Mothers and Matches

Started off a fast Mother's Day with eggs and leftovers from the nachos for breakfast. Listened to the Gypsy original cast album while I ate. Ethel Merman plays her most famous role here as Mama Rose, who pushes and shoves her two daughters into vaudeville. Although her "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is usually sited, I love her hilarious "Mr. Goldstone, I Love You" and her force-of-nature "Some People." Other good numbers here include "All You Need Is the Girl" and "Together Wherever We Go."

Hurried out even before the CD ended. Once again, work wasn't bad when I got in. It didn't get really busy until past 1:30, after everyone got out of church or finished brunch. We did have long lines, but not quite as long - or for as long - as yesterday. Apparently, bad weather in the middle of the day scared a lot of people off. By 4:30, it slowed down enough for me to leave with no relief and no need for one. 

Rushed straight home after work. Changed, grabbed vanilla yogurt with peanut butter and a banana for a very quick dinner, texted Mom a Happy Mother's Day greeting, then sat down to enjoy Match Game on YouTube. Mothers of all kinds - contestants, panelists, and questions and jokes about mothers - was the theme of this one. Jo Ann Pflug and Patti Deutsch appeared several times on Match Game while pregnant. Elaine Joyce's little girl Taylor Van was seen twice during the syndicated run, once in the end to show off her Polish dance costume, and again when she hid under her mother's desk during the show. Brett often spoke of her two sons and introduced her college-age daughter Leslie in one episode. 

My favorite episode involving parents - and the final episode in the marathon - was the one where Gene walks into the studio carrying two toddlers, a boy and a girl. The little boy was Patti's son Max Ross. The mini miss with the heavy grip on Gene's microphone was Gary Burghoff's darling daughter Gina. Max even "helped" his mother with the first question, and there were the occasional admonishments to watch what they said because little ears might hear. 

Here's the marathon, so you can enjoy the show with your own Mom! 

Match Game Mother's Day Marathon

Finished the night on YouTube with the 1985 Alice In Wonderland. I fondly remember seeing this two-part mini-series frequently on cable when I was a kid. Natalie Gregory is Alice, who badly wants to sit at the adult table for tea and prove she's a real adult. Bored after following her sister, she first ends up falling through a rabbit hole and into Wonderland. After she manages to escape Wonderland, she discovers that she's trapped behind the mirror and has to find her way across the checkerboard and become a queen to get home.

This was likely my first live-action Alice. On one hand, I wish a lot of the big-name cast had more to do. Of those stars who actually do something, the three queens - a perfectly demanding Jayne Meadows as the Queen of Hearts, Ann Jillian as the Red Queen, and Carol Channing as the White Queen - come off the best by far, especially when the latter two try to teach poor Alice how to be a queen. 

I don't know if this version is for everyone - the special effects and costuming are a bit dated and weird - but if you watched it on cable as a kid like I did, or you have younger kids who enjoy Alice stories, you may enjoy this as much as I did.