Home Is Best

Awoke to a cloudy and very cold day. It was the perfect day to sleep in and linger in bed, reading the Bill Cullen biography. When I did finally roll out of bed, I put on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while eating breakfast. "Miss Elaina Gets Hurt" when she falls and scrapes her elbow. Her mom Lady Elaine is there with bandages and ointment. She gives Daniel a bandage after he gets a bump on his leg, too. He hurts his ankle after he trips while chasing his sister Margaret around. "Daniel Feels Better" when his parents take him to Doctor Anna, who teaches him how x-rays work and how to wrap a bandage.

Switched to Muppet Babies for their first episode of the third season and 2021. Fozzie's saying "Oh Brother!" when he finds out his folks are adopting a little sister, Razzie. He's not sure he's cut out to be a big brother. Rizzo assigns him to his "Big Brother Academy," but he fails every test. Nanny just reminds him that what's important is he loves his sister. He loves Razzie so much, he goes on "Fozzie's Boo-Boo Patrol" to keep her safe. Trouble is, that means keeping her from doing pretty much anything that's fun outside. Razzie leads him on a wild chase as he tries to make sure she doesn't get hurt.

Moved on to Match Game '74 as I cleaned up from breakfast and last night. Came in for the tail end of an episode involving Nipsey Russell, little Jackie Joseph in a flowered headband, and jokes about aliens in delis and Charles calling for Brett's nurse. Ever-laughing Kaye Stevens and giggly blonde Louisa Moritz came in for the next episode, along with jokes about what King Kong would do to the Lemmon Sisters.

Ran The Shop Around the Corner on the Watch TCM app while making Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. This is the original film version of what would later become In the Good Old Summertime and You've Got Mail. Here, Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullivan) are the battling co-workers at the Budapest leather store Matuschek and Company, and she gets her job when she manages to sell a cigar box that plays a certain song. Alfred and Klara remain pen pals, but this time, Alfred is fired when Matuschek (Frank Morgan) is certain he's having an affair with his wife. Turns out the one who's really having the affair is smarmy clerk Ferencz Vadas (Joseph Schildkraut). Alfred is re-hired, but he still has to contend with Klara, who holds her "dear friend" on a pedestal to the point where she gets sick when he doesn't write. 

This is charming and surprisingly low-key work from Ernst Lubisch, who is better known for sexy romantic comedies and musicals like The Love Parade. Lovely, sweet, and even a bit sad (Matuschek almost commits suicide at one point), this is one of Lubisch's best films, with its focusing on each characters points of view and how we can almost miss the chance that's right in front of us. 

(I just wish the TCM behaved better. I think it doesn't like my old Roku box. It kept buffering and reset during the last five minutes of the film. I ended up watching them online.)

Even just making cookies wore me out so much, I settled down for a rest on the futon during Tattletales. Considering the nature of the show, it's almost not a surprise that today's big winners were Dr. Joyce Brothers and her psychiatrist husband Milton, over TV star Don Galloway and his wife Linda and comedians Marty and Frenchie Allen. Press Your Luck was even more exciting. Not one, but two contestants hit the 10,000 mark in the second round. The guy just pushed ahead, thanks to winning a car, golf clubs, and a trip, among others. 

Did some writing after the shows ended. Brett continues to string Goodson along, asking him about his feud with Gene. Gene was one of Goodson's best generals, but he didn't like how Goodson treated his workers or the people on land, so he went rogue and started stealing money for the villagers. Gene thinks he'll be able to rescue Brett by swinging in her window. Not only does she have this covered, but he's not as adept at this swashbuckling business as he thinks...

Broke at 6:30 for a quick leftovers dinner and Match Game '75. Somehow, a woman ended up getting her hands on Gene's socks in one of the funnier episodes of that year. Richard played prince charming and got his shoe back on. Vega$ cast members Phyllis Davis and Bart Braverman get to Phyllis help a contestant win 10,000 in Match Game PM. 

I managed to quickly clean the bathroom and vacuum while Match Game PM was on, and then Sale of the Century. The champ on Sale just keeps right on rolling. She had stiff competition from the one guy, and the other lady won a Fame Game. He bought an Instant Bargain that set him back towards the end of the show. That champ ultimately won the Speed Round and picked up 10,000 on the Match the Prizes board. 

Finished the night on The Roku Channel. They just got almost the entirety of the original Magnum PI. I went with the first season finale, "Beauty Knows No Pain," since it features a familiar face. Magnum and his buddies are hired by Barbara Terranova (Marcia Wallace), an aerobics teacher from Bayonne, to find her errant gardener fiancee. She thinks getting Magnum into the big Iron Man triathlon on the island will help them root her sweetheart out of the woodwork. It may run Magnum ragged, but it also gives him a chance to think over the case...and realize where the guy hid a fortune in cash stolen from a mobster.

Tony Nelson also winds up being trained for an athletic competition in the fourth-season I Dream of Jeannie episode "The Strongest Man In the World." When they're attacked by thugs, Jennie enables him to fight them off. General Hamilton sees him and pits him against a tough marine in an inter-military boxing match. Tony's sure Jeannie will be able to save his rear, until she ends up trapped in a locker during the bout...