Friday, April 01, 2022

Only Fools and Races

Started things out with a very quiet breakfast. Thankfully, it was only windy today, and while a little chilly, it wasn't to the degree of earlier in the week. Had no problems getting to work other than being a little winded.

Wish I could say the same at work. We were busy all day long, and for a lot of that time, the person in the express lane and I were the only cashiers. It's the beginning of the month, and a lot of people who just got their money from the government are doing their shopping. It was still so busy by 3 PM, they had to call a produce manager who also cashiers to take over for me so I could go home. Grabbed a few things before I headed home, including pads. Thought I'd try coconut flour too, which is cheaper than almond flour for low-carb recipes.

Got my schedule, too. In good news, two days off, Monday and Wednesday, Monday for my neuropsychological exam. Trouble is, I'm working very long hours mostly bagging again, and while it's not going to get as cold as it did this week, it's also supposed to rain for a lot of next week.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. By 3:30, it was too nice not to! A few drops of rain fell on my nose when I came out, but they cleared out so quickly, I'd be surprised if most people noticed them. It was sunny and blustery when I passed Audubon Park, and has remained so for the rest of the day. At least it wasn't busy, not even around the entrance to the shopping center. The White Horse Pike was a little busier, though it could have been worse. 

First thing I did after I got home and changed was finally make a few more appointments. Used their online system to set a time to have lab work done at the Westmont Walgreens. Also finally got through to the Haddonfield branch of South Jersey Radiology to have my thyroid checked. Ironically, the building where it's housed is on the other side of Haddon Avenue from the Walgreens, on the border of Haddonfield and Westmont. I know it well. I used to pass it when I'd ride to counseling. 

Worked on writing for a while after that. The Red King is unamused by Patti Dee and Donald Dum's arguing and complaining and turns the duo into rattles. The others flee into the woods, trying to avoid the raven as Richard fights Jack (Klugman) the Red Knight and the monsters. As they run, Brett finds a white crocheted shawl being blown along in the wind...

Put on Match Game '77 while I worked. Sadly, the rest of the Eva Gabor week and the entire week after that are currently unavailable for viewing, due to Adam Arkin not clearing his episodes. We pick up with another popular sitcom star, Suzanne Sommers, putting in her only week on the show. Needless to say, Gene was very happy to give her a welcoming kiss! (Richard even threw in a "trench hand" joke from a few years before.) 

The second episode kicked off with Gene bringing a woman from Alaska onstage for a kiss and to see if Inuit really rub noses and the others joking about a stuffed cat one contestant brought with him. Richard's problems with the judges continue towards the end, when he pulls out "face" for Howdy Doody having his freckles sanded off. He clearly wasn't happy with the ruling at all, and it didn't improve his mood...

Had leftover chicken soup for dinner while watching Match Game PM. Fred Grandy sports a dapper newsboy cap, while Bart Braverman keeps blowing a duck call throughout the episode for no reason and Charles shows a (long, long) list of the people he does not want on the show. Bart has a lot less luck with "__ Foxes" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night on HBO Max after a shower with The Great Race for April Fool's Day. Daredevil stuntman The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) is the rival of hilariously evil Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon), who could never quite manage to top him in popularity or stunts, They finally decide to settle things by joining a huge car race that actually did run from New York to Paris in 1908. Emancipated reporter Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood) initially drives her own vehicle, but joins Leslie when hers dies on the road. Maggie, Leslie, Leslie's right-hand man Hezekiah (Keenan Wynn) and Fate's lackey Max (Peter Faulk) find themselves involved in some truly wild shenanigans on the road, from outrunning Native Americans and surviving a bar brawl out west to being stranded on an iceberg to nefarious doings in a European principality whose king looks exactly like Fate. 

Hoo boy, this is a wild one. Fitting that Warners released it, as it's basically a live-action Looney Tune. Half the things Professor Fate unleashes on Leslie seem to have been borrowed from Wil E Coyote's storeroom, and Leslie is as unflappable as a certain carrot-chomping gray bunny. You can't get much more foolish than this race. While it doesn't have much to do with the race, the last third is a great spoof of The Prisoner of Zenda, complete with Fate having to replace the king at his coronation, Curtis fighting the bad guy (Ross Martin) shirtless, and the biggest pie fight in cinema history. 

The Ruritanian segment isn't the only one that doesn't really fit in. This movie is over 2 and 1/2 hours long, and it didn't need to be anywhere near that. A lot of the gags, especially in the middle, could have been trimmed. Otherwise, this is a hilarious slapstick action farce with some of Jack Lemmon and Peter Faulk's funniest performances as the silent film villains who just can't win unfairly. 

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