Autumn In Knight Park

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. Velma's saying "Watch Out, It's the Willowaw!" after her Uncle Dave is discovered to be missing. Local Natives blame the spirit of an owl who is said to carry off its victims after they hear its screech. Velma's not convinced, but for once, it's Shaggy and Scooby who find the clues when the Willowaw and two walking owl spirits chase them into a cave that holds a vast treasure.

Rushed out the moment the cartoon ended for this week's job hunting session with Dawn at Haddon Township. She didn't find anything, but I applied to a marketing firm in Deptford, a medical supply manufacturer in Haddon Heights, and an office in Philadelphia. I applied to another office in Collingswood yesterday...and Dawn was so keen on them taking me, she actually went to the office later and encouraged them to consider me. They're not doing interviews again until after Thanksgiving, but she did say they seemed interested.

After I left Dawn, I rode down to Collingswood and picked up a French onion roast beef sandwich, Coke Zero, bacon-seafood chowder, and hand-made potato chips at Haddon Culinary. Took my bike across the street and a few blocks down Collings Avenue to Knight Park. While it remains dry and dusty, the weather was otherwise gorgeous. It was sunny, breezy, and a bit cooler, in the upper 50's. I settled down at a series of wooden tables near the picnic pavilion and enjoyed my delicious lunch while watching college students stroll across the yellowed grass and listened to toddlers scream at the playground.

(Speaking of playgrounds, I did notice that the log cabin-themed playground equipment I saw last year near the little log cabin was gone. It was a rusty mess when I saw it. I'd suspected it wasn't long for this world. Not only did the log cabin-type shack remain, it looked like someone repainted it dark green.)

Went for a lovely ride around the neighborhood bordering the park next. I don't know why Rose says the only interesting architecture is in Camden. Some of the houses in Collingswood are gorgeous, dating to between the 1870's and 1920's. There's that enormous Art Deco church hidden on a side street across from a school, too. 

As I rode past Newton Lake Park, I realized that my front tire felt a lot lower than it should have. Yeah, it was going flat. I tried to pump it up again when I got home, but it was no use. It just flattened even more. At least it's the front tire. I can change that myself. Besides, the front tire is beyond bald. It would have gone sooner or later. I bought a new tire and inner tube on Amazon and will just take Uber to work tomorrow.

When I got home, I put everything away, then watched The Emperor Waltz. I go further into this bittersweet confection with Bing Crosby as a traveling salesman who falls for countess Joan Fontaine at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - The Emperor Waltz

Worked on the inventory next. Added Seussical: The Musical, a 1988 studio version and the 1994 revival of Show Boat, Smokey Joe's Cafe, and the Ohio Light Opera recording of Sweethearts. Seussical came from the Moorestown FYE, Smokey Joe's and the '94 Show Boat were Abbie Road finds, and I picked Sweethearts up on eBay. I've had the 1988 Show Boat for so long, I'm not sure where I got it anymore. I think it was a Christmas present from Mom in the mid-90's. 

Broke for dinner at quarter after 7. Watched more Monkees while I ate. "Everywhere a Sheik Sheik" hearkens back to the early first season episodes that had Davy pursued by royalty. In this case, a sheik's (Monty Landis, the only time he didn't play a villain) daughter desperately points him out from the magazine spread they did in the first season in order to marry someone other than father's scheming vizier (Noam Piltik). After the shiek's men kidnap Davy, his friends follow. They think this is a cushy set up at first,  until it becomes clear that someone doesn't want Davy to wed that princess.

Took a shower, then went back to The Monkees. It's "Art for Monkees' Sake" when Peter's uncanny ability to paint replicas of doors is used by two crooked security guards (Monte Landis and Vic Tayback) for him to imitate a painting and them to replace it with the real one. The other three rescue him, then attempt to switch the paintings themselves.

Finished the night with two more recent record finds. The Happiest Girl In the World is a 1961 retelling of the ancient Greek play Lystratia, with Grecian women refusing their favors to lovers and husbands until they end their constant wars. Cyril Ritchard has a double role as the Greek  head of state and the god Pluto. There's some lovely melodies based on Offenbach, but I suspect this was all too close to old-fashioned operetta for most 60's audiences. Ritchard does have fun in his dual roles and there's some amusing E.Y Harburg lyrics, but the rest of the cast is ok at best. Cute if you're a fan of Ritchard, nice but not totally necessary if you're not.

Goin' Quackers! is Disney's only song collection themed around Donald...but the real theme is comedy and folk numbers. Though Donald Duck and Goofy provide the sound for "Dueling Quackers" and Donald is heard in the title song and "A Waddlin' Crazy Guy," most of the songs are attributed to Disneyland choir leader Larry Groce or two guys called Willo and Phillo. Their songs mainly consist of comic ditties like "I'm In Love With a Big Blue Frog" and "On Top of Spaghetti," but we do have Goofy wondering what he'd do "If I Only Had a Brain."

(Oh, and it was clouding up even as I rode home. It finally rained earlier tonight shortly after I got out of the shower, though it's gone now.) 

Sunny Autumn Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Minnie wants to make fruit salad and vegetable salad for "Mickey's Thanks-a-Bunch Day," but Professor Ludvig Von Drake's machine has inflated them to the size of the house! Minnie and the others have to figure out how to cut them down to size for dinner, then what to do with the tons of leftovers.

Headed out for a walk after the cartoon ended. Wanted to run a few errands. Finally found boxes and bags for Christmas cookies at Dollar General, along with a much-needed bottle of Oreo Coke Zero. Bags of cough drops were way too expensive at CVS. Strolled down Newton Avenue to WaWa and tried their Peppermint Cookies and Cream Chocolate Smoothie. (Sweet, but very mint and chocolate, with candy cane bits on top.) Finally got cough drops at Family Dollar, along with butter and a pack of Christmas cards with a pretty wreath and the word "Joy" on the front. 

Truth be told, I mainly went out to enjoy the gorgeous day, especially since it's supposed to get much colder by the end of the week. It was beautiful and sunny, in the lower 60's and breezy as can be. I was fine in my celery green sweater. Though a few houses already have their Christmas decorations out, most have settled for pumpkins, potted mums, and harvest wreaths or their bare dry gardens. 

I saw packs of apples and peanut butter at WaWa, but I already had apples and peanut butter at home. I sliced an apple and two stalks of celery and had those and the peanut butter for lunch while watching the first two second season episodes of The Monkees. "It's a Nice Place to Visit," but you wouldn't want to live in El Montono, Mexico, as the Monkees discover the hard way when bandits kidnap Davy after he falls for the girl their chief has his eye on. Micky, Mike, and Peter pose as bandits to rescue  him, then take them on in a showdown when they threaten the town.

Went downstairs next to make "The Vermont" maple sugar cookies. That's why I bought the butter. It needs two sticks. I've had that little leaf-shaped bottle of maple syrup around since my trip to visit Lauren and had been waiting to make these. They came out rather well, if not as maple-y as I would have liked. Still taste really good, though.

Listened to The Beach Boys: The Feel Flows Sessions while I worked. The Beach Boys were in a rough place when they made Sunflower in 1970. Their previous albums had not been hits, and they were considered all but through. The poor reception of Sunflower didn't help matters. Even though all the Beach Boys contributed to the album and the critics loved it, rock fans at the time found it too conventional. If anything, I think it's one of their least-conventional albums. "This Whole World," "Add Some Music to Your Day," and the laid-back "Cool, Cool Water" sounds like nothing in their catalog before or since.

Surf's Up went over much better a year later, and in fact would be their biggest hit until 1976. I had no idea one of my favorite ballads of the 1970's, "Disney Girls," was originally a Beach Boys song. I usually associate it with the Captain and Tenille or the Disney Channel Valentine's special From Disney With Love. As lovely as the studio version is, they include a live version that is absolutely gorgeous, with truly haunting harmony from the Boys. 

Took my laundry downstairs and got organized while watching more Monkees. Mike, Micky, and Davy are caught in "The Picture Frame" when two crooks claim they're making a movie when they're really robbing a bank. For once, it's Peter who gets to be the hero when he has to find evidence that his three band mates are innocent. 

Moved on to doing job research online. I didn't find a whole lot, though I did apply for a receptionist job at MyGovWatch in Collingswood. Finished with enough time to add The Secret Garden and Rodgers and Hammerstein's State Fair to the inventory. (Neither are recent finds. I got Secret Garden from the now-defunct FYE in Philly about a decade ago and State Fair from a CD and book store in Haddonfield that has also since vanished.)

Listened to jazz albums while I worked and as I put the laundry in the dryer. Riverside: The Soul of Jazz - 1961 is a collection of numbers from some of the most popular jazz artists from that year. I really bought this for Thelonious Monk's "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and Cannonball Adderly's "Del Sasser," but Wes Montgomery's "Mister Walker" and the Bill Evans Trio's "Peri's Scope" are good, too.

Brubeck Time was one of the earliest studio albums made by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1954; Time Further Out was their follow-up to the massively successful Time Out in 1961 that explored unusual time signals. Further Out gets more experimental, with oddities like "It's a Raggy Waltz" and "Bluette." Brubeck Time mainly covers standards like "Jeepers Creepers" and "Why Do I Love You?", though they would get their own "Audrey" and "Stompin' For Milli" in. 

There's something really strange going on at Buzzr. On one hand, I'm glad they seem to have dropped the constant Great Christmas Light Fight showings. Not only is it too early for that, but it has nothing to do with vintage game shows. However, they also seem to have revamped their entire schedule. Classic Concentration was on at 7 instead of Match Game, so I went elsewhere instead. 

Put on Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures on at Disney Plus while eating dinner. "Mickey's Thanksgiving Fun Race!" nearly ends in disaster when Donald and Mickey can't decide how to drive their gravy boat float. They have to rescue the other racers after Donald's rushing dumps them all in the river. "Happy Thanksgiving Helpers!" are looking forward to a huge traditional meal with all their friends. Daisy is especially nervous about making her grandmother's perfect cranberry sauce. She's horrified when, not only does she have a harder time making the sauce than she thought, but all their friends insist on bringing food that's not nearly as associated with the holiday. It's the others who finally remind Daisy that the important thing is she's spending the holiday with friends.

Finished the night back online with game shows featuring host Marc Summers, whose birthday was last week, after I finally brought the laundry upstairs. Summers began as a DJ and backstage assistant on shows like The Price Is Right and The Joker's Wild. His first major announcing assignment was Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak on ABC in early 1986. British host Forsyth leads two groups through giving clues to a certain topic down the line. They can't repeat words...which happened quite a lot on the show. It moved too slow for most Americans and had to compete against Price and Wheel of Fortune in the ratings, though it seems to have done better elsewhere in the world (especially Germany). 

Nickelodeon liked his work on Hot Streak enough to hire him as host for Double Dare. It remains the show he's most associated with, having hosted and produced the original and its spin-offs from 1986 to 1993 and announced and co-hosted the 2018 revival. My sisters and I always loved seeing him on Double Dare and Family Double Dare. He seemed to have so much energy and was really funny and great with the kids. 

Double Dare is his best-known show, but it's far from his only one. He did the syndicated Couch Potatoes even as he hosted Dare in 1989. No slime needed in this trivia game, just two teams named for a TV show on a wacky living room set answering questions based around television. 

He returned to Nick for What Would You Do? in 1991. An audience watches a video with a kid in an unusual or weird situation, then votes on what they think will happen before watching the rest of the short. This one also involved stunts, usually done by members of the audience. I remember watching this in 1991 and thinking it was a little strange. It is, but that's its charm. The kids in the audience are obviously having a great time, even when the segments aren't that funny.

After the demise of Double Dare in 1993, Summers created Pick Your Brain for syndication. Three kids watch another video, then answer questions on it asked by robot 2-XL. Adults joined them in the second round to either do a stunt, answer questions from a category, or answer five questions to win a prize. The third had them answering five questions and lighting up five "brains" to win. The adults returned for a Concentration-esque matching bonus round. This was really cute, but other than the robot, nothing that hadn't been seen in countless other kids shows of the era. No wonder it lasted eight months.

Summers stayed on cable for his two most recent non-Nick game shows. WinTuition on Game Show Network in 2002 had three contestants competing in a quiz show to see who could win scholarship money. History IQ on The History Channel in 2000 was somewhat similar, only this time the questions revolved around history and the sets and intense game play showed the influence of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

He also made appearances on other people's game shows. He did very well opposite Roz Ryan on Super Password in 1988, even getting his contestant to the Super Password bonus round. He did a hilarious all-host Scrabble week the year before, even taking over hosting so Chuck Woolery could join in. Win, Lose, Or Draw had him joining fellow host Peter Marshall to help their contestant figure out what their drawing indicates.

Have the slime time of your life with the Master of Slime himself!

Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak (1986)

Double Dare (1986)

Scrabble (1987)

Super Password (1988)

Win, Lose, or Draw (1988)

Couch Potatoes (1989)

What Would You Do? (1992)

Family Double Dare (1992)

Pick Your Brain (1993)

History IQ (2000)

WinTutition (2002)

Double Dare (2018)

The Host With the Mostess On the Ball

Began the morning with breakfast and two of the CDs I've picked up in the last few months and adding The Scarlet Pimpernel and one of my Decca operetta two-fers Roberta and The Vagabond King. The Mystery of Edwin Drood is Rupert Holmes' Broadway adaptation of Charles Dickens' final unfinished novel. Onstage, it's apparently performed as a English music hall, complete with one of the leading ladies dressed as Drood - in this case, Betty Buckley. 

Drood is in love with Rosa Bud (Patti Cohenour), but so is choirmaster John Jasper (Howard McGillin), who has a definite split personality, and Neville Landless (John Herrera) from Ceylon. The audience gets to choose who Dick Datcherty really is, who killed Drood, and who ends up with whom. I apparently found the Veresae Sarabande re-release that includes "Ceylon," the lovely "Moonfall," and three confessions. The whole "English music hall" thing doesn't really come across on the recording, but the music is lovely, and it is nifty to see which confession you'd pick if you were in the audience.

The Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge debuted in 1994, during the height of the grunge and alt-rock fad, and still managed to be a huge hit despite not producing a single. I do remember hearing some of these songs on the radio at the time, notably the thrumming "You've Got Me Rocking" and "Love Is Strong." This might have been a little too hard rock for me as a 15-year-old who was more interested in show tunes, pop, and R&B, but it hasn't worn too badly. 

Headed off to work after that. Work was surprisingly busy, considering the Eagles played (and won) on Thursday. I had a hard time keeping up with the carts, especially later in the day, when I had to do cold returns and gather trash, too. Later on, some guy ran up to me in the parking lot and wanted to see footage of who pushes a cart into his car. First of all, I am not in charge of that. Second, I doubt it did much damage. Third. the lot is on an incline. It's more likely the cart rolled into his car on accident and no one did anything. 

I kept smelling something burning as I rode to work. It seemed sort of hazy outside too, despite it remaining dry. Yeah, there's wildfires in the area. Thankfully, they're apparently not close enough to burn any buildings, but they're still tossing out the burning smell and smoke. No wonder I've been coughing like crazy. It's killing my allergies. 

Needless to say, I rushed home after that. Took a much-needed shower, grabbed dinner, and settled in with tonight's marathon on YouTube. The owner of Match Game Productions has many game shows in his collection besides Match Game. He tested the waters with a marathon of Gene Rayburn's appearances on other shows over the years. Some of Gene's oldest hosting gigs have vanished, including his one stint with Barry & Enright Do-Rei-Mi, but many of his earliest appearances on panel shows still exist. In addition to many episodes of What's My Line and To Tell the Truth, they started with The Name's the Same, which has panelists trying to guess what famous name the contestant has.

He was one of the funniest panelists on the syndicated color What's My Line and To Tell the Truth. He did two hilarious Line episodes with Alan Alda on the panel. He and Alan got to try on wigs from a wig seller after guessing he sold wigs for both sexes. Gene's Beatles-style wig wasn't too bad on him, but Alan didn't make much of a blonde. In a later episode, Gene and Alan got to do their own pizza twirling after falling to identify a champion twirler. Alan used his dough as a lariat. Gene tossed his so high, it got stuck on a light fixture! He traded bad Dracula accents with a young man dressed as a vampire in a To Tell the Truth episode.

He turned up in two of the funniest episodes of the short-lived early 70's version of I've Got a Secret as well. In one, Jo Ann Worley revealed she had a champion jumping frog named for her. Jo Ann the frog may have been a champ somewhere, but she wouldn't stay on the course. At least she moved. The other two frogs refused to budge, no matter how much their humans stamped and yelled at them. Gene really went wild in another episode when he took off his blindfold and discovered Charles Nelson Reilly doing a paint-by-the-numbers still life on a bikini-clad Janice Pennington's stomach!

Gene also appeared on romance-based shows. He and his beloved wife Helen appeared on He Said, She Said, an early version of Tattletales from 1969. Helen proved to be hilarious in her own right, showing why she and Gene were married for 50 years. He hosted at least three episodes of Tattletales on weeks when he appeared with Helen so actual host Bert Convy could play with his wife Anne. Given it and Match Game were still run back to back when Gene hosted, many of the questions he asked the couples were Match Game style, with a clear fill in the blank. 

Check out other sides of Gene Rayburn's career in this unique and hilarious marathon!

Sunday Night Classics - Gene Rayburn Marathon

Windy Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Impressed by how Mr. Parcel brings packages to the neighborhood, Lowly and Huckle become "Triple A Deliveries" and do some delivering themselves. After an argument over which package to prioritize, Huckle claims he can do the delivering himself...but finds it's a lot harder to do everything alone. "Stanley's Amazing Photo" will be of the Wright Brothers' first flight, if he can convince his boss that it's the real deal. Sally, Huckle, and Lowly become "Lost In the Swamp" while looking for their granny's house. Mr. Cat follows them to help them out.

Headed off to work just as the cartoon ended. Work wasn't bad when I got in, but it picked up considerably as the morning continued. One manager told me to do returns, which I did...only for another to claim the carts were empty. I should have been doing the carts all along and left the returns to a weekday when we have time to do them. Rushed out after I finished sweeping and just got them all done. At least it was a nice day for all the rushing around, blustery but sunny and warmer, into the lower 60's. 

Soon as I got home, I changed and put on Dot and the Koala. I go further into the fourth entry in the Australian Dot animated film series at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Dot and the Koala

Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with today's Match Game marathon. Considering how often Gene insisted people weren't supposed to be eating on camera, there was a lot of food talk on this show. Charles got caught several times eating during the show. Once in a syndicated episode, a kiwi seller brought his bright green, fuzzy wares for everyone to try. At the end of another syndicated show, Betty White and opera star Diana Sorvino handed spaghetti and meatballs out to the cast. 

Another time, Richard ate the apple someone gave Brett. There was also when Avery Schriber ate his bad answer, and Gene ran over and beat up a cameraman to get him to turn away, and the episode with many jokes about Fannie Flagg's t-shirt with fried eggs in the obvious places. Lyle, a go-getter from Las Vegas with the worst toupee this side of Howard Cosell, annoyed the heck out of the panel (especially Ed Asner and Richard Dawson) in mid-1976. 

Come to our dinner party and enjoy the kiwi and spaghetti in this marathon that's guaranteed to make you hungry!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Food and Drink Special

Harts of the Morning

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel says "Thank You, Grandpere!" when his grandfather plays with him during a visit to his family's home. He's disappointed when Grandpa can't stay, but there's a surprise waiting for him and his parents at the Enchanted Garden when they arrive! It's "Neighborhood Thank You Day," where everyone puts a card in the Thank-You Tree to tell someone theyy're thankful for them. Daniel doesn't know who he'll mention in a card, until they all blow away and Mr. Mcfeely brings them back.

Moved on to Hart to Hart while doing job research. It's a "Homemade Murder" when one of Jonathan's employees is killed while delivering the clue to a murder and bank robbery to his home. The thieves, including a strange albino man, first hold Jonathan and Jennifer hostage until they reveal where the clue is, then Max when they escape. They have to get to a Canadian Mountie who is also looking for the thieves and convince him that those people in the house aren't them.

Headed off to work after the episode ended. Work was surprisingly quiet for the start of the weekend. It picked up a little bit near the end of the day, but never really got that busy. Most people will probably save their food shopping for next week, closer to Thanksgiving. It being a gorgeous, chilly day in the upper 50's probably helped, too. I spent the day gathering carts and sweeping with no trouble whatsoever.

I got my schedule at home, then confirmed it at work. I have slightly more hours and a far more normal Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday off. Great! I've waited 20 years for Wicked to finally hit the big screen, and now I can see it on opening day. 

Had dinner and watched Match Game Syndicated, then returned to it after a shower. Judy Landers and Lou Grant reporter Robert Walden joined in this week to see a gentleman in a plaid shirt and tie straight out of vaudeville, Gene telling Charles he's indispensable (and he was right), and Charles calling Brett "Arlene Francis." Later in the week, Marcia Wallace complains about her hot flashes, and a contestant shows off the Buddha statue she brought for good luck.

I wanted to watch something at Kanopy, but it went down twice. Moved to YouTube instead for the 1979 Mikhail Barisnicov version of The Nutcracker. He's the Nutcracker Prince here, with wafish Gerry Kirkland as his Clara. This is a pretty traditional version of the story, other than Clara and the Prince replace the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier in their dances. It's also relatively short and features some narration that makes it fairly easy to follow. Might be a nice starter Nutcracker for younger kids and ballet fans who aren't up to sitting through longer versions, if for no other reason than giving them their first look at a ballet legend. 

Of Doctors and Eagles

Got a quick start today with breakfast and Bluey. Bingo is "The Doctor" when the kids all play hospital at school. Honey, a beagle, wants to see Bingo, but she keeps getting pushed aside for patients with alligators on their heads. She finally gets Bingo's attention when she cheers up the "patients" in the "waiting room" with her goofy routine.

Even with rushing out to Collingswood Family Medicine, I was still three minutes late. No matter. There was no trouble after that. I had a perfectly normal check-up with Dr. Jessica. First of all, the coughing and itchy throat I've had for weeks is allergies, a reaction to this dry and dusty weather. I'd pick up allergy medicine later in the day. I intend to put off the colonoscopy until after the holidays. This is no time to be going on liquid diets and having people stick things in your body. Had no problems with getting a flu shot, though. Otherwise, I'm doing just fine. Won't need another appointment for six months.

Had lunch a few blocks down at Sabrina's Cafe. They were so busy at 11:30, they put me in the back dining area. I had "The Pumpkin King's Spooky Stack" of pancakes, Pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon swirl, streusel topping, and cream cheese drizzle. Oh, yum. Tasty, but so decadent, I couldn't finish a little bit. 

Did my grocery shopping next. I didn't need a ton of food anyway. Restocked yogurt, probiotic soda, bagels, and granola bars at the Westmont Acme. Sugar Bee apples and yogurt were on good sales, so I grabbed those. Grabbed more dried cranberries from the bins, Zevia soda, and grapes at Sprouts. The pumpkin chocolate chip cookies were so good, I bought a box even though they weren't on sale. 

Finished out the first season of The Monkees when I got home. "Monkees at the Movies" are extras in a cheesy Beach Party imitation featuring obnoxious romantic lead Frankie Catalina (real-life teen idol Bobby Sherman). When the Monkees' antics drive Catalina off the production, they push for Davy to be hired in the lead role...at least until his ego gets even bigger than Catalina's. It's up to his friends to bring their diminutive British buddy back down to Earth.

"Monkees On Tour" takes a different route as we get a Bob Rafelson-directed documentary about what the guys do on the day of their concert and the concert itself. I don't mind the cute footage before the concert (especially the guys on horseback and Davy chasing a swan), but I wish he'd shown as much of the concert as he could get away with instead of constantly cutting away to meaningless bits from the guys. The concert looks fabulous, especially Peter going to town on the banjo in "Cripple Creek." (And people still say the guys couldn't play their own instruments?) 

"Monkees In Manhattan" are in the Big Apple to star in a Broadway show. First, however, they learn that the young producer is about to be kicked out of his hotel room and do everything they can to stall the manager and hotel owner. After the backer drops out, they dress as wealthy men and go across the street to a millionaire's club to find a new "angel." 

And that's that. I generally prefer the wilder and more creative second season, but there's certainly no shortage of fun episodes in the first season too. "Monkees On the Line" is probably my favorite, followed by "Monkee Mother," "One Man Shy," "I've Got a Little Song Here," and "Monkees at the Movies." I will say that, in all honesty, a lot of the first season hasn't dated terribly well, including two episodes ("Son of a Gypsy" and "Monkee Chow Mein") with heavy stereotypes that you'll want to discuss with younger kids before and during viewing. On the other hand, this one also has episodes that are more appropriate for little guys like "Don't Look a Gift Horse In the Mouth" and the pilot. 

I'm going to say, for older kids on up, show them the first season initially to give them a good idea of the characters, then dig up their first two albums and Live 1967 online or at your local record store. Either way, this show is still a blast to watch, especially for classic rock fans and real teens and young adults who'll get a kick out of seeing young people controlling their own destinies and taking care of each other.

Switched to South Pacific after The Monkees ended. I go further into this massive 1958 retelling of the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Rodgers and Hammerstein show with Mitzi Gaynor as Nurse Nellie Forbush at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

A Salute to Mitzi Gaynor - South Pacific

Worked on the inventory for a while after that. Added Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, The Producers, and Ragtime. I seem to remember picking up The Producers when it came out on a trip to the Freehold Raceway Mall while visiting my (now-ex) boyfriend in 2002. I also got Ragtime when it came out, way back in 1999.  Rent was a  yard sale find in 2019. The other two came from thrift shops and record stores within the last year.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Some of the funniest episodes of the entire syndicated run came during the week with Phyllis Diller and Fred Grandy, including the one where Charles claims he can stand in for Gene...right before Gene is accidentally "electrocuted" by the faulty question holder! "I'd never take over a part that badly acted," Charles quips into Gene's microphone while the host is still on the floor.

Moved to Amazon for the Thursday night game between the Eagles and the Commanders next. The Commanders were up for most of the first half, leading 10-6 at halftime. The Eagles almost always play better in the third and fourth quarters. They were sensational in the fourth quarter in particular, roaring back to win 26 - 18. 

Finished the night with more music I've acquired lately. Soundtrack and film of A View to a Kill, the last Roger Moore James Bond movie, are very, very 1985. While the dynamic Duran Duran title song would be the biggest hit number from a Bond movie until Skyfall in 2012, John Barry's score is pretty standard stuff. Some of the music from action sequences brings out the best in this weird film, including the climatic "Golden Gate Fight" and "Destroy Silicon Valley."

Listened to Bruce Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad next. This may have been too dark to see the kind of success his 80's and early 90's albums got in the US - it just missed the top 10. It's his first primarily acoustic album in over 15 years...and really, his most depressing. The slow, folksy ballads sound all alike. It was certainly too dark for most people in the mid-90's, but its folksy sound might wear better now. "Straight Time" and "Across the Border" are the best of a very similar lot. 

Angels In the Ring

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel's excited when the Tiger family takes his little sister Margaret to the Clock Factory for "Margaret's First Chime Time." On the way, they encounter more of their friends and discover what they do with their families. "Tiger Family Fun" includes picking fruit at the Enchanted Garden and having it for dinner afterwards.

Hurried off to work even before the episode ended. I needn't have rushed. Work was dead for pretty much the entire morning and early afternoon. I spent the time sweeping and gathering carts. At least I had a nice, cool day to do it it. While it remains dry and sunny, it's also much colder and windier, barely in the 50's. It feels a lot more like fall now. Not to mention, we're between holidays. It probably won't pick up again until people start thinking more about shopping for Thanksgiving dinner next week.

Soon as I got home, I changed and put on The Monkees. The guys do a little bell ringing of their own when "The Monkees On the Line" get a job at an answering service. They're not supposed to get involved with the clients, but Mike tries to stop a girl from what he thinks is killing herself, Davy brings a message to a cop who doesn't appreciate it, and Peter mixes up messages given by gangsters placing bets.

"The Monkees Get Out More Dirt" when they all fall for the same girl who owns a laundromat. Of course, since the girl is played by Julie Newmar, Catwoman herself, one can hardly blame them. They each take up hobbies to impress her, then drop them when she becomes overwhelmed and insists that Peter be the one to date her.

After The Monkees ended, I made this year's Christmas lists. No, it's not what I want. It's what I'm giving. The first list had what I've bought in the past month and a half, the people I still need to get gifts for, and those who are getting gift cards. The second was my Christmas card list. The third is a list of cookies and candies I'll be making. I'll be diving into that Christmas Is Coming craft book I picked up earlier this year that also includes recipes. Since my peanut butter fudge didn't come out very well last year, I'll make simple mints instead. I'd like to try that "chocolate yum yums" recipe that uses a devil's food cake mix and replace the nuts with candy cane bits.

Ran the Peanuts Thanksgiving specials while I worked. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has Chuck upset because Peppermint Patty invited herself, Marcie, and Franklin over for dinner. Patty doesn't appreciate the meal of toast, popcorn, pretzels, and jelly beans that Chuck, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock threw together, until Linus reminds her of the real history behind the holiday.

The real history behind the holiday also comes up in "The Mayflower Voyagers," an episode of This Is America, Charlie Brown. The Peanuts, Snoopy, and Woodstock are pilgrim kids and animals on that fateful voyage to the New World. They face nothing but hardship on the voyage and once they arrive at Plymouth, including the deaths of more than half the settlers during an especially harsh winter. After Natives Squanto and Massasoit show them how to farm the land, they have such a bountiful harvest, they invite the other Natives for a feast of Thanksgiving.

Lay down and rested while watching Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Boxer Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery) wasn't supposed to die in a plane crash. His spirit was dragged out by an overzealous angel (Edward Everett Horton). The angel's boss Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains) insists that he still has 50 more years to go and can return to Earth. That would be a lot easier if Joe's heartbroken manager Max Corkle (James Gleason) didn't have his body cremated, forcing Joe to search for another body.

Jordan finally talks Joe into entering the body of a murdered millionaire after he sees what the jerk did to sweet and lovely Bette Logan (Evelyn Keyes) and her father. Not only are the millionaire's wife Julia (Rita Johnson) and scheming secretary Tony (John Emery) shocked to see him alive, they're even more upset when he releases Bette's father from jail and repays the man's investors. He even manages to convince Max that he's ready for that final bout he never got to. Even when Tony interferes and forces Joe to find another body, he still manages to win the big fight and get the girl.

This is an oddly charming story (and would be again under the play's original title Heaven Can Wait in 1978 with Warren Beatty). The ghost business and talk of murder is a little on the macabre side, but this mostly plays it for comedy. Claude Rains is a great debonair Jordan, while Montgomery has his own fun as the prize fighter determined to get back in that ring, even if he has to do it in someone else's body. This and Heaven Can Wait are both equally recommended and equally enjoyable.

Worked on the inventory after the movie ended. Added the original cast of Pippin and and the Rogers and Hammerstein flop Pipe Dream. Pippin was a find at the Haddonfield Library's book sale in September 2016. Pipe Dream came from Abbie Road two years later.

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner. I don't know what got into everybody, but some of these episodes were pretty wild. We had Charles claiming he was a cowboy, leading sing-a-longs, and arguing with Brett over repeated answers. One of Joyce's stories about her answer get so long, everyone literally just walks off the set! This upset Joyce a great deal, to the point where she looked like she might cry, but Gene and the others got her calmed down. Then there was the audience from outside Atlanta who cheered whenever someone mentioned Georgia.

Finished the night with streaming offers. Kris has a lot more than an "Angel On My Mind" on Charlie's Angels when she witnesses a man kill the owner of a restaurant...and is promptly hit by a car and loses her memory. Bosley and the other two Angels search for her while she wanders on the beach, trying to remember who she is and what she saw.

Arlo Guthrie's appearance on The Muppet Show is the closest that series got to a Thanksgiving episode. They play off his folksy songs and demeanor by setting everything at a farm with backwoods folks. The Swedish Chef keeps trying to make Thanksgiving dinner, but none of the creatures he wants to cook appreciate the idea! There's also the cows tap-dancing to "Elegance" and Fozzie's poem recetation getting interrupted by Gonzo's tango to "Hernando's Hideaway." 

In the Cool of the Afternoon

I overslept, so I got a really quick start this morning. Watched an episode of Bluey while having a fast breakfast. Bluey, Bingo, and their cousin Muffin are thrilled when their daddies give them a "Horsey Ride" in the backyard. Bluey's a lot less happy about her younger cousin Socks biting into her favorite toy. They hold a horsey wedding (to the annoyance of their fathers) to distract her.

Rushed out to this week's appointment with Dawn and arrived ten minutes late. Ironically, it turned out Dawn got stuck in traffic and was twenty minutes late. She came after me. No matter. I did manage to apply for a receptionist job at Inkling Storm Design in Cherry Hill. Trouble is...while I know I don't want to work in healthcare or in schools unless the job is year-round, I don't know what I do want to do. All I know is I want to write or organize or edit, and do it in something that isn't health care or retail. 

We were checking the online job search sites for so long, it was almost noon before I went across the street to the Westmont Plaza to run errands. I was hoping to find more cookie boxes and cards. No dice anywhere. I'm disappointed that neither Dollar Tree nor Target has boxes of cards or boxes for cookies. I did pick up a container for the cookies I'll bring to the Acme next month, a really pretty Thanksgiving cards for friends who are having a rough time right now, and gift card boxes at Dollar Tree and gift cards for Anny and Keefe's birthdays, evaporated milk, dark brown sugar, and pie crust at Target, but not what I was originally looking for.

Went home after I got out for lunch and The Monkees. "Monkee Chow Mein" is one of the more problematic episodes today. This parody of Fu Manchu "Yellow Peril" stories has Peter accidentally taking a fortune cookie with a piece of a doomsday formula when the guys are at a Chinese restaurant. Not only is the CIS after the formula, but so is Dragonman, a very stereotypical Chinese agent (played by white man Joey Foreman in Asian makeup, though he does have goons who are actually Chinese). His men accidentally kidnap Micky, then Peter when he goes after him. It's up to Mike and Davy to rescue their friends and make sure the formula ends up in the right hands.

The reason I bought the milk, pie crusts, and brown sugar at Target was for a recipe I found online that I wanted to try. I love apple butter and thought apple butter pie sounded simple and tasty. I skipped a step with the store bought crust...but didn't have any weights to keep it down and didn't want to use up the uncooked rice. The crust did puff up in the middle. At least the filling came out much better, maybe a little too sweet. I think I might use less brown sugar next time. Once I got it into the pan, it looked much better, and tasted fine when I got it out.

Since it was a one-crust pie, I decided to try something simple. I spread apple butter on the other crust, cut them into triangles, and rolled up the triangles to form crescents, then baked them with the pie. Not bad. Should have added more apple butter, or maybe sprinkled the tops with cinnamon or sugar.

Listened to two of my jazz records I've picked up recently while I worked. Country Preacher is really more blues and R&B as Cannonball Adderly performs some of his own songs and a few African-American standards at a concert for "Operation Breadbasket" in 1969. Although the title song was good, I liked the truly unique "Afro-Spanish Omelet," a mix of African sounds like "Umbakwen" and the more Hispanic "Soli Tomba." 

Charlie Parker's Greatest Hits go further back. No clue when this actually came out, but most of the songs sound 40's-50's. Parker went in for a much cooler sound in be-bop and rhythm numbers like "Move," "Cool Blues," "Round Midnight," and "Star Eyes." 

Went back out around 3:30 while the pie cooled to run two more errands. Dropped the last Thanksgiving card for my friends at the post office, then went further down to Dollar General. There were only three eggs left after I made my pie. Grabbed a carton of eggs, then waited in line while a cashier tried (and failed) to reload a man's phone card. He ended up sending him down the road to CVS.

And actually, the other reason I went out was to enjoy a blustery, chilly day a bit more. It really feels like fall now. The wind blew something fierce, making any leaves that hadn't already fallen come down faster. This time, the sun wasn't enough to overcome that biting wind. I needed my heavy coat for the first time since at least early April.

Put on The Monkees again after I got home. The guys end up with a "Monkee Mother" after their landlord Mr. Babbitt (Henry Cordon) insists on them taking in a border who will actually pay. Millie Resnick (Rose Marie) is a good-hearted, loud-mouthed widow who feeds them and willingly listens to their rehearsals, but also smothers them. Hoping to get their home back, they nudge her towards a relationship with the moving man who helped carry her furniture.

Switched to Bloodhounds of Broadway next. I go further into this Damon Runyon story in honor of the late Mitzi Gaynor at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

A Salute to Mitzi Gaynor - Bloodhounds of Broadway

Worked on the inventory briefly after the movie ended. Added the original cast of Once On This Island, the 2006 Harry Connick Jr. revival of The Pajama Game, and the 1950 studio cast recording of Pal Joey with Vivienne Segal and Harold Lang. I found Pal Joey at the Collingswood Book Festival in 2019 and Island at the FYE in Philly around 2015, but Pajama Game was originally part of a Connick Jr. box set with another show. I have no idea where that came from anymore.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner and afterwards. Robert Donner and Betty Kennedy made their first appearances during this week. Brett and Charles spent most of the week making fun of her jewelry and his hats and silly accents.

Finished the night working on my review and listening to two of the rare cast albums I found last week. Tenderloin is the story of a crusading preacher who sets his sights on cleaning up "The Tenderloin," the New York slums in the late 1800's. Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans is an odd choice for this melodramatic and relatively dark show. Ron Husmann does better by the show's only hit song, "Artificial Flowers." 

High Spirits also flopped in the early 60's, but is otherwise a very different show. Beatrice Lillie plays a daffy medium who accidentally brings up the ghost of the first wife (Tammy Grimes) of a man (Edward Woodward) whose second wife (Louise Troy) is already tired of hearing about her. Oddly, despite this being based on a Noel Coward play and directed by him, he didn't do the music. That would explain why songs like "You'd Better Love Me" when the first wife returns and the patter number "The Bicycle Song" for Lillie are only ok. 

Salute Your Toons

Began my Veteran's Day with material from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. The major piece here is the sad and touching "The Singing Tree." Three soldiers traveling across burned-out fields during World War I come across a still-living apple tree filled with many kinds of birds who lost their homes and take comfort from their singing and camaraderie. There's also a few World War I-era poems, including "In Flanders Field." 

Did the material for Book Week (which is this week) as well. "The Library Lady" from All-of-a-Kind Family makes me appreciate that my siblings and I were usually careful with our library books and never lost them. Middle sister Sarah is terribly upset when she loses a library book, but the sweet young librarian knows just how she can pay for it. "Rufus M" wants badly to take out a library book, but the less-understanding librarian insists he can't until he learns to write his name. He throws himself into practicing, then sneaks in over a coal pile to show her.

Put on a couple of the Donald Duck World War II shorts while I got ready to head out. From 1942 through 1944, Donald Duck appeared in a series of shorts that mainly had him as a soldier in training to cranky Sergeant Pete. In "Donald Gets Drafted," he's swayed by the glamour of being a pilot, but the reality sets in when Pete singles him out and makes him stand on an ant hill. The follow-up short "Sky Trooper" has an annoyed Pete finally send Donald into the air as a parachute jumper. Needless to say, this is not how Donald wanted to fly, but he never expected to get Pete involved when he grabs a missile on the way out!

"The Vanishing Private" is my favorite of Donald's military-themed cartoons. Don finally gets the best of Pete when he's told to make a cannon "hard to see" and covers it in an invisibility paint. After he's doused with it too, he leads Pete on a merry chase around the base. "Der Fuehrer's Face" is a surreal Oscar-winning nightmare that has Don as a factory worker trapped in Nazi Germany. Along with the wild propaganda imagery, this features a catchy theme song that later became a hit for comic band Spike Jones and His City Slickers. "Commando Duck" sends Donald into enemy territory, as he proceeds to wipe...no wash...out the enemy.

Since it was past 12:30 by this point, I called Uber. They're getting stranger and stranger. Now you have to give the driver some kind of code after you get in the car in order for them to proceed. At least he arrived in five minutes (less than the 7 listed) and, even with taking the long way through Collingswood, got me to the Cherry Hill Barnes and Noble in less than 20 minutes. (After accidentally driving around the back of the mall. I didn't realize they'd opened more stores behind the luxury condos, including a Costco and a cookie shop. Never heard of Duluth Trading Company; might check them out after the holidays.) At least the weather remained sunny and warm, in the upper 60's, and breezy. 

The Cherry Hill Barnes and Noble is the smallest of their stores in South Jersey. It has toys, but no CD/DVD section. I did see some mysteries I might look for after the holiday season, but my main interest was Christmas shopping. I walked out with two board books for my 2-year-old niece Aurora, a Daniel Tiger lift-the-flap Christmas story and a board book version of the Richard Scarry short story I am a Bunny. Since I got a coupon for $1 off a drink at the cafe, I tried their Chestnut Praline Frappuccino. It was a little sweet and a little coffee-tasting, but it did have hints of nuttiness and bits of brown sugar.

Had lunch at Panera Bread in the front of the mall next. Considering there's usually a long line, I only had to wait five minutes for my half a tuna sandwich, tomato soup, and crusty roll. The soup was spicy and thick, the salad messy and tasty. In fact, the salad actually tasted rather good mixed into the soup. The roll was even better dipped in the soup. The croutons on top tasted better mushed into the big tomato pieces. Had this with unsweetened iced tea.

Since it's also in the front mall stores, I went to Hallmark after lunch. I was mainly there for cards. Got one for my brother Keefe's birthday next week and a few Thanksgiving cards, along with a box of a Christmas card assortment. Picked up two packages of cookie gift boxes buy one, get one half off. Grabbed candy for Lauren and two gifts for Lauren and Amanda. 

Rushed to Starbucks next to make change for the bus after I remembered banks are closed on Veteran's Day. Just grabbed a sparkling water really quick and asked them to give me four quarters for one of my dollars. Fortunately, the bus stop is directly in front of the Hallmark. The bus was about ten minutes late, not bad for the start of rush hour. It did run into traffic on Cuthbert Road, but there were otherwise no problems. I was home by 4:30. 

Did a few more Disney war shorts as I got organized. Goofy's first short was "Victory Vehicles," a look at the variety of creative vehicles one could use to get around wartime shortages. (And I have to agree with Leonard Maltin. The song "Hop On Your Pogo Stick" really is catchy.) "How to Be a Sailor" starts as a more typical Goofy short, with him exploring the history of seafaring. The brief finale with modern soldiers, however, gets Goofy into the war as he's shot out to the enemy! 

Mickey Mouse didn't really figure into Disney's World War II shorts, but he did do one black and white military short in 1929. "The Barnyard Battle" pits him and all the mice on the farm against a group of big and nasty Hun cats. Mickey may look skinny, but he can use his wits to turn piano keys into bullets and take these giant pussy cats down.

Puttered around online next, including adding On the Town and the stage version of Once to the inventory. Had dinner while watching Match Game Syndicated. The first three episodes featured Holly Holstrom, Joyce Bulifant, and Gary Burghoff. Holly in particular had fun in these, showing off her Texas cowgirl hat and fending of Gene's advances while admiring the accent of a charming British contestant. Dick Martin stuck around for the last episode, which also featured Elaine Joyce, George Kennedy, and Betty White. Charles was so impressed with a pretty contestant, he claimed to be a modeling agency ready to hire her.

Finished the night on YouTube after a shower with the second Family Feud Armed Forces week. From 1989 through 1991, the five branches of the Armed Forces battled it out on the show to see who would take home the most money for the charity of their choice. In 1990, for the second year in a row, the Army and the Marines made it to the championship...and once again, the tough-talking Marines managed to march their way to the top prize, even though they were lousy at the Fast Money round.

Honor those who fought for our country just as the wars in the Middle East began in these hilarious episodes!

Day #1: Army Vs. Navy

Day #2: Air Force Vs. Marines

Day #3: Coast Guard Vs. Army

Day #4: Coast Guard Vs. Air  Force

Day #5: Marines Vs. Navy

Day #6: Championship - Army Vs. Marines

When the Rains Finally Came

I slept in so late, it was afternoon before I finished my morning reading. Since I don't often have Sundays off, I decided to celebrate with banana pancakes for breakfast. Had them with black grapes and coconut milk mixed with coconut milk eggnog. Best breakfast I've had in ages. I ate them on the front porch, enjoying the strong wind and relative warmth.

Listened to patriotic records while I had breakfast for Veteran's Day tomorrow. Yankee Doodle Mickey is a Disney collection of either patriotic songs like "God Bless America" or songs from their own movies with American themes, like "The Liberty Tree" from Johnny Tremain. A very young Molly Ringwauld can be heard on "This Is My Country" and "God Bless America." My favorite number is the Armed Forces Theme Medley, with Mickey singing for the Air Force and Marines, Goofy for the Army, and Donald, of course, for the Navy.

America the Beautiful is a collection of patriotic songs compiled by Reader's Digest in 1987 in honor of the Statue of Liberty's 100th anniversary. "This Land Is Your Land" and "God Bless America" turn up here as well (the latter performed by Kate Smith), but it's mostly instrumental pieces. I like the full "Grand Canyon Suite" and "American Patrol." There's also the Boston Pops George M. Cohen medley that you can clearly hear people singing along with in the background.

Went for a walk after I cleaned up the dishes and got dressed. I'd never been so happy to see it cloudy in my life. In fact, it was cloudy, blustery, and much cooler, just barely in the 60's. Finally felt more like fall. I celebrated by stopping at WaWa for a treat. They must have just put out their Christmas season flavors. I tried the Peppermint Bark Smoothie. Too sweet, but very minty and very Pepto-Bismol pink. It really did taste like liquid peppermint bark.

Headed down the road to the Environmental Center next. There's steps that lead down to Newton Lake Park alongside the path, but they're really steep and scary. I think I'll stick to the path going up the hill from now on. The park was much nicer. There were a lot of people out enjoying the weather before it gets colder tomorrow. The park's really pretty too. The leaves are turning brilliant shades of gold and scarlet now that gleam against the sparkling waters.

After I got home, I stripped the sheets and blankets off my bed and took them downstairs with my laundry. Listened to George Shearing while I worked. I Hear Music is one of his rare albums to feature vocals, in this case on "It's Easy to Remember" and "When Lights are Low." I also liked "I Wished On the Moon," "Love Is Just Around the Corner," and "My Silent Love."

The Eagles played inter-conference rival the Dallas Cowboys today. I didn't see the game because it was on Fox, but apparently, they absolutely steamrolled them at their own home stadium, helped by their star quarterback Dak Prescott being out with a major injury. Checked the score throughout the evening and was thrilled to see them flatten the wayward Cowboys 34 - 6. 

Spent the rest of the day finishing the laundry, making the bed again, having dinner, and watching today's Match Game marathon. The channel 's owner honored Veteran's Day by focusing on MASH cast members who appeared on the show. Gary Burghoff, who played Radar, was probably the most frequent. He sat in for his teacher and mentor Charles Nelson Reilly from late 1974 through mid-1975 while he was out directing a Broadway play and appeared off-and-on through 1981, well after he'd left the show. Loretta "Hot Lips" Swit made her earliest appearances in one of the first weeks of 1973. She appeared fairly frequently through 1975, after which she disappeared until 1977. She would turn up sporadically through 1980.

McLean Stevenson probably got the most out of his time on the show. He started a bit later in 1973, and though he only turned up off and on, became one of the wildest semi-regulars. You never know what he'd do, whether it was chase Gene around the studio or grab Richard for a smooch or lean over to help a lady Betty White held up to kiss him. He took Richard's place in the fifth smart guy seat from 1980 through 1982 and proved to be almost as hilarious there. 

Gary and McLean made their last appearances on Match Game in The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. Gary only did one week, but McLean was something of a semi-regular here as well. Also putting in one week were three cast members who weren't seen in the 70's Match Game, Larry Linville, William Christopher, and Jamie Farr. Farr turned up on the Game Show Host week with Chuck Woolery and Arlene Francis, where he traded nose jokes with Jon Bauman. 

Play along with the members of the 4077th, whether they're in Korea or Burbank, and honor our real-life men and women who fought and died for our country in this long and very funny marathon!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - MASH Cast Members On Match Game

Oh, and around 10:30, I went to the window...and saw wet streets. It was FINALLY raining. It's rained off and on ever since, though it seems to be off right now. 

Really Truly Autumn

Began the morning with breakfast and Sergeant Deadhead. I go further into this wacky war comedy with Frankie Avalon as the title solider who is always in trouble and the smoother look-a-like sent to replace him with his fiancee at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Saluting Our Veterans - Sergeant Deadhead

Rushed off to work before the movie ended. I wish I hadn't. Work was a pain in the rear today, especially early-on. We were busy for most of the afternoon. At one point, I was trying to sweep and put cold items away and get the carts done at the same time, and then a lady and a cashier got mad when I tried to clean up a macaroni spill. I just ended up crying from being overwhelmed. The lady apologized later, but I still felt bad about the whole thing. 

It wasn't until it finally started slowing down in the last hour and a half or so that I was able to catch up with the carts. No wonder everyone was out and about. It was a beautiful day, sunny and blustery and nothing resembling as warm as it has been, a more normal for this time of year upper 50's-lower 60's. It's even supposed to rain tomorrow night.

Hurried home after work and straight into the shower. Finished Sergeant Deadhead while eating dinner, then ended the night on YouTube with tonight's Match Game marathon. "Leading Ladies of Hollywood" was the theme, though the marathon actually began with a Leading Lady of Broadway, Ethel Merman. Merman's fellow stage star Nanette Fabray made an appearance early on in 1973. Jamie Lynn Bauer and Trish Stewart were Leading Ladies of Soaps. Gene literally yanked Stewart off her seat in her episode! She wasn't hurt, but Brett and Kaye Stevens chewed Gene out for not being careful. 

Louisa Moritz was seen twice in 1975 and gave a very controversial answer in her first appearance. Elaine Joyce also made his first appearance early in 1973, sitting next to her husband Bobby Van. Gunilla Hudson of Petticoat Junction shows off the writing on the back of her trousers in her episode. Price Is Right models Janice Pennington and Anitra Ford appeared on two separate weeks in 1976.

See how some of the most glamorous women in Hollywood and New York did on the show in this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Leading Ladies of Hollywood