Dolls and Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and The Adventures of Flash Gordon. "The Monsters of Mongo" include a giant dinosaur-like creature, sea serpents, and trees that reach out and grab victims. Flash, Dale, Zarkov, and King Thun manage to dodge the first, but they're caught by Ming the Merciless' daughter Aura. Ming keeps Dale for himself and wants to make use of Zarkov, but sends Thun and Flash to the mines as slaves. Aura frees them, but they run headlong into the sea serpents and trees before Prince Barin and his men catch them.

I was supposed to have an interview with Healthy Kids Programs, the after-school and summer programs for Collingswood and Oaklyn's elementary schools, at 9:30. I had a hard time figuring out how to get the audio and video working on the first app they wanted to use. I do have an account on Zoom, so I switched to that.

Thankfully, it went very well after that. I explained why I was interested in their program. I may not be a teacher or have worked with kids on a regular basis, but I don't have any problems with them, either.  They only need someone early in the morning or late in the afternoon to help with their before and after school programs, and that would be perfect for my off days at the Acme. I remembered how, in fifth grade, I got so into reading The Lion and the Mouse for my class, the teacher had me repeat the performance for the kindergartners. I spent the rest of the school year helping the teacher out with them, making up stories based after whatever I was into at the time, during what would have been my lunch hour.

(Of course, they partially let me do this to dodge the bullying that had gotten even worse by the late 80's. I would be pulled from Cape May Elementary after that school year and placed in the special ed middle school.)

Went over the Healthy Kids website after I got off with them, then headed to my dental appointment. Got there with five minutes to spare. The waiting room was nearly full to capacity when I arrived. It took almost ten minutes for the dental technician to call me back.

No trouble after that, though. I was just getting a cleaning today. I did admit to the technician that my lower right teeth have been a little sensitive. They chew fine, but I can feel hot and cold with them. She gave me two toothpastes to help with it.

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop after I got out of my appointment. It was past 12:30, and they were pretty busy, too. I had a tasty avocado, tomato, and mozzarella omelet with fried potatoes (that I didn't finish) and a whole-wheat bagel. Grabbed two more bagels for lunch this week on the way out.

Since Great Clips is right next door to the Bagel Shop, I got my hair cut next. There was only one other person sitting in the salon chairs and no wait. They were able to take me right away. I only got a trim this time, since I went so short last time. It looks cute, but given we're coming up on summer, I kind of wish I'd gotten another inch off.

Went home after that and right into dressing the dolls for May and warmer weather. Samantha's birthday is in May, so she gets to wear her pink striped birthday dress with the frilly pinafore. I bought her new white shoes with pink bows and snaps on eBay a few months ago. Molly's trying on her rainbow striped Tennis Outfit. Josefina is in her lovely Dress and Vest and the gold fringed shawl from her Feast Day Outfit for Cinco Del Mayo next week. Jessa's just in a tye-dye flower print T-shirt and capris. 

Whitney celebrates Memorial Day (or Decoration Day, as it would have been in 1959 when her backstory is set) in Maryellen's red, white, and blue bow-print School Outfit with the blue cardigan and cute red bow-trimmed shoes. Felicity is ready to help me clean the rooms in her green-striped Work Gown. I bought the hand-made pinafore for Samantha to wear in the early 90's, but I never did put it on her that often. It works better as an apron. Kit's ready to get that scoop in her pink, green, and yellow Reporter Outfit with the coral knit cardigan. Ariel gets Julie's current meet outfit with the floral peace sign tank top, yellow crocheted vest, and hip flared floral jeans. Barbara Jean is the queen of Cherry Hill High's prom in her pink fringed dress and stole that were originally a play outfit for Melody.

Listened to The Essential Michael Jackson while I worked. You can't get much more essential than just about every big song Jackson ever had, from his time with the Jackson 5 until his final hit "You Rock My World" from 2001. The majority of Jackson's best-known solo output came out between 1979 and 1991...pretty much the entirety of my childhood. 

Jackson was one of the biggest superstars on the planet for my first ten years of existence. We had his Thriller album and I think Bad on cassette. So many wonderful songs that were such a part of my life then - "Rock With You," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man In the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," "Black or White," "Heal the World," "Will You Be There." Now I'm even more looking forward to the Michael Jackson film musical biography that's at this writing scheduled to open in October. 

I checked my email when I got home...and to my delight and shock, Healthy Kids offered me the job. I figured they'd want someone who has more experience with kids, but I guess I really impressed them. I did have to tell them about my vacation with Lauren (I was able to get all but two days - they were going to need help the last two days with the kids getting out of school), and I'll need to change my availability at work. Even if this is only for the late spring and summer, I'll be making two paychecks, and more to the point, will have something to do this summer besides wander around South Jersey buying records and books.

Put on Hart to Hart while I got the deal with the vacation hashed out. "Max In Love" is delighted with the pretty lady (Madelyn Rue) he's dating...at least until he and the Harts come home from an auction house to find their home empty. Max's new sweetheart is helping a crooked auctioneer (Rene Auberjoinis) and his thugs rip off wealthy homes. After Max gets hurt catching the thieves killing one of their own, the Harts take it on themselves to keep the men from making off with the rest of their things. 

Switched to Match Game '78 during dinner. Avery Schriberer and Barbara Rhodes joined in as Richard admitted that for once, his answer to "Whip __" in the Audience Match wasn't very good. Gene spent the next episode trying to figure out who Dayton Anderson was.

Finished the night after a shower with game shows based around numbers or statistics.  The Audience Match on Match Game deals with statistics and surveys to a degree. The most famous survey-based show, of course, is Family Feud. Richard Dawson asks the survey questions in this 1978 episode from the height of the original run's success.

Most other numbers-based shows didn't get anywhere near the long run of Feud. Alex Trebek's first hosting gig in America was The Wizard of Odds in 1974. "The Wizard" asks questions with three answers based on averages. In the second game, they had to guess which phrase or person didn't match with the others. The contestant with the most correct answers got the chance to choose which prizes to play, under locked or open windows. Winners had their names added to Alex's Wheel of Fortune, which he would spin to give a contestant even more prizes.

On one hand, I'm glad this finally turned up in 2022. Until this episode was uploaded, there was nothing of this online but the opening. On the other hand, I can see why it only made a year. The game play is kind of complicated, and the statistics are a bit dry. Alex, however, is charming out of the gate. No wonder NBC would call him back for this show's much-improved replacement High Rollers. 

While most of Trebek's two versions of High Rollers were wiped by NBC, the Wink Martindale syndicated revival from 1987 is still very much around. I loved watching this show on Channel 17 as a kid. It was fun to watch contestants try to roll the right numbers for those big prize packages!

Play the Percentages was somewhat similar to The Wizard of Odds. In this early episode I have here, two couples try to guess a percentage-based question. Whomever got the closest to the answer would earn the number in the question. The original bonus round had the couple choosing a percentage-based answer to a question. Once again, they get the number in question, but getting 0% would end the round. They kept revising this and revising this during the seven months it was on the air in 1980, eventually dropping the couples in favor of solo players and switching the bonus round to being survey-based, more like Feud. Nothing worked, or frankly, made this show a whole lot more interesting. It was gone by fall 1980.

Nipsey Russell had no more luck with Your Number's Up back at NBC in 1985. Here, after Nipsey gives us his poem for the day, three contestants spin a number wheel and try to earn more diamonds. The contestants would select one of two phrases, while Nipsey read the other half. If a car symbol appeared, they'd have to guess the numbers on a car's license plate. Personally, I thought all the spinning and diamonds got to be a bit much. Bringing in audience members to earn money along with the contestants and doing a home game just made things even more complicated. No wonder this didn't last three months.

The British do much better with numbers in their long-running Countdown. The first half has contestants rearranging letters to make words. During the second half, they solve math problems. Admittedly, it is fun to play along with the first half and see what words you can make from the letters yourself. The second half is a little less exciting...but overall I can see why this has been going since 1982 and is one of the longest-running game shows in England. 

Learn about numbers, odds, and statistics with these rare delights!

The Wizard of Odds (1974)

Family Feud (1978)

Play the Percentages (1980)

Your Number's Up (1985)

High Rollers (1987)

Countdown (1991)

Winds and Matches

Got to sleep in today, then had breakfast while finishing Follies and listening to Unpublished Cole Porter.  Apparently, this Ben Bagley revue is what the LP says, Porter songs that were unknown or hadn't been published in his lifetime. We kick off with Edward Earle  and the rousing "Get Yourself a Girl." Karen Morrow takes the Merman-esque "Kate the Great" and "To Think This Could Happen to Me." Alice Playten is adorable in "After All, I'm Only a Schoolgirl" and joins the rest of the singers for "If You Like Les Belles Poitrines." Carmen Alvarez is hilarious in "Humble Hollywood Executive." 

Calmed things down with George Winston's Ballads and Blues 1972. If the dedication on the bottom of the back cover is any indication, these bluesy instrumentals were inspired by the work of Fats Waller. Lovely slow jazz pieces like "Miles City Train," "New Hope Blues," and the opening medley inspired by sleepy small-town Florida were perfect backdrops to a quiet Sunday afternoon.

I ate lunch, then did something quick that I've been considering. I started a novel-length Remember WENN fantasy fanfiction back in 2015 that would have been even longer and more elaborate than my Crimson Blade story from earlier in the year. My interest in WENN dropped off after I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens and all the publicity around it. I tried to incorporate myriad Star Wars references into the story, then just gave up on it and wrote a Star Wars fantasy fanfic instead. 

I've been rereading what I wrote for Once Upon a Time In the Land of WENN, and I think I could finish it, or at least get closer. It's going to need heavy re-writes. All of the Star Wars references will be eliminated, two of the characters need their backstories redone, and several characters will be consolidated or only referred to. I wish I could find my notes for it, but I think I dumped them when I moved. I'll have to write new ones.

Headed to work after George Winston ended. Despite the strong wind, it was otherwise too nice of a day to not take the bike, sunny and chillier than it has been. It wasn't bad when I arrived, but it picked up more later in the afternoon as people came in to restock for the week and for kids returning to school. It didn't help that our food stamp card system was down. I had to put back a lot of cold items that people with food stamp cards couldn't buy and fell behind on carts and sweeping during the second half of my shift.

Rushed home after I finished, changed, had dinner, and finished the night with the Sunday Match Game marathon. Character actor Jack Klugman, best known for the sitcom The Odd Couple and the drama Quincy, was in the spotlight in honor of what would have been his birthday today. He's also known in game show circles for having been married to Brett Somers for 17 years. Though he turned up on the pilot and the first week solo, after Brett joined the show as a regular, he'd do three weeks with her. Comedian Stu Gilliam felt like he was joining the military listening to them bicker during the first week. Jack almost walked off during the second week with "Mama" Cass Elliott.

Despite them saying their marriage was just fine, Brett and Jack separated or divorced (no one seems quite sure which) sometime in 1974. They wouldn't appear together again until 1978...and proved why they separated when they argued over an answer to "__ Hall of Fame" on the Audience Match the very first day. The last day, Jack first grabbed Brett for a kiss she wasn't entirely saying no to, then the others finished the episode by holding a mock "wedding" for them.

Jack's last appearance on Match Game was in 1981, late in the syndicated run.  He claimed that he was sitting in for Brett while she was doing a play so he wouldn't have to pay alimony. For some reason, he was always fussing about panelists not getting gifts like the contestants. He got a T-shirt with the Match Game logo on it in 1978 and a jacket in 1981. Jack spent most of that week listening to horse races on the radio to make sure his bets came through. He was so excited after a contestant won $20,000 on his final PM episode, he dashed around the studio, spinning the Star Wheel, running into the audience, and swinging the contestant's pretty fiancee into the air as she hurried to join him.

Given his volatile and well-known relationship with Brett, there would sometimes be references to him even when he wasn't physically present. Everyone, including the contestant, had him as the answer to a question in 1974 that Will Rodgers never met a man he didn't like...but he hadn't met Jack. Charles twice joked about the tiny diamond pendant Jack bought Brett during the syndicated run.

See one of TV's most notorious grouches feud, fuss, and spar with his ex in this wild and wacky marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Jack Klugman On the Panel

The Password Is Matches

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and "Goofy Gymnastics." This one is what it says on the tin. Goofy buys work out equipment to make himself stronger and get more energy, but he just ends up wearing himself out, destroying his apartment, and annoying the neighbors.

It was cool, cloudy, and humid when I woke up this morning. I decided to not take chances. I've been caught in thunderstorms riding my bike before, and it's not fun. I called Uber. Maybe it's just as well. The driver in the morning arrived in 7 minutes. The one going home only took 3. No traffic either way.

It didn't finally rain until around 10 AM, when I was on my second round of pushing carts. Though not overwhelmingly busy, we were busier than we have been, enough that I had a hard time keeping up with the carts. Taking out the trash and loading the toilet paper holders in the bathrooms put me behind doing the carts. I hadn't even entirely caught up with them by the time I finished.

That weather didn't help. It showered lightly off and on from 10 onwards. It would rain just hard enough to make everything a little wet, then would stop...and twenty or so minutes later, it would start again. Not to mention, most people are probably back from their vacations now and need to restock their kitchens after the spring holidays.

Put on What's New, Scooby Doo? while I changed and got organized at home. "She Sees Sea Monsters By the Seashore" when Daphne catches sight of what looks like a green scaly monster while surfing on a trip to Hawaii. A local boat driver claims the monster is the legendary Motoshondu, who appears to protect his reef. Velma and Fred thinks the reefs and shoreline being mating grounds for turtles has more to do with the creature's appearance.

Watched Donkey Skin next. I go further into this whimsical Jacques Demy fairy tale with an exquisite Catherine Denveuve as the title character at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Family Fun Saturday - Donkey Skin (Peu d'Ane)

Listened to the original cast album of Follies after a shower. This unique look at two couples whose lives intersect during a reunion of showgirls just as their former theater is about to be torn down has long been my favorite Stephen Sondheim show. It features two of his most gorgeous ballads, "Too Many Mornings" and "Losing My Mind," along with the terrific pastiche showstoppers "Broadway Baby," "Who's That Woman?" "The Story of Lucy and Jessie," and "One More Kiss." Fans have complained about the original cast album not including the full score for years, but it does have some indelible performances, including Gene Nelson's delightfully smarmy "Buddy's Blues" and Yvonne DiCarlo having a blast with "I'm Still Here."

(Incidentally, the rain finally became a full-blown storm around this point. Surprisingly, considering how humid it was, it rained hard and blew harder, but never thundered. I don't think it's rained since then, though it continues to be windy.)

Finished the night on YouTube with today's Match Game marathon. Allen Ludden had hosted Password for over 15 years off and on when he first appeared on the show in 1974. Probably his most infamous solo moment was the time he answered "__ Arthur" in the Audience Match with "President." He also proved to be prophetic when his answer for "Walking __" was "Walking Dead." There was also the time Brett took one of Allen's bad answers and handed it to his wife Betty White in the audience...and then Fannie handed Betty hers as well.

Allen's best-known week is the one he and Betty did together in mid-1975. That week was already wild in general. For one thing, it introduced Dolly Martin, Dick Martin's British former Playboy centerfold comedienne wife. It also brought in Maxine, a lanky contestant who claimed she'd belly dance if she won $5,000. She ended up winning $10,000. The first time, they played classical music. The second, someone played "The Star Spangled Banner," but that didn't stop Brett and Betty from doing their own version of belly dancing! Gene's joking response of "I've had Betty" to Maxine insisting that she hadn't picked Betty yet brought Allen down for a talk.

Alas, the second week Betty and Allen did during the tail-end of the syndicated run, shortly before Allen's death, is currently unavailable...except for its nighttime episode. Jimmie Walker and Jonnelle Allen join in to see Betty and Allen sitting next to each other for the first and only time. They're obviously having a great time, including Allen answering sex to a question, prompting Betty's response "At least he's still thinking about it!"

Allen was mentioned many times, whether Betty appeared or not. There was the time in 1974 when Fannie and Brett turned up in fancy hats and feather boas, claiming to have come from Allen and Betty's wedding. (They were married in 1963.) An older contestant who looked a great deal like Allen turned Brett and Mary Wickes' heads. There were several jokes throughout the run about Betty treating Allen like a dog and what treats she'd give him. Later in 1975 during the week with Bill Macy, there was a question about who would play the Beast to Betty's Beauty.

The Password is...class! See how much of a class act Allen was and why Betty adored him so in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Featuring Allen Ludden On the Panel, References, and Questions

Biking Angels

Started off my morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "A Royally Mad Tea Party" goes off the rails quickly when the Queen of Hearts and Dad Hatter end up arguing over croquet. They separate the tea table, but Dad Hatter has the tea cups and jelly jam, and the Queen has the tea and crumpets. Alice and the other kids come up with a plan to show them that they need what the other has. JoJo Dodo has been staying with Fergie and his family while her father was at sea. Fergie hopes that "JoJo's Bye Bye Party" will have a dessert that represents all the fun they had together...but JoJo assumes they're cutting her out.

Took Uber to work again. The bike repair guy wasn't going to be around until the afternoon. Fortunately, there were no problems this time. The morning driver got there in 7 minutes; the afternoon came in less than 3. Neither took longer than five minutes to get me to work, and there was no traffic.

Work remains dead as it has been the entire week. I actually had enough time to do everything they wanted me to do, including cleaning out the bathrooms and gathering the trash. It was a gorgeous day for pushing carts, too, sunny, breezy, and in the lower 80's. 

Got my schedule around noon. In good news, more time off, and Wednesday is the only early day. In bad news, fewer hours than I had even before the last two weeks. I got the hours I have the last two weeks because the head bagger was busy or on vacation.

Did my grocery shopping after work. Restocked oranges (mandarins were on sale), yogurt, soda, and granola bars (Made Good were on sale with an online coupon). Finally found a Coke Zero that literally had my name on it. (Lauren reported getting one with her name on it weeks ago.) The Acme's been pushing lemon-flavored "limited edition" treats. I thought I'd try the lemon tortilla chips. There was a pack of slim sparkling water on a really good sale that might be worth trying, too. 

Went upstairs when I got home to change and put everything away. Watched The Persuaders while I got organized. I never did finish "The Old, the New, and the Deadly" when I watched it last year. Danny becomes the target of a French count (Patrick Troughton) when he mistakes him for having taken a priceless statue. It could save the reputation of the father of the young woman he's blackmailing...if the woman's husband doesn't knock Danny and Britt to heck and gone first!

The guy from the bike shop arrived while I was upstairs. He took the bike with him to his shop after I gave him the spare tire and inner tube. I puttered around on the computer until he returned. To my shock, it cost $67, due to him having to fix spokes on the rim, too. And he wouldn't take cash, only credit card. I assumed he'd want the cash. Since he did do a good job on the bike and was nice about it, I did pay with credit card and gave him a tip.

It was such a nice afternoon, I decided to test the bike and went for a ride in Collingswood. Stopped at Innergroove Records to make up for them not being open on Easter. He was an hour from closing, so I tried to go through everything quickly. I still made some good finds, including one I adored as a ten-year-old:

Tiffany - Hold An Old Friend's Hand (My sisters and I absolutely loved the cassette in the late 80's and early 90's. I listened to it constantly, especially the first song "All This Time.") 

Wynton Marsalis - Think of One

The original 1971 cast of Follies (Yes, I have this on CD...but I've never seen such a pristine record copy. This is my favorite Sondheim show. It was on the dollar shelves, too!)

Ran across a new bakery a block down from Innergroove. Mario's Cookies just opened a few weeks ago. They too were almost closing, so I went with their daily special. The chocolate chip brownie cookie was just that, a chocolate chip cookie with a brownie middle. Oh yummy. So soft and chocolately! 

Actually, the real reason I was in Collingswood was to hit the bank. The records only cost me 10 dollars, the cookie 3. I kept any dollar bills and put the remaining $30 back in the bank. 

Headed straight home after that. Watched Charlie's Angels when I got in. Kris is a "Caged Angel" when she goes on the inside to find out who has been forcing innocent inmates to take part in robberies. One of the women is a huge, hulking brute who, along with the warden and two other women, forces girls with connections to large companies to join their robberies. While Kris deals with their abuse and befriends one of the inmates, the others do research to find out what they're up to.

Switched to Match Game '77 next. This wound up being one of the wilder episodes of the year. Brett gave an answer that was censored. Gene bent over to read the question to a contestant and showed far more of his rear than anyone ever wanted to see to the camera. The whole thing ends with Gene freaking out, trying to get the director to fade to commercial. 

Finished the night at YouTube. Thought I'd check out another different version of Snow White. This one is very obviously a dubbed East German film from 1955. The dwarfs look and sound like the children they are. It's kind of bizarre to hear them sound like the 10-year-olds Snow White assumes them to be. On the other hand, this one largely sticks to the original Grimm's fairy tale. The wicked queen attacks Snow White three times, not just with the apple, and Snow White coughs the apple out instead of being awaken with a kiss. The Queen's death is more in line with the Disney version (though she's struck by lightning here). 

Match Game Productions ran the first All-Star Family Feud special tonight. Four of the most popular shows of 1978 - The Love Boat, Soap, Eight Is Enough, and Three's Company - played each other. Some of this was flat-out hilarious. John Ritter was adorably dorky even on a game show, Bernie Koppel could never seem to spit any answers out, and Susan Richardson made some absolutely hilarious faces when she couldn't come up with an answer. In the end, no one in the late 70's could beat Jack Tripper. Despite John's own obvious nerves on Fast Money, Three's Company won $10,000 for their charity. 

Here's the show, so you can see how all of this went down for yourself! 

Family Feud All-Star Special #1

Strange Spring Magic

Started off the morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. The "Pups Save a Super Pup" when Rubble is inspired by his hero Apollo to attempt to move a rock slide on his own. The others have to help out when he ends up trapped too...but then he sees Zuma trying to drive his dump truck and realizes what he's really good at. "Pups Save Ryder's Robot" when the robotic dog that usually acts as their aide gets out of control and runs amok in Adventure Bay. Skye keeps an eye out for him, while Rocky does the repairs.

Let the second half of Supermarket Sweep run while making my grocery list. I came in just as the first team won the Big Sweep (and had a really cute stuffed eagle bonus). They didn't do nearly as well with the bonus round, though, getting caught up on the second question.

It was such a stunning afternoon, I grabbed my push cart and walked to the Westmont Plaza. It's not a long walk, only about ten-fifteen minutes or so. The weather was much too beautiful to be taking Uber. It remains just about perfect for late April, sunny, breezy, and in the mid-70's. I was fine in shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. There were a lot of people doing the same, jogging, walking their dogs or with friends, or pushing their children in carriages.

Target surprisingly wasn't busy when I arrived. I must have just missed the lunch crowd. I did look at what little remained for Easter to see if they had any half-price decorations, but I ended up with a Cherry Chai Latte at Starbucks. Oooh, other than being a bit sweet, that was tasty, nicely cool with cookie and nut bits on the top.

I was mainly there to do my Sprouts shopping. Restocked soda (Zevia and an inexpensive hydrogen-fused sparkling water), dried fruit (sliced mango was on sale), coconut milk, and granola bars. I've wanted to try golden (cane) sugar again for ages; got it from the bulk bins. The bananas have gone soft too quickly. Grabbed red grapes instead, since they were on sale. I wanted another oat-based cereal I could eat cold, now that it's too hot for cooked oatmeal. Most of the commercial cereals, even the organic Sprouts ones, had too much sugar and/or salt. I ended up with their organic blueberry-lemon granola instead. 

Stopped at the pretzel shop on the way home. I wasn't up to much more than a stuffed cheese steak pretzel and two regular ones. Bought those, headed out. 

Ate them for lunch while watching Hooray for Huckle! I was very disappointed with this follow-up to The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Also known as Busytown Mysteries, Huckle and his friends and sister Sally solve mysteries all over town, learning to use deductive reasoning and solve problems. "The Big Apple Mystery" has the kids following the trajectory of a huge wooden apple rolling across town. "The Missing Pickle Car Mystery" introduces Mr. Frumble, as they help him figure out what happened to his iconic pickle car. Gold Bug the reporter relates the goings on.

Honestly, the mysteries themselves are cute, but the animation is terrible. The characters do look like their book counterparts, but they barely have any facial expression or movement. Those "mysteries" seem kind of weird, too. I don't think I'll be continuing it; it might go over better with the target preschool audience as an introduction to mysteries and problem-solving. 

Switched to Les Girls after that. I go further into this unique dance musical featuring Gene Kelly and the finale movie score for Cole Porter at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Les Girls

When Jessa texted and said she'd be late, I had the time to do a super-short online interview. All they did was flash three questions I had to answer on a camera onscreen. Simple as that. Took me less than eight minutes. I don't know how well I did, and I'm not sure I could get away with all the driving and traveling the job requires, but I did do it. 

Jessa finally picked me up around 6. I've always wanted to try The Cheesecake Factory, but the one time I made it to the Cherry Hill location, the line was prohibitively long. There was no line tonight. We were seated within five minutes. It's a basic burgers-and-dinner restaurant with elegant, colorful floral paintings on the walls and ceiling and shiny wooden panels. Even the bar was lovely. Jessa had chicken Parmesan. I had a turkey burger. Oh, yum! Turkey burgers are usually dry when made by a restaurant, but this one was perfect, juicy and nicely seared. Jessa got three big breaded chicken patties. She let me try part of one, and they really were that good. (She ended up taking the last one home.)

Watched Remember WENN after a shower. Radio station manager Scott Sherwood is "Popping the Question" near the end of the second season when he starts a game show that's fixed in favor of the sponsor's spoiled son. The rest of the staff do their best to teach Scott and the bratty college kid a lesson. Meanwhile, Doug Thompson, the station's sweet lawyer, is waiting (and waiting) for busy Betty Roberts to remember their date.

Finished the night working on the Les Girls review while listening to The Very Best of the Electric Light Orchestra - All Over the World. Today, ELC is probably best-known for their contributions to Xanadu. Along with "All Over the World," we get their slightly slower version of the title song. Much as I love that movie, I prefer some of their better-known singles, like "Strange Magic," "Evil Woman," "Don't Bring Me Down," and "Mr. Blue Sky." 

Somewhere Near Oaklyn

Began the morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? It's "Safari, So Goodi" when the gang go on a safari in the African jungle to film the animals there. Trouble is, there might not be any left to film. Animals have been vanishing, and there have been sightings of shape-shifting glowing demons in the area. Daphne wonders what makes a honeymooning couple so lovey-dovey and Fred wants to film all the animals he can find, but Shaggy's more worried that vanishing animals will mean his beloved best friend will disappear, too.

I was going to take my bike to work...but the back tire felt low when I started to roll it out. Sure enough, it was flat. Not only is the back tire harder to fix, but there was no time to replace it before work. I had to call Uber...and of course, the driver didn't show up for 15 minutes. Which meant I was a few minutes late to work.

Thankfully, that was the worst thing that happened the entire morning. We were even less busy than we have been the past few days. In addition to people being on vacation or waiting for their money next week, the weather was too gorgeous for shopping. It was sunny, hot, breezy, and clear, in the upper 70's, without a cloud in the sky. I was able to clean the bathrooms, gather the trash, and do cold returns with plenty of time for the carts, too. No really major problems. I didn't even have trouble getting an Uber going home. They arrived in 5 minutes. 

When I got in, I watched Alice's Wonderland Bakery while changing and having a snack. Princess Rosa laments that she hasn't seen enough of Wonderland to finish her mural depicting the entire land. Alice and the guys take her on a "Roamin' Holiday" to visit Wonderland's more hidden attractions, including the rarely-seen bubble-blowing caterpillar. "The Proof Is In the Pudding" when the Queen of Hearts puts the kids and their entries in a bake-off on trial for having jumbleberries. She overate them once and has now banned them from the court. Alice eventually figures out how to remind her of why she loves them and should give them a second chance.

I asked a friend of mine if she knew of any bike repair shops closer than the ones in Cherry Hill and Deptford. I can change the front tire, but it's harder to do the back one. She recommended Gradient Bike Repair in Audubon, which apparently has been mentioned on an Oaklyn community Facebook board we both frequent. They also have a van filled with supplies that allows them to make house calls. Alas, I wasn't able to get an appointment with them until Friday at 4:10. It'll have to do. I'll just take Uber or walk for the next day and a half. 

I was immensely cheered by the arrival of my last two birthday/Easter presents to myself from eBay. I've had the Beach Boys album Still Crusin' in one form or another since it debuted in 1989. Lauren compared it to the Monkees' album Pool It! from two years earlier (with a better cover), and she's not far off. This was the Beach Boys' attempt to get 80's hip, but frankly, most of the songs are far better than those on Pool It. "Kokomo" was the iconic hit from the movie Cocktail, but my favorites are the catchy title song from Lethal Weapon 2, the adorable "Make It Big" from Troop Beverly Hills, and the romantic fantasy "Somewhere Near Japan." 

Yes, I know this has never been regarded as the Beach Boys' best album. It's so low on new material, the album finishes with "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "California Girls," and "I Get Around," which had all turned up in 80's movies. "In My Car" and "Island Girl" aren't great, and the version of "Wipe Out" with the Fat Boys is almost too cheesy to be true. I have too many fond memories of listening to my cassette constantly in the early 90's to be harsh on this one.

I enjoyed that so much, I put on a far better-regarded Beach Boys album after Still Crusin' ended. Pet Sounds was a game-changer for them and the industry in general. You get everything from classical to jazz to the Boys' group harmonies here. It did well enough in 1966, but ran up against too much strong competition, including the Beatles' Revolver. Nowadays, it's seen by most music critics as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. One of my favorite ballads, "God Only Knows," debuted here, along with the afore-mentioned "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and their iconic version of the folk song "Sloop John B." 

Switched to The Love Boat next. In fact, I went with the second episode of the series. Dale Reilly (John Ritter) is so desperate to be near the girl he's obsessed with, he dresses as a woman in order to share the only available cabin with another woman. Turns out the poor girl (Tovah Feldshuh) was left at the alter by her fiancee. "Oh Dale!" becomes her emotional support while dodging an amorous Captain Steubing. A constantly quarreling couple (Sherman Helmsley and LaWanda Page) rekindle their marriage after they're stuck in an elevator during "The Main Event." A wealthy man thinks his wife (Jacklyn Smith) is having "A Tasteful Affair" and hires a private detective (Dennis Cole) to follow her, but he falls for her instead.

Watched Match Game '77 during dinner. Character actor David Lansburg joined Marcia Wallace and Lee Merriweather this week. Brett came in for some ribbing when "Portland __" came up in the Audience Match and she brought up her home state of Maine.

Finished the night at YouTube checking out something else I remembered well from my childhood. Disney doing stage versions of its shows goes back far further than the Aladdin that's currently on Broadway. In 1981, it produced a lavish version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for Radio City Music Hall. The Disney Channel showed this from time to time in the 80's. I think we may even have taped it at one point. There's a few additions to the movie here. Snow White sings "I'm Wishing" with all of the girls in town by the well, her father is alive and kept in the dark by the wicked queen, and we find out where the queen came from and how she came to marry the king. 

In good news, as appropriate for a big Radio City production, there's some awesome sets. I like that well and the multi-level dwarfs' cottage that splits open to reveal the inside. The humans costumes are accurate to the movie, and the animals actually look pretty cute (despite being upright and walking)...but the dwarfs' costumes are downright terrifying. You can see the opening for the eyes on Dopey in particular, and it's really creepy. The dwarfs in the live-action film look like masterworks of CGI compared to those frightening get-ups. 

Yeah, that alone makes this just for those who remember watching it on cable in the 80's like I do or are intrigued by a stage Snow White. Everyone else is fine with the original animated film or seeing the current live-action film in the theater.  

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Live at Radio City Music Hall

Walking Downtown

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and "Aquamania." Goofy takes his son Junior into the great outdoors to teach him boating. Things get out of hand quickly when Goofy finds himself inadvertently joining a water skiing competition with the help of a very shocked octopus!

It was so late when I finally finished, I called Uber so I could get to work on time. That may not have been a bad idea. The morning driver came in 3 minutes, the afternoon driver in 2. Both took Nicholson Road and the White Horse Pike to dodge electrical wires being repaired on the Black Horse Pike that backed up traffic.

Work was even quieter than yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, humid, breezy, and in the mid-70's. It was too nice to be shopping. Most people were either doing trash clean-ups for Earth Day, still on vacation, or waiting for their money to come next week. I had no trouble whatsoever.

Put on the first season of Sailor Moon when I got home. Usagi is determined to stick by Rei when she goes out with Mamoru in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date." She even grabs nerdy Umino and uses him as cover. Meanwhile, Ami is more concerned about the kindly old caretaker of a park that's about to be demolished. Seems Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom has gotten hold him and turned his energy, and that of the animals in the park, against anyone who seemingly abuses nature. Sailor Moon and the Guardians learn a lesson in the importance of nature - and what happens when it fights back - when they attack the flowery monster who had possessed him.

Went for a walk after the cartoon ended to celebrate Earth Day and enjoy the weather. I wasn't the only person who thought it was a perfect day to buy a treat from Yummies Palace on West Clinton. The guy near the door picked up his vanilla milkshake a few minutes after I arrived. One little girl got what looked like cherry water ice with worm gummies. The other went with cookie dough ice cream. I had orange cream water ice. Oh yum. Smooth, sweet, and cool on a day that was getting  hotter by the moment. I enjoyed it while sitting on the rock ledge around the war memorial across from the Oaklyn School. Stopped at the little convenience store on the way back and got a Poland Spring Berry sparkling water, which I haven't seen anywhere in ages. 

Put on Mr. Imperium after I got home. I go further into this tepid MGM musical romance with Lana Turner and Enzio Pinza at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Mr. Imperium

Did chores while the movie was on. Took down the Easter decorations, then did some rearranging. I'd wanted to move the CD player and folders of CDs to the top of the book shelves since I moved here, but the CD player was too tall for the slanted roof. The new one, on the other hand, is the perfect size. I swapped the rag dolls, Beanie Babies, and smaller stuffed animals who were on top of the shelf to the shelf behind my bed, and the CD books and folders to the top of the book shelf. The CDs work where they are, but I'm going to need more room for hardback books. I may move the books that are under the CDs to the shelf behind my bed tomorrow.

Switched to Adam Adamant Lives! during dinner. The murder of a financier leads Adam and Georgina to "The Terribly Happy Embalmers," an undertaker who sells the men coffins, then has them killed for real. It turns out they've all seen the same psychiatrist who specializes in hypnotism. Adam thinks this is absurd, but when the hypnotist reveals a lot more about his past than he ever wanted to let out in public, he goes to the spa himself to find out what they're really up to.

Took a shower, then watched Match Game '77. Orson Bean, Fannie Flagg, and in her first week, Connie Stevens joins in to celebrate Thanksgiving. Orson discusses his role in the animated Hobbit that came out around the same time, while everyone else went with turkey jokes.

Finished the night listening to jazz and R&B records and CDs I've acquired recently. Julie London was one of the most beloved jazz singers of the 50's and 60's. Her throaty voice and distinctive dark touch is well represented in The Best of Julie. It kicks off with her biggest hit, the sensual ballad "Cry Me a River," then moves on to other darker standards like "Hot Toddy," "June In January," "Ain't I Good to You?" and "The Nearness of You."

R&B and soul singer Barry White equally dominated the mid-70's with hits like "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Baby," "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up," "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe," and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything." The Ultimate Collection also includes his instrumental jazz and disco songs with the Love's Unlimited Orchestra. In fact, my favorite song in the set may be the jazzy "Love's Theme" that provided the backdrop to many a summer's day in my early childhood. 

Falling for Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. The Queen of Hearts thinks baking an airy family recipe is "Easy Breezy." It turns out to be more breezy than easy when she forgets the syrup that'll seal the wind flakes on, and she, her father, and the kids end up being blown all over the palace! The Queen insists on Alice watching Jabby, their baby Jabberwock, while she and Rosa are out of town for the day. Alice and the boys try to "Walk the Jabberwock," but it's not easy, especially when they discover Jabby can fly and he disappears.

Headed off to work after that. Work was quiet as can be the entire morning. It's the day after a major holiday and the week before the beginning of the month. If people aren't on vacation for Easter break or recovering from yesterday or Passover, they're waiting for next week to do shopping. No really major problems, and I was in and out. 

When I got home, I changed, then went online. Buzzr has been posting remastered copies of Match Game '73, including rare episodes that were in bad shape. I forgot they'd actually dug up and repaired the long-lost  31, 32, and 33. Apparently, they had audio and video issues that even GSN couldn't solve in the 2000's. Thanks to the miracle of modern technology, they look and sound just fine now. In fact, I'm glad they were able to fix them. This would be the only week for comedienne Lucie Arnaz, and it may be comedian Jack Carter's finest hour. He really has some great quips in these shows, especially in 33. Now we can finally see how the entire week went down for ourselves in these rarities! 

(Incidentally, the restoration of these episodes means that Match Game '73 is now available online in its entirety.) 

Episode #31

Episode #32

Episode #33

Took my laundry downstairs to the washer, then went down for a nap. I'm still pretty tired, and I didn't have any other plans today. Went down at 4 PM and didn't get up again until past 6:30.

Put the laundry in the dryer, then took out the recycling and got dinner. Ate while watching Match Game '77. Polly Holiday, still best known as Flo from Alice, made her only appearance on the show in mid-1977. After her microphone died in the first episode, Richard held a mock funeral for it while Gene tried to fix it. Fortunately, as Richard relates, it's back in good health by the next episode.

Finished the night back at YouTube honoring game show host and radio personality Jim Peck, whose birthday was last week, after I brought the laundry upstairs. Peck started out on radio in his native Milwaukee. He was hosting a talk show in Washington DC when producer Ron Greenburg hired him for his new game show Showdown. The pilot from 1974 seen here didn't initially sell the show, but a second pilot did the trick.

Three contestants choose from six subjects on a large board. The difficulty of each subject ranges from 1 to 6, as on a dice. The higher the difficulty, the bigger the score. First contestant to hit a randomly selected "payoff point" would win the pot. After the second pot, the questions were switched. A 90 second speed round eliminated the lowest-scoring contestant. The Final Showdown let the remaining two contestants play to a Payoff Point of 7. The bonus round involved the winner needing to roll "show" and "down" on dice to win $10,000. Any other numbers would be their Payoff Point. Hitting the Payoff Point would net $250 and more time; hitting Showdown gave them $5,000. They'd keep going until they got Showdown or time ran out.

Honestly, this show was complicated but a lot of fun to watch. It's a shame it lasted only 7 months in a game show-saturated market, and only the pilot and the episode seen here exist today. (And it's likely that the only reason this episode exists is because Peck took a tumble going downstairs. He laughs it off and was fine for the rest of the show.)

Hot Seat was almost as entertaining...for all the wrong reasons. This Heatter-Quigley attempt to branch into Chuck Barris territory had a couple trying to guess their spouse's emotional reaction to a question. The spouse in the hot seat would have their responses measured by what amounted to a huge lie detector. If they guess right, they earn cash. They had an option to go on to a bonus round against the other couple and win bigger prizes.

Uh, yeah. You can tell right away why this one didn't work. The entire premise is just plain ludicrous. The couples' answers are so dull, it's impossible to know how that lie detector could judge anything. (According to Wikipedia, the bonus round was a lot more mean-spirited in the pilot. The husband is to decide what prizes they want by his response...including his response to a model in a bikini designed to upset his wife.) Peck is charming, but the show around him is too absurd for words. No wonder ABC didn't want to keep this around. This is the only episode known to exist today. 

Second Chance from 1977 was a lot more fun to watch. This Bob Carruthers precursor to Press Your Luck is basically the same as the more famous 1983 show, with devils on the board instead of Whammys and contestants able to change their answer during the questions portion. Despite being well-remembered by those who saw it in 1977, it couldn't beat The Young and the Restless in the ratings and didn't even last three months. 

After that, Peck stuck to hosting syndicated game shows...and didn't do any better with those. He took over the helm for You Don't Say, Carruthers' Match Game imitation, for its 1978-1979 syndicated run. That only lasted a few months. Later in 1979, he would host the controversial Chuck Barris show 3's a Crowd. Peck asked questions of a man and his wife and secretary to see who knew him better. Uh, yeah. The show barely lasted four and a half months, thanks to the backlash and complaints of sexism surrounding the show. (A short-lived Game Show Network revival would at least have family members or exes instead of the secretary.)

That would be his last show to date that he hosted full-time. Jack Barry groomed him to take over The Joker's Wild, but his partner Dan Enright went with Bill Cullen instead after Barry's sudden death. I like Bill, but I think Enright made a big mistake. Bill Cullen could never keep the show going at the same rapid pace as Barry. Peck does far better in the episode shown here. That would be the last straw for Peck. After Joker's Wild ended in 1986, he retired from hosting and hasn't done a game show since, though he continues to appear on radio in his native Wisconsin. 

Poor Jim Peck never seemed to catch a break with game shows. Check out the best from a charming host who deserved better with these rare and unique episodes!

Showdown Pilot (1974)

The Big Showdown (1975)

Hot Seat (1976)

Second Chance Pilot (1977)

You Don't Say! (1979)

3's a Crowd (1979)

The Joker's Wild (1986) 

Oh, and MGP finished the Wink Martindale-Gene Rayburn week tonight. Wink did get his contestant to the Alphabetics round, but she missed it on one word. At least he did better than Gene Rayburn. This was not Gene's game. He was too slow with words and kept using ones that were way too long for anyone who wasn't a dictionary (or a drunk Match Game panelist) to understand. 

Funny Bunny Matches

Began the morning with the Easter material in Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. "Nino's Easter" describes the holiday in Italy, as the little boy of the title attends church with his grandfather and enjoys a huge dinner with family and friends. "The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes" is a clever mother rabbit who is brought in by the Easter Bunny when he sees how well she's taken care of her own children. She worries that she won't be able to deliver a special egg to a sick boy on an icy mountain, but the Easter Bunny gives her shoes that allow her to create magic of her own. There's also a hymn and several poems.

Threw in "Grandpa Bunny" from the Disney Storybookland anthology as well. Disney claims this is based after the short "Funny Little Bunnies," but it has nothing in common with it besides hard-working rabbits. Grandpa Bunny teaches all of the younger rabbits how to make the woods where they live truly gorgeous. The adult rabbits are sad when he passes on, but the children know he's left one last legacy to the world.

Watched The Great Easter Egg Hunt at Tubi while getting ready to head out. Peter adores his new stuffed rabbit Whiskers that he got in his Easter basket. Whiskers easily makes friends with the other toys in Peter's room, but has a harder time with school bullies and real rabbits when a dog runs off with him and he's lost in the woods. Shortly after he's found, Peter becomes very sick. Whiskers and his toy friends head off into the woods to find the Magic Egg and use the wish it grants to make their owner better.

Started out to Collingswood shortly afterwards. It wasn't a bad day, a bit cloudy, but breezy and warm, in the mid-60's. I passed at least three families enjoying egg hunts on their front or back yards while on my walk. Many other folks chatted on porches, went for Easter morning jogs, or walked the dog. The scenery couldn't have been prettier, too. Irises are coming up, and the tulips are in full bloom. The trees glow in myriad shades of lime green, pale pink, magenta, and lavender. Lawns are emerald carpets dotted with bursts of dandelions and buttercups.

Jessa was taking a walk around the block when I finally got to Collingswood's Senior Center. We had our Easter brunch at Paloma Restaurant across the street from Nunzio's. This is the Mexican fusion restaurant that replaced Tortilla Press after they shut down. They're...pretty similar to Tortilla Press with more subdued and elegant decorations. Jessa had huevo ranchoes (which turned out to be nachos with guacamole and sausage). I had churros French toast. On one hand, the French toast was nice and sweet and thick, and there was lots of big blueberries and banana and strawberry slices. The middle was soggy due to them drowning it in syrup, but it otherwise tasted pretty good.

We went for a walk after lunch, but there wasn't much open on a holiday Sunday. We browsed in Clutter, Ocasionette, and Secret Origins Comics, but found nothing of interest. Innergroove Records is usually open on Sunday and on Easter, but for some reason, it wasn't when we were there. Grooveground is in the midst of remodeling. Collingswood Music isn't open on Sundays. Phideilty Records and Time Lapse are closed for Easter week. We admired the cute mini-versions of Collingswood services and businesses built by kids at the local elementary schools in the window of local newspaper the Retrospect. Everything from the PATCO station to Roberts Pool was represented. The WaWa even had a "closed" sign across it. 

After Jessa dropped me off at home, I put on It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. The Peanuts prepare for the spring holidays in their own ways. Snoopy buys Woodstock a bird house while Sally looks for new shoes. Peppermint Patty wants to show Marcie how to color eggs, but she keeps doing everything but boiling them. Lucy would rather pester Schroeder for presents and hide and find her own eggs. Don't bother with all the fuss, says Linus. The Easter Beagle does that. Sally's more than a little skeptical after the Great Pumpkin incident at Halloween, but Easter morning brings more than one surprise for the kids!

Switched to Easter Parade while resting. I went further into this classic MGM musical featuring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, and Ann Miller at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog the day before Easter 2019.

Happy Easter! - Easter Parade 

Watched two vintage Walt Disney World Easter parades while eating a big ham dinner from a friend. The big push for 1988 was the Grand Floridian Hotel, which was two months from opening when this debuted. No idea why they did a huge dance number for it, but at least they're right that it was and remains the most elegant (and expensive) resort at Disney World. Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke are the primary hosts here, while Regis Philbin interviews the crowd. 

Other than the Grand Floridian, there's more focus on the actual parade here, including Clara Cluck in her hen house and dancing chickens singing "9 to 5." The Easter Bunny and Mrs. Bunny are the "Grand Marshalls," though the parade ends with Mickey and Minnie. We also get a super-cute (maybe slightly too cutesy) music video on Mickey and Minnie's relationship to "Mickey, She's Got a Crush On You" from the Disney album Splashdance. 

By the time of the 1996 parade, the Disney Renaissance was in full swing. Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Roger Rabbit, and the original Toy Story all get floats or plugs here. There's a big number based around Mary Poppins, and another around Snow White. This time, the Easter Bunnies begin the parade, while Mickey and Minnie end it. 

The biggest plugs go to the then-new water park Blizzard Beach (which is explored by Joey Lawrence) and to the Disney Institute. This was supposed to provide vacationers with various classes and instruction during their trips, but it closed in 2000 after they realized people would rather spend their vacations on rides than in classes. Lunden remains as the female host. Regis joins her this time, while Brianne Leary and JD Roth take his place with the crowds.

Here's both parades, so you can enjoy a bit of vintage Disney magic too!

1988 Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade

1996 Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade

Watched Peter and the Magic Egg after dinner. I went further into this unique and charming Pennsylvania Dutch set animated fantasy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog the day before Easter last year.

Easter Short Subject Special - Peter and the Magic Egg

Moved to "Funny Little Bunnies" next before the Sunday Match Game marathon started. This Silly Symphony is Disney's only Easter short to date. It's just bunnies getting ready for the holidays, but some of the details are adorable. I love how every bunny helps out, from the oldest grandfather who paints zig-zags on eggs to the cross-eyed fellows who have such a great time painting eggs to the little bunny checking out the bubbling chocolate. 

Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with Match Game. They only did one flat-out Easter episode. In 1975, Fannie Flagg and Brett Somers sported ugly Easter bonnets early on. The hats eventually migrated to the heads of Tom Bosley and host Gene Rayburn. Match Game '91 did have "Easter __" as an Audience Match question. This was also the episode that introduced Ronn Lucas' rude new punk puppet Chuck Roast. 

Other episodes were just filmed close to Easter, like the time Charles took off his suit in 1974 after he was offended by Brett's bad answer to a question. In 1975, Betty White managed to roll up Gene Rayburn's pants again without him knowing. 1979 brought in vintage puppets Kukla and Ollie in one of the cutest weeks of the later CBS run. Their puppeteer Burr Tillstrom was a friend of Gene's. In 1978, we meet Earl, the little guy who works the Super Match board, when he's late opening the answers. There's also Fannie Flagg and her famous fried egg T-shirt, which turned up several times in 1975 and 1976. 

Celebrate Easter with a basket full of weirdos in this sweet and very funny marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Easter Marathon

And here's hoping you also had a great Easter with all the people you love to match with! 

Afternoon In the Spring Sunshine

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and An Easter Story. I go further into this 1983 spring puppet special from the creator of ALF at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Easter Short Subject Special - An Easter Story

Put on one of Goofy's wilder "How to" Shorts on Disney Plus while getting ready for work. "How to Play Baseball" shows off an entire world of Goofys as the Gray Sox and the Blue Sox battle it out for the World Series. The Blue Sox are ahead, but the Gray Sox could get it after he's hit with the ball...unless the Blue Sox fielder can get the cover back on the ball!

Headed to work after that. No trouble here. I was outside the entire afternoon. The head bagger took the inside chores, and there was plenty of cashiering help from high schoolers on Easter break. It was busy, but I was able to focus on the carts and keep up with them pretty well. It was such a nice, warm day, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. The sun was in and out, but it got so warm, I actually had to put on suntan lotion. (And I did end up a bit red.) 

Listened to the soundtrack from It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown when I got home. Much as I love this special, the music isn't quite as distinctive as some of the earlier shows. "Woodstock's Dream" and some of the music played when Peppermint Patty and Marcie are attempting to color eggs are probably the best numbers. There isn't as many bonus additions on the second side, either, though we do get a later David Benoit medley of Woodstock-related pieces, including "Woodstock's Dream."

Finished the night on YouTube with Match Game Productions' marathon honoring Wink Martindale. Since Martindale started out as a DJ, it's appropriate that his first major hosting gig was What's This Song? from 1964. Two music-related stars (here Carol Lawrence and Mel Torme) help contestants guess what song they're singing, then decides if the lyrics the other team performs are the actual ones. This cute cross between Name That Tune and Don't Forget the Lyrics barely lasted a year. Alas, only two episodes are left, including this one. 

Wink wouldn't have a hit until he hosted Gambit in 1972. Gambit was one of three shows debuting in the fall of 1972 that changed what game shows could be. Two married couples answer questions to earn huge cards. The first couple who hits 21 or close to it without going over wins a chance at the big money board. They can get halves of tickets for big cash, or a larger prize like a car. 

Alas, despite the show's success, it's mostly gone. Though CBS stopped erasing shows by 1972, producers Heatter-Quigley would continue to erase them into the 1980's. The two episodes here - one with a big win, the other the series finale - are among the few still around.

Gambit would turn up again as Las Vegas Gambit in 1980, filmed at the now-demolished Tropicana. At first, the game was pretty much the same. For some reason, during the second half of the run, they switched the bonus round to the one from their High Rollers. It didn't seem to make much difference in the ratings. The show could never attract enough high rollers and was gone in a little over a year. 

Wink's biggest and best-known hit is probably the 1978-1986 revival of Tic Tac Dough. He appeared in the short-lived 1978 CBS version and its far longer-running syndicated counterpart. He saw Navy pilot Thom McKee play 9 weeks of shows and amass over $312,000, a game show record that would stand until Ken Jennings' huge run 20 years later. 

Martindale left Dough in 1985 to produce his own shows, but neither Headline Chasers nor The Last Word went over well. Headline Chasers was the more imaginative of the two. Contestants had to fill in the blanks on fictional headlines from real historical and current events. The Last Word was basically the original Chain Reaction, with celebrities helping contestants to figure out what the last of three words were and how they related to one another. Both shows barely lasted a year, and neither turn up often today.

I far preferred the revival of High Rollers. In fact, I fondly remember watching this show on WPHL 17 when I was 8. Two contestants answer questions for the right to roll numbers. If they roll the correct numbers, they could win one of three prize packages. Winner goes on to try to roll all the numbers for a car. I thought this show was a lot of fun. It's more likely the reason this only lasted a year was the syndicated market was over-saturated with game shows in 1987. 

The interactive board game-based game shows Wink did for The Family Channel were even worse-received than Wink's try at syndication. Trivia Pursuit was the only one that lasted longer than a few months, and even that barely made a year. 9 contestants answer questions that eventually whittle them down to 3 for the main game. Those three answer trivia based on the actual game. Winner gets the closest to filling the whole pie. 

Boggle and Shuffle were basically the same games with different themes. Shuffle involved arranging lists. Boggle had contestants finding words on a key pad. Shuffle was mildly the more interesting of the two. It was more fun to try to arrange lists than to find letters on fake phone keys. The emphasis with these was far more on the "interactive" side, which frankly, made them dull to watch.

Wink's last hit game show was Debt on Lifetime in 1996. Three contestants play a quiz show to lessen their huge debts. The first half is basically a cheekier pop-culture based Jeopardy. The second is Name That Answer. The two remaining contestants challenge each other to guess a certain amount of questions in a topic. If they can't get all the questions, they lose the money to the other contestant. Winner has to guess 12 questions in a minute to erase their debt.

The show was a hit out of the gate...with men, Not only was that hardly Lifetime's regular demographic, but Merv Griifith wasn't thrilled with them borrowing so liberally from Jeopardy. Debt lasted two years, finally ending in 1998.

Celebrate the life and career of one of the true game show greats in this rare and delightful marathon!

Wink Martindale Tribute - Featuring Shows Hosted by Martindale

And here's even more vintage Easter specials to check out while you wait for the Easter Bunny to hide the eggs!

Buttons and Rusty and the Easter Bunny (A Chucklewood Easter)

A Family Circus Easter

Easter Egg Mornin'

Peter and the Magic Egg

The Smurfs' Springtime

Veggie Tales: An Easter Carol

The Pink Panther: The Easter Panther

Thumpkin and the Easter Bunny

The Jack Rabbit Story: Easter Fever

Follow That Bunny!

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic

Good and Busy Friday

Started off my morning with breakfast and the 2018 Muppet Babies. "Kermit and Fozzie's Egg-cellent Adventure" has them working together to find eggs during their Easter hunt. Fonzie wants to rush ahead, but he finally learns that it's best to make a plan first when he keeps tripping himself up and missing the eggs. Animal needs to use the bathroom, but he also doesn't want to miss all the fun of finding Ratlantis. It becomes "Animal and the Little Accident" when he keeps trying to hold it.

Switched to Paramount Plus for PAW Patrol. "Pups Save the Easter Egg Hunt" when Mayor Goodway breaks her arm and can't color the eggs. Even after the Pups fill a basket with them, the basket, Rocky, and Chickaletta are stolen by an eagle who isn't too happy that Alex took her egg to color! The others have to get them down and rescue the basket.

Put on The Easter Promise next while doing chores and making the bed. Addie Mills (Lisa Lucas) and her friends are excited when Broadway star Constance Payne (Jean Simmons) comes home to Clear River, Nebraska for Easter 1947. She claims her father James (Jason Robards) once dated her, but in truth, he thinks she's snooty and eccentric. Addie invites Constance to dinner with her family and to give out prizes at her school's style show. James' constant criticism of her life choices at dinner ends with Constance drinking too much wine and turning up at the style show drunk. 

She makes up for it by agreeing to teach acting to Addie and her friends. That goes well at first, but she's plastered again by the second lesson. Addie is ready to give up, but her grandmother (Mildred Natwick) reminds Addie that we should never abandon a friend who needs help, and spring is the perfect time for new beginnings. 

Other than I wish they'd shot on location again instead of on a soundstage, this is my favorite of the four Addie Mills holiday movies. The style show is especially hilarious. I liked Cora Sue's peach "Hollywood" dress the best, but Addie's rickrack dress was cute, too. I get such a kick out of seeing how Addie and her friends celebrate Easter. They remind me so much of my sisters and I when I was 12. (Mr. Mills would be happy to know we dyed boiled eggs, not blown ones.) Lovely Easter viewing, especially if you have girls Addie's age.

Here's my friend Linda Young's website with more information on the films!

Put on the Bluey "Easter" episode while eating lunch fast and getting ready for work. Bluey and Bingo follow clues to find where the Easter Bunny hid their eggs. When the train runs cold, they think the Bunny forgot them...until they see sequined footprints leading to the desk...

It goes without saying on Good Friday we were busy the entire afternoon. I was hard-pressed to sweep and keep up with the carts. I had no help, either. The head bagger ended up in a register the entire time. The lines were just starting to settle down when I finally finished.

At least the weather wasn't bad. It's much warmer than it has been, in the mid-60's. It's also still windy, and though it was sunny earlier, the clouds moved in around 2 and hung around for the rest of the day. 

Got my schedule before work. In good news, I did get Easter and Thursday off, as requested. I knew the only way I'd get those days - or any days - off next week would be to ask for them. I work the entire rest of the week. Seven people went on vacation, including the head bagger. If people aren't on Easter break, they're using the last of their vacation days before our cycle starts over in May. Rather surprisingly, it's all short morning work straight through, no 8 1/2 hour days. 

Needed to do grocery shopping after work. Restocked yogurt, oranges, soda (they have more new probiotic brands on sale), and granola bars (Kind bars were on sale). Got a gift card for my nephew Khai's birthday tomorrow and tulips for a friend who loves flowers for Easter. Had an online coupon for "cream brulee" sandwich cookies, aka soft sugar cookies stuck together with cream like vanilla Oreo Cakesters.

Put everything away, then took a shower. Had dinner while watching Match Game '77. The audience was even more unruly than usual in these episodes, thanks to a group of high schoolers cheering on everything Richard said. Gene had more trouble with the two contestants ending up in a scoreless tie...at least until the much-traveled English gentleman started to catch on. Joyce Bulifant is more excited that she's giving some pretty good answers for a change as Bob Barker and Eva Gabor look on.

Watched Here Comes Peter Cottontail at Tubi next. I went further into this at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2019. 

Here Comes Peter Cottontail and The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town

Finished the night at YouTube with more of the Wink Martindale Password Plus tribute. Gene Rayburn kicked off this episode by trying take over Tom Kennedy's hosting job...and realizing that Tom wears his microphone and doesn't carry a wand-like one. Wink does better with the Alphabetics round, getting his lady through at the very last second.