Took the laundry downstairs and loaded it into the wash, then stripped the sheets and quilt off the bed and brought them downstairs, too. It's been days since I've needed the air conditioner, and I actually went to bed cold last night. Though it is supposed to warm up later in the week, I suspect it won't get that warm at night anymore.
Did some things online, then went for a walk. Stopped at Dollar General first. I was able to get the wipes I wanted there and another bottle of Oreo Coke Zero, but I couldn't find the humidifiers I wanted. Didn't see them at Family Dollar, either.
Finally ended up at Jalapeno's Bar and Grill for lunch. They're one of only three restaurants on the White Horse Pike to be open on Mondays, and I wasn't in the mood for Capitol Pizza. I ate outside, on their patio. Though it was a gorgeous day, sunny and a little warmer than it has been, it was also very windy! Napkins and plates blew away. Not to mention, Jalapeno's isn't known for the fast service. It took forever for them to take my shrimp quesadilla order, and then even longer to take it away. At least the quesadilla was yummy, with lots of cheese and tasty little shrimp.
Headed home after lunch. Put the laundry in the dryer and the sheets in the washer, then Swiftered the stairs and put everything away. Listened to my two new Who albums while I worked. The Who Sells Out was their first shot at a concept album, a parody of the offshore rock stations in England at the time. It gets so into the spoof, the tracks include fake commercials for Heinz Baked Beans and deodorant, along with goofy public-service announcements. The songs are closer to what would actually have been heard on those stations in 1967. "I Can See For Miles" would become the Who's biggest-ever single, and is still associated with them to this day. Other good numbers include "Armenia City In the Sky" and "Relax."
The Who By the Numbers came out in 1975, by which time the band had just finished their Quadrophenia tour and were tired as heck. Pete Townsend was working through writer's block and worried that he and the others were losing relevance in the music world, and that carries into songs that are more introspective than usual. That goes a long way to explaining the unusual, almost country sound to this album. There's some great work for a guy who had a hard time writing songs at this point. "Squeeze Box" was the hit, but I like "Dreaming From the Waist" and "How Many Friends."
Brought the laundry upstairs, then made the bed with the spring/fall sheets and comforter. Worked on the inventory for a while after that. Added the British operetta Robert and Elizabeth, The Robber Bridegroom, the 1952 studio cast of Roberta, Noel Coward's last show Sail Away with Elaine Stritch, the off-Broadway show The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Seesaw, and the original 1776. The only one that I can't remember where I got it from is Roberta. I'm pretty sure I picked that up in Philly, but I'm not sure anymore. Seesaw came from the Collingswood Book Festival in 2018. Sail Away goes back the furthest. I found it at Russakof's Used Books and Records in June 2010.
Switched to Match Game '79 during dinner. They're down to the final episodes of the 1973-1979 CBS run. I have no idea why these shows weren't seen anywhere but New York until 2001. There's nothing offensive, and some of the gags are fun. For one thing, Bart Braverman made his debut in the last week. In the first episode, Elaine Joyce argues over the difference between whipped cream and Cool Whip and Brianne Leary does her best Herve Villenchance impression. The second had Marcia Wallace answering "__ Island" in the Head-to-Head.
Finished the night on YouTube honoring the anniversary of The Joker's Wild, which began September 1972. Jack Barry and his partner Dan Enright had been tinkering with this one since the late 60's. Barry pitched it when he worked for Goodson and Todman, but they rejected it. He and Enright had been hit hard by the quiz show scandals in the late 50's, which is why CBS was iffy on him hosting it. Allen Ludden hosted the 1969 pilots. Their first choice, Bob Barker, finally went to the revamped Price Is Right, and they gave Barry a trial run.
Joker's Wild was one of three CBS shows that debuted that fall, along with Price and Gambit, that redefined what a game show could be. An enormous slot machine rolled jokers and five categories. If they get one or more categories, they have to answer a question from that category. If they get jokers, they can use them as wild cards to match categories for double or triple the dollar amount, or save them for later. The bonus round allowed the winner to spin for increasing dollar amounts and avoid the devil.
Joker's Wild was a hit right off the gate against an aging Dinah Shore talk show. It had more trouble in the ratings once the equally popular Celebrity Sweepstakes moved opposite it. The CBS run ended in 1975, but it remained big enough for syndication to pick it up in September 1977. It proved far more popular and sustainable there, running until 1986. There was even a children's version, Joker! Joker! Joker!, in 1979. Barry hosted until 1984. Bill Cullen took over after his death, but he was really too slow and amiable for the lightning-fast pace of this show. (In fact, Bill retired shortly after the show's run ended.)
The Joker's Wild was one of the many shows to turn up again in 1990...and it didn't work out any better than Match Game '90 or Tic Tac Dough. The set traded 70's neutrals for 90's pastels and was frankly ugly. Pat Finn now asked terms for the contestants to define instead of regular questions, and they spun cash amounts instead of categories. The lowest-scoring contestant was eliminated at the end of the round. Finn wasn't horrible, but he wasn't the right guy to add excitement to this. The new rules were so strange that the original question-and-answer format was reinstated for the final week of the run.
Apparently, rapper Snoop Dog was a big fan of this show as a kid and headlined the most recent revival on TBS and TNT in 2017. The categories are back, the play is closer to the original show, and the neon set is actually sort of cool...but Snoop Dogg is annoying, and most of the questions are about him or his buddies in the music industry. Fine if you're a fan of his, kind of weird if you're not.
(And I wouldn't mind seeing this series again, preferably without Snoop Dogg. I think there's a lot more life left in spinning wheels and answering jackpot questions.)
Spin that wheel and look for that creepy joker with rappers and producers in the fastest and most heart-pounding slot machine game ever!
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