Having a Ball With Games

Began the day by oversleeping. I barely had enough time to get dressed and eat breakfast! I was so late, I just called Uber. Plus, though it was a sunny day, the wind continued to howl. Not that calling Uber got me to work any faster. The one coming in the morning arrived in 11 minutes, and I wound up being five minutes late. The one going home took 7 minutes.

Once again, that was the worst thing that happened all day. I swept, cleaned up the women's bathroom, and did carts until the afternoon bagger arrived at 11:30 and took over the indoor chores. We weren't even busy, especially for a Sunday. It picked up a little around 12:30-1 PM as people got out of church, then died again after they went home. It wasn't that busy yesterday, either. There just isn't that much going on. The weather is decent, and we're between holidays.  I was in and out with no trouble whatsoever.

Went in the shower when I got home, then spent the rest of the night watching the Match Game marathon and having dinner. Password Plus was far from the only game show Lucille Ball took part in during her long career on TV. She was the Mystery Guest many times on What's My Line, both alone and with her first husband Desi Arnaz. Her most famous appearance on I've Got a Secret had her replacing Bess Myerson on the panel and trying to figure out Desi's secret. The rest of the panel dropped out...because the not-so "secret" involved her.

After she divorced Desi and married comedian Gary Morton, they appeared with her children Desi Jr. and Lucie on the original 60's Password. The adults played for various charities, while the kids played for their allowances. Considering I heard Lucy's marriage to Desi was not a happy one, I'm glad she stayed with Morton. He seemed like a nice guy and was funny with Lucy, great with the kids, and not a bad Password player. 

Lucy continued appearing on Password through the Super Password era. In addition to her Password Plus week with Dick Martin, she returned with Martin, her friend Betty White, and a now-grown Desi Arnaz Jr for a later week during Tom Kennedy's run as host. She and Betty White played together twice on Super Password. Lucy seemed more into the week with her screen daughter Ann Dusenberry from the short-lived Life With Lucy, Betty, and Estelle Getty from Golden Girls than the later week with her, Betty, Carol Channing, and Martin. 

Actually, my favorite Lucy game show appearances may have been on the 1984-1985 charades show Body Language. Slapstick was Lucy's bread and butter, and I don't think you'll be surprised to hear that, even in her 70's, she was a natural at this show. She beat the pants off fellow ham Charles Nelson Reilly on her first week, helping get her contestants to the bonus rounds almost every time. Likewise, she and a noisy Richard Simmons kicked Robert Morse and Isobel Sanford's rears during an all-star week on Christmas 1984. 

Celebrate Woman's History Month with the most famous female television performer of them all in this delightful and surprising marathon!

Sunday Classics - Celebrating Lucille Ball