparently really gung-ho on this in the 2000's and early 2010's, but mobile figures like Bunsen and Beaker in their own Muppet Lab or a dinosaur that moved and pulled a cart proved too expensive, too difficult to maintain, and too prone to breakdowns. 

Animated puppet shows like Talk With Crush at the Living Seas With Nemo that gave audiences a chance to talk (and flirt) with versions of a beloved character were cheaper and went over slightly better with Imagineeers and audiences. There were supposed to have been droids and more "living characters" in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, but cost-cutting and the difficulty with their maintenance ended that idea. I didn't know anyone could do a four and a half hour documentary on the history of Disney's attempt to make robots that interact with guests, but Kevin knows how to make even the driest bit of theme park history vastly entertaining and even hilarious. If you have any interest in the history of robots and Disney's involvement with them, you owe it to yourself to check this out, even if you have to break it down into a couple of days' viewing like I did.

Disney's Living Characters: A Broken Promise

Inventors and Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? "Camp Comeoniwannscareya" almost acts as a throwback to the late 70's-early 80's cartoons that just featured Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy. Shaggy and Scooby are counselors at a summer camp who are mostly pretty popular with their campers...until a green glowing toxic monster starts attacking them. The kids take it on themselves to figure out what's going on, and how it connects to the summer resort their director is planning to build on the site.

Took the laundry downstairs, then spent the next hour and a half or so vacuuming, Switer-ing, and dusting my rooms. Watched Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on Netflix while I worked. Wallace (Ben Whitehead), a cheerful cheese-loving British inventor, has just invented a garden gnome named Norbot who does all the garden work, to the consternation of his dog Gromit who loves his garden work and wishes Wallace would be less reliant on technology. Turns out Gromit has a point when penguin criminal mastermind Feathers McGraw of the short The Wrong Trousers hacks into his computer and takes over Norbot. Norbot builds a whole army of garden gnomes to steal items from around town that will allow him to escape prison. After the police confiscate Wallace's inventions, the duo look for low-tech ways to pursue this webbed-footed criminal, before he makes off with the Blue Diamond.

As usual, we have a corking good mystery with two of the funniest animated characters from jolly old England. Aardman Animation always manages to do amazing things with these two, especially the silent Gromit (who doesn't even have a mouth). I haven't seen The Wrong Trousers in ages, so I don't really remember what happened with Feathers McGraw to land him in prison, but I do know he's a truly unique and very funny villain with plans that are even more elaborate than Wallace's. We also get some funny bits with an older Inspector (Peter Kay) and his eager new recruit (Lauren Patel), who ardently pursue the duo when they think they'll lead them to the diamond. If you loved the previous Wallace and Gromit adventures or are a fan of British animation, or just want to show your elementary schoolers a really funny mystery, this one is highly recommended.

Switched to Hart to Hart while getting ready for school. "You Made Me Kill You" is one of the most terrifying episodes of the entire series. Johnathan is completely unaware that his kindness to a woman in his accounting department (Kathleen Lloyd) has her completely infatuated with him. She's obsessed with getting rid of Jennifer so she can have him all to herself. She attempts to gas Jennifer at a party, then attacks her in her car. Johnathan has to pursue them, before this insane stalker wrecks any more havoc on his life and Jennifer's.

Hurried out a little early to have lunch at Common Grounds Coffee House on the other side of Oaklyn. They were relatively busy for past 2 PM when I arrived, though I did get a seat near the bench. This time, I had my Pear Spiced Chai warm, along with a slice of vegetable medley quiche and a "morning dew roll" (aka a knotted pastry with cinnamon - not bad). Ate very quickly, as it was almost time for me to go to work.

Though we did color pictures with pumpkins and turkeys and Pokemon when I arrived, we once again spent most of the afternoon outside. I had a nice long chat with several of the girls, including an older one who claimed she was sitting aside because her stomach felt funny (though she seemed fine later when she was running around with the others). We admired the leaves falling from one of the big trees in the playground area, looked for ladybugs, and saw a bug that had made itself resemble the mulch, likely for protection.

After I got home, I finally put the laundry in the drier, then went straight into Match Game '76. I saw the first episode on the Disney marathon yesterday. The remaining episodes brought in Fannie Flagg and Dick Martin. A sweet male contestant accidentally tried to kiss Fannie instead of Brett, who actually gave him the top answer for the Audience Match. He got his wish for Fannie when Richard used her as his "surrogate kisser" after the Head-to-Head.

Went to Shout TV for Mystery Science Theater 3000 after bringing my clean laundry upstairs. Eegah (Richard Kiel) is a caveman who falls for a very pretty young lady (Marilyn Manning), kidnapping her and her father (Arch Hall Sr.) and holding them in the desert. Eegah doesn't really cause any harm until the girl's boyfriend (Arch Hall Jr.) shows up with a gun. Eegah is determined to get his lady love back, even if it involves him wandering around civilization and grabbing her in broad daylight.

This ripe 60's cheese is, for all the bad acting, surprisingly sweet. The relationship between Eegah and Roxy is kind of oddly adorable. Certainly, Kiel is a lot more interesting than the dull, rather unattractive Hall Jr. The robots spend the movie pretty much pointing out the same thing. Not a masterpiece or anything, but worth checking out if you love mid-century horror or "so bad it's fascinating" B-flicks.

Finished up Maplepunzel while the movie was on. The evil is vanquished. Queen Gertie and King Tom (Eldridge) arrive with the restored Hope Springs army and Pruitt, putting him under arrest for treason to the crown. Maple gets her voice back, and Mackie explains about her heritage. Victor and Walter the Bear Cub are kissing her when...Maple awakens in her own bed. Her fever has broken, and she does feel better. She hears Betty and Scott performing on the radio when there's a knock at the door. Victor brought her lunch after his train was delayed. He can't stay, but Maple still hopes there will be something between them someday...

Though it didn't take anywhere near as long as Hilary and the Beasts, it still took longer than I thought it would. I had a lot of distractions, though, including vacation. My next story should take less time...because it's a re-write of The WENN Nutcracker Suite. I was never quite satisfied with how the original comic version from 1999 came out. I'm going to redo it, deepen the stakes and characters, and bring it closer to the original The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A Hoffman. I intend to keep some of the original, including the opening, so hopefully this one shouldn't take quite as long to write. I'm going to try to start it tomorrow or Wednesday. Maplepunzel should be posted at my writer's blog tomorrow. 

Finished the night at YouTube with musical game shows to honor the discovery of previously-lost Musical Chairs episodes last month. This variety-game show made history as the first game show with a black host, singer Adam Wade. Wade and a rotating assortment of guest stars would perform a song for the contestants. The contestants would either guess which lyric came next, or who originally performed the song. Players would be eliminated until the winner went on to the bonus round, where they had to put the lyrics of the song in the right order. 

Though the singers include the Spinners. Alaina Reed, Bobby Rydell, and soap star Mary Stuart, this was probably too complicated to make a dent in a crowded game show market. It ran for four months as an unlikely lead-in to Match Game and was gone by Halloween 1975. Too bad. The game is kind of fun to play along with, and it is great to hear all those singers.

Face the Music from 1980 gets even weirder. Ron Ely leads three of the strangest contestants in game show history in guessing which celebrity a series of songs are relating to. Honestly, the game is strange enough. The oddball contestants are the cherry on top. Here, we get an older lady who is frankly a little too enthusiastic, scaring the young Asian man next to her.

The Pop n' Rocker Game from 1984 is very similar to Musical Chairs, though as you can guess from the title, the focus is more on rock. Jon Bauman got his first hosting job outside of his "Bowser" persona as the host asking rock trivia questions. The Bangels are among those making musical appearances here.

The most famous "guess the song" game show is likely Name That Tune. One of its most successful versions was in the late 70's, when Tom Kennedy helmed the hit syndicated show. Two contestants Dare each other to guess what song is playing in the fewest notes possible. Winner goes on to guessing the Golden Medley, as series of songs going by in rapid fashion. I love every version of this venerable favorite, and this one is no exception. Kennedy had one of his best-known gigs here, and that "Golden Medley" is genuinely exciting.

Sing and play along with some great shows and better music with these tune-filled games!

Musical Chairs (1975)

Musical Chairs (1975)

Musical Chairs Series Finale (1975)

Name That Tune (1977)

Face the Music (1980)

The Pop n' Rocker Game (1984) 

Spooky Angels

Started off the day with breakfast and Good Eats. Figured the "Breakfast Eats" DVD was more than appropriate. "Oats Culture" is likely more appreciated now than it was when this episode was filmed in the early 2000's. People have since discovered the delights and practicality of oatmeal cooked overnight in the microwave or slow cooker. Steel-cut and whole oats have become more popular too as more people search for healthy grains and alternatives to gluten-heavy wheat products.

Likewise, "Yogurt: Good Milk Gone Bad," which I watched while pulling out the winter clothes, is also better-appreciated today. I still think it's a bit too labor-intensive to make my own, though the yogurt cheese doesn't seem as bad. And I'd love to make my own frozen yogurt!

Dusted the rooms while watching "True Brew II: Mr. Tea." This is where I respectfully disagree with Alton. I generally use tea bags. They're a lot less fussy than playing around with loose-leaf tea. I do agree with his method for making iced tea, though I generally prefer mine without sugar.

Watched Charlie's Angels as I finished up the dusting. In "Of Ghosts and Angels," Tiffany is having nightmares about a dark-haired woman being pushed downstairs. She visits with a good friend of hers from college...and realizes that some malevolent force may be after her friend, and her friend's new husband isn't nearly as perfect as he seems.

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while putting up the Halloween decorations and having lunch. Daniel and Katarina are over at the Merry-Go-Round Museum while they figure out what to dress as for Dress-Up Day. Daniel is his hero Tigey the Adventure Tiger. Miss Elainia has to make her robot costume. Katarina can't decide what to be...until the other two remind her that you can be more than one thing. "Katarina's Costume" blends elements of everything she loves. O the Owl is upset when his traffic lights costume is damaged during the "Dress Up Day" parade. Daniel has to help O figure out what else he wants to be.

Headed out to school a little early to drop off a bag of clothes in the bins behind Dollar General. When I got into school, I found the kids waiting in the hall with their backpacks, reading books. The school band rehearsal ran overtime, and the kids couldn't use the library due to the Book Fair being set up there. (And lucky kids! I'm so happy they still do book fairs at schools. Those were always among the highlights of the school year for me.)

Not only did we get outside today, but the teachers let them stay out for an extra 10-15 minutes. It was cloudy, windy, and humid, but also cool enough for the kids to run around and not get too hot. It's not supposed to be this nice tomorrow! The kids were fascinated by men setting up a roadblock outside the school and a nondescript cop car with lights flashing. Some of them watched the car until it turned around and went back down the street. And they all love it when I push them on the swings! I get so many requests for that, especially from the littlest ones who can't really push themselves on their own.

Went straight home and worked on a new idea for another WENN fanfic. This is going to be one of my first fairy tales for 2026 along with C.J and the Beanstalk, and it's a cross between two ideas. Betty is feeling overlooked during the 4th season - not to mention, she sees Maple flirting with Victor and realizes she might not have that many problems with it and hears Hilary and Jeff argue over Pavla again. She's supposed to be writing the script for "Cinderella," but why go the usual route? What if Cinderella had another reason for dancing at the ball than getting the prince?

So Betty is now the overlooked scribe who is convinced by Queen Gertie and King Tom (Eldridge) to attend a ball held by Lady Pavla. Lady Pavla seems glamorous on the outside, but there's a lot of red flags with her. She took over the household of Lady Maple and Lord Victor when they just vanished...and shortly before she arrived, dragons began terrorizing the kingdoms, stealing gold and burning buildings. Every knight in the kingdom has disappeared trying to find out what's going on. Lady Hilary, who has quite a bit of fairy magic, gives Betty gowns that will mask her identity, glass slippers that can't be heard, and a cape that will let her slip around unseen. Queen Gertie is worried about her son Scott being at the ball as well, as she fears he may do something rash.

Betty arrives to find Pavla the absolute measure of glamour and sweetness, carrying around a red-furred poodle who does dancing tricks. Something is very off about her, and Betty will learn by midnight that Pavla is far more than she appears at the surface.

Don't look for this one before 2026. I still have too many ideas I want to work on now, including finishing Maplepunzel.

Watched Paramount on Parade while I worked. I go further into this charming revue from 1930 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Paramount on Parade

Finished the night with Match Game '76. Jimmie Walker was delighted to flirt with a pretty young contestant who made her own stylish clothes and kept winning. Gene just did his best to keep Jimmie from drumming up the crowd for his bad answers. 

Dance Party at the Playground

Began the morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Fred and the gang are "Wrestle Maniacs" when he more than happily replaces a wrestler in a huge match after they're scared away by the ghost of a contorted mutant wrestler. Fred's the one who vanishes when he's attacked by the Titanic Twist, but the ladies realize that the Twist only seems interested in one wrestler in particular...one whose children have begged him to end his involvement in the dangerous sport.

Spent the rest of the morning vacuuming, dusting, and using the Swifter on the wooden parts of the floors. Watched the original 1933 King Kong while I worked. Director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) hires actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) to appear in his latest animal movie, filmed in a remote jungle. The film crew takes a boat to remote Skull Island, where he hopes to film a mysterious creature called Kong. Ann, meanwhile, falls for one of the sailors on the boat, Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). 

Kong turns out to be a massive gorilla, and the natives want to sacrifice Ann to him. Carl and some of the crew chase her, but they're held back by dinosaurs, including two whom Kong attacks. Jack does rescue Ann, but Kong follows. Carl takes advantage of Kong's interest in Ann to knock him out and take him back to New York for display. Kong, however, does not belong in an urban jungle, and he proves it when he breaks out and takes Ann on that famous climb up the Empire State Building. It's here that Kong meets his maker...and Carl reveals that "'twas beauty that killed the beast."

Though some aspects haven't dated well (like the very obviously stereotypical natives who worship Kong), I can mostly see why this was such a hit and is still widely respected now. The stop motion work that pit Kong against the dinosaurs, especially the Tyrannosaurus, still looks pretty good, and Fay Wray being carried up the Empire State Building remains an iconic image. A must-see for anyone who loves monster movies or King Kong and wants to see where many of them originated.

Headed out around 1:50 to eat out before work. The White Horse Pub about a block from CVS is one of the few restaurants on the White Horse Pike that's open on a Monday. In fact, except for one guy at the bar, they were totally dead when I arrived. I enjoyed a turkey bacon wrap with tasty sweet potato fries dipped into syrup and a Diet Coke in peace other than the TVs. 

Got to Thomas Sharp Elementary just as the kids were arriving. Though we had more kids than last week, we aren't quite at full strength yet. We had 15 younger kids and probably about 6 older ones. The kids were rowdier, especially in the bathroom, which makes it a very good thing that we got them outside. It would have been a crime not to! The weather was stunning, sunny, breezy, dry, and warm but not too hot. The kids chased each other and the other teachers and I ran around with them as "Floor Is Lava" blasted from the new speakers given to the program. Most of the kids were picked up when we were outside. By 5 PM, we had so few kids, they let me leave early.

I went home and spent the rest of the evening working on Maplepunzel. Maple is waiting for Victor and Scott's arrival the next evening when Pavla comes early. To Maple's horror, Pavla not only intends to take her to Berlania, she wants her to marry Pruitt, her financier and one of the country's top officials, and marry Victor herself. Maple has had enough of Pavla's manipulation and demands. She screams so loudly, she shatters crockery and what little glass there is, and attacks Pavla wildly. Pavla has to call her ugly giant crows to hold Maple down.

Furious, Pavla crops Maple's long red hair closely to her head, making sure she has as little left as possible, and slashes her cheeks with the blades of the scissors. When Maple briefly breaks free and calls out the window to warn Victor and Scott away, Pavla takes her voice as her own. Not only does Maple not warn Victor away, he hears her and knows something wrong. He climbs the hair, but only sees Pavla glaring down at him. He accidentally lets go of Maple's hair and drops into the thorny vines below. The vines shred his skin and the blue uniform and pierce his eyes, leaving him blinded. Pavla carries him off to Wennaria on her griffin, rescuing Victor from the thorns and making him believe she's Maple, while Maple is carried off in the opposite direction to be abandoned in the nearest wilderness.

Listened to On the Radio while I worked. Donna Summer's greatest hits album from 1979 may be her definitive collection. It has most of her famous songs, including the title song, "Bad Girls," "Hot Stuff," "Last Dance," "Heaven Knows," and the hit "Enough Is Enough (No More Tears)." My stepdad loved her in the early 80's. Some of my earliest memories are of dancing to his original album copy. In the late 90's, I found it on CD and bought it as a Christmas present for Dad. It was intended to be a little bit of a joke - Dad loved disco, but Mom hated it. It wound up being the hit of the Christmas season and played constantly by everyone in my family during Christmas break, even by Mom.

Switched to Match Game PM while working. For most of this week, Buzzr is running episodes of the nighttime Match Game episodes from 1976 and 1977 it hasn't yet gotten around to. I suspect this is in honor of the nighttime show's 50th anniversary.

In fact, I finished the night with nighttime episodes of popular daytime shows. This practice goes way far back. Some shows that ran in the daytime were such massive hits, they would film extra episodes for the syndicated market at night, too. Match Game and Family Feud are two such surviving examples from the 70's. Alas, the syndicated Tattletales isn't quite as lucky. Its nighttime version only lasted a year, and most of it is gone except a few episodes that ran on Buzzr a couple of years ago. 

The 1972 version of The Price Is Right tried three different nighttime syndicated episodes. I have the second version, hosted by a warm, witty Tom Kennedy. It was based on the original half-hour show from 1972-1975, with people playing three pricing games and the top two winners bidding on Showcases. Alas, it and the 1986-1987 syndicated Card Sharks with Bill Rafferty hosting were victims of a crowded market and didn't last a year. Nor did the syndicated Sale of the Century, which ran in 1985 (though ironically the syndicated Sale exists in full, unlike its mostly lost daytime version). 

No game show benefited more from moving to the nighttime than Wheel of Fortune. Only a middling success in daytime, Wheel debuted in syndication in 1982 and became an instant sensation that is still going strong to this day. Likewise, Hollywood Squares would twice try nighttime syndication and was a hit both times. I have an episode of the original 70's syndicated show hosted by Peter Marshall, with Paul Lynde presiding in the center square. Other celebrities in this episode include Wally Cox, Shirley Jones, Charley Weaver, Elke Sommer, and Kent McCord.

Game shows can be even more fun in the nighttime! Come see what nighttime syndication has to offer in these hilarious episodes!

Hollywood Squares (1973)

Match Game (1975)

Tattletales (1977)

Family Feud (1984)

Sale of the Century (1985)

Card Sharks (1986)

The Price Is Right (1986)

Wheel of Fortune (1992)