Perfect Indian Summer

Started off a busy morning with breakfast and the Monchichhis. Moncho is thrilled when they inadvertently awaken his hero, the Mighty Manfred. He's really more of a "Helpless Hero" who would rather eat pies and brag than face danger. The others let him take the glory when they're the ones who stop the Grumplins from chasing them, but he really learns a lesson in bravery when they go on a quest to find a banshee's treasure.

Hurried out the moment the cartoon ended, but it wasn't fast enough. I had to dodge a lot of road work I forgot about, not to mention the traffic on Haddon Avenue. Considering the road work, I'm probably lucky I was only about 5 minutes late at SJRA Radiology on the border of Haddonfield and Westmont. Thankfully, it didn't take long to sign in and get my mammogram done. I went in, changed into my wrap, they squeezed my chest, and I left. 

Continued down Haddon Avenue next to the Haddonfield Library. On one hand, heavy remodeling a few years ago left this as one of the largest, most modern, and best-looking of the local libraries. It also left it a maze. There's more tiny rooms in that building than there is in your average haunted house. I had to ask where the non-fiction was. Turns out it was in the basement. 

Once I got down there, I spent a pleasant 40 minutes or so looking at a guide to Disneyland. Why Disneyland? Well, for one thing, I've never been there. I've never been to California, period. Closest I've gotten is a brief stop over in Salt Lake City. I've been to Walt Disney World, but not since 1990. For another thing, I used to like looking at Disney World guides at the Haddon Township Library when I first moved here 20 years ago. Thought I'd give the other coast a try.

I was originally going to eat at the Bistro, but it was getting kind of late when I finally got out of the library. Opted for the Haddon Diner instead, which is on the way home. I had two very large, fluffy banana pecan pancakes. Yum! They were huge, full of thick banana and pecan pieces. I did manage to eat most of them and drink half of a glass of iced tea. 

There wasn't much time when I finally got home, so I read a chapter of Cookies and Clairvoyance by Bailey Cates while listening to the soundtrack from K-Pop Demon Hunters. This was a huge hit on Netflix last year, and the music is a big part of why. "Golden" was the hit and won the Oscar, but my favorite is the dynamic "Takedown" as Huntrix challenges their male rivals. The boys respond with the moody "Your Idol" and almost annoyingly catchy "Soda Pop."

Went back out to the Thomas Sharp School, and yes, I made it on time. The kids were all standing in the hall when I arrived. The music classes expanded to Monday and Tuesday. We did get them into the library for some coloring. I joined a few of the kids at my table to draw a rainbow. 

Once we got back into the cafeteria, there was some confusion. They started eating their snacks, but most of them hadn't used the bathroom yet. One boy refused to leave his snack for anything, but I did get the rest of my group down the hall to the bathrooms. Thankfully, no trouble there. They all got in and out relatively fast.

We weren't inside for very long after snack time anyway. It was just too darn nice to spend the day inside! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was sunny and dry, with a nice, cool wind. It wasn't too hot for them to run around the slides and draw with chalk this time. Maybe it's just as well that there were fewer kids who wanted to ride the swings, because I had trouble with some of the ones who did. A few of them just would not get off once they were on, even with a five minute limit and other kids who wanted to ride. One girl threw a fit when she couldn't ride with her friend and hid behind a tree, and that was after she'd already been on the swings three times. Thankfully, by 5PM, there were two left, and we'd moved them around to the blacktop to play with the three remaining older kids.

Made a short stop at CVS on the White Horse Pike to use the bathroom and buy Ibuprofen. I didn't realize I was out yesterday, or I would have gotten it at the Acme. At least CVS wasn't busy, and I was able to get what I needed quickly.

Went right into Match Game '76 and dinner when I got home. Didi Conn, later of Grease, made her first of two appearances on the show this week. She was joined by the ever-creative Patti Deusch and by lovably nutty Dick Martin. 

Finished the night at YouTube with some of the most unique game shows ever created. Unfortunately, unique ideas don't always translate to big ratings. Canadian show Pitfall from 1981 started out like Family Feud, with two contestants guessing how the audience will vote on four answers in a certain category. Winner goes on to face the dreaded bridge. They have to guess questions on a hydraulic lift set. The set might go up and down randomly. If it does go down, they lose time to answer. Not only was this awkward to watch, the lavish up and down set proved to be so cumbersome to sustain, it bankrupted its producers. Neither the contestants nor host Alex Trebek ever got their money or prizes. 

Not all creative flops had fates that were that dire. Most of them were more like The Money Maze from 1974 and The Magnificent Marble Machine from 1975. Money Maze had two couples answering questions, with the husband guiding the wife through the title labyrinth to prizes. Magnificent Marble Machine was a giant pinball machine that contestants played to win prizes and cash with the help of a celebrity teammate, in this case Florence Henderson and Roddy McDowell. A young Nick Clooney hosted Money Maze. Art James was in charge of the Marble Machine. 

Both shows ran into the same set problems as Pitfall, though in this case everyone did get their cash and prizes in the end. That lavish Money Maze was difficult to set up, cost ABC a bundle, and the show ultimately did badly in the ratings. The Marble Machine was cool to look at, but cumbersome to play and not all that exciting to watch. 

Whew! from 1979 may be the ultimate big-set crazy idea. One person sets up blocks on a board filled with goofy puns surrounding a topic. The other contestant is the "charger" who answers the puns and figures out what the real word that belongs there is. Winner answered questions while running through a "gauntlet" of Hanna-Barbara-designed baddies. It's too bad this doesn't ever seem to have worked, on CBS in 1979 or when it re-ran on Buzzr a few years ago. Buzzr's commercials were right that it is as fun to watch as it is to say.

Not every big set or unique idea went over that badly. Press Your Luck and The Joker's Wild are two beloved shows that find ways to make their big sets work without getting dull or cumbersome. Press Your Luck has people answering questions to earn spins, then going around on that famous board in the hope that the animated Whammies don't steal their cash and prizes. Joker's Wild does something similar, but this time it's answering questions on a huge slot machine. 

Game Show Network had its own problems with big concepts in 2002. Russian Roulette has six contestants standing on trapdoors. One contestant asks another a question. If they answer correctly, they earn money. If they don't, they may end up sliding through that trapdoor and out of the game. Though this one did manage two seasons and is fondly remembered by Game Show Network fans, it proved to be a little too unworkable (host Mark L. Walhberg and several crew members accidentally fell in those trapdoors too) to keep around beyond a year. 

See which big idea worked and which didn't with these creative explorations into some of the most imaginative game shows of all time!

The Money Maze (1974)

The Joker's Wild (1974)

The Magnificent Marble Machine (1975) 

Whew! (1979)

Pitfall (1981)

Press Your Luck (1984)

Russian Roulette Pilot (2002)

A Couple of Characters

Began a rainy morning with breakfast, the last chapters of Sonnet of the Sphinx, and Julie London. The heavy showers and gloomy, gritty clouds seemed especially appropriate for The Unforgettable Julie London. "Cry Me a River" is only the tip of the iceberg in her many melancholy ballads. "A Cottage for Sale," "Little White Lies," "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You?" "What Is This Thing Called Love?" and "No Moon at All" go into similar dark turf. "Cuddle Up a Little Closer," "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," "Daddy," and "Hot Toddy" are a bit more upbeat.

Though the rain had slowed down considerably by 9 AM, it was still raining. I called Uber. No trouble there. The driver going to work arrived in 8 minutes. It took me a while to get a ride going home and cost me a bundle, but when I did, they came in 7 minutes. No trouble either way, not even with some flash flooding in Oaklyn in the morning.

It's probably a good thing it did stop raining. Though I did have to return cold items for a half-hour, I spent most of the morning and early afternoon outside. In fact, the sun came out later on, and it got hot and murderously humid. It was really busy from about 11 AM onward, too. People were getting ready for the first Eagles game of the season against the Commanders at 4:25. It wasn't until almost before I left that we managed to corral the carts again.

Stopped at the pharmacy after work to get my Covid vaccine. I don't want the kids getting sick or making me sick. I've been meaning to get this done and kept putting it off. Talked to the pharmacist. She figured out my insurance. I waited a minute, then went in the room next to the pharmacy. They gave me the injection and covered it with a Band Aid, and I moved on. 

When I got home, I changed...and went straight into bed for a nap. I was up way too late last night and had to get up early this morning (and will for most of this week.) Put my head on the pillow at quarter after 3 and didn't get up until 5:30.

I originally woke up just in time for tonight's Match Game marathon...but YouTube kept giving Match Game Productions a hard time. It blocked two marathons before we found out that the YouTube Studio was glitchy and blocking all new uploads. 

(At least things went better for the Eagles. They hit the ground running to start and were up 14-9 when I checked at half-time. The Commanders caught up in the second half, but it wasn't enough. The Eagles finally outran them 24-22.) 

I finished up the night with CDs featuring two true characters of American film and theater instead. Jimmy Durante may not have been traditional leading man material, but darned if he couldn't put over a ballad almost as well as Julie London. His "As Time Goes By" on As Time Goes By: The Best of Jimmy Durante was so iconic, it's on the Sleepless In Seattle soundtrack. That also features his delightful version of "Make Someone Happy." As Warners Archives says on the back of the CD box, only Walter Huston did "September Song" better. I've also never heard "Try a Little Tenderness" done as a jazz ballad.

Elaine Stritch was an entirely different type of character, but one who was just as memorable as the gentler Durante. I remember hearing great stuff about her one-woman show Elaine Stritch at Liberty when it opened on Broadway in 2002, and no wonder. The 2-disc cast album was recorded live at the original off-Broadway show. Stritch is obviously having a ball telling her life story. And what a life it was! She really had been there, known everyone from a young Marlon Brando to Noel Coward. 

I kind of wish we could have gotten one song from the charming flop Goldilocks, where she played a silent film star and Don Ameche was her exasperated director and ex-husband. Her other famous roles were far better represented. In addition to her first song "Civilization" from the 1947  revue Angel In the Wings, "The Ladies Who Lunch" from Company, "Zip" from Pal Joey, and "Why Do the Wrong People Travel?" from the Coward show Sail Away, there were bits of "There's No Business Like Show Business," "I Want a Long Time Daddy" as she recalled getting into trouble for sneaking out to see a drag queen in Detroit, "Broadway Baby" (which she sang in the 1986 Follies concert), and the Coward song "I Went to a Marvelous Party." 

This may be a party of one, but no one can party like Elaine Stritch can. If you love her or just want to hear someone tell a few great, slightly drunken stories, this is an absolute must-find. 

Where No Harvests Have Gone Before

Began the morning with breakfast and the Monchichhis. "Moncho's Gift" is what he thinks is a beautiful bracelet for Kyla. The bracelet is really magic and grants the wish of the wearer. It belongs to a sand witch, who turns herself into a Monchichhi and Wizzar into a frog to get it back.

Headed off to the farm market soon as I finished eating. It was still sunny, breezy, and a bit humid at this point. The fall harvest is out at the Collingswood Farm Market. The tables were laden with pumpkins, winter squash, pumpkin and squash blossoms, peppers, Chinese beans, eggplants, grapes, pears, and apples. It was teeming with people buying produce and meat for their weekend barbecues and picnics. I even ran into two of the kids from the after-school program and their parents enjoying lemon popcicles from the Bubba's Creamery cart. I picked up tiny, sweet Gala apples, seedless Concord grapes, a spinach and feta empanada for lunch, and my own strawberries and cream popcicle from Bubba's Creamery.

Hurried home and spent the remaining hour before work eating lunch and listening to more Let's Pretend. "The Yellow Dwarf" is a new one on me. A queen is forced to promise her daughter's hand in marriage to the repulsive title character. An evil fairy helps him claim his bride, while she claims the daughter's prince suitor. The prince makes his way back to the princess, only for both of them to die. A mermaid who had befriended them convinces a good fairy to turn them into two palm trees entwined with each other. 

"The Goose Girl" is a princess who is forced to trade places with a treacherous lady-in-waiting. While her servant marries the prince, the princess becomes the title character and her beloved horse is killed. The male servant who chases her isn't too happy when she keeps making his hat fly away. The prince knows something's up, but he has to put her in a room by herself to get a confession.

Headed to work after "The Goose Girl" ended. I spent the entire time pushing carts. The head bagger was sweeping and doing inside work. There was a college boy doing the trash and pushing carts. In all honesty, we probably didn't need the extra help. It wasn't really that busy. Everyone must be waiting until tomorrow before the Eagles game. I was in and out with no trouble.

Listened to records after I got home. The "Musical Repertory Theatre" Guys and Dolls isn't technically a cast album in the traditional sense. It's more a collection of songs from the musical sung by some of the most popular performers at Reprise Records. In fact, only Frank Sinatra, would actually appear in the film version of Guys and Dolls. Debbie Reynolds tries too hard and just sounds annoying on "Adelaide's Lament," "Take Back Your Mink," and joining Allan Sherman for "Sue Me." Sinatra does better by "Luck Be a Lady" and "I've Never Been In Love Before" and joins Bing Crosby and Dean Martin for "The Oldest Established" and "Fugue For Tinhorns." The McGuire Sisters have fun with "A Bushel and a Peck," while Sammy Davis Jr. really throws himself into "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." If you love Guys and Dolls or any of the singers in question, this is worth hearing at least once for some decent performances. 

My sisters and I had Raggedy Ann and Andy's Happiness Album when we were really little in the early 80's, and we used to listen to it a lot. It's a rainy day, but Raggedy Ann and Andy find ways to cheer everyone up, including dancing to a number from the Hansel and Gretel opera. In fact, their "Brother, Come and Dance With Me" is the highlight of the album, and just too adorable. The original song "Happy Is" and a jaunty version of "This Old Man" are basically there to pad out the album, but they're so catchy you don't mind a bit.

Finished out the day with dinner, a shower, and today's Match Game Marathon. Today, we honored the 60th anniversary of Star Trek with the two weeks featuring William Shatner and questions revolving around Star Trek or space. Shatner first appeared on the show in 1974, when he'd just done the controversial TV movie The Tenth Level. He found himself dealing with a slightly flustered Anne Meara next to him, while Brett sat in the ingenue seat next to Richard Dawson for the last time. 

By the time Shatner turned up again in mid-1975, he was starring on the short-lived spy western Barbary Coast. His second week also featured soft-spoken Broadway star Julie Harris, a close friend of Charles Nelson Reilly. One of the contestants that week jumped around so much, Gene claimed she actually broke the set. There was also the lady who cheerfully gave a point-blank answer as to what everyone was excited about Lola the stripper getting prints for. 

There were occasional references to Star Trek later in the series, too. Nipsey Russell nearly took off his clothes to show that he was hardly unattractive in one episode. Another friend of Charles, Elizabeth Allen, made her only appearance on another. There was also the 1979 episode with Darryl Anderson of Lou Grant, Donna Pescow of Angie and Out of This World, and a question about what came to a point on Spock's sister.

Space, the final game show frontier. It's your mission to boldly go where no game show has gone before with these hilarious out-of-this-world episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - William Shatner & Star Trek Marathon on Match Game

Kids and Memories

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel's Babysitter" is Prince Tuesday, who watches him while his parents are out dancing. He's happy to join Dan in his homemade "jungle," to get him into his pajamas, and to help him find his stuffed Tigey when he's missing. "Daniel Goes to School" and is worried when his dad leaves. Dan Sr. reminds his son that he'll be back at the end of the day...and Daniel Junior likewise reminds Miss Elania that her mommy will be back when her locket with her parents' picture goes missing.

Let Family Feud run on Buzzr as I made my grocery list. Started off with the second half of a John O'Hurley episode. They jumped back to early 80's Richard Dawson as I got my backpack together. The episode was actually a special week from 1985 showcasing then-Olympic winners like Greg Loughanis and Evelyn Ashford. (Incidentally, I've seen the full week...and the ladies wiped the floor with the guys.) 

Headed out as the episode got started. I had a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it in. Started at the Target Starbucks. Though it was cloudy and cool, it was also a bit on the humid side. I got a Pumpkin Cream Matcha Latte. Not bad. A little on the fruity side. 

Finished it at Sprouts. Mainly wanted to restock oat milk and more of that Nektar Pop there. (The latter is still buy one, get one free.) The ginger molasses bakery cookies weren't on sale, but they're so good, and they only come out during the fall. The deli container I picked up called the shredded turkey "turkey carnitas." I don't think it tastes like that, but it doesn't taste bad, either, and I figured it would be fine for salads and sandwiches this week.

Rode past the Haddon Township Library and High School to the Westmont Acme next. Restocked granola, blue tortilla chips, soda, Swiss cheese and yogurt. I'm almost out of razors, and I found a good brand of shaving lotion half-price. Went back and got a pack with turkey sliders, green grapes, and flat pretzel chips after I realized I forgot to pick up lunch.

Took the long way home across Newton River Park. It remains green and beautiful there. The breeze whistled through the big green leaves as the sun finally broke through the clouds. I pushed my bike up the path over the hill, ducking under a thin tree that broke and bent over. 

Put everything away, then had lunch and watched The Rockford Files. "The Countess" (Susan Strausburg) hires Rockford to handle a blackmailer (Dick Gautier) who was threatening to turn incriminating photos over to her husband (Art Lund). Rockford sees the blackmailer shot on the beach, only for the cops to think he did it. The gangsters the blackmailer work for have their own reasons to be after him.

I got my schedule at this point, either. I am not happy at all. The days I took off for my mammogram, eye exam, and housing counseling appointments are my only days off. I have three double-shift days, two in a row. On one hand, the eye appointment is on Saturday, which means I have that day fully off. On the other hand, I have a lot to do to prepare for the housing appointment, and when am I going to get my grocery shopping done? 

Headed out to Thomas Sharp School after the show ended. I left so early, I had the time to ride around and enjoy a day that had become sunny, warm, and only slightly humid. I need to be more careful where I ride, though. I ended up on Route 70. There's no sidewalks bordering West Collingswood on Route 70. I stepped in a grass-covered hole and almost really hurt myself. Thankfully, no harm done other than surprise, but I do know to stay away from there now.

We had the same 20 kids we've pretty much had all week, 7 at my table. I did have trouble getting them to clean up, but they were better in the bathroom. This time, we got everyone outside early. It was just too nice of a day for them to not hit the playground this time. Yes, they kept asking me when they could on the swings until I let them on. Two of the boys got into such a fight over where they were in line and when they could go on, we had to separate them. The other kids were happier dancing to "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, "Pup Pup Boogie" and the theme from Paw Patrol, the title song of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, and songs from Moana and Encanto. 

Things went much better once more kids went home. By the time the last girl who hadn't gone on the swings was taking her turn with a friend who loves the swings, there were five younger kids left. We took them inside around quarter of 5. I spent the remaining time drawing Victor, Jeff, and Celia in their "Captain Power" outfits and Grace Cavendish as "The Queen of Darkness" and admiring their coloring in pictures of ice cream cones and unicorns. When I left at 5:15, there were two older kids and one younger one remaining. I stopped briefly at Speedy Mart for a bagel and a Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi on the way home before heading back.

Watched the end of The Price Is Right when I got in. Came in just in time to see the lady who won the second Showcase Showdown. I'm a bit surprised they were playing the Christmas episode in early September. The first "Showcase" was the simpler theme of how to prepare for the holidays. It included Christmas records played on a stereo, Christmas shopping money, and a station wagon to haul gifts. The second one was the "story" Showcase, as ditzy secretary Holly used the prizes (including a sports car) instead of office equipment to create memos.

Let it run into Match Game '76. The second half of the night brought in Greg Morris, Elaine Joyce, and Fannie Flagg. Elaine spent most of the time either flirting with Gene or sniping with Brett, whose quips seemed to really get on her nerves sometimes.

Finished the night with some fond childhood memories on YouTube. Someone uploaded a marathon of two BrainGames episodes from 1983, including commercials and the full version of the famous HBO opening with the camera panning over those miniature buildings as the music builds to a crescendo. BrainGames was usually a half-hour show (though I seem to remember some episodes turning up occasionally between shows) that ran six different funny mini-games based around history, memory, animal trivia, and recognition. 

"Tales of Wrongovia" teaches history as it invites players to spot the bit of history that wouldn't have existed in the time period depicted. "Safari Solitaire" showed four different animals (and one nervous narrator with a Texas accent) and asked viewers to guess which animal lived or did something differently from the others. "Uninvited Guests" had four figures at a posh party. The viewer has to decide which party guest is the gate crasher. "Memory Rock" has viewers trying to remember the details of a rock band scene. "The Riddler" is pretty much standard jokes. "Aceps Gevoya" and "Splatnart" were word scramble games. The first had an alien trying to get home, the second a nurse and mad scientist building a monster. "Whosamawhatchamacallits" is a long word for a guess the person, place, or thing from clues and a distorted picture. "Museum Mistakes" has viewers trying to help a cop figure out what's fake in classic artworks.

We used to love playing along with the games on this one! Some of the information on the trivia games and a lot of the art style is pretty dated...but on the other hand, other games like "Animal Solitare," "Uninvited Guests," and the word scramble mini-skits remain hilarious and fun to this day. Here's the marathon if you also loved to crack open your mind back in the day or think your kids will enjoy this (and can get around the cheap animation). 

HBO Braingames Marathon 

And yes, I do remember the events of September 11th, 2001. Twenty-five years ago, I was beginning the first day of my final semester of Stockton College. I go into further detail at my blog entry from September 11th, 2023. 

Games and Memories

This Magic Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man. It's "Like Father, Like Daughter" when Teela follows He-Man and Man-at-Arms after they go to find out what's going on with Skeletor's latest plot, even those her father told her not to. Man-at-Arms is glad his daughter came along after all when she's the one who rescues him from Skeltor's latest brilliant scheme, an animal and robot lizard army.

Spent the rest of the morning putting the new ink that came from Amazon in my printer and printing out some things I badly needed, including my train tickets for vacation in two weeks, the packet from Clarifi, and my tax return. I'm nervous. I don't know how to tell Clarifi that I don't have that many expenses. I live in an attic, and I only buy clothes and toiletries when I need them, not every month. I spend way too much money per month, too, especially on food. 

Listened to CDs from my July vacation as I worked. Yellow Submarine was the last original Beatles album I didn't have before July. The Beatles may have considered enjoyable music hall-style ditties like "All Together Now" and "Hey Bulldog" to be throwaways, but I think this is one of their most fun albums. In addition to the title song "All You Need Is Love," we also have George's pointed "Only a Northern Song" and "It's All Too Much." The Songtrack CD includes all of the music from the movie. Most of it is taken from the Beatles' earlier albums, with "Nowhere Man," "Think For Yourself," "Eleanor Rigby" and "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" coming off the best. George Martin's score from the film is lovely in its own right, notably "Pepperland" and "Sea of Monsters."

The Beatles were on the verge of splitting up as the songs on AM Gold 1969 debuted. Most of these are way lighter than you'd think coming from such a troubled year. As a kid, I always thought "This Magic Moment" and "Wedding Bell Blues" were from the decade before. Broadway got on the charts with three hits from Hair, its title song by the Cowsills, "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night, and "Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver. The Supremes also had two huge hits, "Someday We'll Be Together" and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," the latter with the Temptations. Dionne Warwick gets more romantic with "This Girl's In Love With You."

Ate a quick peanut butter and jelly lunch, then hurried out to Thomas Sharp. Fortunately, I got there in plenty of time. We had 20 younger kids today, 7 at my table again. The kids were fine in the bathroom, but things got a little crazier after lunch. For one thing, it was past 4:30 before any of them went outside. It was just too hot and humid for them to be running around. For another, they were there when the older kids were eating lunch in the cafeteria, which means everyone was yelling at once. I did read three different stories (and sang the lyrics to "Zip-E-Dee-Do-Dah" and "How Much Is That Doggie In the Window" in a Disney Princess board book) to two girls who kept holding each other rather tightly.

Things calmed down a bit when the older kids did go out on the blacktop. The younger kids didn't join them until past 4:30, when there were only five left. (And one stayed inside to read.) I had a wonderful time hopping from one number in a colored circle to another, following a very funny little girl across the board as boys shot hoops behind us. I was too hot and tired to chase her across the blacktop, though! In fact, they were just taking the last of the older kids inside when I left; the last younger kid went home when I did. I wonder if they should have gone inside a lot earlier. The older kids kept coming inside to fill their water bottles, and their faces were red as tomatoes.

Settled down with the second half of The Price Is Right when I got home. I arrived just in time to see a woman win at Penny Ante. I think she only used one giant penny. She also won the Showcase Showdown and made it to the Showcases. These Showcases were kind of on the chintzy side for Price. The story Showcase (about the other models trying to help Dian with her headache) ended with the girls taking Dian on a Mediterranean cruise. The big prize on the non-story showcase was a snow mobile.

Match Game '76 was a lot more fun during dinner. Gary Burghoff is joined by two hilariously crusty older character actresses this week, Mary Wickes and Betty White. Richard was happier to help a very sweet Asian student win money for her education.

Finished the night with High School Hero at Tubi. I go further into this school-set B-comedy about teens trying to give their school football team a boost at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Back to School Again - High School Hero

Hot Weather Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear Sing a Song" has Little Bear and all of his friends singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." After they exhaust that, they make up their own song with very silly lyrics until Mother Bear calls Little Bear to bed. They want to build "A House For Mitzi" in the treetops, but Mitzi would rather sleep in the branches. "Up a Tree" has monkey Mitzi teaching Little Bear the fine art of tree-climbing and jumping into fall leaves.

Called Uber next. Today was my first double shift of the school year, and my heel simply wasn't up to three long rides. Fortunately, no trouble with my rides. The one going to work came in 10 minutes and got me there literally with no time to spare. The one going to Thomas Sharp came in 8 minutes. I had a harder time getting a ride home from Thomas Sharp at rush hour, but they eventually came in 10 minutes as well.

The Acme was dead as a doornail for almost the entire morning. Once we get past Labor Day and the kids go back to school, the only thing going on until mid-October is Eagles football on Sundays. One of the managers did fuss at me to try to figure out how to make the women's bathroom smell better. This may be nearly impossible. It's a bathroom with no ventilation in a 60's era building. I sprayed it with Glade and hoped for the best. Otherwise, I spent the day just sweeping and putting cold items away and gathering the few carts. It was finally starting to pick up just as I left.

Changed shirts quickly, then went around the corner to Applebee's. I hadn't eaten at the one near the Acme in ages. They were even quieter than the Acme when I arrived, despite it being just past 1. I think I saw a few people eating on the other side of the room, closer to the bar. I got a cheeseburger, salty fries, and Diet Pepsi as part of a $10.99 lunch offer where you could buy certain items with fries or bread sticks and a soda for a fixed price. 

After lunch, I quickly returned to the Acme. Needed to use the bathroom, and I forgot to bring a snack to eat with the kids. Grabbed mouthwash, too. Perodontax was on sale. Called Uber a little early. I just sat at the tiny circle garden outside of the school before it was time to join them.

On one hand, we were a lot busier. There were 20 younger kids all together, 7 at my table. I only had trouble in the bathroom with that one pokey girl again. We didn't give them much chance to misbehave in the cafeteria after snack time. We ended up taking them out early, but...that might have been a mistake. It was dry and sunny but much hotter, in the upper 80's. They spent most of the time looking for ladybugs under the shady tree and begging to ride the swings, then arguing when they got on them. It's probably just as well that we decided it was too hot to keep them out and brought them in early.

I think they actually had more fun inside. The head teacher cut out apples, leaves, and stems. They glued the leaves and stems on the apples, then colored them any way they wanted. There was even cut-out shapes and feathers to decorate them with. Some kids just colored a red apple. Some made rainbow apples. Some forwent the coloring and covered them in bits of tissue paper and cut-out hearts and stars and feathers. Even I got to join in. My apple was a rainbow of fall colors - red, red-orange, orange, yellow. I glued the little heart and star cut-outs on the border.

When I got home, I went right into The Price Is Right. A young lady and a sailor had made it to some peculiar Showcases. The "regular" showcase started off with the usual furniture, but ended with a car, rare for the non-story Showcases. The models as "Prize Busters" turning Johnny Olsen's ugly old furniture into a lavish TV and couch and his house into a brand-new trailer puts this episode firmly in late '84-early 85. 

Match Game '76 got even goofier. Scoey Mitchelll spent the week encouraging and ogling a pretty, plump contestant. At one point, he even got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of a round. He returned riding on the turntable before the Audience Match! He also pointed out to the audience when they booed him that he could be doing much worse things with his time. 

Switched to Hart to Hart after dinner. Jennifer gets caught up in "The Shooting" when a very particular British commercials director insists on her being the perfect model for his latest opus. She objects at first, but enjoys being the center of attention...until the casting director is killed and a model who resembled Jennifer is nearly run over. Jonathan is the one who discovers that a man Jennifer put in prison is out for blood, and isn't adverse to blowing up the entire production if it'll take out Jennifer, too. 

Moved to Let's Pretend next. "The Six Swans" is pretty much a standard retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson story. "Thumbelina" gets slightly more creative. The frogs and beetles who find her in the story are replaced by bumblebees in the version on the cassette - I guess bees come across better on radio than frogs or beetles. The rest of the story goes as usual. (Although I never did like how quick Thumbelina is to throw off her name or the woman who raised her.) 

Finished the night with a few Hungarian Folk Tales at YouTube. A young girl will buy "The Cursed Castle" if she can make enough money after a year. She gets help from a friendly black cat who is definitely not what he seems. "Martin and the Cursed Princess" is "The Enchanted Frog or Cat" elsewhere, up to and including him working for the frog for three years and her giving him beautiful clothes and embroidery. "A Talking Vine, a Smiling Apple, and a Jingling, Tingling Peach" is a variation on "The Singing, Springing Lark." This time, it's the title objects that a father cannot find for his daughter and a pig who insists on marrying her. As with "The Cursed Castle," this little piggy is a lot more pleasant than what he seems.

All Quiet On the Oaklyn Front

Started off the morning with breakfast and Monchhichis. Moncho and the others visit "Cloud City" when it arrives over Monchia and won't stop raining. An old magician friend of Wizzar's was accused of stealing the magical key that drives Cloudy City and produces its weather. The real thief is the owl king's buzzard prime minister, but he keeps saying everyone else did it. The Monchhichis have to rescue their magician friend, then find the key and convince the king that they're no thieves.

Headed out on my bike after Monchhichis ended. It was a gorgeous day for a ride up to Haddon Heights. I did have to dodge some sidewalk and street repair in between Audubon and Haddon Heights, but otherwise, it was a lovely ride. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It remains sunny, breezy, and dry, probably in the lower 80's. 

My first stop was the Haddon Heights Library. I've been there a few times, but I've never really explored them for very long. Their non-fiction books are in a loft-like area upstairs. I found a book written in 1991 on the Broadway musicals of the previous decade, including long-forgotten flops like Tintypes, Rags, and Dance a Little Closer. 

I dug up another Images of America book in the history section that proved to be even more interesting. I didn't know the Coast Guard base at Cape May went so far back. It started as a Naval base during World War I and would be one again in World War II. In between, the Coast Guard used it to catch rum runners and train recruits. In fact, Cape May is the recruit training ground for new Coast Guard trainees. No wonder I have fond childhood memories of seeing young guys in Coast Guard sweatsuits jogging down Ocean Avenue, past the Beach Theater, chanting sea shanties as they followed their sergeant. (The houses where most of my friends on the base in the 80's lived are brand new, though. In fact, they'd just been built when my friends moved into them.) 

I had lunch a block down the street at Ralph's Pizza. I made it there just in time. I no sooner ordered a brownie, an unsweetened iced tea, and two mini stromboli (pepperoni and cheese steak), than a pack of elementary school-age boys came barreling in behind me. All six of them managed to slide into one booth with their pizza while I enjoyed my meal at a smaller one. Honestly, far from being offensive, they were really funny (other than they did block the sidewalk with their bikes as I was trying to leave).

Stopped at the big CVS down the White Horse Pike on my way home. They didn't have the Listerine Gum Protection mouth wash that I wanted. I had more luck buying those Nature's Valley vitamins buy one, get one, and bags of small toys for my Trick-or-Treat Mystery Bags next month. 

There was a package waiting for me when I got home. I ordered one of those Radio Spirits clamshell sets of a specific old-time radio show from the 90's on eBay, in this case Let's Pretend. I know it's a kids' show, but it does retell fairy tales that don't often turn up elsewhere, like "The Yellow Dwarf," "Princess Moonbeam," and "The Donkey, the Table, and the Stick." I started off with something better-known. Their version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" starts off pretty normal, with a slightly older Jack climbing that stalk and taking his father's hen and gold back from the giant. Where this one diverges is in the end. Jack has to rescue kid cousins of his who were taken by the giant, too. 

Headed off to Thomas Sharp after "Jack" ended. We all started off in the library, due to the first music class of the year in the cafeteria. This time, we had 19 younger kids, 6 at what would normally have been my table. Other than one young lady being pokey, I had no trouble with them in the bathroom. In fact, it ended up being a rather pleasant afternoon. They drew on a paper taped to a table and played with Barbies and magnetic tiles after lunch, then went outside. I was able to get them to wait long enough this time that there was less arguing about the swings. They all took their turns while running around and dancing to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2 and songs from The Lion King, Encanto, Trolls, Moana, and Frozen 2. 

When we got back inside, the remaining five kids had new toys to play with. The older kids came in from the blacktop as they set up atom-shaped building toys and plastic farm animals with a fenced enclosure, a tractor, and hay. There were only two younger kids and five older kids left by the time I went home, and one of the younger kids headed out at the same time I did.

Took a shower when I got home, then had dinner while watching Match Game '76. Tonight finished out the week with Dick Gautier, Fannie Flagg, and Della Reece. There was a lot of joking about Dick's artwork on his cards, including a really nice caricature of the champ he gave to her. Fannie's attempt at artwork wasn't quite that...developed. There was also Richard hugging another contestant after she won and refusing to let go, even when Gene tried to separate them.

Moved to the final three episodes of Remember WENN next. Gertie's writing again in "The Sunset Also Rises." This time, it's a TV script about a fading radio star (Hilary) who wants a writer (Scott) to create one last big show for her...but the others butt in with their own ideas. Hilary would rather play the ingenue, Eugenia and Mr. Eldridge think they'd make great divas, and Victor...is there, too.

"At Cross Purposes" starts with a woman walking in...who turns out to be Jeff in costume for Charley's Aunt. Jeff's outfit ends up inspiring everyone at the station to jump into drag in order to avoid process server Cribby Menlow (Ray Ianncelli), who has marriage papers for Jeff and is familiar with Scott and Maple, too. It's newsgirl Betty, however, who runs in with the real "big, big news" - Pearl Harbor was bombed. The US has just entered World War II.

Which takes us into the series finale "All Noisy On the Pittsburgh Front." Victor claims there's a "captain" coming to take care of military business at WENN, but it's not likely to be the lunatic in camouflage gear (J.K Simmons) who thinks he's Amazon Andy. Scott, who has enlisted, and Victor get Betty up against the wall about who she really loves, Eugenia asks Mr. Foley to marry her, and Hilary claims she's married to someone else...

And that, sadly, is that. The show was supposed to get a fifth and final season, but was canceled instead when the new head of AMC wanted to focus on movies instead. The abrupt ending of the series still hurts, even after 30 years. At least AMC is acknowledging its existence now. It can be found in full on AMC Plus. The first two seasons are free on Plex, and most of the first two seasons and a few scattered episodes of the fourth are currently on the Internet Archive. Even with the truncated ending and off-and-on 4th season, I still recommend this for fans of period shows or sitcoms that go way outside the box. 

Finished the night with I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat. Surprisingly, the Looney Tunes songs are actually really good. The title song, as you can guess, is on Sylvester and Tweety's relationship. "Daffy's Rhapsody" shows how he feels about being the resident miser and oddball. "Yosemite Sam" tells us why he loves his guns and chasing after Bugs. "That's All Folks" is a charming ballad for Petunia Pig as she wishes Porky would pay more attention to her. Too bad the other side is given over to songs about Bozo the Clown, whom I have no interest in whatsoever, and frankly gets annoying. The Tunes' numbers are honestly pretty fun, especially Porky and Petunia's sweet "That's All" number. 

Labor Day Games

Started off the morning with the Labor Day material in my Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. The longest piece is a biography of Samuel Gumpters, the long-time head of the labor union movement in the US. We also had poems on working and jobs, including "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman and "The Village Smithy" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

Switched to Paw Patrol during breakfast in honor of those first-responders who have to work this Labor Day. "Pups Save a Giant Plant" when Mayor Goodway brings a Venus Fly Trap to the swamp and plants it in what she thinks is a nice spot. She's less thrilled when it grows to six times its original size and tries to eat her beloved pet chicken Chickaletta. The Pups have to figure out where it really belongs in the swamp. The "Pups Get Stuck" when Marshall seems to magnetically pick up metal items all over Adventure Bay. The others put the items back and try to figure out what's going on here.

It was so late by the time the episode ended, I just called Uber. Think I did the right thing. The one going to work arrived in 7 minutes and got me there on time with literally no time to spare. The one going home came in 8 minutes. No trouble either way.

Work was a lot busier. I suspect people who would normally shopped when they got their beginning-of-the-month money last week saved it for the holiday weekend instead. Not only did I have a hard time keeping up with the carts, but this time, I was totally alone. Almost every other bagger had the holiday off, including the head bagger. At least the weather remains gorgeous for all the running around. It's still sunny, warm, breezy, and not humid at all. Pushing carts was a pleasure before it got really crazy later in the morning.

Soon as I got home, I went right down for a nap. I was up way too late for the last two evenings. Passed out at 2:30 and didn't get up until almost 4:30. 

I read Sonnet of the Sphinx in bed for a little while, then went out to Dollar General. I had those two boxes of Chocolate Fudge pudding I picked up at the Acme for 70 cents a while back and had been wanting to do something with them. I couldn't remember the last time I made a pudding pie. Bought milk and a graham cracker crust, along with the Nature's Valley wafer bars (they're much cheaper at Dollar General)...but of course, I forgot the Cool Whip. The other reason I went out was, of course, to enjoy the stunning day. It was still beautiful at 5 PM, probably in the lower 80's, not a cloud in the perfect bright blue sky.

Didn't have as much luck with the pie. I added cocoa and topped it with chocolate fudge sauce, but...I didn't have enough milk. It ended up being kind of gloppy. At least it was edible and set up pretty well. 

Watched Remember WENN after I got back upstairs. Considering the holiday, it's rather appropriate that I began with one of my favorite fourth season episodes, "Work Shift." Smarmy self-help guru Arden Sage (Greg Germann) arrives at the station and dares the staff to walk in each other's shoes for a day. That works about as well as can be expected. Hilary can't handle the switchboard, Maple can't type, Betty can't play the organ, and Mr. Eldridge and Gertie aren't actors. They finally all learn that the station works best when everyone does what they do best...like take down obnoxious self-help gurus. (If nothing else, this episode finally ends the running gag with what Mr. Eldridge does at the station. He's the janitor and go-fer who makes the coffee and does all the little chores no one else has the time or inclination to do.)

Betty tells Maple and Scott about her first day at WENN in "Past Tense, Future Imperfect" as she tries to explain her relationship with Victor. Victor did explain to her the rules of radio writing, but his tendency to sound like he swallowed a dictionary made Betty think he was in love with her. The others all think she's after every other man at the station.

Moved to Buzzr for Match Game '76 next. Richard Dawson and Ed Asner were not happy to meet Lyle, a go-getting contestant from Las Vegas with a smarmy attitude and the worst toupee this side of Howard Cossell. Thankfully, Lyle didn't continue too far into the next week with Dick Gautier, Della Reece, and Fannie Flagg.

Finished the night at YouTube with vintage dance shows and talent competitions. Most people think of long, drawn-out reality show competitions like Dance With the Stars when they think of talent shows nowadays, but that wasn't always the case. Judge for Yourself from 1953 was a much simpler affair. Fred Allen (who frankly seems a bit out of place) is the host as three expert judges (one is songwriter Jules Styne) decide which of three acts is worthy of the big prize. First of all, although the dancers here were great, my favorites were the duo who actually made the harmonica sound elegant and beautiful. Second, this early effort would be one of the templates for pretty much every show I mention here with celebrity judges. (Look for the introduction by Orson Bean.)

The Gong Show made fun of such amateur contests in the 70's and early 80's. I actually went with one of the less-outrageous episodes from 1977. The country singers won here, but I thought the guy doing an amazing routine to "Ease On Down the Road" from The Wiz was even better. I can understand why the guy doing the flamenco cape dance got gonged (he was pretty stiff), but not the Elvis impersonators (they were a lot of fun). 

Your All-American College Show from 1968 and Dance 360 from 2004 are two variations on the same theme - young people strutting their stuff and winning money for it. College Show has college students showing off their singing and dancing talents for money. With Dance 360, the focus is on hip-hop dancing. College Show lasted two years, slightly longer than the one-year-wonder Dance 360, but both would produce stars that are still relatively well-known today. Karen Carpenter and her brother Richard got some of their earliest TV exposure as the winners of College Show (I forgot how amazing Karen was on the drums), while dancer Caity Lutz, who would later appear in the Bring It On films, won Dance 360 . 

My sisters and I loved Dance Fever when we were kids. This long-running dance show started out as a disco dance competition, which is evident in this 1981 episode. By the time we were watching around 1985, it had branched into other forms of dance. It's pretty much a prototype Dance With the Stars, only here, the stars are just judges, rather than dancers. Eddie Mecca (himself a dancer in real-life), Scatman Crothers, and Jane Sawyer are the judges, with Danny Terrio as the first host.

Dance and talent competitions aren't limited to long-form shows. Dance Battle America was a one-off special that appeared after the season 21 premier of Dance With the Stars in 2015. Judges Alfonso Ribiera and Jordyn Sparks each picked four groups who danced against each other in goofy choreographed numbers. Personally, I liked the older ladies and admired their moxie for just making it and the hilarious trio who called themselves "Dancing Feet" and included a big guy myself. In fact, the dancers had so much fun, and Riberia and Sparks so clearly enjoyed showing them off, I wish this had made it to a series. Everyone really had a great time here, and the numbers are infectiously adorable. 

Dance your way into the fall with these delightful episodes that showcase the best and worst of five decades of amateur performance on TV!

Judge For Yourself (1953)

Your All-American College Show (1968)

The Gong Show (1977)

Dance Fever (1981)

Dance 360 (2004)

Dance Battle America (2015)

Ring-a-Ding-Ding Matches

Started the morning with breakfast and Doo-Bop. This jazz-hip-hop-R&B fusion would be the last Davis album released during his lifetime. In fact, "Fantasy" and "High Speed Chase" were recorded with unused trumpet solos after he died. Davis wanted to capture the sounds of the streets he heard from his New York apartment. This must have mostly been electronica and rap, since these songs definitely have rap beats to them. This album is very, very 1991, and to be fully honest, it hasn't aged that well. Some of the songs aren't bad - I liked "Chocolate Chip" and "The Doo Bop Song" - but mostly, they just sound alike.

Didn't even finish the album before I headed to work. Work was...kind of boring. There were two other college-age baggers there who did everything inside and a lot outside. That didn't leave me with a lot of cars to push. At least it was a gorgeous day for it. It was even nicer than yesterday, sunny, bright, breezy, and dry as can be. It had been busy off and on all day and was just starting to pick up when I finished.

Changed into a regular shirt, then headed across Audubon to the Legacy Diner. It was almost 2 PM at this point, and they surprisingly weren't that busy. I enjoyed my three enormous coconut-pineapple pancakes and crispy bacon. In fact, the pancakes, tasty though they were, were also a little too big. I didn't end up finishing them.

Stopped at the Oaklyn WaWa on the way home. They just rolled out their fall flavors, including their basic pumpkin spice smoothie. In all honesty, it tasted more like spices than pumpkin. It was also cold and wet, which is what I really cared about after riding across Audubon and down the White Horse Pike.

The Match Game marathon had just begun when I got home. I spent the rest of the evening having dinner and watching Jerry Lewis and the Rat Pack on various game shows, Match Game included. Jerry Lewis' famous Labor Day Weekend telethon wasn't the only TV show he appeared on. He turned up on an early episode of What's My Line as a member of the panel...and needless to say, that episode was hilarious and especially wild for that show. Frank Sinatra was the first of two guests on a Line episode from a decade later...because the other Mystery Guest was his then-wife Mia Farrow, just after making Rosemary's Baby from her super-short hair. 

That wasn't the only game show the Rat Pack turned up on. Password was so wildly popular in the early 60's, even members of the Rat Pack wanted to play. Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis Jr. played Polly Bergen and Janet Blair in a black and white episode...and to the ladies' chagrin, the boys mopped the floor with them. Lawford proved to be such a great player, he joined the equally good Carol Burnett for a "Tournament of Champions" in a later color episode from 1966. 

Richard Dawson was friendly with several members of the Rat Pack, especially Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy appeared at the start of a classic 1978 episode of Family Feud, and even got to host a question. I don't know who had more fun, the contestants, Sammy asking the questions, or Richard laughing hard as he watched his friend's antics.

Cranky Joey Bishop was the only member of the Rat Pack to appear on Match Game. I'm not entirely sure how much he understood the humor, but he did seem to play well enough. He was less appreciative of the audience and their perpetual booing. He claimed one guy in the audience booing him kept moving around. Most of the Rat Pack references on Match Game involved Dean Martin and his perpetual drinking spree. Even Foster Brooks made a comment on it during his first episode. Charles Nelson Reilly, who worked with him for years, was quick to point out that he'd cut down by the time of the late 70's. 

Celebrate Labor Day playing games with the members of the Rat Pack and remembering Jerry Lewis and his long-running telethon in these classic episodes!

Game Show Sunday Classics - Jerry Lewis & the Rat Pack Marathon

The Password Is "Legend"

Started the morning with breakfast and Mckey Mouse Clubhouse. The gang is excited about a "Masquerade Party" being held at the club house. Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, and Donald have to find what happened to knight Goofy's boot, then help Pete decide on a costume.

Called Uber after that. No trouble here! In fact, the one going to work arrived in 4 minutes. The one going home came in 8. I got to work on time, and there was no trouble whatsoever.

No major trouble at work, either. I spent most of the day pushing carts, except for the one hour I was supposed to be cleaning the women's bathroom. Trouble is, that room isn't ventilated. It's never going to smell like roses, no matter how hard you scrub. They wanted me to mop the floor, but then everyone walks on it and leaves dirty footprints, and it ends up messy anyway. I did better outside. It was too nice to be inside, anyway. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for early September. It was sunny, breezy, and in the upper 70's, not a hint of humidity in sight.

Went straight home after work. Today's game show marathon started on YouTube shortly after I arrived and changed. (Had dinner later in the evening.) Though Dolly Parton was really only mentioned once on Password Plus as the subject of a Password, Match Game Productions dug around for references to other things associated with her, like butterflies, pink, and charity work. For Password Plus, there were references on one of the episodes from the 1979 holiday week featuring Bert Convy and Carol Burnett (when the latter wiped the floor with the former) and in at least three different weeks featuring Dick Gautier. There was one during the hilarious week where Betty White played Sue Ann Nivens around Richard Pine's CHIps cop and Denver Pyle's Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazzard and the episode where Betty White proudly got to model the very first Password Plus jacket. 

Super Password had somewhat fewer references. One did turn up on the very first day of the show, with Pat Sajak and Gloria Loring. There was the time when for once, it was a technical problem with the board and not Bert that inadvertently gave the answer away. There was also one during the only week Charles Nelson Reilly played, joining Abby Dalton. They also had references on all-star weeks, notably the one with Harry Anderson, John Ratzenberger, and soap stars Emma Samms and Jack Coleman. 

The password is...Dolly! Say the word and celebrate everything about one of the most beloved country stars of all time in these all-stars, all-hilarious episodes!

Password Saturday Classics - Dolly Pardon- Password Plus and Super Password

Oh, and I bought my train tickets tonight. I'll be on vacation from September 26th through October 4th. Yes, I'll bring my laptop and will be updating the blog then (though I will take a break from the Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog). 

Hot Day On the Swings

Started the morning with breakfast and more of the Monchhichis. Thumkii accidentally cracks one of the "Jingle Pods" used in the Happy Works after he gets caught in the pipes. Moncho and Kyla have been arguing over who is in charge after Wizzar goes on vacation, and it does them no favors when they use his magic to retrieve a pod, only to be captured by moving musical notes who are the land's guards. Moncho and Kyla finally figure out how to work together when they have to save Thumkii and the prince of Harmony.

Spent the rest of the morning listening to A Bing Crosby Collection, Volume 1. According to the back of the album, these are songs recorded from 1928 through 1932 that either hadn't been released at all or were wildly out of print by the time this record came out in 1978. It's interesting how often the liner notes complain about pretty songs like "With Summer Coming On" and "Rose of Mandalay" being old-fashioned and banal. Maybe they were in the disco era, but nowadays, they sound charming. Some of these songs, like "Lazy Day," "I Found You," and an otherwise-lovely "Love Me Tonight" have major sound problems that are acknowledged on the back of the album. "Waiting at the End of the Road" and "You're Still In My Heart" sound better. We even get what amounts to comedy recording, Bing laughing in the background of one of those "smile and go on" numbers of the early Depression, "We're a Couple of Soldiers."

Rushed out at noon. It was too late to eat lunch out, so I stopped at Speedy Mart and bought an enormous blueberry muffin and an apple. Got bagels for lunch this weekend there, too. I just made it there in time. I was grabbing my apple just as a big group of teenagers out of Collingswood High School down the street arrived looking for snacks. I bought my lunch and the bagels and rushed out, arriving at Thomas Sharp just in time.

We had the same amount of kids today, 12, but this time, we started with 7 older kids and five younger ones. I spent a lot of the afternoon reading books in the after-school program's book bins and the Muppet Babies fairy tale book I bought in Philadelphia during vacation to two enthralled little misses. One of the girls did request we skip "Little Red Riding Hood" because the wolf scared her, even though I showed her that Piggy and her granny were ok in the end. Otherwise, they both loved it.

We still had all 12 kids when we went outside this time. On one hand, I could understand why the wanted to take the kids out earlier. It was a gorgeous day. Sunny, hot, and humid, but not to the degree of yesterday. On the other hand, there were too many of them to go on the swings right away...and most of them weren't happy about that. They asked us "can we go on?" every five minutes until we let them on. And then, all they did was argue. There's only two swings, and they're very popular. At least they all got on at least once before we all went back in. I drew with one of the little girls on a sheet of paper taped to a table in the cafeteria. By the time they let me go at quarter after 3, there was one younger kid left and five older ones.

I rode across Newton Lake Park, down Lees Lane and across Cuthbert to Westmont Plaza. Started this week's grocery shopping at Sprouts. In all honesty, I didn't really need much there or at the Westmont Acme. Picked up oat milk, buy-one, get-one soda, and half-price bakery vegan chocolate chip caramel cookies at Sprouts. I didn't like the price on their shredded chicken, so I thought I'd try sliced turkey steaks instead. Restocked yogurt, tuna, granola bars, and granola at the Acme. I had online coupons for grapes and apples, and Olipop soda was on a really good sale. They still have slices of that "patriotic" red, white, and blue cake left from the big 4th of July celebrations on clearance, too. 

Cut through Newton Lake Park going home. Everything is so fresh and green! The path over the hill to the Haddon Township Environmental Center smells so wonderfully earthy. The woods were dark, with cool breezes rustling through the deep green leaves. The rain has really done the grass and trees some good. I was just glad it wasn't so dry anymore, even if the ground under me was a bit muddy.

Ran the second half of The Price Is Right on Buzzr while I put everything away. Started off with a college girl who claimed she didn't know anything about The Clock Game, but won her two prizes in excellent time anyway. Likewise, the lady after her kept getting the rules wrong in The Race Game, but she still won all four prizes on her second try. The third lady didn't have nearly as much luck with Plinko. She only managed 100 dollars. The generic Showcase had trips to England, India, and Japan and a fancy globe. The "story" Showcase let Professor Johnny Olsen go back in time to show flapper Janice how a stereo was an improvement on a Victrola, and a sports car could outrun any gangster! Janice must have really gotten into being a flapper. She kept doing the Charleston to the Dixieland music, even as the credits ran.

Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, slightly more hours next week. Bad news, I work on Labor Day...and I work more hours than I should be. I'm supposed to only work 9 to 1 on weekdays. They have me at 9 to 2. I need to remind them that I can't always do that. 

Let it continue into Match Game '76. Bert Convy, Patty Duke Astin, and Fannie Flagg joined in for the entire two hours. Charles brought the pregnant contestant a suitcase after she won the Head-to-Head a third time, "just in case something happened." Bert kept trying to kiss and hug the contestants, even when he wasn't the one giving answers on the Audience Match.

Finished the night with more fourth season Remember WENN. "The Follies of WENN" is the burlesque show Scott puts on when a friend of his offers him $1,000 to stage a girlie show on a Sunday. The station intends to use the money to save Mr. Winthrop's (the nervous sponsor from the first season) school. Meanwhile, Betty and Maple want rooms in the new wing of the boarding house where Betty lives, but they're both afraid that the people who run it won't approve of their jobs...until the head chairman (Mickey Rooney) claims he wants to take the show to Broadway!

The station may be heading for a "Pratfall" when they're nominated for 16 Golden Lobe Awards, Pittsburgh's prestigious radio award. Eugenia tries for truth in radio and actually work out during her exercise program, while Scott looks for a letter from Victor and Hilary tries to butter up the others when she finds out someone at the station is in charge of the nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Trophy.