Adventures On the Radio

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Bluey. Bingo is proud to bring puppet "Bob Bilby" home from school. The students are supposed to take photos of them having adventures with him and tape them in a scrapbook. At first, all they do is sit around and watch cartoons on iPads, until Bingo realizes that's not very interesting. That prompts the Heelers to head outside and make Bob's visit the best ever. Bluey, Bingo, and their friends play a "Spy Game" while their parents are at a barbecue. Bingo feels neglected and stops playing. Bluey realizes the game's not as much fun without her and coaxes her back.

Rode to work after Bluey ended. Absolutely no trouble today whatsoever. I arrived on time. It picked up slightly around 10, but otherwise, we were quiet the entire morning. It was a gorgeous, sunny, barely humid upper 80's day in August, and we're well between holidays. Most people are either still on vacation, at work, or getting ready for their kids to go back to school. I swept the store and put away cold items. Had help from 11 AM onwards from the afternoon bagger with the few carts that were around.

After I finished, I stopped at Acme's pharmacy to pick up my blood pressure medication and the antibiotics for my heel (the latter of which I forgot last week). Also grabbed a Bodyarmor drink and the strawberry and chocolate peanut butter Nature's Valley wafer bars on sale. 

Had lunch at Common Grounds Coffee House on the way home. They were busy with college kids getting ready for school, office workers doing business in a quiet place, and older ladies chatting. I had to share a table with someone else while I enjoyed my banana chip muffin, slice of tomato spinach feta quiche, and matcha latte. The muffin was nice and moist, but it didn't really taste much like banana. The quiche was really salty.

Changed, brought the trash can up, and put out the recycling when I got home, then watched Remember WENN. It's "Some Good News, Some Bad News" when Scott declares an all-news day. He couldn't have picked a worse day for it. They can't find any news to report, and Scott's attempt to make his own gets him into very hot water. Meanwhile, bubbly former stripper Maple LaMarsh (Carolee Caramello) replaces Eugenia as the station's organist for the rest of the season.

Hilary's mentor Giels Aldrych (Roddy McDowell) says "Don't Act Like That" when he tries to give the WENN staff acting lessons, only to realize how different radio and stage acting are. Scott arranges for two of his students, Enid Farleigh (Melissa Dye) and Gus Kahana (Jeff Bergman), to work there as interns. The staff rebels at first, until they realize how much the duo have to learn about radio acting.

Spent the next few hours finishing Donna Parker: Mystery at Arawak, starting The Penderwicks, and listening to old-time radio shows. The Green Hornet was a kind of less-weird variation on Batman. He too drove a sleek black car ("Black Beauty"), had a devoted young companion (his valet Kato, who is Filipino in these later episodes), and worked as a non-powered vigilante with a host of gadgets. Unlike Batman, his "real" identity was a working man, newspaper editor Britt Reid, and he tended to take on far less florid gangsters and fraudulent executives.  People saw him as a villain, which he used to his advantage to coerce crooks to turn themselves in or victims to come forward and speak out. "Paid In Full" from 1945 and "Escape to Action" from 1946 are pretty typical examples of the show. 

Started I Love a Mystery, but switched to Match Game '76 during dinner. They finished out the week with Pat Delaney, Betty White, and Orson Bean. When the wrong sign came down on set, Orson commented that he'd seen better-excuted shows at the Kiwanis Club. Later in the week, a former teacher who won big money was so excited, he did high kicks Gene Kelly would have envied.

Returned to I Love a Mystery later. I Love a Mystery is a far different example of action on the radio. Here, private eyes Jack Packard, Doc Long, and Reggie York go on bizarre adventures, taking them from vampire-filled temples to Arizona ghost towns. Alas, of the serials done for the show's original run on NBC and CBS in 1940 and its 1949 Mutual revival, only two from the Mutual series still exist in full today. 

I listened to one of those existing serials, "The Thing That Cries In the Night." The guys are hired by an old woman to protect her three daughters and drunkard son Joe. Faith is sarcastic, Hope chases the family's chauffeur, and paranoid Charity is convinced someone is out to get her and her family. She keeps hearing a wailing noise like a baby in the night and thinks it's a harbinger of death. The guys don't agree, until they see Charity get slashed, and then someone kills Joe and tries to kill their grandmother. Jack knows there's something strange going on, but he hopes he can find out, for Charity's sake, before it's too late for everyone in that household. (Keep an ear out for a young Tony Randall as Reggie.) 

Dolls on a Sunshiny Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Pac-Man. Pac Man and Pepper board "The Pac Love Boat" hoping for a quiet anniversary cruise. What they didn't count on was the ghosts tagging along, or Pac Baby, Sour Puss, and Chomp-Chomp ending up as stowaways. The Ghost Monsters commit "The Great Power Pellet Robbery" when they attack the armored car Pac Man is driving, but they get quite a surprise when they discover what the pellets actually are.

Took the laundry downstairs, then spent the next few hours after that dressing the dolls for St. Patrick's Day and the much nicer weather we're having this week. Samantha is in her mint-green and pink Special Day Dress and the red shoes with the bows. I'm so glad I bought that dress when I did in 2015! It's expensive on eBay now, and it looks so cute on her. Molly's wearing a shamrock-print dress with rickrack trim I found at a yard sale years ago. Josefina is in her Harvest Outfit with the sage green skirt and pretty embroidered camisa. Elizabeth's Summer Gown has a quilted petticoat that makes it more appropriate for spring, and it's celery-green color looks lovely on Felicity. 

Ariel is in another hard-to-find retired outfit, Julie's Calico Dress with the red bandana and high brown boots. Whitney wears a yellow Queen's Treasures dress with a ruffled collar and red and green flower print and matching headband. Kit's in her flowered Birthday Wrap Dress with the coral sweater from her Photographer's Outfit and white t-strap shoes. Jessa gets her Girl Scout turtleneck, pull-on khaki cargo pants, and turquoise and white sneakers. Barbara Jean is very mod in her swirling turquoise, orange, yellow, and red mini-dress with the go-go boots and white fur vest. 

Finished out my current record finds while dressing the dolls. I had no idea Martin Mull was a singer until recently. I know him best as a comedian on Clue or tossing out quips on Hollywood Squares or in the host's chair on Fernwood Tonight. No Hits, Four Errors: The Best of Martin Mull reveals he was a comedian as a singer, too, with songs ranging from gospel spoofs ("Jesus Is Easy") to cracks at country ("Flexible," "Eggs") to a disco version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" listed as "Santafly." He's kind of in the same category as Bette Midler - he sang everything, though he's a bit less campy and more laid-back than her.

It's been a while since I visited my favorite couple from Wistful Vista Fibber McGee and Molly. The first episode on side one had Molly and Fibber preparing for a "Canoe Ride" while their wacky neighbors tell them about their planned vacations. Likewise, all of their strange neighbors have their opinions when Fibber uses his "Hunt and Peck" method to write a movie about the history of the typewriter.

Switched to Disc Four of the Broadway: The American Musical soundtrack while finishing the dolls and eating lunch. By the mid-60's, the Broadway musical was once again evolving. Rock was the new sound in popular music, and musicals weren't always seen as reflecting the sudden change in tastes. Cabaret, with its sensual opening "Wilkomen," changed what a musical could do and be. Hair, "the New Tribal Love-Rock Musical," was proof that yes, Broadway could do the new sound and sensibility, as "Let the Sunshine In" became a massive hit in 1967. Grease moved from off-Broadway in 1973 and was an even bigger hit, with "We Go Together" being one of the best chorus numbers from the show. A Chorus Line debuted in 1975 and would run for 15 years. Its big finale, "One," with its glittering gold-spangled kick line, wowed audiences even as they related to the dancers' stories of heartbreak. Chicago was overshadowed by A Chorus Line in 1975, but it proved to be ahead of its time. The 1997 revival, complete with the opening number "And All That Jazz," is still running on Broadway at press time.

Broadway had been faltering for years along with New York itself, as urban decay crept in, theaters closed, and people found more of interest at home watching far cheaper plays on TV. Pippin became the first musical to take advantage of this audience, releasing TV commercials and a Motown cast album that proved there was still room for a "Corner of the Sky." Likewise, The Wiz invited audiences to "Ease On Down the Road" with its R&B score. The success of Annie, with the hopeful anthem "Tomorrow," brought family audiences back to Broadway. England returned with power ballads from the rock operas Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, while Stephan Sondheim pushed boundaries even further with the intimate Company and its "Ladies Who Lunch" and the rousing "I'm Still Here" from Follies. Jennifer Holliday raised the roof and won a Tony with another R&B score, "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls.

Called Uber after the CD ended and I sent off an e-mail to Bryanna, telling her to send me Josh Phillips' e-mail or phone number. I was already late calling them...and I pushed the wrong button! It took them 10 minutes to come as it was. I ended up at the Acme and had to call them again. They took 11 minutes this time, which meant I was 15 minutes late. At least there was no traffic around.

Thankfully, that was the worst thing that happened all day. No one was angry, not even the kids. I got there just in time to take my crew of 6 to the bathroom. They were a little rowdy, but not too horrible...because they all wanted to go outside and play in the now-clear playground. Thankfully, they handled the new no swings, no tag rule well. Only one little girl tried to go on the swings and had to be pulled off. The head teacher brought a bubble wand and let them chase bubbles for the rest of the afternoon. I hadn't laughed so hard in ages. They were so funny! If they weren't chasing bubbles or running around the slides, they were drawing on the concrete with chalk or dancing to "Pink Pony Club," "I'm Still Standing," the theme from Bluey, "Pup Pup Boogie" from Paw Patrol, and songs from KPop Demon Hunters, Frozen, Trolls, and Moana. 

As one of the boys said, it was a perfect day. It was sunny, warm, and breezy, the sky a soft robin's egg blue. Boys stripped off sweaters; girls rolled up dress sleeves. It was so nice, even after we took the kids off the playground, we just let them run around with the older kids on the blacktop in the back and play ball games. Even the little boy who said he wanted to go inside ultimately stayed played with Legos at a picnic bench instead. It was so late when we got them back, I never went back inside, either. I just left from the blacktop.

Took advantage of the nice day and a less-stiff knee to walk home. First stop was Crust N' Cravings for their delicious pizza. I enjoyed a slice of broccoli-tomato, a slice of sausage, and a black cherry Sparkling Ice. Dodged the debris leftover from scraping up snow on the White Horse Pike sidewalks long enough to stop at CVS to use the bathroom and take advantage of a buy one, get one 50 percent off sale and pick up Secret deodorant.

Finally remembered to put the laundry in the dryer when I got home, then took out the recycling and put on Match Game Syndicated. Charles Nelson Reilly was still away doing a (short-lived, as it turned out) Broadway show, so Fred Grandy took over for him in the first three episodes, and Richard Deacon in the last one. Bart Braverman drooled over ladies and showed off his cowboy gear in the first week. Fred Travalena tossed out quips in his many voices in the second.

Brought my laundry upstairs, then finished out the night with charades and acting-based game shows on YouTube. Charades goes way, way back on TV. It was one genre that couldn't be pulled off on radio. Charades has to be seen to be believed. Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz was one of the earliest hit game shows on TV. Celebrities have to act out a silly or weird phrase in a certain amount of time. Whichever team acts out in the least time wins money for their charities. This March of Dimes special from 1949 with Vincent Price and Hans Conried, among others, is one of the oldest TV game show episodes to exist today.

Pantomime Quiz would be revived in 1979 as Celebrity Charades. Basically the same deal, even down to the informal living room-like set. Jay Johnson and his dummy Squeaky hosted this version. Unlike Pantomime Quiz, which ran off and on for years, Celebrity Charades only lasted a few months. The premiere episode with Jon "Bowser" Bauman, Richard Paul, and Ted Lange among those doing the charades is the only one currently online.

Goodson and Todman twice tried their hand at a charades show. Showoffs in 1975 had Bobby Van hosting as two celebrities helped two contestants figure out what a word was. The winning contestant then acted out three words for their celebrity partners. They could stop after $1,000, or go until they got $5,000. Alas, ABC wiped most of this show. Only two episodes are known to exist, including the one here with Dr. Joyce Brothers having to bow out of the final round after she twists her ankle, leaving Dick Gautier to do her part alone. 

Body Language did slightly better a decade later. Now, two celebrities act out a series of words that form a puzzle. The contestants have to guess the puzzle. If they win, their celebrity will act out a series of words in 60 seconds. However many words they guessed is what they'll win in the final round. The celebrity then acts out 3 words. If the contestant guesses all of them, then win the money. This is basically Showoffs Plus, but frankly, it's a lot tighter, faster-paced, and more interesting to watch. No wonder it's been a staple on Buzzr off and on for years. In fact, considering how much fun Todd Bridges, Kim Fields, and host Tom Kennedy are having in the episode here, I'm surprised Freemantle hasn't sold or loaned this format to Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel yet. 

The Canadians got a bit more into charades and acting shows than we Yanks did. Acting Crazy was a hit in the early 90's, with series in 1991 and 1994. Basically the same deal as Pantomime Quiz, with two celebrities in two teams with three contestants. No wonder this came back. It's just as much fun to watch as Body Language. Marcia Wallace and Sally Struthers have a blast here with host Wayne Cox.

Charades games made a comeback on TV in Celebrity Name Game from 2014. This time, the pun-filled phrases are replaced by acting out pop culture icons or popular brand names. The celebrities switch teams half-way through. In the third round, the contestants themselves go head-to-head while host Craig Ferguson reads names from a specific category. The bonus round has the winners guessing 10 names behind pictures. One goes into a soundproof Booth while the other guesses clues. If they can guess in 55 seconds without giving an illegal clue, they win an extra $20,000. No wonder this would prove to be popular in syndication and just started running on Buzzr. It's just as much fun to watch, and everyone puts so much energy into it!

Two words...acting games! Play charades with some of the craziest actors around in these hilarious pantomime-filled episodes.

Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz (1949)

Showoffs (1975)

Celebrity Charades Premiere (1979)

Body Language (1985) 

Acting Crazy (1994)

Celebrity Name Game (2015)

Glad All Over

I slept in this morning. It was closer to afternoon when I grabbed a granola bar and listened to Snack Time. This is Barenaked Ladies' one children album. Some of the songs are totally hilarious. It opens with the western spoof "789," on the old "seven ate nine" joke. "Food Party" goes into "The Canadian Snack time Trilogy," consisting of the title song, "Popcorn," and the dark-ish "Vegetable Town." There's also the wacky 80's spoof "Drawing" and the sweet and sad "Bad Day." I don't know if other adults would be interested, but if you're a Barenaked Ladies fan with younger kids, you might get a kick out of this.

I didn't finally head out until past 1 PM. Since it was late, I decided I'd have brunch out. My first thought was Sabrina's Cafe, but it was apparently everyone else in Collingswood's first thought, too. The line was so long, I went across the street to Paloma Restaurante instead. They were busy, but there was no line, and it wasn't anything like Sabrina's. I sat by the window looking out on East Collings Avenue, enjoying my hot tea, crispy bacon, and Tres Leches French Toast with sliced strawberries and sweet butter. Yum! So good, and just enough "three milk" topping.

Strolled up and down Haddon Avenue for the next hour or so. Didn't see anything interesting at Clutter or Haddon Culinary. Even at 40 percent off, most of the Christmas cards and decorations at Occasionette were still too expensive. I forgot Collingswood Music is closed on Sundays. I looked in the Candy Jar's windows, but the last thing I need is more candy! 

I did find a rather sweet, soft white Vulpix hidden behind Bulbasaurs at the pop culture collectibles store Time Lapse. Vulpixes are usually fire Pokemon. I didn't know they came in an ice version. She was just such a pretty miss, I bought her despite her $14 cost and her tag being in Japanese, which meant I didn't know her name. (Later research revealed that she's an Aloan Vulpix. Then her name is now Aloa. She'll be a winter stuffed animal and will stay in the living room with my Winter Marie until late March.)

Did even better at Innergroove Records. Dug a couple of interesting titles out of the $2 bin, along with one from the children's albums I'd been looking for: 

Martin Mull - Four Hits, No Errors: The Best of Martin Mull

Two collections, the K-Tel R&B-themed Super Bad and the truly eclectic Columbia Starburst

The spurge was the original 1959 soundtrack from the Disney Sleeping Beauty. At $19.99, it was the only LP over $2 I picked up today...but it has a gorgeous watercolor cover depicting Princess Aurora sleeping and the original George Burns orchestrations. 

Headed down to Phidelity Records in Westmont next. I did almost as well here. Grabbed three records from the $2 crates:

The Spinners - The Spinners

The Moody Blues - The Present

The soundtrack from the underrated Dave Clark Five comedy-drama Having a Wild Weekend

And three CDs: 

John Coltrane - My Favorite Things

Bobby Darin - The Bobby Darin Story

Super Hits of the 70's: Have a Nice Day Vol. 4 (I've been picking up these collections of 70's one-hit-wonder singles since college.)

Made a quick stop at the Westmont Acme on the way home. My throat got so dry while I was at Phidelity, I needed some kind of liquid refreshment! Ended up with Fresca and the Diet Coke With Lime. Also used the bathroom here.

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park...which may not have been the smartest thing I ever did. It started to rain as I passed the spraying fountains and empty dark trees. I carried my bike up the stone steps that lead up to East Clinton to speed up my trip home. 

Put the Philadelphia Eagles-Buffalo Bills game on the radio while I got organized. The Eagles were playing really well during the first half I listened to, pretty much pushing past the Bills. They apparently lost that momentum during the second half, but their defense put up enough of a fight for them to just barely beat the Bills 13-12. 

Finished the night with a shower, dinner, and the last Match Game weekend marathon of 2025. We saw the first episode for the show's biggest winners, or the one where they had their biggest win. For instance, the marathon starts with the episode from 1975 that introduces the lady who said she'd belly dance if she won $5,000. (For the record, she didn't.) There was also smoky-voiced Evelyn and sweet George of the big white smile in 1976, and bespectacled coal miner Terry in 1978. Dear older man Bill was the first person to win big on the Star Wheel after it debuted in June 1978. 

The four biggest winners on the show were lovable ladies. Sweet Janet Finn, with her nervous little dances and slightly wicked sense of humor, first appeared in 1974 and went on to be the show's biggest winner at that point. Her good friend and neighbor Carol Bartos would beat her record over a year later in 1975. Gorgeous blonde Darlene managed to win big in 1976 while spending the week flirting with Richard Dawson. Gentle Carolyn would be the all-time money winner on the last weeks of the CBS run in 1979, ultimately taking home over $30,000. The first big $20,000 winner on the nighttime show was also a sweet lady, who in fact only got there when she won a tie.

Get to know the biggest champions ever on Match Game in this truly winning marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - All Time Winners First Win Countdown

Winter Wonderland Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and True Value Happy Holidays CDs. My original cassette version of Volume 28 was the first Happy Holidays collection I bought, way back in 1993 when it was the only Christmas music I could afford. Jim Croce headlines with "It Doesn't Have to Be That Way," while Clint Black has the hilarious "Till Santa's Gone, I Just Can't Wait (Milk and Cookies)." We also get a lovely "Blue Christmas" from K.T Oslin, Elvis Prestley's version of "Here Comes Santa Claus," and Alabama's "A Candle In the Window."

Volume 30 kicks off with "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by "Orchestra True Value," aka True Value's attempt at doing Manheim Steamroller. Barry Manilow follows with his own "Because It's Christmas." George Strait celebrates "When It's Christmastime In Texas," while Air Supply gives us "Winter Wonderland" and Carnie and Wendy Wilson sing a charming medley of "We Three Kings," "Silent Night," and "The First Noel."

Volume 31 was the first Happy Holidays CD I bought. This was the first time I'd heard the Eartha Kitt "Santa Baby" or Frank Sinatra's "I'll Be Home For Christmas." "Snoopy's Christmas" by the Royal Guardsmen has everyone's favorite beagle pilot fighting the Red Baron. We also have Dean Martin's version of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," Donna Summer's "White Christmas," Amy Grant's short but charming "Santa's Reindeer Ride," the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick," and Andy Williams' classic version of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

Switched to the Eagles game on my little scan radio during lunch. They've been playing badly lately...but the Las Vegas Raiders is one of the worst teams in the NFL. They almost literally ran rings around them. In fact, from what I gathered later, the Raiders never got anywhere near the end zone. The Eagles creamed the heck out of them 31-0.

And yes, it did snow last night. I think we may have gotten five inches. I awoke to the most Christmassy scene possible. I felt like Ralphie in A Christmas Story waking up on Christmas morning. The bare trees and backyards were frosted with a thick layer of white. Fortunately, the Oaklyn Public Works is good at making sure the streets are plowed. The streets were perfectly clear by 1:30. I had a harder time getting an Uber driver. Two canceled on me before one finally stuck. They took almost 20 minutes to arrive, which meant I was late getting to work.

Thankfully, that was the worst that happened all day. The Acme wasn't really that busy. Though the snow was ending by the time I arrived, it was bitter cold. Not all of the parking lot had been plowed, making pulling carts treacherous. They ended up sending one of the male cashiers out to help me. At least there were no major problems, and I was in and out.

Good thing, since I had to pick up a few things I forgot yesterday. I gave a friend the last of my vanilla, I'm low on brown sugar, and I need coconut for Cherry Coconut Bars. Wasn't sure how much parchment paper I had, either. It took a little longer to find an Uber to take me home, but when I did connect, they arrived in less than the listed 7 minutes.

Finished the night after dinner and a shower with tonight's Match Game marathon. Cars, vehicles, and transportation turned up fairly frequently in questions, and more rarely in Audience Matches like "Volkswagon __." There was one the day Rita Moreno really got into Gene's new-kid-on-the-block kiss and revealed her answer too early in syndication and on the 1978 episode that ended with Brett and Jack Klugman's mock wedding. An episode during Steve Allen's only week on the show had one, too, and on the episode before Gene wore his infamous plaid suit in 1973. Susan Richardson and Gary Collins were the for the nighttime episode with the Audience Match "__ Mobile."

Baby you can drive my car and make matches in this marathon on the go!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Start Your Engines (Cars & Automobiles)

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.)

Life Reimagined

I got caught up finishing Life Reimagined, on thriving in mid-life, this morning, and was late getting moving. Good thing I wasn't supposed to be eating, because I didn't really have the time for breakfast. I had just enough time to write in my journal, get dressed, and rush off to Collingswood Family Medicine for my doctor's appointment.

When I went to check in, the receptionist said I had made my appointment early and wasn't due until next month...but I really needed a physical for work. And yes, that went fine. Not only am I physically fit to deal with kids, but I told Dr. Jessica I felt a lot better. I love taking care of the kids, and even if I don't get on the summer camp program, at least I know that I am capable of finding a job, have new skills, and have made new friends. In fact, I'm not sure I even want to work behind a desk anymore. I need to be around people, to find my purpose helping others. I can spend quiet time behind my desk at home. I did get a needle for blood tests and will be having my mammogram in July, but other than that, I'm in good shape. 

Treated myself to two soft pretzels and a cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel from A&A Pretzel Shop on the White Horse Pike for lunch. Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I ate. Mickey is surprised to learn that the story of "Mickey and the Enchanted Egg" is unfinished when Goofy and Donald bring said egg to the Clubhouse. The egg hatches into an adorable baby dragon. They try to bring the dragon back to its owner, Wizard Pete, but he thinks they stole her and keeps trying to keep them from his tower.

Switched to I Saw the Light while eating a quick lunch. I go further into this 2015 biopic with Tom Hiddleston as tragic country legend Hank Williams at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

I Saw the Light

Worked on editing before lunch. "The Master" (Seldon Sentry) scolds his three most prominent men - King Charles of Weepla, Mayor Kurt Holstrom of Yorkalia, and Pruitt - for not capturing the King of Thieves and allowing the Rebel Society to find their black crystal factories. Pruitt orders the Black Knight Sir Johnathan Arnold to find out who's been leaking information to the Rebel Society...which Victor Comstock finds rather humorous, considering he's the one who's been doing it.

Meanwhile, Jeff brings Betty and Mackie to the melting pot that is Brooklania, a bustling, slightly seedy section of Yorkalia. Mackie delivers Scott's coded messages to Maple LaMarsh, owner and principal performer at the Buttery Inn. She ignores Jeff's flirting and almost turns them away, until Mackie gives her the book and Betty reveals she's a Guardian-in-training. Betty adds that she intends to hit up the large library nearby to do more research on the Guardians and find out where the remaining Guardians and talismans are hidden.

Thank heavens it was cloudy and cool for most of the day, but never rained. I was able to ride my bike to the Thomas Sharp School. I even saw the kids looking for butterflies with their class outside when I arrived. We had so many kids today, there were too many to take to the playground right away. In fact, we didn't get them outside until the last hour. We had to wait until some had gone home to unleash them on the small playground. I read them Leo the Late Bloomer after snack time, and they watched a simply animated version of The Gingerbread Man and short videos on numbers and the alphabet that encouraged them to move along. Coloring had suddenly become very popular. There were at least 10 kids crowded around the crayons, scribbling masterpieces, before we finally got out.

Finally put on one of the more traumatizing episodes of Remember WENN when I got home. "Who's Scott Sherwood?" Betty would like to know herself...and so would Rollie Pruitt (Johnathan Freeman), the miserly accountant who first darkened WENN's doorstep during the Christmas episode. Turns out he's figured out what Scott's up to with the Memorial Fund and has him fired. The others end their shows in support of Scott. Betty's not sure he's worth their efforts, especially after she catches him in an even more damaging lie about how he arrived and his real relationship with Victor Comstock...

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner. I came in just as Bart Braverman briefly took over as host when Gene got tired of the complaints. Honestly, Bart sounded more like a race track tout than a game show host reading a question. The next episode is lost, so alas, we never do get to find out how the nice old man contestant Irv does. 

Finished the night with Remember the Golden Days of Radio Volume 1, one of the two Golden Days of Radio records I picked up from the Mt. Laurel Library earlier this month. It's a collection of some of the great moments of radio in the 30's and 40's, when it was the only at-home entertainment. Jack Benny hosts the wrap-around sequences. I knew about the comedies and sitcoms like Fibber McGee and Molly and The Fred Allen Show already, but other segments were less familiar. Not being a fan of TV soap operas, I'd certainly never heard the radio ones, making the segments of The Romance of Helen Trent and Ma Perkins all the more interesting. Heard familiar commercials, too, including one of the earliest radio jingles for Pepsi. 

Baking and Other Cold-Weather Fun

Began the day quickly with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. "Snow Is My Favorite and My Best" says a delighted Lola after a storm. She and her brother and friends have so much fun sledding and making snowmen and snow dogs, she wishes it would snow all the time. Charlie takes her to the Antarctic, where it is always cold and snowy, to prove why it's good that some things only come once in a while. 

Dawn picked me up at 10:30 for our session this week. She mainly talked about signing up for government jobs. At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if anyone else will take me. None of the small offices around here are willing to give me a chance. They don't know me, and I don't have enough skills to make them look twice. I applied to two offices on Indeed, but I haven't really heard back from anyone in a while. 

She took me straight back after we finished. Though it wasn't as windy, the sky was a pearly gray, and it's still bitterly cold. This was no day for lingering anywhere. Besides, she was busy with other clients, including two who called while we were at the Haddon Township Library. 

Took the trash out when I got in, then had lunch and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's "Pluto to the Rescue" when Donald and Goofy are stranded behind a massive snowman on Mistletoe Mountain and can't get home. Pluto demonstrates that he's a good rescue dog when he helps Mickey off the edge of the mountain, finds a way for Pete to clear the road for his sleigh, and figures out how to get through to Goofy and Don.

Listened to local hard rock station WMMR on my mini radio as I made "Winter In the Berkshires" cookies, aka dark chocolate candy cane. Dark cocoa, crushed candy canes, chocolate chips, brown sugar, and lots of butter. There were supposed to be white chocolate chips, but I thought that sounded like overload. I probably should have added more brown sugar and milk. They came out tasty but dry and kept falling apart, though they were generally in better shape than the orange cake. They were very rich, though, with all that butter. I had candy canes leftover from Christmas and thought I'd try them, but the richness will make these a once-in-a-while winter treat.

Put on Tommy when I got upstairs. I go further into this rock spectacle about a deaf-mute British youth who becomes a pinball sensation at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Tommy (1975)

Got the children's record inventory going while Tommy was on. This should be far easier to do than the cast albums or rock records. I don't have that many children's titles, and the vast majority of them are on vinyl. I've been trying to find more children's albums since I started collecting records in 2006, but I haven't had that much luck until the last five years or so. I did find some albums before that. Of this batch, The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and Introducing the Care Bears go back the furthest. I found them at Oaklyn yard sales in 2011. I'm hoping this will only take me a week or two to finish, absolutely no longer than a month.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated while having dinner and finishing the inventory work for today. Phyllis Diller and Fred Grandy joined in for the first week, which ended with Charles Nelson Reilly turning up in the contestant's chair in the beginning. He claimed he was a 29-year-old contestant, prompting a "You wish!" from Brett. Judy Landers and Robert Walden made the panel a pleasure to look at during the next week.

Finished the night with Grimm's Fairy Tales. This collection of fairy tale retellings from RCA Camden are mostly lighter updates of familiar stories. Little Red Riding Hood tells the wolf he should be on television, Cinderella gets a cuckoo clock to make the prince notice her, and the Sleeping Beauty's prince has to make the evil fairy laugh to release her from the sleeping spell, no kissing or dragons involved. 

Ironically, the most comic of the original stories, "The Fisherman and His Wife," actually ends up being one of the darkest here. The Grimm story ends with the fisherman and his wife simply being stripped of their wealth and returning to being poor after the wife asks to order around the sun and the moon. In this version, the fish becomes human and the wife is turned into a fish forever thanks to her greed. 

Of Feuds and Eagles

I was up so late last night and slept so late this morning, it was past 12:30 when I finally got going. Had brunch while listening to Billboard Top Rock and Roll Hits 1963. I have the revised version from 1993 that features "If You Wanna Be Happy" and "Deep Purple." "Surf City" is an old favorite of mine that I heard a lot growing up by the beach as a kid. Other songs I like here include "Sugar Shack," "Surfin' U.S.A," and the original "Louie Louie." 

Went for a short walk to Dollar General after I ate. I was almost completely out of pads. Grabbed granola bars, too, since granola bar sales haven't been great at any of the grocery stores. Treated myself to an Oreo Coke Zero while they're still available. I was hoping to get pretzels on the way back, but I forgot that the pretzel shop closes at 1 PM on Sundays. Not that the weather was great for lingering anyway. While it was warmer and far more damp, it was also gale-force windy, and the sun kept hiding behind heavy gray clouds. Not a great day for hiking around.

Soon as I got home, I had brunch, then spent the rest of the day (sans a shower later in the evening and a quick dinner) watching the continuation of last night's Family Feud marathon. There were even more episodes here, including the pilot and the series finale. The pilot had quite a few differences, starting with a smaller set and a lower, less elaborate board. The game play, however, remained the same from the beginning. There would be lollipop trees added in the last few years. The member of the family who chose the lollipop could win an extra $100 if they got a black-tipped stick.

Other than that, the show didn't change much over the years. Some of the weirder answers didn't change, either. The most infamous was probably the woman who answered the Fast Money question "How far into a woman's pregnancy does she begin to show?" with "September." Her sister was even goofier, giving the non-living "cuckoo" as a type of bird. There was also the supremely bizarre week ABC somehow got the Hatfields and the McCoys to play each other. I don't know if they were the real families, or actors hired to play them, but Richard spent a lot of that week with guns in his face. The final episode shown here even got a pig onstage (in a cage). 

Other ABC Feud specials made a lot more sense. Given they shared the mornings with Feud, it wasn't uncommon to to see daytime - and more rarely, nighttime - soaps playing each other. General Hospital was Mom and Dad's favorite soap in the 1980's, but they never seemed to do well. They lost their first time around to One Life to Live and their second to All My Children. Knots Landing did even better playing Dynasty, the show it spun off of. 

Less melodramatic shows also had a chance at winning for their favorite charities. One week featured vintage favorites like The Brady Bunch and Your Hit Parade. Another pit two very different series about stranded groups, Lost In Space and Gilligan's Island, against each other. (The guy who worked the Robby the Robot suit in the former was kind of cute.) Other shows focused on more recent series like Barney Miller and Welcome Back, Kotter. Charles Fleischer, the future voice of Roger Rabbit, was a riot on the latter. He just couldn't stay still, especially doing the first Fast Money round. 

TV show casts weren't the only ones who played, either. The Dallas Cowboys and their cheerleaders played each other on a sweeps week, with the Cowboys playing much better here than they did this afternoon. We saw the last episode of the week that had popular game show hosts playing each other. Despite flubbing some answers, Jim Perry still helped Betty White, Bill Cullen, Bob Eubanks, and Nipsey Russell do well at the Fast Money.

By 1985, the show had begun to falter in the ratings. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy drew people away from the syndicated version, while the daytime series had to compete with newer shows like Sale of the Century and Super Password...and the fact that ABC had just plain lost interest in daytime game shows. (They'd end daytime game shows all together by 1991.) The original Feud ended in May 1985 with a heartfelt speech by Richard on how much he enjoyed working on the show. He even acknowledged producer Howard Felsher, whom he'd notoriously clashed with and fought with many times during the run of the series

Check out more of the wackiest groups of people to ever play game shows in the most legendary episodes of the original Family Feud!

Family Feud Sunday Classics - Best Episodes With Richard Dawson Part 2

Oh, and in between all this, I also listened to the Eagles game on my new mini-radio. This time, they played like champs, running rings around the Cowboys at the Linc. The Cowboys couldn't get anywhere near them. The closest they got to them was a fight at the end of the game that ended with three players ejected. The Eagles went on to wallop the Cowboys good 41-7 and win the NFC East and the number 2 seed in the playoffs. 

Oh, and the rain that threatened off and on all day finally started around 7 PM. It's been off and on the rest of the night, though it seems to be off at the moment. 

Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough

Began the morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. Mystery Inc travels to Turkey to see an entire ancient city being unearthed. When they arrive, they discover that the workers are being scared off by "The Tar Monster," the guardian of the treasure supposedly buried deep within the city. When the treasure seemingly goes missing, the kids have to figure out who did it and where the treasure disappeared to.

Called Uber shortly after the show ended. My original plan for today was to hit the Blackwood Outlets...but it was showering when I got up and would continue raining in some form for the rest of the day. I decided to switch days and went to the Deptford Mall instead. I was pleased and surprised when the car arrived within a minute and dropped me off in less than 20. There was no traffic anywhere, not even on the highway. The cheerful older lady was a huge Michael Jackson fan. She blasted "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" all the way to Deptford.

Wanted to hit Round 1 Arcade first before I was laden down with packages. The Lane Master bowling game and several new games were down, but everything else seemed to work. Spent the next hour or so running from skee ball to the ring toss to the pirate wheel to Bust a Move to Pac Man and Hot Wheels. Got Yoshi on Mario Kart Deluxe, but I couldn't manage more than third. Didn't do so hot on Cruisin' Blast, either. Came in fifth there on the difficult Singapore course. 

Came up with over 2,790 points. They didn't have any interesting stuffed animals, so I decided to try something different. The back wall had "World's Smallest" versions of everything from hair dryers to ping pong games. I went with a mini vintage auto scan radio and a mini tool kit with tiny screwdrivers that really worked. 

Hurried across the mall to Red Robin for lunch. Maybe due to it being past 1:30 when I got there, I didn't have to wait in line. Tried one of their Tavern Burgers, a smaller burger made for less boisterous appetites, with sweet potato fries. Yum! The double patty burger, with its French-fried onions, was just enough, and the fries were good, too. 

I spent the next two hours walking around in the mall. Peeked at Go! Callenders and Toys, Box Lunch, Spencer's, FYE, Aeropostale, and Champs Sports, but I only ended up buying clothes in the anchor department stores. I picked up a long-sleeved pale green shirt at Boscov's and a darker green short-sleeved shirt and black jeans on good sales at JC Penney. (The t-shirt came out to $5; the jeans were $23.)

Headed out around 3:30 to Barnes and Noble. This was a lot harder than crossing the street at my birthday was. The traffic was absolutely terrible. At least the rain was down to a drizzle at that point. I was mildly damp as I made my way past the abandoned mall that used to house Bed, Bath, and Beyond and the Christmas Tree Shops.

Barnes and Noble was even busier than the mall had been. I didn't find any of the books or records I was looking for, but I did turn up a few things. I only have the original soundtrack for the Disney Little Mermaid on a cassette that's currently in storage. Found a picture disc vinyl version with all the songs and some instrumental tracks, plus two books: 

Death In a Castle Dark - Victoria Bond

Beastly Beauty - Jennifer Donnelly (This was a teen novel with a female Beast who is rescued by a male thief Beauty - frankly, it sounds like "Tangled and the Beast" or a romance novel, but I love unique Beauty and the Beast stories, so I'm willing to try it. Besides, all hardbacks at Barnes and Noble are currently 1/3 off. I got it for $13.)

Since cookies were buy one, get one half-off, I had an oatmeal and a peanut butter cup along with a Gingerbread Frappucino while calling Uber. Between the rain coming down harder by 5:30 and it being the height of rush hour, it took almost 20 minutes for the driver to arrive this time. At least he was pleasant when he did come, and he went through Oaklyn to avoid traffic.

Had dinner when I got home and watched tonight's game show marathon on YouTube. With the Family Feud holiday episodes having been well-received, the owner of the Match Game Productions channel did a marathon of even more famous non-Christmas episodes of the show. Some of the craziest answers of any game show could be heard here. In one episode, when Richard said "name an animal with a three-letter name," a young man said "frog." His father's "alligator" answer was even worse. (And frankly, most of their remaining answers weren't much better.) Not that all the answers were that goofy. In 1978, a woman because the first to give all number one answers and win her Fast Money on her own. 

Celebrities generally tended to do better. Betty White turned up twice here, in the game show host week leading the Marvelous MCs along with Jim Perry and Bill Cullen and in the Walk of Fame special with none other than head producer Mark Goodson leading the men. Feud prime-time specials were a great way for teams from ABC shows of the time to play each other and plug their own program. The first had The Love Boat and Eight Is Enough and Soap and Three's Company playing each other. The second contrasted city and suburb with the sitcoms Angie and The Ropers and the drama The Waltons and the action show The Dukes of Hazard. Three's Company won the first special, with John Ritter adorably clumsy even on a game show. Angie killed the competition in the second. Debralee Scott became the second contestant in the marathon to get all her Fast Money answers in one go. 

Other things happened on this show besides actual playing. Rodeo champs from Nevada in big ten-gallon hats showed up in the very first syndicated episode. Kids performed break dancing moves in another...and then announcer Gene Wood showed off his idea of street dancing. Richard's sons Gary and Mark and Mark's wife brought him a cake for his birthday in a celebration that took so long, they let both teams play Fast Money to make up for the curtailed questions. Sammy Davis Jr. had a blast talking to the contestants and even hosting a question in another show.

Let's see the origins of the Feud and enjoy some of its most famous episodes in this hilarious and heartfelt marathon!

Family Feud Saturday Classics - Best Episodes With Richard Dawson 

Finished the night at Tubi with The Snow Queen. I went further into the first US dubbing of this exquisite Russian fairy tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Snow Queen

(Oh, and I tried the radio when I got home. It works great, and it just needs two AA batteries. I got a jazz station and absolutely loved it. And since it looks like a vintage radio from the 30's, it might make a great accessory for Molly and Kit. The mini-radios American Girl had for them are long retired.) 

A Lovely Way to Spend an Afternoon

I slept in so late and got so caught up finishing Rhythm and Clues, it was past noon when I got going. I ate a quick breakfast while watching Press Your Luck. Came in during the second half, just in time to see one guy Whammy out. The lady did too, leaving one guy to play against the house. He eventually won over $2,600, not bad after he hit two Whammies himself. His luck ran out in the next show when a Nebraska law school student managed to be the only one to pick up any cash.

Headed out as the second episode was ending. I had to run a few errands in Collingswood, and it had been a while since I had a nice walk there. Since I've visited Innergroove Records several times over the past few months, I decided to give equal time to the other record store about two blocks away. Collingswood Music is mainly a musical instrument and music lessons store, but it also has a darn good selection of records. I ended up with:

They had a lot of vintage James Bond soundtracks. It was a hard choice, but I finally went with Moonraker (still sealed!), The Spy Who Loved Me, and Octopussy. 

Bernadette Peters - Bernadette Peters (The kid at the desk said he was waiting to see who finally bought this one, considering they had three copies of it in the dollar racks.) 

The Age of Television 

Hooray for Hollywood (Collection of songs and some dialogue from Busby Berkeley Warners movies of the 30's.) 

Ralph Marterie and His Marlboro Men - Music for a Private Eye (themes from 60's detective shows)

Four episodes from The Adventures of Superman old-time radio show

Made my way down Haddon Avenue after I finally made my selection. It was such a lovely day, bright blue, sunny, and still really warm, it made up for a lot of stores in Collingswood being closed on Tuesdays. Thankfully, their library was open. I checked out their shelves and bins of books and DVDs for sale and  ended up with two recent hardback mysteries, Steeped In Malice by Vicky Delany and A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G Herren. 

Backtracked a block to Sabrina's Cafe for lunch. I'm glad I went when I did. I got there around quarter after 2, and they close at 3. They were still surprisingly busy for so late in the afternoon, with several of the long, blocky wooden and metal tables remaining full. I went with one of their seasonal specials, Wheels French Toast, a coconut French toast with blueberry-lemon compote. I was expecting two slices of French toast and some blueberries. What I got was four perfectly-cooked slices of thick coconut French toast swimming in sweet blueberry-lemon compote and topped with whipped cream, toasted coconut, and crunchy coconut streusel. Oh, yum! Sweet, fruity, and just heavenly. 

Had one last stop to make at PNC Bank on the way out. By the time I doubled back two blocks to the banks, there was a line for the outside ATM machines. There was a shorter one inside, too, but I opted to wait there instead. Went in, got my money, and went out.

Headed home after that. I noticed when I locked my bike at the rack behind the Senior Center that it was starting to look grimy. It was time to give it a good scrub. I can't remember the last time I washed my bike. I took it around the back with one of my new washcloths bought from Marshalls and Pine-Sol and gave it as good of a cleaning as I could. It looks a little less dusty, at any rate.

Went upstairs to rest and watch It Ain't Hay. I go further into this Abbott and Costello race track vehicle based on a Damon Runyon story at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

It Ain't Hay

Had no luck with job searching, so I worked on writing instead after the movie ended. Kathleen is surprised when the snow starts. It had been relatively warm just moments before! She hurries off to find shelter as the snow gets worse.

(Oh, and at this point, I saw glimpses of two new Julie outfits at Instagram and on an American Girl blog. One has her in blue shorts and a rainbow pastel heart-print t-shirt that honestly looks more appropriate for 80's girl Courtney. The other, a lavender and teal granny-square crocheted vest and purple skirt, screams 70's as loudly as possible. I might have to get both for Ariel, or at least the granny square one.) 

Broke for dinner and Match Game '77 at 7 PM. The first episode began with Charles joking about Brett's white jacket making her look like a nurse. The others are more interested in commenting on the lady wearing a shirt that said "Baby" with an arrow pointing at her stomach. The second show has everyone singing "On Top of Old Smokey" as an answer to a question about where Ranger Smith ends up when he falls out of his tower.

Finished the night listening to some of my recent record finds as I worked on my It Ain't Hay review. The Johnny Mathis album I Just Found Out About Love would seem to be a special collection of songs with music by Jimmy McHugh intended for the Columbia Music Club. I do have "Sunny Side of the Street" elsewhere, but the other songs are new to me. My favorites were the opening "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" and "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street." 

Hooray for Hollywood brings together many songs and some bits of dialogue from Busby Berkeley/Warner Bros musicals of the 1930's. I was pleased to see that they didn't always go with the obvious choices, here. Among the rarer songs are "Spin a Little Web of Dreams" from the semi-musical Fashions of 1934, "The Lady In Red" from In Caliente, and "I'm Going Shopping With You" and "The Words are the Music In My Heart" from Gold Diggers of 1935. Surprisingly, two major Berkeley films of the period - Gold Diggers of 1933 and my favorite, Footlight Parade - are not represented. Still, it's nice to have songs from movies that don't turn up as often nowadays. 

Games Eagles Play

Began a sunny morning with perfect blueberry pancakes for breakfast and the soundtrack for the 1969 musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips. It's too bad this movie seems to have had major production problems from the get-go and flopped at the box office. Some of the Leslie Bricusse score is really lovely. Peter O'Toole may be miscast as a shy teacher, but he does get to (kind of) sing the sweet "What a Lot of Flowers" and melancholy "Where Did My Childhood Go?" Petula Clark has more fun playing Chips' West End star wife who sings the rousing "London Is London," the hilarious "School Days" with the boys, and and the touching "You and I."

Switched to another soundtrack while getting ready for work. I reviewed Funny Lady back in January when it was free on the streaming service Crackle. The movie is really something of a mess, but it has great music. Barbra Streisand introduces several new Kander and Ebb songs, including "How Lucky Can You Get?", while James Caan sounds surprisingly good on "Me and My Shadow."

Work was surprisingly quiet for the first football Sunday of the year. I expected it to be crazy before the game started, but we were off-and-on steady, not really that much different than yesterday. I guess everyone did their shopping last weekend. It was so dead by 5 PM, I headed out a few minutes early.

(Apparently the Eagles did well against Washington early-on, but eventually lost 27-17.)

Went straight into writing when I got home. Malade orders Sir Jack Narz to drag over Della, whose strength powers have lessened. She wants Fannie, too, but the Princess of the Air proves to be harder to find...

Jodie called around 6. Rose and her family were long-gone, but Jessa was there. Did I want to have tacos with them anyway? Sure, why not?

I was very happy to see Jodie and Jessa sitting together at the island in the kitchen when I came in. I made my soft-shell tacos as we discussed what to do about all the stuff in the house. Jodie said Rose is going to help her try to figure out what goes where. Trouble is...most of the stuff in the house, especially in the basement, isn't Dad's. He and Jodie never properly went through Uncle Ken's stuff after he died in 2012, and there's things that belong to Aunt Jane and my cousins Guy and Samantha, too. Jodie did bring down anything that belonged to Jessa's adopted mother Kaye for her to decide what to do with it, or send it along to Kaye's family in Florida.

Left Jessa and Jodie to settle their differences around 7. Spent the next hour and a half at my place, making Old-Fashioned Ginger Cookies while listening to the last two episodes of I Love Adventure and a couple of I Love a Mystery shows. "Hearse on the Highway" has Doc and Jack posing as truckers to track down a gang of hijackers. They get involved in "The Ricardo Santos Affair" when they're hired to protect a South American ambassador, only to end up crashing in the African jungle with his resentful wife and worried daughter.

"Ricardo Santos Affair" was the last episode of I Love Adventure. I Love a Mystery was finally revived a year later in 1949, with Reggie played by a young Tony Randall. "The Thing That Cries In the Night" has them coming to Hollywood to spend a $25,000 windfall, only to get caught up in the problems of an eccentric and troubled rich family being terrorized by strange, baby-like wails in the night.

Finished out the night on YouTube with more rare vintage game shows. Kicked things off with the original $10,000 Pyramid from 1973. Dick Clark lead McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit, Anita Gillette, and Daniel Spielburg through three levels of subjects they have to describe to contestants. The game play is largely unchanged from the current version, other than the dollar amounts being smaller. McLean, Anita, and Loretta are just as entertaining here as they were in their Match Game appearances; McLean was especially funny.

Battlestars is an oddity from 1983. Apparently, this is it's second incarnation. It's basically a more complicated form of Hollywood Squares. Contestants land on a number that corresponds to a star. If they correctly guess if the star gives the right answer to a multiple-choice question, they win that triangle. Get three or more triangles, and you win a chance to go on to the bonus round. It's not as easy as it looks, but the contestants were helped by a great panel that included Charles Nelson Reilly, Betty White, Lydia Cornell, and Richard Kline. Alex Trebek was the host here.

Reilly also took part in the hilarious Wordplay from 1987, joined by his friend and Broadway stage star Julie Harris and Magnum PI star Larry Manetti. This time, contestants have to guess which definition of an unusual or obscure word the celebrity gives is correct. This lead to some really creative and funny answers, like Manetti insisting that "Jerry-built" meant "boat made in Alaska." I had a great time with everyone's descriptions, and I think host Tom Kennedy did, too! I'll definitely be looking for more of this one.

$10,000 Pyramid (1973)
The New Battlestars (1983)
Wordplay (1987)

Been a Long Day

Kicked off the morning with dark chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and the original cast of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. J. Pierpont Finch (Robert Morse) is determined to get ahead at the Worldwide Wicket Company, no matter who he has to step on along the way. He manages to charm secretary Rosemary (Bonnie Scott) and his boss Biggley (Rudy Vallee), but not everyone is so impressed with his ability to move up the corporate ladder. Obnoxious Bud Frump (Charles Nelson Reilly), Biggley's brown-nosing nephew, does everything he can to bring Finch down, and a lot of the other executives are worried about their jobs. When a scheme Frump suggests to Finch goes wrong, it'll take a lot of fast-talking - and one big revivalist number - for Finch to come out on top.

A lot of the plot hasn't dated well (especially anything relating to the secretaries), but there's still some great numbers in this goofy satire. Morse scores with the finale "Brotherhood of Man" and "I Believe In You," sung to his reflection in the men's room, while Vallee recalls his days as a crooner to Virginia Martin in "Love From a Heart of Gold" and Reilly laments the lack of caffeine during their "Coffee Break." Younger folks may prefer more recent revivals with Matthew Broderick and Daniel Ratcliffe, but there's still a lot to love in the original cast, too.

Rushed off to work just as the record ended. They were a lot busier today than yesterday! We're normally busy on Sundays, regardless of what's going on. That's often the only day many people can go shopping. There were a few annoying people, but otherwise no really major problems. It slowed down so much by quarter after 5, I was able to close and bring a carton with eggs someone dropped on the conveyor belt in the back with no trouble.

At least it was a nice day again as I rode home down the Black Horse Pike. A little bit warmer than yesterday, but still neither as hot, nor as humid as it has been. The Oaklyn Manor Bar's outdoor bar and the picnic tables on Manor Avenue were as busy as they're allowed to be right now.

Went straight into writing when I got home, but I was so tired, I didn't do much. Debralee's livid that Malade the demon turned her fellow fairies into imps - tiny monsters who'll do her bidding. She orders her new pets to keep the others busy, while she next deals with the wizards...

Switched to I Love Adventure while throwing together a quick "spinach pancake" (eggs, spinach, mushrooms, and cheese) for dinner. "The Kwan Moon Dagger" gets into slightly stereotypical turf when an Asian princess comes to a bored Jack Packard and Doc Long and asks them to find the missing Kwan Moon Dagger, a priceless treasure of her people. The boys grab at the case and head to Chicago, but discovers there's more to it than just a treasure when someone tries several times to kill them, and they're intercepted by a mysterious flower-shop owner.

Finished off the night online after a shower with a few more relatively rare game shows. Double Dare from 1976, one of the earliest hosting gigs for Alex Trebek, was showed on Buzzr early in its existence but apparently hasn't been seen since. No slime to be found anywhere in this one - it's a trivia show. Two contestants in isolation booths have to guess who or what a series of questions lead to. When one answers, they can dare the other to answer the remaining questions. The winner has the most points and goes on to challenge three professors in isolation booths to see if they can guess a subject. If he can stump even just one, they'll win money. It's very complicated, and honestly a little dull. I can kind of see why this barely lasted a year.

The Cross-Wits was a lot more fun, a cross between crossword puzzles and Password Plus. Gentlemanly Jack Clark hosted this show that has two celebrities helping a contestant solve a series of crossword clues that lead up to a subject. Guess the subject, and you win a prize. The bonus round was CrossFire - a celebrity and the winning contestant answers a series of clues. Get all the clues, and you win the big prize. It helps that one of the four contestants on this episode was a still-witty Dorothy Lamour, and yes, one of the puzzles did refer to the Road To...movies.

The New Treasure Hunt gets more into Let's Make a Deal territory. Smarmy Geoff Edwards calls women onstage to choose a package that may hold a prize, or take money. The packages may lead to a big prize...or to a goofy skit that results in nonsense prizes like the zonks on Deal. The first lady smartly took the money, despite a funny skit with a robber and a cop. The second didn't get nearly as lucky, barely ending up with anything.

Here's all three shows, for your viewing pleasure!

Double Dare (Trebek) (1976)
The Cross-Wits (1978)
The New Treasure Hunt (1976)

Dolls In the Rain

Kicked off a gloomy morning with blueberry pancakes and Split Second. The college student champ and one of the ladies dominated the competition today; they finished within 50 dollars of each other. She just barely got ahead and won the Countdown Round...and then chose the right flip boards for the car on her first try!

Big winners on Blockbusters this morning, too. A father-daughter pair easily defeated a cheerful young man with a mustache. The dad went on to get every single answer right on the Gold Rush bonus round. They were taking on a lady when the episode ended.

Spent the next hour or so dressing the 18-inch dolls. Samantha wears her current pink Swiss-dotted "meet" dress with the maroon velvet sash, socks borrowed from Molly, and her black strap shoes. Molly's in Kit's blue School Outfit and her saddle shoes. The print on Kit's Flower-Print Dress are the perfect colors for Ariel; she wears it with knee-high socks and Molly's white t-strap shoes. Whitney wears her yellow and red floral print Queen's Treasures dress with the red strap shoes from Samantha's Sunny Day Dress and a crinoline from eBay. Josefina is ready for summer's end in her orange and yellow-print Summer Dress, with its faux-leather vest and high boots. Jessa's more laid-back in a long jean skirt and magenta t-shirt. Left Felicity in her lavender Travel Gown. I really don't have much else to change her into.

Listened to I Love Adventure while I worked on the dolls. Jack Packard and Reggie York return for a short-lived series that initially revolved around them going on cases of "international intrigue" for the 21 Old Men of Gramercy Park. "The Finishing School Kidnapping" is actually kind of sweet. The Old Man representing Italy is frantic when his granddaughter is among the teen girls kidnapped from a distinguished finishing school. Jack and Reggie's trail somehow takes them from Italy to a Tibetan monastery, where the last person anyone would think of taking care of teen girls is keeping them safe.

After that...I'm not sure what happened. I guess show creator Carleton Morse got tired of doing James Bond stuff. The next episode was supposed to have been an Indian adventure, from the announcement at the end, but instead, we returned to LA, Doc, and the guys being private eyes. All 13 episodes of this show exist, so I don't think there's anything missing. Reggie encounters a little boy who tries to pick his pocket in "But Grandma, What Big Eyes You Have." Turns out the kid also snatched a purse, and may have shot a man in the night. He's also scared to death of his grandmother, who is his guardian. Reggie and Jack think she's just a typical old lady at first...until they listen to her and to the kid, and realize where his nightmares came from...

Finished with the dolls in time for most of the noon showings of Match Game. Baked Chocolate Chip-Orange Muffins while I watched. Comedian Joe Silver and Esther Rolle, the warm matriarch from Good Times, appeared in two fun episodes from late 1975. (And if the announcer sounds different, it's Bern Bennett. Johnny Olsen was on vacation.)

Pulled the muffins out of the oven, then had lunch. Watched an episode of Elena of Avalor while I ate and they cooled. With the series finale having played last week, it's past time I caught up with the adventures of Disney's first Latina princess. Went with "The Curse of El Guapo" from season 2. Elena's friend Gabe has the chance to become the Captain of the Guard after the previous captain retires. He's nervous because most of the other guards come from good families and have fancy swords, and he's a baker's son with nothing. He "borrows" a sword he's supposed to deliver to a museum. Turns out it's cursed with the spirit of a handsome and arrogant general. It makes Gabe a fabulous fighter, but also arrogant and uncaring. He finally goes to young wizard Mateo for a potion that may help.

Headed out for a walk after the episode ended. I had a few errands I wanted to run. By the time I made it out around 1:30, a soft, steady shower fell. No matter. I took my umbrella instead of the bike and had a very pleasant stroll, waving to my friend Erica as she headed out in her car. My first stop was Dollar General. I wanted to get bath rugs, but they didn't have any I liked. I did replace the yellow mitten pot holder I've had since college with one that has a pretty flower print and picked up Jiff Natural Peanut Butter (less salt than most major brands).

After I briefly ducked into the post office to finally get Skylar's birthday card out, I went down the White Horse Pike to WaWa. They were pretty busy, despite it being past 2:30 at that point. I treated myself to one of the new fall smoothie flavors, Maple Pumpkin. Not bad. More maple syrup flavor than pumpkin.

Dug a letter out of the mail box when I got home. To my dismay, it was from the main office of the company that owns Acme. They claimed I hadn't sent in my paperwork for my leave...but the letter was dated a month ago. Phone calls to the Acme and the Albertsons office revealed that they'd gotten my paperwork in ages ago, and there were no problems. I hadn't gotten to updating my address with them until recently, and the letter took longer to get here because of the changed address.

After that was settled, I finally got to finishing Press Your Luck. Came in half-way through the second round, just as the one woman Whammied out. The slightly older of the two men just got a Bahamas cruise and a little money, but the other guy was hit with Whammies, and he ended up winning.

Worked on writing for a while after the show ended. The evil witch queen Malade is thrilled that midnight nears. All light magic - including that of the fairies, the wizards, and the princesses - dulls at midnight. While Fannie tries to keep her gown from vanishing, Richard holds his bow on Malade to remind her that not everyone at the ball has magic, or will be heavily effected by her spells.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. After checking a few recipes and what I had in my refrigerator, I ended up making a tuna pasta salad with home-made ranch dressing while Match Game was on. Janet Finn keeps on winning, with a little help from Charles; meanwhile, Brett teases him and complains about Donald Ross' loud shirts, while Richard wants to be the Mickey to Fannie Flagg's Minnie (or at least her Minnie Mouse t-shirt).

For some reason, Sale of the Century jumped way back to 1986. The young man contestant dominated the game full-stop, with him buying two of the three Instant Bargains and getting a big money card on the Fame Game. This was when the "bonus round" was the "match the prize" game. It took the guy a few minutes, but he did finally manage to match the car with this show's equivalent of the "Wild Card" from Concentration.

Returned to I Love Adventure while turning two mealy peaches and old blueberries in Blueberry-Peach Crisp. "The Man With the Third Green Eye" gets closer to the tone of the original I Love a Mystery. This time, Doc joins in as the trio take on the case of a mysterious man who murders their actual contact on a train, and the exotic woman connected to him.

Finished up online after my shower with the first episode of Parker Lewis Can't Lose on Crackle. Parker (Corin Nemec) and his buddies Mikey (Billy Jayne) and nerdy freshman Jerry (Troy Staden) do their bet to navigate the ins and outs of high school in 1990. The trio generally spend their time trying to avoid ending up in the office of strict Principal Musso (Melanie Chartoff), who would love to catch them in the act. Things get a little hairy when Parker falls for the beautiful girl (a young Milla Jovovich, so you really can't blame them) that Mikey also likes, and she kisses him. Mikey stops speaking to him, and it takes fending off gigantic school bully Kubiac (Abraham Benrubi) to bring them back together.

You can't get much more 1990 than this show. It's already a riff on Ferris Bueller's Day Off, with Parker dodging teachers and sisters alike and reveling in everything that seemed cool then. Ironically, it went on to do far better than an actual Ferris Bueller show in the ratings, mainly due to the surreal and occasionally twisted sense of humor. I remember hearing about this show when I was 11, but I just never got around to it then. I don't know how actual teens would react to it now, but for anyone who grew up when I did, this is a really unique blast from the past.

Songs and Sounds of Summer

Slept longer than I planned this morning. Had a quick cereal and blueberries breakfast while listening to the original cast of Bye Bye Birdie. In this spoof of suburban teen life and culture, songwriter Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke) and his girlfriend Rosie Alverez (Chita Rivera) come up with the idea of writing the song "One Last Kiss" for teen idol Conrad Birdie (Dick Gautier), who was just drafted into the Army, to sing on The Ed Sullivan Show. A teen girl chosen randomly from his fan club will be selected to give him that final kiss.

The lucky girl is Kim MacAfee (Susan Watson), who is absolutely thrilled. Her parents and boyfriend Hugo (Michael J. Pollard) are not. Her father Harry (Paul Lynde) loudly protests, until he learns it'll be on television. Albert's clingy mother Mae (Kay Medford) wants her son to continue to be her meal ticket and shoves a tap dancer at him, prompting jealous Rosie to sabotage the show.

Granted, there's a lot of songs here I love, including the hit "Put On a Happy Face," Rosie and Kim's "What Did I Ever See In Him," "A Lot of Livin' to Do" for Conrad and the suburban kids after they've gone out for a night on the town, and the sweet "One Boy" for the girls and Rosie as they discuss their feelings for their men. The problem is, teens may still shriek over their favorite idols and parents may not understand why, but other details have dated rather badly. There's a song revolving around The Ed Sullivan Show, once a staple of family viewing that most families probably don't remember existed nowadays, and Rose's attempt to make Albert do something he doesn't want to do comes off as shallow instead of well-meaning.

This apparently is still a favorite of high schools and colleges to this day...but send the kids online or show them episodes of the real Ed Sullivan to help them understand what a lot of the fuss is about.

Had just enough time to sneak in a little bit of writing before work. Gene's delighted to introduce the six Legendary Princesses, together for the first time in decades. Malade's happy he did her work for her - now she can take them out in one blow, especially since its getting close to midnight...

Rushed off to work less than fifteen minutes after I got off the computer. Work was off-and-on busy all day, surprising considering the gorgeous weather. We're getting pretty close to the beginning of the month; some folks may have already gotten their money. I was tired and flustered and not really up to dealing with some of the more difficult customers. Couldn't have been happier when it slowed down enough by 5:30 for me to dash off without a relief.

It was the perfect day for dinner at Sonic. Evidently, a lot of other people thought so, too. A couple and a large family were already sitting down by the time I arrived. The mother in the family complained gently but firmly that the teens working the kitchen got their orders wrong, even as I gave them mine. They'd fixed the mix-up by the time my chicken sandwich, tater tots, and cherry limeade arrived. Actually, they made a mistake with my order, too. I asked for a cherry limeade slush, not an ordinary cherry limeade. No big deal. It's all liquid.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. The weather was too nice not to! It was sunny and breezy, with a deep blue sky, fat fleecy clouds, and no humidity. Not surprisingly, Nicholson Road was just as busy with people going out to order dinner or for Sunday drives. I dodged cars all the way down to Atlantic and Newton Avenue in Oaklyn.

I was so tired, I changed, had peanut butter-no bake cookies for dessert, and settled for listening to my Bold Venture album for an hour. This Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall radio show is one of several Bogart-related old time radio albums that came with the original collection from my late stepmother Kaye. Bogart is Slate Shannon, who owns a Cuban hotel and a boat named Bold Venture. Bacall is Sailor, his equally tough sweetheart. Their adventures range from treasure hunting to dealing with smugglers to battling pirates.

The first story, "The Star of Sheba," has Slate and Sailor delivering jewels that may have lead to the death of a friend of his. "The Blue Moon" involves smuggling intrigue. Both have a lot in common with To Have and Have Not (Bogart-Bacall, he runs a boat, tropical locale with colorful cast), and to a lesser degree, Casablanca (he owns a place where shady types congregate). Evidently, this syndicated show survived better than I Love a Mystery, with 57 out of 78 shows existing. Look them up if you love Bogart, Bacall, or tropical-flavored intrigue.

Finished the night poking around online. Watched the second half of the Flyers-Islanders game after tonight's Match Game premiere on YouTube. Darn it, despite putting up a good stand in the last few minutes, the Flyers lost, 3-2. They'd better get their rears in gear if they want to stay in the playoffs!

Sunny Day Adventures

Began a sunny morning with breakfast and more Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures. Went backwards to the crew's first adventures in Japan. "Goofasaur" is a dinosaur robot a young Japanese inventor created to look like Goofy. When the real Goofy breaks the controls and it goes on a rampage, Mickey borrows her Pacific Rim-style mechanical suit to catch up with it. Minnie, Daisy, and Cukoo Loca become "Teahouse Helpers" when a friend who runs a traditional Japanese tea house can't serve the tea. Daisy has to find that tea, before an ink artist who is a local celebrity leaves!

Switched to Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour while I finished my Farina and a very hard and mealy peach and got ready to run errands. This time, Elyse Knight joined her father Ted Knight and a pre-talk show Arsenio Hall to answer goofy questions. I listened to their antics while gathering my laundry. Headed out just as the regular Match Game started.

The laundromat was pretty busy when I arrived. Almost every regular washer was in use, so I took one of the larger ones that ran for a half-hour. The other reason I used the big washer was I wanted to hit Family Dollar. I needed sugar and sponges and wanted plastic containers for my journals to get them out of the way and make room for more. Sat outside while the clothes were in the dryer and worked on story notes. I didn't care that it was hot and humid. It was also bright and sunny, something it won't be in the next few days, and the wind felt wonderful.

Put my laundry away as soon as I got home. Listened to I Love Adventure as I shelved everything and loaded the journals in containers. This short-lived re-introduction to I Love a Mystery from 1948 has Jack, and later Reggie, working for the mysterious 21 Old Men at London in cases of international intrigue. The first has Jack retrieving microfilm in China. The second brings Reggie back in to help stop airmail thieves. Both seem more like an attempt to cross the pulp nuttiness of Mystery with more typical James Bond-esque spy tales. It's kind of an awkward mix, especially when Jack is on his own in the first story. (At the very least, unlike Mystery, the entire run of the series does exist.)

Watched Super Password and Tattletales while making a summer fruit and yogurt smoothie for lunch. Lydia Cornell turned up again on Super, answering Password Puzzles with Patrick Wayne. I saw the Tattletales episode a couple of months ago. Glenn Ford and his then-girlfriend Cynthia, Milton Berle and his equally witty wife Ruth, and perfectly kooky pair Donald Ross and Patti Deustch each won two questions and missed two questions, winning money for everyone in the studio.

Made my bed and went through the pile of paperwork and bills accumulating on the crates next to my desk while Press Your Luck was on. Everyone got hit hard with Whammies today, and no one really made much money. The younger of the two guys picked up just enough money to win.

Worked on writing for a while after the show ended. Bill Cullen's entrance is a distraction for the real "secret weapon" - the arrival of Princess Della (Reece) and Richard's buddy Nipsey (Russell) and his ax. Malade not as angry about having another Legendary Princess there as you'd think she would be, though, since it's getting awfully close to midnight. Midnight increases her powers, and ends that of the fairies...

Broke for dinner at 6:30 for chicken soup made from leftovers and Match Game. Janet Finn, who would become one of the show's biggest winners, made her first appearance in this 1974 episode. She won money right out of the starting gate when Betty White matched her "Three Musketeers" answer, prompting much kissing from Richard Dawson and Orson Bean!

Sale of the Century didn't go nearly as well. While everyone bought something, they all kept getting the questions wrong. No one was terribly ahead of anyone else going into the Speed Round. The champ did win the Speed Round decisively, but this time, he had more trouble with the Bonus Round.

My Frozen Banana Whirl came out much better. I tossed three mushy bananas in the refrigerator a few days ago, then cut them up and put them in the food processor with honey, coconut milk, and the last tiny bit of mango sorbet from a while back. Oh, yum! Sweet, fruity, and so very tropical. Who needs cow's milk, anyway? Healthy and chilling, with plenty left for tomorrow.

Finished the night with I Live for Love on TCM's website. I go further into this 1935 romantic comedy with Dolores Del Rio and Everett Marshall at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

I Live for Love

Around the World at Home

Began the morning with Farina and strawberries for breakfast and Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures on Disney Now. Mickey and the gang hit Japan for their cherry blossom festival, but end up dealing with "Hanami Hijinks!" when a mischievous Japanese critter makes a mess of their picnic. Minnie and Daisy are "Happy Harajuku Helpers!" when they hit Tokyo's fashion district to take part in a big show there. The assistant of a leading Japanese fashion designer doesn't think she has a sense of style. Minnie loans her their Turnstyler gadget in order to bring out her colorful and crazy side...but she walks off with it, and the girls have to chase her through Tokyo to get it back.

Worked on writing for a few hours after the show ended. Malade has turned half the people in the ballroom into stone, but she doesn't realize there's more coming. Lee's friend Lady Dolly (Martin) demands to know where her own missing husband is, while Betty tries to get her frog friend back and Bill Cullen finally makes it up from the kitchen

Broke for a very quick lunch at quarter after 11. Winter and spring of 1984 brought a lot of theme weeks to Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, including one revolving around the sitcom Too Close For Comfort. Ted Knight, Nancy Dussault, their screen daughters Deborah Van Valkenburgh and Lydia Cornell, and wacky neighbor Jim J. Bullock had a lot of fun answering Gene's crazy questions. (The Too Close week makes me wish Knight turned up on the 70's-early 80's Match Game. Dussault appeared on a single week in 1974 that was one of the best from that year.)

Headed off to work as soon as I was dressed and packed. Work was busy for most of the day, much busier than it has been. Tuesday is Senior Discount Day at the Acme, and there's a lot of seniors who live in an senior-care apartment building two blocks from the mall. I really got flustered with a few orders, including one involving a check. Thankfully, it slowed down after the evening rush hour. My last customer grabbed a pack of chicken with no label and nearly made me late getting off; I got out just in time.

Went straight home after that. I wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere else, even if things were normal. It may have been sunny, but it was also hot, hazy, and still horribly humid. Things were busy on Nicholson Road, too. Dodged the last of the evening rush hour and quite a fellow bikers and people walking home from work all the way down to Atlantic Avenue.

Put my bike in the garage, then went looking for my I Love a Mystery set. It was supposed to have been delivered today. The plastic package peeked out from behind one of the metal columns on the porch of the main house. The set consisted of all of the three existing or nearly-existing Mystery episodes, plus episodes of the short-lived lead-in to the revival I Love Adventure, a similar Carleton Morse-created serial Adventures by Morse, and a disc of 50's TV detective shows based after radio programs.

Ran Match Game as I changed and took out the trash. The current champ is just as thrilled as Jo Anne Worley when she helps her win money with her answer to "Blank Affair." Alejandro Rey is happier with the next challenger, a pretty woman from his native Buenos Aires who spoke his language fluently.

Had leftovers for dinner while watching Sale of the Century. Three new challengers bought bargains today. The one guy got left in the dust by the two ladies, who battled it out for most of the episode. The Asian woman pulled ahead in the speed round and won a sauna, but she didn't have much luck in the bonus round.

Jodie called while Century was on. She called me earlier while I was at work. Apparently, it was Taco Tuesday, and she was in a Mexican mood. As it turned out, she changed her mind and went elsewhere for dinner. She once again assured me that she intends to do nothing with the house until after the New Year, or even after that, and that she doesn't think me going back to Cape May County is a good idea, either.

Finished the night after a shower with In Caliente on TCM's app. I go further into this romantic comedy vehicle for spicy Mexican actress Dolores Del Rio with Busby Berkeley choreography at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

In Caliente