Foot Stompin' Matches

Started off the day with breakfast and He-Man. Orko releases "Daimar the Demon" from a book to play with him. He doesn't realize that Daimar's presence wreaks havoc on Eternia, and that Daimar won't stay small and cute forever. Skeletor intends to use the demon's power to gain control of the planet, but Orko is the only one who can really return Daimar to where he came from.

Hurried off to work after the cartoon ended. Got there just in time. Good thing, too. The carts kept disappearing. The head bagger was there, but...she didn't do the sweeping, and she didn't tell me she wasn't. She was inside and not on the registers, so I assumed she was doing it. I missed three sweeps and felt really bad about it. I did it during the second half of my shift. She did do the outside trash, but they sent out one of the college boys to help me with the carts. At least it was a nice day for all of this. Sunny, windy, and relatively cool, probably in the mid-60's.

Went straight home after work. Changed, then watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. Mickey wants to get Minnie a special heart-shaped pink jewel for Friendship Day. As Kansas City Mickey, he heads to a temple to retrieve it. When he gets trapped in the room with the jewel, Kansas City Minnie goes after him for "The Friendship Day Adventure."

Finished the night with dinner and YouTube for today's Match Game marathon. There was a lot of talk about feet on this show, starting with Brett constantly complaining about Charles not wearing socks. Charles would occasionally respond by swinging his sockless feet on the desk, to Brett's annoyance. Once, a lady gave Charles socks. (Richard was hoping she'd send him underwear.) Another time, Gene gave an audience member his argyle socks after Betty rolled up his pants legs to expose them. Someone sent Gene socks with toes in them; Richard ended up with them. 

Betty rolled Gene's pants legs up and his socks down at least five or six times during the run of the series. Gene complained a picture of him with his rolled-up pants made it to the cover of at least one TV guide. Betty wasn't the only one who did it, either. Richard and Lee Merriweather did it at least once, and I'm pretty sure Patti Deutsch did it, too. 

Then there were just the shows with references to socks or feet, like on the syndicated week with Gary Crosby and Rita Moreno. There was one in the hilarious nighttime episode from 1977 where Richard and Betty White pretended to be Charles and Brett to answer a question, too. Another nighttime episode had Gene showing off his red suede shoes. Brett, Charles, and Richard Paul were more interested in singing about "The Eyes of Texas" while the contestant ended up in Jamie Lee Curtis' lap. 

Have a foot-stompin', rip roarin' time with these hilarious episodes...and watch out for panelists who are all-too eager to roll down socks!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Socks and Smelly Feet Marathon

Dolls and the Autumn Storms

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. Little Helper and Pluto are "Home Aloners" when they get stuck in Minnie's Clubhouse while the others take paper airplanes to the park for an air show. Mickey and his friends go looking for them, while they just have fun goofing off and making a mess.

It was pouring when I woke up this morning, and would rain in one form or another for most of the day. We even got some really noisy thunderstorms, especially this morning. I never went further than the porch to get the mail.

Dressed the dolls instead. Nicole is already in her workout gear, but I did put her silky dark-brown hair in a side ponytail. Barbara Jean wears a pink and black Our Generation mini dress with an attached white satin pin-tuck blouse and bright pink stockings. Jessa's working on a new project in the Artist Outfit from 1999. Samantha, Molly, and Josefina are all in their original "meet" outfits. Sam wears hers with black stockings and boots. Molly borrowed Sam's "BeForever" strap shoes and wears her red argyle socks. 

Ariel wears a pretty blue and turquoise square-neck peasant blouse Lauren sent ages ago with the beaded flared jeans from the 2004 modern meet outfit and the boots Whitney came in. Whitney is in the really cute white and red flowered dress with the attached red cardigan I found at the Marlton doll resale store before it closed last year. Felicity doesn't really fit into her blue and gold BeForever meet outfit, but she looks so pretty in it, it's hard to complain. Kit wears a hand-made knitted burgundy sweater and plaid wrap skirt from eBay.

Started off listening to the soundtrack from A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. I know a lot of Sondheim and stage fans are down on this one, but I think it's a blast. A pack of professional hams have way too much fun with some of the most hilarious music Sondheim ever wrote. Special kudos to Michael Crawford's awkwardly adorable "Lovely" and Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford's even funnier reprise.

The cool thing about the Original Cast! 100 Years of the American Musical Theater CD series is, in addition to the usual hits like Beauty and the Beast and La Cage Aux Folles, it includes songs from flops that may be obscure even to some major musical fans. My favorite number from those little-known flops was the gorgeous "Anyone Who Loves" from Dance a Little Closer. It's too bad this updated musical version of Idiot's Delight was apparently overproduced and had major backstage problems, because that song really is very touching. 

Other flops with songs worth hearing included the charming "Married Life" from the failed Thin Man adaptation Nick & Nora and the sweet "Romantic Notions" from Romance/Romance, a small-scale show with two different musicals in each act. At least two flops, Falsettoland and Merrily We Roll Along, are far better regarded today than they were in the 80's and early 90's when they debuted. (Merrily even had a hit revival just a few years ago.)

Closer Than Ever from 1989 also gives us some unique material for a stage musical. Having been burned by the failure of their Baby in 1983, Maltby and Shire took their next show off-Broadway. It's about as simple as you can get, a revue with songs representing different aspects of (then) modern life. I'm impressed with many of these songs. Numbers like "Life Story," about how a 70's feminist responds to the more conservative 80's, "One of the Good Guys," "Miss Byrd," "Patterns," and "Fathers of Fathers" discuss people and situations that don't normally turn up in big Broadway shows. Shire even wrote "Another Wedding Song" for he and his wife Didi Conn to sing at their own wedding. Very recommended if you're looking for a low-key show on subjects that you won't hear discussed in any other musical.

I had buckwheat pancakes with dried cherries for lunch, then checked my schedule. In good news, more hours. In frustrating news, two double days, Tuesday and Wednesday, and an early Saturday next week. The head bagger must have needed time off again.

Switched to The Price Is Right (an encore of the episode with the "story" Showcase that had Princess Holly kissing Frog Prince Johnny Olsen) after Closer Than Ever ended. Had dinner while watching Match Game '78. Eva Gabor wondered if it was really her when she started actually matching answers, while David Doyle had too much fun whether he matched or not.

Finished the night with a more recent Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. Emily and the 'bots got to roast The Shape of Things to Come, a 1979 Canadian sci-fi flick that owed far more to Star Wars than H.G Wells. When even Jack Palance (as the head of a planet looking to take over Earth) chews all the scenery in sight and still isn't all that interesting, you know this is B-movie cheese of the lowest order. The movie is terrible, and I honestly wouldn't recommend it without the robot comments unless you're a huge fan of 70's-80s sci-fi cheese, but the episode is one of the best from Emily's run. 

Where Is the Home for Me?

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. Chip and Dale want to go on "The Big Acorn Hunt" to collect food for the winter, but Dale comes down with the sniffles. Mickey and the others gather the acorns for them while Chip tends to his ailing friend.

I didn't finish the episode before calling Uber. It took 12 minutes to arrive, and I was late leaving...which proved to be a moot point. The housing counselor called when the driver was just coming out of Pennsauken and said it was a phone meeting. I told her I was on my way and had things to show her. I got there in 15 minutes.

Yes, we did talk. I did tell her I have to be out in a few months. She's still pushing the rental waiting lists. I don't want to rent. I want to buy a condo. I've moved too many times. We did finish the application...and she said my pay stubs had to be updated. I printed them out weeks ago. I also needed to finish things online. She gave me lists of participating lenders and said we'd meet again in a little over a month and a half. 

Since it's next door to the building where Clarifi is, I made my way over to the Cherry Hill Library after the appointment ended for their last book sale of the year. They were busy, especially around where the CDs, DVDs, and records are...and no wonder. I didn't dig up any records or DVDs and only one book for me, but I did come up with 8 CDs for me and five country CDs for Lauren, plus books for Aurora and Khai. The one book I found for me was Betsy-Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace. They had the whole series, but I only have room for one right now. I'll take the rest out of local libraries. The CDs for me were: 

Sally Mayes - The Dorothy Fields Songbook

Soundtracks for Into the Woods, Mrs. Henderson Presents, and the score for Dick Tracy

The original cast albums for Rags, The Light In the Piazza, Spring Awakening, and Side Show, and the 1962 studio recording of the revue Pins and Needles with Barbra Streisand

Called Uber after I bought my purchases. I had far fewer problems getting home. The lady arrived in 6 minutes. There was some traffic around Cuthbert, but it could have been worse. I was home by 2 PM.

Ate lunch and got organized while watching more Clubhouse Plus. Finished "The Big Acorn Hunt" and went right into "Mickey's Get-Up-and-Go Day." The crew has a very busy and productive day when it's time to get ready for a pool party. They have to mow and rake the lawn, gather pool toys and lawn chairs, and get into their swimsuits! Good thing they're around to help each other and make their chores a lot more enjoyable.

"Three Knights are We" say Daisy, Minnie, and Goofy when they go on a quest to become Queen Clarabelle's most recent knights. They have to prove they are strong, brave, and clever in a series of challenges around the castle...but things get personal when they have to rescue Mickey Hood and Friar Donald from the tower!

Headed back out, this time on my bike. Despite it being cloudy and spitting, I wanted to get the grocery shopping done. It's supposed to be worse tomorrow! I honestly didn't need a ton anyway. Ginger molasses cookies are on clearance at Sprouts. Got golden raisins, oat milk, and that tasty Nektar Pop soda there, too. Restocked yogurt, soda, granola, tuna, and bagels at the Acme. Had an online coupon for the Like Air Puffcorn. Pears were cheaper than apples; I got two of them. 

By the time I got done with that and chores, it was so late, I went straight into Match Game '78. The first half of the night finished out the week with Avery, Barbara, and Betty. The second half kept Betty, but brought in David Doyle and Eva Gabor, along with Betty doing another striptease.

Finished the night with Thanks a Million on YouTube. I go further into this unique political fable from 1935 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Election Day Special - Thanks a Million

Harts On a Warm Fall Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Little Bear, Emily, and Granny make "Gingerbread Cookies" that somehow manage to run off, forcing the trio to chase them. Father Bear teaches Little Bear and his friends how to play "Marbles." Mitzi wins them all, but Little Bear knows how to get them back. Little Bear and No Feet start "The Garden War" when they find a mole in the garden, but the mole proves to not be scary at all.

Hurried out after the cartoon ended on the bike. Got there just in time, which was a good thing. We were a lot busier than we normally are on a Wednesday. No idea what was going on. Senior Discount Day is Tuesday, the next major holiday is next week, and we're not close enough to Thanksgiving for most people to be buying dinner. I had a hard time keeping up with the carts and wasn't too unhappy when I finished. Grabbed a Caesar salad wrap, chips, a banana, and soda, and headed out after I changed.

The weather remains too nice to eat inside! I enjoyed my sandwich at the small park around the War Memoral across from Oaklyn School on West Clinton. It's still in the mid-upper 70's, sunny, and breezy. A little too warm for November, to be honest, but we might as well enjoy it before it finally cools off. It was so nice, I ended up cutting through Oaklyn and West Collingswood and stopping at the benches outside of Zena's Mediterranean Restaurant for a few minutes before I got to Thomas Sharp right on time.

Good thing, too. We had 16 hyped-up kids today. They were really excited about their two days off for New Jersey's teacher convention. At least they weren't that bad in the bathrooms. I did have to help one poor miss who had an accident. We finished in the bathroom just as the other kids were going outside. 

You won't be surprised to hear that we got the kids outside the moment they finished snack time. It was too beautiful for them to be inside, too. There was a long line for the swings when I let them on, all of them fussing over wanting to swing with their best friend and no one else. I finally got fed up and told them they'd go on with whomever they happened to be next to. The point is getting to swing. At least all but two or three kids did get on, and they all seemed to have a great time once they did. One of the moms ran around briefly with them, too. We finally took them in when the sun started going down, after which I went straight home.

Came in for the second half of The Price Is Right. I arrived right as a gentleman played Walk of Fame. He did manage to get bakeware and a pool table, but not a dune buggy. The next lady did about the same on Switcheroo. She got two small prizes, but no car. The gentleman eventually joined a younger Air Force officer in the Showcase. Here, we had a rare case of the generic "department store floors" Showcase having the car. The story Showcase was that big camera and the prizes that could improve their lives, including a trip. The officer went over on his trip; the gentleman got living room furniture and his car.

Let it run into Match Game '78 while I ate a big dinner. The first half of the night finished out the Joe Gargiola week with a man whose pregnant wife was in the audience and in labor. Gene and the panelists were far more nervous than the man and his wife were! No idea why they skipped the next two weeks. They picked up with Barbara Rhodes, Betty White, and Avery Schriberer showing off the new duds his stint as the Frito Bandito in commercials bought him. Betty was more interested in doing her idea of a striptease for a question.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. Jonathan and Jennifer get involved in "The Raid" when a Hart Industries researcher and his pregnant wife are kidnapped while working in South America. After Jonathan learns that their kidnapper is an old enemy of his, he and Jennifer personally deliver the diamonds the man requests. After they make sure the researcher and his wife are sent home, Jonathan insists on calling in some old friends to get those diamonds back. 

You're Not Elected In New Jersey, Charlie Brown

Began the morning with breakfast and Doc McStuffins. "Doc McStuffins Goes to Washington" when she wins a contest to tour the White House, with none other than then-First Lady Michelle Obama (herself) as her guide. She fixes the stuffed otter belonging to another girl on the tour, then has to find the otter when it goes looking for her owner. "Winded Winnie" is a wind-up tiger used to blow up balloons. Doc's brother Donny is upset when Winnie just wheezes instead of blowing out air. Doc discovers she has dust in her lungs from being in the attic for years. Unlike her brother Donny, who needs a doctor visit to clear his asthma, Winnie just needs her air tube dusted and washed.

Switched to Happy Days while I scanned and printed out the final paper (my quarterly notice for John Hancock). Richie learns about "The Not-Making of the President" when he falls for a girl who is campaigning for Adelai Stevenson. Mr. Cunningham is shocked anyone in his family could go against Eisenhower. He's even more horrified when his son speaks for the Democrats at a youth rally, until he sees that Fonzie is speaking for the Republicans.

Mike Nesmith throws his wool hat into the ring on The Monkees when their elderly neighbors are thrown out of their homes to build a parking lot. This "Monkee Mayor" discovers just what a dirty game politics is when he and the others try to get the goods on a corrupt businessman (Monty Landis) who controls the current mayor.

Politics isn't any easier for the cops on Barney Miller. "The Election" gets pretty wild at the precinct when they have to deal with a shoplifter who stole ladies' undergarments and a woman (Brett Somers) who threw a toilet out the window when her husband wouldn't let her vote. There's also the local cop who is running for public office and discovers the hard way that working the beat doesn't automatically make you popular with the voting public.

Headed out after Barney Miller ended. I was originally going to eat out at one of the local diners...but the weather was so gorgeous, I decided on a picnic instead. I bought a turkey and bacon hoagie at the Shamrock Deli (and snitched a small free bag of Halloween pretzels) and took them to the playground in Newton Lake Park where the stone pavilion is. I sat at a brand-new picnic table, enjoying my sandwich in the bright sun. It was in the mid-70's, breezy, sunny, and warm as can be. The light sparkled on the lake and made the flame red and gold trees around me glow like stardust.

Rushed home briefly to use the bathroom, then rushed back out to the school. I just made it on time, and it was a good thing. We had 20 kids at the outset today. They started off in the cafeteria, due to the music class on Tuesdays. My group was a little rowdy in the bathrooms, especially the girls, but I did manage to get them in and out in good time. I colored more pumpkin emotion pictures with them after snack time. 

We're trying to get the kids out a little earlier now that the sun is going down by 5 PM. The line for the swings was long at the outset, but once one of the teachers started a game of "Red Light, Green Light," that ended that. There was still some squabbling over best friends wanting to swing together, but in the end, I think all but maybe two or three kids got on the swings...and the others were having so much fun chasing the teachers around, they didn't really care. There were four boys and one girl left when I headed out to beat the sun home.

By the time I finished my chores and took my shower, Match Game '78 was into its second half-hour. They finished out the week with Helaine Lembeck and moved on to the only week for game show host and baseball great Joe Garagiola. He wasn't too thrilled when Gene leaned in for that "new kid on the block" kiss, but had fewer problems when Brett kissed him. Debralee Scott and Betty White were more interested in the unique camera angles they tested that week. (Charles didn't like how they showed his toupee.)

Put on You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown after Match Game ended. The votes are in at Charlie Brown's school. There's no way he'd get nominated for school president. but Linus might have a shot. Other than a radio interview that doesn't go well, he looks like a lock...until he starts lecturing on his favorite subject, the Great Pumpkin.

Ended the night with Remember WENN. Married acting couple Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer are "Strange Bedfellows" when they join opposing parties in the race for Pittsburgh City Council. Con man station manager Scott Sherwood sees this as the opportunity for a big debate with lots of publicity. Hilary and Jeff spend most of it arguing, until the third candidate, folksy former baseball star Luke Langley (David Canary), remind them that politics is a full-time job that has a lot more going on than just pretty speeches. 

Fantasy Games

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Richie Rich. "The Blur" is the Riches short. A strange blur steals all the jewels and valuables in Rich Manor, until Richie, Gloria, and Dollar figure out what it really is and put a stop to it. The first Gems short has Richie doing calculations on an enormous (and smart-mouthed) computer. He pulls money out of a huge piggy bank for Dollar in the second. Dollar hides from his "Cur Wash" in the Treasures Chest story, but he keeps getting dirty. The Zillion Dollar Adventure takes Richie, Gloria, and Dollar to Australia when Richie's friend says his father has been arrested for stealing gold from the Rich Australian mines. Richie learns "The Kangaroo Hop" to find out who's really behind the thefts.

After I made the bed, I spent the next few hours taking down the Halloween decorations and putting up what I have for Thanksgiving. I've really found some great stuff for this holiday from thrift shops in the past few years. The small Pilgrim teddy I picked up in Philadelphia this summer is joined by a larger girl Pilgrim bear that Jodi gave me from Dad's collection after he died. Three stuffed turkeys, one smaller, one with dangling beaded legs, also came from Dad's house. Cartoony Plymouth the Turkey and more realistic Mayflower are leftover from when I collected Webkinz in the late 2000's-early 2010's. The small stuffed Pilgrim and Indian girl and Pilgrim resin figures are thrift shop finds, as are the porcelain turkey Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers.

Listened to records while I worked. Story and Songs About Walt Disney's Three Little Pigs is what it says on the tin. Sterling Holloway lends his folksy voice to vocal versions of the three Silly Symphony cartoons. The pigs have normal female voices and the wolf a rather goofy, deep voice, neither from the original cartoons. The stories are pretty much more-or-less as they are in the shorts...alas including some of the more disturbing attributes of the final short, like Practical using a lie detector on the wolf and having him spanked. 

Despite being listed as "the voices from the original soundtrack album," The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is really more of a book and record. Charles Ruggles narrates the three stories from the film, "The Dancing Princess" (a version of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses"), "The Elves and the Shoemaker," and "The Singing Bone," along with the wrap-around story detailing how the Brothers Grimm became better known for their fairy tales than their scholarly works. I reviewed the film back in 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed it. (And I'm not the only one. They did finally release that Blu-ray I mention in the review later in 2021, and it apparently came out beautifully.) 

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown isn't one of the better-known Peanuts specials today, but its soundtrack does have a few numbers worth checking out. "Joe Cool" made its debut here, in a vocal version performed by Vince Guaraldi himself. "Incumbent Waltz" and "Cookin' Snoopy" are also fun, and there's the bonus "African Sleigh Ride" on Side B.

Hurried off even before the record ended. I needed money at WaWa. Since I hadn't eaten, I grabbed a "mini meal" pack with a boiled egg, cubed cheddar, grapes, sliced apples, and really tasty chia corn chips too. Grabbed them and headed down the White Horse Pike to Thomas Sharp.

Good thing I made it just in time. 18 kids were waiting in the hall for the music class to end when I arrived. At least there was a ton of help dealing with them. In addition to me, the head teacher, and two regular teachers, there was the woman helping with one of the kindergarten boys. I ate lunch as they had their snacks, then colored with them until it was time to go outside. Even with all of the teachers there, they spent way too much time squabbling over who would swing with whom. They all want to swing with their best friends, which means people whose friends would rather be running around have no one to go on with. I'd go on with them, which would bring someone running over to the swing. At least all but one kid made it on before the sun started going down and we had to go inside. There was so much help, they let me go early after I finished coloring a cute picture of pumpkins showing off different emotions.

I did chores and brought the laundry downstairs, then went upstairs to watch Match Game '78. Buzzr skipped ahead into the first episodes of the new year with Gary Burghoff, Jo Ann Pflug, and Fannie Flagg. Female Sweathog Helaine Lembeck turned up the next week, with Dick Martin and Betty White.

Finally brought the laundry upstairs, then finished the night with some of the more unique American Gladiators imitations of the 1990's. The show debuted in syndication in 1989, and with its normal people fighting colorfully-dressed "gladiators" in wild stunts, rapidly became one of the most popular syndicated shows of the early 90's. Its wild success inspired other fantasy competition shows in the early-mid 90's, like Knights and Warriors from 1992. This one takes a medieval theme as the comedic "gladiators" are replaced by stereotypical fantasy villains, like evil princesses and crazed barbarians. The stunts also have a mild fantasy theme, including the attempt to joust and knock a villain off a pedestal and shoot the "villains" with bows and arrows. 

Wild West Showdown from 1994 was one of the more interesting of the fantasy action game shows. Here, the villains are outlaws and the contestants are three cowboys and cowgirls riding in to clean up the fictional western town. This is by far my favorite of the four shows I watched tonight. They really get into the theming here, with a reporter interviewing the contestants after the round to get their opinion, a cowboy narrator explaining the back story behind the town, and creative stunts that mirror what a real western sheriff might have done. 

Also from 1994, Beach Clash stayed outside but moved to the beaches of Los Angeles for outdoor stunts played by two teams from different American cities. In the episode I have, the Seattle Sea Otters battle it out with the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks for dominance in volleyball, riding around waves on a raft, kayaking, and climbing "hills." 

Battle Dome debuted in 1999, long after American Gladiators and its imitations had come and gone. This one really owed more to the popularity of another violent sport, professional wrestling, in the 90's than to Gladiators. Contestants debuted to noisy, bombastic theme music and had their own female partners. Unlike the other shows, the only women who competed were in a one-off week. Men fought in far more dangerous stunts like the "battle wheel" and Arial Kickboxing. Despite being late to the party, it did manage to run two years, mostly on the strength of cross-promotions like their rivalry with the WCW.

Battle in a medieval castle, the Wild West, the beach, and a wrestling arena and see what it takes for these cowgirls and cowboys, knights, and beach bums to come out on top!

Knights and Warriors (1992)

Beach Clash (1994)

Wild West Showdown (1994)

Battle Dome (1999)

The Boss and the Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Madonna. Something To Remember is actually a collection of Madonna's more popular ballads, plus two movie songs that hadn't been seen elsewhere, "I'll Remember" and "This Used to Be My Playground." "Rain," "Crazy for You," and "Live to Tell" were three more earlier hits that made it here. The big hit recorded directly for the album was "You'll See." She also does well by an eerie version of "I Want You." 

Called Uber even before Madonna ended. I didn't want to take my bike after a seven-hour shift. I think I made the right call. The one going to the Acme arrived in 5 minutes. The one going home came in 6. No trouble there. I was even a little bit early.

That was about the only thing that did go right during my entire shift. The entire day was a mess. It wasn't bad when I got in at 9, but by 10:30-11, we were mobbed. I was alone for most of the morning and kept falling behind with the carts. Even after they pulled one of the college boys to help, we were still behind. I had to clean up a ginger ale spill alone at one point. Later on, one lady refused to pay for her large order and just dumped the cart up front, which meant I lost that college boy when he had to put it away. About the only good thing I can say is the weather continues to be nice, and in fact, too warm for this time of year, in the lower 70's. Otherwise, I was very happy to get out of there.

In fact, I was so tired and angry and fed up when I got home, I went straight into bed for a nap. I went down at 4:30 and didn't get up again until almost 6. I did feel a little better afterwards, but I'm still pretty tired.

Tonight's YouTube marathon had already started when I got on. Producer Mark Goodson was the face of his company for many years. He was the one who actually went on the shows, made announcements and appeared with the staff. He was a Mystery Guest or panelist many times on What's My Line, including once where he appeared with his long-time partner (who mostly handled the business side of things) Bill Todman. In fact, Goodson proved to be a charming host in his own right when he hosted What's My Line at 25 with John Daly and Arlene Francis, a special showing often-hilarious clips from the best moments in the very long history of that show.

He turned up three times on Match Game. The first was in 1974, to give Gene a bag for his needlepoint in honor of the great job he was doing and how popular the show was. He appeared a little later in 1974 to sit in briefly for Charles Nelson Reilly when he was late to a taping "getting his hair nailed on." His last appearance was New Year's Eve 1976 with a speech thanking everyone for the show's continuing success and to read a joke question about "old man Gene" hosting Match Game '99. (Which, alas, he did not. Goodson died in '92, Gene in 1999.)

Goodson was generally only seen during big anniversaries and major events. He appeared on The Price Is Right for their 19th and 20th anniversaries. In fact, their 20th anniversary show in September 1991 was one of his last appearances before he died. Earlier on Family Feud, he crowned Richard Dawson king on their 7th anniversary, praised the job the staff was doing on their 5th, and read the results of a poll on Richard's habit of kissing all the ladies. Goodson also anchored the male team during the Feud "Hollywood Walk of Fame" week. Betty White anchored the ladies.

Speaking of Betty, one of the few surviving episodes of the 1971-1975 ABC Password run is the series finale. Sam Mellville and Kate Jackson of The Rookies were the last two celebrities helping ladies guess and bet on different words. When they finished, four members of the staff (many of whom would eventually work on Feud as well) played each other. Goodson gave Allen the Tank Watch he talked about so much during his and Betty's week together in 1975 on Match Game. Betty was there by Allen's side as they talked about how they met on Password and the show came to an end. 

In 1991, Goodson got another chance at the host's chair when Alex Trebek ran out of To Tell the Truth because his wife was having a baby. Goodson proved to be quite suited to it, actually. He certainly did the show no harm. He actually got some interesting stories, including one about a woman who became a Wall Street broker while still in her teens and a millionaire by 21 and a man who flew around the world on a seaplane. 

Find out more about the face behind so many beloved shows in this often hilarious and sometimes touching marathon!

Sunday Game Show Classics - Mark Goodson on Set

Halloween Harvest

Started off the morning with the Halloween material from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. "The Blue-Nosed Witch" is a scatterbrained young sorceress who is always late to her flight formations. She sets her clock so far back on Halloween, she ends up trick-or-treating with the local kids. A young witch and her friends accidentally make "The Water Nixie" appear when they really want a fairy. She's more concerned about how she's going to get past her older witch guardian and go to school. There's also two long poems on Halloween spooks and trick-or-treating.

Watched The Scooby Doo Show at Tubi during breakfast. "The Headless Horseman of Halloween" invades a party Mystery Inc is attending at Crane Manor. Turns out the manor was built on the very place where a Hessian solider lost his head during the Revolutionary War. When the head and a priceless diamond necklace go missing, Mystery Inc explores a spooky graveyard to figure out what's going on.

Hurried out after the cartoon ended. I had a lot to do today, starting with a quick stop at PNC for money so I could hit the Collingswood Farm Market. I haven't been there in ages! The late fall produce is out now, cauliflower, hearty greens, cranberries, apples, potatoes, pears, and winter squash, but there were still plenty of late summer fruits and veggies out, too. I ended up with little apples, cranberries, Cherry tomatoes for sandwiches and snacking, red table grapes, and spelt wheat bread from one of the bakery booths. Got a pumpkin spice latte cream bar from the Bubba's Creamery cart for a treat. Said "hi" to one of the little girls from the after-school class, her baby brother, and her mom and wished them Happy Halloween!

Headed to the Westmont Acme next. They were a lot busier than I thought they'd be, considering it's the last day of the month. I did dodge shoppers long enough to restock yogurt, soda, Swiss cheese, cookies, and fruit preserves. I didn't want to buy 4 granola bar boxes, but the Nature Valley Wafers were a fairly reasonable regular price. Grabbed caramel apple lollipops and Starburst green apple lollipops (the later already on clearance) to give trick-or-treaters. Veggie chips were also a really good regular price.

Target was almost as busy. They have Slice flavors that are exclusive to them. I grabbed their version of Mountain Dew, Pacific Pop. Granola bars are cheaper here, too. Got another bag of candy here as well, white "Ghost" Reeces cups. Also got a small Iced Pumpkin Matcha Latte at Starbucks.

Sprouts was only slightly less busy than everyone else. Mainly picked up oat milk and bulk dried cranberries here. Found bakery chocolate chip cookies and Bob's Red Mill granola on really good clearance sales. Got the shredded chicken here when I couldn't find it at the Acme.

When I got home, I put everything away, then ate a quick lunch while watching the first of two Match Game Productions Halloween marathons on YouTube today. The one early in the afternoon showcased a wide variety of Halloween game show episodes. I came mid-way through the 1991 Family Feud episode with Ray Combs dressed as a very unlikely Robin Hood. Stuck around for the classic Match Game '90 Halloween episode and the 1988 Super Password Halloween episode with Christoper Hewitt and Edie McClurg. They were just starting the Classic Concentration Halloween episode when I realized how late it was getting. 

Here's the entire marathon anyway, so you can celebrate Halloween weekend game show style!

Trick or Treat: Happy Halloween (Spooktacular Marathon 2026)

I got into my black cat costume and put on the makeup, then took the candy and Mystery Bags, my stuffed black cat Luna, the purple pumpkin I used for my black cat table yesterday, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories and went outside to sit on the stoop. It was a gorgeous day to just sit on the stoop and read, regardless of what else was going on. It was in the upper 60's, sunny, breezy, and bright blue. Couldn't have been a nicer Halloween.

Due to it being Saturday, Oaklyn's trick-or-treat started at 1...but the kids didn't really start coming out until around quarter of 3. And when they came, they came in droves. I saw so many great costumes! There was a teen Scooby Doo group, with Velma and Shaggy and Fred. There was a darling pink and blue spider princess, a girl Chuckie, a mom witch and Chuckie, and a little girl Jessie the Cowgirl. One little boy really got into his Ghostbusting, pretending to "bust" the ghost hanging on the house behind me. Saw Spider Man, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and a Winnie the Pooh group with a dad Pooh, mom Piglet, sister Tigger, and baby Eeyore. The toddler boy from the Incredibles group was so eager to use his jack o'lantern sticker, he stuck it on the side of his pumpkin candy bucket right away. (I hope he didn't lose it.) There was a random Gandolf with a huge walking stick and an adorable mini Meridia with her parents as bears and lots of pretty princesses. 

There were so many kids out, I was giving candy away right up until 10 minutes before it was supposed to end at 6. The Mystery Bags vanished in less than an hour. In fact, we gave away all the Mystery Bags, all of the leftover jack o'lantern stickers and spider rings from the Mystery Bags, the five bags of candy I bought today, and candy leftover from a friend's party yesterday that she gave me. All that was left by the time I finally got out the door was a quarter of the huge bag of candy my friend had.

The sun was just going down when I started across the White Horse Pike to West Clinton. Had a really quick pizza dinner at Phillies Phatties. I ate a slice of cheese and a slice of mushroom while listening to a family in Star Wars costumes (a Leia mom, a Jedi dad, and two brothers as Darth Vader and a stormtrooper) and three teen girls in very short skirts as characters from Clueless. I loved the huge flowered hat I suspect was home-made that one girl wore with her houndstooth suit. 

I was surprised to see the parade was already lining up when I finished dinner. For some reason, it started at 6:30 this year instead of 7. Maybe they didn't want the kids waiting around that long. I'd never seen so many people at the Halloween Parade! There was a tiny, adorable Elmo, Willy Wonka and Veruca, a girl Stitch, a dad Sonic, a little boy Shadow, two elementary school Pikachus, and another Spider Man. One boy wore a really nifty home-made volcano costume. Another was dressed as a Krispy Kreame donut box. One of the pre-teen girls was a gorgeous dead bride. There was a mini toddler cop, Lightning McQueen in a Cars push-cart, and an utterly adorable two-year-old Maverick from Top Gun with his Kelly Preston mom. 

Another pre-teen girl was a spot-on Mary Poppins (and deserved the 1st place prize she got), and there was a darling Batgirl, a cute mini Dolly Pardon, and a lovely little Cinderella. A Nintendo group had a bubbly Princess Peach mom, a Mario dad, a big sister Luigi, and a little sister Toad. Jack Skelleton towered over the crowd on stilts, accompanying an adorable little Sally. A mom and dad were Seymour and Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors, complete with a plastic Audrey II in a flower pot. Twin Wolverines showed off their claws for the crowd. An elementary-school age Lisa Simpson played her inflatable saxophone. A really creative Beetlejuice group had a mom bride Lydia in red, a dad Shrunken Head man, and a teen sister Beetlejuice. One of the teenagers was a severed head on a plate. (Incidentally, the Shrunken Head Man deservedly won the adult division, followed by Audrey and Seymour.)

(I am disappointed that I never ran into Rose and Finley tonight. Maybe they were busy, or they didn't realize the parade started at 6:30 instead of 7. I'll have to call Rose soon to see what's going on with her.)

Did a few chores when I got home, washed off my makeup, and put the pieces of my black cat costume away before watching this year's Match Game Halloween marathon. The closest they got to a Halloween episode on the 1973-1982 run of the show was the episode where Charles showed up late and Mark Goodson sat in for him. They asked a question about what Charles would dress as for Halloween. Questions about vampires, monsters, Frankenstein, and what they all did in their spare time abounded, though, especially as it allowed Gene to indulge in his idea of a Bela Lugosi accent. Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour actually started on Halloween. The rare pilot episode is included here. 

Halloween 1990 wasn't the only episode where people dressed in costume, either. Gene turned up in an old man wig in one syndicated episode, claiming he was Old Man Periwinkle. (He was really showing off his wig for a stage Christmas Carol he did with Bill Cullen.) Another time, his head was wrapped like a mummy. Jon Bauman did the Match Game '78 and syndicated episodes in his goofy greaser "Bowser" persona, complete with jokes about his heavily pomaded hair. Gary Burghoff imitated Frankenstein in one episode, lumbering after Gene. 

Nighttime episodes had even more fun with Halloween jokes. There were Dracula questions on the PM episode with the contestant who looked like Barry Manilow. Bill Anderson, Debralee Scott, and Jonelle Allen did a hilarious spoof of the then-common commercials for K-Tel rock collections. Brett and Charles used the Audience Match "__ Minded" to tease each other in another episode.

Come to the wildest Halloween party ever at Television City and Prospect Studios with these ghoulishly hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Halloween Costume Party Marathon 2026

Finished the night with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Linus is excited about this year's big (non) visit from the Great Pumpkin and spends his Halloween waiting for the elusive visitor in a "sincere" pumpkin patch. Against her better judgement, Sally joins him. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has trouble trick-or-treating, Lucy gets zinged at a costume party, and Snoopy spends Halloween preparing for Veteran's Day fighting the Red Baron.

And I hope you have a wonderful Halloween weekend, with all the ghouls and goblins you love to match with!

The Boo Bash

Started off a gorgeous late morning with breakfast and Spidey & the Avengers: Halloween Team Up! Spider Man and several Avengers are setting up a big Halloween party for a local community center when they're called to help a professor at a museum. Seems his cauldron is suddenly bouncing around. Iron Man and Spidey remove a jewel on top and accidentally release Hallows' Eve, a Halloween witch who is determined to wreak havoc on the holiday. They have to get her scepter and return everything to normal, all while Hulk admits he's terrified of bats.

It was so late by that point, I had just enough time to get lunch and my costume together for Thomas Sharp. I have a bag of bits and pieces for various Halloween costumes that I've gathered over the years. This year, I'm going to be a black cat. I have a pair of ears and gloves and a tail (Mom made the last-named when I was in high school). There's also a bow, but I don't like anything really tight on my neck. Made whiskers and nose with makeup. (Ended up wearing my short-sleeved Eagles shirt. I'm saving my plain black shirt for the actual holiday tomorrow.)

I had so much to carry, I ended up calling Uber. No trouble getting there, thankfully. They took 13 to arrive, but I called early enough that I arrived at Thomas Sharp right on time. They took almost 15 minutes going home, but I didn't get off until quarter of 6.

The first half of my shift was pretty much the same as the rest of the week. I ate lunch with the 16 kids and read "Bambi" from the Storyland anthology to them. We got them all outside soon as the last kid finished their lunch. There was the usual squabbling over who swung with whom once I let them on, and the boys continue to hit and punch and yank each other around. (Two boys ended up with ice packs from falling off equipment or over each other.) All but two of the boys got on the swings at least once, and most of them went on multiple times. It was sunny but incredibly windy, to the point where we actually saw a particularly strong gust blow across the mulch and rattle the leaves on the trees at one point.

Around 3:30, we took the remaining six boys to the blacktop to play with the older kids. I went inside to help three teachers decorate the cafeteria for the after-school program's big Boo Bash. Each teacher had a themed table with matching treats. The head teacher did a sea and water theme and gave out rubber ducks and sea-themed stickers. Another teacher turned cardboard boxes into Minions that held candy and light-up rings. One of the male teachers set up inflatable witch's hats in the back for witch hat ring toss. The head teacher also created a refreshment table with graham crackers, Nila wafers, Capri Sun and Kool Aid Bursts juice bags, little containers of pumpkin dip (pumpkin, spice, cool whip, powdered sugar), Rice Krispies Treats like the ones I put in the Mystery Bags, and bags of multi-colored Goldfish Crackers. There was a coloring table to create bats and illustrate a spooky haunted house scene. 

I ended up taping those construction paper black cats to the edges of the black plastic tablecloth I bought. Added yellow crepe paper around the edges for a moon effect. The tinsel cat and pumpkin was too big to hang on the edge, so they went in the middle, in front of the vintage purple plastic jack o'lantern candy holder where I put the Mystery Bags. The Jack o'lantern candy holder originally belonged to my biological father Bruce, and was one of the holiday decorations I rescued after he died. I added my stuffed black and purple kitties Luna, Diana, and Xiomara, and a wooden stand-up black cat in a jack 'o' lantern I found at Goodwill a few years ago. Scattered the remaining scratch and sniff stickers around the table, along with the black cat face paper plates, cat's ears headbands (they were too big to fit in the Mystery Bags), and Halloween masks to color.

Around 4 PM, the teachers who were outside brought the remaining kids, mostly older ones, to the library. Kids who brought costumes went to the bathrooms to change into them. They all looked terrific! There was a lovely sorceress in a blue velvet gown and a very pretty girl werewolf. One boy was a Minecraft character, another Bumblebee from Transformers. An older girl who adores Pokemon was Gengar. I had to tie the ribbon for Dracula's cape. 

You should have seen how thrilled the kids were when we finally let them in the cafeteria. They'd only been peeking out the library door since they came in! We had so much fun. Older kids got masks to color in. Younger ones got cat headbands. I didn't really make enough Mystery Bags, so I gave those to as many kids as I could before they gave out. After that, kids got scratch-and-sniff stickers. The cat's ears were a big hit. So were the vampire teeth in the Mystery Bags. Some of the older kids asked about them, even after the Mystery Bags were long gone. 

The party ended up being a really big hit. Many of the younger kids came back, with their parents and their own even littler siblings in tow. I saw the little unicorn princess again. Her little brother is apparently a huge Eric Carle fan and came as the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Another eager miss was delighted to be her favorite Disney character, Moana. Most of the kids who didn't wear costumes at least wore Halloween-themed t-shirts or outfits. (I was the only teacher who came in costume. The head teacher did say that her costume got lost in the mail and had only just arrived as she left for the school, while another wore an orange T-shirt.)

Went straight into Match Game '77 when I got home. Ron Pallio, Fannie Flagg, and Elaine Joyce joined in for Christmas week. Charles spent the week complaining that he hadn't gotten to dress as Santa that year. (He dressed as Santa once, in 1973.) He finally turned up in at least part of a Santa costume near the end of the week, fussing that he'd been Santa on every show but that one.

Watched The Halloween Tree while eating dinner. Four best friends can't wait for Halloween festivities to begin, so they can go trick-or-treating with their buddy Pip (Kevin Michaels). They're shocked when they find Pip's house dark and Pip being loaded into an ambulance. When they see what appears to be his ghost, they follow it to the dark, forbidding old home of Mr. Moundshroud (Leonard Nimoy). Moundshroud has a tree in the back covered in Jack o'lanterns, including one that looks like Pip. They follow him through 3,000 years of Halloween history to learn the meaning behind their mummy, witch, monster, and skeleton costumes and save their friend, before his spirit is lost forever.

Ray Bradbury himself narrates this charming, melancholy look at the history behind various Halloween icons. Though I do enjoy learning more about the backstory behind Halloween traditions, the real anchor here is how devoted the kids are to Pip. It's sweet and almost sad, seeing what they go through and give up so their friend can join them for another Halloween. 

Finished the night with Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) is hoping to set up a big show in Las Vegas, but needs the cash to do so. She heads to small-town Massachusetts after learning that her aunt left her something in her will. That "something" turns out to be her poodle, her dilapidated home, and what Elvira thinks is a recipe book. The "recipe book" is actually a spell book. Elvira discovers she's descended from a line of powerful witches when she attempts to make a "recipe" from the book for good-natured Bob Redding (Daniel Greene) and accidentally creates a monster. 

Her evil Uncle Vincent (W. Morgan Sheppard) tries to buy the book off of her, but Elvira is wise to his tricks now. He has her arrested for witchcraft and tries to get the overly conservative townspeople to burn her at the stake, but her poodle Gonk and Bob are able to free her. Now she has to rescue the town from her uncle's nasty powers and somehow get to Vegas, before her show is closed for good.

I've gotten a kick out of this very strange and bawdy horror comedy since it used to turn up a lot on cable in the late 80's and early 90's. Elvira's having a blast as the lady in question who doesn't understand why these annoying people are dousing her with gasoline and just wants to sell the house; Sheppard has almost as much fun chewing the scenery to bits as her uncle. I will say that it's not for everyone. If you're like the townspeople and are easily offended or aren't a fan of Elvira, horror, or rowdy 80's teen comedies, this probably won't be your cup of poison brew. For those of you who share Elvira's fondness for late-night B-schlock, come on in and enjoy the lunacy.

And here's more classic Halloween specials and shorts to show your kids after trick-or-treating!

Halloween Safety (1985 Educational Short)

The Last Halloween

The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow

Betty Boop - Betty Boop's Halloween Party

The Great Bear Scare

Ub Iwerks' Comi-Color Classics - The Headless Horseman

Bunnicula the Vampire Rabbit

The Trouble With Miss Switch

Miss Switch to the Rescue

DTV Monster Hits

Disney's Haunted Halloween (Educational Short)

The Fat Albert Halloween Special

Casper the Friendly Ghost - To Boo or Not to Boo

Buttons and Rusty In Which Witch Is Which?

Once Upon a Midnight Scary

I Believe It's Magic

Began the morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. They're "Scared of You" when mad scientist Tasha sends her assistant Austin to retrieve Mummy King Tyrone, werewolf Uniqua, and vampire Pablo. They're more terrified of each other than of the message Austin brings. Austin just wishes everyone would remember his birthday, but there's a big surprise waiting for him at Tasha's laboratory. 

Switched to Jem while looking up housing websites online. It's "Trick or Techrat" when Jem and the Holograms agree to a benefit concert to save a failing opera house. The Misfits are annoyed about the attention they're getting and plan their own Halloween concert. One of the Starlight Girls is scared easily, especially when a series of accidents seemingly befall the opera house right before the concert, but she's the one who eventually figures out what's going on and what the Misfits' sleazy lawyer Eric Raymond is up to. 

Hurried out after Jem ended. I needed something for lunch, so I stopped really quick at Speedy Mart. The fastest things I could buy right away were three hard-boiled eggs in a container. Grabbed those, a banana, and a small bag of Herr's Popcorn and headed to Thomas Sharp, and I was still five minutes late.

Things weren't really all that different from how they've been the last few days. We had 15 kids all together. I arrived early enough to eat lunch with them and watch over those who took a while to finish before we all headed outside. Though we did get out a little earlier this time, I still made them wait 20 minutes to get on the swings. 

Once again, they spent a lot of the time squabbling over who would swing with whom. One girl got on early when her parents arrived...only for them to go to conferences first and come for her over a half-hour later. A boy absolutely would not swing with the girls, then would only swing with one of them. At least all but two of the kids got on at least once (and most rode multiple times) before we got back inside. I left the remaining four boys designing monsters and playing with Legos.

Stopped at Dollar General on the way home. I wanted something for the older kids at Thomas Sharp tomorrow. Needed construction paper for my black cat-themed table, too, and pumpkin for bread next month. They were really busy, and I got stuck waiting behind a man who seemed to have bought his entire grocery list from them.

When I got home, I set up more Mystery Bags and cut out construction paper black cats while watching the original Ghostbusters from 1984. After they're fired from Columbia University in New York, paranormal professors Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), Peter Venkmen (Bill Murray), and Ray Stanz (Dan Ackroyd) go into business for themselves as professional ghost-catchers. Their venture is a bust until classical musician Dana Barrett (Signorney Weaver) calls them about a monster in her refrigerator. Peter's smitten and offers to take her case. 

She's not the only one seeing weird creatures around New York City. After they trap a slimy little ghost in a huge hotel, they suddenly have more business than they can handle. They end up having to hire a fourth man, Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson), to help them with the extra load. Their secretary Janine (Annie Potts) is worried something might go wrong...and as it turns out, she's right. An obnoxious officer from the Environmental Protection Agency (William Atherton) shuts down the machine holding the ghosts, sending them blasting back into Manhattan. Meanwhile, Dana and her nerdy neighbor Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) have been possessed by the demon Gozer, who was called by the very building where they live. The Ghostbusters end up in jail, until the Mayor (David Marguiles) realizes there's only four men who can stop the demon and the giant marshmallow man from turning New York into the world's largest charred marshmallow.

This is a long-time favorite of mine, and certainly one of the funniest horror comedies ever made. The 1989 sequel isn't that bad, I still think the 2016 all-female remake gets a bum rap, and I haven't gotten around to the recent films yet...but for my money, this is really the only Ghostbusters film most casual viewers will need. The special effects stand out even to this day, and Elmer Bernstein provides a suitably eerie score. 

Moved online for Match Game '77 while I made dinner and tried to untangle my attempt at a black cat garland. (I eventually gave up and will just tape the black cats to the tablecloth.) This one finished out the week with Tom Poston, Betty White, and Mary Ann Mobley. Brett was thrilled when she got one right on the first question. Mary Ann and Tom were just happy to get questions right at all.

Finished the night with I Kissed a Vampire. I go further into this frighteningly bad attempt at a teen horror musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Happy Halloween - I Kissed a Vampire 

Scary Tales On a Sunny Day

Began the morning with a classic Donald Duck short. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are disappointed when their "Trick or Treat" outing to their Uncle Donald's house turns into more trick than treat. A sympathetic witch helps them turn the tables and teaches Donald a lesson in sharing during the holidays.

Once again took Uber to work...and had a little more trouble. It took me 9 minutes to get a ride this morning, 15 minutes going from the Acme to Thomas Sharp, and 12 going home. For some reason, the number got stuck on those 15 minutes this afternoon, even though the driver did come on time. I had to message him to make sure he was still coming. At least I got to both jobs right on time.

The Acme was, pardon the pun with the upcoming holiday, dead as a doornail this morning. Most people were more likely to be enjoying the continuing gorgeous weather or are saving their grocery shopping for the beginning of the month next week. Halloween isn't really known for big meals. I did have to deal with two kids screaming at each other around quarter of 10. From the pile of tiny liquor bottles under the house sales papers pedestal one of them knocked over (twice, though he did set it up again), I suspect they hit up the liquor store next door to the Acme early and often.

Grabbed a turkey sandwich on pretzel slider buns for lunch before calling Uber again. The kids were listening to a story when I arrived. Three of the girls from my table ran over to give me big hugs! I had the time to eat one of my sliders with the last girl who had to finish her lunch before we headed outside. I did make them wait 20 minutes to go on the swings after we got outside. There were 14 kids, which is still a lot in that little playground. Otherwise, it went pretty much the same as yesterday. The boys are still inclined towards a little too much hitting each other, but all of the kids got on at least once, and most of them rode three or more times. The kids had so much fun outside, it was quarter after 3 before we finally got the remaining 4 boys back in. They were playing with Legos when I headed out.

Did online housing research while watching two vintage Disney Halloween specials. Halloween Hall of Fame from 1977 has Johnathan Winters as a security guard working at the Disney Studios on Halloween night. He discovers a grouchy Jack O' Lantern (also Winters) hiding in a crystal ball while fooling around in the prop room. Seems Jack doesn't think Halloween is scary enough anymore. Winters directs him to "Trick or Treat," "Pluto's Judgement Day," and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to prove otherwise.

"Pluto's Judgement Day" and "Trick or Treat" also figure into Disney's Halloween Treat, the Disney Channel's Halloween special from the 1980's. A far friendly carved pumpkin introduces a series of shorts and segments from films like the Wizard's Duel between Mad Madam Mim and Merlin from The Sword In the Stone and "The Siamese Cat Song" from Lady and the Tramp. We also get the full "Lonesome Ghosts," "The Old Mill," and "Donald and the Gorilla," a segment on the cat's contribution to horror history, and Hans Conried as the Magic Mirror introducing various Disney villains (including the one he did the voice for, Captain Hook).

Oh, at this point, a friend whose teen daughter was cleaning out her room asked me if I wanted an 18-inch doll her daughter had outgrown. Sure! She was a real beauty, with long wavy dark brown hair and wide, non-closing brown eyes. Though I don't think she's one of the Toys R Us "Journey Girls," she is done in a similar style. She'll keep the name on her tag, Nicole. I think it suits her. She'll be my second teenager, a wanna-be boardwalk diva from a changing Atlantic City in 1988. 

Switched to Match Game '77 after Disney's Halloween Treat ended. Started off with the week that introduced David Doyle, a good friend of Brett's who would become a semi-regular during the syndicated era. Dancer Juliet Prowse was also around to help sweet Bertha, a kindly little old lady, win big money. Tom Poston returned the next week, joined by Betty White and slightly ditzy southern belle Mary Ann Mobley.

Moved to Disney Plus for the Halloween episode of MASH. "Trick or Treatment" from the 11th and last season starts with the 4077th's Halloween party being interrupted by the arrival of wounded soldiers. Most of the wounds are superficial to the point of being ridiculous. One Marine (George Wendt) has a cue ball stuck in his mouth. Another, very drunk, Marine (Andrew Dice Clay) drove through a chicken coup. Winchester is not amused by either of them. Meanwhile, Hawkeye and Hot Lips have a whopper of a ghost story when Father Mulcahey discovers that a dead soldier may be more living than previously thought, and Hunnicut helps a soldier suffering from malnutrition.

Finished the night at YouTube with Boo! Variety shows were dying on TV in North America when this Canadian special debuted in 1980, but that didn't stop the makers of this show from going to town with enough cheese to top every head at a Green Bay Packers game. In addition to a big opening number (to the title song) and closing number (to "If They Could See Me Now" from Sweet Charity), we mostly get a series of bizarre blackout skits. Dracula uses the Frankenstein monster to charge his shaver. The wolfman is hypnotized to go crazy when he hears "flowers" instead of "moon." Rip Taylor plays a gadget salesman who finds a tough crowd at a bar filled with monsters and aliens and one of two prisoners trying to figure out a way to keep from going crazy. Dionne Warwick sings a lovely soft-focus "Deja Vu" and tells the Frankenstein monster she likes him "Just the Way You Are."