Started off the morning with Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins for breakfast while watching the first half of My Man Godfrey. William Powell is the title character, a "forgotten man" (aka bum) who is dragged from the city dump by sweet but goofy Irene Burdeck (Carole Lombard) to be her winning piece in a scavenger hunt. She not only wins, but offers Godfrey a job as her wealthy family's butler. Godfrey accepts, but quickly discovers why the family can't keep hired help. The mom (Alice Brady) is even ditzier than her youngest daughter, sees "pixies" when she's hungover, and keeps a "protege" (Mischa Aurer) around because he amuses her. The older daughter (Gail Patrick) is smarter, but bratty and bossy. The dad (Eugene Pallette) is about ready to throttle the whole lot of them. Godfrey's not what he seems, and before the end of the film, he teaches the whole clan that it doesn't matter if you have money or are a "forgotten man," true happiness comes from helping others in need.
This sweet screwball comedy is reminiscent of the movies Frank Capra was putting out then, with a similar "soak the rich" theme. Powell and Lombard are both enjoyable as the so-called "forgotten man" and the flaky society girl who doesn't know what she wants...other than him. Great supporting cast, too - Pallette and Brady are particuarlly fun as the annoyed father and his doting wife. This is one of the seminal screwball comedies and one of the best comedies of the 30s. If you love the genre, Powell, or Lombard, seek it out. (But beware of cheap public domain copies. This was in the public domain for years. The Universal and Criterion prints are the ones to look for.)
It was nearly 12:30 when I finally made it to the Oaklyn Library. As the librarian pointed out, the place had been dead quiet all morning, likely due to the still-gorgeous weather. I looked over the DVDs and organized the children's section, but otherwise, there wasn't a whole lot to do. Took out the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney TCM Legends Classic Collection set and the animated sci-fi tale Titan A.E.
Next stop was lunch at Amato Bros, a deli a few blocks from the Oaklyn Library on the White Horse Pike. I bought a roast beef wrap that was loaded with lunchmeat. (It had so much meat, I'm actually glad I accidentally asked for no mayo - it didn't really need it.) I was going to eat it outside, but to my dismay, the little picnic table they used to have was gone. I ate inside, listening to the two guys behind me chat and watching people order late lunch trays. I couldn't finish the whole huge wrap and kept half of the second part for dinner.
After a brief stop at Rite Aid for contact solution, I moved on to the Haddon Township Library. While they were busy with kids doing a scavenger hunt of their own, there wasn't a lot for me to put away. It's been too nice for people to take out a lot of movies. I organized the kids' titles and shelved a stack of adult ones. With a library already involved in shelving kids' books, I figured there wasn't much else for me to do, so I moved on. Took nothing out here - what I had from the Oaklyn Library was plenty.
Headed home through Newton River Park. Other than it was slightly hotter, the day remained beautiful, warm, sunny, and dry. Needless to say, there were plenty of people out and about in the park and around town. I dodged a mother and her children (one in a huge stroller), dog walkers, joggers, fishermen, and other folks on bikes.
I stopped at Leo's Yum-Yums for a treat to cool me off. I went with a lime-vanilla Yum-Yum (creamier, grittier water ice). Since it was next door and open, I then went to Studio LuLoo to see what they were all about. Studio LuLoo is Oaklyn's arts and music center, the closest thing to the "recreation centers" common in Cape May County in this area. I had a nice chat with two of the volunteers about lending my services to their many arts, writing, and music programs.
Spent the next few hours doing job hunt research online. After I got hungry, I had a salad and the rest of my sandwich from earlier for dinner, then swept the porch. The pepper nuts aren't quite as numerous as they were earlier in the month, but I did see the first tiny acorns of the year.
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