Laugh Your Matches Off

Began the morning with a quick breakfast and Swing and Dance With Frank Sinatra. This 1998 CD expansion of a 1950 Sinatra album features some of his most famous songs, including "Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week," "I've Got a Crush On You," and two versions of "All of Me." I liked "It All Depends On You," "Nevertheless," and "It's Only a Paper Moon."

The thunderstorms from last night returned...just as I was getting ready for work. This wasn't a day for bike riding. I ended up taking Uber. Got it in 9 minutes this morning and was almost late for work. Surprisingly, given I got off at 5:30 and there was another storm looming, I got a ride home in less than 3 minutes. No trouble either way, not even traffic at rush-hour. I just beat the storm going home. It had just begun to rain a little as I dashed in the house. 

It was cool, cloudy, and killer humid for most of the morning. The sun came out around 2 PM, but the humidity never went away. I spent five out of the six hours I was at the Acme pushing carts. It wasn't bad this morning, but the sun brought killer heat along with the humidity. At least the college-age guys who work on the weekends were able to sweep and get the trash. I got so hot and sticky, I spent the last hour or so putting away things people didn't want inside.

Soon as I got home, I finished the Sinatra CD, then went downstairs for a shower. Finished the night after that on YouTube with today's Match Game marathon. Brett Somers was in the spotlight, likely in honor of her birthday on July 11th. She had a very distinct, throaty laugh that was heard quite often on the show, usually when her best friend Charles Nelson Reilly tossed out another wisecrack. 

It was heard on the several occasions she feuded with the person who ran the buzzer, including when she almost lost her cards and Charles just barely caught them in 1974. There was the time she sat on the bottom tier so her friend Anne Meara could sit next to William Shatner, or her two weeks sitting next to her then-husband Jack Klugman in 1973. Jack would reappear in 1978, well after their divorce. The others held a mock-wedding for them in the last 30 seconds. Or the PM episode Gene spent chatting with a woman who spoken Serbo-Croatian, which he had learned from his immigrant parents. 

Laugh your blank off with Match Game's favorite slightly tipsy character actress in this wacky marathon!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Brett Somers Laugh Track Marathon 

(Incidentally, it's rained at least three more times since I got home, including just as I got online. The last one I heard was around 11. They disappeared after that and haven't been heard from since.)

Matches In the Heat

Began my morning with breakfast and The Littlest Rebel. I go further into this Civil War-set Shirley Temple vehicle whose treatment of its minority characters makes it extremely controversial today at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Saturday - The Littlest Rebel

Hurried off to work after Rebel ended. This was my 7 hour day. We weren't bad when I arrived, but it would be off-and-on busy for the rest of the afternoon. I had no help at all. The head bagger was pulled to take a register. I'd try to sweep or push the carts, only to be called to put cold items away or clean up spills. I couldn't even get to the other carts on the other side before I left. It was hot, sunny, windy, and very humid for most of the day, too. 

As soon as I could get out, I rushed straight home and into tonight's Match Game marathon. This time, we focused on questions featuring two more famous characters, Dumb Donald and Ugly Edna. Later in the syndicated run, the Ugly Edna questions became Ugly Ulfrea, as too many real-life Ednas were offended. Dumb Donald also occasionally offended Patti Deutsch, whose husband Donald could be pretty...unique...himself. 

Both characters started in mid-1974 as the questions became longer and more involved, and were still being used as late as Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. A Dumb Donald question was heard in the beginning of my favorite episode from that show, the one where the board broke and everyone had to hold their arms in Xs and Os (to Jay Leno's dismay). There was one the first day big winner Carol Bartos first picked up money in 1975, and when Dick Gautier pushed his new movie Billy Jack Goes to Washington in 1976. Gene was more worried about a pregnant woman jumping around. 

You won't be dumb if you check out this hilarious marathon focusing on two of the best-known question characters on the show!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Ugly Edna & Dumb Donald Marathon

Finished the night with The Lawrence Welk Show as they saluted the USA. The 1971 show starts off with "Thank You Very Much" as everyone appreciates their home or adopted country. Guy and Ralna sing about that "Moon Over Miami" and Ralna gets "Tennessee Waltz" solo. Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts croon about "Beautiful Ohio." Arthur Duncan dances to "Meet Me In St. Louis," while the Hotsy Totsy Boys are "Alabamy Bound." Bobby and Cissy dance to "Chicago" and do the "Pennsylvania Polka." 

The 1981 episode opens with the more stirring "Your Land and My Land." Wide-eyed little girl Kathie Sullivan tells reporter Ken Delo that "Everything's Up to Date In Kansas City." This time, Arthur salutes the California coastal town "Avalon." Lovely Anacani certainly looks like "A Rose In Spanish Harlem." Everyone dances the "Charleston" in a Roaring 20's number, including a surprisingly good Bob Ralsten! Jimmy Roberts admits "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." Guy gets the solo here as the "Wichita Lineman."

Celebrate the upcoming 4th of July and salute the US with Lawrence Welk and his musical family!

Salute the USA - 1971

Salute the USA - 1981

(Incidentally, it did finally rain around 10:30-11 PM...and once again, when it rained, it thunder storm, with some really noisy gusts at one point. It didn't last long, though. It ended around 11:30 and hasn't been heard from since.) 

Are You Ready for the Summer?

I slept in and got so caught up finishing Death at High Tide, it was noon before I got going. Had a quick breakfast and made my grocery list while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Donald Hatches an Egg," while the others look for its mother. The egg is a very unusual long, thin shape, prompting the gang to ask everything they know of that lays eggs if they recognize the egg. Most animals lay eggs that are round or oval and small, but not this critter. And then Donald learns that the critter who does hatch from the egg is more likely to eat him than anything...

Let Super Password run briefly before I headed out to run errands, starting with dropping a book in the larger kiosk on Johnson Avenue. Next stop was Target. I didn't see the fish oil vitamins I wanted there, so I moved on. Sprouts wasn't a whole lot better. I didn't like their produce sales, and I couldn't find any cookies on clearance. Ended up with two boxes of granola bars (one on sale with an online coupon), coconut milk, and two cans of Culture Pop soda, also on sale. 

Rode down the hill and past the now-empty for the summer Haddon Township High School to the Westmont Acme. I won't make it to the farm market tomorrow, so I took advantage of online coupons on peaches, cherries, and blueberries. Had coupons for light bulbs (I used my last one on my desk lamp), buy one, get one half-off batteries, and bakery cookies, too. Restocked yogurt, Ollipop soda, and those Kind granola bars on clearance. 

Went home down Lakeshore Drive, past Newton Lake Park. The recent storms has helped the flora somewhat. The grass remains dry and brown, but not to the degree it was last week. It's certainly summer now. The leaves are big and fat and emerald green, and the banks of the lake are choked with greenery.

Went straight into checking my schedule for next week when I got home. In good news, slightly more hours, and not only Monday and the 4th of July, but the Friday and Saturday after the 4th of July off. My only concern is a 7 hour day on Wednesday. Not only will it be early, long, and busy, but it's supposed to get hot again that day and be worse by the 4th. 

Watched Vega$ while I put everything away, and later when a friend brought me a big barbecue lunch. Dan's not sure what to think when a just married bride comes to him in hysterics because her husband has vanished and no one seems to have even remembered he existed. Turns out the young man accidentally got doused with a government chemical that gave him the "Touch of Death." Dan takes on an Army Colonel running a clandestine operation in a so-called dairy facility that seems more than a little shady.

Daredevil Shara Stanley wants to make one big leap over two burning ramps. Her former lover Dan doesn't think it's "The Way to Live," but she insists that she has no insurance and needs the money. Dan gets a friend of of his who is a former engineer (Wilfred Hyde-White) to find a way for her to make the jump safely. The members of her team, however, want her to die in the jump to collect their insurance policy, and are even willing to kill a drunk mechanic to make sure she doesn't find out.

Went back out after the second episode ended to run more errands. I forgot nuts earlier and never did find fish oil vitamins for a good price. I was hoping for gummies. Found nothing at Dollar General or CVS, though I did get lightly salted cashews at the latter.

The real reason I was out for a walk was Final Friday. Oaklyn holds a block party on West Clinton the last Friday of every month between June and October. Not only was it busy with the usual food trucks and local food and craft booths, but this year, they expanded the fair into the parking lot behind the Armed Services memorials. I watched parents chat over fresh-squeezed lemonade, pierogies and lobster roll, and craft beer from Tonewood Brewery, and the kids chase each other, get their faces painted, toss bean bags into two Rutgers football-themed boards, play cute little mini-golf courses, and draw on the street with chalk. 

The food trucks were too expensive, even if I hadn't just had a big lunch, but the shaved ice truck was a decent price for what you got. I bought the largest souvenir cup, filled with granier chunks of ice than water ice and sweet pina colada syrup. Yum. Cool and sweet. It certainly hit the spot on a day that, while far cooler than it has been, wasn't exactly freezing.

Sat on a bench at the brick round near the memorials to enjoy my treat and the gorgeous afternoon. It was as perfect as it gets in June, sunny, breezy, and warm but not overly so, probably in the lower 80's. Two little kids, a brother and sister, chased each other around, the came over and asked me about my shaved ice and was I enjoying it? I laughed and said yes, I was, then told their father they weren't bothering me at all. I thought they were cute. Picked up two soft pretzels from the pretzel shop booth on the way home. 

Finished the night after a shower with Meatballs on Tubi. Camp North Star in eastern Canada has its wildest summer on record. The wacky head counselor Tripper (Bill Murray) leads raids to leave the camp owner Morty's bed (Harvey Atkin) in increasingly strange places and befriends Rudy Gerner (Chris Makepeace), a lonely camper, during their daily runs. The counselors-in-training are more interested in chasing each other and trying to figure out how they can beat their rich, snooty rivals Camp Mohawk in the end-of-the-summer Olympiad. Rudy's early-morning runs with Tripper prove to be more valuable than he thought when he's the only one who can run the grueling marathon that'll break the tie between the two camps.

Murray runs with his first lead role as the nutty counselor who lives to break rules. His hilarious and adorable interactions with Makepeace really make the movie...so much that director Ivan Reitman added more scenes with them and cut out a lot of gags involving the CITs. Maybe it's just as well. A lot of this hasn't dated well, including some of the raunchier gags and Tripper assaulting a female counselor (Kate Lynch) whom he later ends up with. 

Still, if you love Murray or the Animal House-esque slobs vs snobs comedies of the late 70's through the early 90's, you'll have a great time this summer with the wackiest group of campers in Canada. 

The Doctors Have It

Began the morning with two quick shorts featuring Donald Duck, who turns 90 this month, at Disney Plus. "Mickey's Trailer" is a modern marvel that can change the bathroom into the kitchen at the push of a button. Donald would be happier if this didn't interrupt his bath. He and Mickey are really in for a ride when Goofy realizes he's left the car without a driver...and accidentally unlatches the trailer and sends it careening down a mountain! 

"D.I.Y Duck" is the latest short to feature Donald. It's based on the Donald shorts of the 40's and early 50's that pit him against a stubborn object. In this case, it's a lamp that won't work. He runs to the local hardware store and buys a light...but then the lamp doesn't work. Things keep escalating and escalating, until Donald's house - and temper - goes to pieces around him. The animation is obviously made-for-streaming, but there are some funny gags, including his attempts at patching everything.

Soon as "D.I.Y Duck" ended, I headed out for my doctor's appointment. Locked my bike at the rack across from the Collingswood Senior Center, then went to the other side of the street to Collingswood Family Medicine for my doctor's appointment. There were only two other people in the waiting room when I arrived. I signed paperwork and was called about 20 minutes after I got in. Ten minutes after that, a sweet nurse took my blood pressure, and I waited another fifteen or so minutes for the doctor.

Dr. Jessica arrived with Madison, who apparently was working with her as an intern. It was sweet Madison who checked all my vitals, including my blood pressure again. Apparently, it was unusually high. I'm less depressed than I am frustrated and restless. Everything I've tried in the last two years has stalled. I planned on finding a home within six months of moving. It's been over two years, and I still haven't. It shouldn't take me twenty years to find a decent job, either, and now the Acme is barely using me. 

One thing I can control is my health. I keep putting off the mammogram and finding another gynecologist. She recommended two in Haddonfield. She also recommended a gastroenterologist to have a colonoscopy due to Dad-Bruce dying of esophageal cancer. The ladies were mostly worried about my blood pressure, which was unusually high. I figured it was from riding in the heat, but they insisted that I come back in two weeks. I'll make the appointment for the mammogram and gynecologist before then, but I'll wait to make the colonoscopy until I go back to ask more questions. The doctor also suggested I spend at least an hour taking a walk every day. After we talked, a technician took my blood work, and I was on my way. 

I left the bike where it was and did walk to Sabrina's Cafe for a late breakfast. They were fairly busy, but I did get a seat at one of the huge, high tables. I finally went with iced tea and the "Spike, Set, and Game Peach French Toast" off their seasonal Olympics-themed menu. Oh yuuuuummm. Cinnamon cream, fresh peaches, whipped cream, and vanilla syrup top thick slices of brioche. Sweet, but absolutely amazing. It was some of the best French toast I ever had. 

Strolled to Innergroove Records next. I didn't have a lot of time before my next appointment, so I just went through the soundtracks and $2 bins quickly. Did very well for all that. Came up with:

The soundtracks from Thank God It's Friday and The Muppet Show

Count Basie and His Orchestra - The Essential Count Basie

Frank Sinatra - That's Life

Jingle Bell Jazz, a Christmas jazz collection from 1980 with an unusually stark cover (a black and white photo of a city in a snowstorm) 

 

Hiked down Haddon Avenue ten minutes or so to Kresloff Eye Associates for this year's eye appointment next. I got there with ten minutes to spare. I had enough time to sign a few more papers than I did at the doctor's before they called me in. 

This was a lot simpler, with far better news. I was there for a routine eye exam. The doctor reported a slight tweak to my left eye, but nothing really worth worrying about. Otherwise, no changes, and my glasses are perfectly fine. I think I'll give them another year, then see where we are.

Made one last stop at Haddon Culinary on my way back to my bike. I wanted more of those delicious home-made potato chips I had with my sandwich during my Father's Day picnic. Bought a container of truffle-seasoned chips, bought a Diet Coke, headed out. 

Though it remained sunny, it was also hot and humid, probably in the lower 90's, without the wind that made the heat last week mildly bearable. Not to mention, Collingswood was busy with the late lunch crowd, and my eyes were still a little blurry from my appointment. I just headed home. 

Put on Laff-a-Lympics while I had lunch and got organized. This one started with a bull fight in "Spain." Dynomutt's attempt to go over the bull stalls, while Mumbly putting him to sleep backfires. Cindy Bear uses her feminine charms - and off-key singing - to win the bull over. The Rottens don't do any better in the Gypsy Cart Race, going off the track as Speed Buggy and Hokey Wolf just keep going. Daisy Mayhem and Blue Falcon do better putting a bell on the Abominable Snowman in the "Himalayas," while Grape Ape deals with an amorous Snow-woman. Captain Caveman gets stuck on the Mount Everest relay climb, thanks to the Rottens' cheating...but then he remembers his superpowers!

Switched to Bloomer Girl after that. I go further into this made-for-TV historical musical with stage star Barbara Cook as a young woman in the pre-Civil War era who advocates the scandalous bloomers for ladies at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Bloomer Girl

Listened to CDs and records while I worked on the review. Touch Me Softly by The George Shearing Quintet lives up to its title with mostly gentle ballads like "Just Imagine," "Try a Little Tenderness," "Sundy, Monday, or Always," and the title song. Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra is far more lively, featuring classic travel-themed numbers like "Around the World," "On the Road to Mandalay," "Let's Get Away From It All," and "It's Nice to Go Trav'ling." Johnny Mathis performs lesser-known ballads from The Hollywood Musicals with Henry Mancini and His Orchestra, including "You Stepped Out of a Dream," "I Had the Craziest Dream," and two hits from Julie Andrews movies, "Whistling Away the Dark" and "Crazy World."

Put on Match Game '79 while eating dinner. We skip ahead again, this time to the final episodes of the CBS run. Bart Braverman and Marcia Wallace did well helping the contestants with the Head-to-Head in the first episode. In the second - and the last made for CBS - Gene helps Bill Daily try on the jacket he was giving him for his wedding. (Bill must have kept the jacket well beyond that. He wears it several times during the syndicated episodes.)

Finished the night at Kanopy with the classic western The Tin Star. Bounty hunter Morgan Hickman (Henry Fonda) rides into town to collect his pay for bringing in a dead outlaw. Young sheriff Ben Owens (Anthony Perkins) wishes he'd brought him in alive, but otherwise admires the man for his quick draw and his ability to think on his feet. Ben's girl Millie (Mary Webster) wants him to quit, but Ben asks Morgan for advice instead. 

That advice comes in handy when the town's sheriff is murdered by the McCafferty brothers. Owens thinks they should be brought in alive, but the townspeople would rather they hang. Morgan just wants to find the son of Nona (Betsy Palmer) and bring him home safely. He's able to find the kid, but Owens doesn't have as much luck persuading the townspeople to give the brothers a fair trial. Owens is determined to bring those men to trial, even if he has to take on the town bully Bart Bogardus (Neville Brand) to do it.

Intense western with two strong core performances by Perkins as the youth who is determined to prove he's worthy of being a lawman, and Fonda as the former lawman who teaches Owens all he knows. Director Anthony Mann's tight and intimate direction makes the most of the B-budget, and the story was nominated for an Oscar. A must-see if you love the two stars, Mann's other work, or small-scale westerns from the 40's and 50's. 

Before the Storms Came

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Billy Dog is having a hard time seeing the blackboard and blocking soccer balls. He claims he doesn't need glasses, but after his mother talks him into them, he realizes "Billy Dog Needs Glasses" after all. "Cordelia's Debut" is basically an animated Shakespeare In Love. In this case, though, Cordelia accidentally turns a tragedy into a comedy when she goes on for an ailing male actor, despite women not being allowed onstage in Shakespeare's time. "Lowly Joins the Circus" when the fox ringmaster praises his acrobatic abilities. His interest wanes quickly when he learns he'll have to travel with the show and won't be able to stay with the Cat family.

Hurried off to work after that. Rushed across Oaklyn fast as I could and barely made it in time. After all that, we were dead the entire day. I spent most of it sweeping and pushing carts. It got hotter as the morning went on, and this time, it was mega-humid, too. It was so hot, I was pulled to put things away during the last hour, despite there still being carts left to do. 

Stopped at Common Grounds on my way home. I wasn't the only person who desperately needed a drink. They were pretty busy when I stepped in. I had the Butterfly Peaflower Lemonade again and a slice of lemon poppyseed loaf bread. Yum! The lemonade was just as sweet the second time around. The bread was perfectly tangy and moist.

Went straight home, changed, and fell into bed. I was dead tired. I've stayed up a little too late recently. Passed out at quarter of 3 and didn't get up until 4:30. 

Read Death at High Tide for a while, then worked on my record inventory while watching Murder She Wrote. Jessica learns that "Joshua Peabody Died Here...Possibly" when an old skeleton is found at the construction site of a controversial high-rise hotel. Sheriff Amos (Tom Bosley) is convinced it's the remains of a local hero who may or may not have existed. Jessica is more concerned about a recent body when the tycoon whose company was building the hotel is found dead at the site. The head of the people protesting the site is accused of the crime, but Jessica thinks there's someone else with a far larger motive when she discovers that the tycoon's notoriously lax and cheap safety records have resulted in a number of deaths.

Switched to Match Game '79 after the episode ended and during dinner. Fred Grandy makes his debut, joining Connie Stevens and Bill Cullen. His first episode also introduced Carolyn, a contestant who would go on to become the show's biggest winner. For some reason, they skipped her run entirely and went on ahead to the second-to-last week with Orson Bean and Brianne Leary. We meet Bill Daily's then-wife in the audience and try to figure out "__ Shaw" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night after a shower with one of the last episodes of Laugh-In. I couldn't resist an episode featuring Patti Deutsch, Richard Dawson, and as the big guest star, Howard Cosell. Yes, Patti got to show off her "Howard Cosell's mother" imitation several times and actually interview him. Cosell also made jokes about his oversized ego, while Alex Karras joins in for cracks at football and how violent it is. 

Oh, and it was originally supposed to thunderstorm sometime between 2 and 5. Thankfully, it held off until just a half-hour ago...and when it rained, it monsooned. Heavy lightning, wind, and precipitation, though it seems to have calmed down now. 

The Whole Tooth

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Pups Save a Bat" that's sleeping on the City Hall bell. If they don't move it, Mayor Goodway can't ring the bell! Even after they get to the bat, it keeps flying away. They want to bring it back to its cave. "Pups Save a Toof" when Alex refuses to get out of his treehouse because he's scared of the dentists. The pups all admit they're scared of something...including Chase, who has a loose tooth and is nervous about the dentist, too.

Brushed my teeth, then hurried out for my dentist's appointment. Made it just in time. The lady cleaned and polished my teeth. I had x-rays done, then waited for a doctor. He poked around a little in my teeth, declared I had no cavities, told me to keep up the good work and keep doing what I was doing, and I was on my way.

Stopped at Dollar Tree really quick after that. I mainly wanted a bag for Finley's birthday next week. Also grabbed a large bottle of Dollar Tree's generic flavored electrolyte water, a tinsel garland for the 4th of July, and a container of Sprite Tic Tacs (which I have never seen before). I should have gotten the bag elsewhere. Four people were yelling at each other, over the aisles, calling out insults to each other that they probably thought were funny, but were really obnoxious. And they held up a long line when they finally got to the front. The cashier said she considered it to be amusement, but I was not amused. 

Went straight upstairs and into Scooby Doo's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics when I got home. The teams started off in "Egypt," where the Dread Baron's attempts to cheat at the camel race ended with him coming in second legitimately. They don't do as well in the pyramid climb. Speed Buggy manages to get to the top first, even with nails in his wheels. The Rottens outsmart themselves on an armor run in "Sherwood Forest." Daisy Mayhem would be happier to be playing damsel in distress if heroic Blue Falcon wasn't the first one to rescue her from the tower!

Switched to High, Wide, and Handsome while eating lunch. I go further into this unique historical operetta featuring Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - High, Wide, and Handsome

Spent the rest of the afternoon doing job hunting. I need to find a quick computer class somewhere. The Acme teaches you how to use their equipment, not general computer programs. I'm way behind on that. I wish there were a job I could get that didn't involve it, but I'm not sure what else I could do. I did send out three applications for an office administrator job at a marketing service in Mt. Laurel, clerical assistant at a property appraiser in Cinnaminson, and communications assistant for a marketing firm in Philadelphia. I just wish I could find something that really, really interested me. I wish I knew what I really wanted to do.

It was 7 PM before I finally stopped puttering around online and broke for dinner and Match Game '79. Burr Tillstrom, Kukla and Ollie's puppeteer, appeared towards the end of their last two episodes. He was a good friend of Gene's from way back, which is how the puppets made it on the show to begin with. The second episode showed off Bill Daily's scraggly beard and a political tirade on not paying taxes from Brett, while Bill and Gene did their own soft-shoe dance to end the show in the third. 

Finished the night with big band and jazz albums. The two-disc set Remember Tommy has a lot of Dorsey numbers I'm not familiar with. Some of the better ones included "Marie," "Clarinet Cascades," "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving You," "Opus One," "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You," and "Swing High."

Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd get down with that Latin beat in Jazz Samba from 1962. The liner notes claim this is Brazilian folk music, but it sounds like hot jazz from the era with a touch of South America. The best of these mixes of North and South American sounds are "Desafinado," "Samba Triste," "Samba De Uma Nota So," and "Baia."

Dave Digs Disney came about via Dave Brubeck's five children. Apparently, he wanted to "do something with the kids" after taking them to Disneyland. The six songs mainly come from Pinocchio and Snow White (though we do get the title song from Alice In Wonderland). The Quartet's "improvisations in waltz time" to "Someday My Prince Will Come" is my favorite track here. 

Summer Wind

Overslept this morning and had just enough time for breakfast and Charlie & Lola before I rushed out. "But Where Completely are We?" wonders Lola when she and Charlie camp outside in the backyard of their apartment building. Charlie is excited and tries to pretend they're exploring the jungle, but Lola misses her toys and her inside things. When it starts to rain, Charlie comes up with a solution that allows for his outdoor exploration and for Lola to have all her things with her.

I was originally going to stop at Dollar General and buy a drink and a snack before the movies, but I ran out of time. I just got the slightly-late bus about a block from there instead. The bus wasn't busy, and there was no traffic despite it being past 12:30 when I left. It rolled in at around 1 PM, giving me just enough time to dash across the street and past Wal Mart to the Dollar Tree. I grabbed a Diet Pepsi and small bag of baked pea snacks there, then literally dashed into the Cinemark 16 to see Inside Out 2 with no time to spare. 

I'm not going to go into more detail because of spoilers, but yes, I did very much enjoy Inside Out 2. Considering my own difficulties battling anxiety, the portrayal of that emotion especially hit a deep chord with me. This is also one of the rare times I'm glad Disney/Pixar did a sequel. Riley is growing up, and there's a lot more to her story - and to emotions - as you hit puberty. All of the voices were wonderful, especially Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Adele Excharopolous as moody Ennui, and Ayo Edibiri as adorable Envy. (Who knew jealousy could be so cute?) I also like that we get to really explore how Riley deals with the new complications in her life, especially that realistic anxiety attack towards the end of the movie that's scarier than anything in the horror commercials that ran before this. 

My only major complaint is similar to the first one - it tends to meander through the middle of the film as the emotions explore her mind and try to get back up to their Mission Control. This does lead to some funny gags, including hilarious cracks at the interactive toddler shows of the 90's and 2000's and brooding video game characters who look cool and have great backstories but no decent moves. It also takes forever to get where it's going, feeling long for a movie that runs only about an hour and a half.

Honestly, I loved the first movie, and I enjoyed this one just as much. If nothing else, it would be a great way for many parents with pre-teens to discuss their feelings as they hit puberty and have their own first encounters with Anxiety and her more pessimistic pals. 

(Oh, and frankly, there weren't too many commercials I hadn't seen already. I haven't been interested in Beetlejuice or Transformers since I was a kid, and I feel no need to return to them now. As mentioned, I don't like horror movies, so A Quiet Place does nothing for me. I remain wary of Disney returning to the Lion King well after their photorealistic remake in 2019 was a crashing bore. The Wild Robot and Moana 2 remain the ones to beat. The first looks sweet; the second is another Disney character with a story I wouldn't mind returning to.) 

I originally planned on eating at Lorenzo's Trattoria Italiana Pizzeria across from Taco Bell, but I saw a couple of guys with a ladder loitering outside. I opened the door...to see hand tools and sawdust before they protested that the restaurant was closed. So that's why Lauren and I hadn't been able to eat there a few weeks ago. I have no idea why someone hasn't updated their Facebook page or something online to say they're closed or being remodeled. Their last Facebook update was in 2022. 

Ended up back at Tony Soprano's, the place I ate at in late May when I originally went to see The Garfield Movie. Needless to say, I was the only one there at 3:30. The slice of cheese and the slice of vegetable were just as good this time around, and enormous, taking up almost all of an aluminum pie pan. Had them with a bottle of Coke Zero while listening to Sinatra croon "I've Got You Under My Skin."

It was such a gorgeous day, I just kept going down the White Horse Pike. It was too nice to take the bus home just yet. The storms last night finally cleared out that heat bubble. It was sunny and warm, but not overly hot, in the lower 80's, about where it should be this time of year. The heavy wind felt fabulous on my face as I crossed to the other side near WaWa.

Finally ended up at Sun Valley Records in Somerdale. I first explored this combination record, used media, and head shop in May 2021, but haven't returned since. I remembered why when I went in the door and took a look around. They mostly carry new records and old CDs and DVDs. The latter tend to be far cheaper than the former. They're not very well-organized, either, with all genres just thrown in helter-skelter. I did find a box of used records...and when I took three and a CD to the counter, the owner said he'd throw in four used DVDs for free. 

The four free movies ended up being the Broadway musical revue Fosse, the classic Barbara Stanwyk-Gary Cooper comedy Ball of Fire, a better copy of Blazing Saddles than the one I dubbed onto DVD a decade ago, and the original film version of MASH in honor of star Donald Sutherland, who passed away last week. The one CD was:

Journey - Journey Greatest Hits Vol 2

The records were:

The Eagles - The Long Run

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? 

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

Strolled back down the White Horse Pike around 5 to get a drink at Dunkin'. Had to wait behind two teenage girls picking up coffee and Refreshers, but I did finally get my Mango-Pineapple Green Tea Refresher. Not bad. Tarter than I thought it would be. I sipped it as I went a few blocks further to the bus stop about a block from the WaWa. The bus was late, but not as late as when Lauren and I went to the movies earlier this month. I finally got on the busy vehicle around 5:40 and was home by a little after 6. 

I realized as I got home that it's also been over a decade since I took inventory, both of my media and of my own life. Trouble is, I've been using Google Docs since I bought my Chrome laptop. I can't figure out its spreadsheets and it has no free home inventory templates. I ended up making a list instead. It's time-consuming, but I'm not sure what else to do.

Watched Match Game '79 while I worked and had dinner. The first episode featured Joyce Bulifant joining a champion ballroom dancing contestant for some totally awesome jitterbugging. The second brought in vintage TV puppets Kukla and Ollie, whom Gene and Arte Johnson had worked with before. Brett proceeded to spend the rest of the week flirting with Kukla the Dragon.

Finished the night after a shower on YouTube and Dailymotion exploring the history of my favorite childhood game show Double Dare. Double Dare was announced in June of 1986 as Nickelodeon's first game show. It debuted that October and was an instant sensation, more than tripling their afternoon ratings. Every kid I knew looked forward to seeing energetic Marc Summers lead two groups of kids through a wild, messy stunt to determine who would go first. We answered the questions along with them and held our breath when they sent the other team a Double Dare. If the other team sent it back, they'd have to take a Physical Challenge, another stunt. If they won the stunt, they'd get the money. Lose the stunt, and the other team got the money.

The winners went on to the grueling Obstacle Course. The kids would have to run through eight slime and plastic ball-covered stunts to win increasingly larger prizes. The biggest prize was generally a trip, usually either to Space Camp or some exotic location like Hawaii. The Obstacle Course was really hard! It was very rare when the kids made it all the way through to that trip, and a cause for celebration when they did.

Double Dare may have meant even more to kids in the Philly and South Jersey area. From 1986 through 1989, it was filmed at WHYY Studios in downtown Philly. It even had a popular Philly DJ, Harvey, as its announcer. We were pretty disappointed when they eventually moved to Nick's new Universal Studio Florida studios around the early 90's and dropped Harvey in favor of Doc Holliday. 

Of all the game shows I've covered on this blog, Double Dare has probably changed the least over the years. The game play - and many of the stunts - were the same in 1986 as they were over 30 years later in 2018. Super Sloppy Double Dare in 1987 was really a fancy name for the same game with slightly messier stunts. Family Double Dare in 1988 and again in 1990 and Double Dare 2000 added parents to the teams and replaced the big trip prize with a car. The 2018 version went back to two kids, though it did do celebrity and family weeks on occasion.

Marc Summers was the original host. He always seemed to have so much fun with the kids, and later, their parents, he's still associated with the franchise to this day. He came back as the announcer and commentator in 2018, joined by energetic Liza Koshy. Jason Harris was the host in 2000, which also threw in a "triple Dare" to the mix. 

This is one time I'm glad a show doesn't change. I've enjoyed every version of this franchise, from the original I watched eagerly during afternoons with my sisters when I was 7 to the 2018 show, and they remain fun to watch today. No matter what the trivia is, there's something exhilarating about watching people pelt each other with pink and green stuff.

If you have equally fond memories of Nickelodeon's first "slime time" game show, on your mark, get set, and go to these delightfully gak-filled episodes!

Double Dare (1986)

Super Sloppy Double Dare (1987) 

Family Double Dare (1990)

Family Double Dare Tournament of Champions (1992)

Double Dare 2000 (2000)

Double Dare Premiere (2018)

(And if you have a subscription to Paramount Plus, you can find even more Double Dare in the Nickelodeon section, including a lot of the 1986 run and the full 2018 show!) 

Dolls and Matches

I slept in so long and got so caught up reading Hard Dough Homicide, it was 12:30 before I got rolling. Had breakfast while listening to the original cast album for Some Like It Hot. Unlike Sugar, the original musical version of this story from 1972, this makes a lot of changes to the plot. It's now moved up a few years to be set in Chicago and California in 1932. Jerry, Sugar, and Sweet Sue are African-American, Osgood is Hispanic, and Jerry decides he likes being a woman and stays Daphne in the end. In fact, J. Harrison Ghee, who played Daphne, is non-Binary and became the first such performer to win a Tony. 

This was written by a lot of the same team that did Hairspray 20 years ago, and some of the music is terrific. Joe and Jerry have two great numbers in the beginning, "You Can't Have Me (If You Don't Have Him)," explaining how their close relationship defies the social mores of the time, and "Vamp!" when they're dressing as women. Sugar joins the guys in drag for "Take It Up a Step" and recalls how she felt better "At the Old Majestic Nickel Matinee." "Ride Out the Storm" is her big ballad late in the show after she realizes Joe has lied to her twice about who he is. 

Too bad this only ran a little over a year on Broadway and lost the Tony to the more unique Kimberly Akimbo. Either they played a little too much with the source material, or said source material isn't familiar enough to many younger and international audiences nowadays. At any rate, the cast album has enough good music and performances to be worth recommending.

I took the laundry downstairs after I finished eating, then dressed the dolls for the 4th of July and our much-warmer weather. Molly is ready to head off to camp in her Camp Gowanigan uniform and saddle shoes. (And I need new saddles shoes for her. Her current ones are flaking, and the bottoms are coming off.) Samantha is ship-shape in her Middy Dress, tam, black stockings, and black and white boots. Whitney's ready to dance in Oaklyn's 4th of July Parade in the AG Dance Dress and tap shoes borrowed from Molly (her red ones are falling apart). Jessa keeps things simple in the red t-shirt from the 90's Blue Jeans Basics outfit, shortalls, and Springfield Collection sneakers. 

Felicity keeps things fresh and cool in her airy white Summer Gown with the wide blue, white, and flower-print sash. Josefina wears her Indigo School Skirt and Camisa. Ariel's ready for the Bicentennial in her red, white, and blue print peasant top with the satiny shorts and blue platform sandals. The closest thing Kit has that's appropriate for the holiday is her red and white polka-dot Reporter's Outfit, which she wears with the red shoes from her BeForever meet dress. Barbara Jean is the only one who can get away with wearing a red, white, and bright pink terrycloth tube top romper with her own white shoes. 

Ate lunch between dolls while listening to the double Calamity Jane/Pajama Game soundtrack. Very disappointing. Calamity Jane is just Day and Keel singing the songs. That works for Day's hit "Secret Love" and the opening montage, but I miss Allyn Ann McLearie joining her on "A Woman's Touch," and Day sings Lerie's "It's Harry I'm Planning to Marry." Pajama Game includes more of the numbers, including "Hernando's Hideaway" for Carol Haney, the big "Once a Year Day" chorus routine, and "Hey There" for John Raitt. I think I'll just look for the Pajama Game LP and be happy with occasionally watching Jane. 

After I finished the dolls and put the laundry in the dryer, I reorganized their boxes. Moved Barbara Jean's clothes to the shoe box my new sneakers came in. That'll do for now. Cleared out a few things the dolls no longer needed. Rearranged the other dolls' boxes so that their warm-weather outfits are in one pile, their cold weather outfits are in another, and any extra clothes are in a third.

Listened to one of the soundtrack albums I dug up at Abbie Road while I worked. The teen military musical Best Foot Forward is the best and best-known of the three musicals on what I suspect is a bootleg LP. Though the story involves star Lucile Ball taking a cadet on a date, the real attraction is "The Three Bs," sung by newcomers Gloria DeHaven, June Allyson, and Nancy Walker, and the hit "Buckle Down Winsocki." The Bing Crosby-Marion Davies Busby Berkeley imitation Going Hollywood isn't a great movie, but it does have a good score by Freed and Brown, including "Beautiful Girl," "After Sundown," and "Temptation." The rare Too Much Harmony is a similar story with less memorable music, except for the Crosby hits "Please" and "Black Moonlight."

Switched to the soundtrack from The Goonies while having a quick dinner. I was a bit surprised to run across this brand new at Barnes & Noble. Apparently, the LP did exist in 1985, though I don't ever remember seeing it. If my sisters and I had seen it, we would have begged Mom for it. We loved this movie in the mid-80's, and it remains a favorite of mine. "Goonies R Good Enough," which Cyndi Lauper is seen singing in the movie, was the major hit here. Other good songs include "Eight Arms to Hold You" by Goon Squad (which was apparently intended for the octopus sequence that got cut) and "Wherever You're Going (It's All Right)" by REO Speedwagon.

Moved to Bing Crosby's Greatest Hits as I folded the laundry. Most these songs, like the hits "White Christmas," "Swinging On a Star," and "I Surrender, Dear," came from movies originally. We also get the less familiar Bing hits "The Whiffenpoof Song," "Pistol Packin' Mama," and "Deep In the Heart of Texas." The Andrews Sisters join him for delightful versions of "Accentuate the Positive" and "Don't Fence Me In." The slow rendition of "Blue Skies" from the movie of that title is as drawn-out and overly serious as the movie it was recorded for. I like it much better as a fast number. 

It was still bright, sunny, and too hot earlier in the day. By 5:30, dark clouds had begun to gather. They let loose around 6 PM, just as I went online. And when it rained, it monsooned. I know we needed rain badly, but not all at once! Another, slightly less violent thunderstorm passed through an hour later. I haven't heard another since, but I think it's supposed to be off and on through morning. 

Finished the night online with another marathon of random Match Game episodes from their peak years of 1974 through 1978. The most famous show seen here was likely the one where a sheepish Richard answered "Benedict" to "__ Canyon" in the Head-to-Head and admitted that as an Englishman, he wasn't up on his US geography. Charles also gave him one of those tall furry Russian hats, which lead to him sporting a bad Russian accent for a whole episode. In another episode, Charles sported an orange, white, and red bucket hat to cover his lack of toupee. Marcia Wallace shocked herself in a 1977 episode by getting every answer right. There were at least two episodes where Patti Deustch got to show off her uncanny ability to imitate sportscaster Howard Cosell. 

Some of the contestants could occasionally get pretty strange, too. One lady from Louisiana brought her own breath spray to kiss Gene. Another made a joke about joining him in Encino and pulled out his handkerchief. A younger woman was a dead ringer for a brunette Patti Deustch. A perky female farmer with the whitest hair I ever saw prompted several down on the farm and outdoors jokes. 

You'll never know what will pop up next in this surprising marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Match Game Rewind (1974-1978) 

First Harvest of the Summer

Started off the morning with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. Lola is excited when she and Charlie go to the seaside to visit their grandparents. She's especially looking forward to building a huge sandcastle with her brother. A little girl watches them, then takes Lola's spade as she tries to make a sandcastle herself. Lola's upset when she falls on it, until her brothers come to help. "But We Always Do It Like This!" Lola protests, until it turns out the other kids have good ideas, and Lola learns how much fun it can be to share a project.

Hurried off to the farm market first. Saw the first tomatoes and peas of the summer season. They were still fairly busy at 10:30, despite it already being in the 80's by then. I grabbed cherries, Colby cheese from the dairy booth, yellow peaches from the orchard booth, blueberries, and whole-wheat sandwich bread from one of the bakery booths. 

Stopped at WaWa on my way home for a much-needed smoothie. Grabbed a Pina colada smoothie for now and a turkey wrap for a quick dinner later. I thought they'd be busy with people getting cold drinks. I must have just missed the breakfast crowd.

When I got home, I made my bed, put everything away, and had lunch while watching Leo on Netflix. I go further into this animated tale about a class pet who helps the kids with their problems at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Leo

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while getting ready for work. The kids go on a "Safety Patrol" as Prince Tuesday teaches them about basic road signs. stop lights, and how to be safe in their neighborhood. Mrs. Tiger reminds Katerina and Dan that "Safety On the Beach" is equally important. They have to remember not to go in the water without a grown up and not go where the grown-up can't see them.

Called Uber for a ride to work the moment Daniel Tiger ended. I got away with the five-minute ride to Collingswood this morning, but by quarter of 2, the temperature had risen to 97. It was just too hot for a bike ride. The rider going to work arrived in 9 minutes. The one going home only took 5, despite it being past 6 when I contacted them.

Work could have been a lot worse. Yes, I had to push carts, but I made sure to do it in 20-30 minute intervals. When I got too hot, I'd go inside and put things away or water plants. I even made an arrangement with lovely orange roses. They provided water for people working outside in the employee's room. It helped that it was pretty quiet, especially later, and for once, there was plenty of help. I was in and out with no trouble.

After I got home, I went straight in the shower, then spent the rest of the night with dinner and the Match Game marathon. Basically, this was another random episode marathon, likely because the owner of the channel is busy with his other businesses at the moment. We saw highlights of the show's peak years from 1973 through 1977. 

Robert Morse tried to help a young woman figure out what Friday does with Robinson Crusoe that makes him go crazy behind Gene's back in a memorable episode from 1974. Another '74 episode had Gunilla Hudson showing off the writing on the rear of her colorful trousers. Nipsey Russell happily flirted with a lovely teacher later in the show. Earl, the little guy who pulled the Audience Match answers out, also fell for a pretty lady who made her own clothes in the episode where someone in the audience gave Gene and the regulars flowers. There was also the incident with everyone arguing over whether "spot" matches "puddle" and "little yellow spot" from 1974 and the long-lost PM episode from 1977 with Brett fluttering her fan and Gene saying a few regrettable things to a Japanese-American gentleman (that he at least took well). 

Celebrate the most fruitful years on the show in this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Match Game Rewind (1973 - 1977) 

Night of the Hot Flowers

Began the morning with breakfast and Laff-a-Lympics. The competition begins in Italy, with a motor scooter race through Rome that the Dread Baron actually manages to win legitimately. They cheat far more outrageously in the Venice Canal Race, which ends with them losing to the Yogis and the Scoobys. No one does especially well with hang gliding or skydiving in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina...especially poor Yakky Doodle, who can't get down! He's in the air for so long, he ends up being the Yogis' entry in the hot air balloon race. The Rottens put in a good showing for once, coming in second after the Scoobys.

Called Uber for a ride to work. This time, it was just too hot to ride my bike. The heat index was nearly up to 100. The Uber driver picked me up in 8 minutes. The one going home took 12, and then he was late because he couldn't figure out where the Acme was.

The floral department was in chaos when I arrived. Apparently, the Acmes in Philadelphia totally ran out of their own arrangements and took ours...which meant we had nothing in the display case this morning but a few of those glass balls with the roses inside. (Although I did see a really cool rainbow-colored one.) 

After watering plants, sweeping up, and pricing and shelving stuffed mules, I was able to help the manager make smaller arrangements. There were four of the slim vases with the rose buds stuck in rocks, four vases of three roses, and four little round "Artisan" vases with shorter roses. I also helped her with regular blue and bright green latex balloons for a sudden Door Dash rush order.

The manager had just gone home for the day and I was working on the "Artisan" (short) arrangements when a man came up and said he wanted roses. I pointed towards the bouquets, but he said they weren't quite right. He didn't know what kind of arrangement or roses he wanted. He finally grabbed two red rose bouquets and the largest vases on the shelf. The resulting arrangements were looked as rushed as they were, but he left with a smile on his face and said they were beautiful.

He may have been happy, but I now had less than 20 minutes to finish the arrangements, put them in the cooler, and clean up the mess left from making them. And then, as I was trying to gather the four huge bags of cuttings and trash, I knocked over two buckets of rose bouquets, spilling water everywhere. The head bagger and a manager helped me clean up, and I was still late getting out.

Which also meant that I rushed my grocery shopping, since at that point, I just wanted to get home. Mainly needed to restock yogurt, granola bars, and coconut milk. Had online coupons for buy two, get a dollar off Propel drinks and buy two, get five dollars off Tresemme shampoo and conditioner. Found sweet cake like "cannoli" vanilla glazed cookies on the bakery clearance racks for $1.99. Small slices of strawberry cake were already on sale for $2.50. With a $2 online coupon, it came to 50 cents. 

Oh, and I got my schedule today. Such as it is. Once again, I barely work at all. I did ask for Tuesday and Thursday off due to three appointments, but certainly wasn't expecting Sunday, Monday, and Friday too. And Saturday is 7 1/2 hours! The head bagger is cashiering that day. In fact, the only reason I got work at all was Wednesday and Saturday are the days the head bagger is off or busy. I don't know what they're going to do when she retires, which will likely be in a year or two. 

Changed as soon as I got home, then had a snack while watching The Price Is Right. Though not all of the pricing games were won today, at the very least the ones with the cars were. The young woman who won the second car played one of the best games of Hit Me I ever saw. She picked the right items and only needed to two get 21. The Showcases had Holly as a train conductor waiting for prizes to come through the station and Johnny as the head of a complaints department who combats the fussing from the models with prizes. 

Spent the next two hours working on a project. The 400-disc DVD case I bought to house all individual films but musicals was out of order and getting too full to carry. I picked up smaller pink and  yellow cases for comedies and animated movies. As it turned out, the case was too small for the animated movies I own. I forgot how many of Disney's movies were two-disc sets. It was just the right size for the comedies, though. I'll get a larger case for the animated movies later in the summer and use that case for dramas instead. All other discs were rearrange in the case 

Watched The Wild Wild West as I worked. "Night of the Poisonous Posey" brings Jim West and Artemus Gordon to the small town of Justice, Nevada. They're seemingly welcomed with open arms after a scary prank, but a tarantula that turns up on Artemus' pillow makes Jim realize they aren't as popular as the locals claim. Turns out the town is a hide-out for criminal Lucrece Posey and her gang of international thugs. She wants to create a world-wide organization of crime that sounds a bit like what Big Boy had in mind in the 1990 Dick Tracy. When she captures Jim, Artemus manages to infiltrate her gang as one of the members to rescue him.

"The Night of the Bottomless Pit" is a bit darker. This time, both Jim and Artie are in disguise, Jim as a French war criminal, Artie as a disgraced member of the Foreign Legion, to free a captured agent. They have to dodge the vicious head of the prison and his amorous wife in order to not only rescue the agent, but get Jim away from being eaten by red ants after he's caught trying to escape.

Switched to Match Game '79 after the episode ended and while I ate dinner. Comedian Foster Brooks made his first appearance on the show in these episodes, joined by Lorna Patterson of Airplane! In the first episode, a young man seemed a little embarrassed by a question about what prosthetics an elderly stripper uses. Betty does better by "__ Circuit" in the second episode.

Finished the night at Tubi with If the Shoe Fits, a TV movie from 1990. Kelly Carter (Jennifer Gray) may be living in Paris, but she's not feeling especially romantic. All she wants is to become a shoe designer for Francesco Salvatore (Rob Lowe), but she's so shy and uncertain that no one notices her. She's late for her appointment with Francesco after helping a confused older woman (Andrea Ferreol) figure out where she's going and is swept under the rug yet again. 

Francesco is bored and dissatisfied with his current models and holds a ball to find a woman with a standout look. Kelly's best friend Veronique (Elisabeth Vitali) snares a dress for her to attend the ball. She doesn't want to go...until she steps into the dress and her glittery shoes and becomes a whole different person. Francesco is enchanted with this sleek, confident vision and insists she model for him. Kelly, calling herself "Prudence," agrees...if she can bring Kelly as her shoe designer. As she works closely with him, Kelly finds herself falling even more with Francesco, but she can't help wondering if it's the girl he's really after, or the magical facade. 

I remember seeing this around in the early 90's, but never quite getting around to watching it. Gray is lovely as plain-Jane Kelly and confident Prudence, but Lowe's not-so-charming prince of fashion is an obnoxious jerk who treats his models and everyone else around him like dirt. Considering how badly he acts, it's refreshing near the end of the movie when Prudence gives him a taste of his own medicine. The whole movie is very "TV in 1990," with colorful costumes that now look more ridiculous than fashionable and cheap sets without a dollop of Paris flavor. Worth checking out once on a quiet evening or afternoon at home if you're a fan of Gray or romantic comedies. 

Balance On a Hot Day

Slept in and spent so much time writing in my journal and finishing Against the Currant, it was 12:30 before I got moving. Watched PAW Patrol while eating brunch. "Sea Patrol: Pirate Pups to the Rescue" has Ryder and the Pups responding to a distress message from their friend Carlos and his Chihuahua Tracker. The duo were hunting for treasure on a remote tropical island and were stranded after a booby trap left Tracker's tent at sea. They first have to get around more booby traps, then need to rescue Carlos after the song from a magic flute hypnotizes the jungle animals and they carry him away in the treasure chest.

Did some stuff online for the next hour and a half or so. The truth is, I'm bored. I'm really bored. I'm stuck at a standstill with nothing happening. If the Acme is going to continue to give me lousy hours, I need something to do. I just wish I knew what that was. I looked up yoga studios online, but I finally decided it was too hot to be doing poses in a steamy studio.

I eventually just broke for lunch at quarter after 2. Watched the 24/7 Murder She Wrote streaming channel while I ate. Jessica is upset when her friend in Texas who owns a trucking company may lose his business after a shipment of computers going to NASA is stolen. The man (Earl Holliman) is having his own problems. His son (Patrick Wayne) seemingly prefers playing with a band at a local road house than working in his father's business. He's even more devastated when his son is accused of turning the ex-husband of his waitress girlfriend into "Roadkill." Turns out the guy was involved in far more nefarious dealings than arguments over a girl, including a smuggling ring.

After lunch, I just went out for a walk in Newton Lake Park. I couldn't think of anything else to do. At least it was hot and dry, but not to the degree that it's supposed to be tomorrow, and there's still that nice breeze. I sat on a bench for a few minutes and tried to communicate with nature, listening to the animals chatter and the wind rustle the leaves over my head. I even saw a family of Canadian geese all in a row step into the water, with two parents floating out to check out the water while their goslings and two older siblings stayed in formation.

Stopped at Dollar General for a drink. I thought of buying watercolor paint, but I don't want to pick up something, then get bored and stop doing it. I'm tired of wasting time and money on things that I just don't finish. I have at least five different stories going right now that I've started, but haven't finished. I just can't figure out where to go with them. I bought a Propel and a Diet Mountain Dew for later and walked home.

Finally did yoga myself in my bedroom. I never did get rid of my yoga mat. I have that box of illustrated yoga moves, too. They don't really give you instruction on how to do them. I haven't done yoga in over a decade. I ended up looking for them online. I really had a hard time with balance. I just can't stand on one foot without wobbling and nearly falling over. I can't lift myself very well, either. I wasn't even going to try headstands! At the least, I did feel a little bit better after having done it

Watched Mo' Better Blues while I worked. I go further into this 1990 jazz drama with Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes as rival jazz musicians at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Mo' Better Blues

It was 7:30 before I finally broke for dinner. Ate while watching Match Game '79. For some reason, Buzzr jumped way back to mid-'79. Gene reveals how out-of-touch he and Charles often were when they admit they've never heard of the song "See You In September." An audience member sings it for them, and rather well, too.

Finished the night with more of my recent CD acquisitions as I worked on my review, starting with SPF 16: Summer Party Favorites in honor of the first day of summer. The reason I bought this is the sheer variety of summer-themed songs on this disc. We get everything from "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole to "Southern Nights" by Glenn Campbell. Other unexpected tracks are "My Sharona" by the Knack, the theme from the original Hawaii 5-0 by the Ventures, and "Rio" by Duran Duran.

The Great Songs of George Gershwin features some of his most popular work in honor of his 100th birthday in 1998. This is another eclectic collection, with selections ranging from Judy Garland singing "Swanee" on the Star Is Born soundtrack to George Benson doing a jazzy "A Foggy Day" to a lovely and previously unreleased version of "The Can't Take That Away From Me" by Mildred Bailey and Her Orchestra. We also have some summer music here, too, with "Summertime" by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra and "It Ain't Necessarily So" by Aretha Franklin.

Cannonball Adderly is one of the many jazz greats of the 50's and 60's I've been listening to on YouTube while puttering around online late at night. Most of the numbers on The Best of Cannonball Adderly: The Capitol Years are live recordings from the 1960's. I like his earlier stuff better; "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" was especially good. 

Harts In the Western Heat

Began the morning with breakfast and All-Star Laff-a-Lympics. The first half in Athens is a showcase for basic track and field. The Really Rottens' cheating manages to trip the Scooby Doobies up twice in pole vaulting and discus throw. Yogi jumps over it in the vaulting, while Grape Ape helps Yakky Doodle deal with the discus. Bit surprised Daisy Mayhem was nowhere to be seen during the second half in the Ozarks. This seems like her turf. Maybe she was visiting relatives. The Scoobys came back from the trouble in the first half with Abu using a little magic to avoid the Rottens in the keel boat race and Dynomutt and Blue Falcon making a strong showing in the rail cart race.

Headed off to work after that. It wasn't that bad in the morning. A strong breeze kept it from feeling too hot. We were a lot busier than usual for a middle-of-the-month Wednesday, too. I wondered why...until I remembered that today is Juneteenth. Many people, especially in Camden, probably had today off. I think most of the kids are out of school by now too, and would have been even if the weather behaved better. Thankfully, other than having to put away a few cold items, there were no major problems.

By the time I got off, the heat had risen into the mid-90's. Even the warm breeze couldn't help now. I stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for a cold, very sweet iced chai latte and macarons, and then went to the pretzel shop and got regular Philly pretzels for later and a can of Diet Coke. Common Grounds was busy; the pretzel shop was not.

Watched The Price Is Right on Buzzr when I got home. I think these episodes are from the mid-80's, probably right before Johnny Olson died. Bob has dark hair, the models wear suits and have big hair, and the ladies are in ruffly blouses, long skirts, and pantsuits. A lady only got one punch on Punch-a-Bunch, but it was enough for the top prize. An Air Force officer didn't do quite as well on Now and Then. After having waited the entire show, another lady in a striped pantsuit not only finally made it onstage at the last moment, she wound up with her Showcase, too.

Put on Dodge City while relaxing over popcorn and Propel. Errol Flynn stars as Wade Hatton, a cattle driver who helps bring the train to the title town. It also brings a wave of lawlessness that results in a series of sheriffs being killed or driven away and a little boy (Bobs Watson) dying in a gunfight. Abbie Irving (Olivia De Havilland), who saw her brother (William Lundigan) die in a stampede and Hatton shoot him while leading their wagon train out west, is less impressed. 

Her uncle (Henry Travers) tries to get Hutton to become sheriff and confront saloon owner Jeff Surrett (Bruce Cabot) and his gang, but he refuses...until he sees that little boy die. He then proceeds to clean up the town, arresting anyone who so much as starts a minor altercation on a Sunday. Abbie and reporter Joe Clements (Frank McHugh) have enough dirt on Surrett to get it into court. When he kills Joe, Hatton tries to get Abbie out of town and bring Surrett's man Yancy (Victor Jory) to trial, but Surrett is on their trail, and he'll literally burn the train they're on down to keep his criminal empire going.

Enjoyable Technicolor action was Flynn's first western and one of his best. De Haviland more than matches him as the strong-willed frontierswoman who won't back down to Surrett or anyone, McHugh is a lot less whiny than usual as the crusading journalist, and Alan Hale and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams are having a lot of fun as Hatton's freewheeling but loyal deputies. If you ever wanted to see Flynn clean up the west - or are fans of good-old fashioned, good guys-vs-bad guys western tales - this is one trip to Kansas that's worth taking that burning train for.

I enjoyed the western so much, I thought I might try taking a crack at the Match Game western again. I mostly just cleaned up a lot of spelling and editing mistakes. I applied for a receptionist job at a realty office in Stratford, too.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Holly Hallstrom of The Price Is Right made her first appearance in these episodes, joining big Jim Staal, an unshaven Bart Braverman, and her fellow redhead Debralee Scott. Gene got a little too into his kissing Holly in the first episode, to the point where Bill Daily had to get between them. We're also introduced to a private detective in LA to consult on a TV show. Gene is given a stick with mink on it - the panel calls it a "minksicle" - for kissing his aunt. 

Finished the night with classic TV action shows featuring male-female duos. Jennifer and Johnathan are enjoying a quiet night out for Chinese in the first season of Hart to Hart when an Asian man literally falls dead on their table, begging them to protect the man with the jade eyes and return him to their temple. Turns out that the man is a solid gold Buddha statue that belongs to a non-violent Asian religious group. Two shady characters have less-spiritual designs on the golden man as well.

Amanda King of The Scarecrow and Mrs. King is set for a quiet "Weekend" doing work at home when federal agent Lee "Scarecrow" Stetson convinces her to pose as his wife at a luxury resort to prevent a kidnapping. Not only do they not prevent it, but Amanda is taken too when she witnesses the incident. 

The Heat Is On

Began the morning with breakfast and Charlie and Lola. Lola is very superstitious and believes "Never, Ever Step On the Cracks" because Charlie said there's bears under there, and then her friends claimed lions and crocodiles live there, too. Charlie regrets his teasing when she won't move anywhere at all. He has to show her that superstitions are just stories, and nothing is out to get her.

Karen picked me up promptly at 10 AM. We did apply for a document specialist/customer service job at a law office, but found nothing else. I apologized to her all the way back. She says it's not my fault, external factors are at play, but...it is my fault. I'm the one who is stuck. I'm neither interested in, nor know anything about health care, law, senior care, or cars, and that seems to be what most jobs revolve around. And Karen says she's retiring next week! I'll get a new counselor, but I probably won't hear from them until after the 4th of July holidays.

I felt terrible after Karen explained her retirement and that she felt guilty for not being able to help more. It's my fault, not hers. I should have done more. I needed a walk, and I didn't care how hot it was. Besides, I can no longer push the bottom of my electric toothbrush closed. I needed a new one. Stopped at Dollar General and picked up a good Oral B, along with Propel. Went to CVS to see if they had heads for it there. They didn't, so I quickly left with nothing.

My original thought for lunch was Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. I haven't eaten there since they opened. I thought the sign said open, but the door was locked. Unlike many small businesses on the White Horse Pike, they are open all week. I think they might have switched to all-takeout after the pandemic began. Ended up buying a fish sandwich at a quiet Crown Chicken and Gyro instead. 

Watched Mickey Mouse Funhouse while I ate lunch. Mickey and the gang go on a "Pirate Adventure" when Captain Salty Bones invites them on the biggest treasure hunt ever! They have to earn badges and brave geysers that gush in time to music, ride a huge catfish in the swamp, and figure out how to get across a rickety rope bridge without falling off. Even when they get to the treasure, there's still Captain Wheezelene and her cowardly weasel crew to deal with.

Settled down for Cindy on YouTube next. I go further into this 1978 TV musical with an all-black cast set during World War II in Harlem at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musicals On TV - Cindy (1978)

I worked on my review while listening to some of the many records I picked up during vacation. I totally don't remember Give My Regards to Broad Street, other than "No More Lonely Nights" being a hit in the mid-80's. Apparently, the strange movie with Paul McCartney chasing the thief who stole his music is just plain weird, but the album has some merits. In addition to "Nights," we have some decent covers of McCartney's older Beatles and Wings music, including a rather lovely symphonic "Eleanor Rigby" called "Eleanor's Dream." Probably not the most necessary thing in the world if you just want "Nights," but worth hearing for fans of McCartney and his work.

Star Power is one of K-Tel's many pop and disco collections, this one from 1978. It may be one of the best of their late-70's disco-themed albums. Among my favorites here are "Help Is On Its Way" by the Little River Band, "Heaven On the 7th Floor" by Paul Nicholas, "On and On" by Stephen Bishop, "It's Sad to Belong" by England Dan and John Ford Coley, "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, and "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day.

The Julie Andrews World War I musical Darling Lili was a huge flop in 1970, just as epic musicals were starting to go out of fashion. It certainly wasn't the fault of the music. The moody "Whistling Away the Dark" was the hit here, and it sounds sensational on Andrews. She also does well by "I'll Give You Three Guesses." The chorus gets the lovely title song and the big drinking number "Skal." 

It was past 7:30 when I finally got around to dinner and Match Game Syndicated. The show began with Gene repeating the story of how that officer accidentally kicked Eva Gabor's poor foot and ripped off the toenail, praising Eva for being a trooper and staying to do the remaining episode, despite it really hurting. She spent the next day with ice on her toe, eating chocolates. Betty White is more nervous about a big "__ the Table" Head-to-Head match. There's also all the varying answer to where someone would open a strange disco.

Finished the nights with more new records and CDs, this time Broadway cast albums. High Button Shoes revolved around the adventures of the Longstreet family as they run afoul of a con-artist (Phil Silvers) and his partner (Joey Faye) in turn of the 20th century Atlantic City. There were two big hits here, the sprightly polka "Papa, Won't You Dance With Me?" and "I Still Get Jealous" that were introduced by Mama (Nanette Fabray) and Papa (Jack McCauley) Longstreet, and there's also the chorus number "On a Sunday By the Sea." 

Actually, the best-known aspect of this nowadays is "The Bathing Beauty Ballet." Too bad we don't actually get to see Jerome Robbins' inventive farcical choreography along with the music. It's so well remembered, it would be recreated for Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989 and the recent Encores concert in 2019. 

The 1999 Annie Get Your Gun revival was so successful, it ran almost as long as the original in 1946. On one hand, I am glad they restored two of my favorite songs from this show. The charming "Who Do You Love, I Hope?" and "I'll Share It All With You" are nicely performed by Andrew Palermo and Nicole Ruth Snelson. Peters, however, is trying way too hard as Annie, and Tom Wopat isn't the singer she is (though his "Girl That I Marry" does come off well). They do better by "Anything You Can Do" - and you do believe Peters can hold that note longer than him! 

What to Do Next?

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Donald is upset when he doesn't get any mail, so the others put together a box with their favorite things that might cheer him up. They just have to get "Donald's Special Delivery" past Postman Pete and his stamps

After I ate, I made an eye doctor's appointment for next Thursday, then called Uber. The driver arrived in less than 8 minutes. She was a pleasant older woman driving a big truck. Turns out she lived near the Outlets in Blackwood and had wanted to go home and get something anyway. She'd drop me off on the way. There was no traffic anywhere, not even the lunch rush on the highways. She pulled up in front of the Blackwood Outlets by 12:30. 

Why did I come back here when I was here with Lauren and Jessa last week? I wanted to focus on finding sneakers for work and to run errands in. I keep wearing out my sneakers in 6 months or less wearing them for work and to do everything else. I spent the next two hours going in and out of almost every shoe store in the mall. (I'm not a fan of Puma or Nike.) I was hoping to find the same New Balance trainers I buy on Amazon, but the one time I saw anything like them, they were really expensive. 

I did pick up a pair of Reeboks for running errands in. They're really cute, too, with pink and white trim and bright pink and purple floral backs. Found them for $39.99 at the Reeboks store. Beyond the cute print, it was one of the only stores that didn't require you to buy one, get one half-off for a sale. 

The only other place to have lunch besides Friendly's (and the snacks counter at Dave & Buster's) is Starbucks. Thankfully, by the time I got over there around quarter after 2, there was no line. The spinach, egg, cheese, and pepper wrap was kind of mushy, but the peach green tea lemonade was incredible, just sweet enough without the extra sugar. 

I ate outside in the main commons area. It was a far nicer day than the recent weather reports had led me to believe. Yes, it was sunny and warm, in the lower 90's, but dry temperatures and a deliciously cool breeze kept it from feeling overbearing. 

There were ads all over the mall for Ginny's cookie and ice cream treats. Since I couldn't decide if I wanted cookies or ice cream, I tried an ice cream sandwich. Theirs is made with soft serve between two cookies. The sugar sprinkle cookies weren't bad, crispy in all the right places. The peanut butter soft serve was a little on the bland side. I didn't really taste the peanut butter. I think I might stick to their cookies when I want to splurge at the mall and get ice cream from Hershey's or Haagen Daas. I did like their cookies so much, I took three more home to try later. The macadamia white chocolate could have had bigger white chocolate pieces, but the heart-shaped frosted butter cookies were sweet, rich, and yummy.

I hadn't found sneakers for work, and I picked up anything else I wanted last week. I just ended up calling a ride home at quarter of 3. I probably should have waited. It took 20 minutes for for the driver to get there. At least he was pretty fast once he did arrive. The traffic was largely going in the other direction. I got home by a little past 3:30. 

It was such a nice day, I went for a walk after I got in to clear my head. I guess I'm feeling a little down. I really don't want to go back to the Acme. The more I stay away, the more I realize how much I dislike that job. I miss Lauren, too. I wish I could meet more people around here like her. I badly want a home of my own and a decent job, but I don't seem to be getting any closer to finding either. 

I walked through the park, listening as the wind rustled through the trees. It's pretty much summer here now. The leaves are big and green, and the gardens are bursting with tiger lilies and big bright blue hydrangeas. Saw two little chipmunks darting across the path; watched a robin chatter to a friend as I relaxed on the stone bench near the back entrance to the park on Bettlewood. 

Did job searching when I got home. No luck here. I haven't heard from anyone in ages. I did apply on Indeed to a floor covering office in Cherry Hill. I just wish I knew what kind of work was really, truly right for me. I need something with health insurance that will make me enough money to buy a condo, something that I really want to do and enjoy doing. 

Listened to Bernadette Peters Loves Rogers & Hammerstein while I worked. Peters' covers of Rogers and Hammerstein's music comes out a little better than her solo album. For one thing, we get the rare "I Haven't Got a Worry In the World," which the duo wrote for a play. Other good songs here include "The Gentleman Is a Dope" from Allegro, "Mister Snow" and "If I Loved You" from Carousel, and "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" from South Pacific. 

Put on Match Game Syndicated during dinner at 7 PM. In the first episode, David Doyle, who was sitting in Charles' seat while he was away, wore his own sailor's cap and did his best impression of him for his unamused best friend Brett. In the second episode, the turntable moved too quickly after the game ended, cutting a very annoyed Gene off before he could tell the loser what prizes they got!

Finished the night on YouTube honoring Pride Month and Juneteenth with game shows featuring beloved black and gay performers. Charles Nelson Reilly, for instance, was told a gay man would never work on television. Nowadays, he's probably best-known for his work on TV, including his off-and-on stint on the 70's-80's Match Game. He turned up on many other game shows, too. He was one of the first celebrities to appear on Super Password, with Abby Dalton in the episode here.

Paul Lynde ruled Hollywood Squares from his domain in the center square during the 1970's. As long as he had a script, he was the king of witty zingers. He was in the center square for so long, he remains associated with the show and the center spot to this day. 

Author and comedienne Fannie Flagg was also a regular on Match Game in the 70's and 80's. She made her last appearance on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984. Other actors joining her here include Tom Villard, Leonard Frey, the adorable cool older lady Nedra Volz, and soap star Anna Stuart. 

Manic Jm J. Bullock could get annoying on shows where he actually had to sit down (like Match Game), but he was a natural for Body Language. He not only had a great time contorting his body to represent the word in question, he and his contestant managed to beat big former football star-turned-host Lynn Swann.

Poet Laureate of Television Nipsey Russell was equally at home on The $100,000 Pyramid. After spouting his usual poem in the beginning, he did his best to help the contestant to victory. Sweet Teresa Ganzel did even better, helping her contestant to blast through the Winner's Circle in near-record time.

Sammy Davis Jr. turned up many times on the panel shows of the 50's and 60's. Check him out in this vintage 1955 episode of What's My Line. He sports a dashing eye patch and changes his voice ever time someone talks to him. It almost worked, until Arlene Francis caught on. Cab Calloway, the Hi-De-Ho man himself, had his own fun playing stunts on the early 70's syndicated version of Beat the Clock. 

Take My Word For It was a San Francisco-based version of the describe-the-weird-word format that would eventually evolve into Wordplay in the late 80's. Frisco native Jim Lange led four celebrities, including Roxy Roker of The Jeffersons, through odd descriptions of even stranger vocabulary. The contestants have to figure out which celebrity is giving the real description. 

There's so much to celebrate in June! Honor Pride Month and Juneteenth with these hilarious episodes!

What's My Line? (1955)

Beat the Clock (1971)

Hollywood Squares (1975)

Match Game (1976)

Take My Word For It (1983)

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984) 

Super Password (1984)

Body Language (1985)

The $100,000 Pyramid (1985) 

Satisfy My Soul

I slept in today and got so caught up finishing Murder Lo Mein and reading the pieces about a dad and his little girl and the chapter from Cheaper By the Dozen in the Colliers Harvest of Holidays, it was past 12:30 when I finally rolled out of bed and had a quick breakfast. Listened to the Bob Marley Legend greatest hits CD collection while I ate. I've heard a lot of Marley's music all my life without actually knowing it. I first encountered "Jammin'" on the soundtrack for old family favorite Captain Ron, and I know I've run into "Buffalo Soldier" elsewhere as well. Other favorites here include "Could You Be Loved," "Get Up Stand Up," and the original "I Shot the Sheriff." 

Headed to Collingswood on my bike around 1 PM. It was too nice of a day to waste inside, whether I had a dad or not. As I was riding across the parking lot behind the Collingswood Senior Center, I heard music and voices. I went to the other end of the block and discovered a Juneteeth fair, with people selling African crafts at booths, children throwing bean bags into a wooden board, and step dancers in bright pink and black doing a really nifty number. I watched the group and applauded them, then moved on. 

I next stopped at a very busy Haddon Culinary first. Ordered half of their turkey club sandwich on a whole-wheat roll with their house-made potato chips. Picked up a "cactus rose" sparkling water, too. Passed families and couples eating at the benches alongside the building, including a couple with a handsome golden retriever and a man with two frisky little pomeranians. 

Took my lunch down Haddon and Collings to Knight Park for a late spring picnic. After riding around for a bit, I settled at a bright blue metal picnic bench under a grove of shady trees. The sandwich was good, with real turkey slices and thick tomatoes...but the real stand-outs were the potato chips. They were by far the best chips I've ever had. They were thick, earthy, crunchy, and not a bit greasy, with just enough seasoning. I may have to go back sometime and get more of them. 

It was such a gorgeous day, I continued riding around the park, watching kids play in the playground (even the rusty log cabin-themed one), walk dogs, play catch with their parents, and go for bike rides. Enjoyed the ride and the sunny, breezy day so much, I continued through Collingswood, admiring the older homes and Art Deco-esque church. It was quiet for a Sunday holiday. Many people may have gone away to the Shore with their dads this weekend. I saw a few people walking dogs and some kids on their bikes.

Rode across the White Horse Pike to explore the stores on Collings Avenue in West Collingswood. I stopped at what proved to be a small deli and convenience store that advertised having water ice. Turned out to be scoops in paper cups nestled in the cooler with the ice cream novelties. I bought a Coke Zero and what turned out to be rainbow. Enjoyed them on the brick risers outside of the store.

Hit the shower soon as I got home, then finished Bob Marley while doing job hunting. I really wonder if I'm barking up the wrong tree. I should know what I want to do, like every adult, but I don't. All I've ever wanted to do is write, but how can I turn that into a career? Is it really the right thing for me? What is the right thing for me? 

Switched to the Little River Band Greatest Hits CD while looking up some things online. I used to hear these guys a lot on the radio when I was a young kid. Some of my favorites from them include "Lonesome Loser," "Cool Change," "Reminiscing," "Down On the Border," and "Happy Anniversary Baby." 

Finished out the night on YouTube with the Match Game Father's Day marathon. Actually, this marathon originally ran in 2021, but since I missed more than half the original broadcast due to work, I had no trouble with the repeat. Match Game did have its fair share of dads who turned up during the original run. Michael Landon was on the very first week in 1973. Tom Bosley turned up for a memorable week in 1975. David Doyle is best-known to 90's Nickelodeon fans as the original voice of Grandpa Pickles in Rugrats. Donald Ross appeared with his wife Patti Deustch in 1974. Their toddler son Max would be seen with Gary Burghoff's darling daughter Gina in Gene's arms in 1978. 

Other real-life dads appeared on the show as well. Richard Dawson was the proud single father of two teen sons. He brought the younger, Gary, onstage briefly for his birthday in 1974. Jack Klugman had two sons with Brett Somers whom Brett spoke of frequently. Robert Pine was as handsome in 1979 during his run on CHiPs as his son Chris Pine would be in later years. McLean Stevenson's smart and pretty daughter Jennifer would appear onstage in 1978. In 1981, he brought two kids onstage to get sweaters; one giggly little girl even helped him play the game.

Bring your dad to play along with some of the wackiest dads ever on television in this adorable marathon!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Father's Day Marathon

Sleepy Harvest

Got a really quick start this morning! I had a lot to do, so I ate breakfast really fast, then gathered the last of my donations. When I was out with Lauren on Thursday, I noticed a sign at Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church in Audubon for their bi-weekly thrift shop. Instead of turning my donations (including the old oversized purse) over to Goodwill or dumping them in a bin, I thought I'd leave it with them.

Rushed over around quarter of 11 and left my bag at the front desk. They were really busy with people searching through shelves and shelves of books, boxes of CDs, tables of toys and dishware, and huge racks of clothes. I didn't see any CDs or records that interested me, and it was too busy in the main room for me to check out the clothes. I just ended up with a copy of the Fannie Flagg novel Welcome to the World, Baby Girl. 

Dashed back down the White Horse Pike and across Oaklyn to Collingswood for this week's Farm Market. I arrived in time for the last half-hour. Even at that late hour, I still dodged people picking up produce for their Father's Day barbecues and graduation parties. The summer produce is just starting to roll out. Saw the first cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, and peaches of the season. Bought strawberries and cherries from the berries booth, blueberries from the booth with the corn later in the summer, and a big loaf of multi-grain bread from the Lost Bread Co tent. 

Went across the street to WaWa after that to pick up a much-needed Propel. While not killer hot like it's supposed to be next week, it's still very warm and fairly humid, probably in the mid-80's. I needed hydration badly. 

Made one last stop up at the pretzel shop on the way home for lunch. Grabbed a cheesesteak-filled and two regular pretzels. The place was pretty busy. A woman waited for her order while I got mine; a dad came in with two daughters as I left.

Put on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood as I had lunch. I'm not the only one picking up fruit today. It's "Fruit Picking Day" in the Neighborhood, too. Daniel and Prince Wednesday are disappointed that they're too small to reach the fruit...but they're also small enough to get the golden pear Queen Sarah wanted out from under the roots of a tree. "Daniel Is Big Enough to Help Dad" hold and paint the door to his new playhouse and hold the cabinet door for his mom while she glues the knob on.

Watched Rock-a-Bye Baby after lunch. I go further into this farcical musical with Jerry Lewis as a TV repairman who finds himself caring for abandoned triplets at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Father's Day! - Rock-a-Bye Baby

Went down for a nap after that. I was dead tired. I've been going non-stop for the past two weeks. Fell into bed at 4 and didn't get up until 6.

I awoke just in time for today's Match Game marathon. Today's theme was bad answers and tearing things up, whether it was the aforementioned bad answers or the time Charles tore his toupee off his head during a PM episode and gave it to a personable but balding young man. Sometimes, someone would blurt an answer, like Buck Owens or Jack Albertson did (or even Gene a few times), and producer Ira Skutch would come out with a replacement question. Other times, Brett would tear up an answer she didn't approve of or thought was bad. And several times, someone would strike out in the Audience Match and not make it to the Head-to-Head bonus round at all. 

There were at least two PM episodes where the contestants struck out completely on the Audience Match and didn't make it to the Head-to-Head. The first time this happened, the contestant just disappeared afterwards. Richard read a hilarious letter as a monologue in his Newkirk Cockney accent instead. The second time it happened, they let the lady answer a question and match the contestants for $100 each. She went home with six hundred dollars and a smile on her face.

Rip it up with the panelists as we see some of the all-time craziest answers in this unique marathon!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Throw It Out & Rip It Up Edition