The snow finally started around 12:30, shortly after my first break. It was light and soft at first, with tiny flakes that didn't amount to much. It didn't stick until around 2:30, by which time I was called in to do returns. By the time I'd finally finished, the snow was coming down heavier and faster, and even the roads were glittering white.
I called Rose...but she didn't come. Waited a half-hour. No Rose. Texted her. No Rose. Waited an hour. Still nothing. Figured she was feeding the kids. A sympathetic co-worker suggested I call a cab, but I first of all, I've never called a cab. Second, I didn't think they'd be out in that weather, anyway.
Was just about to call Uber when Rose finally got back to me. She hadn't been sure when I texted her my schedule that I wanted a ride home or not. It was genuine miscommunication. She did finally pick me up at quarter of 7, by which time I was just happy to go home. Finley and Khai were with her. Finley wanted to stay at my house, especially with the snow coming down. Her mother told her they'd come back here tomorrow or Tuesday to play in the snow.
After all that, I was just happy to enjoy a delicious dinner of shrimp dipped in melted butter, steamed broccoli, and pasta with shredded Parmesan cheese. Finished Winter Memories, which I began this morning, as I ate. This is another Columbia Special Products collection. As with many of them, it doesn't have that much to do with winter. The closest is a nice "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" by Doris Day, and Robert Goulet's "If Ever I Would Leave You" from Camelot and Jim Nabors' "Try to Remember" from The Fantastics at least mention winter. There's also a rollicking instrumental "Sleigh Ride" by Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra and the ballad "Wild Is the Wind" by Johnny Mathis.
Switched to The Desert Song for some much-needed romance as I had Mint Cookie ice cream and cleaned up from dinner. I opted for my British Angel LP with Bruce Forsyth singing the rare comedy numbers "It" and "One Good Boy Gone Wrong." Opera singers June Bronhill and Edmund Hockeridge handle the big ballads "One Alone," "I Want a Kiss," and my favorite song from this score, "Romance."
Finished the night online with a couple of word games as the snow continued to fall. By far my favorite of the ones I hadn't seen was PDQ. Two contestants step into isolation booths in this 1964 show while a celebrity tries to get them to guess a certain word or phrase by setting the letters on a board. Whichever team guesses in the least letters wins points. The winner goes on to the bonus round, where they have to guess a word from three letters. Giselle McKenzie and Stubby Kaye lead their gentlemen through some very funny rounds, including their attempts to get them to guess "Minuet In G." Host Dennis James presided over this one.
To Say the Least is a short-lived show from 1977, hosted by Tom Kennedy. Once again, celebrities helped out a contestant, this time in guessing a subject from the fewest words possible. The contestant would have a celebrity guess what the answer to a phrase or subject was, then would remove a word and ask the next contestant. Rita Moreno, Alex Trebek, Soupy Sales, and Elaine Joyce are the celebs who help out here.
Buzzr no longer runs the black and white Password episodes from the early 60's, so I went with a nighttime show from 1962. Eve Arden may have played a teacher for years, but she's no great shakes at word games. Rifleman Chuck Connors did a little better.
I've spotlighted Wordplay a few times, and it's just as much fun in this episode from February 1987. Kennedy returns to referee the antics of fellow hosts Bert Convy and Bill Rafferty. Nighttime soap star Abby Dalton ends up in between their wacky descriptions of unusual words.
1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, a big-paying syndicated variation on Wheel of Fortune, has a computer theme. Couples guess a clue, then push keys on a giant keyboard to reveal letters on the screen. When they reveal enough letters, they'll be able to guess a puzzle. The winners go on to a bonus round, where one has to guess a word one letter at a time. If they won, they'd get 5,000, or could continue on for the big million-dollar prize. Jim Lange hosts here. I'm surprised I don't remember this one. The game play was fun, especially guessing the puzzles.
Merv Griffith's Crosswords apparently isn't popular among game-show fans. It seemed all right to me. Two people try to spell out words in a crossword puzzle. After the first break, three more contestants, or "spoilers," join in. If a spoiler guesses correctly, they trade places with the contestant. The bonus round had the winner filling in the rest of the crossword puzzle. A lot of people called this one of the worst game shows ever, but I think it's more overly complicated than it is bad. Host Ty Treadway was a bit bland as well.
At any rate, here's some word games to keep you guessing as the winter storms rage! (And thanks to Wink Martindale and his Vault channel for the To Say the Least episode. Look for the original commercials on several shows, too!)
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