Southern Belle Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Donald's Ducks" are having a hard time finding their way somewhere warm. Mickey and Donald help get them to a warm, sunny beach where they can spend the winter. 

Headed out after the show ended. I started out sweeping and doing carts, but switched to carts after a second bagger came in around noon. It actually could have been busier. Everyone must be waiting for the beginning of the month tomorrow and Monday. I had time to water the plants and consolidate buckets of roses for the floral department manager and put cold items away. 

I actually got my schedule online yesterday, but confirmed it today. In good news, more hours, and I work late enough next Saturday to hit the farm market. However, the head bagger took off on Tuesday and got Labor Day off, which means I'm working almost a week straight. I also have a seven hour day on Tuesday, though half of that will be in the floral department. 

Picked up a few things after work that I forgot yesterday. I didn't realize until this morning that I was almost out of multi-vitamins. The Acme's generic organic gummies were buy-one, get-one. Found cookies that were half-butter almond, half pumpkin on the clearance shelves. This week's Saturday free sample was Bodyarmor electrolytes drink. I went with fruit punch.

I needed to run to the bank, so instead of dashing across Camden County to Collingswood, I decided to hit the PNC in Mt. Ephraim. I forgot how scary it is riding down the Black Horse Pike. Though there are a few new businesses like the huge WaWa and the combination Taco Bell/Pizza Hut, most of the businesses on the Black Horse Pike are older, or closed all together. I passed many boarded-up buildings with cracked parking lots and overgrown lawns on my way down the Pike. 

At least the Mt. Ephraim PNC looks like it was remodeled recently and not nearly as scary. They were closed by 3:30, so I hit up the ATM. Got there, got my money, got out and back down the Pike.

Made a few other stops. I grabbed a pumpkin spice smoothie and an Orange-Strawberry Propel for later from WaWa. I realized on my way home that I forgot bagels for lunch at work this week, so I ended up back at the Acme to get those before finally heading home.

Rested a bit after I changed, then added a few titles to the inventory. Did Make a Wish, Mame, Man of La Mancha, the London favorite Me and My Girl, and the 1978 Merry Widow with Beverly Sills in the title role and a translation by Sheldon Harnick. Most of these were thrift shop finds, except for Make a Wish, which I picked up on eBay in 2022, and The Merry Widow, which I found at a yard sale. (I don't remember where Mame came from now.) 

Took a shower, then had dinner and finished on YouTube with tonight's Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. Mary Ann Mobley was another former Miss America who appeared on the show. In fact, she was the first Miss America to hail from Mississippi. She mostly appeared from 1973 through 1977, then came back in 1979 for a few weeks in syndication, always sitting in the fourth "ingenue" seat next to Richard Dawson. 

She was one of the more entertaining ladies to sit in that seat, gracious and funny even when her answers weren't the best. Mary Ann had the habit of giving rambling explanations as to how she got her answers. Once, she went on for so long, Gene sat down in front of her desk until she finished. (Twice.) Another time, she reached over to give a contestant a kiss...which set off everyone running over to kiss her or the contestant, including Tom Poston. 

Lift a mint julep to one of the fairest daughters of the deep south in this hilarious marathon! 

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Featuring Mary Ann Mobley On Match Game

Cool Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "The Pups Save Puplantis" when they travel underwater with mer-pups and witness a kid pirate and his puppy sidekick steal the shell that gives Puplantis its magic. Without the shell and its pearls, Puplantis is falling to bits! Rocky and Rubble try to keep it from getting worse, while Chase keeps an eye on them from above and the others go after the pirates.

Caught the second half of Press Your Luck as I prepared to go out. One of the two guys Whammied out almost immediately. The lead and the turns kept going between the one lady and the remaining guy. The guy finally hit a Whammy and couldn't make more money, leaving the lady to win with a ton of money and three vacations to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. 

Headed out after the episode ended. I wanted to give the ride up to Barrington and Haddon Heights a second shot after my first attempt at the beginning of the month got rained out. It was cloudy, but this time, the dark clouds were just clouds. They kept it cool and windy, but I never felt so much as a raindrop the entire day. Made a brief stop at WaWa in Audubon for a watermelon Propel, but otherwise made it up the White Horse Pike to Barrington by noon without incident.

The Barrington Antique Center is huge warren of cozy little rooms jammed to the rafters with every vaguely collectible item you can imagine, from genuine antique glassware and furniture to DVDs and Barbies from a few years ago. I wish their records were cheaper. I have come up with good records there on occasion, but $10 for a rock title I could get out of the dollar bin at Innergroove is too much. I did find the Santana album Inner Secrets for $5 and Shirley Temple's Storybook, a collection of fairy tales and two Washington Irving stories inspired by her TV show of the same name. The book has gorgeous color and pen illustrations redolent of the early 60's when the show was out and even features a story I never heard of before, "The Land of Green Ginger."

Dodged the traffic on Clements Bridge Road and made my way down Atlantic to the industrial park on the other side of town. The House of Fun is next-door to the park in its own building. This store focuses on pop culture collectibles, toys, horror and cult DVDs and blu-rays, and stuffed animals. I was going to get a DVD, but it was too expensive. I just dug an older Beanie Baby ghost, Spooky, out for Halloween.

Next stop was what's now known as Doc's Finds, formerly Station Avenue Antiques in Haddon Heights. There's now fewer antiques and more locally made clothing and food, and the dollar record bins are gone. I still came up with some good finds of my own:

Maureen McGovern - Maureen McGovern

The Moody Blues - On the Threshold of a Dream

The Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons (the US version with "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday") and Beggar's Banquet

The Haddon Heights Library is next-door, so I stopped there next. I only fished a cozy mystery, The Cider Shop Rules, out of the row of books on that 50 cent sale, but I did have a nice chat with the young librarian when she complimented me on my Pokemon backpack. The owner of Doc's Finds complimented me, too. 

Rode down Atlantic Avenue, mainly so I could pull in at the Legacy Diner in Audubon for lunch. I was definitely feeling like breakfast, so I got coconut-pineapple pancakes. Yum. Tons of coconut and fresh pineapple pieces in three pancakes that were so huge, I couldn't finish them. By 3 PM they weren't all that busy, so I got to enjoy my meal in peace.

Went straight into working on the inventory when I got home. Along with adding the titles I just bought to the rock inventory, I did Kismet, Les Miserables, A Little Night Music, Lost In the Stars, and The Magic Show. Lost In the Stars, which I picked up at a yard sale two years ago, is the only album from this batch that didn't come from one of the record stores in the last decade or so...I think, anyway. I'm not sure where Kismet came from anymore. 

Had a very quick dinner while watching Match Game Syndicated. The late Peter Marshall turned up for what would be his first of two weeks. Gene sat in his seat in the opening, and he came out with Gene's microphone. They kept talking about how much they resembled each other. Personally, I don't see it.

Headed out for a treat after the show. It remained cool, cloudy, and humid, perfect weather for a walk to West Clinton for Oaklyn's Final Friday block party. Every last Friday of the month from June through October, there's a big street fair on the last two blocks of West Clinton near the school, with food trucks, craft books, face painting, and a live band. 

I ran into Rose, Finley, and Craig on the parking lot across from the school where the bean bag game and craft booths were. Rose had their two dogs Cider and Oreo and took them home after a few minutes. (Khai apparently had opted to go home early.) Finley insisted on her father buying her a second lobster roll from the lobster food truck and ran into Phillies Phatties to greet friends of hers. She had these cute pink, lavender, and turquoise streaks in her hair that I suspect were the result of combs or clips. After they left, I bought myself a banana donut from Common Grounds' booth. Alas, despite the sugary icing, it was rather bland.

Finished the night at home with Big Trouble In Little China at Tubi. Trucker Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) finds himself caught up in a very weird adventure in San Francisco's Chinatown when the fiancee (Suzee Pai) of a friend (Dennis Dun) who is kidnapped by a street gang. After they get between two warring mystical societies, she's kidnapped by an ancient Chinese sorcerer who thinks sacrificing her will break a long-standing curse. Her friend Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) is also kidnapped when Lo Pan realizes she also has green eyes. He'll kill her and marry the other girl. Jack eventually aids an old friend who is also a warrior in solving the secrets of Chinatown and the mystical elemental warriors.

Supremely weird action flick wasn't a hit at the time, but I think it's worn much better than the other action film revolving around Asian mysticism that came out in the mid-80's, The Golden Child. Russell's clearly having a ball as the normal guy caught up in this oddly magical adventure. Not all of the Chinese stereotypes have dated that well, Cattrall has little to do in a boring love interest role, and some of the scarier monsters put this out of reach of the very young, but by and large this wild action fantasy is still a hoot for teens and adults who are into 80's adventures. 

Flowers and Monkees

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. The hobos who hang out in busy town try to help repair "The Best Amusement Park Ever," but run into nothing but problems when they realize they're in over their head. The Cave Pigs last seen in the first episode of season 3 create "The First Bridge" with the help of a Cro-Magnon Pig when they can't figure out a way to cross the river and get at the juicy berries. Huckle tells his family to "Say Cheese, Please!" in order to take a perfect family shot for a class project, but he ends up getting the shot in the least-likely spot.

Switched to The Monkees as I made the bed and my grocery list. The Monkees ran at the height of the spy caper craze, and several episodes did spoof the fad, starting with "The Spy Who Came In From the Cool." Davy buys a pair of red maracas that turn out to have microfilm in them. Two Russian spies want the film and offer to trade for it. An American spy agency recruits the guys to help, but the guys are the ones who eventually take the duo down.

"Monkee Chow Mein" has dated less well today. Asian villain Dragonman wants to unleash the Doomsday Bug, but Peter finds it in a fortune cookie and turns it into the spy agency. The guys think they're done with spying, but Dragonman's goons inadvertently kidnap Micky. When Peter's captured while going after him, Mike and Davy are the ones who end up leaping into action.

Headed out to work after "Spy Who Came In from the Cool" ended. I spent the first hour sweeping and pushing carts. I was going to do that for the second hour, too, but then someone grabbed a bag of rice that knocked over a Goya malt drink. I had to clean up the mess, which meant I had to rush the sweeping and had no time for the carts. And that meant I had to do the carts after break, which meant I was late getting to the floral department.

As it turned out, I mainly helped her clean up around the flowers and water the mums and plants that are mostly what's out now. Dusted the shelves with the stuffed animals and vases, then put out the big arrangements she made earlier. That left me with just enough time to make one small arrangement. All of the arrangements were big bouquets of roses, mums, or small sunflowers. I dropped a single yellow rose in a slim bottle-like vase with a bit of baby's breath. I thought it came out well. It looked simple and elegant.

Did my grocery shopping after work. Restocked granola bars and yogurt. I thought I had a coupon for bakery cookies, but I didn't. Still got sugar cookies. Poppi probiotic soda was 3 for 6 if you bought three. Found little bottles of ethnic spice blends on the clearance shelves. Bought jerk and bruschetta. Picked up coconut milk, and since I won't have the time for the farm market this week, apples.

Stopped at Yummies Palace in Oaklyn for a treat on the way home. Though it was cloudy by 4:30, it otherwise remained hot and very humid. I needed to cool off. While two high schoolers tried to decide what they wanted for their gelatos, I decided to try a milkshake with their home-made ice cream. The girl put too much milk in. I basically had cookies-and-cream flavored milk with lots of big cookie pieces and a slightly sour taste. 

Went straight upstairs after I got home. Changed and watched Cmon, Let's Live a Little on YouTube while I took a look at the revised version of the cover letter for Collingswood High Dawn sent me. I go further into this teen musical from 1967 about a campus protest at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

C'mon, Let's Live a Little 

Worked a little bit on the inventory after that. I had just enough time to add Jamaica with Lena Horne, the Mary Martin vehicle Jennie, the original concept album for Jesus Christ Superstar, and the Alfred Drake flop operetta Kean. I think I got Kean from a thrift shop, but I don't remember which one now...which is ironic, since Wikipedia says the album is fairly rare and pricey now. If memory serves me correctly, I got it for a dollar. 

Took a shower, then watched Match Game Syndicated while eating a late dinner. Joe Santos, Eva Gabor, and Betty White join in to meet Glenn, the first blind contestant on a game show, and his beautiful seeing-eye dog Princess. Needless to say, Princess was well-taken care of with Betty there, and she frankly seemed smarter than some of the panelists.

Finished the night after dinner with several more recent record finds while working on the review for C'mon, Let's Live a Little. Cut! Outtakes from Hollywood's Greatest Musicals are mostly dropped songs from either Judy Garland movies or 20th Century Fox musicals of the 30's and 40's. While most of the Judy material has turned up on DVD, CD, and in That's Entertainment III, some of the other songs were entirely new to me. 

Judy did a charming version of "Easy to Love" that apparently didn't make it into the non-musical family comedy Life Begins for Andy Hardy. Betty Grable claimed "I'll Be Marching to a Love Song" in a number dropped from Footlight Serenade, while Alice Faye's "Think Twice" was intended for Sally Irene, and Mary. Ann Sothern did the comic spoof "Salome" for Panama Hattie in 1940 (which would eventually be trotted out for Virginia O'Brian). Nanette Fabray and Fred Astaire sing "Got a Bran' New Suit" from The Band Wagon, likely either a follow-up to "I Love Louisa" or one of the big numbers from the end of the film. Astaire and Charisse were supposed to have a dance to "You Have Everything" that was dropped.

I wish the Paramount musical The Fleet's In wasn't so hard to find today. This story of a sailor (William Holden) who is dared to kiss untouchable dance hall singer "The Countess" (Dorothy Lamour) may seem fluffy, but it has a terrific score that includes the standards "Tangerine" and "I Remember You." Betty Hutton (as The Countess' roommate) belts "If You Build a Better Mousetrap" and the other major hit "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In a Hurry."

Streetlife Serenade was one of the few Billy Joel albums I didn't have in any form. I believe I did have it at one point, but got rid of it when I started clearing out my rock albums collection. I've been a fan of Joel for as long as I can remember. Dad was a fellow Long Island native; Mom says she saw him play piano in bars before he became famous. In all honestly, part of the reason I got rid of this is this has never been my favorite of his albums. It does feature a few good numbers, notably "The Entertainer" on celebrity and the life of rock stars. 

Escaping the Heat

I thought I set the alarm this morning...but I ended up oversleeping and just barely had time for breakfast and rushing out. Made it to work just in time. That was the worst thing that happened all morning. We were dead almost the entire time. I swept, pushed carts, and gathered the trash outside with no trouble whatsoever. It was glaringly sunny, hot and humid as heck, but a cool wind did help somewhat.

Needless to say, I hurried straight home and into the air conditioning after work. Watched the first episode of The Monkees while having lunch. Davy gets caught up in a "Royal Flush" when he rescues the Princess of Harmonica from drowning, and he and the other boys end up at her coronation to keep her Uncle Otto from preventing her ascension to the throne.

Switched to Vega$ next. Uncle Otto isn't the one trying to take over a kingdom. J.T Rodmore (Robert Reed) is "The Usurper" who somehow forces Philip Roth (Tony Curtis) to hand over his casino empire. Dan Tanna tries to find Roth and find out what's going on, but he's disappeared into thin air. Dan has to dodge the men following him to find Philip and help him regain control of his rightful position.

Spent the next few hours after that adding to the inventory. Did all of the H and I titles - the Broadway versions of Half a Sixpence and House of Flowers, the original casts for Hello Dolly, How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, and Into the Woods, I Do! I Do! with Mary Martin and Robert Preston, the Anglo-French Irma La Douce, High Button Shoes, and I Had a Ball with Buddy Hackett and Karen Morrow. Most of these were record store and thrift shop finds. I think How to Succeed and I Do! I Do! came from Abbie Road, but I'm not sure.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Brett found herself sitting between two then-hot TV favorites in the first episode, Bart Braverman and Robert Walden. Marcia Wallace ended up next to Bill Daily and spent the week trying to figure out his strange answers. Soap star Dawn Jeffory joins Fred Grandy, David Doyle, Bill, and a sassy Rita Moreno in the next show. Gene brings out cards from Tim Conway's show to explain why they were late getting started.

Finished the night with the last Matt Helm movie I hadn't watched at Tubi. The Ambushers are Ortega (Albert Salmi) and his hench people, who are after an experimental flying saucer-type vehicle that can only be driven by women. The pilot Sheila Sommers (Janice Rule) was found without her memory and frightened to death of any man...except for Matt Helm (Dean Martin), who worked with her before. They pose as a photographer and his wife to get the goods on Ortega and find that saucer.

This is by far the weakest of the four Matt Helm films. Not that the others were high art, but this one is not only ridiculous, the plot with the saucer is just plain dull. Neither Rule nor the villains are at all interesting, and Martin is sleepwalking through his role. Only the nifty psychedelic fashions and some good location shooting in Mexico have any merit. Only for the most ardent Martin or spy caper fans, or those who have seen one or more of the other films in this series. 

A Picnic In the Park

Began the morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. Mystery Inc is asking "Scooby Doo, Where's the Crew?" when a pirate ghost and two sea monsters kidnap a professor looking for a sunken ship and the ship's crew that took him there. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby do some diving of their own to investigate the wreck and get to the (sea) bottom of this mystery.

Headed out after that. I was supposed to meet my job counselor Dawn at the Haddon Township Library...or that's what I thought. She must have heard me wrong and went to the Haddon Heights Library. Thankfully, it only took her about five minutes to find her way back after she realized the mistake. We looked around online for jobs to apply for, but finally updated an application I put out for a secretarial job at the Collingswood High School. It's a year-round job, and I wouldn't mind being around to see my nephew Khai and his friends grow. We had trouble when it came to adding a letter of introduction. My cover letter wasn't suited for a secretarial job, but she couldn't figure out how to update it on her laptop. We'd try to figure it out another time.

After I hit the bathroom, I rode down the street to Shamrock Deli to order something for lunch. Bought a Diet Dr. Pepper, a small bag of sweet potato chips, and a "Township," a huge turkey sandwich with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado on a Kaiser roll. It was almost 1 PM by that point. I must have just missed the lunch rush, because they weren't that busy.

Took my sandwich and goodies down to Newton Lake Park for a picnic. I settled on a weathered and heavily graffitied red wooden bench and table situated in a beautiful spot, on the corner between a shady spot along the lake and a big field. My food was wonderful, the sandwich so stuffed, I could barely get it in my hand. The weather was great, too. It was still sunny, hot, and humid, but a cool wind made it feel a lot more tolerable. 

Canadian geese pecked around for their lunch. After a while, some of the youngsters opted to cool off in the lake and went for a swim. Five sets of kayakers in colorful yellow and blue boats paddled by. Two of them even waved at me. A father and his daughter put chairs down on the lake to go fishing. I read Monkees fanfics online and enjoyed the weather and the peace and quiet. I even took the long way home, to the other side of the park and back up the White Horse Pike, so I could stay out in that gorgeous day just a little longer.

After I took out the trash, I went inside to figure out that cover letter. There's a reason I let Karen write it in the first place. I have no idea how to write a cover letter. I don't mind writing fictional stories, or making lists and spreadsheets, but I really hate writing about myself. What can I say? How can I explain that I don't talk to people well, I'm not good at multi-tasking, and I lack basic Microsoft Word skills? What should I tell people? How?

I finally gave up and worked on the inventory. Added all of my G titles on vinyl today, including the original stage versions of Grease, Gigi, Guys and Dolls, and Godspell, the George M. Cohen biography George M!, and the flops The Girl Who Came To Supper, The Grand Tour, Goldilocks, and Greenwillow. Most of these came from local record stores or thrift shops. Two came from yard sales over a decade ago...and I really don't remember where Gigi and Godspell came from anymore. 

Watched Beach Ball while I worked. I go further into Paramount's second shot at a Beach Party imitation at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Beach Ball

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Charles Nelson Reilly went on hiatus to do a Broadway play for the remaining weeks of the 1979 season. In the episode I saw, Dick Martin ably filled his spot, though Brett still wailed that she missed him badly.

Finished the night listening to my two CD finds from Circa Gallery on my last trip into Philly as I worked on the Beach Ball review. Deep In My Heart was MGM's last lavish biographical semi-revue, this one covering the life of operetta king Sigmund Romberg. In addition to Jose Ferrer singing all the parts, including three songs, from one of the Al Jolson comedies he wrote songs for, there's rare material here you just won't get anywhere else. Ann Miller leads an extremely Roaring 20's chorus through "It," the big comedy number from The Desert Song, while Howard Keel leads the male chorus through the rousing "Your Land and My Land" from the Civil War operetta My Maryland.

Despite what the liner notes said, the version of A Connecticut Yankee I found is actually the full recording of the 1955 TV version with Eddie Albert and Janet Blair. It's based on the 1943 revival, which is why everyone is an officer and in uniform, even the ladies. Actually, this does make for a unique contrast with the Arthurian segments. Gale Sherwood as Morgan LeFay sings Lorenz Hart's last lyric, the macabre and very funny "To Keep My Love Alive," while Blair and Albert have a lovely "My Heart Stood Still." 

Dolls and Games

Began the morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. "Surf's Up" for Pablo when he hopes to discover Tiki Beach and ride the perfect wave. The mysterious lifeguard (Austin) first leads him to Tyrone, then Uniqua. They all have some really great dance moves, but it's not until they all get together that the lifeguard deems them ready for the big waves.

Headed out after that to run errands. It was hot and sweaty, even as I made my way the two blocks to the post office. I dropped off a sympathy card for my friends Linda and James Young, who lost their beloved budgie Oliver earlier in the month, then strolled down to Dollar General. They didn't have what I wanted, so I made my way another block down the White Horse Pike to CVS. I was able to find the toothbrush heads I wanted for my electric toothbrush there. Grabbed Propel, too.

Went for a long walk across Oaklyn next, from the White Horse Pike down to the neighborhood behind the school and the water tower. In addition to being hot, it was also very quiet. Everyone must have been at work or on vacation. I saw maybe one or two people out for walks or jogs, too. All that rain we've had this month has been a boon to everyone's gardens. The flowers were big and brilliant, and the vegetable gardens flourished behind wooden and wrought iron fences.

Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee Shop for a brief lunch. I was really more up to a spinach-bacon-gouda breakfast pastry and a chai tea latte. The breakfast pastry was nice and flaky. The chai tea latte was too sweet, but it was also wet, so I had it anyway.

Soon as I got home, I pulled out the dolls' things and got them ready for next month and back to school. Or back to lessons, in the case of Felicity and Josefiina. I finally found Felicity's yellow Tea Lesson Dress on eBay earlier this year. Josefina wears her orange and yellow Summer Dress and the boots (which need to be replaced - they're falling apart). Jessa goes simple with her tie-dye t-shirt, capris, and Springfield Collection denim sneakers. Samantha wears her current meet outfit, the pink Swiss-dotted dress with the big lace collar and black strap shoes. Ariel sports the periwinkle blue lace minidress and crocheted vest I found her in. 

Whitney will be the hippest kid in Wildwood in the "Sweet Memories" lavender and purple-checked dress, turquoise scarf, and shiny purple shoes. Molly looks great in Kit's School Suit Outfit with the pink and brown floral blouse, probably better than Kit herself would have. Kit's much happier in her original blue and white School Outfit with the jumper and Oxfords. Barbara Jean will start her first year at Cherry Hill High East in a pink and white minidress woven with gold threads and the heels and headband from her prom gown. 

Listened to Broadway cast albums set during the summer while I worked. The 1971 revival of No, No Nanette was the surprise hit of the season, thanks to a nostalgia-drenched production and a great cast that included Jack Gilford as the kindly bible salesman supporting three ladies, Ruby Keeler as his wife, Bobby Van as his lawyer, and Helen Gallagher as his wife who thinks he's the one supporting them. Susan Watson is the peppy title character Gilford gives money to. 

Though the score includes the standards "Tea For Two," "I've Confessed to the Breeze," and "I Want to Be Happy," my favorite song on the CD was either written for the production and dropped, or pulled out of the trunk and likewise dropped before opening. I'm glad they had Keeler and Gilford record "Only a Moment Ago" anyway. The sweet number as they recall a bygone New York says more about what nostalgia means to so many people than all the fancy productions in the world. 

Steel Pier debuted in 1997 and was a big deal on Broadway at the time, getting extensive coverage in The Press of Atlantic City and elsewhere. Alas, the story of a dancer and a pilot who take part in a big dance marathon in 1933 before his time on this earth expires was just way too complicated for a light comic fantasy. Too bad, as Kander and Ebb did have a few gems in the score, notably "Willing to Ride" for the dancer and "First You Dream" for the pilot. Kristen Chenoweth made one of her first big splashes on Broadway with "Two Little Words." 

By the Beautiful Sea debuted in 1954 as a vehicle for comedienne Shirley Booth. She's a vaudevillian in 1904 trying to help her roguish father earn enough to keep their boarding house. She's thrilled when a handsome singer (Wilbur Evans) falls for her, but he's dealing with his ex-wife and their daughter, Baby Betsy. Betsy's no baby, but her mother dresses her as a child to keep her in vaudeville, and she's upset that the waiter she has her eye on thinks she really is a kid. 

According to the extensive liner notes that came with my CD, the book for the show kept getting re-written pretty much up until it arrived on Broadway. I don't think they ever figured out what to do with Betsy. She doesn't even get a song. My favorite numbers here are Booth's comic lament "I'd Rather Wake Up By Myself" and her maid's (Mae Barns) ribauld cheer-up ditty "Happy Habit." Evans got the hit ballad "Alone Too Long." Not the most necessary show in the world, but a pleasant listen if you ever run into it. (I believe both the CD, which I bought back in 1996, and the original album are fairly rare now.)

Switched to job searching next. Put in applications for a secretarial assistant job in Philadelphia and a digital content manager and writer for an ad agency in Mount Laurel. I'm honestly beginning to think it's impossible for me to really find anything. I've been trying and trying, and no one seems to want me. I really need to improve my skills, or at least take those classes and figure out Microsoft Word and its components. 

Moved on to the inventory after about an hour. Added the original casts of Fiddler On the Roof, Finian's Rainbow, 42nd Street, Flower Drum Song, and Funny Girl, the odd E.Y Harburg fantasy flop Flahooley, and the political biography Fiorello! The majority of these were thrift shop or record store finds, except for Fiddler and Fiorello!, which I dug out of yard sales in 2010 and 2011. No idea where I got 42nd Street from. It might have been a thrift shop find, but I'm not sure anymore. 

I listened to more recent record acquisitions while working on the inventory. Sammy Davis Jr.'s Greatest Hits has an almost entirely different playlist than the greatest hits CD I picked up last year. I bought this mainly for his fast-paced "Talk to the Animals" that's how that song really should be sung and his lovely covers of the Broadway songs "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," "Once In a Lifetime," and "What Kind of Fool Am I?"

Springtime In the Rockies and Sweet Rosie O'Grady are two typical Betty Grable musicals from the mid-40's, and that's pretty much all they have in common other than Betty herself and interpolated ballads. "I Had the Craziest Dream" is the big hit from Rockies, though Grable and Payne's "Run Little Raindrop Run" is also fun. Most of the songs from Sweet Rosie were written during the movie's 1890's setting, except for the ballad "My Heart Tells Me."

Broke at 7 PM for dinner and to take my laundry downstairs Watched Match Game Syndicated after I got back upstairs. This episode opened with Gene grabbing Stephanie Powers for a dance, and Bill Daily ending up with Fannie Flagg after Gene tries to fix Stephanie's chair. The others try to figure out "Cap'n __" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night after I put the laundry in the dryer and brought it upstairs with game shows featuring college and high school contestants. The grandfather of the many local high school quiz "bowls" is GE College Bowl. Allen Ludden originally hosted this quiz show competition between colleges. By the time of this 1966 color episode, Ludden had moved to Password and was replaced by Robert Earle. All-girls private college Agnes Scott shows the guys from Princeton what four very smart women can do in this rare color episode. 

Most of the high school and college quiz shows were more like High School Bowl, made locally for area schools to compete against each others, usually for the closest PBS station. Scholastic Scrimmage from Lehigh Valley started in 1975 and is still going strong on PBS 39 to this day. High School Bowl looks like it was intended for North Jersey Cablevision subscribers, as it was filmed at William Paterson. They're both pretty simple - local high schoolers go up against each other in a minimal set - but it's interesting to hear how these brilliant kids can come up with those answers. 

College Mad House from 1990 was a lot more fun. This spin off of Fun House had two teams from rival colleges - University of Maryland and University of Virginia in the episode I have here - playing far messier and more suggestive stunts for a chance to go up in the "college mad house," a revamped Fun House with college-themed obstacles. Greg Kinnear had one of his earliest TV appearances hosting this bit of lunacy.

WinTuition, a 2002 Game Show Network show, is more original. Three older contestants who want to return to school answer questions that run from 1st to 12th grade knowledge. The winner after the third round would go on to the "Final Exam" and answer 10 questions on one subject for $50,000. Interesting concept, nicely handled by host Marc Summers.

Boardwalk and Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia is another variation on the college quiz show. Here, obviously, the emphasis is on sports knowledge. This was one of the earliest game shows on ESPN, filmed at the long-defunct Boardwalk and Baseball amusement park in Orlando around 1989. 

As those who saw Buzzr's Back to School marathon last week knows, regular game shows also occasionally had college or high school contestants or used classroom themes, especially in the mid-late August right before school began. I went with two episodes from the Family Feud college tournament week. Major rivals USC and UCLA play each other in the first episode. USC made it to the finals with Stamford. Ray Combs is the rather bemused host here.

Go back to school, out-run the Mad House, and test your knowledge with some real quiz kids! (Oh, and warning that the High School Bowl episode is in bad shape and has barely-heard audio, but it was one of only two episodes I could find, and that wasn't in much better shape.)

GE College Bowl (1966)

Scholastic Scrimmage (1988)

Boardwalk and Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia (1988)

Family Feud College Week Tournament Day 1 (1989)

Family Feud College Week Tournament Day 5 (1989)

College Mad House (1990)

High School Bowl (1990)

WinTuition (2002)

Breadboxes and Matches

Slept in, then started a late morning with breakfast and Darling of the Day. Vincent Price headlined this 1968 operetta as a celebrated artist in Edwardian England who trades places with his late butler. He marries a lonely widow (Patricia Routledge) and moves to the country to continue his work...but when his wife insists on selling it, he's accused of imitating himself. 

1968 was way late for this kind of old-fashioned frippery, even if it didn't have director problems. It didn't make three weeks. It's too bad, because the songs by Jules Styne and E.Y Harburg are quite lovely. Price is a decent singer; he does especially well by the gentle ballad "Sunset Tree." Routledge got the lion's share of the notices and the good songs, including the touching "Let's See What Happens" and rollicking "Not On Your Nellie" with the chorus. Charming and well-worth checking out if you love Price, Routledge, or the songwriters' other work. 

House of Flowers is another charming comedy that didn't work out on Broadway. The story of two battling bordellos in Haiti and the young lovers who are caught in the crossfire debuted in 1954 and was Truman Capote's first shot at a musical. Terrific cast that includes Diahann Carroll making her stage debut, dancer Alvin Ailey (who went on to found a renown black dance theater), and Juanita Hall and Pearl Bailey as the madames get lost in a strange and meandering plot. Apparently, it was too strange for Broadway in the 50's and barely lasted a month. 

Once again, it's the music (this time by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Capote) that carries the day. Bailey introduced the lone standard from this score, the drowsy "A Sleepin' Bee." She also gets the heartfelt "Don't Like Goodbyes" in the end. Honestly, this is pretty much the same deal as Darling of the Day. If you love Capote, Arlen, Bailey, or the somewhat similar Once On This Island, this or the equally short-lived off-Broadway revival are well worth your time.

Worked on the inventory briefly before having lunch. Added Darling of the Day, Evita, Fanny, and The Fantasticks. Evita and The Fantasticks go the furthest back here. The former came from the Audubon Town-Wide Yard Sale in 2012, the latter goes all the way back to Russakoff's Used Books and Records in 2008. 

Went straight to work after I finished lunch. Work was quiet when I arrived, and remained so all afternoon. The carts, however, were really bad again despite it not being busy. One of the managers mentioned it was much worse this morning. She couldn't figure it out, but I suspect a lot of people took advantage of the hazy blue skies, heavy humidity, and upper 80's temperatures and bought supplies for their last vacation week until the holidays kick in. I spent the entire afternoon sweeping and pushing carts with no trouble whatsoever.

Jumped in the shower when I got home, then finished the night with dinner and the Match Game Sunday Classics marathon. Arlene Francis is more associated with her long-running stint on What's My Line today, but she goes way back with Match Game. She was in the original pilot with Bert Convy, Richard Dawson, Jack Klugman, Jo Ann Pflug, and Betty White, and would turn up on the second week with Bob Barker, Michael Lerned, and Richard Thomas. 

She and Bob appeared a second time together in 1975. This time, they got to help Carol Bartos become the all-time biggest winner on the show at that point. Though she sat in Brett's character actress seat in the pilot, by '75 she was more commonly seen in the fourth ingenue seat, where she could flirt with Gene Rayburn (or even give him a huge kiss!) or the contestants. Her last week on the regular show was in 1978, joining Dick Martin and a not-as-happy Richard Dawson. (Her last week on Match Game period was on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984, but it was unavailable when the channel owner first put this marathon together.) 

At any rate, match wits with the queen of guessing occupations and see if blank really is bigger than a bread box! 

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Featuring Arlene Francis on Match Game

Rhymes and Harvests

Got a quick start today with breakfast and Bluey. Bluey and Bingo are excited about "The Sleepover" with their cousin Muffin. They're disappointed when it turns out that Muffin is transitioning out of daily naps and is too tired for staying up late, but manage to stay up anyway when Muffin gets so wild during their game, she eventually ends up in a sleeping bag toting a garden flamingo.

Hurried out to the Collingswood Farm Market soon as the cartoon ended. The summer produce season is now at its height. Every summer fruit or vegetable you can dream of was piled onto booths and tables - eggplant, peaches, plums, nectarines, peppers, melons, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn. I saw the first of the fall harvest, too, sweet table grapes, lettuces, and apples. Even at 11 AM, the farm market was crowded with people stocking up for barbecues and family get-togethers. I grabbed dark purple grapes, tiny gala apples, huge peaches, and little multi-colored cherry tomatoes. 

Made a quick stop at WaWa on the way home. They just started rolling out their fall smoothie and drink flavors. I tried a pumpkin brulee cream smoothie. Tastes like their regular pumpkin smoothie with praline bits. Not bad, but I do wish the bits didn't get caught in the straw.

Began Rio 2 and had lunch when I got home. I go further into the sequel that takes Blu and his family into the Amazon jungles to find more Spinx Macaws at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - Rio 2

Hurried off to work before the movie ended. Work was pretty quiet for most of the afternoon. It must have been busier early in the day. The carts were bad when I got in, and I never did quite catch up with them. Other than getting told to put a bunch of cold items away when I had less than five minutes before I was done with my shift, I had no major problems and was in and out.

Changed and finished Rio 2 after I got home, then ended the night on YouTube with tonight's Saturday Classics Match Game marathon. Stand-up comedian Nipsey Russell started on the show in 1973 and appeared straight through to the early syndicated series in 1979. He was one of the best players in the first seat, always ready with a quip or an off-the-cuff rhyme. He saw that contestant with the blond beard that Jo Ann Worley was crazy about and helped Gene deal with that goofy lady in 1976 who kept latching onto him. By the time of his last week in late 1979, he was popular enough to have a question revolving around him about what would be incongruous for him to promote.

Bring your best rhymes and have a fine time with the Poet Laureate of Television!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Featuring Nipsey Russell On Match Game

Sock It To Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. "A Frightened Hound Meets a Demon Underground" when the gang encounters a demon who appears via sulfurous smoke on the streets of Seattle. Supposedly, it had been sealed away during Seattle's boom town years after terrorizing the town. The gang follow it to an underground city, where they end up rescuing Daphne after she vanishes while searching for it.

Hurried off to work after the cartoon ended. Once again, the Acme was quiet. It was too gorgeous for most people to be shopping. The day was sunny, breezy, and bright blue. Couldn't have been more perfect weather for mid-August. I got pulled to put cold items away when I was trying to sweep, and had trouble getting a full container of trash to the back. Other than that, everything at work went perfectly fine.

Had a little bit of grocery shopping to do afterwards. Mainly needed to restock yogurt and prebiotic soda. Had a two dollar off bakery items coupon, so I thought I'd try pumpkin cookie sandwiches. Grabbed bagels for work next week. 

Got my schedule on the way out. Pretty identical to this week, other than I work on Thursday this time, rather than Friday, and part of that Thursday is a floral department day. I do work early next Saturday and will have to miss the farm market again, though. 

Watched Vega$ when I got home while eating lunch and getting organized. The second season of Vega$ streamlined the show, eliminating all characters but Dan, Binzer, Lieutenant Nelson, and  Beatrice. Dan Tanna's friend Harlan Twoleaf (Will Sampson) continued to appear in a few episodes this season, starting with the season opener "Redhanded." Harlan is found unconscious in the room of a young woman (Melanie Griffith) who was a good friend. She was killed with his knife, but Dan doesn't think he did it. When a local reporter accuses him of being a killer, Harlan breaks out of jail to set her straight.

Spent the rest of the evening working on the inventory. Got the rest of the D titles in today - Dear World, two studio casts for The Desert Song, Destry Rides Again, Do I Hear a Waltz?, Donnybrook!, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Do-Re-Mi, and the original Dreamgirls. Most of these titles came from the record stores or yard sales. Do-Re-Mi is the only one here that goes so far back, I don't remember where it came from anymore.

I didn't break for dinner until past 7PM. Watched Match Game Syndicated while I ate. Alfie Wise, Betty White, and Patty Duke and her luxurious black fur coat figured into the first episode. The second featured Gina Hecht, Fannie Flagg, and Jon "Bowser" Bauman and his huge sneaker-shaped bag that carried all of his "treasures."

Finished the night after a shower with more early Laugh-In. The show really hit its stride as it began its second season. The cast all ask each other how their summer went. Jack Lemmon tosses out running commentary. Judy Carne takes calls for NBC Burbank. Henry Gibson recites poetry. Arte Johnson wanders through with a Russian accent, Zsa Zsa Gabor wonders what in the heck is going on, and an extremely goofy Goldie Hawn introduces the news while Pigmeat Markham dispenses justice. Barbara Felton was the big star in this episode and had an absolute blast, especially joining the other ladies in a dance about higher education and doing a skit where Sigmund Freud's wife flirted with Dan. 

On a Summer Afternoon

Began the late morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Clarabelle sends Mickey and the gang on a scavenger hunt to find the ingredients she'll need for a special treat. Goofy doesn't think he'll be able to think well enough to figure out the clues, so Professor Ludwig Von Drake gives him "Goofy's Thinking Cap" so he can help out, too.

Made my grocery list quickly and messed around a little on the laptop before heading out. It's still too nice to be hanging out inside. Though it's warmer, it also remains sunny, windy, and dry. Since I had to hit Sprouts later anyway, I thought a trip to Westmont wouldn't be amiss. I hadn't been over there in a while, not since Lauren visited in June. 

I forgot I had no paper money on me, so I passed on Samaritan Thrift and went across the street to Que Ricos for lunch. The small Venezuelan restaurant focuses on "street food" like enchiladas and arepas - sandwiches with fillings stuffed into cornmeal bread pockets. I had a Curvy Queen chicken salad arepa with fried plantains, Gouda, and a Diet Pepsi. Oh yum. I've had this before, and it was just as good this time around, filled with avocado and juicy chicken.  

Headed a block down to Phidelity Records next. I hadn't been there since Lauren visited in June. No good cast album or DVD finds this time, but I did dig up a couple of rock and jazz records and one CD. The machine used for the credit cards refused to sync with their system. It took so long for the owner and his assistant to fix it, they knocked $5 off my price, making it $15 for six records and a CD. The records were:

The soundtrack from The Cotton Club

Billy Joel - Streetlife Serenade

Sammy Davis Jr.'s Greatest Hits (with a very different song selection than the CD I picked up last year) 

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Dave Brubeck at Storyville: 1954

The Cannonball Adderley Quartet - Country Preacher

Wonder Woman children's record featuring three stories

The one CD was:

Bon Jovi - New Jersey

Headed down Cuthbert next to Sprouts to begin this week's grocery shopping. I really don't need much, especially since I'll actually have the time for the farm market this week. Found two bags of their larger chocolate chip and trail mix cookies on clearance for $1.29 each. How could I resist that price? Restocked coconut milk, too. Those Olyra breakfast sandwich cookies were buy one, get one. I got two of the softer filled cookies. I hadn't seen Olipop Crisp Apple soda before, and it was 2 for $4. Presumably, it's a seasonal flavor for fall.

Went straight home after that. Watched the second half of the 3 PM Price Is Right episode while getting organized, then went into Annie Get Your Gun on YouTube. I go further into the 1957 TV version with Mary Martin in the title role at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Annie Get Your Gun (1957)

Worked on the inventory for a while after that ended. Put Streetlife Serenade and New Jersey on the rock inventory and The Cotton Club in with the soundtracks, then moved on to the cast albums. Additions to the cast albums inventory included the 2018 Carousel revival, the original Broadway cast of Cats, the Katherine Hepburn vehicle Coco, Come From Away, Dames at Sea, the original cast of Damn Yankees, and A Day In Hollywood/A Night at the Ukraine. I've had Cats and Damn Yankees for so long, I have no idea where they came from anymore. I think Yankees was a thrift shop find, but I'm not sure. I picked up Come From Away on Amazon in 2021 when I couldn't find it locally.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated for a really quick dinner around 7:30. Eva Gabor tries to help a gentleman with "__ Loss" in the Head-to-Head. The contestant's answer recalls how Eva lost her toenail when another contestant accidentally kicked her foot...but it wasn't the right answer...

Finished the night with two more of the soundtracks and cast albums I picked up last week. I have no idea why the 1940 Alice Faye/Betty Grable movie Tin Pan Alley is so hard to find now, outside of its 1994 video release. The story of a sister act who is promoted by two ambitious songwriters in the early 20th century doesn't seem all that different from other Fox musicals of its era. To be honest, the music is only ok. Faye does a nice "You Say the Sweetest Things, Baby" with John Payne and Jack Oakie, while Grable gets a medley of the "rose" songs "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Moonlight and Roses."

On the Twentieth Century wasn't a huge hit in its original production with Madeline Khan that I have or in a recent revival with Kristin Chenoweth. It certainly isn't the fault of the music. This comic operetta makes the most of the opportunities for wacky farce in the story of a producer who is so desperate for his former diva flame to star in a new dramatic musical, he follows her on the train. Kahn and John Cullum sound terrific in  "I Rise Again" and "Our Private World." Imogene Coca has a blast playing a religious nut who insists everyone on the train should "Repent." I really hope this gets a third chance on Broadway someday. As it is, the cast album sports many delights. 

Harts In the Sunshine

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. The Busytown kids take part in the "Fun Time Riddle Race" that has them running all over, looking for clues. Huckle and Billy Dog are neck and neck, until Huckle misinterprets a clue and ends up at the observatory. "The First Balloon" is created in France, at the behest of a curious sheep girl who wants to see how her paper-making father can get his wares to fly. "Billy Dog's Space Rock" gets lost when he brings it for show and tell. He, Huckle, and Lowly borrow Mr. Fixit's new magnet invention to find it.

Headed to work soon as the cartoon was over. Other than having to put away a few cold items, work was no trouble whatsoever. It's the middle of the week and the quietest month of the year. There just isn't much going on right now besides college kids going back to school. It was also just plain too nice for shopping. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, sunny, cool, breezy, and not humid at all, barely in the 70's. Pushing the few carts that needed to be put away was a pleasure.

West Clinton under the train bridge was in the midst of being repaved when I went to work this morning, and Nicholson is also still being repaired. I took the back entrance out of Audubon Crossings and cut across Audubon, past boys playing soccer at the field across from the mall. Rode down the hill, past the Kove and into Oaklyn, dodging traffic and more road repairs.

Put on The Monkees when I got home. Desperate for work, the "Monkees On the Line" take jobs at an answering service when the owner goes on vacation. Mike ends up trying to help a young woman he thinks wants to end it all. Davy brings a message to a Mr. Smith, but he and his wife don't appreciate it one bit. Peter gets into the most trouble when he accidentally mixes up the bets two gamblers place on a horse race...and they attack the guys when they realize they've lost.

Spent the rest of the afternoon adding to the inventory, when I wasn't nodding off. Put in Bloomer Girl, the Broadway cast of The Boy Friend with Julie Andrews, Brigadoon, the revue Bubbling Brown Sugar, By Jupiter, Bye Bye Birdie, the original cast of Camelot, Carnival, and the 1974 revival of Candide. I haven't had most of these for nearly as long as some of my rock and soundtrack records. Camelot goes back the furthest of this batch. I found it at Russakoff's Used Books and Records on New Year's Eve 2008.

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Betty Kennedy and comedian Freeman King joined in for these episodes. Betty did really well for her first time on the episode I saw, getting every answer right. Gene spends at least five minutes trying to explain elevator shoes to a contestant...who then admitted that she knew what they were, she was just trying to stall for time.

Finished the night online with TV shows at Tubi and Roku after my shower. It's "Murder In Paradise" on Hart to Hart when a friend in Hawaii who was literally stabbed in the back leaves a cryptic clue with Jonathan. While he and Jennifer deal with two agents from MI6 and the CIA who may or may not be the real thing, Max romances a series of ladies who say they'll teach him the hula.

Scooby Dum joins in for "Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" on The Scooby Doo Show. He, Scooby, and Mystery Inc are staying with a friend of Daphne's who will own a large hotel on a remote island. Her uncle reveals the story about their grandfather, who could turn into a vampire. Shaggy and Scooby are worried that he's right, but Velma has a more plausible explanation.                                                                                       

On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

Began the morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. Mr. Porter of the Adventure Bay Cafe is using drones to deliver orders, but they go out of control and start dropping food when his remote control breaks. The "Pups Save the Flying Food" and save Adventure Bay from out-of-control meal-dropping drones. "Pups Save the Ferris Wheel" when Mayor Humdinger tries to steal the one Mayor Goodway has for rides outside city hall, but it ends up rolling away with him. 

Switched to The Monkees while getting organized. Rip Taylor makes his first of two appearances on the show in "Monkees On the Wheel." The groovy quartet are playing a gig in Las Vegas when drummer Micky Dolenz wins a pile of money on a rigged roulette wheel, to the consternation of its fussy operator (Taylor). The cops think the boys were in on it, so they dress as gangsters and get in with the real ones to learn more about their scheme.

The moment Mike and Micky finally figured out how to say "Save the Texas prairie chicken," I rushed out the door. Hurried to the PATCO station, bought my ticket, and dashed up the stairs. Thankfully, the train to Lindenwold was right on time. I made it to the NJ Transit station with literally no time to spare. They're also in the midst of remodeling, and there's only one ticket machine. I was the second one in line. If I'd been even the third in line, I probably would have missed the train. It arrived less than a minute after I bought my ticket.

No trouble whatsoever after that, other than it was quarter of 12, and the train was full of lunchtime commuters on their way home or to Atlantic City. The only seat I could find was along the wall in the way back. At least the train was on time the entire way there. I lay back and listened to my iPod until it pulled into the station at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

I haven't visited Atlantic City in almost a decade. I figured I was overdue for a stroll on their famous boardwalk. That, and it was too nice of a day to do anything else. It was so nice, I changed into capris before I left. The sky was blue, the wind was cool and fresh, and the combination of salt air, grease, and fried food felt great. Given the stunning weather, I wasn't surprised to see how busy it was. Crowds of people strolled alongside me, rode in tram cars down the boardwalk, or were pulled in rolling carts. 

My first order of business after getting on the boardwalk was finding somewhere for lunch. This was easier said than done. Most places on the boardwalk are way overpriced, especially for pizza. I ended up doing a little bit of shopping first. Shopping wasn't really my goal for today. I really came to soak up the atmosphere, but I did want a t-shirt. Most of the Atlantic City t-shirts I saw on the boardwalk were gaudy multi-colored affairs that were a bit much for me. I finally found a simpler tan shirt with a nifty sea-themed Atlantic City logo and a bottle of Gatorade Zero at a gift shop called Ilene's. 

Ended up having lunch a few doors down from Ilene's at Billy's Gyros and Souvlaki, a narrow bar and diner between larger shops. I plopped down on a chair and next to a wall that were papered over with what looked like prints of dollar bills. Made up for the overly expensive pizza with a pizza burger, fries, a salad, and coleslaw. The salad and slaw were nothing special and the fries, despite having their skins, were bland. The burger was enormous, and so dripping with mozzarella that I ate cheese for five minutes before I even got to the patty. Though the patty was a little thin, it was also nicely cooked and juicy.

Started out again after lunch, heading towards the Hard Rock Casino and Steel Pier. It's not really "The Showplace of the Nation" anymore, but it is the only amusement park in Atlantic City. They were busy with many families whirling around in kiddie rides like the balloon wheel and the bumper cars. I was surprised to see how crowded it was for a Tuesday, until I noticed rides only cost two tickets each on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. 

I'm saving my riding for next month when I visit Lauren, so I started out playing games first. I couldn't sink any baskets in the first game, but I still got a small stuffed cow. I did well enough in the throw the bean bag at the balloon game to trade up the cow for a slightly larger blue and magenta metallic dolphin, whom I named Atlantica. Had far less luck playing against a large family on a water gun game. 

There was one ride I couldn't leave Atlantic City without trying. I read about their huge observation wheel at their website online. I'm so glad I did that. The view from that gondola was spectacular. You could see for miles, from the Borgata and Golden Nugget in the Marina District on one side to the vast green Atlantic on the other. Steel Pier looked like a model of an amusement park from above, populated by tiny moving action figures. Even the view of the beach from the deck under the wheel was amazing. I was surprised at how many people were jammed on the beach. I figured it would be too chilly for the beach and swimming today. There were a lot of folks in the water, too. 

It was past 3 when I got off the wheel and lost at the water gun game. Time to start heading back. I wanted my favorite fruit gel slices, but I couldn't find the at the two Fralinger's stores I stopped at. I ended up buying them and a decent lightweight emerald green Atlantic City hoodie at Peanut World, the jumble of ancient junk and racks of Atlantic City clothing about a block from Bally's. Stopped at Rita's and got a Pina colada Misto Shake to wet my whistle. 

Since the arcade on Central Pier was closed when I went by, I decided to try the new Dave & Buster's a few blocks from Caesar's that opened last year. They were smaller than they looked from the outside. No room for skee ball, but I saw plenty of everything else. Had a lot of luck with the wheels in particular, probably amassing 500 points just from them. Played Mario Kart Deluxe too, Yoshi this time. Thought a nifty underwater-themed course was appropriate. I came in second. I just couldn't pass Mario.

I was barely there 40 minutes, and I still earned enough points for another big Care Bear. This Dave & Buster's had a much better selection than the one at Blackwood. I walked out with a sweet Wish Bear. 

(I didn't find out why the Central Pier was closed until I went online. Alas, the arcade side of the pier burned down in a massive fire this past April. Apparently, they're still doing repairs.) 

Had just enough time to stop at Starbucks for a Pineapple Refresher and an orange cream cake pop before heading a block down to the Atlantic City Convention Center. This time, I got there with plenty of time to buy my ticket. Once again, there was no trouble. The trains were on time, they were full but not too crowded, and I was able to get a normal window seat on the Transit and the PATCO. The PATCO wasn't even crowded when I got off at Collingswood.

Went straight into Satin and Spurs when I got home. I go further into the first 90 minute TV "spectacular" featuring Betty Hutton as a brash cowgirl who falls for a photographer in New York at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musicals On TV - Satins and Spurs

Finished the night with more of my recent record finds. It's a Short Summer, Charlie Brown is the Vince Guaraldi underscore from one of two summer camp-themed Peanuts specials, along with cuts from a few other lesser-known specials. In addition to the familiar "Linus and Lucy" and "Charlie Brown Theme," Freida, the girl who is always preening about her naturally curly red hair, and Peppermint Patty gets their own themes here. I will absolutely be picking up You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown on record when that comes out next month, and I think I'll finally get It's the Great Pumpkin, too. 

Wish You Were Here holds a unique place in the annals of Broadway history. It's the only musical I know of to revolve around a swimming pool and actually have one onstage. It's also one of the few musicals that ignored a critical bashing to become a hit, lasting almost 600 performances in 1952. It revolves around the members of a summer camp for adults who are looking for rest and a little fun in the sun. Harold Rome's first score for a book musical is no masterpiece, but it does have some pleasant tunes, including "Goodbye Love" as the women decide to forget their guys back home for the summer, the bouncy "Summer Afternoon," and hilarious "Don Jose of Far Rockaway."

The big hit from For Your Eyes Only was its slinky, passionate Sheena Easton title song. Most of the remaining score heavily reflects the early 80's when it was made. There's still a lot of disco influences here, especially on side one with "Melina's Revenge" and "Gonzales Takes a Dive." 

I'm Always Chasing Rainbows

Began the morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. Scooby witnesses "The No-Face Zombie Chase Case" when he sees a faceless apparition steal a supposedly cursed coin. They follow the zombie to the Dilly Dally Dolly Company, where they encounter the owner and a gorilla who is determined to keep them from finding that coin.

Soon as the episode ended, I dashed out. Left Welcome to the World, Baby Girl in a book kiosk, then rushed down Johnson and Cuthbert to make my appointment with Abilities Solutions. I arrived at the Haddon Township Library five minutes late. As it turned out, the counselor said she hit traffic and would be late as well, and then she didn't realize the bikes are parked at the back entrance and I'd gone in that way. 

Dawn proved to be an amiable older lady who enthusiastically greeted me when I figured out she was out front. We sat down, and I explained my problem. It's the same one I've had for twenty years. I don't really know what I want to do. I'm not good at math, and I don't want anything to do with medical offices. I wouldn't mind working in a school if it was year-round. Trouble is, I'm not sure what that leaves. My skills need to be upgraded, too. I probably would have gotten six jobs by now if I knew more about Excel and Word.

She did spot a library assistant job for Rutgers University on Indeed that didn't say anything about needing special training. I'm still not sure, but I did send her better copies of my resume and the cover letter Karen wrote when she asked. I also explained about the bike and my transportation difficulties, and how badly I want to find a job and make enough money to buy a condo or apartment. I'd also prefer to stay in South Jersey, or at the very least in eastern Pennsylvania. Cape May and Atlantic Counties don't have year-round economies and are frankly too isolated for me, and North Jersey is too expensive even by Jersey standards.

Needed something at Target after I left Dawn. Thankfully, the kids must have all been at Dollar Tree. I had no trouble getting what I wanted and an Apple Hint water and getting out. Had a quick but tasty lunch of spinach and feta omelet, hash browns, Diet Pepsi, and a raisin French Toast bagel at the bagel shop and picked up a few bagels for later this week.

Went straight home after that. It was sunny, warm, and humid. I heard it was supposed to rain later. It never did, but it remained steamy enough for me to spend the rest of the afternoon working on the inventory. I started the Cast Albums this afternoon. Considering how many I have, that's going to be a job and a half. On the other hand, with the exception of a few CDs I picked up in high school and college, I haven't had most of my cast albums for years like I have the rock records and soundtracks. Titles I added today included Ain't Misbehavin', the original 1946 Annie Get Your Gun, the 1969 London Anne of Green Gables, Allegro, Ambassador, the 1962 off-Broadway Anything Goes, The Apple Tree, Applause, the stage Back to the Future, Baker Street, Barnum, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, Bells are Ringing, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, and Big River. 

(Incidentally, Beautiful, which I picked up from Amazon in 2015, was the first record I bought brand new since the late 1980's.) 

Listened to three more of my new soundtracks while I worked. The Band Wagon is one of my favorite movies, and the soundtrack is pretty awesome, too. MGM's surprisingly full album has most of the songs, plus "The Girl Hunt Ballet" in its entirety, with Fred Astaire's narration. Astaire and Jack Buchanon define elegance with "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan," Astaire romps through "A Shine On My Shoes," and he, Buchanon, and Nanette Fabray have fun with the macabre "Triplets."

Hello, Frisco, Hello was one of Alice Faye's last movies before she gave up stardom for her family, and one of her biggest. This later soundtrack recording includes all of the songs, some incidental music, and even a song for June Havoc that was cut, "I Gotta Have You." Faye had one of the biggest hits of her career with the standard "You'll Never Know," which won a much-deserved Best Song Oscar.

Part of the reason Faye left was 20th Century Fox now had Betty Grable as their major pin-up queen. Movies like The Dolly Sisters with June Haver cemented her stardom and her popularity with the boys in blue in 1944. "I Can't Begin to Tell You," introduced by John Payne in the movie, was the hit ballad here. The album includes Grable and Haver's goofy "We've Been Around" number and the rather ridiculous chorus routines to "Powder, Lipstick, and Rouge" and "Darktown Strutter's Ball." 

Had dinner early, around 5:30. Watched Match Game Syndicated while I ate. Gene praised a pregnant contestant whose hairstyle made her look a little bit like Farrah Fawcett and her voice sounded a bit like Joyce Bulifant. (Which Joyce herself pointed out.) David Doyle is more nervous to help the contestant with "__ Your Dog" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night after a shower with more stunt-based game shows. Stunt shows go back further than any game show genre besides quiz shows. Truth or Consequences actually started on the radio, but if there was ever a game show genre that was made for TV, the stunt show was it. The show was way more fun when you could see the guys riding unicycles and the ladies dressing in Asian Indian garb to surprise their son. Bob Barker was the host from 1956 through its demise in 1975. The show made a lot of firsts, including the first network game show to jump to syndication with new episodes. 

Treasure Isle in 1967 crossed the Beach Party movies with Beat the Clock. Couples play stunts (that often involved swimming and kissing) in order to earn more time to open treasure chests on the title island. Kind of goofy, and to tell the truth, the stunts seemed less romantic and more like early Double Dare.

Double Dare brought stunt shows back with a vengeance in the late 80's and early 90's, this time usually made for kids. The simple premise of kids daring kids to answer questions and doing stunts when they can't, leading up to the big, messy Obstacle Course was heavily imitated, including by Nickelodeon themselves. Their most creative take on Double Dare was likely Legends of the Hidden Temple. Here, four teams of kids hear the tiki statue Olmec tell the story of a fictional lost object that the kids have to find. The last group standing after the mini-games gets to run through the Temple and search for the object.

Double Dare was so huge in the late 80's, the formula spilled over the northern border and into Canada. 5-4-3-2-Run played two rounds. Four kids would sit behind a monitor that held a possible answer to a question. If the kid guessed right, they moved on. If they didn't, they'd get  hit with slime or rice and would exit with a board game. The two remaining kids would play each other at the end of the episode to see who could take home the biggest prize. Creative and cute, no wonder this was a two-year hit on CTV in Canada and in syndication here in the US.

England had their own fun with stunt shows in the 90's. The Crystal Maze had a team of six intrepid explorers led by an eccentric host - Ed Tudor-Pole in this later episode - through four themed rooms filled with difficult challenges. If they won a challenge, they'd get a crystal. The more crystals they got, the more time they had to gather gold certificates at the end of the episode and avoid silver. If a teammate ran out of time or got locked in a room, they could buy them out with a crystal. This is delightfully creative and crafty, with some nifty sets and genuinely difficult challenges. I'm glad I ran across this show.

The success of American Gladiators in syndication in the 90's spawned many imitations. Wild West Showdown pit three would-be sheriffs against the roughest, toughest paint-wielding outlaws this side of Dodge City. Money was given as a "reward." After each challenge, a pretty reporter would ask questions from the trio to see how they felt and how well they did. As a western fan, I will admit, I got a kick out of this. The three sheriffs know what they're doing, and everyone is all-in on making this a semi-authentic western experience. 

Join the original slime time games with these hilarious looks at stunts past!

Truth Or Consequences (1966)

Treasure Isle (1967)

5-4-3-2-Run (1988)

Family Double Dare (1990)

Legends of the Hidden Temple (1993)

Wild West Showdown (1994)

The Crystal Maze (1995) 

Stormy Day Blitz

Began the morning with breakfast and three of my album finds from Thursday. Ruggles of Red Gap was a 1957 TV musical adaptation of the famous play and 1935 Charles Laughton film. Michael Redgrave is the butler who is won in a card game and taken out west, only to fall for a girl (Jane Powell) and the charms of the US. It's too bad I think this one is lost or only found in museums at the moment. There's some wonderful songs in the score, including the gorgeous "Ride On a Rainbow" for Powell. "In Pursuit of Happiness" would eventually be re-written as "You'll Never Get Away From Me" for Gypsy. 

The stage show Walking Happy was also based on an antique play, in this case Hobson's Choice. Comedian Norman Wisdom plays a boot maker who tries to marry off his three daughters, only to see one wed a rival shoe maker. Not the strongest story in the world, but a few of the Sammy Cahn-Jimmy Van Heusen songs are charming. The title song was the biggest hit at the time. I also like "Think of Something Else" in the opening and "I'll Make a Man of the Man."

Beatles for Sale is where their music started getting a little darker and moodier after a meeting with Bob Dylan inspired them to look inward. John Lennon in particular was feeling introspective with "No Reply" and "I'm a Loser." Paul perks things up with the gentle "I'll Follow the Sun," and we get the hit "Eight Days a Week." The guys were so tired from all the running around and touring they were doing, they weren't able to write enough new songs for the album. Of the covers, Ringo's country-ish "Honey Don't" is the most fun, along with George's "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" and John really getting into "Rock and Roll Music."

Worked on the inventory after breakfast. I had just enough time to add those Classic Disney collections and finish the soundtracks. I found the fourth volume on cassette at a book store in Wildwood when I lived there around 2004, but I didn't get them all on CD until Lauren gave me a gift card to Giveanything.com for my birthday in 2007. Although these collections are almost 30 years old, I love them for the sheer variety of music on display. There's a lot of music you won't hear anywhere else, like two songs from Disney's Wonderful World of Color ("I'm Professor Ludvig Von Drake" and "The Spectrum Song"), "A Whale of a Tale" with Kirk Douglas from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the title song of The Monkey's Uncle by Annette Funicello and the Beach Boys. I'll start listing the cast albums tomorrow. 

I was originally going to take my bike today...but then I looked out my window and saw it was raining. I wasn't getting soaked, so I called Uber. The drivers going to and from work both arrived within 8 minutes. No problems on the road either time. Though the rain stopped by the time I got there and the sun came out, it was still very humid. I knew we weren't done with Mother Nature.

No problems pushing carts at work and sweeping the store at work, either. It must have been a lot busier this morning. Despite it being fairly quiet, the carts were empty when I came in. I spent the entire time other than ten minutes where I returned cold items doing the sweeping and the carts. I heard noise up front when I was sweeping. I didn't see it, but the managers caught some lady trying to steal, and apparently she screamed and pitched such a fit, they had to call the cops. 

I wasn't able to avoid the weather, either. Turns out I was right about that rain. It started showering heavily around 3:30-4 PM. At least it waited until the last hour or so. I only got wet for a half-hour before I finished. Thankfully, it disappeared again when I went home. It's been off and on for the rest of the night. There was a really nasty storm at 11;30 with heavy rain and wind and booming thunder.

Soon as I got in, I had a quick leftovers dinner, then spent the rest of the night watching the second half of the Peter Marshall Tribute marathon. This one was so big and had so much going on, it started at 1 PM! I came in for one of the two weeks of Match Game that Marshall appeared on during the syndicated run. He joined Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace, and Bonnie Franklin during his first week. The second, except for Brett, featured panelists who had been game show hosts (Peter, Dick Martin, Bill Cullen), or would be in the future (Betty White, Elaine Joyce). I really wish Peter had done more than those two weeks and their corresponding nighttime episodes. He was charming, very funny, and actually a pretty good player.

Match Game wasn't the only show where he was a panelist. I got to see his second week of Password Plus, where a game Susan Richardson beat the pants off him. He was also one of "The Marvelous MCs" on a special week of Family Feud featuring game show hosts as teams, with Jim Lange, Bert Parks, Tom Kennedy, and Leslie Uggams. The one episode I saw was the only day that week that they actually made it to the Fast Money round. He did an early Liar's Club episode with Betty White, Larry Hovis, and original host Bill Armstrong in 1969. We also got one more episode of the 2002 Hollywood Squares Game Show Week with Peter in the center square. 

Marshall hosted other shows besides Hollywood Squares. All-Star Blitz from 1985 was one of Merrill Heatter's attempts to recapture that Squares magic. In this case, guessing the panelist's bluffs correctly allowed the contestant to uncover a word or letter. If they guessed the phrase those words led to correctly, they won the round. 

It didn't last a year, but at least it did better than Yahtzee. This complicated cross between Hot Potato, Match Game, and High Rollers had two teams of friends or co-workers guessing how five celebrities would answer a question. If they won, they got to roll dice to win cash. It barely ran a month and ended in a flurry of litigation between the producers when they tried to run off with parts of the set.

It's an all-star blitz of classic game shows, with more that I didn't see in the first half, including Tattletales, What's My Line?, and Fantasy, the show he hosted with Leslie Uggams. 

Peter Marshall Game Show Tribute Part II - Featuring Match Game, Family Feud, What's My Line, and More

Welcome to the Squares

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and Rio. I go further into this 2011 hit about two macaws looking for her freedom and his owner at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Rio 

By the time Rio ended and I was heading out to work, it was showering at a pretty good clip. I ended up calling Uber. The one going there arrived in 9 minutes; I got the one going home in 6. No trouble anywhere, with traffic or getting to the Acme. Got in with just enough time to pick up medicine before work.

Work started out quiet, but it picked up around 1 and would be off and on for the rest of the day. The weather probably scared everyone off. Though the sun did try to come out at about 3 PM, it was mostly humid, cloudy, and cool. It even rained again briefly, though not hard like it did in the morning. I did have to put away cold items a few times when I was trying to sweep or do the carts, but there were otherwise no problems. Picked up M&M cookies with an online coupon on the way out.

Soon as I got home, I opened one of my two Amazon orders. (I'll open the other tomorrow.) I'm so glad they're finally putting more soundtracks from the Peanuts specials on vinyl! I splurged and picked up It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, which was just released last month. Actually, despite the title, it really seems like a collection of themes from various specials, including You're In Love, Charlie Brown. I'll still be looking for more Peanuts vinyl in the future. Amazon has the release for You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown listed for next month, and I'd love to pick up Great Pumpkin and A Boy Named Charlie Brown, too. (And if these do well, I have my fingers crossed that we'll get Easter Beagle and the Valentine's specials somewhere along the line.) 

Finished the night after a shower with dinner and tonight's YouTube game show marathon. Match Game took a backseat tonight as Match Game Productions honored the late Peter Marshall with some of the most famous existing episodes of Hollywood Squares. The earliest existing episode features Marshall's lovely sister Joanne Drew and Rose-Marie protesting being left out of Peter's reference to "beautiful girls." Buddy Hackett was the center square in an infamous 1968 episode where he surprised himself by being right about a question on where the most doctors come from. 

By the early 70's, Paul Lynde had taken over as permanent resident of the center square. His seemingly off-the-cuff quips may have been scripted, but that didn't make them less hilarious. His most famous may have been his response to Peter's question about teeth that stuck out - "Look who's talking, Beaver Face!" The rest of the panel ran with it, making beaver jokes for the rest of the episode. He could be even funnier on the occasional Storybook Squares episodes. I've seen the ones where he played Frankenstein and Atilla the Hun, but the later "Hollywood Squares Party" episode with Mel Brooks as his Native Chief character from Blazing Saddles and Lynde as the world's least-likely Musketeer is new to me. 

Peter had one last blaze of glory on Squares. He finally got the chance to sit in the center square during the 2002 game show week of the late 90's-early 2000's Squares revival. Tom Bergeron stepped down on the only available episode and let Peter ask the questions...and Peter rolled right into it as if he'd never stopped, with a panel that included Jim Lange, Jimmie Walker, and Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers sitting together for the last time. 

You won't be square if you check out the very best from the Master of the Squares himself!

Peter Marshall Tribute - Featuring The Best of Hollywood Squares (1967-2003)

Night of the Counterculture Cut-Ups

Began the morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. Mystery Inc is in Mexico for a small town's annual fiesta. They're disappointed when a professor and his wife announce that "The Fiesta Host Is an Aztec Ghost" that's scaring visitors away from the nearby temple. Shaggy and Scooby dodge the huge ghost of King Montezuma and his moving statue minion while the other three figure out what it is that Montezuma is really after.

Switched to Press Your Luck while making my grocery list. I came in during the second half...and apparently, the Whammies were so thick in the first half, everyone ended up with two each and no money. One of the women got hit with Whammies and dropped out early. The man just kept winning...until he was hit, leaving the other lady as the only one who didn't get that one last Whammy. 

Headed out after that. Got to Collingswood Family Medicine with barely any time to spare. Things went much better than it has the last time I talked to Dr. Jessica. The blood pressure medicine is working well, I lost a few pounds, and I've enjoyed my walking trips around South Jersey and Philadelphia this summer. I was in such a good mood, she said I wouldn't need to come every two weeks anymore. I signed up to come in November and went on my way.

Made my way across Collingswood and Newton Lake Park and down Cuthbert to Sprouts next. I got to the Westmont Plaza just ahead of the crowds. I didn't need much at Sprouts anyway. Most of the peaches I bought from there last week went bad before I could eat them, so I bought plums instead. Zevia soda and my usual coconut milk were on sale, and I found very orange mango cookies for a good price. 

My next stop was the Westmont Acme. Mostly needed to restock granola bars and yogurt here. I had online coupons for the Made Good bars, for Oikos Protein yogurt, and for sugar-free Chobani. Bought a small tuna steak for dinner tonight and cooked shrimp and cocktail sauce for dinner tomorrow, with slices of pumpkin roll cake for dessert. The Culture Pop remains on sale; got Watermelon Lime and Strawberry Rhubarb. Picked up bagels for lunch this week and water for the trip home.

Ducked around the park this time, going down Cuthbert to Johnson Avenue, and then the White Horse Pike. It was a bit of a hot ride. It's not killer hot and humid like it was a few weeks ago, but it was still warmer than it has been. I quickly bought a pepperoni-stuffed pretzel and soda at A&A Pretzel Shop and was on my way.

Went straight upstairs and into lunch and Buzzr when I got home. I've seen the Sale of the Century Back to School week before, but I didn't mind catching it again. The kids were neck-and-neck for both shows, even after they bought trips, desks, and computers. A pretty and very smart blond cheerleader won in the first episode. The second just barely went to a sweet Asian artist. Neither girl won the grand prize jeep and trip to the Olympics. That ultimately went to a tall, handsome blond boy. 

Put on The Wild Wild West after I ate. "The Night of the Deadly Blossom" has Jim West and Artemis Gordon fearing for the life of the King of Hawaii after four military officers die mysteriously and a cruiser is sunk. Someone is determined to eliminate the king, and while Artemis works as a stevedore, Jim joins an attractive Hawaiian agent to find out what his real plan is.

Got my schedule at this point. In good news, slightly more hours. Two early days, but they're not on Saturday. I'll finally get back to the Collingswood Farm Market. I also ordered a new bike basket from Amazon. The part of the old one that held the basket away from the bike finally broke while going from Sprouts to the Acme. It's been breaking for a while, but I put off buying a basket because I can never find one I like around here. 

Worked on adding to the inventory for the next few hours. Did The Lion King, Tangled, the Disney Tarzan, the two Television's Greatest Hits sets, the Judy Garland A Star Is Born, the film version of Thoroughly Modern Millie, the Time-Life Movie Classics two-disc set, and When Harry Met Sally. I'll finish the soundtracks tomorrow with the Classic Disney collections, then start in on the cast albums.

Broke to make the tuna with leftover pasta primavera around 6:30. Watched Match Game Syndicated while I cooked. Anita Gillette appeared on these episodes for the first time since 1973. I'm not so sure it was a good idea to put Bart Braverman and Debralee Scott next to each other. They spent the week getting on each other's nerves. 

Finished the night with Laugh-In. The Monkees appeared on the show in 1969, when it was down to Micky, Davy, and Mike. Considering how weird their own show was, they fit in quite well there. The regular cast began the show making hot dog and chicken jokes in old-fashioned bathing suits. The Monkees played judge and lawyers in a case involving airplanes that are too noisy, while Davy had to contend with his salesman band-mates getting between him and Goldie Hawn. 

Peter Marshall dealt with his own cut-ups on the nighttime Hollywood Squares. Paul Lynde takes firm command of the center square here. The second episode, with Rose-Marie chiding John Davison for his bad answers, is especially cute.

You don't need to climb a skyscraper to honor the Master of the Squares!

Peter Marshall Tribute - Hollywood Squares Nighttime 1975

Let the Sunshine In

Kicked off my morning with breakfast and the last of the new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood episodes. "Daniel and O Make Deliveries," until the wheel on the wagon they were using comes off. Mrs. Tiger encourages them to come up with other ways of delivering the mail. "Jodi Makes a Boat With Max" out of bark and leaves at the park and is proud when it floats very well.

Hurried off as Daniel Tiger ended. There was a lot I wanted to do today, starting with a quick run to WaWa for money and a Propel. Headed down Atlantic to the Collingswood PATCO station. They're still working on the sidewalk outside and the escalator inside, so I parked my bike on the other side of the station. I got upstairs less than two minutes before the train to Philadelphia arrived.

I had less luck once I got off the train at the Fashion District. I thought SEPTA bus 48 went to Fishtown, but it would seem that it didn't. I walked around for an hour and a half in and around the mall, trying to figure out how I was going to get to Frankford Street. Finally ended up hopping on the train at the Fashion District and getting off at Giraud Avenue. 

Even after I got off, I still got turned around. Fishtown is an odd mix of old brownstones and brand-new apartment buildings that all look alike. It took me 20 more minutes to find the Philadelphia Record Exchange, but it was worth it when I finally got there. They had a lot of records packed into a long, relatively narrow space. I hit the bonanza on cast albums and soundtracks, all but one of which was a dollar. Found some Who I'd been looking for here, too:

The original Broadway cast albums for Walking Happy, Darling of the Day, and Wish You Were Here, and a double cast album for Arms and the Girl and Look Ma, I'm Dancin'!

The soundtracks for the TV musical The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood and the movie version of The Band Wagon

The Who - The Who Sell Out 

At least it was a gorgeous day for all the running around I did. Warmer than it has been, but still nothing like the past few weeks, sunny and slightly humid but nothing outrageous. It wasn't even windy, and there were only a few fleecy clouds in the sky. 

Started down Frankford Avenue to find somewhere for lunch, stopping briefly at a small community rose garden to check Google Maps. I'd just passed a bar when I turned around, tripped over a raised part of the sidewalk, and went sprawling. The worst that happened to the records was the cover for Walking Happy got a little bent, but I didn't get that lucky. My left knee was badly scraped and bloody. My left knuckle was also a little scraped, though nothing like the knee. My shoulder and wrist were a little sore, but I could move them fine and carried my bag to the Bottle East Bar with no trouble.

I stumbled past coolers filled with every kind of beer and liquor and stumbled over to the tables to take care of my knee and knuckle. The bartender and the waiter were really sweet. They offered me a band-aid and help cleaning up. I had wipes and a bandage in my backpack, but I appreciated the thought. The bartender even complimented my Pokemon backpack. I enjoyed my decent burger and perfectly crispy fries while half-listening to them organize the beer coolers.

After all that, I figured it was time to move on. I headed back to Giraud Avenue and picked up the train there. In fact, I got on the wrong train. Thankfully, I caught it at the Berks station and got on the right one to Spring Garden. 

I got turned around when I got off in Northern Liberties, too, but I caught on quicker this time and was at Creep Records within 10 minutes. Creep Records was a much smaller, younger-skewering collection of mainly hip-hop and hard and punk rock records, though they did carry CDs, DVDs, and t-shirts, too. Their prices weren't as good as Philadelphia Record Exchange, either. I didn't do nearly as well here. Walked out with three records:

The soundtrack from the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only

Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Greatest Hits

WDAS-FM Black Rock, a collection of R&B and rock hits by black artists put out by local R&B and soul station WDAS in the 70's. (Research reveals WDAS is still around, and in fact remains an R&B and soul station to this day.)

After my close encounter with the pavement in Fishtown, I wasn't taking chances. I walked a block to the outdoor seating at The 700 restaurant and called Uber to get me crosstown to Samson Street. The quiet Asian gentleman picked me up in less than two minutes. He managed to dodge some traffic in and around Chinatown and got me there within 20 minutes. 

This time, I started at Circa Gallery, that awesome thrift shop in the middle of Sansom Street. That's why I stopped at the WaWa in Collingswood. The sweet older owner doesn't take credit cards, and he had some terrific soundtrack records I really wanted. Didn't see any books this time, but I did walk out with: 

The soundtracks from The Fleet's In, Hello Frisco Hello, The Dolly Sisters, and Tin Pan Alley, and a double soundtrack for Springtime In the Rockies and Sweet Rosie O'Grady

I only dug up two CDs this time, but they were the soundtrack for Deep In My Heart and the original Broadway revival cast album for A Connecticut Yankee with Eddie Albert and Vivienne Segal 

Headed across the street next to Long In the Tooth Records. Unlike when I visited last month, they were open. They may have been the best record store I've visited in Philly yet. Much larger than most of the others, with a terrific selection. Like Creep, they also carried DVDs and CDs. They had an equally wonderful soundtrack and movie collection, though a little higher-priced than Philadelphia Record Exchange, and the owner was a sweetheart, too. I finally walked out with:

The soundtrack for the 1957 TV musical version of Ruggles of Red Gap with Michael Redgrave and Jane Powell

The original Broadway cast albums for House of Flowers and On the Twentieth Century

Ben Bagley's Leonard Bernstein Revisited, a collection of songs cut from Bernstein shows, from flops, and from his ballets.

The Beatles - Beatles for Sale (This was far pricier than the others, but it was also nearly new.) 

The Who - The Who By the Numbers

By this time, it was 4:30. I was tired and sore, and not up to the hike back to 8th Street I did last month. I took the PATCO from the closer 16th and Locust instead. The train was right on time, and I was back in Collingswood by quarter of 5. 

As soon as I got home, I put on Hair while I got organized. I go into further details on the film versions of the "American Tribal Love Rock Musical" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Hair

Switched to Match Game Syndicated while eating leftovers for dinner. Lee Merriweather, Bill Daily, and Betty White join in to hear Charles and the audience insult one of Brett's less-amusing answers. The others join to help with "Still __" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night with tributes to original Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall, who passed away today. Marshall started out on Broadway and did a musical with Julie Harris and Charles Nelson Reilly in 1965. In Skyscraper, Harris plays the daydreaming owner of an antique store who is in danger of losing her brownstone home to a contractor. She fantasizes about her fussy manager (Reilly), but ends up with the contractor (Marshall). Truth be told, this isn't that great of a musical, though Marshall does get the best song, "Everybody Has a Right To Be Wrong." 

The owner of the Match Game Productions site put together a short marathon of two classic Hollywood Squares episodes later in the evening. The older one from 1968 has Buddy Hackett in the center square, along with Abby Dalton, Wally Cox, Paul Lynde, and Charley Weaver. Cox stuck around for a mid-70's nighttime show and Lynde moved to his permanent position in the center square. Other wisecrackers in this episode included Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Rose-Marie, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Vincent Price. (And I really dig the catchy theme music used during the beginning and end of the marathon!)

You're never fully dressed without a smile when you join Marshall and his tic-tac-toe merrymakers in this hilarious marathon!

Peter Marshall Tribute - Peter's Favorite Episodes of Hollywood Squares