You're Not Elected In New Jersey, Charlie Brown

Began the morning with breakfast and Doc McStuffins. "Doc McStuffins Goes to Washington" when she's one of several kids who are invited on a tour of the White House by then-first lady Michelle Obama. She tries to help a stuffed otter who has gotten damaged, but chases after her instead when she goes looking for her owner. "Winded Winnie" is a toy tiger that's supposed to blow up balloons, but is having a hard time creating wind. Doc discovers she has dust in her tubes after having been in the attic for a long time and teaches her about how asthma works in humans and why it's important to clear out one's lungs.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. First of all, I'm going to say that I intend to keep my voting and my politics private. I don't really think personal politics are something that should be discussed in a public arena. I'd rather listen to people on both sides of the political divide. 

Second, I headed to Collingswood for a stroll, some Christmas shopping, and to enjoy a beautiful day. Stopped at Collingswood Music first. I only had a few minutes to check them out during the Book Festival last month. They and Innergroove are also among the very few stores in Collingswood that are open on Tuesdays. (Collingswood Music only closes on Mondays.) They still have a lot of really good Bond soundtracks, and I dug up an interesting jazz collection, too. I came up with: 

The soundtrack from You Only Live Twice

The Rascals - Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits

Riverside: The Soul of Jazz - 1961

Headed a few blocks down to Groove Ground Coffee House. I was hoping they'd have pastries or sandwiches, like Starbucks and Common Ground. All they had was an egg sandwich on a bagel, so I took that on a spinach bagel with bacon and a frozen hot chocolate. The frozen hot chocolate was sweet, and the sandwich was filling, at least. They were the quietest I'd ever seen them, even for 1:30 in the afternoon. Two college students and an older couple who seemed to be regulars came in as I ate. I also fished the soundtrack from The Fabulous Baker Boys out of their record racks. 

Made my way across the street next to pick up a drink at WaWa. Ended up with a Mountain Dew Baja Blast Zero. Stopped at the little bath shop a few doors down to look at Christmas gifts. Ended up getting a little something for Lauren and Amanda. 

Made my way down to the Collingswood Library next to look at their books for sale. I found another recent American Girl cookbook, this one revolving around Christmas baking. Trouble was, I forgot I gave my last paper dollar to Groove Ground as a tip. I had to dig out change instead. 

After that, I figured I'd better go home, before I did something else wrong. Opted to take the long way across Newton Lake Park, past the mimosa trees and the field and where the playground used to be. It was too nice to not linger a little bit. The sun was still shining, and it was a little too warm, in the mid-70's, but windy enough to keep me cool.

Went straight upstairs after I got in and put on Hallelujah, I'm a Bum. I go further into this unique political semi-opera from 1933 with Al Jolson as the leader of a group of homeless people in New York who falls for a mysterious young woman at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Election Day Special - Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

Switched to political-themed sitcom episodes while finishing the dusting and wiping down the windows and electronics. Mike runs for "Monkee Mayor" in The Monkees when the current mayor condemns the homes of their neighbors to build a parking lot. The corrupt construction owner Mr. Zecknbush thinks he can buy Mike out, but Mike ends up being the one who really wins when he admits the truth.

Richie learns how politics works when he falls for a girl who is campaigning for Democrat Adelai Stevenson in "The Not-Making of the President" from the second season of Happy Days. Staunch Republican and Eisenhower fan Howard Cunningham is shocked at his son changing sides. He's ready to mock  his attempt at a political rally speech...until he realizes Fonzie is giving the speech for the opposing side.

"The Election" is nothing but a headache for the cops on Barney Miller. They're all trying to get to the polls, but keep getting called back by half the loonies in New York doing the same thing. A shoplifter asks to be released so he can vote, and a housewife (Brett Somers) threw a toilet out the window because her husband wouldn't let her vote Republican.

It's "Carlson for President" on WKRP In Cincinnati when Arthur runs for city council. He looks like a lock, until he accidentally blurts damaging information about one of his competitors on the air during a debate. He's so upset about it, he tries to throw the election.

The Peanuts have their own problems on the campaign trail in You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown. Lucy's polls show that Chuck has no chance of becoming school president, so they nominate Linus instead. He's ahead in the polls, until he starts in on his favorite subject, the Great Pumpkin. Even later, he learns that making campaign promises you have no intention of or ability to keep may get you that big title, but they won't make you terribly popular once you're there.

Finished the night after a shower with more of the CDs I've picked up recently. Flora the Red Menace was Liza Minnelli's first big role, along with one of the earliest scores by John Kander and Fred Ebb. All their embryonic talents are on display in the story of an art student in the early 30's who joins the Communist Party after she falls for a guy who's also involved. This is really strange, but Minnelli stands out in two good songs, the lovely "A Quiet Girl" and the big finale "Sing Happy."

I've come to appreciate the genius of jazz pioneer Miles Davis over the past few months, listening to his music late at night on YouTube.  The Best of the Capitol/Blue Notes Years collects some of his most popular early work for the labels. Some of the better numbers here include "Dear Old Stockholm," "Tempus Fugit," "It Never Entered My Mind," and "Somethin' Else." 

Dolls In the Autumn Sunshine

Got started with brunch and PAW Patrol. Mayor Humdinger steals Farmer Yumi's honey and bee hives when he wants honey for his crumpets and won't wait for it to be ready. The "Pups Save the Honey" when the bees get loose and chase Humdinger out of his cave hideout. Mayor Goodway is upset when two seagulls steal her purse with her beloved avian pet Chickaletta inside. It's a team effort when the "Pups Save Mayor Goodway's Purse" and rescue Chickaletta from a dunking at the beach.

Headed out to run errands after the cartoon ended. I've been coughing like crazy for over a week now. I have no idea why. I otherwise feel fine. Went to Dollar General first and picked up a birthday card for my sister Anna (it's Sunday), toilet paper, two more of those moisture eliminators, and an Oreo Coke Zero when my throat got dry. Grabbed cough medicine at CVS, along with Christmas ornaments for Amanda and Lauren.

Strolled across Oaklyn and down to West Clinton for lunch. Opted for a spinach-feta pastry, a raspberry "chuffin" (a cinnamon roll baked in a muffin pan), and an unsweetened peach iced tea for lunch at Common Grounds. They were really busy, too. I was barely able to find a seat. It seemed to be mainly college students chatting or working on laptops.

Took the laundry downstairs when I got home, then put on The Monkees. "The Audition" has the guys trying to audition for a big-time producer after they fail to get an invitation to his office. What they don't know is, he's looking for them when his secretary plays a tape they made of Mike's "Sweet Young Thing." The guys do everything they can to get into him, while he does everything he can to find the band with that great sound. The episode ends with a genuinely interesting interview discussing a series of riots in LA over curfew that Micky Dolenz witnessed in real-life. (And Davy Jones makes an equally-good point that no one will listen to him, as he was under 21 - barely 20 - at the time.)

Pulled out the dolls' boxes to dress them for November after the episode ended. Samantha, Molly, and Josefina wear the outfits they originally came in. Molly is in her argyle sweater and blue skirt with saddle shoes, Sam's in her mauve checked dress with black boots, and Josefina is in her red and brown print skirt. I have a hard time squeezing Felicity into her blue and yellow brocade dress (the outfit the most recent version of her doll came in), but she looks so pretty in the silky turquoise and gold print that it's worth it. 

Jessa's in the original "modern" magenta leggings and denim vest from 1995 and the AG flower print long-sleeved T-shirt from 2004 with Springfield Collection denim sneakers. Ariel wears the beaded flared jeans from the 2004 meet outfit with a blue and teal square-necked peasant blouse and the tan boots Whitney originally came in. I love that soft red flower print dress with the attached cardigan I found for Whitney at the Cottage Resale Shoppe two years ago. It's so soft and comfy, I wish it came in grown-up sizes (without the attached cardigan). Kit's thick brown knitted cardigan and plaid wrap skirt came off eBay. Barbara Jean looks elegant for school in her black and magenta mini-dress with the white top, black velvet collar, and soft red-violet jacket, with black velvet strap shoes borrowed from Jess.

Listened to the Rolling Stones greatest hits albums I picked up last month while I worked. Hot Rocks 1964-1971 is the better of the two and is in slightly better shape. You can't argue with some of their best and most famous work, including "Gimmie Shelter," "Satisfaction," "Paint It Black," "Under My Thumb," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and a live "Midnight Rambler." Despite the scratches, I'll hang onto this one.

Not only do I think More Hot Rocks (Big Hits and Fazed Cookies) isn't as good of a collection, the albums and their covers were in terrible shape. All four the albums were rather badly scratched, but this one had skips, too, and the covers had obviously gotten wet at one point and were badly stained. Despite having a few good songs (among them "She's a Rainbow" and their version of "Not Fade Away"), this isn't worth keeping. I'm going to leave it with the trash tomorrow and be more careful about buying records from overpriced antique shops in the future.

Brought the laundry upstairs to put it away, then had dinner while watching Match Game '78. They're really skipping around now. Richard Dawson finally left by this point, replaced here by cheerful David Doyle and ever-rhyming Nipsey Russell. I'm a bit surprised Gene couldn't figure out the top answer for "__ of Steel," even though he was around when a certain superhero in a red cape and S first debuted.

Finished the night at YouTube with game shows revolving around movie and TV trivia. Movie trivia shows apparently go back to radio, where any station could ask its audience questions about the latest hit film at the neighborhood theater. One of the earliest on TV was Bank on the Stars, which had contestants trying to remember what happened in clips from recent films. I dug up an early episode of its second run hosted by Bill Cullen. 

Most movie and trivia game shows tended to be simple, cheap affairs, like The Movie Game from 1969. Contestants teamed up with two celebrities to answer movie questions. In the second round, the celebrities would act out clues to a person or movie that the contestant would have to guess. Dick Martin and Dan Rowan at the height of their Laugh-In fame are joined by Greer Garson and a young Sharon Farrell. Nothing earth-shaking, but the game play was fun.

The Hollywood Game was designed for summer night's viewing. This is basically movie Jeopardy, with the contestants answering questions from categories and the fourth round involving them guessing an answer and betting on the response. The bonus round had contestants guessing nine pictures in a category. An obvious imitation Jeopardy, with Bob Goen hosting, likely intended to be summer prime time filler. No wonder this would be the last nighttime game show until the short-lived Big Deal in 1996.

Beat the Geek on Comedy Central in 2001 was a lot more fun. Three contestants answer questions tossed out by "geeks," men and women who specialize in certain facets of pop culture such as movies, TV, or Simpsons episodes. The second round has the contestants and the Geeks facing off against each other answering trivia. If the contestant answers more questions correctly than the Geek, they get the Geek's medal. Winner faces off in a category against a Geek. Yeah, if you know pop culture like these guys, you'll probably get as much of a kick out of this as I did.

Comedy Central wasn't the only cable channel who tried to get in on the movie trivia games...but AMC and PAX struck out with their chintzy efforts. The Movie Masters on AMC in 1989 had Gene Rayburn in his last show hosting a panel answering movie trivia questions for home viewers. PAX's The Reel to Reel Picture Show from 1998 was based on (and made to sell) a Canadian board game. This time, a contestant and a celebrity worked together to answer a series of questions from randomly chosen subject. The bonus round had them answering a question that revealed a clue to a famous movie or person. Winner got a trip, or they were supposed to. The company that produced the show went belly-up after five weeks had been filmed. No one got paid (including host Peter Marshall), and most didn't get their prizes. 

MTV was far better-equipped to handle pop culture trivia games. Their first game show, Remote Control, had three college kids strapped into recliners answering TV and music trivia. The last kid standing (literally, given the other two are dragged into the walls) finishes the show by guessing which singer performs in a series of quick music video shots. The series was developed and hosted by Ken Ober, playing a geek living in his mother's basement with his strange friends (including a very young Adam Sandler). This was a big hit in the late 80's and remains a blast to watch today, especially if you know anything about 80's music or TV trivia.

The syndicated Couch Potatoes from 1989 was very similar, only here, two teams played on a bright-colored set made to resemble a living room of the time. Marc Summers is the host asking TV trivia questions, with Joe Alaskey as his announcer neighbor. I remember getting a kick out of this when I caught it on USA later in 1989, and the amusingly informal game play makes it still really fun to watch today.

Beat these pop culture geeks and test your knowledge of movies and TV with these tough trivia shows!

Bank on the Stars (1954)

The Movie Game (1969)

Remote Control (1988)

Couch Potatoes Pilot (1989)

The Movie Masters (1989)

The Hollywood Game (1992) 

The Reel to Reel Picture Show (1998)

Beat the Geeks (2001)

The Eagles Pound On the Jaguars

Began the morning with breakfast and America: The Complete Greatest Hits. The country-rock group is an old favorite of mine. I remember hearing many of their song on the Saturday night oldies radio show as a child. They had some of the biggest hits of the 70's and early 80's with "A Horse With No Name," "Sandman," "Ventura Highway," "Tin Man," "Sister Golden Hair," "Daisy Jane," and "You Can Do Magic." 

Headed off to work after I ate. Work was a mess from start to end. We were so busy! There were lines down the aisles for most of the afternoon. It's the beginning of the month, and a lot of people may be starting to think Thanksgiving, too. I had a hard time keeping up with sweeping and cleaning up spills and doing the carts until another bagger came in later and took over the trash and sweeping. Focused on the carts for the rest of the afternoon.

Soon as I got home, I changed and vacuumed and Swiftered the rooms. Listened to the soundtrack from You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, which I picked up from Amazon yesterday, as I worked. Once again, this isn't the best-known Peanuts score, but it does have some good things. That's Vince Guaraldi himself supplying the laid-back vocals for the ode to Snoopy's "Joe Cool" persona, and there's the "Incumbent Waltz" that opens the album.

Did some dusting while listening to Oh Kay! This is part of a series of LPs the Smithsonian put out from 1977 to 1982 to explore older musicals that debuted before the advent of the full-on cast albums. Truth be told, this isn't really an accurate "cast album," either. It's mainly either George Gershwin playing his own music, or star Gertrude Lawrence singing them. The hits "Do, Do, Do," "Someone to Watch Over Me," and "Clap Yo' Hands" are repeated constantly throughout the run time. At least it does give you the character of the era and an idea of what this sounded like at the time.

Switched to Paramount Plus for the Eagles-Jaguars game. To be honest, the Jaguars have won two games so far this season, and this one didn't help matters. They played badly in the first two quarters and were down 17 - 0 by halftime. They did come back, but not enough to get past the Eagles, who won 28 - 23.

Finished the night after a shower and dinner on YouTube for the Match Game Sunday Classics marathon. Grumpy character actor Richard Deacon started on Match Game in 1974, during a wild week that also included Nipsey Russell and Gunilla Hutton. He appeared sporadically through the syndicated run in 1981, with one last final appearance with the rest of the Leave It To Beaver cast on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour a few weeks before his death in 1984. 

For all his grouchiness and touchiness about his lack of hair, Deacon was one of the better players in the first seat. In fact, Nipsey and George Kennedy were probably the only semi-regulars who did better there. He won at least three people big money, including a $10,000 in a PM episode. He got to see Bob Barker and Gene Rayburn moon over nubile young Charlene Tilton late in 1979 and and was there for the New Year's week in 1977 and 1978 when Fannie Flagg sat in for Brett Somers and kept claiming Brett was in jail. (She was actually out doing a play.)

Get to know Dick Van Dyke's boss and Lumpy's dad in this very funny marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Best of Richard Deacon

Angels and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II. I go further into this lukewarm follow-up to one of Disney's more underrated movies at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hunchback of Notre Dame II

Stayed at Disney Plus for Sailor Moon Crystal as I got ready for work. "Moon" encompasses the episode where a hologram of Queen Serenity explains about the Silver Millennium and how it was destroyed. Though most of the episode is pretty similar to the original version, it diverges significantly at the end. The Guardians fight the Four Dark Knights (all of whom are still alive), and though they don't sway them to their side, they don't kill them, either. It does end the same, though, with evil Queen Beryl brainwashing Tuxedo Mask...

Headed off to work after the show ended. Thanks to it being the beginning of a holiday-heavy month, we were crazy all day. I spent most of the time sweeping and pushing carts. One of the managers did help me with the carts at one point, but I was largely alone. Had a hard time keeping up with them. I was still having a hard time when I finally finished. Grabbed a vanilla-glazed donut too, since they're doing free donuts this weekend. 

When I got home, I put on Charlie's Angels while I got organized. The girls are recruited to keep an eye on a bodybuilder who is competing for the title of "Mr. Galaxy," but has been plagued by suspicious accidents. There's a long list of suspects who would want him out of the competition, from the gangster he used to box for to the man who has won Mr. Galaxy six years running and has gambling debts to deal with. Julie and Bosley join the country club where his competition works, while Kris trains with him and Kelly snoops around as a reporter for a health magazine.

Finished the night on YouTube with today's Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. Match Game has always been popular with the LGBTQ community, thanks to its many gay panelists and references to sexuality. Some early episodes tossed out a few references that weren't so pleasant. Dick Gautier and Brett Somers give now-offensive answers in two 1973 episodes that have those two shows banned from the airwaves. Likewise, Dear Abby's answer is the reason her PM episode can't be found anywhere but YouTube. Elaine Joyce and Bobby Van use similar language in reference to a question about what Batman and Robin do together.

Other references have dated far better. Many episodes bash anti-gay country singer and star of orange juice commercials Anita Bryant, especially ones where Charles Nelson Reilly was involved. Goes without saying that he wasn't a fan of questions involving her. Other gay panelists who turned up on the show included Richard Deacon, Fannie Flagg, Nancy Kulp, Tab Hunter, and Wesley Eure. 

Have a "gay ol' time" with some of the most famous LGBTQ panelists in the show's history...and some of its most infamous moments.

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - A Gay Ol' Time

Strawberry Girls

Began the morning with breakfast and the 2003 Strawberry Shortcake. Strawberry and her friends are scared out of their wits by a walk through a dark forest and the old house they see there. Honey Pie Pony's stories about "The Blueberry Beast" don't help matters. When the other kids run away, Strawberry finally decides to confront the "beast" herself...and learn that sometimes, an old house is an old house, and there's really nothing to be afraid of.

Called Uber after Strawberry ended. It was getting late, and I wanted to get to the Cherry Hill Mall quickly. The driver arrived within 7 minutes. There was no traffic anywhere, not even on Route 70. He pulled in at Nordstrom's front entrance 20 minutes later.

I mainly came here for their last job fair of the year. It was a major bust. Sun Newspapers was the only business that even remotely interested me, and they still only want salespeople. Everything else was health or police-related. They didn't have nearly the room that they usually did, too. Most of their space was taken up by the small but admittedly quite detailed Santa's Workshop Santa meet and greet area. 

Had slightly more luck elsewhere in the mall. Peeked in The Lego Store, Build-a-Bear, Miniso, and Rumi Life, but didn't buy anything. Got my nephew Khai's Christmas present at FYE, along with candy for Amanda and a double record collection of the lesser-known Beach Boys albums Sunflower and Surf's Up called the Feel Flows Sessions, the latter for only $15. Grabbed a Peanuts calendar for next year at Go! Calendars and Toys. Had a quick but tasty apple, cranberry, and blue cheese salad and half of a chicken salad sandwich from Saladworks in the food court for lunch.

After lunch, I took one more look at the job fair, but they were starting to shut down by then. Hiked up the stairs and over the foot bridge to the shopping center across the street instead. I wanted to do some grocery shopping at Target. They have the Made Good granola bars for cheaper than anyone else. I've seen a holiday-themed 12 pack of Kind water in apple cinnamon, peppermint bark, spiced pear, and citrus berry at the Acme, but I wasn't able to get it home. The one at Target had a 2-dollar off coupon. I'd call Uber. Also grabbed treat bags for the Mystery Bags next year and the record soundtrack for How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I've wanted it for years, but even used copies tend to be pricey. 

It was past 3 PM when I finally got out of Target. Contacted Uber...but saw the ridiculous prices just to get home from Target and walked down to Kohl's, which is closer to the entrance. The price was still a bit much, but not as bad. At least the driver only took 8 minutes to arrive. There was some traffic on Cuthbert Road coming off the Cooper River Bridge, but it was clear after that. 

Put on The Monkees at home while putting everything away. It's "Too Many Girls" when Davy becomes the target of a scheming stage mother (Reta Shaw) who is desperate for the diminutive Englishman to partner with her daughter Fern (Kelly Jean Peters). She reads tea leaves and makes her predictions come true...but the guys aren't about to let their friend and lead singer walk out on them. They join the amateur hour contest that Davy and Fern are performing in and sabotage their act.

"Son of a Gypsy" has dated less well today. Maria (Jeanne Arnold) and her colorful if stereotypical band of thieving gypsies are angry when the Monkees get a party gig at a mansion. They lure the four to the camp, then kidnap Peter to force them to help steal the priceless Maltese Vulture from the lady who hired them.

Took down the Halloween decorations and put up what I have for Thanksgiving next. I like Halloween more than I did when I was a kid, but it's never been my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is one of my major favorites. I like how it's a relatively calm oasis of food, football, and giving between two of the biggest and busiest holidays of the year. Jodie gave me a teddy bear in a pilgrim woman's costume and three stuffed turkeys (one with dangling beaded legs) from Dad's collection. I bought the turkeys Plymouth and Mayflower when I was still collecting WebKinz. Most of my other Thanksgiving decorations came from yard sales and thrift shops. There's folksy wooden pilgrims that I put on either side of the TV, the smaller resin pilgrims that went on one of the book shelves in the bedroom, the cute stuffed pilgrim and Native girls who went on top of the shelf, turkey salt and pepper shakers, and a beautifully detailed turkey candle.

Watched Fosse while I worked. This is a live taping of the 1999 Broadway revue that revolved around Fosse's work. As you can imagine, most of these are instrumental dance numbers like "Rich Man's Frug" from Sweet Charity and "Sing, Sing, Sing," as used in his 1979 revue Dancin'. Though there is some sensational dancing, I'm kind of shocked this won Best Musical in 1999. It's a revue, not a traditional book musical. To give it credit, it does give you a sense of what the real man's work was like. Interviews with Ann Renniking and Ben Vereen on the DVD give you an even greater appreciation for this hard-working, hard-driving man. If you're a fan of Renniking, Vereen, or Fosse's work, you're going to want to dance on over and give this a shot.

Did a little bit of inventory work next. Added The Lion King, Little Mary Sunshine, The Little Mermaid, and Mack and Mabel. I found the Disney titles at a yard sale, but the other two go so far back, I bought them from Borders in the late 90's-early 2000's on dates with my then-boyfriend.

Got my schedule at this point. It's identical to this week, with slightly fewer hours on Wednesday and the same days off. Good. I'll be able to vote on Election Day without having to take off or hope I can get to the polls on time. I also put in for Thanksgiving off. I'm not working it again after the mess there last year. It's just not worth the extra money. 

Broke for dinner and Match Game '78 at 7:30. They skipped way ahead to the week with Debralee Scott and former baseball great Joe Gargiola. Joe got to witness the sight of Betty White "taking it all off," or at least parading around while taking off her vest and scarf for the crowd.

Finished the night online after a shower with Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Starfighters may be the most boring movie they ever did. It's supposed to discuss a group of fighter pilots in the Air Force, their relationship with girls from the near-by town, and their testing an experimental plane. That's...pretty much it. Absolutely nothing happens between repeated stock footage of the planes in the air and refueling. If this was an Air Force recruitment film, they goofed big-time. Top Gun would have a lot more fun with the same general idea over two decades later.