Joanie Cunningham of Happy Days spends her "Christmas Time" in the sixth season complaining about her father Howard bringing home a tinsel tree from his hardware store instead of a real tree. Fonzie's more upset about his estranged father suddenly appearing out of the blue and giving him a gift. Meanwhile, Rich, Potsie, Ralph, and Rich's girl Laurie Beth argue over how much they should spend on gifts for each other.
The Monkees' "Christmas Show" from the second season has the groovy quartet babysitting a wealthy young boy while his aunt is on a cruise. The kid is unimpressed with either the holidays or the guys' antics as they try to buy him gifts and a tree on their meager budget. It's Mike Nesmith who finally figures out what it is that the boy really needs.
After I got organized, I started the cookies. I always make five kinds of cookies to give as gifts and bring to the Acme's Christmas employee luncheon. I don't have either my cookie cutters or enough room for the cut out cookies, so all of them but one this year are drop cookies. The Chocolate Chip came out well enough. The Mint Chocolate Chip was amazing, rich and very chocolaty! By the time I worked on the Cake Mix Peanut Butter, it was late and I was tired. It took me so long to do these because I only had one cookie sheet on hand. I burned the last batch and ended up throwing a lot of them away.
Moved downstairs for Match Game '78. Buzzr continues its Betty White Christmas with the week she appeared with Avery Schriber and Barbara Rhodes. The first episode was one of my favorites of that year. Betty started by giving by far the best answer to a question about how the member of the barber shop quartet managed to hit a high note, then did a "stripping" routine when Gene asked her to "show us your G-string!" Richard Dawson had far less luck in the second episode figuring out "Whip __" in the Audience Match.
I'd seen the first episode of Tattletales before, but not the second one. This week with Betty and Allen, Bill Cullen and his wife Ann, and Jo Ann Pflug and her then-husband Chuck Woolery is from very early in the show's run, when they were still doing the longer questions. My favorite story was how Chuck, who started out as a country singer, wound up with perky Jo Ann. They were on a blind date, and not only did he feel intimidated, but he mistook her for Sally Kellerman who also appeared in the film version of MASH. Betty and Allen's best story was about the truly lovely surprise birthday party he gave her with all their friends at Chasen's in Los Angeles.
Went upstairs and did the second Christmas episode of WKRP In Cincinnati from the third season. Arthur Carlson says "Bah Humbug!" when he gives minuscule holiday bonuses, despite everyone's complaints. After eating one of Johnny Fever's brownies, he has a very strange and familiar dream about encountering four ghosts who tell him what will happen if he doesn't change his ways.
Went back downstairs to finish the Mint Chocolate Chips and watch Benson. In their first Christmas episode from the fourth season, "Mary and Her Lambs" are an assistant cook and the two foster kids she adores. After they're taken away by court order, Mary keeps insisting that Benson will think of something. He claims the law isn't on her side, until he finds a way for Governor Gatling to intervene.
Moved on to That Girl when they were in the oven. While working as an elf for a department store Santa, Ann-Marie explains how "Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid" left her befriending one little boy. She had been a teacher at an exclusive school, but the child's parents couldn't pick him up, and he had nowhere else to go for the holidays. Ann-Marie ended up spending the holiday at the school with him.
Switched to What's Happening! next. Half the neighborhood donates food when they find out Dee and Raj are going to be alone on "Christmas." Their father insists on them coming over and having dinner with his girlfriend. Their mother is disappointed. She'd left her job early to be with her children. When his girlfriend's turkey winds up being charred beyond repair, they end up eating at home with their mother anyway.
Turned off the TV for a while to focus on the cookies. Turned it back on for Match Game PM as I got rid of the burnt cookies. I'm a bit surprised they didn't save this one for the Bob Barker marathon two weeks ago. This is the episode where Eva Gabor claimed he was considered a sex symbol in her native Hungary. Needless to say, that made Bob very happy!
(Oh, and it looks like the next Buzzr marathon will be a late 60th anniversary salute to Let's Make a Deal in mid-January. I'm wondering what happened to their Lost & Found marathon, which ran in mid-January this year. Maybe they couldn't find or restore enough shows in time.)
After the trouble with the last batch and standing over a hot stove all day, I needed some air and to get out of the house. It rained this morning, but by quarter of 7, it was just cloudy, very windy, and pleasantly cold. I love all the light displays in Oaklyn. Everyone around here gets so festive. I saw everything from a few twinkling red and gold lights on two tiny bushes to houses and yards almost totally covered in lights Clark Grizwauld-style. Some of the inflatables had been blown over, but of the ones I could see, my favorites were elves holding cookies and a giant milk bottle and an elf in a snow globe. There were houses that surrounded their roofs with big shiny lights, and those who had tiny little white ones that glittered like stars in the dark night.
Stopped at Capital Pizza for dinner. Had a slice of broccoli and mushroom, a slice of cheese, and a bottle of Diet Pepsi while watching the second half of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. The guy who led the entire episode was the only one who got the final question right, and ended up winning the Tournament. The man who gave me my pizza was more impressed that I was able to answer a question about Douglas Fairbanks Sr.
Stayed for the first puzzle on Wheel of Fortune. I was a bit surprised to see Pat Sajak hosting. I thought he announced his retirement. I guess that's next season. At any rate, I got to play along with the first two toss-up puzzles and the first two puzzles, mainly because the first actual puzzle was solved in less than five minutes.
Went straight in the shower when I got home. Finished up the night on YouTube with Christmas game show episodes. I've Got a Secret was known for doing a big show every year right before Christmas. I went with the earliest existing one from 1953. The first secret, about a man who collected a massive ball of string, was really funny. The one with the man who adopted a little Korean boy while stationed overseas was extremely sweet. They saved the best for last. Henry Morgan's mother came on the show after having not seen her son in two years, and she got to kiss Santa Claus!
The first two versions of Family Feud always did holiday episodes. The 1982 Richard Dawson Christmas week shows finally reappeared on Buzzr after having been lost for 40 years. Ray Combs lead two energetic families through holiday questions on the syndicated show during Christmas 1988.
Match Game was also known for celebrating the holidays. I went with the episode from Christmas Eve and day 1973. Charles turned up dressed as Santa in the second episode, and answered all his questions as Santa, too.
Family Feud wasn't the onl show doing holiday episodes in the 80's. Jamie Farr and Gary Burghoff had a mini-MASH reunion during Christmas week 1985 on Super Password. The Bob Eubanks Card Sharks celebrated their holidays with ten married women who seemed to know a bit about relationships. The contestant had an easier time with the Money Board than she did with winning the car.
Stunt shows got even wilder with their holiday cheer. A reluctant Monty Hall led Johnny Brown, Patti Deustch, Ronnie Schell, and Joyce Bulifant through wacky Christmas-themed stunts on Beat the Clock. Patti and Johnny played very well and won for their section, with the former being far better at stunts than she is at matching contestants.
Kids got in on the holiday games, too. I'm Telling was a short-lived kids' game show that ran on NBC Saturday mornings in 1987. Basically, it was Junior Tattletales with a Supermarket Sweep-like final bonus round. Brother and sister pairs answer questions about each other. The ones who get the most points move on to a big bonus round. They have to match certain prizes. If they can match 10, they win all the prizes. The few people who saw it in 1987 seem to have fond memories, and no wonder. The kids' stories were hilarious, and they were even funnier running around, trying to make those matches!
Classic Concentration also did Christmas episodes every year, with holiday prize packages and elaborate decorations. The contestant in the ugly sweater kept winning, but he couldn't figure out the bonus round. Marjorie Goodson made a very funny Mrs. Claus, especially hauling around her darling doggy friend!
Celebrate Christmas game show style with these classic shows!
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