Rock and Roll Matches

Began a sunny morning with breakfast and Doc McStuffins. Space toys Commander Crush and Star Blazer Zero are "Space Buddies Forever!" They even work together to rescue the Wicked King after he's carried off by a crow. Doc's crew learn about organ donations when Commander Crush has an accident and loses the screws from one of his wings and Zero offers him two of his. Astronaut Luna is hoping her new robot dog Liv will "Live Long and Pawsper." Doc insists that Liv wear a cone after one of her antenna breaks off. Luna hates to see how hard the cone makes it for Liv to explore, but it makes it even harder for her to not break her antenna again.

Headed off to work shortly after the episode ended. Pretty much the same deal here, only this time, it was quiet enough in the morning and later in the afternoon for me to get most of the outside trash done. I did get stuck briefly in a register around 12:30, but was otherwise able to focus on bagging. Helped a lady going through chemotherapy who was really tired with her bags. She was so happy, she gave me a big hug and tried to tip me. You're not allowed to tip baggers in New Jersey - it's a state law - but helping her out and making her happy was better payment than any money would have been. 

Oh, and I heard from Mary Johnson, the realtor who showed me the apartment in Collingswood after a mix-up, at work. The apartment on Bettlewood was already snapped up after just a few days on the market, but the ones on the White Horse Pike in Audubon were still available. I'll see them at 3 PM tomorrow. E-mailed another apartment in Collingswood as well later in the evening after I got in.

When I got home, I changed, ordered vegetable pizza, and went straight into the next Betty White/Match Game marathon. Match Game was so popular, by 1975, Goodson-Todman began a second show for the nighttime syndicated market. It was just as much of a hit as the afternoon version. Betty joined the others for some of the most memorable moments ever on any version of Match Game.

I've discussed Richard and the Admiral TV answer on the Audience Match and Betty and Richard playing Charles and Brett elsewhere. Other classic shows from Betty's early years on the nighttime run include an awkward and scary answer to "The Third ___" on an Audience Match that renders that episode banned from TV, an adorable twinkly-eyed older man contestant who had a crush on Brett, a previously lost episode with Eva Gabor Buzzr aired last year for the first time since 1977, a Fillipino contestant in beautiful native dress looking better than she plays, and a bubbly British contestant in a low-cut Match Game PM shirt that definitely got Richard's attention. 

Let's go into the night with Betty and the other Match Gamers as they reveal how much fun you can have after hours! And come back tomorrow at 6 PM for more of the best of Betty on Match Game PM! 

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - Match Game PM Episodes 1975 - 1977

Finished the night with Rock n' Roll High School Forever. I go further into the direct-to-video sequel to Rock n' Roll High School from 1991 featuring Corey Feldman as an anarchic musician at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - Rock n' Roll High School Forever

Windy Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. Came in just as we met a man who created a football helmet that could estimate the effect of the impact on the skull. Allen Ludden was the only one who said #3, and he was right. I applauded the next one, a woman who used her winnings from The $10,000 Pyramid to start her own all-female chauffeur service. This time, almost everyone including me said #3, who was the most enthusiastic, and we were absolutely right. 

Changed and packed lunch, then headed off to work. Though it was gale-force windy this morning, it warmed up enough for me to take my bike. Bagging didn't start off too badly. We didn't really get busy until the evening rush hour. After about 2-2:30, I couldn't keep up with the sweeping and the carts and putting away perishable items people didn't want and rounding up the trash and recycling and checking the bathrooms to make sure no one's been plugging up the toilets again. The carts got so backed up by 3:30, they finally sent two of the kids who were doing orders for online shoppers out to help. At least it was also sunny, and the winds diminished throughout the day. 

Dashed home the moment I could. Changed, made a quick mushroom omelet, and went straight into Match Game Productions' next belated Betty White marathon. Betty continued as one of the most popular semi-regulars on Match Game as the show moved into its second syndicated season. She was so huge, when Brett Somers took time off to direct a play at the end of the season, she replaced her next to Charles. This was the season when she briefly hosted a question. In fact, it happened when she was replacing Brett. Other memorable episodes from this season include Gene bringing along his daughter Lynne's dog Trotter, to Betty's delight, the week she appeared with then-current game show hosts Bill Cullen, Dick Martin, and Peter Marshall and future host Elaine Joyce, and Gene and Betty doing mock stripteases in response to a question with jokes about skinny bodies. 

Head into the 80's with Betty and the rest of the Match Game crew! And come back tomorrow at 5 PM when we jump back in time for Betty's run on the nighttime show!

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - Syndication Season 2 1980

Baby, It's Really Cold Outside!

Started off a sunny, brisk morning with breakfast and the original Scooby Doo, Where are You? The gang says "That's Snow Ghost" when a Abominable Monster-like "ghost" tries to scare them away from the ski lodge where they're on vacation. They first meet a Tibetan man who claims the ghost is after him in the mountains. Velma and Fred think there's another explanation, especially when they make an interesting discovery at an abandoned log mill.

Worked on apartment hunting for the next half-hour or so. Mary Johnson, who showed me that apartment in Collingswood the week before Christmas, finally got back to me. She doesn't know what happened to that apartment, but she did send me listings for three others. One is in an apartment building in Oaklyn on Bettlewood; two are in a duplex on the White Horse Pike in Audubon. The one in Oaklyn looks slightly nicer than the ones in Audubon, but they're all worth checking out. 

Even as I changed into work clothes, gusty gales rattled my bedroom windows. It was much too cold and windy to take my bike to work today! I ended up calling Uber. Surprisingly, considering the frigid weather, I got rides to and from work in less than five minutes both ways. The drivers were quite pleasant, too, especially the cheery lady who picked me up in the morning.

Work was on-and-off steady for most of the evening. In addition to some people having to feed kids who may be taking classes at home for a while, today is the Acme's Senior Discount Day...and there's a senior apartment building two blocks from the store. We get a lot of people from that building who want to take advantage of the sale, freezing cold or no freezing cold. 

Was pulled two hours before finishing time to push carts. The night bagger got sick and called out for the week. Had no problems pushing carts. It was actually nice to get out in the cold air and move around. I had a lot more trouble with the trash and recycling. They were overflowing, to the point where it took me ten minutes just to get the trash out and keep it from ending up on the sidewalk. The day bagger must not have had the time to empty them. It took me so long, I was almost late getting out.

Got home just in time for the Audience Match on Match Game PM. Bernie "Siegfried" Koppel, by that time on The Love Boat, and Lee Merriweather join Betty White and the regulars for the last nighttime episode before they changed the set and started using the Star Wheel. Richard has one more chance to help the contestant win money on "__ Sitter" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night on the Watch TCM website with Rock n' Roll High School. I go further into this wacky 1979 Roger Corman teen comedy featuring the music of punk rock group The Ramones at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Rock n' Roll High School

Finding a Place of My Very Own

Since my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins worked out so well the other day, I began the morning with equally tasty Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Put on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I ate. "Daniel Wants to Be Alone" when his friends play a noisy game and bump him too much. He finds it works to just do something on his own and recharge his batteries. "Daniel's Alone Space" is a little section between furniture where he can be by himself at home. He goes there to avoid Margaret trying to get his new Tigey book and his mother noisily working on fixing furniture in his room.

Switched to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as I did the dishes. "Doctor Daisy, MD" treats her friends to get her pretend doctor sticker. Most of them have fictional aliments that are fairly easy to treat...but who's the big "mystery patient" under that green sheet?

Went online for the next couple of hours after breakfast and looked up apartments. I just am not having much luck. There isn't much out there in winter and with everything going on, and I'm desperately running out of time. Though I no longer saw the apartment in Collingswood I viewed last month listed as available, I called back the realtor anyway to find out what was going on there. Posted at my own feed on Facebook and on a Facebook group for people looking for apartments in South Jersey.

Called Anthony Pezzelle, who owns the apartment buildings a block down the street and said last month that one may be available. It is...now. He also had a hard time evicting a tenant. Like Charlie before I moved out of Manor, he couldn't do much updating to the apartment because they were still there, and he's apparently in the midst of other projects, too. He says to call him back in mid-February and he'll have a more definite answer. At any rate, it won't even be ready until March 31st. 

Broke for lunch at 2 PM. Watched Doc McStuffins while I made a non-alcoholic pina colada smoothie for lunch. Gablooey the goo-filled starfish returns in "Snowy Gablooey." Doc's brother Donnie accidentally leaves him outside in the snow, and his goo freezes. Doc gives him a warm bath and shows how to warm up when you're frostbitten. Sir Kirby's excited to keep Doc's team from scoring a "Gooooal!" in their ice hockey match. He initially doesn't want to tell Doc when he gets hurt for fear of letting the team down, but finally coaches solar hula bobble doll Lelaini as his replacement.

Headed out to the laundromat next. They must have been much busier earlier. Every washer was full, despite there being no one there. I ended up using one of the top-loading washers that take longer. Treated myself to a hot chocolate and toasted coconut donut across the street at Dunkin' Donuts, then came back and managed to get the last dryer. Worked on story notes while my clothes dried. 

Got in around quarter after 4. Made oatmeal-dried cranberry cookies while watching Buzzr. Saw a young woman stay champ and avoid the Whammies long enough to pick up over $10,000 in cash on Press Your Luck. The champ didn't have nearly that much luck on Whew! The eager pre-med student kept decimating all comers on the main board, only to falter when dealing with the cardboard bad guys and the bloopers on the Gauntlet run. The furthest he got on the episode I saw was to the third villain.

Unfortunately, by the time I pulled the cookies out of the oven, Jodie's voice in the den picked up to shrill and unavoidable levels. She's really upset about not being able to sell the house right away and having to pay for heating it. It doesn't help that neither heat nor air flow well in the main house, often leaving it freezing cold when the mother-in-law suite is boiling hot and vice-versa. She's also still ranting about how nothing is her fault, it's never her fault, it's all her terrible, horrible daughters' faults, she did nothing wrong, and she wishes I'd just move in with Rose and let Rose do everything and oh why am I being so mean by not automatically leaving right away?

I had enough. I've had enough of her. I've had enough of Rose. I've had enough of everything. I grabbed my new winter coat and stormed out for a walk to clear my head. I didn't care that it was literally freezing cold. To paraphrase Elsa, the cold never bothered me anyway. I just needed to get away from her drunken rambling. At least it was a nice night for it. It was brisk and frigid, but also clear, with a perfect inky-black sky.

Ended up at the Oaklyn Library. Thank heavens they're open in the late afternoon and early evenings on Mondays! I took out three books from a hat-shop based mystery series I never heard of and talked to the librarian. I'm going crazy. I've had it up to here with Rose and Jodie. I appreciate everything they've done for me...everything except actually helping me find a home. They automatically assumed the other would take the responsibility of helping me, then complained when no one helped me and I couldn't find a place to live. At least Rose and Craig turned me in Anthony Pezzelle's direction. Jodie just said "don't care, not my problem" and did nothing. 

I understand Rose is busy with raising children and finding a job. I understand Jodie has to pay for heating a large house for longer than she planned and wants to get away from the memories and a house that was never truly hers. I wish they understood my point of view. Jodie has a large family, two sons and a daughter-in-law, and tons of friends. Rose has a family of her own and is the only person in the entire family who actually owns her home. I have no one I can turn to. I don't know my co-workers well enough to live with them, and most of them aren't in much better shape than I am. My three best friends don't live in the area and reside with their parents in small houses or apartments.

The librarian finally looked up apartments online herself...and even she admitted there wasn't much out there. Everything is overpriced or in a dicey apartment building. Some of it has to do with living near two major cities and within driving and train distance of at least four others. Some of it has to do with the pandemic and the current housing shortage. And some of it is New Jersey is an expensive state even when everyone is 95 percent well. At least she listened to my complaints. I don't have too many other places I can let everything out.

When I got home, I ate roasted broccoli and cauliflower, sweet potato fries, and a leftover chicken burger while watching Match Game PM. No idea who young comic Tom Dreesen was, but he seemed to play well enough. Brett and Charles had a great time here, especially with a question asking what Q hid in James Bond's shorts. Richard had more trouble with "__ of Fools" on the Head to Head.

Since I missed the 6:30 Match Game episode and there were no marathons on tonight, I switched to a 1974 episode on YouTube while I had ice cream and cleaned up from dinner. Richard and Gene tease Fannie Flagg about her t-shirt with an American flag made of matches and her name over it. Meanwhile, Charles is more interested in teasing Brett about flirting with a young and sweet Anson Williams, and Gene is hoping we don't see how much a tall contestant towers over him. 

Finished the night with the fifth season of Charlie's Angels at The Roku Channel. "Angels Go Truckin'" when an expensive shipment of pharmaceuticals is stolen under the nose of an all-women trucking company. Kelly takes a job as a waitress in a truck stop and Tiffany and Kris take over driving the shipment to find out who the thieves are and how they did it. 

Unsinkable Matches

Started off the morning with breakfast and the original cast album for The Unsinkable Molly Brown. The title lady is Molly Tobin Brown (Tammy Grimes), a poor miner's wife who is determined to better herself after her husband J.J Brown (Harve Presenell) strikes silver. She's "unsinkable" because not only did she survive the sinking of the Titanic, she was one of the major leaders who helped people onto the boat and kept their spirts going. While Meredith Wilson's score isn't quite at the level of The Music Man, it does have some good songs, including Molly's defiant "I Ain't Down Yet" and her boisterous "Belly Up to the Bar, Boys" with the miners and J.J's ballad "I'll Never Say No."

Hurried off to work even before the record ended. Thankfully, it was wet when I went out this morning, but otherwise not a problem. Most of the snow was even gone. I got to work on time. 

Work wasn't busy when I arrived. I spent most of the morning shelving candy and working on story ideas. It didn't pick up until 11:30...and then, we were swamped for the rest of the day. Even after more help came in later, we were still swamped. The Eagles played (and lost) yesterday, but there were other games today, and many people can only do their shopping on Sundays at any time of the year. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 4 for me to shut down without a relief. Grabbed parchment paper and more clearance ice cream in order to get money for laundry.

Went straight home this time. It was showering a little when I went home, nothing horrible. Didn't see any of the ice we're supposed to get tonight, either. Got in with no problems other than being slightly damp.

Called Mom when I got home and changed. She called me while I was at work. She wanted to check up on me after I was sick last week. She basically confirmed that my going down there isn't as easy as Rose wants to think. Rose hasn't done anything but vacationed in Cape May County for 20 years. There's even less housing there than there is here, and it's more expensive. Mom's on long waiting lists for three senior apartment buildings and one regular one. 

Rose also forgets that she is the only person in the entire family who owns her own home right now. Everyone else is renting or in the midst of selling theirs, even Jodie. Mom says her little house in the Villas is also really beyond her means, but she doesn't have a choice. She has to live somewhere. Anny's family has outgrown their split-level house in North Cape May, too, and it's also very expensive. 

It's also hard to plan anything when you don't know what you're doing next. I tried to explain that to Rose yesterday, but I don't think I got through to her. She rags on me about not being organized, but it's hard to organize things when you don't know your next move. I do need to get a hold of that neuropsychologist, though. I have no intention of getting medication, but I do need help with communicating better and how to relate better to people. 

Hunted for apartments for an hour, then spent the rest of the night eating leftover burgers, whole wheat bow tie pasta, and delicious roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner while watching the next Betty White/Match Game marathon. Betty was there to see the New Year in at Match Game, but there wasn't much time left for the show on CBS. They were canceled that summer and promptly picked up for syndication in the fall. 

Classic episodes from this round included Betty doing a Charleston in response to a question, her being frisked by comic drunk Foster Brooks, several episodes featuring happily remarried husband and wife team Dick and Dolly Martin, Betty helping out with a blind contestant and his beautiful service dog Princess, and a cheerleader showing off her moves for the crowd after Betty helps her win. 

Keep on cheering for Betty in '79! And come back tomorrow at 5 for the remaining syndicated episodes!

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - 1979 and Season 1 Syndication Episodes

Family Matches

I was so worn out after work yesterday, I slept until past 11. Finished A Late Frost (which I found to be rather dull) and wrote in my journal. Grabbed breakfast while watching the last two hours of Sam Mitchell's morning Betty White tribute marathon. I came in just as Betty appeared on the week of Family Feud where other game show hosts played each other for charity. She, Jim Perry, Bob Eubanks, Bill Cullen, and Nipsey Russell cleaned up in the main round, but they just missed the Money Round. 

We got a Match Game '74 episode with a question about what Brett wants to do to the buzzer guy who annoys her, then saw Allen Ludden walk off-set after he and Betty kept missing questions on Tattletales. Betty apparently sat in on the panel in the late 60's color I've Got a Secret. She got to see a guy drive a one-wheeled motorcycle and hear Rich Little's many, many impersonations. 

Here's Sam's marathon, for your enjoyment!

Betty White Tribute Day #1

Printed out of a recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins off Pinterest I wanted to try. Made them while watching Encanto on Disney Plus. I go further into this animated fairy tale about a magical Columbian family at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - Encanto

Rose called as the movie ended and I was trying to make a banana smoothie for lunch. I think it's pretty obvious by now that I'm having no luck finding an apartment. I just can't find anything I can afford, and Rose says I'm living beyond my means. I don't know what to do. I really don't want to live with my mother. I'm proud of living on my own. I make my own meals, use public transportation easily, can do whatever I want at home. 

Trouble is, I've relied too heavily on my family over the years to make too many decisions and pay for too much. Rose thinks Mom can help take care of me until I can get on my feet, but I'm not sure how well we'll get along. Plus, she's having her own problems. Her house in the Villas is tiny and pricey. She may not be able to keep it. No to mention, Cape May County is expensive, and there really isn't anything down there for me. I tried living there once. It didn't work. There's also even less housing down there than there is here. 

I don't know what to do next. I don't belong in Cape May County, and I don't belong here. I'll keep looking for apartments, but too many of them are so expensive. What I really want to do is get out of South Jersey and away from everyone and everything and get a home of my own...but even then, where? How? I just don't know, and I should. I feel horrible about relying too heavily on Rose and her family. And I want to find a better job, but I can't do that until I find a place to live...and I can't get a better place to live until I find a better job.  

And I need to find a neuropsychologist, so someone can help me relate better to people. I've probably lost a lot of these apartments because I'm not good with people. I never know what to say or how to say it. I'm usually so lost in my own thoughts, I often don't see people waving at me or talking to me. I just want to be able to meet people who are like me.

Tried to cheer myself up with making chicken burgers and steamed broccoli for dinner while watching the next Betty White MG marathon. Betty kicked off 1978 by doing a mock strip tease in response to a question about a stripper. She did the last week of the show before they changed the set after the new Star Wheel came in. She got to sit next to Richard on his second-to-last week and try to figure out what was going on behind his dark glasses. (For the record, he had an eye infection.) 

Brett and Jack Klugman appeared together after their divorce/separation/whatever for what was likely the year's single most hilarious week, including the episode where Jack gets a Match Game sweatshirt after complaining the panelists never get anything. She was around with Connie Stevens and Jack Jones to see Brett and Charles change the new sign for New Year's...and Gene get a little too into the celebrating and pass out during the credits!

Join Betty to witness the many changes to Match Game in 1978...and come around tomorrow for the show's last year on CBS and Betty's most memorable episodes in syndication!

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - 1978 Episodes

Let It Match, Let It Match, Let It Match

Awoke to a frosting of snow on the ground. It was pretty much the same type of snow we got on Tuesday - heavy, wet, and barely sticking to the ground, let alone the streets. The sides were clogged and the wind was heavy and bitter cold, but the roads themselves were fine. 

Celebrated with breakfast and more Doc McStuffins. It's "Doc's Busy Day" when her toddler cousin Sabrina visits and plays so roughly with her toys, most of them land in her office. She's overwhelmed with the sheer number of patients, until Hallie reminds her she needs to set up a system to figure out which ones need the most attention and needs to take it one at a time. Officer Pete the police car finds himself on the "Wrong Arm of the Law" when a devastated Stuffy catches him speeding. Doc fixes his cracked windshield so he can see where he's going and how fast.

By the time I left for work, it had long stopped snowing, and the sun was trying to emerge. Had to go a little bit slow on my bike, but nothing terrible. At least I made it to work. A lot of people who were supposed to be in early while it was still coming down or came from far away called out. They probably figured the snow would be a lot worse.

The snow was enough to scare people off in the morning. I spent the first few hours and the last hour shelving candy. It didn't pick up until around lunch time, when the sidewalks started to melt and more people were able to get out. Once again, we were busy for most of the day after that. Other than we were also severely short on help, no major problems whatsoever. We had plenty of help by 5, enough for me to shut down without a relief.

Got my schedule during lunch. Not great. While the long hours will make up for losing hours this week, I'm already tired from being sick. People either went on leave due to avoiding the virus or their own surgery or illnesses, they quit, or they went on vacation. We're missing at least 11 people. Monday and Friday off this time, with one unfortunately late day on Tuesday. 

Grabbed a few things I missed after work. Forgot honey last night. Picked up dried cranberries to make cookies tomorrow. The Acme just put a lot of ice cream flavors on very deep clearances. I couldn't resist one more go at the Turkey Hill Vanilla Trio'politan - it was marked down to $1.12!

Since I've eaten at or ordered from Phillies Phatties a few times in the past few weeks, this time, I had dinner at Common Grounds Coffee Shop. Had a nice, quiet tomato, spinach, and feta quiche, two little blueberry tarts, and the Landis London Fog tea latte. Enjoyed my meal in a corner while listening to a couple of teenage girls complain about their lives.

As soon as I got home, I changed, had my ice cream, and went straight into the next Betty White/Match Game marathon. Match Game continued to be wildly popular as 1977 began, but there were changes on the horizon. Richard was doing Family Feud as well, and it starts to show in how much quieter and how tired he is. Gene also mentions in later episodes that CBS had rescheduled them in the morning before The Price Is Right, a move he thoroughly disapproved of. It was the show's undoing, killing their popularity with kids who watched it after school.

 Arrived just in time for Eva Gabor's first episode as the others tried to figure out what a very Irish woman dunked into a vat of green paint. Other good ones included the introduction of a sweet Fillipino contestant, jokes about a pair of beautiful female contestants named Tom and Chris, Betty and the other ladies admiring a towering male contestant with very long hair, and Betty and Gene demonstrating what a snake charmer does for a confused contestant.

Enjoy Betty's journey through the year of Roots and Star Wars! And come back tomorrow at 5 PM to see how well she does with the new set and Richard Dawson's departure! 

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - 1977 Match Game Episodes

Storm Jitters and Matches

Started off the morning with breakfast and That Girl From Paris on the Watch TCM website. I go further into this 1936 vehicle for opera star Lily Pons that pits her against Lucile Ball for musician Gene Raymond at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

That Girl From Paris

Headed straight to work the moment the movie ended. I was surprised at how busy work was for the Thursday after a major holiday, until I remembered we're supposed to get snow tomorrow. It's only between 2 and 4 inches worth, but the most snow we've gotten to this point was the inch or so that fell the other day. That's enough to freak everyone out. It actually kind of amuses me. No one in this area lives more than walking distance from anywhere that sells milk. This isn't like Cape May County, where many towns are twenty minutes to a half-hour or more apart and you often need to do some driving to buy milk and bread. Cape May County doesn't have the snow plows we do, either. 

My relief was barely on time, but it did slow down enough by then to let me get my own grocery shopping in. I mainly needed fruit and meat. The cranberries are gone, but they still have those cute little cornice pears. I know I just bought eggs yesterday, but there was a good sale on the 18-count pack. Grabbed canned grapefruit off the clearance rack. Restocked yogurt, milk, chicken drumsticks, ground chicken, bananas, shredded wheat, oatmeal, and fruit spread. 

As soon as I got home, I put everything away, had a quick eggs-and-grapefruit dinner, and went back online for the next Betty White/Match Game marathon at YouTube. By 1976, Betty and the show were at the height of their initial popularity. Some of the show's most memorable episodes occurred this year. She gave announcer Johnny Olsen a smooch while a clingy contestant squeezed Gene, helped a cool older lady become a top winner, kissed George Kennedy after an older woman contestant gave Richard a smooch, helped a young Brianne Leary win money to launch her acting career, did a mock strip tease to the appropriate music, and watched Gene fight with the recalcitrant pop-up question holder. 

Enjoy this bit of peak Match Game...and come back tomorrow at 5 PM to see Betty in 1977!

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - 1976 Episodes

Laundry Day Matches

Started off a cloudy morning with breakfast and, since we finally got our first snow of the season a few days ago, Frosty's Winter Wonderland. Frosty's glad to be back with the kids, but he's lonely when they go inside. The kids make a snow woman to keep him company, but she's not "all-livin'" like he is at first. Meanwhile, Jack Frost is jealous of Frosty's popularity and would do anything to figure out the secret of his magic hat. 

Headed out to the laundromat after I ate and did the dishes. Thankfully, they weren't too busy, and Family Dollar wasn't bad, either. I needed sugar, mandarin oranges, and eggs there, and I grabbed a small journal. Worked on notes while my laundry was in the drier. I made sure I kept my mask on and stayed away from everybody.

Went straight into lunch and Doc McStuffins when I got home. "Serpent Sam Makes a Splash" when Donnie's spray toy can't get the water out. Doc finds he's been drinking green apple soda rather than water and reminds him to keep sugary sodas and other things bad for kids and toys in moderation. "Sir Kirby and the Plucky Princess" Persephone have a contest to see who is the better rescuer...but Kirby learns a lesson in feminism and being careful when he breaks while trying to scale a wall.

Donnie's new starfish toy from the fair "Oooey Gablooey Springs a Leak" after he lands in the same rose bushes that caused the bop bag dog to deflate. He panics when he sees his goo gushing out, but Doc and the others assure him it's not serious. Serpent Sam realizes "You've Got a King In Your Tummy!" when he can't spray water after the Wicked King goes missing. Doc teaches him about the importance of watching what you're eating and not eating or drinking anything that isn't food.

Went down for a nap after lunch. I won't get another chance to until Saturday. I am getting better. This time, I only slept for about an hour-hour and a half. 

Worked on writing after I rolled out of bed. The dark woods are scary and full of noises, but Brett and Sir Richard know they have to get through them for their next checkmate. Richard's not entirely happy when he sees signs declaring this to the domain of Tweedle Patti and Tweedle Don. Those two can be...rather strange...he explains as he leads them down the twisting path to their home.

Spent the rest of the night watching the next Betty White marathon on YouTube. By 1975, Match Game was at the height of its popularity as the number one game show on TV...and, in fact, the number one show on daytime TV period. And no wonder. Everyone, Betty included, was all-in on the lunacy. The questions were now elaborate jokes leading up to frequently silly or naughty answers. Most of the panelists tended to have a drink (or two, or five) between shows, leading to the Thursday and Friday episodes often being the wildest of the week. 

By far my favorites here were the first of two weeks Betty and her beloved Password-hosting hubby Allen Ludden appeared on the panel together. Dick Martin's delightfully daffy comedienne wife Dolly also turned up for the first time that week. They added a lot to the insanity, whether Dolly gleefully encouraged people to boo her answers or Betty rolled Gene's pants legs up when he stood to talk to Charles. ("Is this what happens when I'm not here?" her bemused husband asked after she did that.) The week ended with Gene's "I've had Betty" crack bringing Allen down for a chat and Brett and Betty doing their idea of belly dancing when the music department played the wrong music for a contestant to dance.

Other wild episodes included the one where a nervous lady claimed she "fools around," to the delight of Richard, Charles' classic return from Broadway via cable wire and stuffed bird, Betty happily flirting with handsome contestant Ron Vallenti (the week after Fannie Flagg did the same), a question about what Betty does when Allen's on fire, the question about who would play the Beast to Betty's Beauty, the one where the lady in the audience stole Gene's socks, and another wacky question about whom Richard Dawson would marry. 

Come celebrate Betty's life with some of the best episodes of the whole run! And come back at 5PM tomorrow to see how Betty did in 1976!

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - 1975 Episodes

Dancing and Matches

Woke up to the phone. Damn it! I just missed the company that was supposed to tell me if I was well enough to go back to work or not. I hated to do it, but I called out one more day, just to be on the safe side. I've caused enough trouble recently as it is. 

Read A Late Frost in bed for a while, hoping they'd call back, then slept for an hour or so. Did more reading and wrote in my journal after I awoke, listening to the plip-plop of melting snow dripping steadily off the roof. 

Since I'd be watching plenty of Match Game later, I went right into That's Dancing! during breakfast instead. I go further into this documentary on the history of dance on film on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musical Documentaries - That's Dancing! 

The company finally called while I worked on the review for That's Dancing! I'm way past the worst of the virus. I haven't had a high fever or chills since Wednesday night, and I never had trouble breathing or lost my sense of smell or taste. Never turned blue (that I could tell) or felt nauseous. I've eaten fine since Wednesday night. All that's left is a mild sore throat, slightly sniffly nose, and tiredness. Nothing worse than your average cold. Yes, I was cleared to return to work on Thursday, after my regular day off tomorrow.

Broke to have orange muffins and an apple for lunch and make chocolate raspberry cake. Watched a couple of Doc McStuffins episodes as I baked. Normally bubbly doll Susie Sunshine has a "Tea Party Tantrum" when she upsets Doc's tea table. Doc has to find out what's making her so cranky. Carlos, Doc's neighbor, is upset when his toy alien breaks after he "Blasts Off!" in his spaceship and it crash lands. Doc repairs the alien and first explains that check-ups aren't so scary, then shows him why seat belts are important - even for toy aliens. 

Doc's the one who gets sick when her mother sends her to bed with a bad cold. The toys figure out how "Doctoring the Doc" and keeping their friend in bed will help her get well. Officer Pete the police car is in "Hot Pursuit" of the Wicked King when he steals Doc's necklace, but he overheats before he can retrieve it. Doc and the others show him why keeping cool in the heat is important. 

Doc goes on "The Big Sleepover" to Alma's house, but she misses her family and the other toys. Lambie, Stuffy, and stuffed bunny Pickles remind her that family is never far from your heart. Chilly learns about not spreading misinformation when he thinks the spots on Donny's new toy cheetah Rita are an illness. Doc assures him and the others that they're a regular part of her skin, and that there's "No Sweetah Cheetah" than Rita.

After all the trouble with Uber Eats last night, I ordered my broccoli and cheese stromboli and bottle of Pepsi from Phillies Phatties, and did it straight through their website, rather than from Uber Eats. That did it. A pleasant young man brought my stromboli and soda exactly on time, and the stromboli was delicious, cheesy and earthy. Worth waiting for. I won't use Uber Eats for restaurant orders anymore, and I'll only use them for grocery orders when I'm sick or can't get to a store. 

Spent the rest of the night watching the second Betty White/Match Game marathon on YouTube. By 1974, Betty and the show were starting to settle into a regular groove. Some of Betty's best episodes from this year were on Buzzr recently, including the week with a sweet and shy Penny Marshall and the first appearance of Janet Finn, along with the 1974 New Year's Eve episode. 

Other shenanigans Betty got up to included getting literally "tied up" with tape by Richard, celebrating her birthday with the panel, hearing Orson Bean answer "nymphomaniac" to a sex question, seeing head boss Mark Goodson sit in for Charles briefly when he was late to the studio and making jokes about what Charles would dress as for Halloween, laughing for seemingly no reason in the opening, and helping Gene scold Richard for tossing Brett's broken shoe out onto the stage. 

Come back tomorrow at 5PM Eastern for Betty's 1975 episodes, including the first of two weeks where she and her game show host husband Allen Ludden appeared on the same panel together!

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - 1974 Episodes

Snow Day Matches

Woke up with just enough time to call out again. I still haven't heard from that company, and while I am feeling better, I still have a sore throat, a stuffy head, and am dead tired. After I told the manager, I went back to sleep until past 11. 

As it turns out...I might have called out anyway. When I did get out of bed, I looked outside and saw a winter wonderland. The snow was just heavy enough to make the roads slushy and nasty, though it didn't stick to the sidewalks at that point. I'm not sure I would have ridden in it. Fine snow started falling even as I gazed out the big front window. 

It was closer to noon by the time I finally got moving and had oatmeal for breakfast. Robert Morse continued to make trouble on Match Game '74, only this time he accidentally revealed an answer too early. Gene wasn't overly happy with that at all! Richard was more interested in drooling over an especially pretty blonde contestant. 

Let the next episode run while I did the dishes. Penny Marshall made her only appearance on the show in 1974. I'm not sure she really knew what to make of the lunacy. She was apparently a very shy person in real life and seemed rather like a dear caught in headlights. Betty White and Orson Bean had a lot more fun making jokes about "Lone __."

Went into apartment hunting for the next hour. Just because I can't see the apartments right now doesn't mean I shouldn't look for them. Alas, nothing new. Same apartments I've seen listed for the past three weeks, and nothing I can afford.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Joyce leads the others into the woods, explaining that they need to talk to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to get through the square. Richard's not really happy about that - he complains that they're a rather odd pair and is more likely to drive them crazy than let them checkmate them. Brett's looking forward to meeting them...

Didn't break for lunch until almost 4PM! Made a banana-orange smoothie while watching Jack Frost. I went further into this wintry special from Rankin-Bass at this Musical Dreams Movies blog review from 2020. 

Jack Frost

Moved online for the rest of the night. Match Game Productions will be doing marathons in honor of Betty White all week, starting with her appearances on the 60's show and the first year in 1973. Betty goes back further with Match Game than a lot of people know. She appeared fairly frequently on the original 1960's version. In one of the few remaining episodes, she joined Joan Fontaine, Peggy Cass, Robert Q. Lewis, Bennett Cerf, and Henry Morgan to play for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

Betty was so ubiquitous with the game and with game shows in general, she appeared in the pilot episode of the 1973 Match Game. Not five minutes in, she sparked the first riot of the series when the judge didn't match "friend" and "girlfriend." She also had the series' first winning answer on the Head-to-Head.

She first appeared in the series proper in episode 11, appropriately with her dear friends Charles and Brett. Brett became a regular pretty much immediately; busy Charles waited until the end of the year to join her permanently. Betty turned up fairly frequently in the sixth "comedienne" seat. Despite her own protests that she wasn't fond of being on the end, she always did very well there, never failing to come up with a funny answer or join the others in wacky antics. She saw McLean Stevenson show up without a shirt when the other men wouldn't lend him any, Carolyn "Morticia Addams" Jones be very happy to get a close-enough answer on the Audience Match, listened to Brett argue with her then-husband Jack Klugman, and witnessed the turntable get stuck and go the wrong way. 

But wait, there's more! Come to YouTube at 5 PM Eastern to see how well Betty did in the 1974 episodes!

Betty White: A Life Well Lived - 1960's & 1973 Episodes

Oh, and I will NOT be using Uber Eats for restaurant orders again. I ordered a vegetable stromboli and Pepsi from Tu Se Bella at quarter of 7. The guy called an hour later, claiming he was nowhere near my house and couldn't figure out where it was, even though he probably had GPS and I left instructions as to where it is. He wasn't there by 8. I called the restaurant at quarter of 9, and the lady said he'd be there in a minute. Called at 9:30 to find he'd canceled and went back to the store. I demanded my money be refunded. I know the house is hard to find, but it shouldn't take them two and a half hours to find it. That was ridiculous. She said she talked to him. I hope she did a lot more than that. He lost them a customer and wasted food. I ended up having leftovers.