Dolls On a Hot Summer Day

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I grew up on the original version of this show, which was one of the hottest things going during my own pre-school years. In honor of the new movie in theaters, and since the entire series is now on Tubi, I thought I'd check it out starting with "Diamond Ray of Disappearance." Skeletor finds a diamond that can make anyone who looks at it vanish into another dimension. His goofy men lure Teela and her guards away from the castle so Skeletor can make the king, queen, Sorceress, and Teela's father Man-at-Arms vanish. Prince Adam, who turns into He-Man thanks to a powerful sword, goes to Castle Grayskull to figure out how to save them.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. I had errands to run, starting with dropping two books at the kiosk down the street. After that, I rode to the Collingswood PNC to get money. I was originally going to use the outside ATM, but a card pulled up. I ended up inside. 

Had brunch at a busy Sabrina's Cafe. Thought I'd try their 1776 Matcha Almond Pancake Stack. Turns out this was two enormous plate-sized pancakes smothered with matcha cream, white chocolate drizzle, whipped topping, almonds, blackberries, and strawberries. Tasty, and I ate most of it...but also way too much cream and drizzle. They always overdo the sauce on their specials. The hibiscus iced tea didn't taste like much besides sugar. 

Strolled down Haddon Avenue next. I was hoping Grooveground finally opened. It hasn't. It's been closed for remodeling since last spring. I did see the door at Collingswood Music open. I wasn't planning on visiting them next week when I'm on vacation. They don't sell CDs, only vinyl, and Lauren can't take records home in her luggage. For a spur-of-the-moment trip, I did really, really well. I dug five albums out of the 2 dollar bin and found a soundtrack and two kids' albums, one of them fairly unique.

Artie Shaw and His Orchestra - Frensesi: Artie Shaw's Greatest Hits

Songs from The Jungle Book and Other Jungle Favorites

The soundtrack from the 1988 Bette Midler melodrama Beaches

The Jack Sheldon Quintet - Hollywood Heroes

Radio Active, a K-Tel collection from 1982

Lena Horne - The Exciting Lena Horne

A Musical Soundtrack to America On Parade is by far my best find today. It's a gorgeous picture disc version with the music from "America On Parade," the Bicentennial parade for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I suspect this may only have been sold in the parks, and probably only in 1975-1976. Here's the link to a page from Yesterland that goes into further detail on "America On Parade" and the doll-like figures seen on the picture disc.

Yesterland: America On Parade

Incidentally, the weather wasn't bad today. It was hot, sunny, and windless, but not hot or as humid to the degree it's supposed to be starting tomorrow. Even so, I was still sweating bullets when I got home, to the point where I needed to towel myself off.

Dressed the dolls for July and Independence Day next. Samantha is in her Middy Dress, tam, and black and white boots. Josefina wears her Indigo Skirt and Camisa. Whitney is ready to dance in Oaklyn's 4th of July Parade in the white American Girl dance dress with the red and blue sequins and ruffled sleeves. She's borrowing Molly's tap shoes. The ones that came with the dress fell apart. Kit wears her original Reporter Dress with the red, blue, and yellow flowers and red shoes with the white stitching. 

Molly's ready for outdoor fun in her Camp Gowanigan uniform and saddle shoes. Ariel celebrates the Bicentennial in the patchwork red, white, and blue peasant blouse Lauren sent a while back and red satin shorts from Julie's original Roller Skating outfit. Felicity is airy and cool in her white Summer Gown with the wide blue and pink flowered sash. Jessa's red t-shirt, shortalls, and splotchy high top sneakers are a bit simpler. Barbara Jean is the only one old enough to pull off the pink, white, and blue terrycloth romper with the brief tube top. 

Listened to records while I worked. Jo Anne Castle and Her Ragtime Piano is actually a combination of two earlier Castle albums, Tiger Rag and Lawrence Welk's Ragtime Gal. Ironically, Tiger Rag has the actual ragtime, including the title song, "Dill Pickle Rag," and "I Want a Girl." Ragtime Gal features slightly newer numbers like "Goofus," "Canadian Sunset," and "Humoresque."

Raggedy Ann & Andy Birthday Party starts out a bit like the odd movie Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. Ann, Andy, and the dolls in the playroom see Marcella having a birthday party in the garden. The Camel With the Wrinkled Knees doesn't know when his birthday is. As in the film, he wanders outside and dreams of his friends giving him a party. When Ann follows him and finds out, she encourages the others to give him the party he so badly desires. 

Despite the title and being put out by Disney itself, Songs from The Jungle Book is actually covers of songs from that film. The Beatles-esque "Bare Necessities" and goofy comic "I Want to Be Like You" aren't bad, but the real stand-outs are the lesser-known material. "That's What Friends are For," a number for a pack of Beatles-imitating vultures in the movie, becomes a charming and adorable Beach Party-esque chorus routine here. The brief "My Own Home" is slower and almost slinky, performed by a smoky-voiced lady who sounds a bit like Julie London. The "other jungle favorites" are a slightly re-written "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" and a really cute "Civilization," with a deep voices singing the "I don't want to leave the jungle"part who sounds a bit like Larry Hooper from Lawrence Welk.

Artie Shaw had his biggest hits in the late 30's and 40's, and that's reflected in Frensni: Artie Shaw's Greatest Hits. His biggest was the title song, but there were others that are still associated with him and his orchestra. He seemed to favor slower, more romantic or robust songs like "Indian Love Call," "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise," "Nightmare," and "Begin the Beguine."

Switched to The Time of Their Lives after I finished with the dolls and got everything put away. Poor tinker Horatio Primm (Lou Costello) wants to buy his sweetheart Nora (Ann Gillis) out of indentured servitude. He even has a letter from General Washington claiming he can get more work. Meanwhile, Tom Danbury (Jess Barker) is engaged to lovely Melody Allen (Marjorie Reynolds), but she overhears him plotting with Benedict Arnold against Washington. She and Horatio ride off to warn Washington, but the American soldiers turn up and, thinking they're the traitors, kill them, dump their bodies in a well, and curse them to never leave the house's grounds. 

Almost two centuries later, Melody and Horatio are still ghosts in the house when they realize how the place has changed. It's been rebuilt, with all the original furniture returned. The new owner is playwright Sheldon Gage (John Shelton), his fiancee June Prescott (Lynn Baggett) and her very sarcastic Aunt Millie (Binnie Barnes). They're eventually joined by Sheldon's therapist, Dr. Ralph Greenway (Bud Abbott)...who happens to be the ancestor of Cuthbert Greenway, the man who had been his rival for Nora. Melody and Horatio are more than happy to drive Greenway crazy, until Sheldon's housekeeper Emily (Gale Sondergaard) holds a seance, and they finally figure out a way to find the proof that they aren't traitors and get their unearthly rewards.

This was...surprisingly sweet, even touching in spots. On one hand, it's not your typical vehicle for these two. They do appear together a few times, but don't really do any routines. Apparently, they'd been having problems at this point. On the other hand, it may be not only their most unique vehicle, but one of the most unique classic comedies I've ever seen. Reynolds makes a spirited Melody, Barnes has more fun than she should as the sarcastic aunt, and the special effects are pretty decent even now. If you like Abbott and Costello and are willing to go down a different path with them, try this one on for size. 

Put on Match Game '75 after I had a quick and small dinner. They're now on the week with Bert Convy, Joyce Bulifant, and a pregnant - and rather testy - Jo Ann Pflug. The end of the week featured one of the most infamous Audience Match answers of the entire run. Richard Dawson, pressed to come up with something for "Trench __," blurted out "trench hand." He joked about getting "trench hand" for the rest of the episode, and there would be references to it again throughout the years. 

Finished the night after a shower with more of The Swamp Fox. "A Woman's Courage" switches the focus almost entirely to Francis Marion's sweetheart Mary Videux. She boards a prison ship filled with rebel prisoners coming from Charleston, including the captain who was captured there. She poses as the sister of four of them, then helps them all escape. Francis, who is considering turning in his commission if he can't get more men, is more than happy for the help. 

Walks and Games

Got a quick start today with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Taj Mahal Tyg" is kept as a pet by a maharajah and his son while the others search for the prince's real pet tiger. They find a bigger tiger, but it turns out he's known to the maharajah, too. The Shirt Tales head to China in search of the best Chinese food around. After they mistake a magician's home for a restaurant, Bogey ends up insulting the magician. He turns him into "Brass Bogey" while the others figure out how to escape the magician's illusions.

Called Uber after the episode ended. The one going to Cherry Hill took 13 minutes and got me to Cooper Bone and Joint with fifteen minutes to spare. The first one I called to take me to the Chestnut Place Condos (which isn't that close to Cooper) canceled. The second picked me up in 3 minutes. There was a little traffic on Cuthbert Road going to Cooper. Otherwise, no trouble.

Soon as I got to Cooper, I went right upstairs and signed in briefly. I did most of the checking in online, so I didn't talk to the lady for very long. The waiting room was pretty full, but I only had to wait about 10 minutes for them to see me. The kindly Asian doctor checked my knee...and declared it fine. I think it was mostly that super-cold winter that caused the trouble. It gets a little stiff sometimes, but nothing like in January and February. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. 

Went next-door to Dunkin' Donuts for a treat. I still have that gift card I got from one of the kids. Dodged what looked like remodeling on the back window area to order a cream donut and limeade. Yum! The cream donut was bursting with frosting. The limeade was nicely tart. I enjoyed them and the silence - thankfully, no one was working on the window remodeling at that point.

The Chestnut Place Condos are next on my list of Cherry Hill buildings currently listed as having a condo available. This 60's-era building looks pretty identical to Sussex House, but twice its size and in far better shape on the outside. Nothing but patio furniture on the balconies, too. Like Playa Del Sol, they had a pool (which was quiet at 10:30), along with a small picnic pavilion, and is surrounded by a quiet neighborhood with regular 50's-60's tract homes and what looks like a brand-new Jewish temple. 

Two big red flags on this one, though. There seem to be no sidewalks in the neighborhood. That doesn't make it very walkable. The other is its location. Though the neighborhood itself is peaceful and largely residential, it's just off Kaighns Avenue. That's one of the busiest streets in Cherry Hill, and difficult to cross. I'd have a hard time getting to Wegman's or Shop Rite and the library from there. 

On the other hand, it's not even a five-minute walk from the Hillview Shopping Center. Used the bathroom at Target, then bought popcorn and Coke Zero for the movies. This was also the first time I'd ever seen the new Nature Valley Wafer Bars on sale. Usually, they're expensive and not included in most sales. I had to try strawberry and honey vanilla. 

Had lunch at the Silver Diner next. This chrome eatery perches on the edge of the hill and gives you a splendid view of the Cherry Hill Mall and Cherry Hill Plaza. They specialize in comfort food made with healthy ingredients, like my half of a turkey bacon club sandwich on sourdough and Caesar salad. The club was made with real sliced turkey, crunch bacon, and fresh mozzarella. I ordered a plate of Old Bay fries, too. They were tasty, but a plate of anything covered in eye-watering spices is a little too much for me! The refreshing watermelon-mint lemonade, with its sprig of mint on top and cucumber slices, went a long way towards cooling me off.

Strolled over to Kohl's to kill some time before I went to the movies. Looked for underwear, but I didn't like anything they had. I'll save major shopping for when Lauren visits next week. Ducked around the long line at Customer Service to check out Looney Tunes stuffed animals and kids' books.

It was still pretty early when I went to AMC Cherry Hill 24, which is a bit down the hill from Kohl's and the Silver Diner, next to what used to be T.G.I Friday's. I had no intention of buying food here this time, so I thought I'd try a crane instead...but the crane's money box was so full of tokens, I couldn't get more in! I just found the theater for Supergirl early. 

I was there so early, it was 15 minutes before they even started the commercials. I had almost the whole small theater to myself, too. There was only one other person way in back. Good. That meant I could sit in the row intended for wheelchairs and had plenty of room to spread out. The seats at AMC Cherry Hill are cramped and not that comfortable.

There's some interesting movies coming out during the second half of the year. The Invite is supposed to be a comedy, but the ad made what appears to be the story of a couple who invites another couple who won't leave look more like horror. The End of Oak Street, a horror movie about a family whose street is separated and attacked by what looks like giant dinosaurs, is a bit too dark for my taste. Forgotten Island would be of more interest if it wasn't coming out right when I'm likely going to be on my second vacation in late September. Unless I can talk Lauren into it, I'll probably wait for it to come out on streaming. Despite having played the game as a teen, I have no interest in Street Fighter whatsoever. I could also care less about more Hunger Games. I thought the first three were more than enough. Klara and the Sun looks much sweeter and quieter. That or the stop-motion animated Wildwood might be worth checking out in late October if I have the time the week before Halloween. 

I'm not going to go into heavy details because of spoilers, but I did enjoy Supergirl. Like Super Mario Galaxy Movie earlier in the year, I don't think the critics are giving it a fair shake. It's not what I expected, but it's far from horrible. Milly Alcock is a sassy, sozzled delight as the tough title character, and Jason Momoa makes an even better Lobo than he did Aquaman (even if he doesn't have that much screen time). Also, I give it credit for the brief running time. Most superhero epics tend to push two hours or longer. This one clocks in at a little over an hour and a half. There's no unnecessary padding, and the exposition showing Kara's backstory in Argo City is spread out throughout the film, rather than being lumped in the beginning like the 1978 Superman. 

I think most people were expecting it to be more like the upbeat Superman film from last year and less like a 90's anti-hero comic book movie. This is not a colorful romp. Everything is dusty grays and browns until Kara turns up in her super suit late in the film. For all of Kara's wisecracks, this movie is pretty dark. On the other hand, it has some amazing creature work. I could spend half the movie just checking out all the weird aliens they meet on that interstellar bus. DC really did get creative with the special effects on this one.

In the end, this is highly recommended for older fans of the Woman of Steel or Lobo if they can handle the violence and some heavy themes and aren't expecting this to imitate Superman.

Quickly headed for the pedestrian walkway to the Cherry Hill Mall after the movie ended. I stopped at Old Navy to make change and buy a Diet Coke, then ducked around remodeling on the front entrance to wait for the 4:20 NJ Transit bus to Camden. For once, it was exactly on time. No trouble getting home, not even on Cuthbert. Got off at the right street and walked the rest of the way. At least it had clouded over by then. It had been sunny, humid, and hot for most of the day, though probably neither as hot or as humid as it's supposed to be starting Wednesday.

After I got home, I put on an episode of Justice League Unlimited featuring Supergirl. It's "Fearful Symmetry" when Kara begins having disturbing dreams of destroying a lab, feeling like she was there. The Green Arrow just wants to pound whomever is doing this to the kid, but conspiracy-minded The Question knows there's more going on here than seen on the surface. Kara's shocked to find that the real reason she's having those dreams hits closer to home than she could imagine.

Switched to Match Game '75 during dinner. For some reason, they skipped ahead to the week with Jack Cassidy, Betty White, and Conny Van Dyke. Gene and Richard throw Conny around, while Betty White is disappointed when handsome Ron Valenti finally loses. And speaking of Superman, Jack Cassidy and Charles Nelson Reilly mention Cassidy's role as the villain in the original Broadway cast of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman. (And may I add that the creators of that show missed a marvelous opportunity there? Jack would have made a great Lex Luthor.) 

Finished the night honoring Pride Month at YouTube. Charles Nelson Reilly was told early in his career that a gay man would never work on television. Ironically, he's now best-known for his TV appearances, especially on Match Game. He and his drinking buddy Brett Somers really made the show with their banter and wisecracks. In the episode here, they get to witness the arrival of the new Star Wheel...and join everyone else in walking off when it lands on Richard Dawson, when it was created to give other panelists a chance to play.

What's My Line was never afraid to feature guests of all types. Liberace was still wildly popular when he appeared as the Mystery Guest on this 1962 episode. Buddy Hackett was the one who guessed him easily here. 

Merrill Heater was so enamored with his show Battlestars, he gave it a try twice. The episode we have here is the premiere of the later version from 1983. Jim J. Bullock, then appearing on Too Close for Comfort, is usually subdued on this Hollywood Squares variation that puts all of the panelists in triangles...until Debbie Reynolds practically jumps on him. Alex Trebek was the mildly amused host of both versions.

The 90's-early 2000's Hollywood Squares also had no trouble featuring a wide variety of celebrities. Writer and actor Bruce Villanch was a regular in the late 90's, and one of my favorite regulars on the show. Look for Rosie O'Donnell as well near center square Whoopi Goldberg in the show's premiere episode.

Robert Reed did one of the more interesting episodes of the 1972 syndicated I've Got a Secret. It starts with four young ladies who were caretakers for baby animals at a local safari park. They even brought some with them, and if the baby iguana was not the most adorable, the sweet little leopardess and the tiny baby lioness who roared into the microphone were dolls. Reed helped a courtroom artist show how then-modern technology could make creating artwork of a criminal much faster.

The current version of $100,000 Pyramid also cast a wide net for their contestants. Here, it's a battle of the hosts as Ken Jennings of Jeopardy goes against (and beats the pants off of) Ross Matthews of RuPal's Drag Race, while RuPaul himself battled Carson Kressley of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Carson was the winner there as both groups helped a set of twins win big money. 

Celebrate Pride Month with some of the funniest and most brilliant people around in these hilarious and thought-provoking episodes!

What's My Line (1962)

I've Got a Secret (1972)

Match Game (1978)

The New Battlestars Premiere (1983)

Hollywood Squares Premiere (1998)

$100,000 Pyramid (2023) 

Matching With the Cartoon Stars

Started the morning with breakfast and Yankee Doodle Mickey. This is the original version of Disney's patriotic music collection. A very young Molly Ringwauld leads the children's chorus in "This Is My Country" and "God Bless America." The Disneyland Glee Club has almost as much fun with the rousing "Liberty Tree" from their film version of Johnny Tremain. My favorite number is the Armed Services Medley, with Mickey representing the Air Force and the Marines, Goofy singing for the Army, and Donald, of course, for the Navy.

Ran Moonlight In Vermont as I got ready for work. Finished it when I got home. Stan Getz joins the Johnny Smith Quartet for some lovely, soft jazz standards, like "Stars Fell On Alabama," "Tenderly," "Where or When," and the title song. The piano on "Yesterdays" was especially dreamy and beautiful.

Called Uber to work again. They were talking possible storms later, and it was killer humid. I think I made the right choice. The one going to work got there in 10 minutes. I called him early enough that I arrived in plenty of time. The first one going home didn't take a minute; when he canceled, his replacement took 3 minutes. No trouble either way.

Work was more of a pain. For one thing, the Acme was busy for a lot of the afternoon. They had to pull one of the boys cashiering to help me with the carts. The floor in the back employee area tends to leak when it's really humid. I had to help a security guard clean up the mess during my break when she slipped on it and almost hurt herself. Had to take back a pile of cold items, too. I was very glad when the evening bagger turned up a little early and I could go home on time.

Went straight in the shower when I got home, then made dinner and put on tonight's Match Game marathon. Cartoons were just starting to climb out of the kids' ghetto they'd been in for two decades when the revival began in 1973. In addition to the classic Disney and Warners shorts that turned up in prime-time and on Saturdays, there were scores of new and old characters populating Saturday morning. Bugs Bunny probably got mentioned the most, including a question about what kind of punch Elmer Fudd would serve at Bugs' birthday party. There were jokes about him and Daffy Duck, too. A contestant missed the obvious answer to "__ Gonzalez" in a PM episode Head to Head with Jimmie Walker. 

Other characters turned up in jokes along the line. Felix the Cat in his "Magic Bag of Tricks" mode was mentioned several times, notably on the hilarious 1977 episode where Richard Dawson, Jo Ann Pflug, and Fannie Flagg played Brett Somers, Dick Gautier, and Charles Nelson Reilly respectively. Most of the jokes about Popeye either played on his relationship with Olive Oyl, his love of spinach, or how he really got those famous muscles. Fannie Flagg wore cartoon characters on her famous sequined T-shirts, including a Spider Man shirt. Hanna-Barbara was at the height of its success in syndication and on Saturday mornings. Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and the Flintstones all tuned up frequently in questions or on the Audience Match. 

Match with your favorite cartoon characters of the 70's and 80's in this hilarious marathon! 

Match Game Sunday Classics - Looney Tunes, Popeye, Yogi Bear, and Other Characters

(Oh, and as far as I can tell, it still hasn't rained.) 

Rainy Day Matches

Started the day with breakfast and finishing off The Pirates of Dark Water. The crew of the Wraith finally returns to treasure hunting when Ren's compass gives them the next location...but it keeps moving. They follow it to an island inhabited by Amazons and a rather cute little blue creature. Tula notes that the Amazons aren't at all friendly to her menfolk or the creature and joins them. Niddler, meanwhile, had ended up on a boat filled with minga melons. When the boat is attacked, he flees to the island and isn't too happy to discover the creature also loves his favorite treat. Tula knows there's more to "The Living Treasure" than a big appetite, and she and Nibbler have to rescue it and the guys too.

And that is that. It's a shame this may have been too complicated for an era that preferred endless imitations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The show was abruptly canceled in spring 1993. The crew of the Wraith would have to wait for comic books to find the remaining treasures and restore Octopon. 

Hanna-Barbara didn't often stretch themselves like this. There's a great cast, with Hector Elizondo, George Newburn, and Brock Peters the stand-outs as roguish Ioz, determined prince Ren, and evil pirate Bloth. Some decent animation for a TV show at the time too, including gorgeous watercolor backgrounds. My major complaint is the second season goes off on some strange tangents. "The Living Treasure" is one of the only times we see them looking for treasure. Even with the truncated second season and lack of an ending, this is still worth watching for fans of fantasy and swashbucklers like me. 

Switched to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the second Go-Getters episode as I got ready for work. "Goofy's Gone," but he's really playing hide-and-seek. Detective Minnie, Captain Clarabelle, and Super Spy Daisy go looking for him. Buzz-Buzz the Bee and Big Pete think they saw a monster, but the Go-Getters know there's a more logical explanation for the huge duck-like footprints and strangely-dressed figure they saw.

It had been showering off and on all day. I called Uber. Thankfully, no trouble getting to work either way. The one going to the Acme arrived in 12 minutes. The one going home took 10 minutes. No traffic anywhere.

Work was surprisingly quiet. The head bagger did the sweeping during the first hour, but after that, she took over for a cashier. I pushed carts and did the sweeping for the rest of my shift. The rain must have scared everyone off. We were a little busy around 4 PM, but after that, it died out again. The worst thing that happened was it showered, sometimes heavily, the entire time I was at work and I kept getting wet. Of course, the rain stopped the moment I finished. Picked up peaches and batteries on the way out. (At least we never got the advertised thunderstorms.) 

Watched a few Hungarian Folk Tales when I got home and changed. "The Prince Who Turned Into Stone" and "Cereruska" feature siblings who end up rescuing each other. "The Prince" must rescue his beloved royal brother from a witch who turned him and his animal companions into stone. "Cereruska" is a variation on "Brother and Sister," with a sister who is turned into a deer instead of a brother. 

Finished the night at YouTube with the Saturday Match Game marathon. British comedienne Dolly Martin may have been past her days as a Playboy centerfold in 1975, but she was still a delight when she debuted on the same week Allen Ludden and Betty White played together. She didn't return to the show until 1979, but she became a semi-regular throughout the entire syndicated run, with and without her husband Dick Martin. 

In fact, she and Dick appeared in some of the most memorable episodes of the late 70's and early 80's. They were there when the excited contestant grabbed Gene's arm and practically dragged him around. Dolly had to answer her Head-to-Head while Gene hid behind the question holder. Nipsey Russell preferred giving her a big squeeze! She saw a contestant teach Gene how to tap dance and another do a noisy hog call that just about blew the roof off the studio. McLean and Gene worked on her Bristol accent (and parodied My Fair Lady) after an English butler with a far more posh way of speaking appeared on the show. 

Dick and Dolly appeared together for the last time in the 1990-1991 version of the show. Dolly saw how a young man who looked a lot like Jimmie Walker dominated his week. She got to join Pam Stone making jokes when Charles and Jo Anne Worley talked about having appeared in The Mikado together and heard Brad Garrett and Fred Travalena's hilarious impersonations. 

Dolly had even more fun in the nighttime episodes. She tried to play matchmaker when it became apparent that Debralee Scott had a crush on a handsome contestant. They got so into their kissing when he thanked her for a Super Match answer that Bill Daily hid them behind his coat. In another episode, Dick joked about her being his "brother" and saw Dick help a young redheaded man with a really big $20,000 Head-to-Head.

This model Brit proves she's no dumb bunny in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Featuring Dolly and Dick Martin

Before the Storms

Began the morning with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel and Margaret Visit the Farm," and Daniel rides Peaches the horse for the first time. He's nervous, but his father holds his hand. Daniel does the same for Margaret when she's too scared to feed the ducks. Daniel's parents take him and Margaret on a 4th of July picnic to watch the "Fireworks and Fireflies." The fireflies make Margaret nervous, so Daniel holds her hand again until she's chasing them...and they both need their parents' hands when the loud fireworks frighten them.

Switched to Super Password briefly while I finished making my grocery list, then headed out. First stop of the day was the Westmont Plaza. My niece Finley will be turning 9 next Friday. I got her a card at Dollar Tree (along with soap) and a gift at Target. I also grabbed more of that tasty, fruity Iced Blue Coconut Matcha Latte from the Target Starbucks. 

Strolled further down the Westmont Plaza to Sprouts next. They were having a buy one, get one half-off sale on their bakery cookies. I loved the oatmeal-cranberry-walnut I got last week, so I went with those and snickerdoodle. The Annie's Homegrown chocolate chip granola bars are still on clearance, and those little bins of dried berries and pineapple are still 99 cents. I got one of the former and two of the latter. Grabbed oat milk and found strawberry fruit spread that was also on clearance. 

Rode down the hill next, past the library and high school and Burger King and McDonald's to the Westmont Acme. The weather isn't supposed to be appropriate for running to the farm market tomorrow, so I got my cherries and blueberries today. Restocked microwavable popcorn, yogurt, Swiss cheese, soda, granola bars (Nature's Valley were buy 2, get them for $1.99 each), low-salt tuna, and granola. Every store I hit up today was busy. It's close to the beginning of the month and a week from the biggest holiday of the summer season. 

Cut across Newton Lake Park going home. Considering it was hot (probably in the mid-upper 80's), thickly humid, and cloudy, the park was busy too when I was there. It's beautiful there now, with the emerald green trees waving in the breeze. I pushed my bike up the path over the hill, enjoying the earthy scents and ducking under a low-hanging branch.

Ran more cartoons when I got home as I put everything away, starting with Shirt Tales. "Kip's Dragon" was fired by a puppet show owner when he couldn't act like a dragon. Kip and the Shirt Tales try to teach Sparky to act like a dragon...but when his former boss captures his new friends and intends to make them the act, Sparky has find the dragon in himself. It's "Double Exposure" when a crooked photographer (who looks amusingly like a taller Gargamel) takes photos that can really capture a subject, including money and jewels. Pammy gets her camera mixed up with his and goes after it. He captures them, but it's Kip who figures out how to really get this guy exposed for good. 

Moved to Paw Patrol during lunch. Cheetah is an equally whiny cousin of Mayor Humdinger's who is still angry that Marshall won a driving trophy instead of her. She steals the PAW Patroller bus, hoping to ram down trees and the Monkey Temple and build her own jungle race track. "Pups Stop the Cheetah" from wrecking more havoc with the help of the new, improved PAW Patroller bus Ryder built.

Watched Meatballs online after I ate. Camp North Star in eastern Canada is shaping up for it's wildest summer on record. Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray), the head counselor who lives to break rules, befriends lonely camper Rudy Gerner (Chris Makepeace) the first day. He also has no trouble chasing the no-nonsense head female counselor Roxanne (Kate Lynch) or encouraging the randy CITs to play pranks on camp owner Morty Melneck (Harvey Atkin). There's also snobbish Camp Mohawk, the camp for wealthy kids across the lake, to contend with. Camp Mohawk has won (or cheated into winning) every Olympiad between the two camps. The kids think they're going to lose again, until Tripper reminds them that it just doesn't matter, and it's only games, after all. Rudy has a chance to redeem himself with the four-mile marathon, if he can get past Camp Mohawk's best runner.

Murray and Makepeace steal the movie wholesale as the wacky head counselor and the camper he ends up mentoring. They had so much chemistry and they worked so well together, more scenes were added of them playing carts to beef up the relationship. Not all of this movie has dated terribly well. Some of the treatment of the ladies, especially Tripper harassing and attacking Roxanne in several scenes, can be uncomfortable to watch nowadays. For the most part, though, this remains a lot of fun to watch if you're a fan of other "slobs vs snobs" comedies of the 70's and 80's.

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point. In good news, pretty much the same hours next week...except for the 4th of July, when I work 11 to 5. Maybe it's just as well. I can just make Oaklyn's parade and will have no trouble seeing the fireworks. I didn't really have a whole lot planned for in between them, and it's supposed to be crazy-hot anyway. 

Walked down to West Clinton Avenue after the movie ended. As I started off, I saw a gaggle of 13-year-old kids on bikes sitting in the middle of the road. One had just dropped his bike and was running in front of two dogs behind fences, trying to make them bark. A neighbor finally came out to tell them they were behaving like obnoxious twits and needed to leave the dog alone and get their bikes out of the street, before they were run over. 

Final Friday wasn't elbow-to-elbow crazy like it would be later in the night, but it was still pretty noisy when I got there. It was mostly families and old couples sitting at Oaklyn Manor Bar and Tonewood Brewery, or on benches and blankets and towels on the street next to the Brewery. There were tons of food trucks, and three different inflatable games for the kids - a ring toss, a basketball throw, and an "ax" toss. I did get to check out Inkwood Books' new Bookmobile and bought a yummy root beer float frozen bar from the Bubba Creamery cart, but there wasn't a whole lot more of interest there. I ultimately just headed home after a half-hour. 

Match Game '75 was just starting when I came up with dinner. This one was all about the week with Avery Schriberer, Gary Burghoff, Trish Stewart, and a radiant Patti Deusch. Patti was pregnant at that point, and it seemed to agree with her. I think she even got more answers right.

Moved to YouTube after a shower for The Swamp Fox. It's "A Case of Treason" when Colonel Tarleton (John Sutton) finally figures out what Mary Videaux and her parents are up to with all those parties. He catches her with Francis after one of those balls and arrests both of them. He escapes and follows her with his men in a hay wagon to Charleston. Not only do they free Mary there and send her to New Orleans, but they get more rebels out of prison, too.

Finished the night with three more Hungarian Folk Tales. "The King Who Did Not Want His Daughter to Marry" loves her so much, he turns her into three different animals so she won't wed the prince she loves. The prince finally figures out how to change her back...but even then, the princess still loves her father and is willing to forgive him. 

The "Dyer's Apprentice" is a variation on the story of a boy who won't tell his dream for anything, not to his master, not to the king, not to the princess he loves. It's not until he helps defeat an army that he finally tells the princess his secret. 

"The Jackdaw Girls" is basically a gender-reversed "The Wild Swans" without the prince and nettles subplot. The young boy must find his sisters, whom his mother accidentally turned into jackdaws when he got tired of their squabbling. He's helped by three ancient old women who call all the animals of the world to find out where his sisters went. 

On the Right Track

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear's Tooth" is loose! His friends try every method they can think of to get it out, but it turns out the simplest solution is at dinner. Emily's Granny tells Little Bear, Emily, and their friends "Little Red Riding Hood" when they're stuck inside of a rainy day. Emily is Red, Cat is the wolf, Hen is Red's mother, Granny is Red's grandmother, Little Bear and Owl of the huntsmen, and Duck is supposed to be guarding Granny. Little Bear and Emily are upset when their cupcakes bake hard as rocks and hide them from Mother Bear. She reminds "Little Bear and the Cupcakes" that sometimes, even just adding one ingredient can make a difference...and so can telling the truth.

Threw on a bit of Super Password, the week with Marsha Warfield and Tom Poston from 1987, as I went through most of my remaining records to see if I wanted to get rid of any more. I then split everything into two bags and added the Bissell vacuum I no longer needed. I took the vacuum sections apart so I could fit them in the car.

I had no choice about calling Uber, despite the nice day. There was no way I'd fit those two full and heavy bags on my bike. At least the lady who picked me up 10 minutes later was really nice. She had no trouble driving me around the back of the building so I could drop the bags right off at the Goodwill donations pick-up area.

Goodwill was surprisingly busy for a random June Thursday. I didn't have a ton of luck, but I did find a few interesting things. My best find was a new pair of rolled-cuff jean shorts. My old pair is starting to fray at the rolled-up part. I also picked up a CD:

Julie Andrews - The Best of Julie Andrews (the first and only solo album I've seen for her) 

and a children's record:

Raggedy Ann & Andy's Birthday Party

Made a quick stop at Five Below for a drink before heading out again. This time, I strolled into Audubon on foot. It was too nice to call for a ride again. Though it was a bit warmer and more humid, it also remains sunny, and the wind was enough to keep it from feeling too nasty. I had lunch at a busy Legacy Diner. Their broccoli and cheddar omelet was a bit on the watery side, but I did enjoy my fruit cup with melon and pineapple slices and red grapes. I've never seen apple butter at a diner, either. I love apple butter. It may be my favorite type of fruit spread. It and orange marmalade were wonderful on whole-wheat toast.

Backtracked to Market Street for a treat at Desserts By Design. I had a yummy coconut-frosted cupcake while the lady behind the counter helped a kindly older couple decide what they wanted for their son's birthday. When they left, I told her about exploring Cherry Hill and waiting until after Lauren visits in mid-July to do further house-hunting. She pleasantly said I was on the right track. I feel like I'm on the right track. At least I'm actually doing something after spending so much time in the winter and early spring stuck at home due to the weather. 

Started home after I finished my cupcake...but I couldn't resist a stop at the Calico Cat Cafe on the White Horse Pike. This charming little nook has a room that sells cat art, crafts, and hand-knit beds, along with sodas, baked goods, and for some odd reason, ramen. They're also the first place I've seen make "dirty sodas" - that is, soda with cream and flavoring. I had a Dr. Pepper Zero with brown sugar flavoring and French vanilla cream. The brown sugar wasn't bad, but the French vanilla overpowered the Dr. Pepper. Next time, I'll try it with regular cream. I admired several cats sunning themselves in the big picture windows as I walked past them.

Relaxed at home while watching The Nifty Nineties. I go further into the Abbot and Costello vehicle best-known for introducing the extended version of "Who's On First" to movie audiences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

The Nifty Nineties

Put on an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse after the movie ended. Detective Minnie, Super Spy Daisy, and Captain Clarabelle are "The Go-Getters" who must round up a trio of giant baby chicks and remove the egg shells they hatched from that are blocking a river. Captain Clarabelle is more than happy to rescue Pete from them, too...but it's Pete who ends up being the biggest help when he's the one who finally gets them in the corral.

Switched to Match Game '75 next. Gary Burghoff was terribly embarrassed in the first episode when they had to redo the Super Match because he blurted an answer. Marcia Wallace received a standing ovation in the second show after she finally got her first right answer. After that, they moved to the next week, with Avery Schiriber, Trish Stewart, and a radiantly pregnant Patti Deusch. 

Finished the night with another classic Republic serial at YouTube. This time, I jumped to before the war for Daredevils of the Red Circle from 1939.  This one may have one of the more unique plots in serials. The title Dardevils are acrobats Gene Towley (Charles Quigley), "Tiny" Dawson (Herman Brix), and Bert Knowles (ace stuntman David Sharpe). The trio volunteer as detectives when Gene's younger brother is killed in a fire at an amusement park where they're performing. The fires all target properties belonging to Horace Granville (Miles Mander) because escaped convict Harry Crowe (Charles Middleton) wanted revenge on him for turning him in. He traps the old man in a recreation of his prison cell in his mansion and poses as him. His granddaughter Blanche (Carole Landis) knows something is up, especially when she becomes one of the next targets. The Daredevils protect her and Granville's properties with the help of a mysterious figure known only as "The Red Circle." 

Walking In History

Began the day with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. Bloth becomes "The Soul Stealer" when a soothsayer claims Ren is the only one who is destined to find the treasures. Morpho creates a potion that'll trade Bloth's soul and that of his first mate for Ren and Niddler's. Bloth thinks he's pulled it off...until the man Ioz stole the Wraith from decides he wants it back, and Niddler wants to fly again...

Got to work right on time, and that was probably the most exciting thing that happened all morning. It got a little busy around 10:30-11 PM, but was otherwise dead quiet. I didn't even have that many carts to gather. For one thing, it was too nice to be shopping. I pushed carts in strong, cool wind, bright blue skies, and warm sunshine. It was probably in the lower 80's, hot, but not overly so for mid-June. I was in and out with no trouble whatsoever.

Soon as I got home, I changed and went downstairs to make lunch. This time, the buckwheat pancake mix just made plain pancakes. I topped them with peanut butter, orange marmalade, and honey. Oh yum! They came out perfectly, and the marmalade and peanut butter complimented them well. 

Watched Paw Patrol while I ate lunch. Mayor Humdinger is beside himself - many times over - when "Mighty Pups, Charged Up: Pups Stop a Humdinger Horde." Humdinger wants his Kitty Catastrophe Crew to have a professional bath, but Katie's animal salon is full. After he accidentally walks into Harold's cloning machine, the Humdingers steal Katie and her animal salon! For once, Harold is more than happy to help the pups stop his wayward uncle...er, uncles...from wrecking more havoc. Harold is still determined to be mayor of somewhere. After he finds another piece of meteor, he insists on being mayor of the moon, and turns the lighthouse into a rocket ship to get him there. He doesn't realize Cap'n Turbot is inside, or that the Patrol is on his tail in "Mighty Pups, Charged Up: Pups Stop a Mighty Lighthouse." 

Called Uber after the cartoon ended and I cleaned up lunch. Not only will I not have the time to explore Cherry Hill on Saturday this week, but the weather is supposed to be lousy that day. I decided to check out the Cherry Parke Condos and Waterford Apartments today and take advantage of that gorgeous weather. The driver going to Cherry Parke and home were both there in 10 minutes. There was a little traffic in Haddonfield, but otherwise no trouble.

Cherry Parke and Waterford, despite one being condos and one being apartments, look pretty much the same. They're two-story brick Colonial-style buildings from the early 50's, with yellow shutters and quaint details like the curving trim and red doors. Both complexes surround green areas connected by sidewalks with common trash areas. Honestly, the place was showing its age. Shutters were missing from some buildings, and the paint was faded on others. There was a lot of old furniture piled up in the back parking lot area, including a vintage organ. I saw dog excrescence on the green, even though people weren't supposed to walk their dogs there. Tons of kids' bikes locked on racks indicated a lot of families living here. I suspect most of the residents are families and health care workers priced out of expensive Haddonfield and east Cherry Hill who needed inexpensive homes to buy or rent. 

On the other hand, the buildings are quite charming, certainly more than the very 60's Playa Del Sol and Sussex House or the high rise across from the Dollar Tree on the Marlton Pike, and they're surrounded by wide green lawns. There's also the lovely Wallworth Park across the street. As I headed down King's Highway, I walked down steep stone steps and stepped into a smooth emerald field. I followed the sound of gurgling and rushing to the stream, where I saw a man fishing next to a small spillway. Apparently, this powered mills, hundreds of years ago. 

I continued down King's Highway to see how long it would take me to make it into Haddonfield. It took about 10 minutes. I passed by many historic buildings, from a gorgeous, sprawling yellow Victorian (which apparently is in danger of being demolished - they'd better not, that building was beautiful), to a red brick Colonial that was in the midst of exterior remodeling. I stopped and read about an older building that's now used as offices but had been a prison house during the American Revolution. 

By the time I made it to the corner of Haddon Avenue and King's Highway, I was hot as heck. I stopped at Starbucks for a treat. The strawberry matcha loaf was amazing, deliciously moist with swirls of green tea and strawberry. I would have liked the Butterfly Drink better if it didn't have those weird gel bubbles at the bottom. They were fruity and very sweet, but I prefer nothing in my drink but my drink and a little ice. 

Continued down Haddon Avenue to Haddonfield's Acme. Haddonfield has the most unique Acme building in the entire chain. Unlike the Acme at Cape May, which was built in the 70's and remodeled to fit in with the rest of the town in the 2000's, the Haddonfield Acme is genuinely old. It was built as a Quaker meetinghouse in the 1851, and rather than knock down history, Acme just built around it. The Haddonfield Acme is tiny, as you can guess from being in a small meetinghouse. I think it was pretty recently remodeled, but that doesn't make it any bigger. I did manage to get pocked-sized suntan lotion (I couldn't find the tube I keep in my backpack purse), a drink, and more Persil before that sale ends. I thought it would be easier to pick up Uber here than on busy King's Highway, too.

Put on The Price Is Right when I got home. I arrived in time for the Showcases. One was a pretty normal no-frills display that ended with a trip to Austria. The other was a lot goofier, and ended with a cherry-red sports car. Though both of the ladies got relatively close, the one who bid on the sports car was, to her delight, closer. 

Watched Match Game '75 while eating dinner. The first hour finished out the week with Bert Convy, Joyce Bulifant, and Betty White. I don't know what got into everyone in those last two episodes. Everyone was jumping on everyone else, from Gene grabbing Mary Ann for kisses to Bert chasing the contestant to the winning contestant ending up in Richard Dawson's lap. The next week, with Dwayne Hickman of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Broadway star Carol Lawrence, was more subdued by comparison. 

Took a much-needed shower, then finished the night with the rest of Spy Smasher. I like that this serial took chances. At least one hero doesn't make it out alive, which is rare for serials. Other than Spy Smasher picking up a twin brother, it also seems to be relatively accurate to the comic books as well, especially for this era. There were some incredible action set pieces, especially the flaming harbor in the final episode. You might call this the less-florid Batman to Republic's earlier Captain Marvel serial, a hero who relies on his wits and human strength rather than any magical powers. If you're a Batman fan, love the original Spy Smasher comics, or are a serial enthusiast, this is roundly considered to be one of the best. 

Walk In the Rain

Began a gloomy, rainy morning with breakfast and the Shirt Tales. "Digger's Three Wishes" has him dreaming that his new lamp can produce a genie who grants him all the wealth he wants. He, Tyg, and Bogey are delighted, but Pammy and Kip think there's something up with these sudden riches. Turns out they're right when the genie swipes the money and the girls. Digger has even more trouble when he goes out of town and "Digger's Double," a rat who has been stealing cheese, impersonates him. The others figure it out when the rat is a little to eager to go out on assignment with Tyg and Bogey.

Switched to the Bowery Boys while working on yesterday's blog entry. Slip (Leo Gorcey) is In Fast Company when Father Donovan (Charles D. Brown) guilt trips him into helping an independent cab company after its owner is run off the road by Steve Trent (Douglas Fowley) of Red Circle Cab. Slip would mind helping less if it didn't mean he constantly has to break dates with his girl Mabel (Judy Clark) or explain what's going on to her uncle Louie (Bernard Gorcey) who owns the ice cream shop where they all congregate. When his friend Chuck (David Gorcey) is hurt by Trent and his goons while on duty, Slip and the others take it on themselves to tell the company's owner Mr. McCormick (Paul Harvey) what's going on.

By quarter of 2, I was bored and tired of sitting inside, and the showers were slowing down. They weren't slow enough for me to walk around in Cherry Hill like I originally planned, but I could run a few errands in Oaklyn. I grabbed my umbrella and headed out for a walk...then went right back inside and got my raincoat when I realized how cold it was! It wasn't even in the 70's. I think it might have been mid-60's. No wonder it felt so nice in my rooms.

My first stop was Family Dollar. I think they might be in the middle of remodeling. The baby items were all in bins instead of shelves. Good. That place is a mess. It could stand with a redo. I picked up trash bags and more of the cheap Pure Kick hydrate mix packs (in Arctic Wave this time), then moved on.

Since it's the closest restaurant that was actually open on a Tuesday, I went to Jalapeno's Mexican Bar and Grill for lunch. Needless to say, they were dead quiet at 2:30. The only other people there were two women chatting in a booth. I had delicious, full, and messy fish tacos and watched the Poland Vs. Uzbekistan World Cup soccer game on their TV in peace. (Later research revealed that Poland won, 5-0.)

I wanted to treat myself to WaWa in honor of the end of the school year yesterday, but I took Uber to and from the school and didn't want to run into storms afterwards. I ended up with a soft pretzel and a tasty Raspberry Chip Smoothie made with real raspberry puree. Watched cats play with volunteers at the Calico Cat Cafe a block down as I passed by them.

Took out the trash and brought it down to the curb when I got home, then went straight into bed for a nap. I was so tired. I stayed up too early Sunday night and couldn't sleep the next morning, and then there was all the craziness at Thomas Sharp. I went down at quarter of 4, got up at 6, and was still tired.

Put on Buzzr after I got up...only to find something called Buzzr's Top 10 instead of Match Game. This seems to be a special featuring big moments from the shows Freemantle owns that has shown up randomly all month. Incidentally, #2 is the introduction of Plinko on The Price Is Right. The top great moment is so infamous, a movie was released about it last year, Michael Larson amassing over $100,000 on Press Your Luck.

Watched Match Game '75 while I ate dinner after that finally started. Bert Convy, Mary Ann Mobley, and Betty White returned for the last episodes taped in 1974. Bert was amused by a question that asked what he did with the ladies, while everyone teased Brett over another question that joked about her wigs.

(Oh, and Buzzr has two big announcements for next month. First of all, their next marathon will be "Buzzr Goes Global," featuring two Freemantle shows from England and Family Feud Canada. Their other new show, Family Feud Moments, is less welcome. This just looks like it's "best segments from the current Steve Harvey Feud." It's probably in honor of Feud's 50th anniversary this year, but while I have no problems with Steve Harvey or his show, it doesn't really fit on Buzzr.) 

Moved to YouTube after Match Game ended. Did two Hungarian Folk Tales first. "The Giant Beanstalk" is "Jack and the Beanstalk" with the Giant playing a hurdy-gurdy instead of a singing harp. The mother also doesn't throw the beans out the window. Jack just plants them. "The Princess Three Pigs and Three Birthmarks" gets a little ribald when a young pig herder who can make his porcine charges dance agrees to let the Princess have them, if she'll lift her skirt for him. Turns out he has his reasons for this when the king announces that the man who marries her daughter will be the one who knows where her birthmarks are.

Finished the night with more of The Swamp Fox. Marion and his men have been wrecking havoc on the road, including capturing Mary Videux's father and sending him to prison. Colonel Horry's "Redcoat Strategy" is to have two of his men infiltrate Marion's group and learn the location of his hideout. Marion, as usual, is two steps ahead of them, including rescuing Mary, her maid Delia (Louise Beavers), and his friend Oscar (Smoki Whitfield). 

Rain Is In, School Is Out

Slept in, then had breakfast while watching Paw Patrol. We find out just how the Pups got their powers in the hour-long special "Mighty Pups." They're the first ones on the scene when a meteor lands on the beach in Adventure Bay. The moment they get close to the meteor, they discover it's granted them all superpowers! Unfortunately, the second people on the scene were whiny Mayor Humdinger and his bratty nephew Harold. Harold now has the ability to build anything...including a giant robot that steals the meteor, kidnaps Ryder, and terrorizes Adventure Bay. Speedy Chase has to step up as leader, before Harold smashes all of the town and their floating base ends up crashing.

During the second half of the special, I went through my rock records. I only cleared out one, and most of them were in pretty good shape organizational-wise. I was hoping to clear out more, but some of these, I've wanted since I was a kid! And some of them I had when I was a kid.

I didn't really trust the weather today. It wasn't raining at quarter of noon, but there were going to be storms later. I called Uber. Thankfully, no trouble there. I got one in 8 minutes going to the Thomas Sharp Elementary School. Only took 5 minutes for the one going home to arrive, and that at the start of rush hour. No trouble either way. 

On one hand, there were 8 younger kids on the last day of school, 3 at my table (one went home within ten minutes of her arrival), and 10 older kids. There were so few younger kids, we condensed it down to two tables and took them all together to the bathroom. Good thing they ate pretty fast. We wanted to get everyone outside to the blacktop before the storms came. It certainly looked like rain as the kids played kickball, drew with chalk, and chatted along the chain link fence under the shady green trees. It was gloomy and warm, with air thick enough to cut it with a sharp piece of chalk. We had them out for about a half-hour before the first tiny drops hit our noses. The drops got fatter and fatter as we grabbed the balls and the Lego bin and dashed inside.

On the other hand, they got pretty crazy once we were inside, and not just because of the loud storm. The head teacher broke out Play Doh, but the older boys kept throwing them around, and one of the younger boys got upset when a younger girl grabbed his color and mixed them. The little girl kept wrapping her Play Doh in paper and coloring her "dumplings," even when we told her not to. Two of the older boys fought and wouldn't listen to anyone all afternoon. The head teacher pulled out the projector and tried to run Rio. No sooner would we get the kids sitting down and watching it than the internet would cut out, or the head teacher would be called somewhere and would take her phone and its power with her. 

(Incidentally, I reviewed Rio at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in August 2024. I go further into the film itself there.)

Rio

The storm finally subsided around 3:30, long enough for us to get the kids back on the blacktop again. I was supposed to be done at 3:30, but I stayed a little longer to help with the remaining younger kids. Fortunately, by that point there were only two younger kids left. I watched the boys shoot baskets and the other kids draw with chalk on the rapidly-drying blacktop. When the last two younger boys left with their mothers and older siblings, I left, too.

I was originally going to watch Superman: Doomsday when I got home. When the DVD I bought from Goodwill didn't work, I ended up going with another Bowery Boys movie instead. The guys are Ghost Chasers when Whitey and Sach become interested in spiritualism. Slip makes use of this to convince Louie that his deceased Uncle Jake wants him to give the Boys $100. He then uses the $100 to expose a phony medium who was conning one of the ladies in their neighborhood. The medium ends up pointing the finger at another phony female spiritualist. The guys go after her while Sach gets help from a real ghost (Lloyd Corrigan) whom only he can see.

Switched to Match Game '75 during dinner after the Boys ended. They're well into the New Year now. Cool cat Greg Morris joins Brett and Gary on the top tier. Richard wonders what he's gotten himself into when he finds himself between daffy Joyce Bulifant and whimsical Fannie Flagg on the lower tier.

Finished the night at YouTube after a shower. In honor of Buzzr running a long-lost episode of Password Plus from 1982 with Lucille Ball and Dick Martin, I ran a few other episodes of shows that are mostly lost or not well-known now. Plus isn't the only game show with episodes missing. Before videotape became cheaper in the mid-80's, game shows were among the genres mostly likely to be wiped and reused by networks. NBC wiped the entire run of the original 60's The Match Game, before CBS revamped it to the wacky format that's still in use today. This all-star episode from 1964 featuring Betty White, Bennett Cerf, Robert Q. Lewis, Henry Morgan, Joan Fontaine, and Peggy Cass is one of three surviving shows currently online.

The Richard Dawson Family Feud is missing a lot, too. ABC erased shows into the early 80's. Episodes before 1982 are sort of scattered, including this one from 1981 where Johnny Gilbert does the announcing. Poor Gene Wood had an accident with a chainsaw and was out for several weeks.

Individual producers didn't do so well with keeping their shows around, either. NBC had ended erasing tapes by the time Sale of the Century debuted in 1983...but producer Reg Grundy would erase them until the end of the decade. That's why you're more likely to see a syndicated episode from 1985 or one of the episodes from the show's final year in 1988-1989 on Buzzr than an early episode...and probably why the premiere episode seen here is in such horrible shape.

Some later flops are hard to find as well. Nickelodeon still has most of its older shows around and has re-run them on its channels and on Paramount Plus. Splat! is one of the few that's mostly missing. Between shows in 2004, kids at Nickelodeon Studios in Universal Florida would compete at messy tasks. Winner got slimed. It was cute and the kids look like they're having fun. Too bad the interstiles only lasted five months, and this was the last show to be filmed at the Nick Studios before they shut down. Only two episodes and a lot of fragments exist today. 

Not everything that's lost stays missing. Within the last six months, someone posted almost all of the episodes from the long-vanished 1975 music game show Musical Chairs on YouTube. This one is significant in several ways. It boasted the first black game show host, super-hip singer Adam Wade, and an all-star array of performers on their way up, like country singer Linda Hargrove, or down, like Bobby Rydell and Broadway star Gretchen Wyler, along with an extremely mid-70's geometric set. Too bad it only lasted a few months. The game play is complicated, but there's some great songs here. 

Learn more about our TV history with these long-lost episodes that are finally out of the vault for all to enjoy!

The Match Game (1964)

Musical Chairs (1975)

Family Feud (1981)

Password Plus (1982)

Sale of the Century (1983)

Nickelodeon Splat! (2004) 

In the Good Old Summertime

Kicked off the morning with pieces from Colliers Harvest of Holidays for Father's Day. One of the long stories was the sweet, quiet tale of a father who takes his little girl out to the yard at night so she can sleep. The other is a segment from Cheaper By the Dozen detailing how Mr. Gilbreath, father of 12 children and efficiency expert, tried to use the same logic he applied to factories at home...with mixed results.

Listened to Nat King Cole while eating breakfast. The title song of Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer is probably the best-known hit from Cole's 1963 summer-themed album nowadays. Most of the other numbers are beloved old favorites from the early 20th century like "Bicycle Built for Two," "In the Good Old Summertime," and "The Sidewalks of New York." One of the two new songs was also a hit, the dreamy ballad "That Sunday, That Summer." The other one was "That's What They Meant By the Good Old Summertime."

Headed to work a little early to get a pack of grapes, cubed muenster cheese, crackers, and tuna salad for lunch. Work was honestly not that bad. I spent the entire time pushing carts. The Sunday morning bagger and the afternoon bagger handled the indoor chores. It was too nice to be shopping anyway. It was hotter, yes, and a little humid, but breezy and sunny. 

Bought a Pearson's Salted Nut Roll for a summer treat after work, then went straight home and into tonight's Match Game marathon. Far more TV dads than what we saw last night appeared on this show! In addition to Tom Bosley, there were Robert Pine of CHIps, best known today as the father of actor Chris Pine, Michael Landon of Little House on the Prairie during that first week in 1973, Pat Harrington, and Ed Asner.

Real-life fathers occasionally brought their children on the show. Proud single dad Richard Dawson mentioned his son Gary twice. He first showed a picture of him dancing with a hula girl in Hawaii and claimed he was now engaged. Later in 1975, he invited Gary on the show near the end as a birthday present. McLean Stevenson's daughter Jennifer turned up at the end of an episode in 1978. She was adorable and funny in her Star Wars t-shirt. She even chewed her lip like her dad. As Didi Carr said, she was a "chippette off the old block." Jack Klugman often mentioned the two sons he had with Brett Somers. 

Fathers appeared on other versions of Match Game, too. Ted Knight was hilarious during the Too Close For Comfort week on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. His real-life daughter Elyse also appeared that week. Alan Thicke, later of Growing Pains, turned up twice on Hollywood Squares Hour with his then-wife Gloria Loring. Bill Kirkenbauer of Growing Pains and Just the 10 of Us was a frequent (and very funny) panelist on Match Game '90. 

Celebrate Father's Day the Match Game way as you and your dad match wits with some of the funniest fathers around!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Father's Day Marathon

Dads and Harvests

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel and Prince Wednesday want to run "The Lemonade Stand" together, but Daniel gets mad when Wednesday shakes the lemons from the tree before he can count them, and Wednesday doesn't like that Daniel keeps handing out the lemonade before he can. Queen Sarah tells them to say they're mad and try to talk out their differences. Miss Elaina gets "Mad at the Beach" when Daniel splashes water in her eyes, and both kids are upset when the waves knock down their sandcastle. Dan Sr. isn't happy when the kids go in the water without his permission, either. He talks things over with the kids to get their feelings out and his.

Headed out to the Collingswood Farm Market after the cartoon ended. Though it wasn't overwhelmingly busy, there were still a lot of people out buying produce for graduation parties and Father's Day barbecues. The summer produce is flourishing now. I saw blackberries, raspberries, Chinese beans, cucumbers, cherries, New Jersey blueberries, and summer squash for the first time this season. I also ran into one of the girls from my class and their family and joined them to buy a frozen fruit bar from Bubba's creamery. The young ladies had chocolate mint. I finally got my pineapple, which was perfectly cool, sweet, and tropical. I also picked up peaches, blueberries, and plump cherries. 

This time, I went straight home and rested for an hour while looking up where the Playa Del Sol Condos building was in Cherry Hill. Watched Laugh-In as I worked. Rotund Robert Conrad, best known at the time as the gourmand detective Cannon, was the star here. Most of the jokes had him spoofing Superman as Captain Amazing or making fun of his weight. We also had Broadway star Nanette Fabray, who was partially deaf, doing her jokes in American Sign Language, joined by Follies star Alexis Smith. 

Called Uber at around 1 PM. The lady going to Cherry Hill took 8 minutes and cost a bundle. The one going home was a little cheaper and took 11 minutes at quarter of 4. No trouble either way; the woman who drove me there lived on the other side of Cherry Hill and was especially chatty and pleasant.

Had lunch at Pat's Select Pizza and Grill on the corner of Clements Bridge Road and Chapel Avenue. They were a small but very clean and modern building decorated with black and white photos and essays on the history of Cherry Hill. They also made incredible pizza. The ends were slightly burnt, but the mushrooms were real, not canned, the cheese was nicely stringy, and the crust was amazingly soft. The waitress was really sweet, too.

The reason I ate at Pat's, other than I wanted pizza, had to do with it being across Clements Bridge Road. Playa Del Sol was two blocks down from Pat's, about a block from Jefferson Health. It's a slightly larger condo building than the Sussex House, big enough to have businesses on the first floor. I bought fruit jelly slices from what I believe to be a small Jewish market. The older lady at the counter and the other woman shopping spoke what sounded like Russian or Yiddish. I saw a full children's ballet class at a dance studio and a busy barber shop, among other businesses. 

The Playa Del Sol looks more like a hotel in Wildwood, with an outside pool that was also pretty busy, a small gazebo, a tennis court, and paths with benches under trees in the parking lot. It just needs the fake palm trees. On one hand, the landscaping was pretty decent, and the balconies had nothing on them but the usual patio furniture. The building could use some paint and exterior upgrades, though. The tennis court net was sagging and the gazebo could also do with some paint. The pool seemed pretty clean and well-kept, though.

It was a too gorgeous of a day not to walk all the way down Clements Bridge Road to the Marlton Pike. The sky was a radiant blue. The wind was fresh and cool. It wasn't too hot, probably in the lower 80's. The sun shown brightly as I turned a corner briefly and checked out a row of townhouses, then strolled down the road. Everything else on Clements Bridge Road is basic houses. The further you go, the older the houses get. I'm pretty sure I saw some from the 20's and 30's closer to the Marlton Pike.

There's a few small businesses on the Marlton Pike around Clements Bridge Road, but the only one that interested me is Mango Mango. I've never seen a restaurant that focused exclusively on desserts before. It was a sit-down restaurant with the cutest bear mascots I've ever seen. Most of their Japanese cakes, cheesecakes, and frozen drinks were kind of expensive. I got a frozen grapefruit tea and a mango sundae, and that cost more than my lunch! They were tasty, but I think next time, I'll get a drink or a sundae, not both.

Once I got home, I finished the night with today's YouTube game show marathon. Today, the owner of the channel and his assistant focused on all game shows that had famous dads on them, not just Match Game. In addition to his Match Game week in 1975, Tom Bosley of Happy Days appeared on Tattletales in 1984 as well. Bill Macy also did a memorable week on Match Game in 1975. The Tom Bergenon Hollywood Squares featured John Ritter, then of 8 Simple Rules, Steven Collins of Seventh Heaven, and the entire cast of Everybody Loves Raymond teasing Ray Romano about the book he'd just written at that point. Andy Griffith appeared with a group of adorable children on I've Got a Secret in the mid-60's (and revealed he'd once been a teacher), while Robert Reed was a guest on the syndicated version in 1972. 

Reed, of The Brady Bunch, was a familiar figure on game shows in the 70's and 80's. In addition to his stint on Secret, he also frequently appeared on Password Plus and Super Password. Darren McGavin, later The Old Man from A Christmas Story, played on the original 60's Password. John Astin of The Addams Family and Night Court could be incredibly competitive with his then-wife Patty Duke on Password Plus, but they could also be super-sweet - and win big money for their section - on Tattletales.Redd Foxx, one of the title characters of Sanford and Son, was hilarious (and maybe a little drunk) on the 70's syndicated Hollywood Squares. Dick Sargent of the later seasons of Bewitched made a memorable appearance on an all-star week of Super Password in 1986. 

Bob Saget, later of Full House, had an off-and-on affiliation with game shows. He got some of his earliest TV exposure on the short-lived syndicated show Make Them Laugh. Three comics try to make contestants crack a smile, then a celebrity playing on behalf of a contestant. That the celebrity was Tiny Tim and one of the other comics was the supremely weird Bruce Baum should give you an idea of how crazy the show could get. Bobby Van hosted in one of his last TV appearances before his untimely death. Saget did slightly better with the original 1 Vs 100. This imitation Who Wants To Be a Millionaire pit one contestant against a "mob" of 100. The more "mob" members got a question wrong, the more money could be won. The episode seen here was the "Battle of the Sexes" pitting a woman against 100 guys and a nerdy guy against 100 smart ladies...and the guy became the only one on this version of the show to win the million dollar top prize.

Play games with your father tomorrow before he fires up the grill and have fun with some of the most beloved fathers on television!

Game Show Saturday Classics - Daddys On Game Shows