Busy Time In the Late Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. Ladybird uses powers gained from another meteor fragment to control huge, shiny dog statues in the museum. "Mighty Pups, Super Paws: Pups and the Big Twin Trick" has Ella making use of her ability to become huge to make Ladybird think she's a statue, too. Mayor Humdinger turns into the Incredible Hum-Hulk when he finds a meteor fragment. Having terrified the Kitty Catastrophe Crew, he chases every cat in town, including two big snow tigers. "Mighty Pups, Super Paws: Pups and the Mega Mayor" have to rescue the cats, round up the Kitty Catastrophe Crew, and bring this Hum-Hulk back down to size.

Switched briefly to Password Plus on Buzzr while I made my grocery list. As part of their Game Show Month marathon, they're running the remaining existing episodes with Tom Kennedy hosting from 1981 and 1982. The one I saw before I left was the week with Fred Grandy and Edie McClurg. 

Headed out to run errands next, despite the heavy heat, humidity, and bright sunshine. The reason I took the bike was so I could hit Collingswood Family Practice first. They had paperwork for Healthy Kids I had to sign. Signed the paper, put it in my backpack, and was on my way.

Next up was the Westmont Acme for this week's grocery trip there. Restocked blueberries, yogurt, soda, granola, and granola bars. Had a really good online coupon for sliced Swiss cheese. Since I had time, I headed up the hill to Sprouts after I finished at the Acme. Got dried mango slices, peanut butter cookies that were on clearance, diet sodas that weren't too expensive, and a delicious tuna salad with herbs and cucumbers sandwich on a multi-grain baguette. Thought I'd try oat milk and a bag of buckwheat pancakes mix that was on the clearance rack. I thought about checking out Target, but Haddon Township's schools are already on half-days. The bike rack was filled with kids' bikes. Not to mention, I didn't have the time. I just rode home after I finished at Sprouts.

Put everything away, then had a quick lunch while returning to Password Plus. By the time I got home, they'd moved on to the week with Lucille Ball and Dick Martin. Lucy's a good player. Dick wasn't, but he can be pretty funny and good-natured about it. They were just starting the late 2000's Drew Carey Price Is Right when I called Uber. I nearly sweated to death riding around this morning! Prioritized the one going to Thomas Sharp. It came in 8 minutes. The one going home arrived in 11, not bad for the height of rush hour.

(Got my schedule while at home, too. I had to take four days off for half-days at Thomas Sharp next week. Good thing I made two of those four days vacation days. The only day I actually work next week is Sunday. I'll probably make more money than if I did work.)

Despite starting with no tables in the cafeteria again, things largely went better today than it did yesterday. For one thing, we had 19 kids all together, 8 in my group. They were a little rowdy in the bathroom, but not bad. For another, we never left the cafeteria. The older kids did go outside, but the younger ones didn't. There was no fussing over who colored what. I was able to read one of the little girls Hop On Pop and build colorful Duplo towers with some of the boys. They did bring the older kids in, but they were so noisy, they ended up taking them and the remaining three younger kids back outside. (One boy and his brother left when I did.) The kids were lucky they ended up postponing the Blacktop Bash until next Thursday due to the heat, or they wouldn't have been going out at all.

Put on the Bob Barker Price Is Right when I got home and got organized. I was there in time for the Showcase Showdown, and then the Showcases themselves. One with a crossword puzzle theme came out with trips. The other had a car. The lady with the car ended up getting a whole lot of prizes.

Switched to Match Game '74 next. They finished out the Michael Evans week in the first hour. Richard Dawson spent that week caught between sweetly goofy Joyce Bulifant and Fannie Flagg's whimsical southern witticisms. For some reason, the second hour jumped back to the Arte Johnson-Michelle Lee week that they just ran, so I went elsewhere.

Went to YouTube for more Swamp Fox. As in real life, the American Revolution pits "Brother Against Brother" as those loyal to the king burns the homes and land of residents who want independence. One of the few homes not burned is the stately dwelling belonging to Mary Videux (Joy Page) and her family. Marion's men are ready to burn her home, but her reminds them that two wrongs most definitely do not make a right. Mary assures them that she's on their side, no matter what her parents say, and she can pass information to them. She's the one who tells them that the English will be transferring prisoners, and how to rescue them...

Finished the night at Disney Plus with another type of swashbuckling American hero, Zorro. "Zorro Rides to the Mission" to stop its owner from selling out to the greedy Captain Monastario. Don Diego Vega tries to talk to him...but it's not until he sees him abusing the Native American workers that Zorro swings into action!

Hot Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Cat's Short Cut" proves to be anything but when Little Bear and Owl keep on getting lost and running into strange creatures on the path. "Little Bear's Bad Day" has him breaking his favorite toy boat and spilling everything in sight, but Father Bear reminds him that he's not the only one having trouble. "Captain Little Bear" leads his pretend pirate friends to the Lost Island, where they uncover a treasure. They lose the treasure when the boat fills up with water, but Little Bear does manage to keep one bit of it for Duck.

Spent the next hour and a half making the bed, changing the sheets, putting the summer sheets and quilt on the bed, and watching Hearts Beat Loud. I go further into this charming indie musical about a father who wants to form a songwriting duo with his college daughter at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Father's Day! - Hearts Beat Loud

Switched to Paw Patrol while eating lunch and looking up questions about the law and house hunting to ask Rose. "Mighty Pups, Super Pups: Pups Save a Giant Chicken" brings back Ladybird, who regains her powers after snitching a piece of the meteor from the Rescue Tower. She wants to steal the extra-shiny town bell, but when Chickaletta pecks at the rock, she turns into a giant chicken! The Mighty Pups have to keep Chickaletta from wrecking havoc downtown and Ladybird from stealing the bell. "Pups Stop Harold's Deep Freeze" when he finds another meteor fragment and builds a machine that will freeze the entire town!

Since it was getting late when I called Uber, I spent a little extra to get priority. They did arrive in 7 minutes. I was right on time at the Thomas Sharp School. The driver going home surprisingly picked me up in 3 minutes during the height of the evening rush hour.

Though it was sunny when I got to school, it was also hot and incredibly sticky-humid. It was too humid for the kids to go out today. Things did not begin well. The custodians hadn't been able to put the cafeteria tables back down after gym class. After he did do that, my 8 kids were rowdy in the bathrooms. Three left without waiting for me and the others. Two of the girls messed around. I finally left them with the next teacher bringing her table.

On one hand, we only had 19 little kids all together today. On the other hand, they were noisy in the cafeteria, and even crazier in the library. I did read two of the kids in the cafeteria, and the head teacher read a book about a young boy taming his "elephants" (aka his feelings) by listening to them and whispering to them before we went in the library. They were even noisier in the library. The head teacher had just copied pictures of unicorns and KPop Demon Hunters. One of the girls cried and got very upset when she had to wait to use the black colored pencils. We're short on several colors, including black. It didn't help when the girl next to her drew on her picture. She drew on hers, they both got upset, and I got fed up with them and yelled at them. One of the girls separated herself and calmed down on her own. The other ended up sitting in the librarian's chair in tears before her mother finally arrived. The others danced to "Ghostbusters," "Try Everything" from Zootopia, and songs from KPop Demon Hunters, Descendants: The Rise of Red, and Moana 2. 

We finally got the kids back to the cafeteria around 5. I'm surprised most of them wanted to go outside. Despite some shade along the back of the blacktop, it was really hot, humid, and muggy, too much to be running around, though at least there was a nice, cool, strong wind. The boys played Monkey In the Middle and soccer anyway, while the girls talked and watched them. We were down to 3 younger kids when I left. One was on his way out just as the Uber driver picked me up to go home.

Put on The Price Is Right when I got in. Little Bear isn't the only one having a bad day. Neither of the contestants won the pricing games I saw. One contestant bid on a trip-themed Showcase. The other went for a movie themed one with a car...and alas, both just barely went over.

Things went better on Match Game '74. Most of tonight covered Charles Nelson Reilly's last week on the show before he went back to Broadway to direct a play. Brett went back and forth between claiming she'd cry the entire time he was gone and being glad he was leaving. Gary Burghoff made his debut in Charles' seat during the second hour. We also had the only week featuring Michael Evans, the original Lionel on The Jeffersons. 

Finished the night listening to one of Journey's biggest hit albums. Raised On Radio introduced the huge hits "Girl Can't Help It," "Be Good to Yourself," and the ballad "I'll Be Alright Without You." This was the definition of "power pop" when I was a kid, with chord-heavy numbers like "Once You Love Somebody," "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever," and the title song. 

(Oh, and it did finally rain...around 10:30, by which time I hope the kids were long in bed. It was a doozy, too, with buckets of rain and thunder and lightning and strong winds.)

In the Heat of Adventure

Began the morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. "The Pandawa Plague" is drugged melons that turn the monkey birds - including Niddler - into an evil pirate's slaves. Ren and the others do their best to protect the Queen and her egg and to find a way to change the others back.

Called Uber soon as the episode ended. Though it wasn't raining, it was humid and cool. I didn't trust the weather. Unfortunately, I couldn't trust Uber, either. They took almost 19 minutes to come, and I was 10 minutes late. It went better later in the day. The driver going to Thomas Sharp came in 8 minutes, the one going home in 6 minutes.

Good thing the Acme wasn't busy anyway. In fact, we were pretty quiet for most of the morning. I returned some cold items, but other than that, I swept and pushed carts. Even the carts could have been worse. It was just starting to pick up slightly when I finished. I changed, then bought Persil laundry detergent while it was still on a really good online sale and a bag of soft sugar cookies from the bakery clearance racks before heading out. 

Had lunch at Applebee's. I was too tired to hike anywhere else. They were surprisingly busy for quarter after 1 on a Wednesday. Several couples and families came in just as I did. I listened to their chatter while enjoying a juicy Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich with fries and an unsweetened iced tea. Strolled over to Sonic afterwards for a small banana milkshake. They were much quieter. Everyone must have been getting lunch in their cars and avoiding the humidity. I walked back to Acme after I finished to pick up Uber.

I'm glad I got to Thomas Sharp slightly early. We had 24 kids today, 9 at my table, and they were all excited about Stuffed Animal Day. I saw Chase the dog from Paw Patrol, the Incredible Hulk, a little blue unicorn, a much-loved white tiger, and a knitted brontosaurus who was almost bigger than his owner, among others. The kids were absolutely wild today. They messed around in the bathrooms. They wouldn't calm down in the cafeteria and kept running around and hitting each other. The boys were especially bad. They continued hitting each other even when we got them outside. I had to calm one boy when another literally kicked him in the rear and separate several fights. Those who didn't jump on each other admired the baby brother of one of the boys and danced to "I'm Still Standing," several Taylor Swift songs, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, the themes from Bluey, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and PJ Masks, and numbers from Frozen, Sing, and Moana. 

We finally ended up taking the kids inside early, not because of fighting, but because of the humidity. It wasn't that hot and there was a nice breeze, and everyone, including the kids, were still sweating to death. A few of them went back outside to play with the older kids on the blacktop, but others remained to build with "BrainFlakes," plastic flower-shaped pieces that can be pushed together. The plastic jug that held the flowers had a slit in its top reminiscent of a piggy bank or a money jar. Two of the boys played bank and slid the flowers in the slot, until I told them that, to paraphrase Hello Dolly, money was no good unless you spread it around. That finally convinced them to give some to the other kids building, too. All but one of the remaining 4 kids had finally gone back outside when I left, and that kid left when I did.

Put on The Price Is Right when I got home. I came just in time to see a woman barely win The Range Game, to her considerable shock! She was so close, the judges thought she'd lost at first. She said all she'd wanted to win was a teddy bear. There was some surprise over the Showcases, too. The first showcase revolved around video game-based prizes. The second had the models as cheerleaders who cheered the prize names. The lady continued to be lucky, just barely getting a second car.

Match Game '74 had its own excitement as I ate dinner. Alas, the final two episodes of the Kaye Stevens/Jimmie Walker week are currently missing from the Goodson-Todman Archives. They went straight into the next week, and it was a big one. Laugh-In comedian Arte Johnson appeared for the first time on the show, joined by Broadway ingenue Michelle Lee in her only week. In one episode, Richard Dawson didn't give the answer the contestant expected to "__ Canyon" on the Head-to-Head, sheepishly admitting that he was British and didn't know much about American topography. Charles Nelson Reilly was late in another episode. Head boss Mark Goodson, "the kid who owns the block" as Richard called him, sat in for him. 

(Oh, and the rain held off until around 7 PM. In fact, it poured at one point...but it was short-lived. Not only did the sun reemerge, but we had a rather lovely pink and gold sunset.)

Finished the night at YouTube with The Swamp Fox. I enjoyed Dr. Syn's tales so much last week, I decided to dig into YouTube for other Disney historical action miniseries. My sisters and I loved them when we were kids and they turned up on the Disney Channel. Rose preferred the dashing Hispanic heroes Elfago Baca and Zorro. Anny always looked forward to Texas John Slaughter. I loved Gallagher the newsboy, Dr. Syn, and The Swamp Fox. The Swamp Fox was a real life American Revolution general who turned American Robin Hood in the swamps of his native Carolinas to chase the British out of the south. Leslie Nielson may seem like an unlikely Francis Marion, but he's honestly not bad. I enjoyed "The Birth of the Swamp Fox" and will certainly dig around for the rest of the series. 

Almost Live From Oaklyn

Got a quick start today with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel and Miss Elania Put Their Things Away" when they want to go outside and play, but Elania can't find her mitten. When they come back inside, Dan can't find his toy trolley. They learn that if they put their things away where they belong, they'll be there when they need them. Likewise, "Daniel and Prince Wednesday Put Their Things Away" when Wednesday leaves the book Prince Tuesday made him outside and it gets wet.

Spent the rest of the afternoon taking down the spring decorations and putting up what I have for summer and the 4th of July. The folk art "USA" wooden angel letters, white fabric rose, and red, white, and blue tinsel garland went on the entertainment center. America Cares Bear (aka Americana Bear) went on the top of the DVD shelf with Simone the Squishmallows Lobster. The patriotic Beanie Bears sit with the other bears on top of the record crates. The new thicker bright blue tinsel garland and two of the cardboard cutouts went on and over the bedroom window. The stuffed summer flamingos and flag panting went on the children's hardbacks shelf. Hung the glittering beaded fish on the closet door. The two big red, white, and blue ribbons went on the front door and bedroom door. 

Watched cult mysteries from England and Australia while I worked and had lunch, starting with The Persuaders! "The Long Goodbye" takes Brett and Danny to Scotland, where they discover a recently-deceased scientist's formula for a cheap synthetic fuel is missing. While Danny keeps ending up in the clutches of a group that's after the fuel, Britt tries to figure out which lovely lady is the real heir to the formula.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries jumps overseas to Australia and from the 1970's to the 1920's for "The Green Mill Murder." Phryne Fisher is dancing at the local nightclub The Green Mill when one of the dancers dies on the floor. The sweet young man she was dancing with is accused of the crime. Turns out the victim was blackmailing just about every single person at the club, from the young man to his mother to the club's singer and her musician husband. Phyrne and her assistant Dot have to figure out who was fed up enough with the blackmail to kill over it.

Headed to Thomas Sharp School after the shows ended. Thankfully, despite a chaotic beginning in the library, things didn't go too badly. We only had 21 kids overall, 8 in my group. Other than the girls being annoyingly giggly in the bathrooms, there weren't any major problems. I think part of the reason may have been many of them got new books they bought during their big Read-a-Thon last month. I read a book about a boy who turns into a wolf in the full moon when he wears woolly underwear and another about a young girl who outwits a troll in order to save her family's farm to a couple of the kids after snack time.

They went even better outside, maybe because it was a gorgeous day. It was sunny, breezy, and in the mid-80's, not bad for early June. I didn't even have that many problems with the kids on the swings. They got into line and only fussed a little when they had to get off. The others chased each other, built mulch piles, and danced to "I'm Still Standing," "Footloose," "Pup Pup Boogie" from Paw Patrol, the theme from PJ Masks, and songs from Moana and Sing. We just took the remaining 5 kids inside to make beaded necklaces when I went home.

Took out the trash, grabbed dinner, and watched Match Game '74 when I got in. The first hour finished out the Gunilla Hutton-Richard Deacon week. The second introduced Jimmie Walker to the show and brought in sweet blonde character actress Lynda Day George and comedienne Kaye Stevens of the infamously noisy laugh. Kaye was so enamored with one handsome contestant, she literally jumped on the turntable to see him after he lost!

Finished the night at YouTube and Dailymotion with episodes of The Gong Show, which celebrates it's 50th anniversary on Sunday. Chuck Barris developed the most outrageous amateur show on TV as a spoof, with acts both talented and utterly terrible appearing side-by-side. Genuine celebrities judge the performers. If they're good (or mildly decent), they can get up to 10 points per panelists. If they're really terrible (and many were), one or more celebrities hit the gong and, thankfully, end the misery. Winners get a check for $500 and a Gong Show trophy. 

Chuck Barris had never intended to be the host, but after Gary Owens dropped out of the pilot and John Babour wanted a straight amateur format, he took over. He was a little stiff at first, but by the end of the first season, he'd warmed up to the point where he might have been the craziest performer on the show. He's fun even in the very first episode I have here. 

The Gong Show proved to be a little too provocative for network TV. Acts like the two teenagers who suggestively lick popsicles in an infamous episode from 1977 led to them being pulled off NBC by 1978. The show did better in syndication, where the wacky acts weren't any stranger than some of the people being interviewed on talk shows or seen in re-runs. The syndicated Gong Show ran until Barris finally overextended himself with the controversial 3's a Crowd and all of his shows were yanked in 1980. 

Re-runs of the The Gong Show proved to be so popular in syndication, the show returned there in 1988. It was pretty much the same idea, with a neon set and slightly better acts. The lady who could do truly amazing things with hula hoops wins for best act of the episodes I watched tonight, though the honky-tonk piano player was pretty awesome, too. DJ Don Blu proved to be slightly too bland for such a nutty show.

Game Show Network debuted Extreme Gong in 1998. The celebrity panel was replaced by viewers calling in to vote for their favorite act...which proved to be unwieldy and annoying. In fact, only one act, a decent guy with a guitar, made it to the end of the first episode. Extreme Gong was also hampered by an ugly gray set that was likely meant to be someone's ancient living room and by very annoying and hyperactive host George Gray. It barely lasted a year.

The show had a better home on Comedy Central in 2008 as The Gong Show With Dave Atwill. The neon and celebrity panel return, but this time, they give them a score of 1 to 500. Atwill was easier to take than Gray and there were some good acts, but it wasn't funny enough to last longer than a few months.

The most recent incarnation of The Gong Show turned up as a summer replacement on ABC in 2017 and 2018. Mike Myers, in his Tommy Maitland persona, was the far more appropriate host. This version not only went back to the original scoring system, it also went back to the original orange set and blocky lettering. With standards changing, even men playing the stomach of a sumo wrestler and a magician pulling a rabbit out of his stomach made it in. They weren't even gonged. It was still a lot of fun, though not enough to last longer than two seasons. 

Celebrate 50 years of the most controversial, the most outrageous, and the most unique performances ever on the air (and that's just the hosts) in the wackiest talent show to ever feature ordinary folks who dared to call themselves "amateur."

The Gong Show Premiere (1976)

The Gong Show (1977)

The Gong Show Syndicated (1988)

Extreme Gong Premiere (1998)

The Gong Show With David Atwill (2008)

The Gong Show (2017)

The New Doctor Is In

Began the morning with Shirt Tales. The "Nearsighted Bear" is a circus performer who refuses to wear his glasses...until the Shirt Tales rescue him when he tries to run away and bounces all over town. The mysterious villain the Hand has stolen all of the money from popular rock group the Patriots' charity tour. Big fan Rick is excited to lead "The Magical Musical Caper" to recover the money and find the Hand.

I thought I was just on time when I hurried out to my doctor's appointment...but I forgot it was at 10:20, not 10:30. I was five minutes late. They took me almost as soon as I came in. After I got my blood pressure checked (slightly high, but I hadn't taken my medicine - I needed to eat first), I talked to Dr. Lauren, my new physician. She turned out to be a round younger woman who sort of looked like my best friend Lauren. 

She checked all of the usual places, like eyes and ears, then asked me for my history. I told her about everything that had gone on this year and all of the stress I was under between the two jobs, the arthritic knee, and trying to find a condo. Yes, I can now admit to myself that I am under a lot of stress. I'm trying to do a lot, and I'm doing it on my own. She suggested therapy, but...I think I've had enough therapy. I need action and real connection, not just talk. They were busy and I had to wait a while, but they did do my blood work and confirm that I was able to work with children. After they took the needle out of my arm, I was all set to go.

I treated myself to brunch at the Westmont. I hadn't been over there for a while. I had chocolate chip pancakes with a bowl of fruit. They were very quiet, especially for lunch hour, with only one or two other pairs of friends chatting in booths. The pancakes were excellent, even if the chocolate chips were on top of the pancakes, rather than in them. The fruit was sliced pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, and strawberries in a bowl, and as such wasn't bad. Had real unsweetened iced tea to wash it all down.

Went straight home and into The Rockford Files. Rockford is hired by a snobbish young millionaire (James Woods) to find out who killed his father in "The Kirkoff Case." The police think the young man did it. So does the father's gold-digging mistress (Julie Sommars). Even Rockford's beginning to wonder after the head of the local mob (Abe Vigoda) claims he did it, too.

Switched to something different while I ate a quick lunch. I found a channel on YouTube devoted to Hungarian Folk Tales, short fairy tales animated to resemble Hungarian art. They're simple but charming, and I started with one story I know from other cultures - "One Eyed, Two Eyed, Three Eyed." This is a Cinderella variant with a good sister with two eyes. Her one-eyed and three-eyed sisters are ignored by suitors, which makes them jealous. She has a goat that gives her food. When they order the goat killed, she buries the bones. She's the only one who can pick the golden apples on the tree that grows in their place, catching the eye of a handsome prince.

Headed to Thomas Sharp after the cartoon ended. I'm not the only one diving into fairy tales today. Many of the kids were dressed as kings, queens, princesses, and princes themselves. One little boy wore a full king costume, including a crown and plastic scepter. A little miss was a lovely queen in a tiara and a fluffy white and blue dress. There were two little Rapunzels, a mini Elsa in an ice-blue dress, a girl in a sundress with huge poofy sleeves, and one who just settled for a Disney Princess shirt. Some of the boys wore golden paper crowns.

Thank heavens things went much better than they did at the end of last week. For one thing, not only was the head teacher back, but one of the teachers for the older kids who was in a car accident and had been out since spring break had fully recovered, too. We had 22 kids, 11 at my table. I read a Sesame Street board book, a Cars Golden book about Mater and Lightning McQueen, and Emma In Charge, a very cute story about a bossy brown bear cub playing teacher for her toys, to a few of the kids after snack time. 

There were a few problems when we got outside. The two Rapunzels would not let one of the other girls who was dressed normally play with them. The young miss was so disappointed, I turned her towards two of the other girls instead. One of the Rapunzels fibbed about her parents coming to try to get on the swings sooner. Another girl refused to put her shoes back on, then threw a fit when I wouldn't let her have a second ride on the swings until she did. Oh, and having them line up when it's time to swing is working out just fine. I just need to keep the line from getting too close to the kids doing the swinging.

At least the weather was great for all the running around. In fact, it was perfect. Golden sunshine with a soft blue sky and a wonderfully cool breeze. Couldn't be nicer for early June. 

Took out the recycling, took the laundry downstairs, then watched Match Game '74 while eating dinner. Most of tonight finished off the week with Gary Burghoff and Elaine Joyce. The second hour picked up with the first week for Richard Deacon, Nipsey Russell's only appearance in the third seat next to Brett, and Petticoat Junction sister Gunilla Hutton in her first and only time on the show.

Returned to YouTube next for more Hungarian Folk Tales after the laundry was done. "The Fox Princess" is a wily female fox who poses as a princess so a kind young prince can marry the real bride. "Brave Prince Nick" defeats dragons with many heads to restore the sun, moon, and stars to the sky. "The Water Fairy" steals a young man she'd been promised before he was born. His grieving wife brushes her hair and spins until the fairy releases him...and even then, they end up on the opposite sides of the world before they meet again. "The Two Princes With Hair of Gold" are killed by a treacherous witch who wants her daughter to marry the king, but they return to their father in a most unexpected way. "The Hedgehog" is adopted by a poor man and his wife after he helps them, a king, and a merchant out of the woods. The merchant's daughter won't marry him, but the king's kind daughter will. He repays her gentleness by showing his true form.

Here's the channel, so you can see these lovely short fairy tales from Eastern Europe yourself!

Hungarian Folk Tales

Finished the night back at Tubi for Storybook International. "The Blind Beauty" is the daughter of a merchant in Indonesia who had let go of a kind, hard-working young man when his jealous foreman accuses him of stealing. It's the foreman who causes the trouble, scaring away all the merchant's customers, until the merchant has nothing, and his daughter has gone blind. Meanwhile, the young man has made a good name for himself, working for his uncle. He's now ready to help the girl and her father, and she doesn't need eyes to know what true kindness and hard work is. 

Of Feuds, Matches, and Musicals

Got a quick start today with breakfast and one of the records I bought yesterday. Here at Last...Bee Gees...Live was a recording of their December 1976 show in LA. It was their first live album - a double set, in fact - and it features their best songs from "Jive Talkin'" down to 60's hits like "I Started a Joke" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You." No wonder this was a hit at the time. There's some marvelous performances here, especially the medley on Disc 1 of early hits like "Started a Joke," "Massachusetts," "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," and "To Love Somebody."

Had a really quick lunch before calling Uber. I was tired, it was warm and windy, and my heel has been sore. Unfortunately, I called too late. They took 15 minutes to arrive, and I was over 10 minutes late. Surprisingly, they only took 8 minutes to pick me up at the height of rush hour.

The Acme was a mess today. There were long lines, even with three registers open. I couldn't even sweep. I kept dodging people. I couldn't keep up with the carts, either. They kept vanishing. There was no one to help me. The Acme heavily cut back hours. It was all they could do just to have enough people inside. At least the weather could have been worse. It was mostly sunny, windy, and slightly cloudy, though it did spit slightly just as I finished at 5. 

As soon as I got home, I changed, finished the Bee Gees album, and put on today's marathon. Match Game wasn't the only game show Richard Dawson appeared on. Even before he hosted Family Feud, he was a ubiquitous presence in shows as far apart as Celebrity Bowling and The Gong Show. He got some of his earliest game show exposure as part of the panel of the hilarious 1972 syndicated version of I've Got a Secret. In fact, Goodson and Todman were so impressed with him in that show, it led to his stint on Match Game. The episode that introduced the Bob Barker version of The Price Is Right is included here. Audience members bid on items belonging to the panelists - in Richard's case, his mailbox - and whomever got the closest to what it actually cost won.

Richard was likely the most popular panelist on Match Game from it's beginning in 1973 until he got fed up and left around mid-June 1978. His antics figured into some of the funniest episodes. He played Brett Somers, who sat over him, not once, but twice. Betty White was his Charles Nelson Reilly in the 1977 nighttime episode. Fannie Flagg played him in the day show from earlier that year. Gene Rayburn also remembered to never bet against Richard when he wagered that his answer to "Admiral ___" wouldn't be on the Audience Match, and..well, Richard was very rarely wrong.

He and Betty were two of the four "grandmasters" who made it to the finale of the 1975 Password All-Stars tournament (the only episode of that run available today). Bill Bixby of My Favorite Martian and The Incredible Hulk and Hal Linden of Barney Miller were the other two. They all played really well (especially with their hilarious descriptions of "Halleujah!"), but in the end, even Betty couldn't beat Richard. He won money for his charity and a beautiful golden plate. 

Feud had its own share of memorable moments once that started in 1976. There was the lady who answered "September" when Richard asked at what month does a pregnancy start to show. He laughed so hard, he nearly ended up on the floor. It didn't help when her sister came out a few minutes later and said "cuckoo" when he asked to name a noisy bird. Every year, his older son Mark (and later, Mark's wife Cathy) would celebrate Richard's birthday with a cake for the cast. One year, Richard got mobbed by the audience after the cake came out. Another year, they took so long bringing the cake out and introducing Richard's younger boy Gary (who had been living with his mother in England at that point), they played a few questions, then let both families play Fast Money and return to play a legitimate game. 

Celebrate the life and times of one of the funniest Match Game panelists and the first Master of the Feud with these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Celebrating Richard Dawson - Featuring Top Match Game, Password, Family Feud, and I've Got a Secret

Oh, and I switched back and forth between the marathon and the Tonys on Paramount Plus for a while. I think I'll need to get the cast albums for Schmigadoon! and Two People Carrying a Cake Across New York the moment they come out on vinyl. Not as interested in The Lost Boys - I'm not a fan of the movie, either. Ragtime is one of my favorite musicals and I'm so glad it won Best Musical Revival, but I'm fine with my original cast album that I bought when it came out in 1998. I really thought Cats: The Jelllicoe Ball would win, based on all the yellow fans in the audience. Loved the lady who was the Narrator for Rocky Horror Show. She was just the right kind of adorably creepy. My sister Anny was always a bigger fan of Pink than me, but I did think her performance of "All That Jazz" from Chicago (the revival is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year) was fabulous. (Incidentally, Death of a Salesman won Best Play Revival, Liberation, on the women's lib movement of the 70's, won Best Play, and Schmigadoon! won Best Musical.) 

A Walk In Cherry Hill

Began the morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. "The Game Players of Undaar" capture the Wraith and the Maelstrom, forcing Ren and Bloth to work together in order to defeat their warriors and win their twisted game. Meanwhile, Ioz and Tula try to rescue them, while Bloth's men are more interested in betting with the Game Players on the outcome.

Rushed to the Acme after the cartoon ended...and thanks to the traffic surrounding Oaklyn's Town-Wide Yard Sale, I was still late. Fortunately, that was the worst thing that happened all day. The Acme was really busy, to the point where I had a hard time keeping up with the carts early-on. I did have to put a few cold returns away and help mop up a flower spill in the floral department. I only just got caught up with the carts when I finally finished and headed out.

Since the Town-Wide Yard Sale had an hour to go when I got out, I thought I'd ride around and see what was left. Other than a bottle of water on Newton and lemonade on Kendall, the only things I found were three records from a sale on Eden. Most of it was classical (and one Huey Lewis album I already had), but I did find these:

The Bee Gees - Here At Last...Bee Gees...Live (2-Disc set) 

Astrud Gilberto and Stanley Turrentine - Gilberto With Turrentine

The Johnny Smith Quartet and Stan Getz - Moonlight In Vermont

Soon as I got home, I put the records away, changed, and called Uber to get me to Cherry Hill. No problems here, rather surprising for a Saturday afternoon. The one going to Cherry Hill came in 10 minutes. The one that picked me up at the Cherry Hill Library arrived in 8. 

Started off at Honeygrow. I figured a nice, sensible lunch would counter all the junk and fast food I've been eating lately. I made my own noodle bowl, with spinach, shrimp, whole wheat noodles, sesame seeds, 

spring peas, tomatoes, and a little bit of garlic butter sauce. Yum! It came out nicely, and the bowl was even just big enough for a good, solid lunch.

Headed down King's Highway to the Cherry Hill Library next. I just wanted to walk around in there a bit and see what their adult books and media collections look like. They look huge. They have three times as many CDs and mysteries as anyone else in the area, and they're the first library I've seen rent records since I was about 10. They were wonderfully quiet at 3:30, with it mainly being old people and working folks doing research. The families were all upstairs in the kids' area. 

After I left the library, I strolled two blocks down to a near-by shopping center to get a white grape Powerade at CVS, then went for a stroll. I saw two large buildings in the area behind the Library and I wanted to check them out. Turns out they were The Premiere, formerly (and still listed on signage as) the Windsor Towers. Alas, they were rental apartments, not condos. There was another building across from the library, the Sussex House. That one is mainly apartments but apparently does occasionally have condos for sale. I might check out around that side of the street next week. 

I learned my lesson getting lost in Barclay last week. I always kept landmarks like the Premiere in sight, and I didn't wander too far from King's Highway. Passed townhouses on my way back to the library, but they were "luxury" and too expensive. I picked up Uber at the library, just as it was closing. Watched a family tumble around the realistic statues of two kids reading before the driver arrived.

When I got home, I took a shower and had dinner while watching Sudan. Queen Nailia of the Egyptian kingdom of Khemis (Maria Montez) loves to walk among her people, but she has more purpose than just seeing how the other side lives when her father is killed by a rebel arrow. She is told to seek the rebel leader Herua (Turhan Bey), but is captured by slavers. She's rescued by two roguish horse sellers (Jon Hall and Andy Devine), who help her get home. There was a reason for her capture, though. Her vizier Horadef (George Zucco) will do anything to get the throne for himself. She falls for Herua, but he walks out when he realizes she's a queen. Horadef tosses them all in the dungeon...but it'll take the combined work of rebels and royalty to save her.

Finished off with tonight's YouTube marathon. Family Feud was so wildly popular in the late 70's and early 80's, ABC had a series of all-star specials that pit casts from the biggest hit shows of the time against one another. Love Boat and Eight Is Enough were on almost every one...and I think they won maybe three times between them. Susan Richardson was so happy when she finally won Fast Money, she scooted across the floor! Fred Grandy couldn't keep his eyes off Loni Anderson's, um, assets when they faced off against one another. John Ritter was adorably nervous even on a game show. 

The specials were even funnier when ABC invited shows from the other networks to compete, too. Quinn Cummings of Family was totally shocked when her quickly tossed-off answer turned up on the board. Charlene Tilton protested playing against adorable Missy Gold and her "big blue eyes." (Not that Charlene was one to talk. She wasn't much taller than Missy!) Debralee Scott of Angie was pretty shocked herself when, despite being even more nervous than John, she became only the fourth person in the history of the show to win a Fast Money all on her own. The cast of Dallas won for funniest opening when they showed up behind the cameo oval holding Larry Hagman (J.R Ewing)...and then unceremoniously dropped him.

See what the networks had to offer in prime time in the late 70's and early 80's with these hilarious prime time Feuds!

Saturday Classics - All-Star Family Feud Specials (1978-1981)

When Things Go Wrong

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear Meets No Feet" the snake while helping Mother Bear in her garden. He tries to find a bed for him inside, then comes to the conclusion that some animals just belong outdoors. Grandfather Bear sets up a sheet tent in the yard, so he and Little Bear can go on "The Camp Out" and learn a goofy camping song. Little Bear can't send "Emily's Balloon" from Hen's birthday party in the mail, but it finds its way to her just the same.

Rushed out to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping, cutting across the Newton Lake Park...and of course, when I arrived there, I realized I had forgotten my wallet. At least I figured it out before I went in the store and did actual shopping, but it was still embarrassing. I wouldn't have time to go back out. I'd have to do it after I finished at Thomas Sharp.

So I just rode back home, had lunch, and cheered myself up with an episode of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. This was the first episode of the sixth and final season, and it opens with cheerleaders introducing the newcomers on the show, among them eventual Match Game semi-regulars Sarah Kennedy and Patti Deusch. We kick off with a pretty darn decent Frank Sinatra imitator carrying off the lamppost he leans on, Patti's infamous Howard Cosell's mother imitation, Kent McCord and Martin Milner parodying their characters on the cop show Adam-12, and Willie Tyler and Lester spoofing All In the Family's theme song. John Wayne's a lot less happy when he's stuck in a goofy blue furry suit and has to give evidence to Dan Rowan.

I left a little bit early so I could get a free donut at Dunkin' Donuts for Free Donut Day. I think I should have left a lot earlier. I got the Pepsi Zero, but there was such a long line at the drive-in, I ran out of time to wait for my jelly donut and never did get it. All that made me late for work on a really hot day.

Which was absolutely not a good thing. Though we only had 21 kids, 8 at my table, they were all absolutely insane today. First of all, the head teacher called out. Second, though the older kids did go out on the blacktop for a while, it was too hot to take the pre-schoolers outside. (Especially since a lot of them were wearing long-sleeved flannel pajamas for Pajama Day.) We stayed in the cafeteria the entire afternoon. None of them would sit down. They ran around, shrieked, climbed under tables, ran into the music teacher's office that's blocked by heavy velvet curtains for a reason, argued loudly over the magnetic tiles (and broke them), and ripped the paper we taped down for them to draw on so badly, we cut word search papers in half for them to draw on instead. 

They were really a pain in the rear in the bathrooms. Two of the girls took 10 minutes to stop giggling, whispering, and climbing under each other's stalls. I felt sorry for the poor girl who went like a normal person and had to wait for them to finish. I spent ten minutes yelling at them before they finally got out. I did figure out how to keep one of the older boys from wandering in the halls during bathroom breaks. I told him to be the line leader, which seemed to focus him, at least enough for him to help me get the others together.

I hadn't originally planned on eating dinner out, but I wasn't up to digging out something at home after all that. I just had a slice of vegetable and a slice of pepperoni at Crust N' Cravings on Collings Avenue. The pizza was good, as it always is, but I felt a little nervous there. They're across from the notoriously troubled Parkview Apartments on the White Horse Pike, and their clientele in the evenings and at night tend to be sketchy. I ate, watched Action News on Channel 6, and hurried out.

At least it was a nice day by then for the long ride back to the Westmont Acme. There's a lot of repairs and remodeling going on in Newton Lake Park right now. I think they're redoing the pavement on the back path, so I stuck to the front path, going past the playgrounds and pavilion, over the footbridge, and around a group of Canadian geese and their growing goslings looking for dinner. The weather was still pretty warm when I arrived in Westmont, sunny, hot, dry, and in the lower 90's.

Thank heavens the Acme wasn't busy when I arrived. I needed a lot. Restocked sliced chicken, yogurt, soda, granola, strawberries, granola bars, coconut milk, and cookies. I had an online coupon for a free Acme brand peanut butter, and another for the large container of blueberries. Found slices of lemon cake roll for really cheap in the bakery. 

Had the cake rolls for dessert while watching the last episode this week of Match Game '74 when I got home. By the time I got in, they were starting the week with Broadway star Robert Morse and TV favorite Adrienne Barbeau. This was also the week where a diminutive red-headed contestant kept chasing Fannie and Brett every time he won, to the point where Richard and Charles had to stand up and defend their ladies' honor.

(Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, next Saturday off. I'll be able to hit the farm market and explore another neighborhood in Cherry Hill. Bad news, not nearly enough hours. The head bagger must be back to her normal working hours, and given they're cutting hours, they probably don't want people working multiple jobs.) 

Finished the night at YouTube for the Universal action movie Gypsy Wildcat. Gypsy dancer Carla (Maria Montez) intercepts a message from Michael, one of the King's men (Jon Hall) and a wicked Baron (Douglas Dumbrille) who is persecuting the gypsies. He knows a secret about Carla, one that he hopes will allow him to marry Carla and steal her fortune. Michael helps young Tonio (Peter Coe) rescue the gypsies from the dungeon and save Carla from a fate worse than death. I love all of the Montez-Hall action films I've seen, and while this isn't the greatest of them, it's still a lot of fun. If you love historical action with an Eastern European flair, you'll really get a kick out of this one. 

Night of the Springtime Dolls

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. They help a "Hapless Hound" with a cold who can't smell find a new owner after he wanders into the park and Dinkel says he can't stay. Two jewel thieves trick Dinkel into thinking they're from a park magazine, when they're really looking for "The Very Buried Treasure." The Shirt Tales make sure the jewels fall into the right hands.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon dressing the dolls. Samantha looks so grown-up in Rebecca's lovely white and pink Lace Dress. Molly's Birthday Pinafore with the rickrack trim is thin and more appropriate for summer than her birthday in April. Whitney is trying on a hand-made purple gingham dress with smocking and flowers on the blouse. Felicity wears a white gown with huge blue roses I bought from a doll clothes booth at the Deptford Mall more than 15 years ago. Jess is going to Girl Scouts in the original 90's Girl Scouts vest, shorts, and loafers. It's paired with a gray 90's American Girl t-shirt, since the shirt that goes with that outfit is a turtleneck.

Kit's ready to chase scoops around Cincinnati in her turquoise and pink flowered sundress from the "BeForever" revamp a decade ago. Josefina's in one of my favorites of her outfits, the lovely tan and burgundy Weaving Outfit with the lace-trimmed skirt. Ariel's dressed for Pride Month in Ivy's Rainbow Terrycloth Jumper and roller skates. Barbara Jean wears the purple Paisley mini-dress she came in, net stockings (the ones she came in are ripped beyond use), and her own white strap shoes. 

Listened to the last of the records I bought last week as I worked. Probably the best-known song from Major League is the cover of "Wild Thing" heard near the end when they defeat the Yankees. I actually bought this for the last song, the wistful, nostalgic ballad "Most of All You" by Bill Medley. Other good songs here include "Cryin' Shame" by Lyle Lovett, "How Can the Girl Refuse?" by Beckett, and "Burn On" by Randy Newman.

The House at Pooh Corner/Now We are Six are simple retellings of those two Winnie the Pooh stories. House is narrated by Ian Carmichael and Dick Bentley. Bentley alone does Now We are Six, which also includes a few charming songs taken directly from the source material.

Switched to The Wild Wild West while I put everything away and had a really quick lunch. It's "The Night of the Jack O'Diamonds" when Artemis and James attempt to deliver a beautiful horse to the president of Mexico, only to have it stolen by bandits. They attempt to join the bandits and get it back, but it's not going to be as easy as they think.

Rushed out the moment the show ended. I thought I had enough time to take the bike, but...not only did I leave late, but I ran over a bump crossing Collings Avenue and my basket flew off! I had to gather everything before the cars ran me over, which meant I was a few minutes late arriving at the Thomas Sharp School.

Not a good thing, since we were really busy today. Though we only had 21 kids, 8 at my table, they're all wound up from various end of the year events. None of them would sit down in the cafeteria, and they were even worse outside. They kept begging and begging to go on the swings, especially when their friends whose parents had arrived were allowed to go on. They did get into line once they were allowed to swing, but...I tried to get one girl off who had already been on so another girl who had to go home could get on. The girl would not get off, no matter how much everyone pointed out that there were only two swings, and she had to share. I had to drag her off, and she just sat in front of it while her friend tried to swing, which meant her friend hit her and made her more upset. I finally just told all of the kids to get off, and they weren't going to be allowed on for the remaining time we were outside. Fortunately, they were only outside for another 10 minutes anyway. I helped take the last 4 kids inside, then went home.

Put on The Price Is Right when I got in, then Match Game '74. The Scoey Mitchelll-Elaine Joyce week ended with Charles Nelson Reilly announcing that he would leave soon to direct a Broadway play, The Belle of Amherst. Character actor Richard Lang made his only appearance the next week.

Finished up with Viennese Nights on YouTube. I go further into this charming Technicolor operetta from the early 30's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Viennese Nights

Adventures In the Sunshine

Began the day with breakfast and a quick episode of Bluey. While out "Camping" with her family, Bluey befriends a French black lab named Jean-Luc. He doesn't speak English, but they figure out how to communicate well enough to build a shelter of their own and capture the "wild pig" Bandit. 

Hurried off to work soon as the cartoon ended. The Acme was unusually busy for Wednesday morning. Between the crowds and the people working on inventory, I had a hard time keeping up with the carts. There were at least two times I was pulled to return cold items or took too long sweeping and could barely get out to them. Needless to say, I wasn't too unhappy when I finished. I changed, grabbed a container with three pretzel roll roast beef sliders, a small bag of potato chips, oatmeal cookies, and those 70 cent bottles of Mas electrolyte drinks (just went with the lemon-lime this time) and a box of pads on clearance and headed out. 

It was too nice to eat in a restaurant today. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for early June. It was sunny and slightly breezy, with a searingly blue sky and just enough humidity to make it comfortable. Since my picnic at the War Memorial Park in Oaklyn went so well on Sunday, I decided to do it again for lunch. This time, I was the only one eating. The only sounds were the children chasing each other in the playgrounds at the Oaklyn School to my left and the men on ladders painting what will be the Blu Bear Bakery in a few weeks to my right. Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for a coconut matcha latte to cool off before moving on.

It was such a nice day, I left for the Thomas Sharp School a bit early and got to explore West Collingswood. I first stopped at the small park on the other side of the railroad tracks. It has a small clubhouse-type building, a playground, and swings. I tried to get on the swings, but they were way too high! I could barely climb on. The local kids would probably need help from their parents, even some of the older ones. 

I next went across the street to read about the Champion School. This tiny 1821 one-room schoolhouse was one of the very first public schools in Camden County. It was a Quaker school, which meant all kids, regardless of race or class, could go there. I didn't look inside, but I did read the sign outside. Apparently, it was in use until 1906, likely until Thomas Sharp was built. I couldn't help wondering what the kids would think of being crammed into that little school! I thought about that as I headed over the tracks and down to Thomas Sharp. I just got there a little early and sat on the swings in the shade until the older kids came out and it was time for me to go in.

It got pretty wild even in the (slightly) newer school today. We had 25 kids, 10 at my table. My group wasn't bad in the bathrooms, but I had a harder time with the groups I took later. The girls end up giggling with each other and not doing what they need to, one of the boys won't stay in the hall, and some of the others kept blocking the door. On the other hand, I did get to read a really cute book about a poor mole who deals with some very noisy supernatural neighbors to two of the boys in the cafeteria.

We're still having trouble with the swings. The kids start begging the moment we get out, despite us saying that we'll tell them when it's ok. We let kids swing before they go home, but they have to be careful because of all the kids running around. One little girl fibbed right to me when she said her mother was there and she wasn't. Ironically, her mother arrived right then...and the kid still wouldn't get off. Her mother had to argue her off, pointing out that the others wanted a turn, too. 

Things went better once I managed to get them all in line. In fact, they were hilarious. Two of them lay on their stomachs and held hands. They were so funny, the head teacher took pictures of them, and two more kids ended up doing it. I hadn't laughed so much in ages. Those who didn't swing or race cars down the slide danced to "I'm Still Standing," "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, the themes from PJ Masks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and songs from Sing and Trolls. 

Watched the Drew Carey Price Is Right when I got home. Alas, I came in just to see losses at the Check Out Game and the Balance Game. The Showcase Showdown went better. Not only did a lady get the dollar, but she got her nature-themed Showcase, too, including camping gear, a trip to San Diego, and an African safari.

Let it run into Match Game '74 while I figured out what to do about dinner. Tonight finished out the week with Charlie Brill. There was a lot of happy kissing when Richard Dawson helped the contestant with the Head-to-Head, including Gene grabbing Joyce Bulifant for a kiss! Scoey Michelll and Elaine Joyce were slightly more subdued the next week.

It took me a while to decide what to watch, but I finally finished the night at YouTube with Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. I'm so glad someone posted the original 2 1/2 hour miniseries from Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color! The Walt Disney Treasures sets and Disney Movie Club DVD releases are so expensive on eBay. Dr. Syn (Patrick McGoohan) is a vicar in colonial England by day who is beloved by his parish. At night, he and a band of local men and boys are the terrifying Scarecrow and his band of outlaws, smugglers who rob King George's men and give the money and food to the poor. 

I love a good Scarlet Pimpernel/Robin Hood story, and this is one of the most unique. The final chapter, with Dr. Syn rescuing the son of the local squire (Michael Hordern), is by far the most interesting. The second chapter that revolves around the Scarecrow dealing with a traitor in their midst feels like padding, which is likely why it was cut out when it was released as a movie in Europe. Whether you go for the original miniseries or the 90 minute theatrical version, this is a slightly slow-moving but still fascinating historical adventure story. 

Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh

Swinging Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan gets into a "Circle Time Squabble" when he and Miss Elania want to be waiters for Chrissy, and then they both want to sit next to her during their circle time. Teacher Harriet helps calm them down and show that no matter how angry they got, there are better ways to work out their problems than hitting. "It's Not Okay to Hurt Someone," especially when that someone is your little sister. Dan gets angry when Margaret crawls through his block farm entrance, and his mom isn't happy when he washes his animals instead of coming to dinner. They both discuss that it's not right to hurt someone and how to calm down before you lash out.

Spent the rest of the late morning and early afternoon vacuuming, Swiftering, and dusting my rooms. Listened to Mean Mothers: Independent Women's Blues, Volume 1 while I worked. These aren't the depressing laments most people think of when they discuss rhythm and blues. These sassy ladies of the 20's, 30's, and 40's were tough women at a time when women were only just starting to fight for their rights and their dignity. Songs like Bessie Brown's "Ain't Much Good In the Best of Men Nowadays," Bernice Edwards' "Long Tall Mama," and Blue Lou Barker's "I Don't Dig You Jack" dig into the bawdy world of strong women who don't put up with foolishness from anyone, let alone their men. We even have two standards, "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Lil Green and "Baby Get Lost" by Billie Holiday.

Switched to the 2001 Nero Wolfe while eating a quick lunch. This stylish A&E series adapted the famous series of mysteries from the 40's and 50's, with Maury Chaykin as the corpulent, orchid-loving private eye of the title and Timothy Hutton as his assistant (and the show's narrator) Archie Goodwin. Kicked off with the series opener "The Doorbell Rang." Wealthy Mrs. Rachel Bruner (Debra Monk) turns to Nero and Archie to get the FBI to stop following her. Turns out there's something more sinister going on than government agents following a rich lady around town when Archie discovers connections to the murder of a journalist investigating illegal FBI practices.

Hurried off to school even before the show ended. I was slightly late...which may have been a moot point. The kids were sitting in the hall when I arrived. This was the music class day, and the library is still being used by the school art show. Not a good thing, since we had 26 kids today, 10 in my group, and they were all wound up. We couldn't get any of them to sit down in the cafeteria. All they did was run around. 

They were wound up outside, too. Two of the boys jumped on the swings before we told them they were allowed to. I had to fight to get them off, and then to get them all in line when we did let them on. I'm tired of them all running at me once with "Me first!" and "Can I go on next?" They need to learn to wait their turn. If they get out of line to run with the others, they lose their turn and go to the back of the line. The other kids danced to "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo and Stitch, "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, and songs from Encanto, Moana, Moana 2, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

We finally took the remaining 3 kids back to the blacktop with the older kids around 5 PM. I sat with the one remaining girl inside. She's a bit shy, and I think she was hot after running around in the playground. I stayed with her until the head teacher came in to wipe down tables and said she'd stay with her. I headed out after that, making a quick stop at the Speedy Mart on the way home for a Propel and a treat.

After I got in, I took the trash outside, took a shower, made dinner, and went upstairs. Finished Nero Wolfe, then watched Match Game '74. Charlie Brill, slender husband of Mitzi McCall, made his first of two appearances on the show. He was joined by the delightfully daffy Joyce Bulifant and the delightfully sassy Marcia Wallace.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. Annoyed that his new suit was switched with a larger one belonging to a mysterious Mr. Sole, Jonathan decides to make the switch himself. The last thing he and Jennifer expect to find in Mr. Sole's room is a dead man in the closet. Turns out the man doesn't exist. He was part of a CIA sting to flush out a member selling information to the highest bidder. It becomes a lot more than "Hart and Sole" when Jonathan offers to help out, and the man ends up kidnapping Jennifer.