Larger Than Life Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and the soundtrack to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This was Tim Curry's big break, and one of his first major roles for most American audiences. And what a way to debut! He gets one of the big numbers from this, "Sweet Transvestite," as the mad scientist who thinks they've created the perfect man. The chorus numbers are probably even better-known today, including "I Can Make You a Man" for Curry and his hangers-on, "Wild and Untamed Thing," "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a Touch Me," and of course, "The Time Warp." This is probably more fun at a midnight showing, but the music is good enough to rate a listen around Halloween or whenever you're feeling in the need for some really, really unique dance music.

Called Uber after Side A of the record ended. It was hot, humid, and supposed to rain later. I think I made the right call. The driver going to the Acme arrived in 11 minutes. I called early enough that I got there in plenty of time. The one going home arrived in 10 minutes. No trouble either way.

No trouble at work, either. I swept and pushed carts for the entire six hours. I was on my own during the morning. One of the college boys came out to help me after about 1 PM. Good thing, too. It wasn't busy when I arrived, but it picked up around 11 and stayed busy the rest of the day. We're coming up on the start of September and the school year, and Labor Day is next weekend.

Finished Rocky Horror when I got home while reading Topped Chef by Lucy Burdette, then switched to the original cast CD for the musical version of My Favorite Year. Curry got a Tony nomination in the Peter O'Toole role as the sozzled Errol Flynn-esque swashbuckler star. Lanie Kazan repeated her role as Benjy Stone's (Evan Pappas) mother Belle and also got a Tony nomination; listen for Mary Stout (Eugenia on Remember WENN) also reprising her role as Benjy's aunt in the "Welcome to Brooklyn" number. Lynn Aherns and Stephen Flahtery have an incredible opening number, Benjy's description of live television right before the show starts, "Twenty Million People," but most of the other chorus numbers are just there to give the chorus something to do. Neither Curry's "The Night Is Young" nor "The Gospel According to King" are all that interesting or have much to do with the story. 

The character numbers are better. Belle describes how she fell in love with her scrappy Philippine husband in "Rookie In the Ring," Curry tears into "If Life Were Like the Movies," and Benjy explains why he adores Swann's films in "Larger Than Life." Andrea Martin did get a Tony as the female sketch writer in an expanded role, including her big number "Professional Showbizness Comedy" with King Kaiser (Tom Mardrosian). I love this, but I'm also a big fan of Aherns, Flahtery, and the original movie. If you love Martin, Curry, or the film it's worth checking out just for those character numbers. 

Moved to YouTube for not one, but two marathons. Country singer "Whisperin'" Bill Anderson was just celebrated for being the oldest current member of the Grand Ol' Opry. He was also the only country star to be a semi-regular on Match Game. The self-effacing, down-home charm he brought to the Opry made him unique on Match Game amid the crustier or more urban panelists. He first turned up on Bonnie Franklin's second week in mid-1976, as she reminded Gene that he hadn't been able to kiss her the first time she was there. 

Bill's most famous episode came later in 1976. Brett and Charles dressed as cowpokes to be his back-up singers as he performed his own song for Debralee Scott, who sat under him that week. She was deeply touched, and I thought the whole thing was adorable. He was also on the week in 1978 with Brett and Jack Klugman after their divorce, including the PM episode where Jack said if you asked his ex the time of day, she'd tell you how the clock was made. (He was right.) He brought along a picture of his darling new baby boy in a syndicated episode. He appeared right until the end of the syndicated series in 1982, making his final appearance on a week with another country superstar, Irlene Mandrell. 

His last Match Game appearance was during a week of Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984. He brought along a Casio keyboard to work on new songs while helping a man from Manchester, England get to the Hollywood Squares segment. Joining him that week were Edie McClurg in a tiara, Fred Travalena and his one-man White House, Linda Dano, Soupy Sales, and Joe Santos. 

Lift a twangy guitar to the man whose career has spanned six decades in this hilarious and tuneful marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Bill Anderson "Country Star" Special Shows

Jaye P. Morgan is best-known nowadays for her stint on The Gong Show, but she did do Match Game just as it started again in mid-1973. In fact, her one week introduced eventual series regulars Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly and semi-regulars Bert Convy and Betty White. Morgan is the only one that week who wouldn't come back, but she had a lot of fun anyway. She got to hear Brett claim for the first time that Charles wasn't wearing socks and had Bert flirt with her about "turning her on" when she complained that the light on her desk wouldn't turn on.

Bang the gong for this singer, actress, and talent show judge in one of the funniest early weeks of the show!

Match Game Sunday Classics  - Jaye P. Morgan Tribute

Finished the night with the all together quieter Miles Davis rendition of Porgy and Bess. This may have been recorded in anticipation of the 1959 Goldwyn film version of the landmark Gershwin opera, but it honestly came out better than that troubled movie did. In fact, this remains one of Davis' best-selling albums. His "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "Gone," "Summertime," and "I Loves You, Porgy" capture the tough-tender feel of the opera far better than Goldwyn's overstuffed extravaganza generally does. 

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

Beautiful Day In Audubon

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man. Queen Elmora becomes the "She-Demon of Phantos" when Skeletor hypnotizes her and steal the precious metal she gave the Eterniana for weapons. He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Battle Cat, and several others go after her. Teela comes along as well, even though her father is concerned for her safety.

Headed off to the Acme after that. No trouble whatsoever today. I arrived on time. The Acme was quiet as can be. It's the end of a month that's not known for being busy to begin with. If people weren't at work, they were on vacation or getting kids ready for school. Once a college boy came in to handle the carts, there was even less for me to do. I spent the last half-hour putting away unwanted items. No trouble whatsoever.

Changed my shirt after my shift ended, then headed out. It was too nice of a day to sit inside. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the breeze felt great. I rode across Audubon to Simply Soups and More. I hadn't eaten there in ages. This small cash-only hole in the wall features different soups every day of the week. I went with sweet potato. Oh yum, that was good. It tasted like a liquid sweet potato, thick and sweet and earthy, with caramelized pecan bits and bits of ham. Sat at one of the chrome-trimmed tables in the window, daydreaming as I ate.

I kept getting turned around, so it took me a few minutes to arrive at the Audubon Library after lunch. This tiny 50's-era building is only slightly bigger than the Oaklyn Library before they closed. Their adult non-fiction selection isn't great, but they do have a rather nice children's section. I ended up settling down to read The Secret Garden On 81st Street, a graphic novel modern retelling of The Secret Garden. 

I've seen this around, but had never read the full book until now. Here, Mary Lennox is a video game fan who basically lives online. Her parents work all the time and are too busy for her, until they die in an accident and she's sent to live with her uncle in New York. The unwanted garden is on the roof, there's a cat leading her to it instead of a bird, Molly is her babysitter and she and Dickon are neighbors, the gruff old man is a garden store owner instead of a gardener, and Colin can walk just fine but has horrible panic attacks following the death of his other father. The anime-esque artwork was lovely and colorful, and the entire story was well-done and very charming. (I saw a modern Little Women graphic novel that I might have to take a look at someday as well. Later research revealed a modern Anne of Green Gables set in Philly, and there's apparently a modern Little Princess coming out next spring.)

After I left, I went down the street to the Audubon WaWa. Thought I'd do something I hadn't in a while and mess around with the Coke Freestyle machine. Mixed Tropical, Lime, and Cream Coke Zero. Not bad. I think the cream really came across more than anything tropical or citrus. Returned briefly to the Library after I left when I realized I left the bag with my work shirt there. 

Since the Child Safety and Development certificate hadn't gone through, I just did the entire class over. Listened to the soundtrack from Working Girl while I did the class. Movie and soundtrack are long-time favorites of mine, one of the few romantic comedies I ever liked (and one of the first R-rated movies I watched as a kid). Carly Simon's Oscar-winning "Let the River Run" and Chris de Burgh's "Lady In Red" were the hits here. We also have the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited" and a few more numbers from Simom, notably the instrumental "In Love." 

Watched Steel Magnolias next in honor of Dolly Parton, who passed away yesterday. Parton plays Truvy, a "glamour technician" whose beauty shop is the epicenter of their small Louisiana town. Her best friend is M'Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field), whose adored daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts) is about to get married when the movie starts. Truvy hires shy Annelle Dupuy (Darryl Hannah), who just arrived in town to escape her criminal husband, to work in her store. There's also Clariee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis), wife of the former mayor, and grumpy Ouiser Bourdreux (Shirley MacLaine), who are both regulars at the shop. Delicate Shelby has Type 1 Diabetes, but she and her husband Jackson (Dylan McDermott) desperately want to have a baby. M'Lynn thinks this is a bad idea...and proves to be right when Jackson Jr. comes out ok, but she has to donate a kidney to Shelby afterwards. When even that doesn't help, M'Lynn's friends are there to comfort her and let her know that she isn't alone in her grief.

This is one of my mother's favorite movies. Sally Field is her favorite actress. Mom grew up in Virginia and West Virginia around women very much like the ones in this movie. Honestly, the best thing about this are MacLaine and Dukaukis. They steal the show as two of the coolest and funniest older southern ladies you'll ever meet. Roberts got an Oscar nomination and early exposure as the youngest of the women who literally gives her life to have a child. The melodrama in the second half can be a little much now, especially for those who have lost a grown child, but for the most part, this remains a lovely and charming look at one small southern town and how six women grow together in the course of a few years.

Switched to Match Game '76 during dinner. They're on to the Joey Bishop-Mary Wickes week that was on the Joey Bishop YouTube marathon a few weeks ago. Mary and Brett had a bit of a crush on a handsome contestant that looked a lot like Allen Ludden. Joey actually gave the guy a kiss at one point, saying he was tired of not getting to kiss somebody.

Watched more Remember WENN next. Betty lets Mackie manage WENN while she's at a convention. It goes to his head, until gangster Palermo Racine (Phillip Bosco) turns up at the station. He was once Racine's driver, until he got him into trouble after he robbed a warehouse and Racine in turn claimed he was in on it. He thinks he'll have to be "A Star In Stripes Forever" and go on the lam after Racine starts asking for favors, but the others know how to expose Racine's ruse without revealing Mackie's secret.

Former stripper Maple LaMarsh is tired of being regarded as "A Girl Like Maple," the station's tomboy and loose woman. She's thrilled when a handsome congressman (Broadway star Boyd Gaines) flirts with her when she takes over temporarily for Hilary on Men In the Headlines. Trouble is, she used a much different voice from her normal Brooklyn accent, and now he thinks she's a cultured lady. The others try to help her preserve the illusion (Hilary reluctantly), until she realizes that the guy is far from what he claims, and she's fine just being herself. 

Finished the night with the CD All My Tomorrows. Grover Washington Jr. was "the most popular saxophonist in jazz" when he made this album in 1994. No wonder, with his gorgeous renditions of "When I Fall In Love," "For Heaven's Sake," and the title song. We also gets some nice vocals on "I'm Glad There Is You" and "Overjoyed." 

Mothers and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "Donald's Clubhouse Sleepover" is at his very own boat-shaped home on a lake. Donald loves it and keeps showing off what it can do, even as his friends try to sleep. The others have to figure out how to get him settled down, so they can all get to sleep. 

Though it was only cloudy at that point, I still called Uber. I didn't trust the weather, and I had grocery shopping to do later. They arrived in 9 minutes...but I called too late and was slightly late to work. They took 8 minutes going home.

Other than that and I had to clean up a spill from one of the watermelon chunk bowls, there were no other problems today. We were really busy, especially later in the morning. I could hardly keep up with the carts! There was no help, either. The head bagger was helping in the floral department, and everyone else was needed up front. At least the weather held out. The clouds remained, and it was windy and relatively warm, but it didn't rain.

Went right into grocery shopping after work. Restocked yogurt, chicken, cheese, soda, granola bars, brownie cookies, and strawberries. Had online coupons for Like Air puffcorn and Siggi yogurt. Bumble Bee tuna was buy five cans, get them for 99 cents each. I had to go back and get the right ones when three out of the five cans I picked up were packed in oil instead of water. Got a slice of chocolate cake for a special treat.

When I got home, I had lunch while watching the last episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus currently on Disney Plus. Mickey and Minnie go back to fairy tales with "The Candy Cottage." They're Hansel and Gretel who must find the candy to fix Wizard Pete's cottage after Donald eats part of it and Pete puts him under a sleeping spell. Peppermint Clarabelle, Farmer Goofy and his candy apple trees, and Daisy Bo Peep and her marshmallow-wool sheep may be able to help.

Took a much-needed early shower, then put everything away and got into bed for a nap. I've had a really long week, and I've been up too late a lot recently. I badly needed the rest. I went down at 3 PM and didn't roll out of bed until 5:30.

(Oh, and it did finally rain around 2:30-3 PM, not long after I got home. The rain had long disappeared by the time I finished my nap. It was gorgeous for the rest of the evening, sunny and warm.) 

Put on The Lawrence Welk Show next. Honored Jo Anne Castle, the honky-tonk pianist and comedienne who passed away yesterday, with a spring-themed episode from 1966. Jo Anne is my favorite performer in the 60's episodes. Her joy, talent, big heart, and voluptuous figure proves that you don't need to look like a sweet little Lennon Sister to be a variety show scene-stealer. Jo Anne and her piano "go green" here with her fabulous rendition of the old Al Jolson favorite "Swanee." 

The Lawrence Welk Show - Springtime In the Rockies (1966) 

Finished the night with dinner and today's Match Game marathon. Mothers - those who played them on TV, real-life mothers, and questions about mothers and motherhood - abounded on this show. One of the first mothers to appear on the show in 1973 was also possibly the most unique. Carolyn "Morticia Addams" Jones did a memorable week late in the year. Esther Rolle of Good Times turned up in 1974 along with bass-voiced comedian Joe Silver. Isobel Sanford of The Jeffersons and Bonnie Franklin of One Day at a Time made their first appearances in 1976, Sanford on a hilarious week that also included composer Marvin Hamlisch. Hope Lange of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, who remained friends with Charles even after that show ended its run, turned up in mid-1978. 

Real mothers appeared on the panel and in the audience, too. Producer Mark Goodson's mother Fanny was spotted in the audience at least twice during the syndicated run. Bart Braverman mentioned his grandmother on the same episode that Charles wished his Swedish mother in Connecticut a happy birthday. Towering-yet-boyish Peter Issacson pointed out his mother in the audience during the first day of his week in 1975. During Hope Lange's week, Gene turned up in the opening with two toddlers. One was Patti Deusch's son Max; the other was Gary Burghoff's darling daughter Gina. Elaine Joyce's daughter Taylor was seen twice during the syndicated run; the episode here has her appearing in her adorable Polish dance costume.

Bring your mother along to match with some of the funniest mothers on TV in this hilarious and touching marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Mothers are Beautiful Marathon

The Warmth of the Sun

Began the morning with a quick breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. Tula's "Betrayal" of Ioz ends with her joining Bloth and bringing him the first treasure and the compass. Bloth also has Ren and Nibbler in with his other prisoners. The head of the prisoners is Abagon, a tough woman who had once been his father's advisor and knows more about the treasures and where they can be found.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. I had errands to run. Figured I'd start with a walk. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and blue. It was fairly warm, but not too much so, probably in the upper 50's-lower 60's. The daffodils are finally blooming now, emerald lawns filled with bits of yellow and gold sunshine. Many people were out mowing lawns or clearing their gardens for the season. Others pushed their children in strollers or walked their dogs.

Made a quick stop at Target first. For one thing, I wanted more of those new Slice flavors. They're still buy one, get one 50 percent off there. Went with strawberry and cherry cola this time. I was mainly there for pads, which are decent prices for large containers.

The Westmont has slightly expanded hours to 2 on weekends. (And they'll be 8 to 3 all week starting Monday.) Needless to say, given they just reopened after a year a little over a week ago, they were very busy. I took a seat at the bar. The bar is now strictly for eating - there's no desserts or juice machines back there. No cakes or pastries, either, just breakfast breads and pastries. Everything is very simple beige and brown modern, very streamlined. At least the seats at the bar were comfortable!

The menu is limited to breakfast options and sandwiches at the moment. Fine by me. I wanted pancakes anyway. I ordered pancakes topped with strawberries, bacon, and a chai latte. The chai latte was ok, not all that different from Starbucks down the street. The pancakes were smaller, and even though there were three, they were nice and fluffy and not too much to eat in one sitting. The strawberry compote was delicious, and the bacon was amazing. I asked for it crispy, and it couldn't have been better. It was nice and thick, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Best bacon I ever had. The Maple syrup was so warm, I couldn't pick up the metal container at first. It was expensive, but so worth it.

Strolled past the Haddon Township High School to the Westmont Acme next. I really didn't need all that much, which is why I just shopped here this week. I had online coupons for coconut milk, yogurt, granola bars, and apples. Got bakery cookies, too, and more soda for a dollar each. Considering there were no carts outside when I arrived, the Acme was actually pretty dead. It was too nice to be grocery shopping, and there isn't a whole lot going on right now besides March Madness. It's a beautiful spring day, and we're between holidays.

Called Uber to get home. My knee was starting to get sore. Maybe I should have just walked. It took 19 minutes to get a ride at quarter of 2! At least that did give me the chance to go to the bathroom, and there was no trouble once he did arrive.

When I got home, I put everything away...then had trouble deciding what to watch. I finally settled on the two-hour fifth season premiere of The Love Boat. "Julie's Wedding" to a handsome Australian zoologist (Anthony Andrews) will have Vicki as her bridesmaid, the men as her ushers, and Captain Steubing giving her away...but the blood test his brother insists he gets proves to be far more important than he thinks. Meanwhile, Doc and Gopher chase after "Julie's Replacement" (Delvene Delaney). 

An anthropology professor (Henry Morgan) on "The Expedition" thinks his sleazy colleague (Jose Ferrer) has found "The Mongola," the missing link between man and ape...but it's not what they think it is. Meanwhile, "The Professor's Wife" (Katherine Helmond) is falling for the Captain, while his female assistant (Donna Dixon) falls for this seeming creature (Patrick Ward). A handsome rancher learns "The Three Rs" when a scheming blonde (Jennilee Harrison) and a gentle teacher (Michelle Phillips) vie for his affections.

Oh, and I got my schedule. It's perfectly normal for this time of the month and year. I'm back to weekend afternoons and Wednesday morning at the Acme. The kids are on their regular schedule again. At least the only other thing I have planned is a very, very early appointment to look at my knee at the Cooper Bone and Joint institute in Cherry Hill. 

Switched to music while I worked on the ladies arriving in the silenced Isabella Town in Legendary Tales of WENN. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a great soundtrack from a  very troubled movie. In addition to Kate Capshaw's opening "Anything Goes" in Chinese and the iconic "Indiana Jones March," there's the atmospheric music for the Temple of Doom itself and for the famous Mine Chase Ride scene.

Xanadu is an even stranger and more troubled 80's fantasy. The script may be a notorious mess, but that's not the fault of the soundtrack. The songs were a massive hit in 1980, with "Magic," "Suddenly," and the title song still receiving airplay to this day. I'm also fond of Olivia Newton-John's lovely ballad "Suspended In Time," her charming duet with Gene Kelly "Whenever You're Away From Me," and the Electric Light Orchestra solo "All Over the World." 

Finished the night with a late Match Game marathon. Match Game Productions honored Chuck Norris, the beloved action icon and star of Walker, Texas Ranger, who passed away on Thursday, with episodes that referred to karate (Norris was also a martial artist), Texas, rangers, cowboys, or oil magnates. This was the height of "Kung Fu Fighting" and Bruce Lee's brief but enormous popularity, though most of the karate jokes usually involved who wore what color belt. With country music stars like Mel Tills making occasional appearances on the show and both country music and Texas oil country being at their height of fame in the 70's and 80's, there were quite a few jokes about wealthy Texas millionaires and what they do with their homes, swimming pools, and oil wells. 

The Texas jokes were even more pronounced in the late 70's once Dallas became one of the hottest soap operas on TV. Steve Kanaly did one of the funniest of the later PM episodes, where Gene turns up in bright red shoes, Brett, Richard Paul, and Charles sings about "The Eyes of Texas" in response to an "Eyes of __" Audience Match, and the contestant ends up in Jamie Lee Curtis' lap. Another one featured a contestant who could turn his feet all the way around, which was just freaky.

At any rate, go deep into the heart of Texas to honor this iconic action star!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Remembering Chuck Norris 

Matches and Lovely Ladies

Began the morning with breakfast and Halloween Songs and Sounds. The first half of this Disney collection is mildly spooky songs featuring either Goofy and Mickey or the chorus. Mickey's "They Don't Scare Me" and the hilarious "The Werewolf Song" are probably the best of the Disney character material. We also get two Winnie the Pooh songs, "Heffalumps and Woozels" from Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and Tigger's "I Want to Scare Myself" from the special Boo to You, Winnie the Pooh! The remaining tracks are all sounds...and as they're likely taken from the later version of Disney's Haunted Mansion sounds album, they're all really too spooky to go with the kiddie songs on the first half.

Hurried off to work the moment the CD ended. Work was a little busier when I arrived, likely due to the Eagles-Giants game just starting. It cleared out pretty quickly after that. Though it did pick up again around 4-4:30 as the game ended and I had some trouble gathering carts then, it never became overwhelmingly busy. Considering what the carts looked like when I arrived, everyone must have come in the morning, before the game. Nice weather may have been a factor, too. Though there were some clouds, it was mostly sunny, windless, and warmer than it has been, probably in the lower 60's. 

(Oh, and the Eagles got themselves together well enough this time at home to beat the Giants 38-28. Good thing they're off next week. There's a couple of important guys who need to heal from injuries, including Saquon Barkley. Not to mention, it'll be busy enough next weekend with people celebrating leftover Halloween parties without an Eagles game, too.)

Had dinner when I got home, then watched two Match Game marathons. The first one was another look at episodes that are rare in one way or another. Either they were damaged and only recently restored, like episode 7 from 1973 with Bob Barker, Richard Thomas, and Michael Lerned or the day after Christmas episode from 1978 with Joe Santos and Fannie Flagg, or they had humor that would be offensive today. The anything-goes syndicated episodes were particularly prone to this. Gene made a "mudball" comment at a contestant in a 1981 syndicated episode that would not only never fly today, but got that episode banned from the airwaves. There's also weeks that haven't been officially cleared by their celebrities but have episodes floating around on YouTube, including the Steve Kanaly week on syndication in 1979 and some of Jimmie Walker's syndicated episodes. 

Buzzr has restored at least twenty episodes or more to the rotation, including two long-lost nighttime episodes. Episode 11 ends with a contestant fully striking out and taking off afterwards. Richard does a comic recitation about a bricklayer who loses control of his wares instead. Episode 74 features Brett trying to be an elegant lady like Eva Gabor with her fan and pearls. It also has Gene making a mildly derogatory comment to a cheerful Asian contestant that may have been the reason this episode disappeared to begin with.

See some of the rarest Match Game episodes of all in this unusual marathon!

Match Game - Around the Years Special Episodes 

Match Game Productions also honored the late June Lockhart, who died on Thursday at the ripe old age of 100, with a marathon featuring her one week on the show. She appeared during Christmas week 1973, which also happened to mark the first of three appearances of suave character actor Jack Cassidy. She got to see Charles appear as Santa on Christmas Day, complete with curly beard and (for some odd reason) a southern accent. The show also made jokes about the show she's still most associated with, Lassie. Brett got censored for her rather pointed answer about what Lassie's least-favorite movie he ever made was in one infamous later episode.

Honor this lovely lady with a jolt of holiday hilarity - no censoring needed!

June Lockhart Tribute - Featuring Episodes with June and Lassie References

Finished the night working on Maplepunzel. Maple, Mackie, and Walter the Bear Cub make their way into the dungeon. Maple turns the bird-monsters guarding Scott into ordinary birds, while Walter gets the keys and Mackie frees Scott. Betty the deer is able to free herself, running away from the ladies of the court Pavla ordered to watch over her. Scott's tired and whispering and not in the best shape, and he still insists on helping the others stop the wedding. He's also delighted to learn that Maple's powers are not only back, but as Mackie tells her, they revolve around what's in her heart, not growing on her head. Maple and Betty lead them to the throne room to stop the wedding, following the depressing dirges Pavla is so fond of. 

Birth of Fall

Began the day with breakfast and The Muppet Show. Hard rock star Alice Cooper was the other guest associated with horror who appeared on the show, this time in the third season. The Muppets played on his ghoulish reputation with a story where he tries to sell the Muppets' souls, but Gonzo is the only taker. Meanwhile, teeth complain about a toothache, Pigs In Space are turned into ghostly outlines by a virus, and Robin sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Work was pretty much the same deal it had been on Wednesday. We were dead the entire morning. It got a little steady around 11:30, then went right back to being dead. Like I said, we're between holidays, the next major holiday isn't really food-oriented anyway, and the weather remains gorgeous. It was sunny and windy, but not quite as warm as it has been, likely in the lower 60's. 

Got my schedule here, too. In good news, I only work Sunday afternoon and Wednesday morning next week. I asked for Halloween off (we're never busy anyway), but I didn't expect to get Saturday! In bad news, that means a really bad paycheck the week after. 

Headed home after work, then changed and briefly went right back out. I bought a pepperoni-stuffed pretzel and two regular pretzels for lunch. Got them at the A&A Pretzel Shop, then rode home.

Had lunch while watching Paw Patrol. "Pups Save the Trick or Treaters" when Mayor Humdinger's giant spider costume steals all of the trick or treat candy. They make use of a marshmallow web Marshall inadvertently created to catch him. "Pups Save an Out of Control Mini Patrol" when Alex accidentally takes Daring Danny X's new rocket bike while delivering cow shampoo to Katie. Chase and Marshall keep him from ending up in the bay.

Rode to the Thomas Sharp School after the cartoon ended. Though the teacher did read a book about various kinds of tools and their uses after snack time, we were mainly outside. I had to settle a lot of arguments over the swings! They all really love them, but there's only two. I told them I'd choose who went next and would keep them from hitting each other. They love it when I push them! The girls say I push really high. We had a somewhat smaller group than usual that disappeared quicker than usual. The school was apparently holding a "trunk or treat" event on the blacktop in the back of the school later in the evening. It was just starting as I left.

At this point, I also got two big announcements. First of all, my fourth nephew was born this afternoon! Keefe's wife Julia had her son, Elijah Jackman, and mother and son are apparently doing just fine. Second, Jessa texted me to say Rose's husband Craig's father just passed away and asked me if I could come to his funeral tomorrow. (I can't. I'm working in the morning.) 

Made a quick stop at the Speedy Mart on Collings Street after I got out. They were really busy with teens from Collingswood High getting snacks and drinks. I just bought bagels and a Propel.

Watched Match Game '76 while eating dinner. Tom Poston and Laugh-In comedienne Barbara Sharma made their only appearances on the 1973-1982 run of the show this week. Neither played especially well, though Tom Poston at least had a sense of humor about it. 

Moved to YouTube after dinner for a rare Halloween special. Boo! is another attempt at a Halloween variety show, this one coming from Canada in 1982. It's even stranger than Paul Lynde's special. Monsters, including a rather adorable orange-haired Frankenstein, appear in a series of blackout sketches. The wolfman is hypnotized to not go crazy at the mention of the full moon, Dracula and his Countess sing "If Our Friends Could See Us Now," and truckers discuss the death of the variety show on regular TV. (Real variety shows had just gone out of fashion in the late 70's.) Dionne Warwick sings "Deja Vu" and "Just the Way You Are," the latter to Frankenstein's monster, and Rip Taylor appears as a prisoner with a few screws loose and sells his wares to aliens in a bar.

Jessica Fletcher recreates another Halloween favorite in Murder She Wrote. Dorian Beecher (Thom Bray), a nerdy young man who teaches poetry at a private school in Vermont, calls Jessica to act as his mother and impress the father (Doug McClure) of his sweetheart (Karlene Crockett). Dorian is at odds with bullying riding instructor Nate Findley (Barry Williams), until he's found dead with his head missing after witnessing "The Night of the Headless Horseman." Dorian is arrested for the crime, but Jessica doesn't think he's capable of murder. She realizes the obnoxious Findley had other enemies, including the town dentist (Charles Siebert) whose fiancee ran off with Findley. 

Finding Community

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Ultimate Rescue: Pups Save a Movie Monster" has Marshall as the fire dog for a horror movie being filmed in Adventure Bay. Mayor Humdinger steals the mechanical Godzilla-like monster and tries to get it back to Foggy Bottom. The pups have to rescue it and stop its breath from burning down half the town when Humdinger breaks the remote and it goes out of control.

Hurried out after that. One of my major current projects is trying to build more of a community. I really want to get to know more people and make more connections, so I can have more help in finding a better home and second job. I chatted a bit with the shopkeepers at Clutter and Time Lapse. Didn't get anything at Clutter, but I did buy Christmas presents for Amanda and Lauren at Time Lapse. The owner of Collingswood Music was busy finding a used violin for a customer, but I did pick up music books for Christmas presents and two records here, the soundtrack from the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica and the rock collection The Now Generation. 

Had lunch at Kismet Bagels. Despite it being 1 PM when I was there, they were empty except for me and the owners. I bought "The Fish" - lox with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and "schmear," or their cream cheese spread, for lunch along with a Dr. Brown diet cherry soda, plus two more rosemary-sea salt bagels for lunch later this weekend. I never had lox before, and this was quite delicious.

Took a brief peek at the Collingswood Library and grabbed two free books outside before moving to Innergroove. I did better here, both in talking to the owner and finding records. The owner and I talked about how hard it is to battle social anxiety and engage people in conversation at all. He mentioned he'd been to a cousin's wedding earlier in the week and had been nervous at first. Ended up with three records:

Rupert Holmes - Adventure and Full Circle

Lena Horne - Merry from Lena

Made one last, quick stop at Mario's Cookies before moving on. They're expensive, but I wanted to try their wares. I ended up with the black and white (brownie cookie with white chocolate chips), peanut butter, pumpkin snickerdoodle, and coconut-macadamia nut. They were all amazing, especially the coconut!

I raced down Collings to the Thomas Sharp School after that. Unfortunately, I forgot that the Collingswood High School was just getting off. I had to dodge all the kids getting out of school, not to mention the traffic on the White Horse Pike. All of that made me slightly late to the Thomas Sharp School.

Things mostly did go very well after I arrived. The kids weren't too bad in the bathrooms, even if they were wound up listening to Steam Train, Dream Train. One of the little girls got very upset during lunch and tried to hide most of the time. Poor kid! I figured she was just having a bad day, but then she cried when she thought one of the other girls had her jacket. We tried to point out that she just had a similar jacket and left hers at home. She kept crying for her mother during the first half of our outside session. She finally calmed down while swinging. She loves swinging and is great at it. She'd probably stay on the whole time if allowed!

No wonder the kid finally felt better. It was too nice of a day for anyone to be upset for long. Though it continues to be windy, it's also sunny and far cooler, in the lower 60's. It felt like the most perfect fall day. The other kids all happily ran around, dancing to "The Train Song," "The Floor Is Lava," "Do the Garbage," songs from KPop Demon Hunters, and the Elton John version of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from The Lion King. 

Watched the 2019 movie version of Cats when I got home. I go further into this notorious flop version of the hit stage musical based on the poetry of T.S Elliot at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Cats (2019)

Watched an episode of Match Game '76 during dinner. Orson Bean and soap star Pat Delaney joined in this week. Betty White was offended by an animal-abuse question to the point where she nearly walked off the set...but she was even more upset when Gene tried to swat a fly in the studio!

Finished the night with some of my recent record acquisitions. The Moody Blues album In Search of the Lost Chord is in honor of their long-time bass guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist John Lodge, who passed away last week. "Voices In the Sky" is probably the best-known hit from this 1968 meditation on self-discovery. I also like "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" and "The Best Way to Travel."

I have fond memories of watching the original Battlestar Galactica in re-runs during my early childhood. Starbuck was one of my first crushes. (I had a thing for the roguish type even then.) One thing I forgot was how good its soundtrack is. Stu Phillips joined series creator Glen Larson for its rousing orchestra score, including the lovely "Cassiopea and Starbuck" and the one vocal number, the ultra-cheesy "It's Love, Love, Love." 

Storm Front Games

Began the morning with breakfast and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. "Bats!" are attacking Applejack's apple orchards. She and the others convince Fluttershy to use her stare and get rid of them. It works...too well. Fluttershy turns into a bat after Twilight Sparkle's magic goes wrong and starts eating the apple orchard. Her friends find a way to change her back and learn that the short-term solution is usually not the best one, and that you shouldn't be afraid to say "no" to your friends when you don't feel comfortable with what they're doing.

Spent the rest of the morning bringing my laundry downstairs and doing research on local online communities to join. I don't think I'm going to find a decent home or a better "safety net" job to replace the Acme until I can improve my network. The neighbors are nice and so are the people at the school, but I need more. I want several solid groups I can rely on, not one or two people. I realized as I did research that I do already have communities to talk to - all those record and book stores I love to visit. I'll observe there for a while, seeing what people are talking about. 

Watched Manhattan Murder Mystery while I worked in honor of Diane Keaton, one of my mother's favorite actresses, who passed away last week. It was this or Annie Hall, and I thought this one focused more on Keaton's character than Hall did. Carol Lipton (Keaton) is suspicious when her seemingly robust neighbor Lillian (Lynn Cohen) dies suddenly, especially given how cheerful her husband Paul (Jerry Adler) is after her death. Her husband Larry (Allen) is annoyed when he finds out she's been breaking and entering and wants her to stop, but she's obsessed. She even gets her friend Ted (Alan Alda) involved. It's not until they find what seems like their neighbor's dead body in the bedroom at a shady motel that Larry starts believing his wife, too...and when the body disappears, they both become determined to find out what really happened with their neighbor and bring her two-timing husband to justice.

I have seen this before, but not in a long time. I thought a murder mystery was incredibly appropriate for a day that was cold, windy, and rainy, and this is definitely a fun one. Keaton has a blast as the paranoid lady who thinks there's more to their neighbor's death than a sudden heart attack. Alda has almost as much fun as her friend Ted who also gets roped in, and there's a ton of references to classic mystery film and film noir. 

Had a very quick lunch, then called Uber. There was no way I was riding my bike during a nor'easter, even though it wasn't raining at that point. The driver going there and going home arrived in 9 minutes. No traffic either way.

I think you can guess that the kids never went outside today. It was starting to rain lightly as I arrived at the school. Some of the kids played Uno. Some colored. Some built high Lego towers with their friends. I helped with the ones playing Musical Chairs and Freeze Dance. The latter involves people dancing and making silly poses when the music stops. We eventually gave up on playing the actual game and just watched the kids make goofy poses. It was hilarious. I hadn't laughed so hard in ages.

Went straight into Match Game '76 after I got home, had dinner, finally remembered to bring up the laundry, and finished Manhattan Murder Mystery.  Bill Anderson made his first appearance on the show during the second hour. Gene finally got to kiss Bonnie Franklin - he had a cold during her first appearance - and wondered how she could sit cross-legged on her chair. (The answer - she was a dancer on Broadway and was used to sitting that way.)

Worked on Maplepunzel for the rest of the night. Maple finally catches Brumpton drugging the coffee the morning of the wedding. Victor, Gertie, and Mr. Eldridge join them, having found the can of decaffeinated coffee. Scott, though he's exhausted, stays awake long enough to add he found out Abernathy wasn't working for the Pittsburgh Town Gazette, as he claimed. He and Brumpton were really potion-makers from Berlania Pavla hired to make sure no one asked questions about her wedding. Gertie and Mr. Eldridge had the duo arrested for conspiracy against the crown. On hearing the wedding music, Victor and Maple take Gertie and Mr. Eldridge's arms as everyone heads to the ballroom to stop the wedding.

Finished the night after a shower with game shows hosted by Art James. James initially started off as an announcer for Concentration in 1958, but eventually became a host in his own right. Alas, like most game show hosts of the 60's and 70's, the vast majority of his work is lost to time. One episode of his first show as a host Say When!! survives. This Price Is Right imitation has contestants choosing one prize at a time from an assortment. The contestant who got closest to a certain number without going over won the prizes. The second game had the contestants selecting a prize up to a certain amount over its individual cost. After the prize was revealed, it was added to their score. Not bad to watch, and James is certainly charming enough.

James also got involved in quiz shows. He hosted the New York area version of It's Academic in 1963. Three teams from local high schools played each other to test their knowledge. His longest-running hit as a host was The Who, What, or Where Game, which ran from 1969 to 1974. This imitation Jeopardy had contestants wagering on whether or not the other contestants could answer a question. Actually pretty interesting, with very challenging questions. 

He returned to the shopping show well with Temptation in 1968. Three contestants are shown three prize packages. Each chooses a package. They only win it if the other two don't choose it. Pretty simple, maybe a little too much to be fun to watch. James dressing as a riverboat gambler with a cigar only made things more smarmy rather than charming.

Two of his biggest shows in 1975 were also among the many failed high-concept game shows that debuted that year. Blank Check had one contestant sitting in front of a giant check, choosing random numbers. James asked questions about how one phrase or thing related to the other. The contestant who answered got to challenge the Check Writer, who chose one of the digits. If the contestant guessed the right digit, they became the check writer. If they didn't, the number went on the giant check, and the game continued. Um, interesting idea, but kind of complicated, with a rather ugly, flashy set. This was probably too complicated to last longer the 7 months it ultimately ran.

The Magnificent Marble Machine only did slightly better, managing 8 months from November 1975 through 1976. This time, two contestants and two celebrities try to guess the answer to a pop culture clue they're given. The winner of the main game went on to play the title pinball machine, a massive mechanical marvel that would give them prizes, then money with a special "super ball." Though the giant pinball machine does look cool, I can understand why this didn't work. The front game is nothing special, and pinball is generally more fun to play than it is to watch.

James' last show as a host was the original US version of Catchphrase in 1985. Here, Herbie the Robot showed different pieces of a "catch phrase" drawn by computer. The correct answer allowed the contestant to guess the Super Catch Phrase, a completed picture hidden behind nine squares. If they got it, they got the jackpot money, though they lost nothing if they didn't. Winner went on to guess all the catch phrases hiding behind 25 squares. I really wish this had gone over better in the US! It's one of the most adorable game shows I've ever seen. Herbie's hilarious. Considering it's been running off and on in England since 1986, maybe someone over here will take another crack at this someday.

Join this charming host to solve trivia, guess the catch phrase, write that blank check, and just say when!

Say When!! (1961)

It's Academic (1963)

Temptation (1968)

The Who, What, and Where Game (1970)

Blank Check (1975)

The Magnificent Marble Machine (1975)

Catchphrase (1985)

Stories In the Sunshine

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. It's "A Dumpling Thing" when the Queen of Hearts holds a contest to find the official food of Wonderland. Alice asks every character to bring their favorite dishes. They learn a lesson in diversity when they all bring variations on dumplings...but despite being similar in make, they're all very different from one another. Alice asks Millie the Carpenter to help them create "A Tasteful Game of Croquet" when the Queen of Hearts puts in a request for an edible croquet set. 

Headed out after the episode ended. My 8 1/2-hour work shift was pretty steady almost the entire afternoon. I was run ragged for a lot of it. I was trying to gather carts, return cold items, and help clean up spills, with little or no help. I had a hard time keeping up with the carts, especially later in the day. The weather did help. It was hot, sunny, breezy, and dry, without a cloud in the sky. It actually felt pretty nice pushing carts. 

At least I came up with some great story ideas while working in the parking lot. Eugenia and Mr. Foley's "Four Dancing Princesses" story is now set in the Roaring 20's. Mr. Eldridge is a wealthy theatrical producer and theater chain owner, Gertie is his wife, and the four ladies are his daughters. Foley is supposedly the sole survivor of the anarchist bombing that damaged Mr. Elridge's largest theater, where Betty and Eugenia's new musical was to have debuted...a show that was heavily critical of Pruitt's shady practices and black magic abilities. 

Bored while staying at their family's summer mansion, Hilary discovers the entrance to a magical speakeasy under the house. They dance the night away with their three missing suitors - Jeff, Scott, and Victor - but Pruitt is controlling the music and forcing all of them to dance until exhaustion. He wants to drain their energy and musical abilities, forcing the ladies into unwanted marriages with himself and his fellow financial colleagues. During the day, Foley discovers that Pruitt keeps the men under a spell as dogs...and is especially cruel to Scott, who keeps trying to escape and tell Betty what's going on. Sweet Eugenia is the only one who resists Pruitt's spell. She and Foley have to use their own special kind of harmony to overwrite the cursed music and save her sisters and his friends. 

Went straight into the first of two Match Game marathons tonight when I got home. Foster Brooks is still best known today for the ultimate drunk act. He made several memorable appearances on Match Game in 1979 and 1980, in the last weeks of the show's CBS run and early in its syndicated run. He comically frisked Betty White when Dick Martin claimed his watch was missing. There was also the time when the audience came up with the top answer for "__ Balsam" in the Audience Match and the panel walked out in disgust, and Foster telling a few racially-offensive stories in an episode that led to that episode being banned from Buzzr (though it apparently has been seen on GSN before). 

Lift a glass to the screen's most lovable-non drunk in this tipsy delight!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Foster Brooks on the Panel

For the second week in a row, we finish with a tribute to a TV character actress who passed away the week before. Pat Crawley had been appearing on TV for over a decade when she turned up on her only Match Game week in late in 1975. This week was mainly notable for introducing a very funny contestant who happened to own a hotel in Encino, playing on Gene and Brett's infamous and long-running joke about ending up there. 

Salute a very sweet and funny lady with this touching marathon!

Pat Crowley Tribute

And here's my review for Plankton: The Movie, which I watched yesterday. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - Plankton: The Movie

The Beautiful Entertainers

Began the morning with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. We learn more about Shadow Weaver, formerly known as "Light Spinner," in this episode. She was once a good magician and teacher who was mentoring a young man named Michah. She wanted to use dark magic to combat the Horde attacking her land, but ended up being consumed by the very magic she tried to control and joining the Horde instead. While she manipulates Catra into helping her escape, Bow finally interprets the message he got back in "Signals."

Switched to Because You're Mine after the cartoon ended. I go further into the first of three vehicles for Philadelphia tenor Mario Lanza I'll be doing this week at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Because You're Mine

Spent most of the morning - and actually, a lot of the day - working on the flashback sequence of Maplepunzel. Hope Springs was once a beautiful, culturally-obsessed country of theaters and artists. Scott and Betty are deeply in love, and he wants to run away with her to Yorkalia, where he'll start his own business and she'll write without Hilary's interference. 

Hilary and her financier Rollie Pruitt stop him before his plans get far. Pruitt told Hilary Scott stole money from businesses in Hope Springs. Queen Hilary banishes him for the theft. He returns to Betty the evening of her engagement party, but Hilary told Betty about Scott's theft, and she slaps him instead of listening. She'll go through with the engagement to the frequently absent Prince Victor, even though deep down, she still cares for Scott. He watches her run upstairs in her lacy white and pink gown, but Hilary's guards throw him out.

Pruitt, however, is working for Pavla, who has promised him a beautiful bride of his own (Maple) in exchange for getting rid of Scott. She transforms Hilary's guards into monsters and the members of her court and prominent citizens of Hope Springs at Betty's engagement ball into woodland animals. Her monsters attack Hilary as she prepares Betty for the party. Pavla uses Hilary's own hand mirror to curse them into the things they fear most. Hilary is now the ugly old crone she fears being, while Pavla steals Betty's voice and turns her into a pet deer and Hilary's only remaining possession besides the mirror.

Switched to the first CD of The Monkees deluxe 2-disc set during lunch in honor of songwriter Bobby Hart, who passed away a week ago. Hart was one half of the songwriting team of Boyce and Hart, who were the initial writers for The Monkees project. The vast majority of the songs on the Monkees' self-titled album were written by them, including "Let's Dance On," "Theme from The Monkees," and the hit "Last Train to Clarksville." 

Headed out to the Thomas Sharp School after the CD ended. We started out in the school's tiny library, thanks to the school band rehearsal in the gym/cafeteria running overtime. The kids loved it when I read Arthur Writes a Story (since I'm currently writing one, too) and the Little Critter story Gets Lost for them. I got a big crowd around my table who wanted to hear about Arthur's writing project and Little Critter being lost at the mall. 

After snack time, I spent the rest of the afternoon helping out with the older kids. For once, there were more of them than there were of the pre-schoolers. I made sure they all went to the bathroom and washed their hands (and that the boys were actually doing those things and not messing around). After that, I did art with the older girls while the little kids were outside, running around on a cold, windy, gray day. I drew the scene I just wrote of Betty turning Scott away after he admits he lied to her about where the money for their escape came from, then a scene I have planned for later, where Maple cries onto the blinded Victor and restores his sight.

Made a brief stop at the Speedy Mart on the way home. I hadn't really done much of anything today besides write and thought I deserved a treat. Enjoyed a Prime drink (Nightmare!) and a huge, moist chocolate-chocolate chip muffin that was really tasty.

When I got home, I resumed writing. Watched The Sting in honor of Robert Redford, who passed away today. Small-time con man Johnny Hooker (Redford) joins up with the more experienced Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to take down Irish mobster Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) after he has Johnny's former partner Luther (Robert Earl Jones) killed. They join with Henry's sarcastic girlfriend Billie (Eileen Brennan) and a team of experienced con-artists to create a fake horse betting scam that will lure Doyle in and take him down once and for all.

Soon as the movie ended, I put the soundtrack on. The movie and the soundtrack are two of my all-time favorites. The Sting was one of the catalysts behind a major revival of ragtime in the 70's. Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" became a huge top-10 hit more than 60 years after it was written, and it's still associated with the film to this day.

Finished the night with More of the Monkees. Although Boyce and Hart would continue writing songs for the Monkees until well into the early 70's, this was the last time they produced their album. Their version of "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" was the big hit here. The dark ballad "She" was their other major song on the album, though the two-disc version I have also includes their "Words." 

(Oh, and it started showering shortly after I got home and has rained lightly off and on ever since.)

A Fair Day for Indian Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Jaques Turtelle's Soup" introduces the title chef, a mock turtle who exiled himself to Looking Glass Land after his "Calamity Chowder" made a mess of Princess Rosa's first unbirthday party. Alice and the kids convince him to make the chowder again for her latest unbirthday and show him that sometimes, a little calamity can be a lot of fun. The kids have to solve "The Curious Case of Crumbs" when someone - or something - devours Rosa's edible art exhibit. The Queen of Hearts would rather have a trial, but the kids know that looking for evidence before you jump to conclusions is a better way to handle a mystery.

Hurried off to work after that. Work was pretty much the same as yesterday - quiet when I came in, busy later. Thankfully, this time I had help from the new female recruit, who helped me keep up with the carts and switched off sweeping with me. No trouble whatsoever. It was a gorgeous day for it, too, sunny and warm and windy.

Since I was already at the Acme, I did my grocery shopping next. Mainly needed to restock yogurt, grapes, and granola bars. Grabbed more soda, too. Found my favorite black-eyed Susan cookies on the bakery clearance rack. Fortunately, it had slowed down considerably by quarter after 1, and there were no lines. 

Headed home after that to change and put everything away. Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I worked. "Daisy's Pony Tale" has her feathery hair growing Rapunzel-long when it's accidentally sprayed with Professor Ludvig Von Drake's growth formula. Daisy, Goofy, and Mickey head to Witch Pete's tower to ask for the Rapunzel flowers that will shrink her feathers, then have to rescue Daisy from his tower when he trips over her hair.

Went back out again around 2 PM. My first stop was the Westmont Bagel Shop. They close at 3, but I was hoping they wouldn't have started cleaning up yet. No such luck. By the time I got there, the seating area was closed and the grill was off. I bought a chicken salad sandwich on a pumpernickel bagel and a bottle of Diet Pepsi and ate it on the black metal bench outside of the shop. Made a quick bathroom break at Sprouts before moving on.

Haddon Township always has their Fall Festival block party next to the pool area on Crystal Lake Road in mid-September. No car show this year, but lots of everything else, including bounce houses and a mini-Ferris Wheel and merry-go-round for the kids. Heard the kids from Studio LuLoo singing "Soda Pop" and "Can't Fight This Feeling" and another band doing covers. I wanted to buy CDs and a record from one of the booths, but I realized I left my debit card in my work lunch bag and only had my credit card. My credit card doesn't tap anymore, and they could only do tapping cards. They were nice, but I was still embarrassed. 

Made up for it with a treat at Scoop DeVille. Went simpler with a pumpkin pie milkshake. Not bad. A little gritty, but that was the actual pie crust pieces. I got to watch a family with a mom, dad, and two little boys enjoy their own treats at the pastel tables outside. The dad's bike had two children's seats on them. It reminded me so much of how Mom would take Anny everywhere on her bike and bike seat in the 80's, before my parents finally broke down and bought Mom a second car (an enormous old blue Buick that was ugly as heck). 

Rode back to Sprouts after I finished, dodging the weekend traffic on Cuthbert and Haddon Avenue. Was mainly restocking granola bars, coconut milk, and soda here. In fact, I got those filled cookies again, since they were on a better sale. Found more of the cherry shortbread cookies on clearance. The bulk apricots were on a really good sale, too. One of the kids at the after-school program always brings dried seaweed for a snack. I thought I'd try it.

Put on KPop Demon Hunters as I put everything away, then had dinner. I go further into this enormously popular Netflix action musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - KPop Demon Hunters

Finished the night with not one, but two Match Game marathons. Character actor Bob Donner became a semi-regular mid-way through the run of the syndicated show and would continue appearing through The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984. For some reason, he kept attracting some very weird people. The winning contestant during his week with McLean Stevenson and Melody Scott-Thomas was so crazy, she almost literally tore him to shreds after their Head-to-Head. Her shrieking and wild movements terrified Gene and made almost all the panelists hurry offstage to avoid the lunacy. There was also the time on Squares Hour when Donner hired a guy called "Crazy George" to scream and play loud drum music in the audience. Gene had to finally go out there and subdue the guy.

Drum up a little out-of-this world fun in this wacky marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Bob Donner on Match Game

Polly Holliday, best-known today as sassy waitress Flo from Alice and its spin-off Flo, passed away on Tuesday. She did one memorable week on Match Game in 1977. Gene was more than happy to grab her for a new-kid-on-the-block kiss, but she wasn't as amused. A bit later in the Monday episode, Richard held a mock funeral for her microphone after it bent over and died. Fannie did a ritual to make it come back to life on Tuesday. Gene also managed to get Polly to say Flo's signature "Kiss my grits!" at least once.

Honor this beloved southern Belle with a week of diner-fried hilarity! 

Polly Holliday Tribute

Blondes and Games

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and two classic Mickey-Donald-Goofy shorts. They're "Clock Cleaners" getting an inside job done on a huge roof-top clock. Donald has trouble tangling with gears, while Goofy gets knocked for a loop and almost falls off the roof! The trio of "Boat Builders" claim their instructions are "so simple, even a child could do them." Maybe a child, but not Goofy messing around with the mermaid masthead or Donald attempting to paint the hull.

Hurried off to work after "Clock Cleaners" ended. It's still a pain in the rear. I'd no sooner attempt to sweep than I would be called to wipe up a water mess in the exit near the pharmacy or put cold items away. I kept falling behind on the carts. No help today, either. The head bagger is still on vacation. I was more than happy to get out of there as soon as I could.

Rushed home and changed, then went right back out. It was too nice of a day not to! The weather was perfect, sunny, breezy, and warm but not too humid, likely in the mid-80's. I treated myself to a huge sundae at La Mortense Plus down the White Horse Pike. They only had one scoop of cappuccino left, but cappuccino-coconut with cherries and brownie bites turned out to be really tasty! I enjoyed my sundae at one of the mint-green picnic tables next to the 

Spent the next few hours listening to the Fun Rock 4-disc set I found a few days ago after I got home. Most of these are goofy novelty songs from the 50's and 60's like "Purple People Eater," "They're Coming to Take Us Away," "Alley Oop," and "Short Shorts." There's a few more typical rock numbers here as well - "Judy In Disguise," "Blue Moon," "Quarter to Three," "Palisades Park." And one song, "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah," isn't rock at all, but one of the biggest hit comedy singles of all time. 

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts as the records ran. Hilary and Troll (Jeff) walk into a fall party at the music room. Mr. Rabbit (Mr. Foley) is helping Bear (Scott) learn to play the piano while Betty sings along and Maple and Eagle (Victor) dance. After they finish, Troll insists on playing the records from Eagle's office with Victor and Jeff's voices on it in the hope that they jog Bear's memory. They do...briefly. He knows the voices, knows he had friends, even knows that they were trying to bring down Pavla...but when he tries to remember who did the decoding and what they decoded, he panics over the pain in his head again. 

Eagle is still upset about how mesmerized Maple is by Victor's beautiful deep voice. Maple never heard it before. He always focused on his work and ignored her when she tried to flirt with him. Hilary is equally entranced by the sound of her ex-husband's voice. She sees it as one last chance to hear him. She wonders how she went wrong and why he left her for Pavla. Troll assures her that it wasn't his choice. He did it for his friends.

Watched Pinocchio next. I go further into the first of the Prince Street Players TV musicals from the 60's I intend to review this month at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Saturday - Pinocchio (1965)

Spent the rest of the night having dinner and watching tonight's marathon on YouTube. Both of the Match Game Productions marathons this weekend will revolve around Loni Anderson, who passed away earlier this week. Although Anderson did appear in the pilot for the 1985 John Davidson Hollywood Squares, she mostly started in game shows produced by her then-husband Bert Reynolds. She did the daytime premiere of Win, Lose, or Draw with Bert Convy and later did special weeks filmed at Hawaii, Epcot, and outside at Reynolds' ranch, always appearing with him. Considering the women's team won almost every game she was involved in, regardless of location, she may have been better at this than her husband who actually produced the show.

Anderson appeared with the rest of the cast of WKRP In Cincinnati in one of the first Family Feud all-star specials. They played against the cast of The Love Boat...and ended up kicking rears. Despite Gordon Jump's visible nervousness, they won the Fast Money twice and took home over $15,000 for their charity. 

Anderson's final game show appearance was on a week with the Tom Bergenon Hollywood Squares in 2003 spotlighting blonde actresses, from Florence Henderson to Pamela Anderson to Miss Piggy. All of those fabulous ladies (even Miss P) were overshadowed by the Chippendale dancer who swore he'd strip for the crowd if he won a car. He did, and not only did he end up dancing and bouncing all over the stage after he won, but yes, the shirt did come off.

At any rate, salute the secretary and blonde bombshell of WKRP with this hilarious marathon spotlighting some of her most unique appearances on TV!

Saturday Game Show Classics - Loni Anderson: Game Show Tribute

Hot Day for a Fair

Began the day with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "Goofy's Sock Hunt" begins with everyone looking for Goofy's lost sock, but eventually spreads to include Minnie's bow, Donald's stuffed lion, and Mickey's barbecue apron. Pluto has spent the episode sneaking around in the background and mostly missing...and it turns out he's the one who knows where the lost things are.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. Not only was it too hot for riding, but I didn't have the time. I'd barely have the time to have lunch before the summer program. No trouble here. It took 8 minutes for the morning driver to arrive; I got to work just in time. It took 4 minutes for the afternoon driver to come. No traffic or trouble coming or going.

No trouble at work, either. It's the end of a month without a lot going on besides the 4th of July. I did have to mop up a leaking meat cooler, but other than that, I was sweeping and pushing carts. No wonder we weren't busy. It was hot, sunny, and beastly humid. I saw heavy traffic going south. Most people were likely heading to the Shore or hiding in their pools or air conditioning.

Oh, and I got my schedule. Still more hours than usual. I work on Monday this time, and Saturday is 9 to 4. The head manager took a lot of time off this week. That'll help with my paycheck, but it'll also mean not a lot of time between my two jobs for a few days. 

When I got home, I changed quickly and ate lunch while watching What's New, Scooby Doo? "Simple Plan and the Invisible Man" is probably the most prominent of the episodes revolving around real-life celebrities of the early 2000's. In this case, Mystery Inc run across popular rock band of the time Simple Plan en route to their concert in Montreal. Their van has been run off the road by an invisible trickster who keeps sabotaging their rides...and then it does the same to the Mystery Machine when they give them a ride. The gang has to learn who did it when it seems like everyone around them...including annoying Gibby Norton, leftover from "The Fast and the Wormious"...has a motive.

Headed back out on my bike this time. The Oaklyn School isn't even a five-minute ride from me. I'll deal with the heat for less than five minutes. I got there just as the kids were sitting in a circle in the cafeteria, playing a game. Once again, I joined them for a snack, then helped clean the tables while they went back into the circle to calm down. I also found out why we were playing games indoors from the young ladies who joined me at the drawing table. Not only was it too hot to play outside, but Canadian geese had left too many droppings on the playground to be able to use it. I drew Eugenia and Foley and all of the princesses and their suitors from the "Four Dancing Princesses" I have planned, then joined some of the noisier boys to build secret bases and boats from Legos.

Oaklyn's Final Friday block party on West Clinton was in full swing by the time summer camp ended for the day. They didn't seem quite as boisterous as usual. There were fewer food trucks, making me wonder if some trucks and booths had been scared off by the hot weather. I was still able to walk around for a little while and buy two pretzels from the pretzel shop's booth. 

Went straight into Remember WENN when I got home. Hilary is having enough trouble dealing with Scott changing her soaps to focus on politics and constantly missing Jeff calling from London when Gertie says there's a woman in the Green Room who wants to meet her. To the horror of "Mr. and Mrs. Singer," it's Jeff's new wife Pavla Nemcova (Karen Travis), who gloats that she has married Jeff in Europe. The others reveal that she cares more about her career and staying in the US than Jeff...but Hilary's still deeply hurt.

Hilary's still feeling that hurt in "Nothing Up My Sleeve." This show was out during the tail-end of Seinfeld's phenomenal run and was probably one of the most-advertised of the entire series. Mentalist Allan Ballinger (Jason Alexander) charms Hilary with his tricks and confessions. Maple, however, remembers him from her burlesque days and worries that he may be tricking Hilary into admitting her deepest secret. Hilary's ready to take him down, but it turns out he's come to respect her too much to hurt her.

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts while the show was on. Hilary finds Betty and Bear (Scott) catching fish in a pond during a hot, sultry August afternoon. They're taking a break from reading lessons as Betty admits Bear has made significant progress. He can now read "Snow White and Rose Red" and most of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," though that "darkness" in his head continues to pain him badly when he does so. She thinks he'll be able to move on to actually writing stories. When he points out that he can't write or hold a pencil with bear paws, she says he can dictate it to her or may be able to use her typewriter. They're enjoying each other's company, to the point where they knock each other into the pond and end up on top of each other at one point.

Put on The Muppet Show next in honor of British jazz chanteuse Cleo Laine, who passed away today. Though Laine mostly sang with the Electric Mayhem (and introduced them by name), Fozzie was the real heart of this episode. He keeps trying to insert himself into every sketch to impress his mother in the audience, including taking Piggy's role in "Pigs In Space."

Moved to Match Game '76 during dinner. Soap ingenue Bennye Gatteys joined in for the first and only time this week, along with Bill Daily and Fannie Flagg. The real news, however, was Gene announcing Richard had gotten a gig in the fall, hosting a brand-new game show called Family Feud...

Finished the night at Paramount Plus with I Love Lucy. I'm not the only one finding her muse right now. "Lucy Writes a Play" for her woman's group and hopes Ricky will star. He's not interested, so Lucy moves the story of a Cuban tobacco-picker in love with a senorita to merry old England when she and Ethel talk Fred into it. Ricky suddenly changes his mind when he learns producers are in the audience, but no one told him about the change in settings. 

Sail On, Sailor

We started out quickly this morning, since we had limited time before I went to work. Normally, I would have suggested taking the bus to Barrington, but since we were on a time schedule, I called Uber. The driver arrived in 7 minutes and got us to the Barrington Antique Center in a little over 5.

The Garnet Grill replaced the Barrington Diner in the tiny square space next door to the Antique Center. It was a vast improvement. Shining, heavy dark wood tables, whitewashed walls, garnet-colored accents, and polished wood floors created a far more inviting and less seedy atmosphere than the previous chrome and tile room. Their simple menu specialized in basic comfort sandwiches - burgers, chicken fingers, and cheesesteaks. Lauren had the Single Smash Burger (onions, pickles, and cheddar cheese) with dill pickle chips and a Diet Dr. Brown Black Cherry. My Single Cali-Burger was identical, adding tomatoes and lettuce and replacing the "special sauce" with mayo. Had mine with an Orange Cream Coke Zero and sea salt kettle chips. Oh, yum! They were so good, juicy, tender, and just the right meld of flavors. 

Went straight into the Antique Center after lunch. This enormous rabbit warren features everything from vintage clothes to recent DVDs, Victorian glassware to sports memorabilia.They were surprisingly busy for a Tuesday afternoon.  Lauren found a room filled with boxes and boxes of vintage comics for between $1 and $3 dollars. She ended up with five Captain America and Marvel titles. I managed to dodge people's elbows long enough to pick up the "America" and "Patriot" Beanie Babies for $5 each. They'll join my other patriotic Beanies for the 4th of July.

It was a lovely day for a stroll down the hill to Haddon Heights. For one thing, the weather couldn't have been more gorgeous. It was sunny, hot, and breezy, without a hint of humidity or clouds around. It made the walk mostly a pleasure.

Alas, I did get our first check on our plans for the day as we walked. Jessa told me she wasn't up to going out to dinner tonight. Oh well. I would still meet Lauren in Moorestown later. I'd just take Uber there, and we'd have to Uber home.

We arrived at Doc's Finds in Haddon Heights around 1 PM. This small antique and collectibles shop had a great record selection. Lauren didn't find anything here. I didn't want to haul around too much, so I just ended up with two records: 

The original cast album of the very 1977 Broadway show I Love My Wife (still sealed!)

A picture-disc soundtrack of the animated Dumbo

And one two-disc CD:

Billy Joel - 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert

Made a few quick stops next. I led her down to John's Friendly Market, where we got drinks and snacks. I got water. She got a Diet Cherry Pepsi. We bought bought raspberry fig newtons. Went in the opposite direction after that to Local Links Cafe. She said she was fine with her soda. I had a PBC - peanut butter, cocoa, oats, honey, and almond milk - that hit the spot despite the oats making it a bit grainy.

We parted ways at this point. Lauren called an Uber to get her to Moorestown. I called one that would get me to the Thomas Sharp School. No trouble here, either. In fact, I got to the school a bit early. Ended up taking a stroll around the bock before I headed inside.

I was glad to see the kids again. They are almost done with the school year! I'll miss them when it ends next week. There was some trouble with the boys, who were rowdy even for them and got into trouble for being noisy when they played loudly with the Hot Wheels cars they brought. On the other hand, they were all eager to hear stories of what Lauren and I did together, especially our trips to the Shore and the arcades. It was even their idea that I draw something for Lauren. (I drew her purple flowers, since she can't take real ones home on the train.) 

Going outside was both fun and a bit problematic. Thank heavens there's shade in the playground. The swings and bike rack are covered by four large trees, and the slides equipment does have a roof and a shaded underside. I did have to remind a group of boys that, no matter how hot they were, hanging out on the stairs of the slides blocked the other kids and created a bottleneck for those who wanted to use the slides. They also kept tossing those cars they were playing with over the fence early-on, and I'd have to go chase them. All of the kids eventually ended up under the trees, either swinging or checking the mulch for ladybugs. 

Called Uber again after I got out. No trouble here, either. The pleasant rider with the charming African accent arrived in 7 minutes. Though there was heavy traffic around Pennsauken (and he kept saying he needed to get cheap New Jersey gas before returning to the city), we ultimately made it to Moorsetown within 20 minutes.

I wanted to introduce Lauren to that tasty Cava restaurant I went to with Jessa a few months ago. This is basically Chipotle, but with Mediterranean cuisine instead of Mexican. You make your own bowl of rice, veggies, hummus, meat, and dressing. I had brown rice, salad greens, broccoli slaw, cucumbers and tomatoes, crumbled feta, grilled chicken, and hummus. I think I saw white rice in Lauren's, and she said she had the spicy honey chicken - it was so spicy, it cleared her sinuses! She mixed their soda and lemonade. I had the sweet Strawberry Citrus juice, then their own house-made diet cola.

Lauren had strolled around the Moorestown area earlier. She got a few things at Ross and had looked at the big GameStop but picked up nothing there or at Old Navy. We finally decided the only other place we wanted to see at Moorestown was their massive Barnes and Noble. It's even bigger than the one at Deptford, though with more books and puzzles in the music area. I did eventually find one book: 

The Bartered Bride by Mercedes Lackey

One CD, which was on sale:

Soundtrack from Moana 2

And one classic album for a good price: 

Etta James - At Last!

The sun was sinking slowly behind the mall as I called the last Uber of the day. They got there within 5 minutes, not bad for 8 PM. The older gentleman talked to us about books and buying them the whole 20 minutes going home.

Finished the night after a shower honoring Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, who passed away today. I found an album that supposedly had his favorite Beach Boys songs on Hoopla. In addition to typical entries like "Good Vibrations" and "Surfer Girl," The Beach Boys Classics...Selected By Brian Wilson does feature a few lesser-known or slightly more obscure titles. You really hear Wilson's genius in my personal favorite Beach Boys song, the dynamic "Heroes and Villains," along with "Caroline, No," "Time to Get Alone," "This Whole World," "Marcella," and "Sail On, Sailor." 

Oh, and the school inadvertently gave Lauren and me the perfect place for our last meal together before she goes home early Friday morning. They're holding a big "Blacktop Bash" at the blacktop play area tomorrow evening, with music, games, and food trucks. Instead of me meeting Lauren, this time, Lauren will meet me after I finish, and we'll eat there. 

The Lady With the Hot Lips

Began the morning with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Adora, Bow, and Glimmer head to the Kingdom of Dryl to persuade cheerful Princess Entraptra to join the Princess Alliance. Entraptra is more interested in figuring out how to adapt the technology of the First Ones to her modern robots. Trouble is, the crystal she used unleashes a virus that causes a "System Failure." It turns her robots against her and weakens Adora when it attaches itself to her sword. Bow rallies the staff of Entraptra's castle to help out, reminding them that even the seemingly least-significant person can make a big impact.

Briefly watched the tail end of the 1986 Card Sharks (the old guy who won the Money Cards didn't really get a whole lot, but was a riot anyway) before heading out to run errands. Made a brief stop at Target to see if they had the mouthwash I use. When they didn't, I walked next-door to Sprouts to do this week's grocery shopping. I'll be saving grocery shopping at the Acme for Monday when Lauren visits, but I did need some things here, including dried cranberries, blood oranges, soda, fruit leather bars for a snack with the kids later, and enough yogurt to cover the weekend.

Hurried back home, then started cleaning after I put away the groceries. Watched One Crazy Summer while I vacuumed, Swiftered, and dusted the front room. Hoops McCann (John Cusack) isn't enthusiastic about spending the summer in Nantucket with his horny pal George (Joel Murray) until he meets beautiful rock singer Cassandra (Demi Moore). Cassandra is desperately trying to earn enough money to keep her grandfather's boarding house from being demolished by Aguilla Beckerstead (Mark Metcalf), the nasty owner of a seafood restaurant chain. Hoops first lies to her about being a basketball player, but gets caught during a nutty date with Cookie (Kimberly Foster), the girlfriend of Beckerstead's lazy and obnoxious son Teddy (Matt Mulhern). Hoping to make it up to her, he uses his art skills to make flyers and commercials for her concert at a local nightclub.

That does get her the money, but it's too late. Beckestead has already bought the house. Hoops' gentle friend Ack Ack (Curtis Armstrong) suggests winning the local regatta and trading the trophy for the house. With the help of the wacky Stork twins (Bobcat Goldthwait and Tom Villard) and George's tough little sister Squid, they fix up "The Boat" and prove to everyone in Nantucket that the most important thing about a wild and crazy summer is having friends backing up even your weirdest notions.

I've loved this movie for years, especially the performances of Cusack as the shy artist who hates boats and desperately wants to learn about love and Murray as his girl-obsessed best friend, but it's not for everyone. The juvenile humor and weird characters makes this very much a film of the late 80's. Your mileage may vary if you're a fan of Cusack or the slobs vs snobs comedies of the 80's and early 90's. 

Had lunch while watching the tail end of Supermarket Sweep (including a quick win on the Big Sweep), then the start of the next one before I went out to the Thomas Sharp School on my bike. Though it was cloudy, breezy, and humid as heck, it was also warmer and not raining. I had no trouble getting down the White Horse Pike and got into work just in time. I even waved at some of the kids as I walked around to lock up my bike near the playground.

Thank heavens the kids did get to go outside today! They were all kind of on the antsy side, probably due to it being the start of the weekend. Fortunately, we didn't have quite as many, only 20 or so. I did have to convince one of the girls to put her play makeup away (she already made a mess with her lipstick and got it all over her leggings). I also had to constantly remind the boys playing with the magnetic tiles later that their mile-high lemonade stands, trains, and castles for stuffed Stitches were admirable and ambitious, but also use up too many tiles that should be shared.

Considered stopping at CVS on the way home, but the weather was still kind of iffy. I just went straight back to Oaklyn instead, crossing at the corner of the White Horse Pike and West Clinton to avoid the worst of the traffic. 

Went straight into Remember WENN when I got home. Frustrated over the Johnathan Arnold broadcasts, Jeff packs up and returns to London, much to Hilary's consternation! They're already short on actors, thanks to Pruitt's interference, and now Mackie is doing everything himself. "The New Actor" winds up being Scott, who supposedly left his California job to come back to WENN. 

Scott gets a baptism under fire his first day on the job in "Two for the Price of One." Hilary's not happy when he's late and plays his elderly gardener character in her daytime show as a hunky leading man. Things get even crazier when Pruitt's dowdy secretary Miss Cosgrave (Audie Neenan) reveals she has them doing shows for both WENN and another station, WEEP. They have to rush to create programming for both stations...then mix up the programs in order to keep WEEP from ending up with their programming as well.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Comedian Freeman King made his only appearance on the show during this week, while giggly comedienne Betty Kennedy joined in for her first week. One of the episodes from this week apparently features such racially insensitive language and jokes, it's now banned from the airwaves. (And explains why King never appeared on any version of Match Game ever again.)

Listened to the second volume of Remember the Golden Days of Radio after Match Game ended. This one switches the focus to many types of drama, from the heart-pounding opening to The Lone Ranger to real-life newscasts like the on-the-scene reports on the Hindenburg explosion. We also get bits and pieces of action shows like Jack Armstrong, All-American Boy and Dangerous Assignment, plus a nearly-full episode of The Shadow.  

Finished the night with two episodes of MASH in honor of Loretta Swit, who passed away today. Hot Lips, Hawkeye, and Klinger have to go to an "Aid Station" to help out. While the rest of the 4077th pass the days they're away worrying about them, Hot Lips finally begins to have an understanding about the unconventional Hawkeye and what makes him tick.

Hot Lips gets engaged to a handsome officer she met in Tokyo. "Margaret's Engagement" is met with various reactions from her fellow members of the 4077th, from delighted to amused. Frank Burns is not amused. Frank Burns is furious. He first stabs her in the finger, then tries to prove how tough he is in order to win her back.

Worked on editing Land of WENN all evening. Betty and Mackie inadvertently discover the Rebel Society that's been attacking the Shadow Realm meeting at the stables in the back of the Buttery Inn. Their mysterious "Leader" who remains in the shadows and knows how to break codes insists on them joining, especially after Betty reveals that she intends to find the three missing talismans and weapons.

Maple joins Betty at the Mayor's mansion downtown, where Betty discovers Lord Kurt Holstrom bought the Fire Talisman and bow and arrow at auction. The ladies think they've drugged him and his men, but he avoids Maple's foul-smelling brew to order their arrest. He's the one who gets into trouble instead when he tries to use the Flaming Bow and Arrow and accidentally sets the Buttery Inn on fire. The Leader turns into a demon and just barely escapes. Victor in his Johnathan Arnold disguise leads Holstrom away as Betty, Maple, Mackie, C.J, Eugenia, and Mr. Foley flee in Mackie's cart.

When they get too close to the fighting around the white crystal mines that power the magical elements and machinery, Betty uses her sun magic to propel them over the fighting to safety...but it wipes her out. She collapses unconscious as the others head down the road to the prosperous lakeside resort city of Port Harbor and their Summer Arts Festival. 

Victor has his own problems. He's torn between his duty to his spying for Brittanica and his desire to help out more. His feelings are tested when he witnesses Pruitt stripping the magic from one of the young men who attacked the Shadow Realm's cannons, but can't do anything about it thanks to being in his Johnathan Arnold disguise at the time. 

(Oh, and it did finally rain...around 10 PM, long after I and all of the kids were at home. And when it rained, it thundered and blustered. I don't think the storms will be sticking around, but the rain will be here through tomorrow.)