Slept in this morning. It was so late when I finally got moving, I watched the noon Match Game '75 as I had breakfast. Sweet ingenue Melinda O'Fee makes her debut on the show in this episode. She didn't do very well, but that didn't stop Gene from giving her a welcome aboard kiss! The second episode had a few jokes about "__ Buns" in the Audience Match and Gene saying Betty and Richard were "almost twins," with Richard in a black and white houndstooth jacket and Betty in black and white gingham.
After breakfast, during the second show, I finally got around to putting away the albums I bought at On the Record the other day. Pulled out the Christmas records and just leaned them against the crate on the end until I can find a crate that will fit them. Any canned food I had left from the mother-in-law suite went in the red bin.
Headed out around quarter after 1 to run errands. It remains gloomy and foggy, but the precipitation was limited to the barest sprinkles. Even that vanished as I headed down Cuthbert, crossing at McDonald's before pushing my bike up the service road to the Haddon Township Library. Dropped off the two mystery novels (I need to look over the books on money), went to the bathroom, and headed out.
First of all, they're apparently working on putting the old gym, Tuesday Morning, and AC Moore store together into something called Sprouts Farm Market. It sounds like an imitation Trader Joe's, an organic and healthy food supermarket. I'd have fewer problems with this if there wasn't already a Target next-door and an Acme down the street that sell healthy food and probably do it cheaper. We'll see how long this lasts.
Hit Target after dodging the scaffolding around the stores. I was thirsty as heck, so I hit Starbucks and tried a Zombie Frappuchino. Couldn't resist it this close to Halloween. Turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was green and brown and sprinkled with green and brown cookie dust. The mint flavor drowned out the coffee bitterness, and other than being a bit watery, was quite pleasant.
I was really there to pick up mouthwash. Turns out they have the Hello healthy gum bottle I got off the clearance rack at Acme, and for a not-bad price. All of their remaining Halloween items were dropped into bins up front. They mostly just had candy left. I got into a long line for self-checkout.
Dollar Tree still had two aisles of Halloween goodies left up-front amid the Christmas decorations. Did much better here. Didn't find anything for my cowgirl costume, but I did pick up more candy and wooden ornaments for my Mystery Bags.
Next stop was lunch at Geneva Pizza on Cuthbert, about three or so blocks down the street from Westmont Plaza. Thanks to it being past 3 when I walked in, they were empty. Even the TV showed the Roku background. I ate my two slices of square shaped tomato-basil pizza and Caffeine- Free Diet Coke in silence.
Briefly looked at Family Dollar, but they didn't have cap guns for my Halloween costume. I needed more electrolyte drink mix anyway, so I rode a couple of blocks down the White Horse Pike to Dollar General. Found a cheap bow and arrow set with a plastic knife in their toy section and decided that this cowgirl learned archery from the Natives along with being able to shoot a gun. I can always make a sheriff's badge from tinfoil and cardboard and a rope belt from yarn.
Went straight into writing when I got home. Started my next Match Game short story, Change of Blank. This is my first story to be set around the underrated Match Game '90. I actually liked the host, Ross Schafer, and while I don't like how Gene Rayburn lost his career due to ageism, I realize Ross had nothing to do with that. Brett Somers, who appeared on the show for a couple of weeks around September and October, resents Ross having taken Gene's place and doesn't feel comfortable with him. Charles Nelson Reilly ends up refereeing them.
Broke at 6:30 to finish my Mystery Bags for trick-or-treaters. Watched The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween as I worked. Nick and Sally can't figure out what they want to be for Halloween, so the Cat takes them to the Ooky Makooky Closet to find just the right costumes. He also teaches them how to deal with their fears when Nick's frightened of a thunder storm, and Sally's spooked by the creaky old house where the Closet is. Fish keeps trying to scare the Cat, who claims he doesn't get scared. But there is one thing that scares the cat...the most famous Halloween symbol of them all...
Had dinner while watching the second half of Match Game '77. Everyone had trouble not hitting the microphones in this episode, from the contestant to Charles to Richard. (I think Rich did it on purpose to annoy Gene.) Meanwhile, the others try to help the contestant with "__ Escape" in the Audience Match.
Finished the night online with very strange vintage horror. Watched The Haunted Palace at Kanopy. This is one of the many low-budget horror movies Vincent Price did in the 50's and 60's for American International Pictures. Price plays Joseph Curwen, who is burned for witchcraft by the townspeople of Arkham, Massachusetts in 1765. His decedent, Charles Ward (Price) and his wife Anne (Debra Paget) arrive in town to look over Curwen's castle. The townspeople aren't what you'd call friendly. Curwen cursed them before he died, and they blame his curse for the many deformities on their citizens. Neither Charles nor Anne buy this, until Charles becomes obsessed with Joseph's portrait in the castle. Curwen's able to possess Charles, and with the help of two local warlocks, intends to mate Anne with two supernatural demons.
I have to give American International credit. For a low-budget studio, they seem to have done consistently good work. I enjoyed the Beach Party movies and had almost as much fun with this. Price adds his eerie elegance to both erudite Charles and bitter Joseph, who is determined to get back at those who destroyed his work. It's also Paget's last movie before she retired to marry wealthy, and the first movie to be based after a HP Lovecraft story. If you love Price, the creepy low-budget horror of the early 60's, or Lovecraft, this is worth a watch.
Boo! on YouTube is even weirder. This random horror-themed variety show debuted in 1980. They even acknowledge on the show that variety programs were dying by this point in North America. This Canadian Halloween special apparently turned up in syndicated markets for several years in the early 80's, if the title of the post is any indication. And I thought The Paul Lynde Halloween Special was bizarre. Dionne Warwick shows up to sing a lovely "Deja Vu" while surrounded by candles and a less-likely "I'll Never Love This Way Again" to Frankenstein's monster, who has a crush on her. Frankenstein's creator insists that he didn't make Howard Cosell, the Wolf Man is hypnotized to not go crazy whenever he hears the word "moon," aliens eat telephones with mustard, and Rip Taylor shows up mid-way through to throw confetti and make bad jokes for an unimpressed alien crowd at a disco.
Just...wow. This is about the most campy, oddball thing in existence. I have no idea what went on in Canada during the disco era, but it must have been wild. Check this one out if you love the guest stars or camp...if you dare.
1 comment:
If the Vincent Price film took place in Arkham, MA, then it's based on an HP Lovecraft story. Lovecraft was an odd duck; he was born in Providence and wrote some very frightening short stories. If you've ever heard of a demon called Cthulu, he's where Cuthulu comes from.
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