Switched to Help! after Daniel ended in honor of Disney Plus putting out Let It Be tomorrow for the first time since the 1980's. I went further into their second movie, a wacky comedy about Ringo being chased by an Indian cult that wants to sacrifice him, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Did a little writing while the movie was on. Kathleen tells the rabbit that they're going to need shelter, and fast. The snow is getting worse. The rabbit leads her to a gnarled old tree in the middle of the woods. She protests that she can't fit in the roots...until the rabbit presses a knot in the bark and leads her through a door into a very different world...
Broke for lunch at 1 PM. Split Second was a very close game! The young man tied with yesterday's champ when I got upstairs. It came down to the Countdown Round, where she managed to get all the answers for one question at once. She didn't get the car and once again opted to return.
Headed off to work after that. Once again, I wish I hadn't. Although work wasn't as busy today, probably due to the sunny and hot weather, there was a lot going on. Displays were lined up in the frozen aisles on unused registers, due the floor having just been polished. The head bagger got called to work the self-checkout lines, so I had no help. I was told to clean the men's bathrooms because there was a problem. There was no problem. Someone forgot to flush. I got into trouble for accidentally signing the sweep in twice. I couldn't remember if I did it the first time or not. They're very strict about how the sweeps are signed in and when.
Needless to say, I rushed home fast as I could after that. Took out the trash, then went straight in the shower. Had leftovers for dinner while watching Match Game '77. One of the men in the audience claimed he'd give them $100 to be able to kiss Eva Gabor. He got his kiss...then admitted he only had 10! Gene called him one of the great con artists.
Finished the night working on my review for Help! and listening to more of the records I've acquired lately. The Robber Bridegroom was a country musical based on a novela by Eudora Welty. It was on Broadway twice in 1975 and 1976; the recording is based on the '76 version. Jamie Lockhart, the Robin-Hood like title character, is a bandit in 17th century Mississippi who poses as a landowner after he rescues the wealthiest man in the county from far more incompetent thieves. Clement Musgrove hopes he'll marry his pretty daughter Rosamund. Rosamund, however, is enamored by the bandit after he steals her dress. Jamie would love to have her for a sweetheart, but he's not that interested in marriage. Meanwhile, Rosamund's scheming stepmother Salome just wants her out of her hair for good.
I love fairy tales, and while I'm not the biggest fan of country music, I did enjoy this. Jamie has two enjoyable numbers, "Steal With Style" that explains his way of taking riches from unsuspecting rich folk, and the ballad "Love Stolen." Rosamund's best number is "Nothin' Up" as she complains of the work she has to do when Salome sends her to gather herbs. Salome has fun with her "The Pricklethorn Pear."
Though neither of the Broadway versions ran for more than two months, I have heard this tends to do better in regional stagings. If you're a country fan or love fairy tales like I do, the cast album is worth hearing once for some decent songs and robust performances.
Bernadette Peters' self-titled album is from 1980...and boy, is it obviously from the tail-end of the disco era. Songs like "Heartquake" and "Chico's Girl" definitely have a disco beat to them, with lots of synthesizers and dance beats. Some of the songs on side two have dated a little better, including a rather nice version of "You'll Never Know."
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