Been a Long Day

Kicked off the morning with dark chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and the original cast of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. J. Pierpont Finch (Robert Morse) is determined to get ahead at the Worldwide Wicket Company, no matter who he has to step on along the way. He manages to charm secretary Rosemary (Bonnie Scott) and his boss Biggley (Rudy Vallee), but not everyone is so impressed with his ability to move up the corporate ladder. Obnoxious Bud Frump (Charles Nelson Reilly), Biggley's brown-nosing nephew, does everything he can to bring Finch down, and a lot of the other executives are worried about their jobs. When a scheme Frump suggests to Finch goes wrong, it'll take a lot of fast-talking - and one big revivalist number - for Finch to come out on top.

A lot of the plot hasn't dated well (especially anything relating to the secretaries), but there's still some great numbers in this goofy satire. Morse scores with the finale "Brotherhood of Man" and "I Believe In You," sung to his reflection in the men's room, while Vallee recalls his days as a crooner to Virginia Martin in "Love From a Heart of Gold" and Reilly laments the lack of caffeine during their "Coffee Break." Younger folks may prefer more recent revivals with Matthew Broderick and Daniel Ratcliffe, but there's still a lot to love in the original cast, too.

Rushed off to work just as the record ended. They were a lot busier today than yesterday! We're normally busy on Sundays, regardless of what's going on. That's often the only day many people can go shopping. There were a few annoying people, but otherwise no really major problems. It slowed down so much by quarter after 5, I was able to close and bring a carton with eggs someone dropped on the conveyor belt in the back with no trouble.

At least it was a nice day again as I rode home down the Black Horse Pike. A little bit warmer than yesterday, but still neither as hot, nor as humid as it has been. The Oaklyn Manor Bar's outdoor bar and the picnic tables on Manor Avenue were as busy as they're allowed to be right now.

Went straight into writing when I got home, but I was so tired, I didn't do much. Debralee's livid that Malade the demon turned her fellow fairies into imps - tiny monsters who'll do her bidding. She orders her new pets to keep the others busy, while she next deals with the wizards...

Switched to I Love Adventure while throwing together a quick "spinach pancake" (eggs, spinach, mushrooms, and cheese) for dinner. "The Kwan Moon Dagger" gets into slightly stereotypical turf when an Asian princess comes to a bored Jack Packard and Doc Long and asks them to find the missing Kwan Moon Dagger, a priceless treasure of her people. The boys grab at the case and head to Chicago, but discovers there's more to it than just a treasure when someone tries several times to kill them, and they're intercepted by a mysterious flower-shop owner.

Finished off the night online after a shower with a few more relatively rare game shows. Double Dare from 1976, one of the earliest hosting gigs for Alex Trebek, was showed on Buzzr early in its existence but apparently hasn't been seen since. No slime to be found anywhere in this one - it's a trivia show. Two contestants in isolation booths have to guess who or what a series of questions lead to. When one answers, they can dare the other to answer the remaining questions. The winner has the most points and goes on to challenge three professors in isolation booths to see if they can guess a subject. If he can stump even just one, they'll win money. It's very complicated, and honestly a little dull. I can kind of see why this barely lasted a year.

The Cross-Wits was a lot more fun, a cross between crossword puzzles and Password Plus. Gentlemanly Jack Clark hosted this show that has two celebrities helping a contestant solve a series of crossword clues that lead up to a subject. Guess the subject, and you win a prize. The bonus round was CrossFire - a celebrity and the winning contestant answers a series of clues. Get all the clues, and you win the big prize. It helps that one of the four contestants on this episode was a still-witty Dorothy Lamour, and yes, one of the puzzles did refer to the Road To...movies.

The New Treasure Hunt gets more into Let's Make a Deal territory. Smarmy Geoff Edwards calls women onstage to choose a package that may hold a prize, or take money. The packages may lead to a big prize...or to a goofy skit that results in nonsense prizes like the zonks on Deal. The first lady smartly took the money, despite a funny skit with a robber and a cop. The second didn't get nearly as lucky, barely ending up with anything.

Here's all three shows, for your viewing pleasure!

Double Dare (Trebek) (1976)
The Cross-Wits (1978)
The New Treasure Hunt (1976)