Afternoon In the Spring Sunshine

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and An Easter Story. I go further into this 1983 spring puppet special from the creator of ALF at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Easter Short Subject Special - An Easter Story

Put on one of Goofy's wilder "How to" Shorts on Disney Plus while getting ready for work. "How to Play Baseball" shows off an entire world of Goofys as the Gray Sox and the Blue Sox battle it out for the World Series. The Blue Sox are ahead, but the Gray Sox could get it after he's hit with the ball...unless the Blue Sox fielder can get the cover back on the ball!

Headed to work after that. No trouble here. I was outside the entire afternoon. The head bagger took the inside chores, and there was plenty of cashiering help from high schoolers on Easter break. It was busy, but I was able to focus on the carts and keep up with them pretty well. It was such a nice, warm day, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. The sun was in and out, but it got so warm, I actually had to put on suntan lotion. (And I did end up a bit red.) 

Listened to the soundtrack from It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown when I got home. Much as I love this special, the music isn't quite as distinctive as some of the earlier shows. "Woodstock's Dream" and some of the music played when Peppermint Patty and Marcie are attempting to color eggs are probably the best numbers. There isn't as many bonus additions on the second side, either, though we do get a later David Benoit medley of Woodstock-related pieces, including "Woodstock's Dream."

Finished the night on YouTube with Match Game Productions' marathon honoring Wink Martindale. Since Martindale started out as a DJ, it's appropriate that his first major hosting gig was What's This Song? from 1964. Two music-related stars (here Carol Lawrence and Mel Torme) help contestants guess what song they're singing, then decides if the lyrics the other team performs are the actual ones. This cute cross between Name That Tune and Don't Forget the Lyrics barely lasted a year. Alas, only two episodes are left, including this one. 

Wink wouldn't have a hit until he hosted Gambit in 1972. Gambit was one of three shows debuting in the fall of 1972 that changed what game shows could be. Two married couples answer questions to earn huge cards. The first couple who hits 21 or close to it without going over wins a chance at the big money board. They can get halves of tickets for big cash, or a larger prize like a car. 

Alas, despite the show's success, it's mostly gone. Though CBS stopped erasing shows by 1972, producers Heatter-Quigley had not. The two episodes here - one with a big win, the other the series finale - are among the few still around.

Gambit would turn up again as Las Vegas Gambit in 1980, filmed at the now-demolished Tropicana. At first, the game was pretty much the same. For some reason, during the second half of the run, they switched the bonus round to the one from their High Rollers. It didn't seem to make much difference in the ratings. The show could never attract enough high rollers and was gone in a little over a year. 

Wink's biggest and best-known hit is probably the 1978-1986 revival of Tic Tac Dough. He appeared in the short-lived 1978 CBS version and its far longer-running syndicated counterpart. He saw Navy pilot Thom McKee play 9 weeks of shows and amass over $312,000, a game show record that would stand until Ken Jennings' huge run 20 years later. 

Martindale left Dough in 1985 to produce his own shows, but neither Headline Chasers nor The Last Word went over well. Headline Chasers was the more imaginative of the two. Contestants had to fill in the blanks on fictional headlines from real historical and current events. The Last Word was basically the original Chain Reaction, with celebrities helping contestants to figure out what the last of three words were and how they related to one another. Both shows barely lasted a year, and neither turn up often today.

I far preferred the revival of High Rollers. In fact, I fondly remember watching this show on WPHL 17 when I was 8. Two contestants answer questions for the right to roll numbers. If they roll the correct numbers, they could win one of three prize packages. Winner goes on to try to roll all the numbers for a car. I thought this show was a lot of fun, and I think the problem was more the syndicated market was over-saturated with game shows in 1987. 

The interactive board game-based game shows Wink did for The Family Channel were even worse-received than Wink's try at syndication. Trivia Pursuit was the only one that lasted longer than a few months, and even that barely made a year. 9 contestants answer questions that eventually whittle them down to 3 for the main game. Those three answer trivia based on the actual game. Winner gets the closest to filling the whole pie. 

Boggle and Shuffle were basically the same games with different themes. Shuffle involved arranging lists. Boggle had contestants finding words on a key pad. Shuffle was mildly the more interesting of the two. It was more fun to try to arrange lists than to find letters on fake phone keys. The emphasis with these was far more on the "interactive" side, which frankly, made them dull to watch.

Wink's last hit game show was Debt on Lifetime in 1996. Three contestants play a quiz show to lessen their huge debts. The first half is basically a cheekier pop-culture based Jeopardy. The second is Name That Answer. The two remaining contestants challenge each other to guess a certain amount of questions in a topic. If they can't get all the questions, they lose the money to the other contestant. Winner has to guess 12 questions in a minute to erase their debt.

The show was a hit out of the gate...with men, Not only was that hardly Lifetime's regular demographic, but Merv Griifith wasn't thrilled with them borrowing so liberally from Jeopardy. Debt lasted two years, finally ending in 1998.

Celebrate the life and career of one of the true game show greats in this rare and delightful marathon!

Wink Martindale Tribute - Featuring Shows Hosted by Martindale

Good and Busy Friday

Started off my morning with breakfast and the 2018 Muppet Babies. "Kermit and Fozzie's Egg-cellent Adventure" has them working together to find eggs during their Easter hunt. Fonzie wants to rush ahead, but he finally learns that it's best to make a plan first when he keeps tripping himself up and missing the eggs. Animal needs to use the bathroom, but he also doesn't want to miss all the fun of finding Ratlantis. It becomes "Animal and the Little Accident" when he keeps trying to hold it.

Switched to Paramount Plus for PAW Patrol. "Pups Save the Easter Egg Hunt" when Mayor Goodway breaks her arm and can't color the eggs. Even after the Pups fill a basket with them, the basket, Rocky, and Chickaletta are stolen by an eagle who isn't too happy that Alex took her egg to color! The others have to get them down and rescue the basket.

Put on The Easter Promise next while doing chores and making the bed. Addie Mills (Lisa Lucas) and her friends are excited when Broadway star Constance Payne (Jean Simmons) comes home to Clear River, Nebraska for Easter 1947. She claims her father James (Jason Robards) once dated her, but in truth, he thinks she's snooty and eccentric. Addie invites Constance to dinner with her family and to give out prizes at her school's style show. James' constant criticism of her life choices at dinner ends with Constance drinking too much wine and turning up at the style show drunk. 

She makes up for it by agreeing to teach acting to Addie and her friends. That goes well at first, but she's plastered again by the second lesson. Addie is ready to give up, but her grandmother (Mildred Natwick) reminds Addie that we should never abandon a friend who needs help, and spring is the perfect time for new beginnings. 

Other than I wish they'd shot on location again instead of on a soundstage, this is my favorite of the four Addie Mills holiday movies. The style show is especially hilarious. I liked Cora Sue's peach "Hollywood" dress the best, but Addie's rickrack dress was cute, too. I get such a kick out of seeing how Addie and her friends celebrate Easter. They remind me so much of my sisters and I when I was 12. (Mr. Mills would be happy to know we dyed boiled eggs, not blown ones.) Lovely Easter viewing, especially if you have girls Addie's age.

Here's my friend Linda Young's website with more information on the films!

Put on the Bluey "Easter" episode while eating lunch fast and getting ready for work. Bluey and Bingo follow clues to find where the Easter Bunny hid their eggs. When the train runs cold, they think the Bunny forgot them...until they see sequined footprints leading to the desk...

It goes without saying on Good Friday we were busy the entire afternoon. I was hard-pressed to sweep and keep up with the carts. I had no help, either. The head bagger ended up in a register the entire time. The lines were just starting to settle down when I finally finished.

At least the weather wasn't bad. It's much warmer than it has been, in the mid-60's. It's also still windy, and though it was sunny earlier, the clouds moved in around 2 and hung around for the rest of the day. 

Got my schedule before work. In good news, I did get Easter and Thursday off, as requested. I knew the only way I'd get those days - or any days - off next week would be to ask for them. I work the entire rest of the week. Seven people went on vacation, including the head bagger. If people aren't on Easter break, they're using the last of their vacation days before our cycle starts over in May. Rather surprisingly, it's all short morning work straight through, no 8 1/2 hour days. 

Needed to do grocery shopping after work. Restocked yogurt, oranges, soda (they have more new probiotic brands on sale), and granola bars (Kind bars were on sale). Got a gift card for my nephew Khai's birthday tomorrow and tulips for a friend who loves flowers for Easter. Had an online coupon for "cream brulee" sandwich cookies, aka soft sugar cookies stuck together with cream like vanilla Oreo Cakesters.

Put everything away, then took a shower. Had dinner while watching Match Game '77. The audience was even more unruly than usual in these episodes, thanks to a group of high schoolers cheering on everything Richard said. Gene had more trouble with the two contestants ending up in a scoreless tie...at least until the much-traveled English gentleman started to catch on. Joyce Bulifant is more excited that she's giving some pretty good answers for a change as Bob Barker and Eva Gabor look on.

Watched Here Comes Peter Cottontail at Tubi next. I went further into this at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2019. 

Here Comes Peter Cottontail and The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town

Finished the night at YouTube with more of the Wink Martindale Password Plus tribute. Gene Rayburn kicked off this episode by trying take over Tom Kennedy's hosting job...and realizing that Tom wears his microphone and doesn't carry a wand-like one. Wink does better with the Alphabetics round, getting his lady through at the very last second.

Change of Heart

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mickey and Minnie hide six eggs, and the rest of the gang has to find them in order to reveal "Mickey's Springtime Surprise." Funny Bunny Pete plays all the tricks he can in order to keep the others from finding those eggs!

Headed off to the Haddon Township Library to meet Bryanna around quarter of 11. Got there just in time...to learn that she was late and wouldn't arrive until 12:30. Figured I'd get my grocery shopping done and went across the street to Target. My cell phone went off while I was in the snack food aisle. Seems she meant 11:30, not 12:30. I just grabbed brownie mix (which was on sale), granola bars, and an Orange Cream Coke Zero and rushed back across the street.

Bryanna was there when I arrived. She had applications for the Gloucester Township Libraries to sign. On one hand, they were only for part-time summer work, one as a regular library assistant, the other as a youth library assistant. I thought I wanted a real full-time job, but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm up for that big of a change. As badly as I want out of the Acme (and I want out very badly), it might be better to do something smaller and see what I'm really interested in and what I can handle.

Explored the library a bit before I finally headed out to finish running errands at the Westmont Plaza. I couldn't find the treat bags I thought I picked up for the kids' Easter gifts, so I bought larger ones at Dollar Tree. Also grabbed two last Easter cards there. Picked up golden raisins, coconut milk, soda, sparkling water, sprinkles, poppy seeds, brown sugar, and bananas at a quiet Sprouts. 

At least it was a gorgeous day for all the running around! The sun was finally out, without a hint of cloud anywhere. Though it remained windy, it was also much warmer, into the lower 60's. It was so nice, I stopped at the Hispanic ice cream parlor on the corner of Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike on the way home. The lime and cookies ice cream I had was delicious, crunchy and sweet all at once, with just enough hint of lime.

Went straight home after I got out of Sprouts. Watched The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town while I ate lunch and moved the new CD/cassette player to the top of one of the low book shelves in the bedroom. (The stuffed animals that had been there went on top of the record crate where I originally had the cassette player.) I went further into this and Here Comes Peter Cottontail at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog way back in April 2019.

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town

After that ended, I went downstairs to make Pastel M&M Brownie Cookies. The original recipe called for the brownie cookies to be topped with Cadbury pastel eggs, but I already had the M&Ms. I mixed the M&Ms and sprinkles in with the brownie mix and added cocoa and more flour for extra richness. Yum! I'm giving these away and didn't taste them, but they sure smelled chocolate-y in the oven!

Listened to the Wicked soundtrack on my new CD player while I made the cookies. I almost didn't buy this. I've had the original cast album for years, and the song list is identical to the first half of the show. However, it does have fabulous performances from its two witches. Adriana Grande's "Popular" and her part of "Dancing Through Life" is adorable. Cynthia Erivo does equally well by gentle ballads like "I'm Not That Girl" and big belting numbers like the finale "Defying Gravity." Honestly, if you loved the movie, you'll probably want this, too. 

Tested the cassette player while the cookies were in the oven. It almost immediately ate my original copy of the Beach Boys' Still Crusin', but the soundtrack from the 1945 State Fair worked just fine. State Fair isn't regarded as one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best works, but it does have some decent songs. "It Might As Well Be Spring" won an Oscar, and I'm also fond of the ballad "That's for Me" and the chorus number "It's a Grand Night for Singing." 

My Jack Benny Show cassette played fine, too, and I've run this to death since I bought it in college. "Phil Harris Goes to War" with his band in the episode I listened to. More specifically, they joined the Merchant Marines. Jack is more interested in the trip to New York they'll be taking in the next episode, including the ultra-cheap Acme Arms Hotel. (Wonder if he ran into any Looney Tunes there?) Meanwhile, Mary Livingstone prefers to think of her husband as a mother duck, Rochester explains to Jack that he got the wrong pajamas back from the cleaners, and youthful singer Kenny Baker hasn't gotten around to seeing his boss' then-new movie yet. 

Did Sunday School Musical when I went back upstairs. I go further into this religious B-movie imitation of High School Musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Sunday School Musical

Switched to Match Game '77 during dinner. Buzzr took a flying leap into the week with Patty Duke and Nipsey Russell. Thankfully, Richard was still in a decent mood here, surprising considering this was the week after the infamous School Riot and he couldn't have been happy with the show or producer and judge Ira Skutch at that point.

Wink and Gene are only doing slightly better mid-way through their Password Plus week. Wink finally got to an Alphabetics and did well on it. Gene, however, keeps using long words that no one understands or have to be explained. 

Finished the night with the two children's Easter albums I've dug up in the last few weeks. Disney's Peter Cottontail has a too-sweet choral version of the title song, but also includes a retelling of the short story "Grandpa Bunny" from Storybookland. Songs about Thumper and the White Rabbit are just ok.

I found Peter Cottontail: The First Easter Record for Children to be vastly more enjoyable. Gene Autry has a lot more fun with the title song, along with the western-themed "Bunny Round-Up Time." Rosemary Clooney gets the cute "Eggbert, the Easter Egg" and "My Choc'late Rabbit." Art Carney gives us two goofy story-songs, the retelling of Peter Rabbit as "Flop, Mop, Cotton, and Pete," and the description of bunnies as "A Thump, A Twinkle, and a Twitch, or How to Make a Rabbit." 

Wild Is the Wind

Started off my morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. "Count on Us!" say the kids in Busytown when they sign up for a bikeathon. Billy Dog has to earn money for a new bike when he leaves his original one in the driveway and his mother runs it over. He thinks he has to do it on his own, but the other kids in town help out. "The First Easter Egg Ever!" was a gift from a family of candlemakers who wanted to find a lavish present for their king, who had helped them out in their time of need. Hilda thinks Lowly is giving her a huge valentine. She learns that it isn't the size of the valentine that counts when she tries to make the biggest one ever in "Be My Valentine."

Headed off to work after the cartoon ended and I stopped at a mailbox to drop off the Easter cards. Work was pretty quiet for most of the morning. It did pick up around noon, by which time I was almost done. I gathered carts, rounded up the trash, swept the store, and dodged the heavy winds. It was off-and-on cloudy and chilly, though not to the degree of last week. There were no real problems, and I was in and out. 

Changed and had lunch while finishing The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Huckle, Billy, Hilda, and Lowly discover "A Message In a Bottle" while playing pirates. When Mr. and Mrs. Cat won't listen to them, they interpret the message and try to rescue the sailor shipwrecked on a near-by island...and then need saving themselves when they put a hole in their life raft. Hilda reads a story she wrote about how "Santa Needs Help" and she gives him her skis to fix his sleigh. Sally and her friends dye eggs and give them to Billy, Huckle, and Lowly in order to prove that "There Really Is an Easter Bunny!" Hilda has her own way of helping out.

My Amazon birthday orders were on the porch when I arrived. The cherry-red Studebaker CD/cassette player is a heavy piece done in Art Deco, with gleaming silver knobs and trim. I wanted to put it in my bedroom, but there's too many Easter decorations to figure it out right now, and it didn't fit where the old one was. I'll leave it in the living room until I can find a place for it. (The other order was New Balance sneakers for work.)

Set it up while watching Yogi the Easter Bear. Yogi's not smarter than the average bear when he ruins the Easter Bunny suit and eats all the candy for the big Easter Jamboree. Ranger Smith is furious and threatens to send him to Siberia. The head commissioner and his grandchildren are coming, and he could close the park if he isn't impressed! Yogi and Boo Boo set out to find the real Easter Bunny...but first they have to dodge a pair of very peculiar plastic-obsessed villains who want their fake eggs to be the only ones anyone uses. 

Listened to my Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street CD while doing some things online. This is one of the seminal Stones' albums, thanks to its party atmosphere and some of their best work. Songs like "Happy" and the hit "Tumbling Dice" were recorded in Keith Richards' basement in France during the early 70's, as the Stones were reaching the height of their early success. Other good ones here include "Sweet Virginia" and the gospel-inspired "Shine a Light." 

I had hoped to stay awake, but I was nodding off as the CD ended. I was too tired to do anything else. I finally went down for a nap around quarter of 4. Didn't get up until past 6:30. 

Finished out Press Your Luck, then watched Match Game '74 while eating dinner. For some reason, Buzzr leaped to the end of the year, when Gary Burghoff was replacing Charles Nelson Reilly while he was directing a play on Broadway. Phyllis Newman made her only appearance on the show during Christmas week. I can kind of understand why she didn't come back. Though she played all right, she kept taking the jokes personally, including some of Brett's quips. 

Moved to YouTube after a shower for Daffy Duck's Easter Egg-Citement. Daffy and an artist's brush that seems determined to make a fool out of him introduce three shorts with spring themes. He and Sylvester chase a golden egg in the first short. The second has him trying to keep Speedy Gonzoles out of a chocolate bunny factory. He's solo in the third as he tries to figure out how he can get south without flying.

Wink Martindale and Gene Rayburn did somewhat better during the second day of their week on Password Plus. Wink was so thrilled when he got his contestant through the Alphabetics, he fell on the floor in relief and cried. Gene has less luck, as he barely gets a chance to play at all the entire episode.

Adam Adamant Lives! is less shocked by the death of a young woman in a feather-trimmed costume than by the brief outfits worn by the waitresses at the Fluffy Club. Georgina climbs into those costumes as one of the waitresses, and discovers she's to seduce a handsome young Arabian prince. The owners of the club have him in debt, but they really want to use him to get to his father and kill the sultan to start a revolution as a reminder that "Allah Is Not Always With You." Adam thinks the woman who owns the club couldn't possibly involved, while Georgina befriends the prince.

Sounds of Music and Toons

Began the morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Shaggy and Scooby are initially thrilled to go on a "Roller Ghoster Ride" when their roller coaster design becomes a reality, thanks to two enterprising young female theme park entrepreneurs. Their delight gets scary quickly when a green "Roller Ghoster" seemingly sabotages the rides in the park. While Velma tries to explain to a kid why he's too short to ride everything and listens to an old safety manager complain about modern rides being too dangerous, the others try to figure out what the ghost is really up to.

Brought my laundry downstairs to be washed, then headed out to run errands. My first stop was Dollar General. I mainly wanted to pick up Easter cards here, along with a sympathy card for my friend Linda Young. Grabbed grape and lime mixes for hydration, too. I was hoping to get brush pics at CVS, but I didn't see the ones I use. Bought one more Easter card I thought was especially pretty and pastel M&Ms for a recipe before moving on.

Strolled down to West Clinton for lunch at Common Grounds Coffee Shop. They were busy, but I was able to get a seat. Had crumb cake, a spinach-feta pastry, and a Strawberry Meadow Matcha. Basically, a green tea latte with strawberry puree. Not bad, once I mixed everything in. A bit sweet. The crumb cake and especially the pastry were better.

At least it was a nice day for a walk into town. It was gale-force windy, and the sun was in and out, but it was also much warmer. Despite the wind, it actually made for a pleasant stroll back up to the White Horse Pike and East Haddon Avenue. 

Put my laundry in the dryer, then went upstairs to watch The Flying Temptations. I go further into this vehicle for Beyonce Knowles and Cuba Gooding Jr about a young man who takes over his hometown's church choir at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - The Flying Temptations

Switched to Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies while doing job hunting and bringing the laundry upstairs. The Easter Bunny has gotten sick, so Granny searches for a replacement among the Toons. This is really more of a showcase for Oscar-winning shorts from Termite Terrace than anything to do with Easter. Among cartoons we get bits and pieces from here are "For Scentimental Reasons," "Knighty Knight Bugs," "Birds Anonymous," "Robin Hood Daffy," "Hillbilly Hare," and "The Rabbit of Seville."

Moved to The Berenstein Bears' Easter Surprise during dinner. I went further into the tale of Brother Bear learning about spring and new beginnings at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog for Easter 2023.

The Berenstein Bears' Easter Surprise

Did Match Game '73 next. Gail Parker of Mannix made her only appearance on the show near the end of the year. This is also about the time when Lee Merriweather debuted and Charles Nelson Reilly became a regular panelist. 

Listened to the original cast of The Sound of Music while working on my Flying Temptations review. Mary Martin is Maria here, with Theodore Bikel as her Captain. Though I think Martin sounds a bit old for Maria here, there's still a lot to enjoy, including two numbers for Max and the Countess that didn't make it into the film, "How Can Love Survive?" and "No Way to Stop It." Bikel's "Edelweiss" is especially lovely.

Match Game Productions will be honoring DJ and game show host Wink Martindale, who passed away today at 91, by running the week of Password Plus episodes he appeared on in 1981. Tom Kennedy was in charge by the time Martindale and Gene Rayburn appeared. Frankly, their first episode was kind of a mess. Gene was too slow to handle the Alphabetics bonus round, and he kept using long words his contestant didn't understand. Even worse, someone managed to erase an entire round, which Kennedy had to describe to the viewers. 

At any rate, see how all this went down for yourself!

Wink Martindale Tribute - Password Plus #540 (1981)

Finished the night listening to a lesser-known Rodgers and Hammerstein show, Pipe Dream. A marine biologist (William Johnson) falls for a prostitute (Judy Tyler) in Monterey, California, then has second thoughts. This is a little too spicy for sentimental Hammerstein, but he and Rodgers did provide some nice music. William Johnson's opener "All Kinds of People" does give us a good idea of the milleu, "All At Once You Love Her" and "The Next Time It Happens" are lovely ballads, and Judy Tyler gets the sad and sweet "Everybody Has a Home but Me." 

(Oh, and it rained briefly but hard around 7 PM. To my knowledge, it hasn't done anything but be windy since.)

You Say It's Your Birthday

Kicked off my birthday with breakfast and "Yogi's Birthday Party." In the series finale of The Yogi Bear Show, Yogi is thrilled at first when Ranger Smith tells him he's going to star in a big TV variety program. He tries to take dancing, singing, and music lessons from thinly-veiled spoofs of then-popular entertainers. Embarrassed when he realizes he really isn't a singer or dancer, he runs away, only to be caught by Smith and his men. Turns out that the "variety special" is actually a televised birthday party featuring all of the Hanna Barbara funny animals created up to that point, and all he has to do is sit back and listen to them sing a song for him and their sponsor Kellogg's.

Headed out after Yogi ended. My first stop of the day was Dollar General to buy an Orange Cream Coke Zero and make change for the bus. Turns out it was a moot point. They were using a larger bus usually reserved for longer trips of an hour or more, and the payment machine was broken. I got a free ride to Barrington.

I was in Barrington to check out the Antique Center. That huge warren of tiny rooms is filled with everything from antique china and glassware to relatively new DVDs and CDs...and it's one of the few South Jersey thrift shops open on Mondays. They were also surprisingly busy for a Monday. I had to dodge several people searching shelves for fancy glasses or vintage Easter decorations. I just ended up with two records: 

Unpublished Cole Porter (Another Ben Bagley album, this time featuring songs that were cut or never released.)

Peter Cottontail - The First Easter Record for Children (Songs about or related to either rabbits or the more secular side of Easter, performed by Rosemary Clooney, Gene Autry, and Art Carney. This comes from Columbia's Harmony label. There's a few more children's titles on the back I'm definitely going to look for, including Gene Kelly's performance of Peter Rabbit and The Pied Piper of Hamlin and two albums of fairy tales.) 

Fortunately, the closest bus stop is a block from the Antique Center. The bus to Deptford was right on time. I did have to pay, and it was one of the older, wider buses intended for shorter trips, but it got me to the Deptford Mall with a minimum of fuss and little traffic. 

Since it wasn't far from where I got off, I went in through Macy's and had lunch at the food court. I really like their Mediterranean Pitas & Greens booth. Had a messy chicken gyro with slender fries and a cup of iced tea that tasted home-brewed. It was almost 1 at that point, and the food court was relatively busy with college kids and parents taking younger children on a trip to the mall enjoying their lunches.

Spent the next hour or so at Round 1 Entertainment. The skee ball machines were down again, but everything else worked just fine. I played Princess Peach on Mario Kart Deluxe and came in second on a tougher course. I also got second on the Death Valley course in Crusin' Blast. Tried Tetris on a Japanese machine, too. Didn't do too badly shooting baskets. All in all, I ended up with over 2,500 points. I didn't see anything I liked, so I got a mini boom box from the same line as the mini-radio to give to my nephew. 

Explored stores for a couple of hours after that. Though I looked at Miniso, Otaku House, Rally House, Fan Treasures, FYE, The Loft, Hot Topic, and Box Lunch, the only place I bought anything was JC Penney. I dug a pale blue cable sweater and yellow three-quarters-length sleeve t-shirt on the clearance racks. The sweater came to about $8.50, the sweater to $5.50. Stopped at Ginny's Cookies and Ice Cream and treated myself to a wedge of chocolate chip cookie "cake" with green frosting.

Headed across the street past the abandoned shopping center to HomeGoods first. I looked at pots and pans, but didn't see anything I liked. I'll do more research there on what type of pots and pans I want. Had more luck at Old Navy. I picked up a pair of jean capris there.

I also just enjoyed the gorgeous day. The clouds had been in and out all morning, but by 4:30, they'd taken a temporary leave of absence. It was breezy and far warmer than it had been, into the mid-60's. 

Barnes and Noble was surprisingly busy, too. It was after 4:30 by then, and the high schoolers and college kids were out of school. I considered records, but I already bought two, and I didn't see any on sale that I liked. Found two CDs on sale and another that was just cheap, along with two books: 

The Essential Michael Jackson (2-Disc set of his best-known songs, including from before he went solo.)

Wicked soundtrack

The Very Best of the Electric Light Orchestra (This was the $8 one. The other two came to $14.40 each with 20 percent off.)

The Lies That Bind - Kate Carlisle

The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods

Mom called me when I was wandering around the children's section. I sat down in a quiet corner to chat. She wanted to wish me a happy birthday and was glad to hear I was enjoying my day. I told her about my trip and thanked her for the online Amazon gift card she sent me. Her card and Lauren's would pay for a new CD/cassette player. The CD player Dad and Jodie gave me in 2017 was skipping, too big for the room it was currently in, and I never liked that it was a front-loader. The CD part of my more than 15-year-old Emerson CD/cassette player hadn't worked in years. The cassette part did, but I didn't know for how much longer.

Met Jessa for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse in front of the shopping centers. I haven't eaten there in years. She had salmon, with broccoli and rice. I had a small steak with the same broccoli and a baked sweet potato. We shared brown bread and a Bloomin' Onion. Yum! It was all delicious, including the onion. I made sure to order a steak that was just the right size to finish in one go. Jessa did take home her rice and salmon, and I gave her the last of the bread and what little remained of my steak. I was more embarrassed when waitresses came up and sang "Happy birthday," but I felt better when they left a dish of velvety vanilla ice cream with a candle in it.

We went across the street to another shopping center and explored Hobby Lobby next. I'd love to take up another hobby...but I don't want to spend money on something and not follow through. I've dropped every single hobby I've tried, from crocheting to woodwork, because I'd get bored after a while or would tackle projects that were too large. 

I originally wanted to check out Hallmark, too, but it was getting late. Hallmark and Hobby Lobby closed at 8. Jessa just ended up driving me home, running the Beatles and other classic rock songs all the way back to Oaklyn. 

Finished the night after a shower, taking the recycling out, and bringing the cute T-shirt and box of Merci European chocolates a friend gave me for my birthday upstairs with my favorite episodes of the syndicated Match Game. Even after the CBS run ended in 1979, interest remained strong enough for the show to restart in syndication a few months later. 

Buzzr has ran a lot of the best early syndicated episodes, so I just stuck to a few of the ones that are my favorites or haven't been done to death. I couldn't leave out the time the contestant gave one of the most unlikely answers in game show history to "Cuckoo __" in the Head to Head, or the one where everyone but Dick Martin walked out while Gene droned on. 

There was also the time Gene seemed to get "electrocuted" by the question holder! Charles insinuated that someone would have to host, then said he'd never take over a part that badly acted. Charles was the one causing the trouble when he and Gene got into an argument over the merits of the original Sho Gun miniseries and he hit Gene with his card. Gene collapsed onto Jonnelle Allen while McLean Stevenson took over hosting for a couple of questions. Charles also got to clean up after Gene when people were throwing cards around.

Kirstie Alley wasn't the only later celebrity to win big on the syndicated show. Future talk show hostess Jenny Jones also made a big win on a week with Betty White and George Kennedy. Betty had her own fun on her next appearance flaunting her legs in a short red dress made by a friend of Sharon Farrell. That episode was wild in general. Sharon and Richard Paul inadvertently demonstrated mud wrestling to illustrate McLean's answer to a question about what should be an Olympic event, and McLean ran off after being scared by a contestant with a shrill laugh that he apparently used to wake his kids up every day.

Betty was there during the very last episode, along with McLean, Brett, Charles, Skip Stevenson, and Melinda O'Fee. Charles claimed he was dating the dummy used to test the color levels, while a curly-haired contestant asked to kiss McLean. Brett was right that he was blushing after that. He was the same color as his red sweater. Skip even rushed over and kissed the other contestant! Betty quipped that she should take some of that and send it to Richard Dawson.

Check out the best from one of the most underrated Match Game series! 

Episode 28 - Cuckoo Fran and Ollie?

Episode 42 - Panel Walks Out on Gene's Lecture

Episode 206 - Gene Gets Electrocuted

Episode 257 - Charles Cleans Up

Episode 302 - The Sho Gun Incident

Episode 395 - Jenny Jones On Match Game Part 2

Episode 442 - Betty White and the Red Dress

Episode 525 - Charles and the Dummy (Series Finale) 

Something Wonderful

Began the morning with breakfast and the Julie Andrews studio album for The King and I. I'm currently reading Something Wonderful, on Rodgers and Hammerstein, so I figured I'd listen to two of the shows they've discussed so far. It's too bad Andrews never actually got to play Anna onstage. She's lovely here, especially on "Hello Young Lovers." Kingsley's not bad as the King, either. His "A Puzzlement" is hilarious. Lea Salonga and Peabo Bryson are an odder pair for the ballads, which sound a little too updated. Otherwise, this is one of my favorite King and I recordings. 

Hurried out to work after the CD ended. This time, everything went fine. I spent the afternoon pushing carts. There was plenty of help from the bagger who always works Sundays and the afternoon bagger. They took over the inside chores and helped me keep up with the carts. We were really busy again today, once again despite the weather. It was cloudy and cold for most of the day. It didn't start breaking up and getting warmer until right as I was getting ready to go home.

After I got home, I changed and put on the original 1943 cast album for Oklahoma! This is a landmark in Broadway musicals and cast albums. Oklahoma! was so popular, it became the first Broadway show to be recorded as it was, with the original cast, rather than just random pop recordings (although there were those too). Alas, they didn't take down everything ("The Farmer and the Cowhand" is missing from my recording), but you do get a sense of what this sounded like onstage. My favorite would be Celeste Holm's star-making "I Can't Say No" and her adorable "All Er Nuthin'" with Lee Dixon. 

Finished the night on YouTube with dinner and tonight's Match Game marathon. Debralee Scott started off in the ingenue seat in mid-1976. She quickly became one of the more popular panelists there, thanks to her charming wit and her spunky sense of fair play. She joined Richard Dawson in arguing producer/judge Ira Skutch rejecting their answer of "finishing school" for "school" in a 1977 episode, and would argue with Ira several more times during the syndicated era. Her other great early moment was in 1976. Bill Anderson wrote a song for her and performed it at the end of the Friday episode, joined by Charles and Brett dressed as cowpokes.

She did her best work on the syndicated series, where she switched back and forth between the fourth and sixth seats. Bart Braverman thought she was cute and spent two weeks they played together picking on her and throwing cards at her. Debralee did not think he was cute. At one point, she stomped up and smacked him, only for him to grab her for a kiss! She was also there the time a physical therapist contestant fixed Patty Duke's knee, only for Jack Jones to run out to be fixed, too. 

Watched Debralee flirt and fight with judges, panelists, and contestants alike in this wild marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Featuring Debralee Scott Episodes

April Showers

Got a quick start on a rainy morning with breakfast and the Disney short "Bath Day." Figaro isn't too happy when Minnie gives him a bath and a ribbon and squirts him with perfume. The local tom cats are more likely to make fun of him, until he manages to knock out the leader and show them he's tougher than they think.

Since the weather was still pretty nasty, I called Uber. The driver in the morning arrived in 7 minutes and got me to work just on time. Surprisingly, the one going home didn't even take a minute to arrive, despite it being well into rush hour on a Saturday evening.

Work was a pain in the rear end. It wasn't that bad when I first arrived, but it picked up around noon and never slowed after that. They kept calling me to put away carts of cold items, and I had  to mop up a mess in the pharmacy that put me behind with the sweeping and pushing carts. The carts just kept disappearing, no matter how quickly I brought them up again. I had no help, either. The head bagger was in a register the entire afternoon.

The weather didn't help. It showered lightly pretty much the entire day, from the time I arrived at work until the Uber driver going home came, and remains cold, damp, and blah for this time of year. It's also the first day of Passover, and many people were shopping for their Passover dinners.

I was more than happy to spend the rest of the night watching today's Match Game marathon after dinner and a shower. Orson Bean ran pretty much the gamut on the original show, starting early in 1974 (on the same week as Marcia Wallace) and ending on the second-to-last week of the original run in 1979. His laid-back wit made him a favorite with panelists and viewers alike. He was the one who gave that "nymphomaniac" answer early in 1974 and ran down and kissed everyone on the panel during a 1975 PM episode. He was also on the second-to-last week of the show with Brianne Leary, Bill Daily, and Carolyn, the biggest-winning contestant they ever had. Carolyn kept right on going, ultimately going home with over $30,000.

Orson went so far back with Match Game, he started on the original 60's show when he was still an up-and-coming Broadway star in New York. He features in one of three surviving 60's episodes floating around on YouTube. His partner for that week was none other than 50's-60's bombshell Jayne Mansfield. I think you can guess he spends that episode making jokes about Mansfield's considerable assets. 

Honor one of New England's great raconteurs in this hilarious and heartfelt marathon!

Match Game Saturday Replay - Remembering Orson Bean

And here's my Musical Dreams Movie blog review for the Australian animated film The Magic Pudding, which I watched yesterday.

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Magic Pudding

Rainy Day at Home

It was pouring when I woke up this morning, and would continue pouring in some form or another for most of the day. I stayed at home the entire day. This was no time for running around. 

When I did roll out of bed, I watched Alice's Wonderland Bakery while eating breakfast. Alice and Fergie compete to see who can make the best potato recipe in "Potato Potahto." They discover that their recipes have very similar ingredients, and it may be related to the page that was torn out of Cookie years ago. "Hattie's Inside-Out Cake" is the first he's ever made for Dad Hatter's big tea party. His friends think it needs more decorations, but Hattie finally reminds them that it's what inside the cake that counts.

Checked my schedule next, which for some reason, took a while to appear. Perfectly normal hours. Only one early day, and it's the regular four-hour Wednesday. Nothing else earlier than 11 or later than 5. I do work Friday this time, but that's to be expected on Easter weekend. Not only did I get my birthday off, but I took it as a vacation day. I apparently still have a few left. 

Went downstairs to try that recipe I bought the oatmeal and dried cranberries for yesterday. There's a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies in Kit's Cooking Studio that is really good. It does require a lot of butter, but it also works well with whole wheat and regular flour and makes a lot of cookies. Since I bought them for snacking this week, I replaced the raisins with dried cranberries. Oh, yum! They couldn't have come out more perfectly, chewy on the inside and golden on the outside, and they smelled amazing. 

After I put everything away, I watched Adam Adamant Lives! on YouTube. Adam learns that blackmail is "More Deadly Than the Sword" when he travels to Japan to learn who has taken incriminating photos of a British politician. Georgina follows him, and is promptly captured by geishas and their bosses who have even worse things in mind for the photos and Adam.

Soon as the episode ended, I went down for a nap. I had no other plans for today, and the weather was so lousy, there wasn't a whole lot else to do. Besides, I'm still dead tired. I went down at 4:30 and didn't really get up again until past 6:30. 

Put on Match Game '73 during dinner. McLean Stevenson was a total nut during his first week. He bent over to kiss a contestant and claimed she stole his capped teeth. He'd run down to the lower desks and kiss Richard instead of the contestant. On Friday, he was naked from the waist up except for a bow tie. Gene loaned him a jacket, then another one when he claimed the first was itchy. Richard made a crack about getting McLean to the Largo, a strip club in LA.

Returned to Adam Adamant Lives! after that ended. "The Sweet Smell of Disaster" reveals Adam to be wary of a new laundry detergent that comes with a certain lovely-smelling blue carnation. Turns out he's right to be concerned. The carnation makes anyone who buys it addicted to the soap...and gives the advertising company control over the people who buy it. Georgina joins the company to give out carnations while Adam explores their headquarters to find out what their real end game is.

Watched the peculiar Australian animated fantasy The Magic Pudding at The Roku Channel next. I'll go further into this one tomorrow at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Finished the night at YouTube with Cinderella: Frozen In Time. This is actually Dorothy Hamill's last-ditch attempt to revive the Ice Capades in the mid-90's, with one full-length story and no vaudeville acts. The story has more in common with British pantomime than Disney. Cinderella has a goofy guy friend named Buttons, the stepsisters are played by men in drag, and she and Buttons are lost and attacked by spirits after the ball. Lloyd Bridges narrates the network special as a mysterious old man who tells the story to a pair of ice-skating kids. It's sweet, charming fun if you have kids who love princess stories or figure skating. 

Before the Spring Rains

Got a very quick start today with breakfast and "All Wet" at Disney Plus. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's selling dancing hot dogs at the beach when he falls for his girl Fanny. Hoping to impress her, he takes over as lifeguard. It turns out to be a far harder job than he originally thought when he has to rescue Fanny from being tossed around in the ocean after she loses her inner tube and ends up underwater.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. The lady arrived within 7 minutes, but I was already late getting out, and the traffic was really bad in Cherry Hill. It honestly could have been worse. I ducked into the computer lab in the basement of the Cherry Hill Library one minute late. Slid into the back row just as they were getting started.

As it turns out, when they said "Basic Word," they meant really basic. I've known how to save, create a blank template, and mess with the font size and color for years. The only really new thing I learned was the Ctrl/letter shortcuts. Alas, they won't be having their series of intermediate classes until late May-early June, when Lauren will be down here. I might check Voorhees and see if I can get something earlier than that.

I wandered around the library for a little while, then used the bathroom and headed down King's Highway to Dave's Hot Chicken. This is an up-and-coming fast food restaurant that specializes in fried chicken and is basically a spicier Raising Caine's. I had two sliders, fries, and Coke Zero. The first slider was really good, if very spicy, despite my ordering mild. The second was a fried chicken finger on a slice of white bread, with no lettuce or special sauce. They must have run out of the buns. I just ate that like a regular chicken finger.

Strolled over to the Ellisburg Shopping Center to pick up more Coke Zero at Five Below. Ended up buying Easter gifts for Khai, Finley, and the daughter of a friend and the neighbor's daughter, too. Found a pale blue Strawberry Shortcake T-shirt I thought was really cute.

Called Uber on the other side of the shopping center near Whole Foods. The young woman didn't even take the 7 minutes listed to arrive. The traffic wasn't quite as bad, either. I was home within 10 minutes.

I changed my jean jacket for a heavier coat and made my grocery list while watching more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Minnie's Birthday" happened earlier in the first season. This time, the others are making the surprise party for Minnie...but she doesn't take being put off as well and almost stomps off before they have to call her back.

After the cartoon ended, I went back out on the bike. Though it was cloudy, windy, and cold, barely in the 50's, I really wanted to get my grocery shopping done today. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow. 

I think I did the right thing. Neither Sprouts nor the Westmont Acme were busy, despite it being past 2 when I started to Westmont. I mainly needed bulk items at Sprouts. One bag of dried cranberries is for snacking on this week. The other bag and the bag of oatmeal is for a recipe I plan on doing tomorrow. Grabbed sparkling water, bananas, coconut milk, and granola bars on sale, too. Restocked yogurt at the Acme as best I could. They were nearly out of the yogurt on sale. The Made Good breakfast bars were cheaper at regular price than the Kind bars were on sale. Also picked up blood oranges and more soda that were on good sales. 

Rode home across Newton Lake Park to dodge rush hour traffic and the high schoolers finishing their day on Nicholson. Considering the kids were getting off even as I pushed my bike on the path over the hill, I was surprised the park wasn't busier. At least it looks like they're almost done with the playground equipment. They tore that down near the end of last summer. They should have finished it months ago.

Let The Price Is Right run while putting my groceries away, then went downstairs to make banana chocolate chip muffins. This recipe came from The Sunset Cook Book of Breads, which I found at a yard sale a while back. I took the Basic Muffins recipe, replaced some of the oil with bananas, increased the sugar slightly, and added chocolate chips. Oh yum! They came out perfectly moist and tasty and smelled great in the oven. 

Watched The Buddy Holly Story after I finished. I go further into this 1978 biopic of the rock pioneer at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Buddy Holly Story

Had dinner while watching Match Game '73. They're now on the week that introduced Bill Cullen to the show and had "Mama" Cass Elliot in the ingenue seat. Though I could have done without some of Richard's weight jokes, she largely seemed to have a good time and played pretty well. Which was more than could be said of Jack Klugman, who spent that week arguing with his wife Brett. 

Finished the night with two episodes of Remember WENN in honor of my friends Linda and James Young. James just passed away on Monday. I met them on the WENN chats way back in the late 90's, when I used to chat on the machines in the computer labs at college. They've been good friends ever since. I even got together with them when they were in Philadelphia on vacation in November 2009. Linda is a sweetheart and a close friend, and James was a dear and will be missed. 

I went with two more upbeat episodes from the second season. Soap star Hilary Booth becomes "The Diva Who Wouldn't Die" when the sponsor Dusty Foxx (Rue McClanahan) insists on cutting her out of the WENN soap The Hands of Time in favor of having Hilary appear in the gossip show From Hilary's Booth. Dusty's not too happy when Hilary's gossip turns out to be all about her...and she's really furious when Hilary turns her death scene into a shambles as she does everything she can think of to keep her character alive and on the air!

Con-man station manager Scott Sherwood has even less luck putting one over on his Aunt Agatha (Jan Miner), insisting that he's "Scott Sherwood of the FBI." He drags writer Betty Roberts along for ride, claiming their cop shows are real interrogations. Meanwhile, actress and organist Maple LaMarsh wants to take over Hilary Booth's role on their crime show, something that Hilary (despite having a far worse Brooklyn accent) is very reluctant to do. 

Here's Linda's website and episode guide if you want to learn more about WENN!

Linda Young's Remember WENN Website

(Oh, and it did finally rain...at midnight, after it was supposed to have rained 2 PM. It's been off and on, sometimes hard, ever since.)

Night of the Gentleman Adventurers

I really overslept this morning. Closed by eyes, and when I opened them, it was almost time to go! Even with rushing breakfast, I didn't have time for the bike. As it turned out, I didn't have time for Uber, either. They took 9 minutes to arrive. Even with no traffic on the road, I was still late.

Fortunately, that was the worst thing that happened all day. Work was quiet all morning. Most people are probably waiting for the weekend to start preparing for Easter and Passover. Not to mention, the weather, while still too cold for this time of year, was nicer than it was yesterday. It was sunny and a little bit warmer, in the lower 50's, and the wind had died down. Not a single problem. I even got an Uber home in three minutes.

Changed, then had lunch while watching PAW Patrol. "Pups Save Jake's Cake" when it takes all of them, including Everest, to pull his giant ice cream birthday cake up the mountain to the cabin he shares with Everest. "Pups Save a Wild Ride" when they stop Daring Danny X and Alex, who borrowed bracelets that go with a dance game, from going over a cliff on their snowboards.

"Happy Birthday, Toodles!" celebrates the Mickey-shaped computer thing that brings Mickey and his pals their Mouske-tools on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The gang give him a cake and do the limbo with him, but it's Professor Ludvig Von Drake who gives him the most important gifts. This is the episode where Toodles gains the face and voice he'll retain for the rest of the show's run.

Rested while watching action shows from the 60's and 70's for the next few hours, two of them from England. Adam Adamant Lives! has the gentleman adventurer and his female friend Georgina discovering that "Death Has a Thousand Faces" when Georgina witnesses a man stabbed over a stick of Blackpool rock (apparently a type of candy unique to the Blackpool area). They're joined by puppeteer and jack-of-all-trades William Simms as they search for clues on Blackpool's Golden Mile, discovering that a group tends to use Blackpool's famous "Illuminations" lights to blow up the town.

The Persuaders! have their own problems in an English seaside resort town. In "Anyone Can Play," self-made millionaire Danny (Tony Curtis) accidentally intercepts money intended for Russian spies at a casino in Brighton. He and his nobleman partner Brett (Roger Moore) try to figure out what the spies are up to with the help of a lady who only calls herself Service 7.

Agents Jim West (Robert Conrad) and Artemis Gordon (Ross Martin) get a little more fantastical in The Wild Wild West. Their search for a kidnapped Native princess (Phyllis Newman) brings them to a ghost town, where they're captured by their archenemy Dr. Loveless (Michael Dunn) during "The Night of the Raven." Loveless has created a powder that can shrink a man to ant size and uses it on the princess and West when they refuse to bow to him. West dodges Loveless' cat in order to stop him from spreading the powder and shrinking mankind.

Switched to Mystery Science Theater 3000 at Shout! TV for Hercules Against the Moon Men. Mike and the robots have their third encounter with the infamous Italian sword-and-sandals series, and it's even loonier than the first two. Hercules has to save ancient Greece from an evil queen and a moon-worshipping alien cult. Yeah, it's even weirder than it sounds. The "Moon Men" don't really show up until the end, and even then, Hercules doesn't do much with them. In fact, this wasn't originally a Hercules movie. It was based on an Italian character who isn't well-known in the US. Just as campy and action-packed as the first two if you like cheesy sword-and-sandals movies.

Watched Match Game '73 during dinner. Bert Convy, Jack Carter, and Ann Elder join Fannie, Richard, and Brett in the first episode. The second introduced the always-unique Patti Deustch and brought in Mr. Magoo himself, Jim Backus, for his only week.

Finished the night with a two-hour Love Boat special. Author Brian Mallory (Pernell Roberts) leads a kidney donor (Skip Stephenson), a girl-crazy book store owner (Jimmie Walker), a lady on vacation with her bodybuilder boyfriend (Connie Stevens) and Gopher on "The Mallory Quest" to find his nephew and a priceless artifact. Mallory's wife (Gale Hunnicut) doesn't like how he's neglecting and abusing her and runs into Doc's arms. "Julie, the Vamp" is accused of chasing a friend from college (Bart Braverman) by his jealous fiancee (Lani O'Grady), but she really has no interest in him. Captain Steubing considers "The Offer" a friend (Dick Van Patten) makes for a desk job in New York to raise Vicki in a more stable home.