Switched to Pac Man, which is now at Tubi, while I stripped the sheets on my bed, then put the warmer tan striped flannel ones. This is the original 1982 Hanna-Barbara show my sisters and I loved when we were kids. Premise is pretty simple. Pac Man (Marty Ingalls) and his wife Ms. Pepper Pac (Barbara Minkus) chomp ghosts to save their Pellet Forest from the evil Mezmeron. "Rip Van Pac" has Pac Man sleeping for 20 years after drinking a witch's potion. When he wakes up, he discovers Mezmeron has taken over Pac Land and has to help the younger generation find new Power Pellets. "Happy Pacs-Giving" is Grandma Pac's retelling of the first Thanksgiving. The Pac-Pilgrims are so grateful to have chomped the Native ghosts, they hold a big feast...and invite the ghosts, too.
Moved to Dailymotion for The Mouse On the Mayflower while I put all of the CDs I've listened to lately in my CD books. I went further into the only Rankin-Bass Thanksgiving special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2020.
Headed out early after Mouse On the Mayflower ended. I had a few things I wanted to pick up at Dollar General before I went to work. Got bags for the Christmas cookies next month and a card for my brother Keefe's birthday tomorrow. Stopped at Crust n' Cravings for quick slices of cheese and tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza.
Rushed in slightly late, which wasn't a good thing. The kids were really rowdy today. We had a hard time with some of them on the playground. One of the boys took his shoes off (forgetting he had to step on mulch once he got off the slide), and it took forever to get several of them into their jackets. They don't want to acknowledge that it's just not summer weather anymore! It's barely fall weather. In fact, it was darn cold today, cloudy and gale-force windy, probably in the upper 40's.
The kids weren't out for very long anyway. The wind was so bad, we took them inside early. We tried to let them play silent ball and musical chairs in the cafeteria while other kids colored printed pages or built with Duplos and magnetic tiles, but they got too crazy and made too much noise. Two of the teachers moved the musical chairs group to the library. The ones who stayed made enough noise. I had to fight with one of the younger girls who shouldn't have been messing around with scissors, and scold two of the older boys for making a mess of the Duplos.
Hurried home, took my laundry downstairs, and watched Match Game '76 while eating a quick dinner. Ron Pallilo of Welcome Back Kotter became the actor from that show who appeared the most on Match Game along with Debralee Scott. He was sweet, funny, not a bad player, and handled Brett's flirting pretty well. I actually kind of wish he'd turned up more often with Deb after the show ended.
Worked on The WENN Nutcracker Suite as well. Betty's surprised when a tiny white fairy flutters to the ground. When she grows to human-size, she resembles Enid, the young intern who joined the station a few months before. Mr. Eldridge finally gets the horrified Snowflake Fairy to admit that the Mouse King's guards attacked the fairies and kidnapped Sugar Plum Fairy Hilary and Cavalier Jeffery. She's a prisoner in the Mouse King's furnace. He was turned into a dancing doll on a music box and given away.
Finished the night on YouTube honoring the career of Jack Clark, whose birthday would have been next week (after I finally remembered to bring up the laundry). Gentlemanly Jack Clark was a true California native who is mostly today remembered as an announcer, but did host a few shows. His first hosting gigs was as a substitute for vacationing hosts on major shows. He stood in for Allen Ludden several times on the original Password and Bill Cullen on The Price Is Right.
He seemed to be the go-to man for pilots that never quite sold. In fact, he wouldn't get a full hosting gig on his own until the show Dealer's Choice in 1974. Three contestants play a series of gambling and number-inspired mini-games. The winner gets to roll for prizes. Kind of a mess, and I can understand why this only lasted a year.
Clark's only hit as a full-on host was The Cross-Wits from the late 70's. In this cross between Password Plus and crossword puzzles, two celebrities help a contestant guess the answers on a crossword that is really a series of clues. The contestant who guesses the most puzzles gets help from one of the celebrities in guessing 10 crosswords in a minute in the bonus round. Fast-paced and fun, I really wish more of this show would turn up online. Nipsey Russell, James Hampton, Elaine Joyce, and Rosemary Forsyth are the stars who help out in the episode I have here.
He's best-remembered today as the announcer for Wheel of Fortune from 1980 to 1988. I wish I remembered him better. My family was just starting to watch the nighttime show when he passed away in 1988. I have a typical syndicated episode from 1985 here to give you an idea of why he was so beloved on the show.
Clark was one of the hosts who took part in that three-week Game Show Hosts Tournament on Card Sharks in 1980. He did really well, too. He came in third after Bill Cullen and Alex Trebek. He played Gene Rayburn in the consolation round...and it made me wish Clark had turned up on Match Game. There can't be two more different MCs than dirty old man Gene and gentlemanly Jack. Watching them butt up against each other was hilarious.
Spin wheels, guess the crossword puzzle, and take on the house with the gentleman announcer of game shows!
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