This wasn't Horton's first go-around at Warners or in animation. Warners made a random one-off Merrie Melodies version of the other Horton story, "Horton Hatches the Egg," in 1942. This time, Horton is coerced into taking care an egg that belongs to a lazy bird named Maisie. He continues to sit on that egg no matter what, despite rain, snow, and hunters taking him and the nest to the circus. Maisie sees him at the circus and demands the egg back, but what comes out of the egg proves once and for all who is really "faithful, one hundred percent."
Switched to Match Game Syndicated after the short ended. Comedian Ronny Graham joined in this week, along with Susan Richardson and Arte Johnson. Ronny got "Classic __" on the Head-to-Head in the first episode while Gene does a song and dance number and the rest of the panel clapped along. Charles kicked off the second episode by teasing Ronny and Arte about bringing purses onstage.
Took the laundry downstairs, then dusted the rooms while watching Tattletales. Sammy Davis Jr. and his wife Altavise, then-sweethearts Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Malone, and TV stars Linda Kaye Henning and John O'Connell. Sammy and Altavise had some great stories and hilarious jokes, especially from the question in the first episode about who had the bigger chest! They did very well, winning the first episode and tying with Adrienne and Michael in the second.
Brought the laundry upstairs and hauled the trash and recycling outside, then headed out. I needed to make a few quick donations, but I first wanted lunch. Hadn't eaten at Crown Chicken and Gyro in ages. It was past 3 by the time I finally made it there. Enjoyed my chicken gyro, slender hot fries, and can of Diet Pepsi in peace.
Dropped off a bag of clothes donations at the bins behind Dollar General, then strolled back around to Clinton and dropped two books in the kiosk. The other reason I went for a walk was just to enjoy the day. It was gorgeous, upper 40's, windy, and sunny as can be. Considering it's supposed to rain hard again starting tomorrow afternoon, I wanted to bask in the sunshine while I could.
Made the bed and folded the laundry while watching the first three episodes of WKRP In Cincinnati. Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) arrives as the new program director at radio station WKRP to find it and its easy listening format to be last in the ratings. He immediately changes all that by giving DJ Johnny (Howard Hesseman) a rock record to play on the air. Not only does he reinvigorate Johnny as "Dr. Johnny Fever," he brings new life to the station. Head manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) protests at first, until the format proves to be unexpectedly popular.
In the second pilot episode, Andy and station advertising manager Herb Tarek (Frank Bonner) want to come up with a big publicity stunt to advertise the format change to Cincinnati. As they try to figure something out, they're invaded by a group of elderly protesters who insist they liked the station's format the way it was. While station assistant Bailey (Jan Smithers) tries to placate them, Andy realizes they've found the publicity stunt they've been looking for.
"Les On a Ledge" further introduces us to Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), the station's long-time news reporter. He prides himself on being an upstanding, hip kind of guy, but it couldn't be further from the truth. He's devastated when an athlete claims he's gay and ends up climbing on the ledge of the station.
Took a shower, then worked on a list of the TV shows I have on DVD that I haven't watched yet, and even ones on streaming that I haven't watched in full. There's a lot I really want to binge on, but I always seem to find more. And that doesn't count movies I run into, and cartoons.
Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. A less-blonde Susan Richardson returns in these episodes, along with Robert Pine and Richard Deacon. The first episode has Fannie Flagg making a crack about why she forgot she was on the show the week before (and whom she was with) and Richard Deacon's desk light when he finishes his answer not working. The captain's hat Charles wears in the second episode prompts several jokes, including Brett claiming that "nobody wants to see your dingy."
Finished the night at YouTube with musical game shows. Game shows that revolve around music go back to radio, when any station could have a band play a song and people call in and guess what it was. Shows like Stop the Music were wildly popular on radio and early TV in the late 40's and early 50's, with people listening breathlessly as contestants (including call-ins from home) tried to figure out the "Mystery Melody." Tod Russell substitutes for vacationing Bert Parks in this mid-50's episode.
Name That Tune also goes far back, but the version that most people remember today dates from the mid-70's. Tom Kennedy racks up the suspense as two contestants try to guess a song from the fewest notes possible. The champion gets to guess "The Golden Medley" and maybe win up to $100,000. This was so popular and so much fun to watch, it's been revived three times since then, including the version currently running on Fox.
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was neither Jon Bauman's first shot at hosting, nor his first time seen as someone besides a greaser. The Pop n' Rocker Game, a syndicated show from 1983, was really more up his alley. He led three teenagers in answering rock trivia questions, with two popular acts at the time performing between rounds. Bauman wasn't the only up-and-coming performer on this show, either. Phil Hartman was one of the announcers. Irene Cara and Oingo Boingo (complete with composer Danny Elfman) sing "What a Feeling!" and "Who Do You Want to Be?" in the premiere episode.
The Gong Show featured acts that were far less professional. Chuck Barris' most famous show was a spoof talent contest that did occasionally dig up some genuinely good acts, like the guy who "plays the microphone" and croons very well in the episode I chose, but was better known for the endless barrage of tone-deaf singers and lousy comics that appeared on its stage. Regular judge Jaye P. Morgan is joined by Anson Williams and Patty Andrews of the Andrews Sisters.
Contestants on Face the Music tended to be even stranger. For some reason, oddballs of all stripes gravitated to this 1980 syndicated show that had people first guessing which celebrity was connected with a song, then hearing five songs and seeing which celebrity they represented. In the episode I chose, the ladies get really wild, with the tall, slender one on the left letting off more energy than a cheerleading squad, and the one of the right reminding me a lot of an older Patti Deusch. Actor and former athlete Ron Ely keeps the show moving and an eye on the loonies.
Jeopardy! branched out into several spin-offs towards the end of the 90's and beginning of the 2000's. Rock & Roll Jeopardy! ran on VH-1 from 1998 to 2001. It plays the same as the original show, with questions naturally revolving around rock stars and history, young adults and older teen contestants, and a slightly hipper and more industrial-looking set. Jeff Provost is the host here.
Name That Tune isn't Fox's only current hit musical game show. Beat Shazam! began in 2017 as the first game show based on a music app. Three teams (of siblings in the episode I chose) try to guess song titles faster than Shazam, aka the computer. The last team standing guesses five songs in a row in order to win a million dollars. Fast-paced and fun, I can see why this has been one of Fox's bigger shows for nearly seven years.
See if you can sing, dance, and guess along with these musical favorites!
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