Rushed to Collingswood after the cartoons ended. I got up way later than I planned. Didn't make it to the PATCO station until quarter of 11. Evidently, I wasn't the only person who wanted to sleep in. The PATCO station was busy with families and couples going into the city for the Mummers' Parade, despite the escalator and a lot of the back of the building still being blocked off. At least the train wasn't so full I couldn't get a seat to myself. I was climbing up the steps to 13th Street, two blocks from the parade route, within 20 minutes.
I arrived just in time for the comic "wench" brigades, the ones in the ruffly dresses with ruffled caps and parasols. One group and red and gold had gladiator helmets. Another had shark-shaped visors and wore red and silver. Red, white, and blue wenches had Phillies and Phanatics caps. A group in white and red sported medieval knights' helmets and parasol shields. A gold and black group had musical notes on their dresses and focused on the songs and dancing. I saw a group with frog parasols sporting green and black stripes and a ghoulish group in neon purple and green gowns with wild neon hair. There was a Pac Man dad with neon ghosts and a Jester group in rainbow print dresses.
The wench groups gave way to comic groups as I strolled up and down Broad Street, from the DoubleTree Hotel to the former University of the Arts building. Aliens wandered in bright feelers, costumes with huge eyes, spaceships, and a couple of guys in silver riding bikes who were supposed to be satellites. An Alice In Wonderland mom was joined by a male Queen of Hearts in a lavish gown and various citizens of Wonderland. Woodland animals led by Swoop, the Eagles' mascot, rode skateboards. They were followed by a Christmas tree riding a bike.
The crowds were nearly as crazy. They thinned out as I made my way down Broad Street. Mummers handed older kids metallic beads in bright colors, while adults taught their younger siblings to do the Mummers' strut. Families pushing huge strollers pushed past drunk college students who climbed onto ledges and yelled into the crowd. Some of the Mummers even tried to throw beads up to crowds watching them on higher floors, but most of those ended up with the crowds below them.
The weather wasn't bad, either. It was windy, semi-cloudy, and chilly but not overly cold for this time of year. The wild wind was more of a problem than anything. It made those little parasols hard to control and blew people on skates and bikes further along faster than the riders intended.
Finally got tired of the crowd and noise around quarter of 1 and headed back towards the 13th Street PATCO entrance. A few college students turned up right before the train left, but I mostly waited alone. The train itself was once again steady but not too full. No trouble getting off at Collingswood or grabbing my bike once got back in. Made a short stop at one of the outdoors PNC ATMs for money, then rode down Cuthbert to the Westmont Diner.
The Westmont Diner was just as busy with people eating their first lunches out of 2025 as it was last New Year's Day, but I was there for a reason. Last month, when I ate there with Dawn, they gave us red envelopes to be opened in front of our waiter. I ripped it open while eating blueberry pancakes and very crispy melt-in-your-mouth bacon. As I did last year, I got a coupon for a free dessert or appetizer. I knew exactly what I wanted. There was a pink cake in the bakery display with white frosting and cheesecake and strawberries between the layers. It looked amazing, and I was dying to try it.
Put on Rudolph's Shiny New Year when I got home. I went further into this bizarre but enjoyable 1976 follow-up to the original Rankin-Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in 2019.
Laverne and Shirley have their own New Year's excitement. "New Year's Eve - 1960" seems to be coming up roses for the ladies. Shirley's New Year's party is a huge success, and Laverne managed to snare a date with an old guy friend she'd wanted for years. Things don't go as well once midnight comes around. Shirley catches a cold, and Laverne's date ends up with his original girlfriend. At least they can look forward to Lenny dropping Squiggy at midnight instead of the ball.
Finished the night with more New Year's Match Game and game show episodes at YouTube. The first episode of 1974 introduced Dorothy Zinni, an overly excited contestant who bounced around so much, she accidentally hit the laid-back guy next to her. Even Richard Dawson was too scared of her for a kiss! A funny older man had even stranger answers on the first day of 1975. Dick Martin finally got an answer right on the first day of 1976. Fannie Flagg took over Brett's seat on the first day of 1978. (Brett was out doing a play, not in jail like everyone kept joking that week.) Gene stumbled into the first day of 1979 draped in streamers from the previous episode and looking more than a little bleary-eyed. Jon "Bowser" Bauman brought rubber chains for the first episode of 1980, while McLean Stevenson had become a permanent fixture by the time the first episode of 1981 rolled around.
Dick Martin stuck around for the first Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour of 1984. Allison Arngrin shows off her elegant black suit and hat, while comedian Vic Dunlop dodges fat jokes, Arsenio Hall tosses out quips, and we have a young David Ruprecht when he was one of the hosts of Real People. Vicki Lawrence does the best at the Match-Up mini game during the first episode of 1991, which ends with Brad Garrett channeling Charles again.
Wait, there's more! We also have Bill Cullen, Sharon Richardson, and Tom Kennedy celebrating the second Password Plus episode of 1980, plus encore showings of the first two episodes of 1976 and 1977. Party on with Match Game and Password Plus in these hilarious episodes!
No comments:
Post a Comment