Headed to work soon as the episode ended. Work was a mess from beginning to end. The carts were empty when I arrived at 9:30. The crowds did ebb a little around 11:30, but they came back at 12:30-1 and never let up after that. I spent almost the entire 8 hours pushing carts. There was another bagger after 10:30 who did the trash and sweeping. I am so glad they switched me to bagging! Dealing with the parking lot was crazy enough. People screamed obscenities at each other, cars honked, cut each other off, drove way too fast down the road between the lot and the store, and didn't look when people were coming out of the store. I'm just grateful there were no accidents.
Not everything was bad. I found my favorite fudge-topped shortbread cookies on clearance. Picked up a container of cooked shrimp on sale for a small dinner tomorrow night. I got to see tree sellers set up the Christmas tree lot that is always in the back of the Acme parking lot from the day after Thanksgiving through the day before Christmas Eve.
A huge Coke truck decorated with their Santa Claus ads lingered in the back of the parking lot for most of the afternoon and evening. I couldn't think of why until I walked out of the store and saw it parked on the curb. It was now decorated with small twinkling lights. Santa himself sat on a "throne" surrounded by lights out front. People gave out free Coke Zero samples while customers sat on Santa's knee or took photos with him. I wasn't up to the photo op, but I did grab a free Coke Zero on the way out.
Went straight home and into dinner and Match Game PM. Gene teased a guy with long, thick hair, but the joke turned out to be on him. Not only did the guy win, but he sensibly asked Charles to clarify his odd answer to "Throw the __" in the Audience Match, then went with Richard for "Jack the __" in the Audience Match.
Singer Gail Farrell of The Lawrence Welk Show made her first of two appearances on Match Game Syndicated in early 1980. Since the Monday show for this week is another one that's currently MIA, Buzzr went right to Tuesday. Clifton claims his fan club is in the audience when they cheer loudly for him, while the others help calm a very sweet Navy officer.
For some weird reason, the second show jumped back to the very last episode of Match Game '79. Bill Daily tried on Gene Rayburn's navy suit jacket, claiming he intended to wear it for his upcoming wedding. (He must have ended up keeping it. He's seen wearing that suit several times during the syndicated series.)
Switched to The Plymouth Adventure at Amazon Prime after a desperately-needed shower. Captain Christopher Jones (Spencer Tracy) is not thrilled to be hauling a group of settlers across the Atlantic, including a religious group he considers to be hypocrites. He thinks the only thing anyone cares about is money, until he falls for beautiful Dorothy Bradford (Gene Tierney), the wife of pilgrim leader William Bradford (Leo Genn). Carpenter John Alden (Van Johnson) has his own romance problems when he catches the eye of pretty pilgrim Priscilla Mullins (Dawn Adams), but soldier Miles Standish (Noel Drayton) also has his eye on her. All the romance might not add up to a hill of green beans if the settlers can't survive the long, treacherous ocean voyage, and then the even longer, cold winter at Plymouth Rock.
Stirring romantic swashbuckler gets kudos for covering a period of history not often discussed in movies. Tracy walks away with the top honors here as the weary captain who thinks everyone is out for a quick buck, until he meets Dorothy. The special effects won an Oscar in 1952 and still look pretty good to this day, especially that huge storm at sea. Great costumes and sets, too, especially the fairly realistic Mayflower. Worth checking out at Thanksgiving for fans of the cast, old movie buffs, and those looking for a relatively appropriate holiday movie for romantic older kids and teenagers.
Finished the night with Molly's Pilgrim on YouTube. Molly, whose Jewish family recently immigrated from Russia, would be happier if the kids at school didn't tease her about her old-fashioned clothes, her accent, her borscht lunches, and her talent at gymnastics. When her teacher gives her an assignment to make a pilgrim doll for a Thanksgiving display, her mother makes the doll look like a Russian immigrant. The kids and teacher don't understand at first, until Molly explains that her family was also looking for religious freedom. One of the students ultimately said it best - it really does take all kinds of pilgrims to make a Thanksgiving.
And here's even more vintage Thanksgiving specials to tide you over until the big meal!
(Oh, and I got lucky with the weather. It was really windy and off-and-only cloudy for the entire day. The sun tried to come out at one point, but heavier clouds moved in. It thankfully didn't start raining until nearly 10 PM.)
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