Night of the Gentleman Adventurers

I really overslept this morning. Closed by eyes, and when I opened them, it was almost time to go! Even with rushing breakfast, I didn't have time for the bike. As it turned out, I didn't have time for Uber, either. They took 9 minutes to arrive. Even with no traffic on the road, I was still late.

Fortunately, that was the worst thing that happened all day. Work was quiet all morning. Most people are probably waiting for the weekend to start preparing for Easter and Passover. Not to mention, the weather, while still too cold for this time of year, was nicer than it was yesterday. It was sunny and a little bit warmer, in the lower 50's, and the wind had died down. Not a single problem. I even got an Uber home in three minutes.

Changed, then had lunch while watching PAW Patrol. "Pups Save Jake's Cake" when it takes all of them, including Everest, to pull his giant ice cream birthday cake up the mountain to the cabin he shares with Everest. "Pups Save a Wild Ride" when they stop Daring Danny X and Alex, who borrowed bracelets that go with a dance game, from going over a cliff on their snowboards.

"Happy Birthday, Toodles!" celebrates the Mickey-shaped computer thing that brings Mickey and his pals their Mouske-tools on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The gang give him a cake and do the limbo with him, but it's Professor Ludvig Von Drake who gives him the most important gifts. This is the episode where Toodles gains the face and voice he'll retain for the rest of the show's run.

Rested while watching action shows from the 60's and 70's for the next few hours, two of them from England. Adam Adamant Lives! has the gentleman adventurer and his female friend Georgina discovering that "Death Has a Thousand Faces" when Georgina witnesses a man stabbed over a stick of Blackpool rock (apparently a type of candy unique to the Blackpool area). They're joined by puppeteer and jack-of-all-trades William Simms as they search for clues on Blackpool's Golden Mile, discovering that a group tends to use Blackpool's famous "Illuminations" lights to blow up the town.

The Persuaders! have their own problems in an English seaside resort town. In "Anyone Can Play," self-made millionaire Danny (Tony Curtis) accidentally intercepts money intended for Russian spies at a casino in Brighton. He and his nobleman partner Brett (Roger Moore) try to figure out what the spies are up to with the help of a lady who only calls herself Service 7.

Agents Jim West (Robert Conrad) and Artemis Gordon (Ross Martin) get a little more fantastical in The Wild Wild West. Their search for a kidnapped Native princess (Phyllis Newman) brings them to a ghost town, where they're captured by their archenemy Dr. Loveless (Michael Dunn) during "The Night of the Raven." Loveless has created a powder that can shrink a man to ant size and uses it on the princess and West when they refuse to bow to him. West dodges Loveless' cat in order to stop him from spreading the powder and shrinking mankind.

Switched to Mystery Science Theater 3000 at Shout! TV for Hercules Against the Moon Men. Mike and the robots have their third encounter with the infamous Italian sword-and-sandals series, and it's even loonier than the first two. Hercules has to save ancient Greece from an evil queen and a moon-worshipping alien cult. Yeah, it's even weirder than it sounds. The "Moon Men" don't really show up until the end, and even then, Hercules doesn't do much with them. In fact, this wasn't originally a Hercules movie. It was based on an Italian character who isn't well-known in the US. Just as campy and action-packed as the first two if you like cheesy sword-and-sandals movies.

Watched Match Game '73 during dinner. Bert Convy, Jack Carter, and Ann Elder join Fannie, Richard, and Brett in the first episode. The second introduced the always-unique Patti Deustch and brought in Mr. Magoo himself, Jim Backus, for his only week.

Finished the night with a two-hour Love Boat special. Author Brian Mallory (Pernell Roberts) leads a kidney donor (Skip Stephenson), a girl-crazy book store owner (Jimmie Walker), a lady on vacation with her bodybuilder boyfriend (Connie Stevens) and Gopher on "The Mallory Quest" to find his nephew and a priceless artifact. Mallory's wife (Gale Hunnicut) doesn't like how he's neglecting and abusing her and runs into Doc's arms. "Julie, the Vamp" is accused of chasing a friend from college (Bart Braverman) by his jealous fiancee (Lani O'Grady), but she really has no interest in him. Captain Steubing considers "The Offer" a friend (Dick Van Patten) makes for a desk job in New York to raise Vicki in a more stable home.