Farmstead Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. The Shirt Tales must "Save the Park" from a miserly old man who wants to build a skyscraper there. It turns into a non-holiday Christmas Carol when they show him his past, the present at the park, and his future if he doesn't leave the park alone. Pammy opens "Pam-Dora's Box" when she visits a fellow panda at the zoo who turns out to be a cyborg sent by a foreign government to send secret information. The other Shirt Tales save her when he locks her up at the zoo, then each other after he captures them as well.

Hurried out to the Collingswood Farm Market after the cartoon ended, but I lingered too long. By the time I got there, they had apples, but I couldn't find any strawberries. All of the food booths were starting to close, too. I had hoped to buy a sandwich or empanada, but there weren't any to be found. By 11:30, they'd all stopped cooking. The damage to the spring crops shows in a few of them being missing. They have radishes, asparagus, onions, and hearty greens, but the apples were the only fruit. 

I thought I'd get a sandwich and strawberries in Collingswood, but no luck. Every sandwich shop in town, from Haddon Culinary to Kismet Bagels, had a long line. It took me long enough to find Sara's Produce. They moved to the small building in the back of the new pocket park that used to be a garage. Their only strawberries were moldy and mealy. The lady at the counter said they'd get more around 1 PM, but I wasn't waiting that long. I stopped at A&A Pretzels on the White Horse Pike and got two regular pretzels and a cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel instead.

Had lunch at home while watching Paw Patrol. The pups have found a meteor that gives them super powers...but Mayor Humdinger's bratty nephew Harold Humdinger dug up a fragment of it. Not only does he get the power to create anything, but the Kitty Catastrophe Crew receive their own superpowers. They wreck havoc in Adventure Bay in "Mighty Pups, Super Paws: When Super Kitties Attack." It's a distraction from Harold's real plan - to cut Adventure Bay into his own island for him to rule! The Pups have to use their own powers to stop Harold and distract the kitties, before he cuts Adventure Bay into bits.

Called Uber after lunch. The driver going to Barclay Farmstead took 15 minutes to arrive and cost a bundle. The one going home took 13 minutes and cost slightly less. There was a little traffic going there, but nothing horrible going home.

I read about the Barclay Farmstead Museum online this winter, but I couldn't get to the park area around it until now. The the old brick 1810's-era house is only open for tours on Wednesdays and the first Sunday of every month, but it's surrounded by woodland trails, a large playground, and gardens farmed by local residents. I read about the history of the farm on signs around the perimeter of the house, then strolled through the woods. I first went closer to the main road, past a murky pond and river. I felt like Alice In Wonderland in the dark green woods. I half-expected to see a white rabbit wailing about being late and a mad tea party, or the Queen of Hearts playing croquet on the Barclay Farmstead lawn. It was lovely and peaceful. 

Since I had to go to the bathroom, I strolled out of the park and down less historic suburban streets to Aqua Road. I saw cheery red and white umbrellas and a bit of a bright blue pool peeking out behind the woods when I was walking the trails. Yes, it was the Barclay Farms area's swim club. Thankfully, they didn't mind me using their restrooms. 

I wanted to either see if I could find condos or the Barclay Farms Shopping Center next, but...I couldn't find much of anything. I kept getting lost and turned around. I did stroll over a charming little covered bridge, but that was about the only interesting thing I saw for the next hour and a half. Everything else was typical 60's tract houses with smooth emerald lawns, kids riding bikes, and old folks pushing grandchildren in strollers. I had to look up where I was online, and I still got turned around. I left the Swim Club around 3, and it was past 4:30 when I finally made it to the Barclay Farms Shopping Center.

To be honest, I probably could have picked up Uber somewhere in Barclay Farms, but...not only would I be easier to find on the Marlton Pike, I needed a drink badly. It had been cloudy this morning in Collingswood, but by 4:30, it was sunny, warm, and very windy. Manhattan Bagel was closed by then, but there was a Dollar Tree on the other side of the shopping center. I got more of the puffcorn I had at the movies last month, a bottle of Diet Pepsi, a fan printed with the US flag on it, and 4th of July cardboard cut-outs.

(Ironically, I finally saw condo buildings rising up across the Pike from the shopping center when I made it there, but...wherever I end up in Cherry Hill, it won't be Barclay Farms. The Farmstead is lovely, but the surrounding area is too twisty, confusing, and not really oriented towards singles looking for a condo.) 

Watched Snow White and Rose Red when I got home. This 1955 version of one of my favorite fairy tales comes from West Germany, which seems to have been a great place to make fairy tale films in the mid-20th century. It's honestly a pretty accurate adaptation of the story, only Snow White and Rose Red are older, probably in their 20's, the dwarf is a bit wilder-looking than he usually is in this story, and the princes are accompanied by their loyal knight Knitwit who claims to be a great bear hunter but is really terrified of them. Other than the rather bad bear costume, this one was really sweet and adorable.

Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with today's Match Game marathon. Character actress Mary Wickes was in movies and on TV from the 40's through the early 90's, and is probably best known today for playing the tart-tongued housekeeper in White Christmas and the nun who led the choir before Whoopi Goldberg took over in Sister Act. She was playing a nurse on the short-lived drama Doc when she first turned up on Match Game in 1976. 

Mary appeared sporadically on the show through 1978, always in the 4th or 6th seats. She was always ready with a funny line or quip, as with her assessment of one of Gene's infamous plaid coats - "Somewhere a horse is mighty chilly." There was also the day the Star Wheel debuted. It stopped on Richard Dawson the first time it was spun...when it had been designed to give other celebrities besides Richard a chance to play the Head-to-Head. The entire panel but Scoey Mitchelll walked off (including Richard himself). "Do you know how much that thing cost us?" Mary grumped when the panelists came back. "And it's right back to Richard!" There was also the time she and Joyce Bulifant welcomed new kid on the block Gary Crosby with some very big kisses, or when she gave Gene a strong "new kid on the block" kiss on her first day. 

She had one last blaze of glory on a week in 1990, by which time she was a regular on The Father Dowling Mysteries. Mary was just as dry and funny dealing with Ross Schafer as she was with Tom Bosley or Gene Rayburn. She especially had a field day making jokes about Jimmie Walker's crush on a very pretty young female contestant.

Match wits with one of the coolest old ladies around in this hilarious marathon that you won't want to walk away from.

Match Game Saturday Classics - Mary Wickes (Showcase of Match Game episodes - 70's and 90's)

Perfectly Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save a Melon Festival" when Mayor Humdinger's giant striped ball (which he insists is a huge melon) ends up bouncing all over town. Rocky's the one who finally finds a way to stop it. "Pups Save a Cow" after two farmers with a sick cow coming back from a county fair are stuck on a jammed drawbridge. Rocky fixes the gears on the bridge, while Marshall and Chase stabilize the bridge and Skye saves the cow when she becomes too agitated. 

Switched to Classic Concentration as I got organized and made my grocery list. At one point, Alex Trebek said "now for the Daily Double" instead of "open the boxes." He laughed when he realized the mistake he made, but he must have been tired as heck at that point. I'm pretty sure the episode was from at least the late 80's. He would have been doing Jeopardy then, too. At least the lady made up with it for winning two difficult puzzles and uncovering a car. Supermarket Sweep just started as I headed out. 

It was a gorgeous day to hit the grocery stores. Started at Sprouts. I mainly needed coconut milk here. Most of the prebiotic sodas were buy one, get one 50 percent off. I bought two of the Olipops, including the seasonal flavor Raspberry Sherbet. Found peanut butter cookies on clearance in the bakery. The seasonal lemon and citrus-flavored products were also buy one, get one 50 percent off. Tried the bags of pink lemonade-flavored dried mango slices.

Hurried down Cuthbert to the Westmont Acme next. Needed to restock soda, sliced chicken, sliced cheese, yogurt, granola bars, granola, and whole wheat wraps. Got a slice of strawberry cake for a treat, and I did find Fresca in the coolers. Picked up a snack pack with grapes, provolone cheese cubes, green grapes, and crackers for lunch. I loved the cheesy grits I had at the Westmont so much last weekend, I bought grits to make my own this week. Both stores were a little busy, though far from overwhelming. It was too nice to be grocery shopping!

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. It's really spring now. That rain we had last weekend may have washed out Memorial Day festivities, but it really helped the local flora. The trees are so green now, and the leaves are huge. The grass is getting greener, too. It was sunny and breezy, as perfectly spring as one could wish. I saw two Canadian geese pushing a huge herd of goslings in the lake while others lounged nearby. Perhaps Canadian geese have teachers too, and those two were showing the little ones to swim or find lunch while their parents looked for their own meal. 

I was able to walk the bike over the hill this time. It was cool and calm and quiet there...and very, very green. It also wasn't that damp. That's how starved we are for rain. The ground there was relatively dry.

I got home with just enough time to put everything away, eat the snack pack, and watch Little Bear. "Little Bear's Trip to the Stars" his his dream of flying among the stars in the night sky while he's visiting his father on his boat. "Little Bear's Surprise" is something special for Mother Bear he's making from leftover boards. His friends all help him out, but he's the one who finally figures out what the "surprise" actually is. "Little Bear and the North Pole" takes him and Duck on a journey through the snow up north, with the help of a friendly moose. 

Left after the cartoon ended. Got to Thomas Sharp School just in time. We had 22 kids today, 7 at my table. They were all so cute in their pajamas for Pajama Day! I saw girls in Elsa and Anna nightgowns and flowered shorts and shirts and boys in Spider Man and Paw Patrol flannels. They weren't that bad in the bathrooms, but once again, they got noisy in the cafeteria during and after snack time. The coloring table always gets so crowded! One of the girls kept drawing on one of the boys' space, despite his tears and all attempts to move her. She and her friend have been annoying that poor boy for a while now. When we did get outside, I talked to all three of them separately about being a good friend and giving friends their space.

They were really crazy outside, too. They kept pestering and pestering about riding the swings...and when they did get on the swings, all any of them did was argue. I got overwhelmed. One of the little girls wouldn't get off, even when her mother told her to. One of the older girls also stayed on longer than she was supposed to, despite having to go home. One of the older boys kept twisting and throwing mulch when he was told not to. The other kids all danced to "The Pink Tiger Hunt," "I'm the Bravest Star," "Pink Pony Club," the theme songs from Bluey and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, "Pup Pup Boogie" from Paw Patrol, and songs from Sing, Moana, Tangled, Aladdin, and KPop Demon Hunters. Thankfully, they were down to 4 kids by the time I left and they took them over to the blacktop, and two of them went home when I did.

I first stopped at CVS on the way home. I needed to use the bathroom, and there were a few things I hadn't picked up earlier. I couldn't find the mouthwash I use (and I forgot soap), but I did get suntan lotion for a good price. Grabbed a Powerade Zero for the ride home.

Glad I saw Final Friday mentioned on the digital sign outside of Oaklyn's City Hall. I almost forgot today was the first Final Friday block party of the year on West Clinton. Oaklyn's shopping district holds a huge block party on the last Friday of every month from May through September. There's music, inflatable basketball and bean bag games for the kids, booths with freebies from local services like the Oaklyn Civic Association, and tons of food trucks and carts. There were also tons of crowds, mainly families enjoying the gorgeous weather and older couples out with their friends. It was too crowded for me! I bought a key lime cream pop from the Bubba's Creamery cart and went home.

Had a quick dinner while watching Match Game '74. The first hour was devoted to two episodes from Anson Williams' first appearance on the show. Brett spent the week flirting with him, and Charles spent the week making fun of her about it. The rest of the week exists, so I'm not sure why they skipped ahead in the second hour to the week with Alejandro Rey and Juliet Mills.

Finally got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, just as many hours, only one double shift this time. My only complaint is that they're all early shifts. I'm guessing the Sunday bagger took that day off and the head bagger either took next Saturday off or is cashiering or helping in the floral department. 

Finished the night after a shower with Murder She Wrote. "The Way to Dusty Death" is through a hot tub when a tyrannical businessman (Cornel Wilde) is found electrocuted in his just hours after telling his board of directors he has no intention of stepping down. Jessica is a member of the board and finds herself up to her ears in suspects when it seems every man either wanted to be chairman or to sell him out to a competitor, and every woman would literally kill to either succeed him or make sure her husband took his place. 

Blowing In the Wind

Began the day with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The gang goes on a two-part "Super Adventure" when Power Pants Pete seems to be shrinking everything in sight, including the Clubhouse. Professor Ludvig Von Drake gives them all superpowers, but they can't seem to work together. They'll need to learn in a hurry when they find out that Pete's under orders from the real mastermind, an old rival of Mickey's who shrinks the clubhouse and Mickey too. 

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon looking up mortgage brokers and finding out what they do. It seems they do the heavy lifting in house-hunting, dealing with banks and shopping around for the best loans. To be honest, this is all sounding a little complicated. I need to talk to a friend who was a realtor about home buying and Rose about the legal side before hiring anyone. I'd like to explore Cherry Hill further and get to know it beyond the malls and hospitals, too. I'll save talking to the big guns for mid-July, after Lauren visits and the furor over the 4th of July and the World Cup have died down. 

Listened to the Miles Davis album Milestones while I worked and as I cleared and organized papers laying on top of the printer. One of his most popular early albums introduced his own title song (originally "Miles") and "Sid's Ahead," but his best songs here were written by others. "Straight, No Chaser" was written by and is usually associated with Thelonius Monk, but he does a rather nice version of his own on side B, along with the traditional number "Billy Boy."

Left a little bit early to have lunch at Common Grounds Coffee Shop. They were busy, but not enough that I couldn't get a seat on the bench along the wall. Had a delicious slice of spinach-tomato-feta quiche, along with a Peach-Matcha Sparkling Refresher (green tea in sparkling water with peach syrup - not bad, actually, a little sweet) and a deliciously moist slice of banana-chocolate Chip bread. I did enjoy my lunch, but I got out later than I planned and was slightly late to the Thomas Sharp School.

Not a good thing, as we were pretty busy today. There were 23 kids, 9 at my table, and one of the teachers called out. We did borrow one of the college boys to help while the kids were eating snacks and we were in the cafeteria, but we were on our own after snack time and outside. They were pretty wild again today. I had trouble with one of the kindergartners at the bathroom. He would not stay in the hall, running on the steps and climbing on the banisters. I literally had to carry him off and put him down in the hall.

Things went much better when we finally got outside. For one thing, the weather was gorgeous, much nicer than I expected. It was off and on cloudy, and while it did spit very slightly at a few points, it was nothing like yesterday morning. It was also not as hot as the weather forecasts claimed. The strong wind kept it not only cool, but cold. I regretted not having brought a sweater. There was a little bit of arguing over the swings, but by and large, the kids seemed to have a great time outside, sliding cars down sides and dancing to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "The Pink Tiger Hunt," "I'm the Bravest Star," "Welcome to New York" by Taylor Swift, "Pup Pup Boogie" from Paw Patrol, the themes from Bluey and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and songs from Moana 2, Frozen, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

We had such a great time on the playground, it was past 5 when we took the remaining 4 younger kids to the blacktop to play with the 8 older kids. The kids went briefly inside to put their backpacks away, then went right back out. They were all still playing soccer and basketball when I finally headed out. 

Soon as I got home, I made pancakes for dinner with the last of that gluten-free mix. Oh yuuuum! I made banana-berry pancakes with banana and dried cranberries. Spread them with peanut butter and blueberry preserves and poured honey over them. I hadn't had pancakes that came out that well in years. Threw in some hot chocolate later.

Watched Match Game '74 as I ate. This was the hilarious week with McLean Stevenson in the first male ingenue seat that was probably the best from that year. Betty White, comedy writer Ann Elder, and slightly dazed singer Joanie Sommers watched as McLean complained about Brett never hearing the question, turned up in the contestant's desk, tried to kiss Richard when a contestant won the Head to Head, and chased Gene all over the studio.

Finished the night with The Inspector General as I organized my lotions and beauty supplies, cleared out old ones, and organized my shopping totes. I go further into this classic historical comedy with Danny Kaye as the mistaken title character at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Inspector General (1949) 

The Best of Both Worlds

Began the morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. Ioz wants to be a real pirate again, so when he sees a seemingly empty ship with a vast treasure inside, he tries to steal it. He gets a lot more piracy than he bargained for when he's captured by "The Ghost Pirates" who run the ship and want to turn him into a ghost, too. Tula turned Ren into a ghost to save him while they both try to dodge Blarth.

Since it was cloudy and humid and I knew it was supposed to rain later, I called Uber. Alas, I called them too late. They took 16 minutes to arrive, and I was late getting to the Acme. Fortunately, I had no other problems with Uber today. The driver going to the Thomas Sharp School arrived in 10 minutes and got me there just in time. The one going home came in 9 minutes.

The Acme was even quieter today than it was yesterday. It barely got busy at noon. It's the middle of the week and the end of the month, and we're between holidays. The showers did finally start around 10:30, which means I got wet while pushing carts. Other than that and putting a few cold items away, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.

After I got changed, I had lunch at Tu Se Bella's at the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center in the back of the Acme. I had a slice of broccoli and shrimp pizza and a slice of Hawaiian (pineapple and ham) with a bottle of Diet Pepsi. They were only a little more busy, with two other people enjoying a late lunch and others getting take-out. After I ate, I walked back to the Acme. Considered getting a snack, but I just relaxed on a bench until it was time to call Uber.

The rain had begun to let up as I strolled down to Tu Se Bella's. By the time we took the kids out at 4 PM, it was long gone, and the sun was out (though it remained humid). Thank goodness. We had 25 kids, 9 of them at my table. Not only were they wild, running around so much in the cafeteria that 6 of them were held back for a timeout when the rest of us went outside, but we couldn't have taken them to the library if we wanted to. The library is being used for the older students' art show tomorrow and isn't available right now. They were even crazier outside, with the boys wrestling and kids begging to ride swings until they actually got on. Those who didn't race cars down the slides or wrestle or swing danced to "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, "Swipe and Scan (The Checkout Song)," the themes from Bluey and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and songs from Trolls and KPop Demon Hunters. 

There were still 6 kids when we finally took them inside to cool off. Not that they stayed there for very long. It was just too nice and sunny. They almost immediately trooped right back outside to play ball games with the remaining 8 older kids on the blacktop. I had to dissuade two boys from jumping in puddles and two more from trying to use masking tape to make a goal line to play soccer. (It would have never stuck to the blacktop.) There were 4 younger kids left when I called Uber, one leaving with his mother and older brother when I did.

Went straight into The Price Is Right when I got home. I got there in time for the Showcase Showdown. An older gentleman was the only one who didn't go over and made it to the Showcases. The less-expensive one was five different trips in Asia and Europe. The skit Showdown was a film noir spoof, with Johnny Olson as an extremely unlikely private eye searching for a trip to New York and Dian's comely body next to a new motorboat. The older man way, way overbid on the trips, which means the lady got her Big Apple vacation and fun on the water.

Continued into Match Game '74 as I ate dinner. These episodes finished out the week that introduced Scoey Mitchelll. In all honesty, despite him occasionally being charming and funny, Scoey was never the best player. I think he got maybe two answers right that week, though he seemed to do a little bit better as the week went on. He got a standing ovation and a handshake from Gene when he did finally get one right! 

Finished the night at YouTube with The Elusive Pimpernel. This is a relatively accurate British version of The Scarlet Pimpernel, with David Niven as a dashing Sir Percy Blakeny, Cyril Cusack as his main adversary, the French ambassador Chauvelain, and Margaret Leighton as Blakney's wife Marguerite. You'd never know that almost no one wanted to make this, including Niven and director Michael Powell. It's exquisite for a swashbuckler, with gorgeous costumes and stunning color in lovely pastel shades. Too bad they couldn't have left it as a musical. The stage show in 1997, despite having its own troubles, proved there is music to be mined from this story. It's probably not the best version of Pimpernel around, but it's still worth seeing if you're a fan of Niven or 50's swashbucklers, especially from England. 

Day In the Sunshine

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. It's "Moving Time" for a little girl in a wheelchair who is nervous about moving to another city. She thinks she'll never make any friends. The Shirt Tales stop time and take her to meet other Shirt Tales in the area she's moving to, reminding her that she'll always have friends wherever she goes. Going "Back to Nature" is nothing but a disaster for Dinkel and the Shirt Tales when he attempts to take them on a fishing trip and everything that could go wrong, does.

Hurried off after the cartoon ended. Thankfully, considering I took my bike today, I did get to work on time. To be honest, I could have been infinitely late. We were pin-drop quiet for most of the morning. There were barely any carts to gather. It's the end of the month and the day after the last major holiday of the spring. By the time it started picking up a little, I was done. I was in and out with no trouble whatsoever.

I took the long way down Nicholson Road, over the hill next to the railroad tracks, and down Atlantic Avenue over to the White Horse Pike. I can't remember the last time I ate at Jalapeno's Bar and Grill. They were quiet and dark as can be at 1:30. I think there was one other guy there. I enjoyed the chipotle chicken quesadilla lunch special with their home-made tortilla chips in air-conditioned silence.

Since it was two blocks away, I had dessert at an equally quiet Dunkin' Donuts. I'm surprised at how many donuts they had left. I guess people had enough desserts at their barbecue yesterday. I got the same Marshmallow Vanilla Matcha Latte I did last time (and it was just as good this time), but since they didn't have the fruit punch donut, I went with a nice, simple cruller instead.

Headed to Thomas Sharp after that and got there just in time. We had 23 kids today, 9 at my table. Thankfully, they were in the cafeteria when I arrived. The music class had just finished their annual end of the year concert outside. I had no trouble in the bathroom or with snack time. They were a little unruly in the cafeteria after they ate, mainly because we're almost out of paper to color on and they all wanted to color. The sharpener was unplugged - I had to sharpen colored pencils in the library. 

I'm glad we were able to get outside a little early today. The weather was gorgeous. Humid, breezy, and a little cloudy, but much warmer, in the upper 70's. They all had a blast running around, and swinging later when enough had gone home. It was Hat Day. Most kids had brought some kind of hat, from the boy who brought a paper chef's toque to the younger boy who had a Lake George sunhat and the girl who had a tye-dye baseball cap. I kept telling some of the older boys not to fill their hats with mulch and throw them. Honestly, other than that, we had a great time. Those who weren't throwing hats or swinging danced to "Ghostbusters," "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, "I Like to Move It" from Madagascar, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, songs from Trolls and KPop Demon Hunters, and a plethora of Taylor Swift hits. One boy even found a ladybug and hoped for good luck. 

We took them inside around quarter of 5 and settled them down at a table coloring. That lasted for all of 10 minutes before they saw the older kids running around on the blacktop and ran out to join them. There were 4 younger kids and 6 older ones left playing soccer on the blacktop and shooting baskets before I headed home.

Took the trash out when I got home, then went straight into Match Game '74. Most of the night was devoted to the week with Morey Amsterdam and comedian George Kirby, who sat in Charles Nelson Reilly's seat while he was out sick. Admittedly, between Amsterdam's wisecracks and Kirby's imitations, it was one of the funnier weeks of the year. Charles returned the next week, just in time to see Scoey Mitchelll make his debut on the show.

Finished the night and the Memorial Day holiday with the Family Feud Armed Services Week tournament from 1990. Military build-up was just starting in the Middle East when these episodes debuted, making these battles more important and tense than ever. Though the Air Force made a good showing and the Army did well, for the second year in a row, it was the Marines who played the hardest and won the biggest...though ironically, they had more trouble with the last Fast Money...

Honor those who fought and died in the First Gulf War with this intense and very funny week of military Feuds!

Day 1 - Navy Vs Army

Day 2 - Air Force Vs Marines

Day 3 - Coast Guard Vs Army

Day 4 - Coast Guard Vs. Air Force

Day 5 - Marines Vs Navy

Day 6 - Army Vs Marines

Red, White, and Matches

Began a gloomy Memorial Day with material from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. Since Memorial Day began as Decoration Day honoring the soldiers who fought and died during the Civil War, all of the material revolves around that conflict. The most touching is the lone prose piece, "Light Bread and Apple Butter." A starving Union soldier and his dog wins the trust of a mother and her brood with his good manners and his volunteering to chop wood for them in exchange for the title meal. The poems were "Barbara Friechie," "The Sword of Robert E. Lee," and "Sherman's Ride."

Switched to Disney war-related shorts while I ate breakfast. Though Mickey Mouse didn't really figure into the World War II shorts, he did do one short based around World War I in 1929. "The Barnyard Battle" pits scrappy Mickey against huge Hun cats. Mickey uses his wits - and a convenient piano - to take those big cats down.

Goofy and Donald Duck were far more popular by the time the US entered the war in 1941. Goofy managed to get into two war shorts. "How to Be a Sailor" starts off as one of his typical how-to spoofs, with Goofy learning semaphore and trying to tie knots, but it ends with war footage and him being shot at the enemy. "Victory Vehicles" gives us a variety of conveyances, from Pogo sticks to literal golf carts, designed to get Goofys to where they're going without using rationed metal or gasoline. (By the way, I agree with Leonard Maltin in the intro to this cartoon. The song "Hop On Your Pogo Stick" is rather catchy.)

Donald was by far the biggest and most beloved character in Disney shorts by the 1940's, and he had the lion's share of war-related material. "Donald Gets Drafted" when he's swayed by the glamour offered on the recruitment posters. He wants to be a flyer, but Sergeant Pete would rather have him stand attention on an ant hill. He does finally get to fly after a disastrous check-up in "The Sky Trooper," but not in the way he planned. He finally gets the best of Pete in "The Vanishing Private," where he's doused with an invisibility paint while camouflaging a cannon. Pete follows "The Little Man You Can't See" on a Merry chase around the base. 

"Der Furher's Face" won an Oscar in 1943 for its surreal imagery depicting Donald dreaming he's a worker in a Nazi munitions factory. "Fall Out-Fall In" has Donald first trying to set up his tent, then attempting to sleep as the snores of his fellow soldiers keep him awake. "Commando Duck" is sent into the heart of Japan to contact their men. In the end, he's able to wipe...no, wash...out the enemy with the help of a rubber raft and a lot of water.

The Pink Panther was one of the few major animated characters to join the Vietnam War in "G.I Pink." Unlike Donald, he was swayed by the power, but doesn't have an easier time than Disney's irascible duck did 25 years before. Cranky drill sergeants, angry mascots, and land mine-ridden obstacle courses make him wish he'd just stayed at home. 

Headed out after "G.I Pink" ended. I just caught one of the new NJ Transit buses up the White Horse Pike. The lack of stairs is probably intended to make the bus more wheelchair-accessible, but while they're cleaner and smell better, the seats are harder and a lot less comfortable. I had no idea how you asked the driver to get off. There were no buttons, like on the old buses. I originally said Barrington, but Lawnside was closer to where I wanted to start anyway. (I later discovered that you pull on a yellow rope to get off, rather than a button.)

Another Red, White, and Blue Thrift Shop just replaced the long-empty K-Mart in the Lawnside Shopping Center a few days ago. Between the cloudy, warm weather, the new store, and this being one of the few things open on a major holiday, you can guess that they were mobbed. I did manage to dig up a few interesting items. I had no idea Major League had a soundtrack, let alone one on LP! I had even more luck with CDs: 

Journey - Raised On Radio

Diana Ross - Anthology (2-Disc set)

Soundtrack from Prince of Egypt

The Great Ladies of Rock & Roll: The 60's

And one interesting-looking young adult book: 

The League of Secret Heroes: Cape - Book One, by Kate Hannigan

Hiked down to Barrington after I left Red, White, and Blue. Thank heavens the weather held. It hadn't rained since this morning...and to my knowledge, it hasn't rained again since. It was just gloomy, cloudy, humid, and warm as I headed across Clements Bridge Road to the Old Rail Tavern. I had a tasty Italian Chicken Cutlet with provolone cheese and sauteed broccoli rabe and crunchy sweet potato fries with cinnamon cream cheese dip on their covered patio area while listening to a large family chatter on the other side of the room and half-looking at the college men's lacrosse game on TV. (Princeton killed Notre Dame, by the way, 16-9.)

The Barrington Antique Center is two doors down. This rabbit warren of tiny rooms filled with every possible vintage item, from Victorian glassware to relatively recent DVDs and Barbies, is open all week and on most holidays. My best find here was a stuffed version of Rick Raccoon from Shirt Tales. I had no idea there even were stuffed Shirt Tales. Rather appropriate, given I've been watching the show. (I'll have to look around for stuffed versions of Digger and Pammy, too.) Grabbed a bag of buttery sour cherry thumbprint cookies that were really yummy. I also picked up two children's records, The Care Bears' Birthday Party and readings of two original Winnie the Pooh stories. 

I originally wanted to get a drink at Berri Caffeinated, but they were closed by quarter after 3. I just walked down to the White Horse Pike to wait for the bus instead. Once again, it was on time, and there were no problems. I pulled the rope just in time. They let me off at the perfect spot to get home quickly.

Went straight into another Match Game Memorial Day marathon when I got home. In addition to many of the same episodes seen on Saturday, this one expanded to feature soldiers who appeared on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour and Match Game '90 as well. The Match Game '90 episodes were the hilarious Veteran's Day week shows with Marines as contestants and in the audience. The Marines really adored soap stars Karen Wittier and Fiona Hutchinson, cheering everything they said or did. In the case of Karen, their affections were warranted. She proved to be more than a pretty face when she twice won big money for the contestants. Fiona spent most of the week flirting with Ronn Lucas and Scorch.

Match Game Holiday Extra - Memorial Day Celebration 2026

Finished the night with two more wartime shorts, this time from Universal. "21 Day, Once a Month" debuted just weeks before the US joined the war, making it perhaps more timely than Universal planned. Woody Woodpecker has a cameo in this parody of the peacetime draft featuring toy soldiers. He also figured into one of the few wartime shorts Universal did. Like Donald, he wants to be an "Ace In the Hole," but his sergeant has him shaving horses. The Big bulldog definitely regrets it when Woody finally does get into the air!

Holiday Symphony

Began a late morning with a pancake breakfast. Added peanut butter, dried cranberries, and strawberry preserves to the gluten-free pancake mix. The peanut butter worked. The dried cranberries kept falling out. I tried swirling the preserves on top of the first - I just ended up making a mess cooking it. The second one came out a bit better. At any rate, they still tasted good while listening to patriotic records.

I found Charles Ives' Holiday Symphony a few years ago. The four moments revolve around the patriotic holidays Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day (then known as Decoration Day), the 4th of July, and Thanksgiving and Forefather's Day. Decoration Day is loud and crashing, a band in a morning parade, and is more fun than you might think.

I've been listening to America the Beautiful on patriotic holidays for almost 20 years. This 2-disc LP set was released in 1986 in honor of the Statue of Liberty's remodel, and you probably won't find a more all-American collection of music anywhere else. The first disc features most of the vocal music, including "This Land Is Your Land" and Kate Smith's famous rendition of "God Bless America." I also love the bouncy "Grand Canyon Suite," stirring "American Patrol," and the medley of George M. Cohen songs performed by the Boston Pops where you can hear people singing along in the background. The second disc has the more traditional numbers, like "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean," and "The Stars and Stripes Forever." "Pride On Parade" has the themes for the Armed Forces - "Anchors Aweigh," "The Caissons Go Rolling Along," "The Marines' Hymn."

It rained earlier in the morning, but it was just cloudy and cold by quarter of 2. Even so, I wasn't taking chances. I called Uber. For once, that might have been the best choice. The one going to work arrived in five minutes and got me there in plenty of time. The one going home came in 8 minutes. 

Work was busy when I came in, but not overwhelming. You'd never know it from the state the carts were in. It must have been busier this morning and in the early afternoon, when people were coming out of church and getting ready for picnics they were suddenly able to hold. At least it was cloudy and a little cool, in the lower 60's, but not rainy or even windy. It hasn't rained since last night. I still had a hard time keeping up with the carts. They remained in bad shape, even as my shift ended.

Bought a container of seafood salad and crackers to have with a bag of baby carrots for dinner, then went home, changed, finished America the Beautiful, and spent the rest of the night listening to today's Match Game marathon. Several now well-known celebrities turned up as contestants on the 70's and early 80's version of the show. Soap star Lynn Deerfield talked about how she won money on the 60's Match Game with Burt Reynolds and Don Meredith as her team captains in a nighttime episode from 1976. (Alas, like most of the 60's run, those episodes are now lost.) 

Also in 1976, struggling actress Brianne Leary won several games that would later allow her to focus on her acting career. She became the only contestant to become a panelist on the 1970's run when she reappeared for two weeks in 1979 after appearing in the first season of CHIps. Later talk show hostess Aphrodite Jones made a brief appearance as a contestant in 1978, though unlike Brianne, she didn't win any money. 

The two most famous celebrities to be contestants on Match Game turned up in memorable syndicated episodes. Kirstie Alley's first episode was hilarious even before she appeared. The woman who played before her spent so long trying to answer a question about sheep, Gene ended up laying on the floor. To tell the truth, Kirstie seemed a little above it all in her first round. She seemed to get more into the spirit of things in the second episode.

Future talk show hostess Jenny Jones had a lot more fun. She really seemed to enjoy herself, and not only played well, but won both her games. Barbara Rhodes had the honor of helping her fund her acting and hosting career. 

Check out several celebrities before they became famous - and one at the height of her fame - in this star-studded marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Contestants as Celebrities and Famous People

Rainy Day Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and a couple of classic wartime Looney Tunes shorts I didn't get to yesterday, all directed by the wild Bob Clampett. Bugs becomes a "Super Rabbit" when he's given a chemically-enhanced carrot that gives him super powers. He uses his newfound abilities to annoy a cowboy who is chasing rabbits. When push comes to shove, he dons the uniform of a true hero...a Marines officer. "Draftee Daffy" is more interested in dodging that very persistent Little Man from the Draft Board. "Falling Hare" is my favorite Bugs Bunny short. It may be the only time he went up against an antagonist who gave as good as they got, in this case a gremlin who is sabotaging planes. The little fellow keeps evading Bugs in a plane that's up in the air, until the plane ends up in a free fall!

By 11:30, it wasn't raining, just cold and cloudy, probably in the mid-50's. I figured it was fine to go for a walk, run some errands, and check out a new record store. Started out at Target to use that gift card I got from one of the kids for Teacher's Appreciation Day last week. I needed new hair clips. I only see those tasty Junkless bars at Target and WalMart. The chocolate-peanut butter bars were the only ones left.

Made a brief stop at the Haddon Township Library to renew my library card. I'd been meaning to do it for weeks, but I hadn't gotten around to it. After they renewed it, I looked around for a while. I have a ton of novels I still haven't read and didn't see any non-fiction that interested me, so I moved on.

Had lunch at The Westmont on the cliff side under the library. The rain was just picking up as I settled down for a Garden Omelet with spinach, tomatoes, and goat cheese, cheesy grits, whole wheat toast with fig preserves and raspberry-currant jam, and their amazing, thick, chewy bacon. The grits in particular really hit the spot. Tons of cheddar cheese and pepper, just smooth enough. Perfect for a cold, rainy day. They surprisingly weren't that busy. There was a big group in the back and a few people on the other side near the windows.

By the time I finished, it was showering too hard for long walks. I called Uber. The driver to Westmont picked me up in 5 minutes. The one who picked me up in Westmont to go home took 11 minutes, not bad for 3 PM. Either way, there were no problems getting there. The rain must have cleared out the traffic.

Moonrocket Vinyl at 8th and Ash proved to mainly be a colorful gift shop specializing in locally made crafts, but they did have bins with a small selection of records. I ended up with two brand-new reissues, one of which I'd never heard of but was certainly willing to try:

Miles Davis - Milestones....

Mean Mothers: Independent Women's Blues, Volume 1 (Bawdy blues numbers sung by strong women in the 20's, 30's, and early 40's.)

Since it was only a block away, I dodged the downpour and strolled down to Scoop Deville next. They actually were busy, a bit of a surprise given the chilly weather. I tried their Not Your Daddy's Oreo flavor, which was pretty much just cookies and cream with whipped cream on top. Still tasty though as I watched the rain come down in buckets.

(Incidentally, the rain has been coming down off and on, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the day.)

Watched MASH episodes from the third season for the next couple of hours after I got home. It's "A Rich Full Day" for the members of the 4077th as they deal with a Turkish soldier who just wants to get back out and kill people, a body that has somehow gone missing, and an officer who wants his soldier looked at first. "The Consultant" (Robert Alda, Alan Alda's real-life father) is a veteran doctor who follows Hawkeye and Trapper to the front after meeting them in Japan. He suggests a brand-new and delicate procedure that has never been done before, then leaves it to Hawkeye when he's too inebriated to pull it off. 

Hawkeye is placed under "House Arrest" (or tent arrest) when he's caught punching Frank. Frank learns his own lesson in telling the truth when a visiting general (Mary Wickes) turns out to be very interested in him. Everyone at the 4077th is worried when Hawkeye, Hot Lips, and Klinger are sent to an "Aid Station" that is under heavy fire. Hawkeye spends the time getting to know Hot Lips beyond her relationship with Frank and learning to appreciate women a little better. "Love and Marriage" means something very different to a Korean doctor (Soon-Tech-Oh) whose wife is about to give birth and a young soldier who wants to marry a girl for her money. 

Messed around online for a while, then finished the night with a late Match Game marathon at YouTube. There were quite a few contestants in the military during the 1973-1982 run of the show. The first in 1973 was an Army chaplain, which led to several religious jokes. There was the well-dressed Scottish officer in the nighttime episode whom everyone on the upper tier saluted, and the Air Force pilot with such bushy eyebrows, Gene insisted that he could comb them over if he ever went bald. A sweet officer lost to an excited mother-to-be with a very loud scream. Another one beat a very funny lady who insisted that Gene give her a new kid on the block kiss! There was also the PM episode with the cute Naval officer who was pit against a cheerful and pretty Israeli woman, and one of the last nighttime episodes where Jack Klugman went crazy, ran all over the stage, and lifted the officer's fiancee in the air after he won $20,000. 

Celebrate a much drier Memorial Day and salute those men and women who died for our country in the 70's and early 80's with this short but very funny marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Memorial Day Marathon - Salute to Our Heroes

Animation Goes to War

Began the morning with something different for breakfast. I found a bag of Birch Benders gluten-free pancake mix on the clearance shelves for $2 at the Westmont Acme yesterday. For that price, I'd gladly try them. They fried up golden brown and were mostly nice and fluffy, especially for gluten free. Tasted great with strawberries, yogurt, and some of that real maple syrup I picked up at the Vermont Country Store when I visited Lauren last fall. 

Watched Looney Tunes World War II propaganda shorts while I ate. From 1941 through 1945, Warners released a series of cartoons that were intended to boost morale for both soldiers overseas and those on the home front like Molly who needed laughter along with their newsreel headlines. They seemed to mainly fall into three categories. Bugs Bunny's last propaganda short was "Herr Meets Hare." Bugs outwitting real-life German military commander Hermann Goring has gags that are almost precursors to "What's Opera Doc?", including one of Bugs on horseback. Daffy fought the Nazis two years earlier in "Daffy the Commando." There were also shorts with one-off characters, like "The Draft Horse" who was rejected for war, then learned how scary battle is when he's caught in war games. 

Sketch comedies like "The Weakly Reporter" and "Wacky Blackout" parody the experience on the home front in the city and country, while "Meet Johnny Doughboy" and "Rookie Revue" parodied the pre-war draft in 1940 and 1941. "Hollywood Canine Canteen" was a spoof of entertainers who performed in canteens devoted to servicemen, some of whom, like Ish Kabbible and bandleader Kay Kyser, are fairly obscure today. "Fifth Column Mouse" and "The Duckinators" were fables on how the US got into the war, and how it intended to win it. 

I headed out before the cartoons finished. I had something I something to do at Thomas Sharp School I'd been meaning to do for a while now. Dropped a book of fairy tales and a book of Irish folk tales in the book kiosk next to the school's main entrance when I arrived. Since there was no one on the playground, I sat on the swings for a few minutes after locking my bike until it was time for my shift.

Today was a half-day for the kids. It's also the start of the last major holiday weekend of the school year. There were only 13 younger kids today (counting the boy whose mother picked him up 10 minutes after he arrived), and not that many more older kids. We had so few kids, we just took them in two groups to the bathroom instead of taking our tables. The kids started right away with the bathrooms and lunch. After they ate, they played with magnetic tiles and plastic dinosaurs and stenciled animals onto paper taped to a table for about an hour before we took the remaining 8 kids outside.

I'm glad it was just cloudy, cool, and very windy when the kids were there. We were able to keep them outside for the rest of the afternoon. Other than some squabbling over the swings and the boys wrestling on the mulch when their running games got out of hand, things went just fine. I had a rather nice chat with one young miss on the swings about her very intelligent cat, and she competed with one of the boys to see who could swing higher. When she left, two of the boys took the swings for almost an hour. One of the mothers who used to be a teacher ran around with them for a while, too. The kids danced to "Swipe and Scan (The Checkout Song)," "The Pink Tiger Hunt," the theme from Bluey, and songs from Sing, Moana, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

By the time two of the older kids came over to swing, it was past 3:30. We just took the older kids and the remaining 3 younger kids over to the blacktop with the others to shoot baskets and play soccer. There were only six older kids and more than enough teachers. They let me go around 3:30. The last younger girl went home at the same time I did. 

The kids were the first ones to report the raindrops. It had spit lightly off and on since the middle of the afternoon. We figured it wouldn't melt anyone, and I decided I was fine for a bike ride to WaWa. I deserved a Caramel Coconut Smoothie and a soft pretzel after a long couple of weeks. That felt good, even on a slightly chilly day. At least it tasted like caramel and coconut.

(Incidentally, the rain picked up about a half-hour after I got home. It's been showering off and on ever since.)

Finished the Looney Tunes shorts when I got home, then switched to Popeye. Like Termite Terrace, the Fleischer Brothers tossed Popeye into World War II a few months before the US formally entered the war. The enemy in "The Mighty Navy" isn't even named. By the time "Blunder Below" and "Fleets of Stren'th" came out, Popeye was definitely fighting the Japanese in the Pacific...making a few of these shorts extremely uncomfortable to watch today. Popeye evading the Nazis in "Spinach Fer Britain" is slightly easier to take. 

Popeye and Bluto didn't let anything as trivial as war hinder their pursuit of Olive Oyl. "Kicking the Conga Around" had them learning exotic dance steps to impress Senorita Olive. They compete to see who can do better showing her around their battleship, but quickly learn that "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix." Popeye's not saying "Many Tanks" when Army-bound Bluto trades uniforms with him in order to go out with Olive. Popeye leads the entire tank corps on a merry chase around town as he hurries to his date. Olive leaves Swee'pea with Popeye, who thinks it'll be easy to take care of the tyke...but "Baby Wants a Battleship," and won't settle for crawling around anything smaller than the destroyer Popeye's been assigned to.

Moved to Match Game '74 after the cartoons ended. Tonight was entirely devoted to the only week featuring game show host Jack Narz, now best known as the host for the original Now You See It and the 70's syndicated Concentration. Elaine Joyce got the best joke of the night when she gave the best answer regarding what one needed to get out of a punch bowl after a party. Jack and Gene didn't appreciate a game show host gag from Brett earlier. 

(I also got my schedule at this point. In good news, slightly more hours, next Friday and Saturday off again. Bad news, two double-shift days in a row. The head bagger must have wanted Tuesday off along with her usual Wednesday.) 

Finished the night with more classic World War II shorts from the Fleischers and Famous Studios, this time featuring Superman. Given the tenor of the comic books of the time, it was a given that Paramount would get Superman involved in the war sooner or later. "Japoteurs" has Superman stopping Japanese spies from stealing an experimental plane...and Lois Lane, who stowed away onboard. "The Eleventh Hour" is a wonderfully shadowy short with a mature story that has Superman committing acts of sabotage while he and Lois are prisoners of war in Yokohama. "Jungle Drums" has him helping Lois rescue secret plans from a Nazi who leads African natives in destroying planes. "Secret Agent" is the only short to not feature Lois. Superman rescues a beautiful female agent from Nazi saboteurs and makes sure the information she carries gets to Washington safely. 

Rainy Day In the Library

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save the Sea Turtles" when baby turtles hatch across the road from the beach. They have to find a way to get the turtles across the road without touching them. "Pups and the Very Big Baby" have them helping a baby whale who has accidentally gotten stuck on the beach get back to her worried mother.

Did a few things online after that, but I think I lingered too long. It was just cloudy, breezy, and cool when I headed out on my bike. Dropped King Arthur in the book kiosk on Johnson Avenue, then drove down to the Westmont Plaza. I got a Horschata Frappucchio at a very quiet Target Starbucks. It did taste like a horschata drink, or at least enough like rice and cinnamon to drown out most of the coffee flavor. Headed to Sprouts a few doors down next. Culture Pop soda was buy one-get one. Coconut milk is just cheaper there. Got dried cranberries and raspberry-lemon mango slices out of the bulk bins and a turkey sandwich and vegan sea salt caramel chocolate chip cookies on clearance. 

I was trying to pick a sandwich when I heard what sounded like rain on the roof. Sure enough, when I looked up as I made my way to the bulk bins, it was pouring. It slowed down a bit as I made my way to the Westmont Acme, but I still got wet. At least neither the Acme nor Sprouts were any busier than Target had been. Restocked strawberries, soda, puffcorn, granola, granola bars, and yogurt at the Acme. Found coconut macaroons on the bakery clearance rack. Got a bagel to eat with the kids tomorrow on their long half-day. They had Fresca in 20 ounce bottles for the first time in ages, too. 

Rushed home across Newton Lake Park after I finished. On one hand, the rain had taken a temporary leave of absence at that point. I got home damp, not soaked. It's just as well that the path over the hill would have been too muddy for me to push my bike over. I noticed construction workers fixing the path alongside the hills as I went past them.

Put everything away, then had a really quick lunch while watching the 2003 Strawberry Shortcake. "The Play Is the Thing" when Strawberry and her friends have to find other plans after their garden party is rained out. Inspired by the girls teasing Strawberry about her tattered raincoat, they put on "Cinderella"...and learn a lesson in appearances and true beauty being on the inside.

Though it wasn't raining at that point, I still called Uber. I wasn't going to trust Mother Nature again. The first driver came in 13 minutes and got me there a bit late. The one going home came in 11 minutes. No traffic either way.

On one hand, we only had 15 younger kids, 8 of whom came with me to the bathroom. The kids were already antsy when we had to start in the library again due to a school assembly. They didn't improve much once we got into the cafeteria. Two of the little girls tried to hide under the table again, while two others pushed at each other, and one girl put out her legs and blocked people from sitting next to her. On the other hand, I got to admire all of their stuffed animals. This must have been stuffed animal day, because they all had at least one, from a little girl toting a giant Figment dragon from Epcot who was almost bigger than her to the girl who brought an adorable reindeer with a light-up nose who would move his legs when you flipped a switch on his stomach. 

I think you can guess that no one went outside today, not even the older kids. We moved the remaining 12 kids to the library around 4 PM. They were so noisy, running around, playing under tables when they weren't supposed to, trying to hide in corners, I told them all to sit down, because I wanted to talk to them. That worked. I told them that the other teacher and I were disappointed in them for not listening. Running around was outside behavior, not library behavior. Only one of the boys was actually sitting down, making windmills and satellites from bristle blocks. 

I coaxed one of the girls out from under the librarian's table by pointing out that, for once, the magnetic tiles were completely free. She and I built a lovely little garage for a wooden car sitting on the table. One of the girls was so impressed with our work, she built a lavish pen for the reindeer with the glowing nose and moving legs. Another girl ended up helping her. A boy sat down and built a nifty space station. When the pen almost fell over, I pushed it back up and told the girls if it broke, we could build it again and make it better. 

The other boys set up chairs and pretended to race each other until they got bored and started running around again. Thankfully, by that point, the head teacher had come back from dealing with a few other kids. She finally got the kids to clean up by telling them we all had to do it together in 30 seconds, or we wouldn't go in the cafeteria! That got them. They moved even faster than when they were pretending to be racing cars. Wish they behaved that well in the cafeteria. The older kids were supposed to be playing a game where one kid hid, then another, and one kid had to ask the others questions to figure out who was missing...but they kept peeking on the kid who was hiding. They were so noisy, the remaining 3 younger kids and 5 older ones were having a 10-minute time out when I left.

Went right in the shower when I got home, then made a quick dinner and watched Match Game '74. They've moved on to the week with Bert Convy, Louisa Moritz, and Kaye Stevens of the infamously noisy cackle. The last episode of the night brought in another famous Burt, Reynolds in this case, who came to visit his friend Charles Nelson Reilly. He kissed Louisa, then gave the female contestant a kiss on her cheek that I bet she never washed off. Bert Convy had even more fun beforehand, running off with the contestant after she won the head-to-head round!

Finished the night with Let's Face It at YouTube. I go further into another service comedy, this one with Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, and Eve Arden, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Memorial Day! - Let's Face It

Before the Storms

Got a quick start today with breakfast and Little Bear. We kick off the second season with "Little Bear the Magician." Mother Bear is so impressed with how quickly Little Bear can make his lunch disappear, Little Bear decides to show off his magical abilities to his friends, too. "Doctor Little Bear" takes care of Mother Bear when she has a cold while his friends fret over her. He's so eager to grow up, he imagines that he's "Bigger Little Bear." He may be bigger, but he's too big to jump in Duck's pond, and he scares off Owl and Cat. Being big does have its advantages...like being able to sit on the moon.

Called Uber shortly after the cartoon ended. They arrived in 13 minutes...and I ended up being one minute late. That was the only problem I had with Uber all day. The driver going to Thomas Sharp came in 11 minutes. The one going home arrived in 5 minutes, surprising given it was rush hour and the dark clouds building.

The Acme, once I got there, was pretty quiet for most of the morning. There wasn't a whole lot to do, other than put a few cold items away. Most people are probably waiting for Memorial Day Weekend to do their big shopping. It didn't really pick up until noon, by which time I was almost done anyway. Got in and out with only a little trouble.

Had lunch across the street at Rexy's. This time, I opted for a far simpler crispy fish sandwich with onion rings. Yum! The sandwich had Cole slaw on it, too. A little small, but tasty. They were surprisingly quiet for quarter after 1. I think I may have been the only one there besides the host and the waitresses. 

Since it was still very hot and sunny at quarter of 2 and I still had a little time, I went back across the street to Sonic for something cold. I originally wanted a coconut slush, but the slush machine was broken. Oh well. I went with a peanut butter milkshake instead. They too were quiet. Anyone getting food was doing it from the drive-in or going next-door to Chick Fil'A. I had my treat in peace before I went back to the Acme to call Uber.

Got to the Thomas Sharp School right on time. We had the same amount of kids we've had all week, 20 younger ones and 26 older ones, 9 at my table. Actually, they were largely much better-behaved today. Two of the little girls tried to hide in the hall when we were waiting for the bathroom, and one of the girls kept picking on one of the boys and I did have to talk to her, but it could have been worse. This time, one of the girls ended up under a table, but I was able to talk her into coming out. 

I initially saw dark clouds on the horizon while I was at sipping my milkshake at Sonic. By 4:30, it was cloudy, windy, humid, and a bit cooler, enough that we were able to get them out to the playground. I had to argue with one of the girls who kept trying to do dangerous stunts on the swings (and the boy next to her who imitated her). Otherwise, there weren't enough kids left by then to cause trouble. We took them back inside at 5. Most of the teachers took the remaining 7 older kids and 5 younger ones outside on the blacktop to play soccer as I left.

(And I got incredibly lucky, too. I'd been home for about 20 minutes when those clouds finally burst...and when they did, they unleashed buckets of water and a huge thunderstorm. I don't think it's rained heavily since.) 

Went straight into The Price Is Right when I got home. I arrived in time for the Showcases. The first one was a generic bedroom set and huge TV. The second showed how announcer Johnny Olsen and the models recovered from playing sports over the weekend...which in this case, involved soaking in a big old-fashioned bathtub, sleeping on a huge waterbed, and taking a ride in a speedboat. Neither bid really got all that close, but the one who bid on the bedroom furniture got closer.

Match Game '74 started off with New Year's week, featuring Gail Fisher and (in her debut on the show) Lee Merriweather. For some reason, half-way through the week, they skipped way, way ahead to May 1974. Sweet little Jackie Joseph made her only appearance that week, joining Jo Anne Worley and Nipsey Russell to protest "friends" not matching "girlfriend." Jo Anne was more interested in flirting with a handsome young man with long gold hair and a bushy beard and mustache.

Finished the night with The Wackiest Ship In the Army. In 1943, Lieutenant Rip Crandall (Jack Lemmon) is not happy to be put in charge of an ancient sailing ship from New Zealand, the USS Echo. As a former yachtsman, Crandall is the only one who knows how to run it. He wants to be in charge of anything else, but his superior Lieutenant Commander Vandewater (John Lund) reminds him of his poor physical health. It's a ship with a sail, or nothing. 

They're supposed to deliver a "coastwatcher" named Patterson (Chips Rafferty), an agent involved with detecting enemy movements, to a Japanese-occupied island. He, his young second-in-command Ensign Tommy Hanson (Ricky Nelson), and their men decorate the ship and dress themselves to resemble natives on a floating trading vessel. It doesn't work. They do manage to get Patterson to his post, but get captured in the attempt. When Crandall is hurt, Hanson has to decide if he wants to take the suggestion of the Japanese officer (George Shibata) and take them to the shore before they're spotted, or tell the Army that a huge fleet of Japanese airplanes are coming towards the Bismarck Sea.

This isn't nearly as wacky as the title would have you believe, maybe because it's based on a real story and a real USS Echo sailing ship. (Though that one actually survived the war and existed in New Zealand until 2015.) I suspect the subsequent 1965 sitcom based on this film probably made more out of the nutty hi jinks inherent in the situation. They don't even make it out on the open ocean until half-way through the film. The first half is entirely occupied with trying to convince Crandall to even take the mission. 

The second half, pitting Lemmon's anxieties against craggy Rafferty, is somewhat more interesting. I wish the crew wasn't so interchangeable. Only Nelson and Mike Kellin as the Chief Petty Officer had any actual personality. Though them dressing up the ship and themselves as Natives works with the time period, it doesn't look so hot today, either. Not the greatest war comedy ever, but the story is interesting enough to be worth a look this Memorial Day if you love Lemmon or the wacky World War II comedies of the 50's and 60's.