It was cool, cloudy, and humid when I woke up this morning. I decided to not take chances. I've been caught in thunderstorms riding my bike before, and it's not fun. I called Uber. Maybe it's just as well. The driver in the morning arrived in 7 minutes. The one going home only took 3. No traffic either way.
It didn't finally rain until around 10 AM, when I was on my second round of pushing carts. Though not overwhelmingly busy, we were busier than we have been, enough that I had a hard time keeping up with the carts. Taking out the trash and loading the toilet paper holders in the bathrooms put me behind doing the carts. I hadn't even entirely caught up with them by the time I finished.
That weather didn't help. It showered lightly off and on from 10 onwards. It would rain just hard enough to make everything a little wet, then would stop...and twenty or so minutes later, it would start again. Not to mention, most people are probably back from their vacations now and need to restock their kitchens after the spring holidays.
Put on What's New, Scooby Doo? while I changed and got organized at home. "She Sees Sea Monsters By the Seashore" when Daphne catches sight of what looks like a green scaly monster while surfing on a trip to Hawaii. A local boat driver claims the monster is the legendary Motoshondu, who appears to protect his reef. Velma and Fred thinks the reefs and shoreline being mating grounds for turtles has more to do with the creature's appearance.
Watched Donkey Skin next. I go further into this whimsical Jacques Demy fairy tale with an exquisite Catherine Denveuve as the title character at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Listened to the original cast album of Follies after a shower. This unique look at two couples whose lives intersect during a reunion of showgirls just as their former theater is about to be torn down has long been my favorite Stephen Sondheim show. It features two of his most gorgeous ballads, "Too Many Mornings" and "Losing My Mind," along with the terrific pastiche showstoppers "Broadway Baby," "Who's That Woman?" "The Story of Lucy and Jessie," and "One More Kiss." Fans have complained about the original cast album not including the full score for years, but it does have some indelible performances, including Gene Nelson's delightfully smarmy "Buddy's Blues" and Yvonne DiCarlo having a blast with "I'm Still Here."
(Incidentally, the rain finally became a full-blown storm around this point. Surprisingly, considering how humid it was, it rained hard and blew harder, but never thundered. I don't think it's rained since then, though it continues to be windy.)
Finished the night on YouTube with today's Match Game marathon. Allen Ludden had hosted Password for over 15 years off and on when he first appeared on the show in 1974. Probably his most infamous solo moment was the time he answered "__ Arthur" in the Audience Match with "President." He also proved to be prophetic when his answer for "Walking __" was "Walking Dead." There was also the time Brett took one of Allen's bad answers and handed it to his wife Betty White in the audience...and then Fannie handed Betty hers as well.
Allen's best-known week is the one he and Betty did together in mid-1975. That week was already wild in general. For one thing, it introduced Dolly Martin, Dick Martin's British former Playboy centerfold comedienne wife. It also brought in Maxine, a lanky contestant who claimed she'd belly dance if she won $5,000. She ended up winning $10,000. The first time, they played classical music. The second, someone played "The Star Spangled Banner," but that didn't stop Brett and Betty from doing their own version of belly dancing! Gene's joking response of "I've had Betty" to Maxine insisting that she hadn't picked Betty yet brought Allen down for a talk.
Alas, the second week Betty and Allen did during the tail-end of the syndicated run, shortly before Allen's death, is currently unavailable...except for its nighttime episode. Jimmie Walker and Jonnelle Allen join in to see Betty and Allen sitting next to each other for the first and only time. They're obviously having a great time, including Allen answering sex to a question, prompting Betty's response "At least he's still thinking about it!"
Allen was mentioned many times, whether Betty appeared or not. There was the time in 1974 when Fannie and Brett turned up in fancy hats and feather boas, claiming to have come from Allen and Betty's wedding. (They were married in 1963.) An older contestant who looked a great deal like Allen turned Brett and Mary Wickes' heads. There were several jokes throughout the run about Betty treating Allen like a dog and what treats she'd give him. Later in 1975 during the week with Bill Macy, there was a question about who would play the Beast to Betty's Beauty.
The Password is...class! See how much of a class act Allen was and why Betty adored him so in these hilarious episodes!
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