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. 

Hot Times At School

Began the morning with breakfast and Pirates of Dark Water. In the first-season opener, the Wraith is damaged during a run-in with Bloth and his men. The closest port is the ruined city of Octopon, which turns out to be overrun with man-eating worms and "The Dark Disciples," servants of the Dark Dweller. The older woman who raised Ren is still there and helps him, Niddler, and Tula save Ioz from Bloth...but the head disciple ends up joining Bloth and his boys when he loses his position. 

Today, I looked up housing counselors. After what happened with PNC Bank and Camden County, I've realized that I'm really going to need more help in finding a home and figuring out home buying. Most of the HUD-certified counselors are based in Camden and mainly interested in helping city residents, but Clarifi in Cherry Hill and Financial Wellness Institute in Woodbury are for the entire region and may be a lot more useful.

Listened to classic Miles Davis albums while I worked and had lunch. I've had Basic Miles for so long, I'm pretty sure it came with the original 65 albums I got from Bruce in 2006. I believe it's my first (and for many years, only) jazz album. No wonder my first stepmother Kaye kept this one, and in perfect shape, too. Can't argue with great Davis performances like "Budo," "Sweet Sue, Just You," and "On Green Dolphin Street." 

Bitches Brew, on the other hand, is very, very 1970. This is Davis in his experimental phase, as he mixed jazz with rock and electronica to create something very wild, bold, and avante-guarde. The opening "Pharoah's Dance" takes up the entire first side. There's also the darker title song, "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down," and "Sanctuary." 

Once again, I called Uber to get me to the Thomas Sharp School. The first one took 11 minutes, and I got there just in time. The second took 13, not terribly surprising during rush hour. Thankfully, no trouble or traffic either way, not even around the White Horse Pike and Collings Avenue.

On one hand, we didn't have as many young kids today, the same 20 kids with 9 in my group and 24 older kids. We had to start in the library, thanks to the music class running overtime in the cafeteria. I'm guessing the kids didn't go outside today, because they were all antsy. Two of the girls and a boy spent so much time calling each other names and pushing at each other during snack time, I ended up moving them to three different tables...and even after we ate, they kept picking on each other. The two little girls tried hiding in the bathroom again and playing with the toilet. This time, I got the head teacher to bring them back. They ended up on top of the cafeteria table this time and hiding behind the dry erase board. 

They had to stay inside when the rest of the kids went out on the blacktop to play...for all of 15 minutes before we realized it really WAS too hot to be outside. The sun was sharp and sizzling, the sky so blue it hurt your eyes to gaze up at it. It was in the upper 90's, hot for adults on a blacktop, let alone kids. Even a nice breeze didn't really help matters. We brought them in, then took them out again when it was down to 8 older kids and 4 younger ones. By the time I left, they were all inside again, and there was only one younger kid and 5 older ones still there. (Two boys left when I did.)

Took out the trash when I got home, then took a shower, grabbed dinner, and put on Match Game. We began in 1973 with Charles Nelson Reilly playing a southern-accented Santa Claus on Christmas Day, to the amusement of Jack Cassidy and (in her only week) June Lockhart. They finished up with the beginning of the next week that brought in Bert Convy, introduced Lee Merriweather to the show, and let Gail Fisher of Mannix have her day in the sun. 

Finished the night with the pilot movie for The Rockford Files. "Backlash of the Hunter" introduces Jim Rockford (James Gardner), the ex-con private eye who takes 200 dollars a day for expenses, doesn't use guns, and only takes cold cases the police have already given up on. Sara Butler (Lindsay Wagner) comes to him with just such a case. Her father was an advertising agent who had fallen on hard times after his wife died. He'd been found dead under the boardwalk, strangled by an unknown assailant. The police figure he was robbed for money, but Jim thinks there's something else going on after he learns that a certain widow is willing to put his son through college. That widow inherited a lot of money after her husband died suddenly shortly before Sara's father did. Jim and Sara have to figure out the connection, before they end up being the next victims. 

Hot Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. The Shirt Tales think they're going to be "Raiders of the Lost Shark" when they hear about a shark attacking oil tankers. They think it's real, but it turns out to be a fake stealing oil for a pirate and his first mate. "The Terrible Termites" are eating everything made of wood in sight. The Shirt Tales are worried that their elm tree home may be next and try to head them off, but they learn about compassion when they find out why the termites are really there.

I spent the rest of the morning doing some inner work. I figured a few things out in the past week. For one thing, I need to be a better friend to myself before I can let any other adults in my world. Most of all...I need to figure out what "home" means to me. My family moved 4 times by the time I was 4 years old. By the time I entered college in 1997, we'd moved 7 times. The only home I've had as an adult that wasn't recommended by a friend, neighbor, or family member was my first apartment in Wildwood, and that was a roach-ridden mess in a noisy neighborhood two blocks from the boardwalk. 

All I want is a good, stable, quiet home that belongs to me. One that will never be taken away, or that I'll be pushed or priced out of. Where I make the rules, I decide who comes and goes, make my own meals, do what I choose, when I choose. There's a lot of people around here who bought their homes years ago or inherited homes from parents and don't understand. They've always had somewhere to go. I want a kitchen of my own and a bathroom of my own and a life of my own. I want to live like a real, true, honest adult. 

Listened to George Shearing while I worked. I found Satin Affair almost 20 years ago at a yard sale and loved it. The laid-back instrumental jazz album was perfect background music for lazy late summer afternoons at home. It took me another decade to dig up more of the Shearing "fabric" titles. In fact, they didn't really start popping up until the record stores did. Now, I can pretty much find them anywhere. Satin Affair leans into the late summer-early fall aesthetic with "Early Autumn," "The Party's Over," and "Midnight Sun." Blue Chiffon dives into darker night titles like "Nocturne," "I'm Old Fashioned," and "Welcome to My Dreams." Deep Velvet is deep, dark spring rain storms - "Here's That Rainy Day," "I Used to Be Color Blind," "Nightfall," "Spring Is Here."

Had a really quick lunch before calling Uber. It was too hot for me to be riding my bike. It's going to be in the upper 90's for the next three days. The first driver came in 11 minutes. The one going home came in 5, a pleasant surprise for the height of rush hour (after I waited 20 minutes for the prices to come down). I got to school right on time, and there was no traffic anywhere.

On one hand, we only had 20 younger kids today, far fewer than we have had. Once again, there were more older kids. On the other hand, we decided to wait until it cooled off slightly to take them outside, which meant they were running around in the cafeteria for far longer than they have been lately. I had 9 at my table, and other than two of the girls played around in the sinks, they were fine in the bathroom. They were wild again in the cafeteria. The two girls and a curious boy wouldn't come out from under the table again, even after what happened on Friday. The head teacher had to call the head of the program to get them out and tell them that what they were doing was wrong. They could get hurt a lot worse than bonking their heads on the table if the table collapses. 

We did finally get them outside around 4:30. We can get away with that because, unlike a lot of newer playgrounds and play areas (including the playground at Cape May Elementary), there's several large trees in and around the Thomas Sharp playground that keep the area around the swings shady and cool. By the time they got outside, they had dwindled enough in number that we let them on the swings. There was a little squabbling over the swings, but other than that, they seemed to fairly enjoy themselves. 

Even after we took the remaining six kids inside, they were fine. It was the older kids who were wild when we came in. The boys in particular were slamming plastic trucks against each other and letting them fly all over the place. Even some of the girls said they were really being annoying. The younger kids were happier dancing to "Dance With Me" and songs from Moana, Moana 2, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

Put on Match Game '73 when I got home and had dinner. The first two episodes introduced Joyce Bulifant, here in the 4th ingenue seat, and was the only week for comedian and long-time game show host Robert Q. Lewis. Bill Daily made his debut the next week, joined by Judy Carne of the then-just ending Laugh-In. She complained about sitting in the sixth comedienne seat. When she and Fannie Flagg changed seats, it would be the first time Fannie sat there.

Finished the night with a few childhood memories. Before Game Show Network or Buzzr debuted, USA Network devoted its afternoon schedule to re-runs of then-popular game shows. From 1986 through 1995, USA was the best place to find old favorites like Tic Tac Dough and The $25,000 Pyramid and made-for-syndication shows like The $100,000 Name That Tune. Press Your Luck would prove to be a bigger hit on USA than it ever was during its original run on CBS. They also gave a second chance to shows like Hot Potato and All-Star Blitz that didn't get a fair shake from the networks the first time around.

The re-runs proved so successful, USA commissioned its first original shows from Canada in the late 80's. I used to love Bumper Stumpers. Charming Al Dubois had two pairs, one returning champions, trying to solve the "Super Stumper," a vanity licence plate with letters missing. Dubois would ask them which of two plates belonged to a certain character. The couple who chose it would guess what it said, then ask for a letter and see if they could guess the Super Stumpers. Winners went on to the bonus round. They had to correctly guess 7 plates in 30 seconds. There were two versions of the final game. The episode I have features the second format, where they either find up to $1,000 or a "win" sign on the monitors. Really fun show, especially if you love words and letters. 

The revival of Chain Reaction also involved making words. This was slimmed down from the Bob Stewart original. Here, there are no celebrities involved, just two contestants figuring out how a chain of words relate to one another. The bonus round had the winner making a chain from just the first letter of a word. Fast-paced and intense, you really had to be good with words to keep up with this one. Geoff Edwards was hosting by the time of this 1987 episode. 

Game show characters of all kinds are welcome in these classic dives into the past of one of cable's quirkiest networks! 

Tic Tac Dough (1978)

The New $25,000 Pyramid (1983)

The $100,000 Name That Tune (1984)

Hot Potato Premiere (1984)

All-Star Blitz Pilot (1985)

Press Your Luck (1985)

Chain Reaction (1987)

Bumper Stumpers (1990) 

Ragtime Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and my Make Believe Ballroom Time 2-disc record set. I first heard this when they had it at the Stockton Media Center in college around 2001 and I recorded it on a cassette. This is mainly instrumental versions of popular songs of the 1920's (though we do get vocals for "Tip Toe Through the Tulips" and the written-for-the-recording title song). I'm more fascinated by some of the movie songs that aren't as well-known today. The gorgeous "I'll Always Be In Love With You" was written for the 1929 Syncopation. "Jeannie, I Dream of Lilac Time" is the title song from the huge hit Colleen Moore war drama Lilac Time from 1928. "Girl of My Dreams" and "Carolina Moon" are two very sweet forgotten ballads. 

Classic songs of the early 20th century also figure into Jo Ann Castle's Ragtime Melodies. She really has fun with the more upbeat numbers like "Frog Legs Rag," "Pistol Packin' Mama," "Maple Leaf Rag," and "While Strolling Through the Park One Day." "Honky Tonk Twist" and "Skater's Boogie" filters ragtime through the more pop sensibilities of the early 60's.

Headed off to work after Jo Anne Castle finished and got there right on time for a change. Good thing, too. We were swamped the entire afternoon. Even though Memorial Day weekend is next week, there's still a lot going on, from yard sales and local fairs to church picnics, proms, and recitals. 

It doesn't help that I'm not the only one who had their hours severely cut back this week. We had one register with a very long line open the entire afternoon. There just weren't enough people to open. I had no one to help me gather carts, either. I couldn't keep up with them. I'd get them up to the patio, and they'd vanish. People would take them from my hands before I could get them up front. At least the weather was lovely for working outside. Hot, yes, in the mid-80's, but sunny, dry, and with a nice, fresh breeze. 

Went home, had dinner, took a shower, and finished the rest of the night watching the second half of the Match Game '77 marathon. By late '77, Richard Dawson was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with his place on the show, and very tired of doing two popular shows. It didn't help that they made an ill-advised move to daytime from the afternoon slot late in 1977, where they were paired with The Price Is Right, that damaged their ratings. Richard did perk up for some episodes, like when he gave Polly Holiday's dead microphone a eulogy, or when everyone was so kind to the sweet older lady contestant Bertha. 

Richard wasn't the only one having fun in 1977. Fannie Flagg turned up in her nurse's costume from her cameo in Grease, claiming she was Brett's nurse. Orson Bean complained about how he'd seen "better-produced shows at the Kiwanis Club" when the stagehands dropped an orange backdrop instead of the money board. Minnie Pearl made her only appearance on the show in August 1977 and proved to be utterly charming, flowed hat and all, making me regret that they never got her from the Grand Ol' Opry again. The year ended with Fannie Flagg sitting in Brett's character actress seat for the first and only time while she was out doing a play and actually doing quite well there. 

Celebrate the era of disco, Annie, Star Wars, and matching with more from one of the best years of the show!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Best of Match Game '77 - Best Episodes Part 2

Sleepytime Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save the Circus" when they rescue a baby elephant who escaped its train car to find peanuts, and then its mother when she goes after her child. They're saying "Pup a Doodle Do" when they follow Mayor Goodway's beloved pet chicken Chickaletta all over Adventure Bay, including to a farm with other chickens.

It was so late when I finally got moving, I called Uber to get me there. Plus, I had grocery shopping to do later. Unfortunately, I couldn't get one for 13 minutes and ended up being late. Ironically, I had no trouble getting home at 1:30. I got a driver in 5 minutes. No traffic either way.

The Acme wasn't busy when I arrived. I didn't really have much to do until it started to pick up by 11:30. By that time, I was more than half-way through my shift. Most people probably went to yard sales or farm markets in the morning, then did their grocery shopping later. It was a gorgeous day, too, sunny, breezy, and warm, but not scorching hot like it's supposed to be next week. Honestly, there were no major problems, and the morning went quickly.

Went straight into grocery shopping after I finished. I mainly needed to restock yogurt, granola, granola bars, soda, coconut milk, and fruit. Had online coupons for apples, strawberries, bakery sugar cookies, and Made Good granola bars. Grabbed a slice of cookies and cream cake for a treat tonight. Fortunately, it slowed down enough by this point for there to be no line at the self-checkout lanes.

Put everything away and had lunch while watching the first season finales of two animated series. Little Bear and his friends put on "The Rain Dance Play" to bring rain for their corn. His parents teach him to write so he can sign his letters to Emily "Your Friend, Little Bear" with the pen she gave him. His "Fall Dream" has him and Emily playing throughout all the seasons when she visits him on the weekend.

The action-packed first season finale of The Pirates of Dark Water introduces "The Dark Dweller," who controls the Dark Water and lives under it. When Tula falls into the Dark Water, Ren and Niddler follow to rescue her. Meanwhile, Ioz deals with Bloth when he raids the Wraith looking for Ren's treasures.

Went down for a nap after the cartoon ended. I debated going out to enjoy that warm weather and check out yard sales but...I'm tired. I'm really, really tired. I've had a long couple of months, let alone weeks. I went down at 3:30, woke up briefly at 4, then slept again until 5:30.

I started to watch the British stage version of Top Hat that just ran on PBS until the Match Game marathon came on. (I'll finish Top Hat on Monday.) Match Game moved into 1977 at the absolute top of its game, so to speak. It was the number-one show on daytime, and one of the most popular shows on TV, period. Cracks were beginning to show, however, notably with Richard Dawson. Richard had just started hosting Family Feud the fall before, and he was demanding more money and to be a star alongside host Gene Rayburn. His fatigue from hosting two hit shows and frustration over his lower status on Match Game turned up in several episodes. There was the time he wrote "sat" when he meant "ate" and argued over it with judge and producer Ira Skutch, and the infamous "School Riot" episode where he, Debralee Scott, and Patti Deusch argued that their "finishing school" and "night school" should match the contestant's "school." 

Richard's outbursts were far from the only memorable moments that year. He was far more pleasant when Charles gave him a huge furry Russian hat that was too tight for his toupee. Betty White sat in Charles Nelson Reilly's 3rd seat and imitated him, complete with glasses, hat, and pipe (which she later said tasted awful). Scoey Mitchelll once walked out of a question to use the bathroom. Charles insulted director Marc Breslow, who then positioned the camera over his head for a few shots, and he complained about not being able to play Santa Claus. (He did that once, in 1973.) In one especially wild episode, an audience member gave Richard and Charles ties with the names of popular panelists, Charles asked for the camera to not be on him while he set up a Native gag, and Gene went on to assault that cameraman. The camera smacked him on the head while he was messing around with it. 

See how the shenanigans went down 49 years ago in this wild and wacky marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Best of Match Game '77 - Best Episodes (Part I)

Children In the Wind

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Digger Runs Away" when he makes a mistake and soaks Dinkel's uniform. The others go after him, but when they run into villains, Digger has to rescue them. "The Commissioner Is Missing" and has been captured by Mastermind, a villain who was caught by the Shirt Tales before. He wants to catch them now, but he refuses to believe that the Shirt Tales could be fluffy small animals and keeps thinking they're just being pests.

Headed out after that. I was slightly late. Not a good thing, since we were busy all morning. I have no idea why we were busy. Memorial Day Weekend is next weekend. The only things going on this weekend are various yard sales and farm markets. I was behind on carts for a lot of the day. At least it was windy and chilly but not bad. The sun was in and out at that point. The clouds wouldn't start really clearing out until after I finished work and was making my way to Oaklyn.

(I also got my schedule before I left work. In good news, I'll have plenty of time to rest next week and will have no problem getting to Thomas Sharp's half-day next Friday and the Collingswood May Fair on Saturday. The only days I work at the Acme next week are Sunday and Wednesday, and they're both short hours. The head bagger is actually bagging, and a lot of college kids just got out of school. It does mean my Acme paycheck will be lousy, but it also means I'll have a chance to do more research.)

I had a quick lunch at Phillies Phatties, about a block from the school on West Clinton Avenue. They were surprisingly busy for 1:30, mainly with local families. I watched a darling little miss climb around (and try to climb into the back of) her stroller while enjoying a slice of basil and mozzarella and a slice of mushroom pizza and a can of Diet Pepsi.   

Since I had plenty of time, I dodged road repair on West Greenwood as I made my way down to Dunkin' Donuts. I still had that $5 gift card I got for Teacher Appreciation Week last Friday. They were dead as a doornail. Not even anyone in the drive through. I enjoyed a fruit punch donut (regular donut with very very pink fruity icing and crunchy topping) and Marshmallow Vanilla Matcha Latte (green tea with marshmallow topping, almond milk, and a shot of vanilla). Oooh, yum! They were both really good. The donut was a little dry, but the icing did taste like fruit punch. The latte was smooth and creamy and very sweet with the marshmallow topping. 

Instead of hanging around Dunkin', I just left for Thomas Sharp early. I made the right call. There was no one there to greet the kids when I came in. The head teacher called out. Fortunately, the other teachers weren't far behind me. We had 26 kids today, 9 at my table, and they were absolutely wild. Two of the little girls went to the bathroom on their own without asking an adult. I found them in a stall, flushing the toilet and giggling. I climbed under the door and into the stall to tell them not to hide and why this wasn't a good idea. Later, they hid under one of the cafeteria tables again and couldn't be coaxed out for anything. I tried to pull one out, and she bonked her head on the table. I gently held them on my lap while I apologized for pulling at her, rubbed her head, and pointed out that bonked heads were a big part of why they aren't supposed to play under the tables. 

It was almost 4 when we finally got them all outside. On one hand, they did argue over the swings and kept trying to go on them when there were too many kids around. On the other hand, when they did get on, they were hilarious. Near the end of my shift, I pushed a boy and a girl who kept laughing and saying they were going higher and faster than the other, even though I was pushing them about the same height and speed. They were sooo funny! The other teachers had just taken the remaining 3 younger kids to play with the 4 older kids still in the cafeteria when I left.

Went straight into Price Is Right and Match Game '73 when I got home. Tonight's episodes were entirely devoted to the week with "Mama" Cass Elliot that also gave us the debut of game show host Bill Cullen on the show. It's too bad Cass didn't live to come back. Other than some unnecessary weight jokes from Richard Dawson, she seemed to have a good time that week and played pretty well. Brett Somers spent the week arguing with her then-husband Jack Klugman in the seat next to her (for the last time until 1978). 

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote. It's "A Fashionable Way to Die" when Jessica attends a fashion show put on by her dress designer friend Eva Taylor (Barbara Rush) and they find her benefactor dead in his hotel room shortly afterwards. Turns out the gentleman had been extorting cash from just about everyone around him, including Eva, a popular model (Tania Elg), and the daughter of a cabaret singer (Juliet Prowse). Jessica has to convince the local gendarme that he has the wrong woman with the help of two maids who heard gunshots 20 minutes apart. 

One Day at a Time

Began the morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. "The Little Leviathan" is a baby sea serpent Ren rescues from the Dark Water. He becomes fond of the little one, despite eating Niddler's Mellons and annoying Ioz. All three are captured by Bloth, just as a family of leviathans turn up looking for their child. That baby may be the only way the trio can get free and find the next treasure, before the leviathans do a lot more damage.

Spent the rest of the morning doing more research on home-buying. Today, I went further into closing costs and terms like appraisal, escrow, and underwriting. I'm beginning to realize that I went about house-hunting all wrong. I should have done this months ago, probably over the winter, then talked to banks or the government about loans after I learned more about them and got help to please my case. 

Next week, I'll look into the human side of house-hunting and do research on housing counselors. mortgage brokers, and anyone else who helps you find a home. I may talk to Rose later in the week too and see what she knows about the legal side of things. Rose bought her home over a decade ago when things were a little less rigid and expensive, but she did buy it and knows what it's like to want a home of your own.

Watched Li'l Abner while I worked. I go further into this 1959 adaptation of the Broadway show and famous comic strip at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Li'l Abner (1959)

Watched two episodes of The Adventures of Superman as I ate my leftover fries and gyro for lunch. In "The Case of the Talkative Dummy," Lois and Clark investigate when a ventriloquist complains that his dummy seems to talk on his own. Turns out this "dummy" and what he says may be linked to gang of crooks and a series of armed car robberies. 

"The Mystery of the Broken Statues" doesn't seem like much of a mystery when Lois sees a pair of con-men breaking cheap animal statues. She and Clark later discover that the statues hold clues to the location of a valuable gemstone. 

Hurried out to the Thomas Sharp School after the second episode ended. Got there just in time, which was a very good thing. Though we only had 22 younger kids today, they were still pretty antsy, including the 8 at my table. I'm glad we got them outside earlier this time, especially given it's supposed to get really hot next week. Some of the kids chased the college-age teacher. Others gathered around the chain link fence and tried to call out to Mr. Softee in the hope that he'd stop so they could buy ice cream, but to no avail. Some of the smaller ones danced to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "I Like to Move It," the themes from Bluey and PJ Masks, and songs from Moana, Frozen, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

I did have to argue with them over the swings. One little girl accidentally ran into me with her head when she was laying stomach-first on the swing and I was arguing with her. She knocked into my bad knee, and I let out such a loud yelp that I was able to get her off. Later, when she and her best friend were legitimately allowed on, I apologized for the yell and explained that they'd scared me. I also told them that everyone has to wait in line, even adults in line at the grocery store or at the doctor's office. 

Went straight into Match Game '73 when I got home. These episodes finished out the week with Patti Deusch and Jim Bakcus. Probably the most notable moment that week was when Gene said "Can we get a little milk from Patti" in response to a question, and she took it a whole different way.

Finished the night listening to another extremely 50's musical on LP. Redhead debuted on Broadway in 1959 and was a huge hit, winning a Tony for the show and for its lead Gwen Verdon. Verdon played Essie Whimple, a plain young lady in Victorian London who works for her aunts' wax museum. Their latest display showing the death of chorus girl Ruth LaRue brings out policemen and her former co-workers, including handsome strong man Tom Baxter (Richard Kiley). Hoping to attract Tom's attention, Essie lies about knowing who the murderer is and even fakes attempts on her life...but the fakery turns real when the actual murderer believes her fibs and comes after her.

Without the lavish dances and the huge production that made this such a hit in 1959, this is...just ok. Verdon's obviously having a ball on big dance routines like "Erbie Fitch's Twitch" and "The Right Finger of My Left Hand," but Kiley's big ballads are dull, and as in Li'l Abner, the dance routines are more there for dance's sake rather than to move the story along. I suspect this is too lightweight for a major revival, but there's a few fun titles if you're a fan of Verdon or comic mysteries. 

Night of the Spring Winds

Began the day with breakfast and Little Bear. "Grandfather's Attic" is full of treasures, from rocking horses to his old top hat. They're supposed to be clearing them out, but they end up reliving some fond memories instead. "Little Bear's Egg" is small and blue, and it's lost. Owl assumes it's from a small blue bird, but a mother robin who is missing an egg knows better. There's a "because" "Party at Owl's House" to celebrate Emily leaving after the summer. There's hats, games, and Mother and Father Bear bring chocolate cake and lemonade.

Hurried off to work on my bike after the cartoon ended. It was blustery and sunny, too nice for Uber. I had to dodge a lot of road work that made me a bit late. That was the worst thing that happened all day. The Acme was quiet as can be. We're in the middle of the month, between holidays, and the Sixers and Flyers are out of the playoffs. I barely had any carts to gather. I did put away a few cold returns, but other than that, there were no problems whatsoever.

After I changed my shirt, I headed out on my bike. Had lunch at Common Grounds Coffee House in Oaklyn. They were even quieter than the Acme had been. I had no problem finding a lovely little table by the window to eat my salty-sweet Earl Gray scone and bacon-spinach quiche and sip my Berry Refresher (green tea and various juices). Even with lingering over my Berry drink, it was still early when I left for West Collingswood. I relaxed at the outdoor tables in front of Crust N' Cravings before moving on to the school.

Glad I got there early today. We had 24 kids today, 8 at my table. The ones at my table cleaned up pretty well and could have been worse in the bathroom. Once again, it was after snack time when they got crazy. One of the boys got his cars mixed up with his friend's and threw an absolute fit over it. He was the only one held back when we went outside, and that was more to get him calmed down. I had to point out metal shelves full of learning toys and papers to get a boy to behave in the bathroom halls...and even then, he tried to climb the shelves. They fussed over the swings, too, including when they finally got on them. On the other hand, I caught one delighted little girl who leaped into my arms from the blue plastic steps leading up to the swings, and they had a ball chasing the new college-age male teacher with the very long legs. 

The weather wasn't bad at that point. It was beautiful and sunny, if gale-force windy, for most of the afternoon. Clouds were starting to gather, even as the head teacher called the remaining four kids to the blacktop to play ball games. I wanted to avoid any rain and hurried home the moment my shift ended.

Watched The Price Is Right when I got home. Arrived in time for the Showdowns. One was crossword-themed, with a trip to Italy and a trailer as the big prize. The other had no theme and was pretty much just living room furniture and things like vacuums to go with it. There was some mix-up with the woman who bid on the crossword Showdown, but it was finally revealed that she was way under. The other woman came in closer and got her couches and carpeting.

Had dinner while watching Match Game '73. This was the week with the infamous episode where Gene sported a green and red plaid suit that was hideous even by the standards of the early 70's. Jack Carter said it looked like a station break in Poland, and he wasn't wrong. At the end of the episode, everyone was so excited after the contestant won, most of the panel ran out into the audience and gave them hugs and kisses! The last episode of the night was the start of the next week, the first for Patti Deusch and the only appearance of Jim "Mr. Magoo" Backus.

Finished the night after a shower with The Wild Wild West. Jim West and Artemis Gordon find themselves involved with "The Night of the Flying Pie Plate" when what we would now call a space ship or flying saucer lands at a small town. The beautiful green-skinned ladies from Venus claims their ship needs 400 pounds of gold as fuel. Jim just happened to accompany gold dust on its way to the US Mint to the town. Jim and Artemis smell a Venusian rat, especially after Jim falls for one of the supposedly alien women and learns she's more human than she lets on. 

Oh, and it remained cloudy for the rest of the night. Thankfully, the clouds waited to burst until about 20 minutes ago. The rain is going at a pretty good clip now. 

A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Asks What Friends Like" when he wants to give hi-fives, but his friends have other ways of greeting people. He doesn't like it when Prince Wednesday calls him Danny, even though Wednesday calls himself W. "Miss Elania's Space Restaurant" is open for business at the Merry-Go-Round Museum. Elaina wears her apron as an apron and is upset that Katarina wants to wear hers as a cape, until their mothers remind them that everyone has their own ways of doing things.

Spent the rest of the morning doing research on basic house-hunting and what I need to do now. The rest of this week, and possibly part of next week, will be spent doing research into house-hunting on days when I don't have two shifts. Buying a dwelling is a lot more complicated than I thought. I have a friend I could talk to about more of the basics, and I need to call Rose and ask her about the legalities. I need to do more research on things like closing costs and housing inspections, too. 

But most of all, I need to see if I can find a housing counselor. I'll call about those next week. There's too much going on here for even just one or two people to deal with on their own. PNC and Camden County have already turned me down for loans. I need to learn more about the basics and find out who will accept good credit and savings without a perfect debt-income ratio.

Listened to jazz vocalists while I looked over websites, took notes, and had a quick lunch. Songs for Swingin' Lovers is one of Frank Sinatra's most famous releases for Capitol Records in the 50's. Every song here is among the best performances he ever gave. Probably the most iconic are "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "I've Got You Under My Skin," but "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me," "Old Devil Moon," "I Thought About You," and "How About You?" are a lot of fun, too.

Johnny Mathis' I Just Found Out About Love is a tribute to a songwriter who often crafted melodies for Sinatra as well, Jimmy McHugh. The title number and "Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow" are from a McHugh stage musical Strip for Action that apparently ran into major trouble for doing just what it said in the title before being shut down in Boston. Too bad, because the songs are really nice. "I'm In the Mood for Love" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" are far better-known today. There's also the sweet "Warm and Willing" and charming "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening."

This time, I got out on time and arrived at the Thomas Sharp School on time. They were in the library when I arrived. The music class was still rehearsing in the cafeteria. Once again, the 26 kids were really noisy. Even my 8 kids were noisy in the bathrooms. They were noisy when they got out of the bathrooms. I had to separate two girls who kept pestering one of the boys. One of the girls fibbed to me about the markers belonging to one of the kids. The pre-schoolers aren't allowed to use markers. They make too much of a mess with them. The girl ran out in the hallway in a fit. I coaxed her out by taking her to the bathroom to wash her marker-covered hands. Ironically, her father was waiting for her when we got back.

They were only slightly less noisy once I came back. They got so crazy, at least 10 kids had to be kept back so the head teacher could talk to them. Once we got out, I had to argue them off the swings at least twice before enough kids went home that they were finally allowed on. (Including the little boy who fell off yesterday. He's perfectly fine.) I did have to argue with an older boy who was outside to let the other kids have their turns. He threw a tantrum, but did get on before his mother came for him. Other kids drew with chalk (and got covered in chalk dust) while listening to "You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story, "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo and Stitch, "I'm Still Standing," "The Pink Tiger Hunt," the theme from Bluey, and songs from Encanto, The Lion King, and Frozen. 

At least the weather couldn't have been more perfect for them to be running around. As several parents pointed out when we were outside, this was about as nice of a spring day as one could wish. Like I told one of the littlest boys, the sky was bluey-blue, the sun was bright yellow, the wind felt nice, not cold, and it was just warm enough. It's awesome when spring really feels like spring! They were having so much fun, the other teachers were only just taking the remaining 4 kids to the blacktop to play ball games when I left.

Since it's two blocks down from the school on Magill Avenue, I had dinner at Zena's American Mediterranean Restaurant. Small but attractive blue-and-white painted space on the first floor of an older apartment building sells basic Mediterranean sandwiches, salads, and entrees. I had an enormous chicken gyro, a huge wicker basket overflowing with fries, two small pieces of baklava, and Turkey Hill iced tea. It was all tasty, but so big, I took half of the gyro and about three-quarters of the fries home with me.

Made a really quick stop at CVS on the way home, mainly so I could use the bathroom. Finally remembered to get D batteries, too. My flashlight is starting to look a little on the dim side. 

Watched the second half of Match Game '73 when I got home. They finished out the week with Pat Harrington and moved on to Fannie Flagg's first week. It was the first of two times she was in the 4th "ingenue" seat before she moved permanently to seat 6 by early '74. Bert Convy, comedian Jack Carter, and comedy writer Ann Elder join in here as well.

Finished the night with Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Mole People is a B-sci-fi double feature flick from 1956 that's basically "underground Lost Horizon." After a rather dull and dry opening prologue where a real-life professor explains what you're about to see, archaeologists Dr. Roger Bentley (John Agar) and Dr. Jud Bellamin (Hugh Beaumont) take 20 minutes talking about their major finds, before they finally get under the Earth to prove their theories. They find a race of albino Sumerians living in a lavish kingdom, keeping the Mole People of the title as their slaves. Roger falls for a beautiful blonde (Cynthia Patrick) who has never seen sunlight while using his flashlight to keep the Sumerians at bay. They can't handle bright sunlight, and even sacrifice maidens to it. The flashlight has just gone out when the Mole People finally revolt, and an earthquake once and for all destroys both the kingdom and the maiden who decided she'd rather not see the sun...

It's too bad the first half of this is dull as dishwater and moves slower than the Mole People. The second half is honestly a not-bad Lost Horizon/Phantom Empire-style lost civilization yarn. The Mole People don't turn up until almost the end of the movie, the love interest is perfunctory at best, and the robots are right that people (especially Agar) spend way too much time talking and not enough time doing sci-fi stuff. I like some of the ideas, though, including sacrificing maidens to the bright sunlight. Worth checking out with or without robot wisecracks if you're a fan of lost civilization stories and can get past that lethally dull first hour and some of the plot holes. 

Wild Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "The Humbolt Ghost" edges into Scooby Doo territory as the animals try to figure out where the ghost haunting an old mansion came from and what it's after. "Figby, the Spoiled Brat Cat" looks adorable, but he causes nothing but trouble when the Commissioner insists that Dinkel and the animals watch him.

After I took the laundry downstairs, I spent the rest of the morning looking up credit unions, whom I suspect may be the only ones I could get a loan from at this point...and realized that I don't really know anything about buying a condo at all. I've never bought anything this big before. The biggest thing I've bought before this was a bike, and that cost about $300. I looked up phrases like "closing costs" and what needs to be done before you put money down. I thought you just got a loan and bought a condo.

Keep in mind that I'm doing this alone. I really don't have many people I can ask. Later this week, along with doing more research on buying condos, I'll look up local mortgage brokers - people who help loans and home buying for a living - in this area and see how much they cost and check their reviews. I just want out of the attic at this point. I was hoping to be out by early next year, but considering I was turned down by a major bank and Camden County, I'm wondering if I'll ever get out at all.

Listened to records from relatively recent animated and family musicals while I did research and put the laundry in the dryer. Trolls is probably best-known today for the massive hit "Can't Stop the Feeling," which is on here twice (in the film version and Justin Timberlake's smash single), but the soundtrack has other virtues. The kids in the after-school program love the medley "Move Your Feet/D.A.N.C.E/It's a Sunshine Day," but my favorite number is Poppy doing whatever she can to "Get Back Up Again." 

Although The Garfield Movie isn't a musical, there's some pretty decent songs on the soundtrack. Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and Dean Martin's "That's Amore" turn up in two of the most memorable scenes in the film, but the big hit was "Good Life" by Jon Batiste. Hannah Waddingham gets the hilarious declaration "I'm Back." Callum Scott's "Then There Was You" is also a lot of fun.

The live-action Snow White had a lot of problems last year, but its soundtrack wasn't one of them. The utterly adorable version of "Whistle While You Work" that had Snow White working together with the dwarfs and animals to clean their cottage is by far my favorite number. The lively opener "Good Things Grow" is my favorite of the songs written for this film version. Alas, Gail Godot isn't really much of a singer and does no favors to her song "All Is Fair."

Broke for a quick lunch and to rush out to the Thomas Sharp School. Lunch took longer than I thought, and I ended up being five minutes late. This was absolutely not a good thing. We had 26 kids today, 10 at my table, and they were all totally insane. Two of the girls and a boy hid under the table in the cafeteria, where they are not supposed to go. Two older girls kept trying to bother one of the boys, who was just trying to draw. I had to separate them all twice. The head teacher had to threaten to keep all of the boys who had been playing with magnetic tiles with staying inside to get them to clean up their mess.

It was just as crazy when we got outside. For one thing, though the sun came out as the kids ran around, it was still windy and chillier than it has been, probably in the lower 60's. There were still so many kids when we went out, it was quarter of 5 before they were allowed on the swings. They pushed each other and knocked each other over. Even when they did finally get on the swings, one of the boys accidentally let go when he was swinging high and ended up hitting the ground hard. He more had the wind knocked out of him than anything else, but the head teacher took him inside. The kids drawing with chalk on the concrete listened to "I'm Still Standing," "Swab the Deck," and songs from The Lion King, Moana, and Frozen. 

I made a very brief stop at Dollar General for electrolyte drink mix sticks on the way home. When I got in, I had dinner and watched Match Game '73. Most of tonight's episodes were devoted to the only week featuring Pat Harrington, later of One Day at a Time. One episode from this week had Gene turn up in a gray checked suit with a pink bow tie that Pat and Brett (accurately) claimed made him look like half of a vaudeville team. This was also the episode where Pat said to Richard Dawson "that was more than Diana (Dors, his ex-wife) ever did for you." Richard, whose divorce from Dors had been difficult, to say the least, ruefully agreed. 

Took a shower after the episodes ended, then made the bed and finished the night with other game shows featuring celebrity panels. These were some of the earliest game shows on television. If a game show in the mid-50's wasn't a big-money quiz show, it had a select group of well-dressed celebrities trying to guess who a person was or what they did for a living. In the case of Make the Connection from 1955, the panel has to guess the connection between two people. Hispanic bandleader Xavier Cugat and his wife, singer Abbe Lane, were the guests on one of the surviving episodes and gave the panel a lesson in playing Latin musical instruments. With Gene Rayburn hosting and Betty White on the panel, this show is just a tiny bit less formal than most of its ilk. 

The 70's upped the comedy quotient. The syndicated I've Got a Secret from 1973 retained later host Steve Allen and gave Richard Dawson major exposure. The episode I have here with Don Knotts is pretty typical of the show as a whole. (And I learned something, too. I wonder if they still use that lady's recordings telling you the time over the phone?) Match Game was leaning heavily on wacky shenanigans by the time of this episode in 1978. Poor Richard's hand is crushed by a huge contestant, and he ends up whispering his answer to a very nervous Marcia Wallace.

Panel games were fewer on the ground in the 80's. Most of them moved too slow, and the celebrities proved expensive. Bert Convy and Bert Reynolds' Third Degree from 1989 attempted to bring back the "panelists guess what a person does." In fact, this has a lot in common with Make the Connection. Once again, the panel has to guess how two people relate to one another. It wasn't really all that exciting despite some interesting guests and barely lasted 8 months. 

Kids had more fun with Figure It Out on Nickelodeon in 1997. This is basically Junior I've Got a Secret, with a panel of Nick teen celebrities (including Amanda Byrnes in the episode I have here) and a ton more slime. Summer Sanders is the energetic host. 

Guess along with some of the wackiest celebrities on TV as they try to figure it out, make connections, and give related people the third degree!

Make the Connection (1955)

I've Got a Secret Syndicated (1973)

Match Game (1978)

Third Degree (1989)

Figure It Out (1998)

A Day for Mothers

Started off my morning with the Colliers Junior Classics Harvest of Holidays anthology. Did the material for Arbor Day first, since I forgot to do it last month. "Mr. Plum and the Little Green Tree" is the long piece here, a sweet story about a kindly cobbler who saves the little tree in front of his shop from being chopped down. The other material is all poetry, including the famous "Trees." The long Mother's Day piece is "My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman In the World." A little Ukranian girl gets lost in the wheat fields and tells people that her mother is the most beautiful woman in the world when they ask her where she is. People tease her when she does find her plump, genial mother, but her mom knows that her daughter can see with her heart.

Called my own mother even before I had breakfast. Mom herself seemed to be in a pretty decent mood. She's been walking into Yorktown, a small tourist enclave that, as fans of Hamilton know, was where Cornwallis surrendered to end the Revolutionary War. Mom says it's expensive but attractive and a nice walk. They're not far from Williamsburg, too. She's more concerned about my brother Keefe and his wife Julia. Keefe just had surgery on his eyes. One came out just fine. They're waiting to see how the other will be. They're also having difficulty with their older daughter Aurora, who may have special needs and need more help.

I told Mom about my own long week. She was really understanding about all the trouble I had, especially with Jessa and with getting loans. She's having a hard time buying a home down in Virginia, too. Apparently, they're one of the more expensive southern states. 

After I got off with her, I put on Miss Peggy Lee Sings the Songs of Cy Coleman while eating breakfast. Coleman's known for his songs from Broadway shows nowadays, like "Hey Look Me Over" from Wildcat, "I've Got Your Number" from Little Me, and "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity. What's not as well-remembered as that he also wrote pop songs with no stage connections. The best-known is probably the hit "The Best Is Yet To Come," which is usually associated nowadays with Frank Sinatra. Lee wrote three songs with Coleman she performs here, "I'm In Love Again," "That's My Style," and "Then Is Then (And Now Is Now)." "When In Rome, Do as the Romans Do" was written for Little Me but not used. "Pass Me By" is from the romantic comedy Father Goose.

Headed off to work after the record ended and got there on time for once. Good thing, too. As one of my co-workers pointed out, the Acme was a zoo for the entire afternoon. Everyone wanted flowers for Mom and to make her a big dinner. Thank heavens I spent the entire afternoon outside. There was plenty of help. The morning bagger was there when I arrived, the evening bagger when I left. They handled the trash and the inside chores. I just pushed carts, enjoying the sun this morning, then the clouds and occasional light showers when they rolled in around 2:30. Absolutely no trouble whatsoever. 

I had slightly more problems refilling my blood pressure medication after work. My insurance had expired. I already knew about it. Apparently, it expired this February, likely due to the lack of hours I had last winter. I just sent the paperwork for the extension in the mail today. Thankfully, the medicine only cost $13, which is hardly a problem. I forgot honey yesterday, too. 

After I got home, I changed and finished listening to Nature's Baby. This Lena Horne album couldn't be more 1971 if it tried. I think I like her version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" better than the Beatles' rendition, and she does nice versions of "A Song for You," "It's Not Easy Being Green," and "Your Song" too. "Think About Your Troubles" is from the unique animated TV musical The Point. "I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (Ain't Nobody Perfect)" and "Only the Moon and Me" are the best of the lesser-known material.

My Trolls album arrived from Amazon around this point. This was the only soundtrack played frequently at the after-school program that I didn't have. It's only $19 at Amazon right now, which is cheap for a recent soundtrack release. 

Finished the night with the Sunday Match Game marathon. Mothers appeared on the panel as well as in the audience. Peter Issakson's mother came to all his appearances, and apparently accompanied him wherever he went. Likewise, Betty White's beloved mother Tess often came to see her daughter play. Gene's mother was in the audience at least once. Brett proudly pointed out her beautiful redheaded daughter Leslie in the audience (who looked a lot like a younger version of her mother).

There were mothers on the panel, too. As mentioned last week, Jo Ann Pflug and Patti Deusch both appeared while pregnant, Patti multiple times. TV and movie moms who did at least one week on the show included Bonnie Franklin of One Day at a Time, Isobel Sanford of The Jeffersons, Esther Rolle of Good Times, Michael Lerned of The Waltons, Barbara Billingsly of Leave It to Beaver on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, Jamie Lee Curtis of the Freaky Friday films, and Ethel Merman, who played Gopher's mother on The Love Boat. 

Celebrate Mother's Day matching with some of the wackiest mothers on television in this sweet and heartfelt marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Mother's Day Bash 2026

(Oh, and the showers have continued off and on for the rest of the evening. There was even a thunderstorm at one point, though that's long gone.)