Adventures On the Radio

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Bluey. Bingo is proud to bring puppet "Bob Bilby" home from school. The students are supposed to take photos of them having adventures with him and tape them in a scrapbook. At first, all they do is sit around and watch cartoons on iPads, until Bingo realizes that's not very interesting. That prompts the Heelers to head outside and make Bob's visit the best ever. Bluey, Bingo, and their friends play a "Spy Game" while their parents are at a barbecue. Bingo feels neglected and stops playing. Bluey realizes the game's not as much fun without her and coaxes her back.

Rode to work after Bluey ended. Absolutely no trouble today whatsoever. I arrived on time. It picked up slightly around 10, but otherwise, we were quiet the entire morning. It was a gorgeous, sunny, barely humid upper 80's day in August, and we're well between holidays. Most people are either still on vacation, at work, or getting ready for their kids to go back to school. I swept the store and put away cold items. Had help from 11 AM onwards from the afternoon bagger with the few carts that were around.

After I finished, I stopped at Acme's pharmacy to pick up my blood pressure medication and the antibiotics for my heel (the latter of which I forgot last week). Also grabbed a Bodyarmor drink and the strawberry and chocolate peanut butter Nature's Valley wafer bars on sale. 

Had lunch at Common Grounds Coffee House on the way home. They were busy with college kids getting ready for school, office workers doing business in a quiet place, and older ladies chatting. I had to share a table with someone else while I enjoyed my banana chip muffin, slice of tomato spinach feta quiche, and matcha latte. The muffin was nice and moist, but it didn't really taste much like banana. The quiche was really salty.

Changed, brought the trash can up, and put out the recycling when I got home, then watched Remember WENN. It's "Some Good News, Some Bad News" when Scott declares an all-news day. He couldn't have picked a worse day for it. They can't find any news to report, and Scott's attempt to make his own gets him into very hot water. Meanwhile, bubbly former stripper Maple LaMarsh (Carolee Caramello) replaces Eugenia as the station's organist for the rest of the season.

Hilary's mentor Giels Aldrych (Roddy McDowell) says "Don't Act Like That" when he tries to give the WENN staff acting lessons, only to realize how different radio and stage acting are. Scott arranges for two of his students, Enid Farleigh (Melissa Dye) and Gus Kahana (Jeff Bergman), to work there as interns. The staff rebels at first, until they realize how much the duo have to learn about radio acting.

Spent the next few hours finishing Donna Parker: Mystery at Arawak, starting The Penderwicks, and listening to old-time radio shows. The Green Hornet was a kind of less-weird variation on Batman. He too drove a sleek black car ("Black Beauty"), had a devoted young companion (his valet Kato, who is Filipino in these later episodes), and worked as a non-powered vigilante with a host of gadgets. Unlike Batman, his "real" identity was a working man, newspaper editor Britt Reid, and he tended to take on far less florid gangsters and fraudulent executives.  People saw him as a villain, which he used to his advantage to coerce crooks to turn themselves in or victims to come forward and speak out. "Paid In Full" from 1945 and "Escape to Action" from 1946 are pretty typical examples of the show. 

Started I Love a Mystery, but switched to Match Game '76 during dinner. They finished out the week with Pat Delaney, Betty White, and Orson Bean. When the wrong sign came down on set, Orson commented that he'd seen better-excuted shows at the Kiwanis Club. Later in the week, a former teacher who won big money was so excited, he did high kicks Gene Kelly would have envied.

Returned to I Love a Mystery later. I Love a Mystery is a far different example of action on the radio. Here, private eyes Jack Packard, Doc Long, and Reggie York go on bizarre adventures, taking them from vampire-filled temples to Arizona ghost towns. Alas, of the serials done for the show's original run on NBC and CBS in 1940 and its 1949 Mutual revival, only two from the Mutual series still exist in full today. 

I listened to one of those existing serials, "The Thing That Cries In the Night." The guys are hired by an old woman to protect her three daughters and drunkard son Joe. Faith is sarcastic, Hope chases the family's chauffeur, and paranoid Charity is convinced someone is out to get her and her family. She keeps hearing a wailing noise like a baby in the night and thinks it's a harbinger of death. The guys don't agree, until they see Charity get slashed, and then someone kills Joe and tries to kill their grandmother. Jack knows there's something strange going on, but he hopes he can find out, for Charity's sake, before it's too late for everyone in that household. (Keep an ear out for a young Tony Randall as Reggie.) 

Night of the Mall Hospital

Began the morning with breakfast and Doc McStuffins. "The Doctor Will See You Now" takes Doc to her mother's office for her own checkup. She and her toys discover that kids aren't playing with the toys in the waiting room because they're covered in a strange, sticky, colorful substance. She has to explain to a Play Doh head that keeps shaking his clay hair about how easy it is to spread germs and messes around. Stuffed owl Professor Hootenburgh challenges Donny's learning toy Lil' Egghead to see who is the smarter toy, but "Lil' Egghead Fees the Heat" and starts giving wrong answers. Doc gets him out of the sun and reminds him that humans and electronics need to stay cool. 

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. Alas, the first driver going there canceled. By the time the second one got me to Moorestown, I was 10 minutes late. Getting home from Stacks On 38 was a lot easier. The driver arrived in less than a minute! Thank heavens, no traffic either way, not even on Route 38 in Pennsauken.

Oversleeping and being 10 minutes late was the worst thing that happened all day. They called for me about 5 minutes after I checked in, and the doctor came 5 minutes after the nurse checked my blood pressure. Dr. Gouda originally wanted me to wear a boot for three weeks. I can't do that. I called out of work enough in the winter when my knee was so stiff. We finally compromised on wearing a boot to bed and doing physical therapy. 

And if there's one good thing about all of these new hospitals and health care offices that have been opening everywhere, it's getting state-of-the-art health care. Everything in the hospital was new and modern, from the smooth gray wood floor to the comfortable tan, gray, and red furniture in the huge, spacious lobby. Even the chair in the doctor's room was comfortable and had padding instead of just papers laid on the vinyl.

Cooper University Health Care opens up into the Moorestown Mall. The only store open when I finished my appointment around 10 was Boscov's. I did need something there that I hadn't bought on vacation. My underwire bras were all bent out of shape and uncomfortable and needed to be replaced. The problem is, I don't like the padded ones that are more common now. I come with plenty of my own padding, thank you! I chose two from Vanity Fair that looked comfortable and one from Warners, all for 30 percent off.

After I bought them, I made my way around the Mall and across Route 38 to Stacks On 38 (just barely missing the huge lawn mower cutting the grass on the meridian). Stacks On 38 is a breakfast place situated on the edge of the Homegoods/Marshalls shopping center. They were busy when I arrived, not surprising since it was barely past 11, but I did get a table by the windows. Had three delicious crepes filled with apple compote and topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar. The turkey bacon was limp, but edible. Listened to four Cooper Health doctors and nurses doing work on their laptops at the table in front of me.

When I got home, I colored a picture of Strawberry leaving for Big Apple City in my vintage Strawberry Shortcake coloring book and watched Remember WENN. We open the second season with "Radio Silence." Jeff Singer survived the London bombings and is being sent home. Victor Comstock wasn't that lucky. Devastated that she never got to tell him how she felt about him, Betty goes into seclusion, writing scripts where nothing bad happens and insisting on a minute of silence for Victor every hour. Scott tries to tell the distraught young woman that you can't live your life drowning in grief, but it's Jeff who finally gets through to her when he returns.

Hilary's absolutely delighted that Jeff came home to her...maybe a little too much. They've gone from constantly bickering to reciting baby talk on their morning shows and making everyone at the station and in their audience nauseous. They finally say "I Now Pronounce You Man and Wife Again" when they get remarried in Mexico...and instantly regret it. Meanwhile, Scott convinces organist Eugenia Bremer to take over their new late night show. (Which will take her out of the remaining second season.)

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I finished coloring. "Daniel Asks Before Touching Someone Else" is one of two brand-new episodes currently on the PBS Kids website. Daniel loves going to the playground with his little sister Margaret, but is baffled when she doesn't want a hug. Mrs. Tiger tells him he has to ask when touching someone, as they might be sensitive about it. Prince Wednesday asks Daniel when he wants a push on the swings. "Jodi Asks Before Touching Someone Else" when she wants to touch Miss Elania's new braids, and she doesn't appreciate that. Likewise, O the Owl isn't big on someone touching his back and asks to be the caboose in their kid train.

Went down for a nap after Daniel ended. I was up way too late last night and had that early appointment this morning. The boot was not the most comfortable thing to sleep in! I know my heel needs to be stretched, but it didn't feel great. Somehow or other, I managed to doze off until 4 PM.

Watched Summer School on Pluto TV after I finished reading a few chapters of Donna Parker: Mystery At Arawak. Physical education teacher Freddie Shoop (Mark Harmon) is not looking forward to teaching remedial English to a disparate group of high school kids, including a whiny geek who is the only underachiever in his family (Richard Horviz), a pregnant girl (Shawnee Smith), a surf-crazy girl who is living with her aunt and uncle (Courtney Thorne-Smith), and two best buddies who are the world's biggest fans of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Gary Riley and Dean Cameron). 

Shoop has no idea what to do with them. He first takes them on field trips, then promises to do things for them if they study. That ends when one of the horror fans ruins his car, their wild party destroys his couch, and the besotted surfer girl tries to move in. He has the obnoxious vice principal (Robin Thomas) breathing down his neck, even as he pursues the attractive history teacher (Kirstie Alley) who is in the room next to his. When the kids try to get more favors, he understandably blows a gasket. The kids bring him back and convince him that he's the only one who can help them show just how much they've learned.

On one hand, a lot of this is very typical of its era and movies of this type. Most of the kids are relatively bland, and a lot of the shenanigans seen here aren't all that different from other teen movies of this era like One Crazy Summer. There's also a few aspects that haven't dated well, notably Shoop's constant pursuit of Robin when she keeps saying "no" and the surfer girl living with Shoop briefly (even Robin calls him on that one). On the other hand, there's some surprisingly realistic touches. The pregnant girl's story is handled in a fairly realistic and sensitive manner. There's also the results of that final test. None of the kids suddenly turn into geniuses, but they do improve. Honestly, if you're a fan of Harmon or of the slobs vs snobs comedies of the 80's, this has enough pluses to be worth checking out on a hot summer day.

I decided to do something different for dinner after my heavy brunch. I dragged my food processor up from the basement, brought down a can of chickpeas and my peanut butter, added olive oil, salt, and pepper, and made hummus. Sliced celery, added a few Cherry tomatoes and PopCorners, and loaded them onto a plate. Not bad, considering I haven't made this in a long time. It was a quick, healthy dinner, anyway.

Ate dinner while watching Match Game '76. Most of the night finished out the week with Scoey Mitchelll and Susan Howard. By the time Gene was helping a woman who ran an egg-based restaurant with the Audience Match, they'd switched to Orson Bean, Betty White, and character actress Pat Delaney.

Finished the night back at Pluto TV with The Wild Wild West. It's "The Night of the Two-Legged Buffalo" when Jim and Artemis are supposed to protect a spoiled prince (Nick Adams) from a remote tropical island whose father wants to make a treaty with the US. The prince only cares about living the good life at fancy spas and lavish hunting lodges. The prince, however, is walking right into a den of assassins who definitely don't want that treaty to go through. Jim has Artie act as a decoy, at least until they realize who's really behind the assassination attempts. 

Outdoor Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Monchichis. Wizzer sends the Monchichis to the underground to visit his friend, the king of a valley city, and use his golden disc to power his potion. To their shock, they land in a swamp that covers the city. Neither the current king nor his subjects claim to remember the disc, but one little rebel helps them reveal the "Swamp Secret" and rescue their king from the Grumplins.

Made a quick errand run after the cartoon ended. I thought it would be easier on my heel to do it on the bike. Not to mention, the weather wasn't really appropriate for lingering. It was cooler than yesterday, but a bit cloudy and still humid. I wanted to get cheap moisture eliminators with charcoal, but I couldn't find them at Dollar General or Family Dollar. I did get pads at Family Dollar, but other than that, I picked up nothing else.

Put on Remember WENN after I got home. "Popping the Question" has Scott Sherwood recruiting Betty to help him set up his new game show...which he wants to fix in favor of the sponsor's son. Betty and the others show him the importance of keeping their shows honest. Meanwhile, the other male staff members grill sweet-natured lawyer Doug Thompson, who is waiting (and waiting) to take Betty out.

The first season finale "World of Tomorrow" has Scott and Betty creating a big Wizard of Oz-inspired show for the end of the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair. The cast is so excited, they refuse to cooperate or speak their roles as written. Meanwhile, Victor called Jeff away to broadcast with him in war-torn London. Scott does manage to find a way for Jeff to be a part of their show...shortly before the signal from London is cut off by static...

While there are episodes I like from before Victor left, notably "Armchair Detectives" and "A Rock and a Soft Place," I think the show really picks up with Scott's introduction. Scott and his cons are frankly a lot more interesting than the well-meaning but often distracted and standoffish Victor, and he really gives those last three episodes a major shot in the arm. That heartbreaking cliffhanger ending on "World of Tomorrow," however, is a taste of what's to come as the pace picks up in the second season...

Made pancakes for lunch downstairs after WENN ended. I still have plenty of buckwheat mix left. At least I found the eggs this time! I accidentally put more dried cranberries in than originally planned when I meant to sprinkle them in, and ended up dumping almost the whole container. At least they still tasted nice spread with peanut butter and honey.

Went upstairs after I cleaned up from lunch to watch White Heat. Psychotic gangster Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) would do anything to be "on top of the world," including leaving his own man for dead after he's scorched by steam during a railroad robbery. His Ma (Margaret Wycherley) is the only one who can calm his headaches and his hare-trigger temper. His wife Verna (Virginia Mayo) certainly can't. He barely listens to her. After he gets himself into prison for a smaller crime, he's rescued from an attempt on his life by Vic Pardo (Edmund O'Brian). He trusts him so much, he lets him tag along when he breaks out after he learns his mother was killed. He wants to pull one last heist, but Vic isn't what he seems. Cody, however, has no desire to go down anywhere but on "Top of the world, Ma"

Cagney gives one of his best performances in this dark and intense gangster film. He's genuinely terrifying, especially when he suddenly screams and has a breakdown after he learns about his mother's death and in the action-packed finale. Virginia Mayo proves she's more than a cute blonde from Goldwyn musicals as his conniving wife, while Wycherley is appropriately witchy as his adoring mother. This isn't for kids, but if your teens on up are fans of Cagney or crime movies, this is one of the best in the genre.

Needed something lighter after that, so I switched to One Crazy Summer. Hoops McCann (John Cusack) joins his best friend George (Joel Murphy) at Nantucket Island in Massachusetts for some fun in the sun and  inspiration for Hoops' romantic comic. Hoops falls for musician Cassandra Eldridge (Demi Moore) on the way to the island. She's trying to make enough money to buy her grandfather's boarding house before obnoxious seafood restaurant owner Aguilla Beckerstead (Mark Metcalf) tears it down to build luxury condos. Hoops first ends up on a date with Cookie (Kimberly Foster), the girlfriend of Beckerstead's spoiled, lazy son Teddy (Matt Mulhern), but things really pick up when he and his friends promote Cassandra's big show. After Beckerstead buys the boarding house anyway, they enter the local regatta to win the trophy and prove that the misfits who work together, kick jerk rear together.

This old childhood favorite is a bizarre variation on the "slobs vs snobs" comedies of the 1980's and early 90's. Some of it occasionally borders on black comedy at times, including where George constantly ends up while the others pursue women on the beach, Hoops' decidedly unromantic comics, and George's Uncle Frank (Bruce Wagner) who has literally been driven crazy trying to win one million dollars on a radio call-in show. If you have older kids and teens around, they might be the best audience for the wacky hijinks on this weird take on love, boating, and wild summer vacations.

Moved to Match Game '76 during dinner. Susan Howard, now best-known for her appearances on Dallas, made her first appearance here. Scoey Mitchelll has a rougher time in the first seat, even as he admires the lady contestants. Fannie Flagg and Brett Somers have more fun teasing each other.

(Oh, and it also rained at this point. I even heard a rumble of thunder. I don't think it rained too heavily, though, just enough to make it a little wet.) 

Finished the night on YouTube with game shows that were filmed or set outdoors. Usually, when one thinks of game shows, they think of massive indoor sets and bright lights and neon. Occasionally, a show, usually a stunt show, would take the games outdoors to the fresh air. Wild and Crazy Kids on Nickelodeon, for instance, had kids (and sometimes parents) competing in stunts around two different locations. Though they are in a mall in this episode, they're also outside, trying to get their remote control cars to avoid being smashed and being hit in the face with cream pies.

The Diamond Head Game from 1975 may have been one of the first game shows to film outdoors. Bob Eubanks asks contestants (three in this early episode from before the format changed) quiz questions. The winner earns the right to climb Diamond Head while remembering items Bob mentions on a list. The winner steps into the "Money Volcano," where they grab at dollar bills blown up at them. They might grab money or even prizes. Bob lets them keep the money or keep going for more.

Um, yeah. No wonder this only lasted 7 months in syndication and went through two different formats. The attractive outdoor filming is pretty much all this one has going for it. Even Bob Eubanks later admitted on Card Sharks in 1988 that he hated doing it.

Kids did better outside. Destroy Build Destroy is one of two live-action shows to survive the bloodbath that was the short-lived CN Real on Cartoon Network. Two teams of kids design and build a vehicle, using scrap from a car they blew up earlier. Winner gets money and to blow up the losers' vehicle. No wonder they kept this one. Not only is it every kid's fantasy to blow up a vehicle, but watching the kids design, build, and drive their own vehicles is fascinating and hilarious. 

The Canadians took a quieter approach to outdoor game shows. Race Against the Tide pitted ten teams of artists against one another to build the most beautiful and creative sand sculptures at the New River Beach Provincial Park in New Brunswick. As someone who grew up watching artists make equally elaborate sand sculptures on the beaches in Cape May and Wildwood, it was really cool to watch these people at work and see what they came up with. 

Wild West Showdown is my favorite of the many mid-90's American Gladiators imitators. This syndicated action show pits three cowboys and cowgirls against each other to see who can do the best cleaning up a fictional western town. Honestly, watching would-be sheriffs stop runaway stagecoaches, compete in paint-ball shootouts, and try to dodge outlaws while jumping on logs is a heck of a lot more interesting than watching two muscle-bound jocks try to knock each other off a platform.

Star Games from 1985 was very similar to the Battle of the Network Stars specials from the 1970's. Teams of celebrities from various games of the time compete in outdoor events like swimming, tennis, cycling, and track and field. Not only is it fun to watch these folks compete outside of their usual setting, but you get to hear about shows like the short-lived Miami Vice-esque newspaper drama Impulses that don't often get mentioned nowadays. The guys from that show are joined by two Miss Universes; they play teams from Different Strokes and Growing Pains. 

Take a summer vacation to a dude ranch, the beach, the mall, or Hawaii without leaving home in these hilarious and unique shows!

The Diamond Head Game (1975)

Star Games (1985)

Wild and Crazy Kids (1991)

Wild West Showdown (1995)

Destroy Build Destroy (2010)

Race Against the Tide (2023)

Laughing Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and the 2011 revival cast album of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. John Larroquette won a Tony playing Biggley, the stuffy president of the World Wide Wickets Company to Daniel Radcliffe's ambitious window-washer J. Pierpont Finch. They're both having a lot of fun here, especially on "Grand Old Ivy" and the big finale number "Brotherhood of Man." Larroquette also does well by the spoof ballad "Love From a Heart of Gold" with Tammy Blanchard. As good as the original cast is, this certainly has its virtues as well, especially if you're a fan of either star.

Called Uber after I finished breakfast and got dressed. No trouble here. The driver going to work came in 9 minutes. The one going home came in 5. No traffic either way, and I got to work in plenty of time.

No trouble at work, either. On one hand, it's still hot and thickly humid, but it was also sunny all day, without a cloud in the sky. I had more help this time, too, and for longer. The Sunday morning bagger is usually pretty reliable. Once he left, I had help from one of the college boys for the last 45 minutes. I spent the entire afternoon pushing carts...but I made sure to pace myself and go inside and get a drink of water from the bottle in my locker or empty trash cans or fill the toilet paper in the women's bathroom every half-hour or so. 

Listened to The Hit List after taking a much-needed shower. This K-Tel 2-disc set features some of the biggest hits from 1982. The first disc has most of the better-known songs today, including "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone, "Keep On Loving You" by REO Speedwagon, "Caught Up In You" by 38 Special, "You Better You Bet" by the Who, and the first hit from Huey Lewis and the News, "Do You Believe In Love?" Most of the songs on the second disc are less familiar today, other than "The One That You Love" by Air Supply, "Slow Hand" by the Pointer Sisters, and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police.

Finished the night at YouTube watching the Sunday Match Game marathon while eating dinner. Brett Somers started off on the third week of the show and quickly became the show's second regular. Though she originally sat next to Richard Dawson in the ingenue seat, she was eventually moved upstairs to the second seat and would remain there for the rest of the original run. By the end of 1973, she'd been joined by Charles Nelson Reilly on her right. They became the best of drinking buddies and played hilariously off of her, whether he was making fun of her jewelry or she made fun of his toupee and his never wearing socks.

Brett had a comic feud with the person who handled the buzzer that ran through most of late 1973 and 1974. It got so ubiquitous, there were even questions about what she'd do the buzzer holder if she could get her hands on them, or how she'd stop them from buzzing her. Her complaints would often end up with a joke "buzzer" being used, like a raspberry noise or a cow bell. If Brett wasn't trading quips with Charles, she was doing it with Betty White. The two of them loved teasing each other about their ages and about the hold Betty had on her husband host Allen Ludden.

There were times when Brett could get a little too salty for her own good, like the 1977 episode where her answer about what movie Lassie didn't like making was censored. There was also the time in 1976 when she used her rear end as an answer to a question, or when she flipped off the audience. On the other hand, for all the jokes about her bad answers, she was sometimes the only one to get a question right, like during the syndicated run in 1980 where she was the one who finally got an answer after three tiebreakers and received a deserved standing ovation. 

Brett's then-husband Jack Klugman was the one who recommended her to the show in the first place. They appeared three times together in 1973 and spent all three weeks fighting. They got so bad, comedian Stu Gilliam asked why they put him on the "military level." By the time Jack reappeared on the show in late 1978, they'd been divorced or separated for at least three years. That didn't stop Jack from practically climbing on Brett during a question, or the others holding a mock wedding for them in the finale.

No one had more fun on the show than Brett! Belly laugh your way through the hot summer with these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Brett Somers Marathon: Laugh Your BLANK Off & Flip You Off!

Come On Down and Match!

I got up so late, I had just enough time to eat and call Uber before going to work. At least that went well. The driver took 8 minutes to arrive in the morning. I got to the Acme just in time. I got off at 5 and had a harder time finding a driver. It took 17 minutes for the driver going home to arrive. No trouble either way.

Today was my 8 hour day. I spent most of it sweeping and gathering carts. The older man was around in the morning, and I showed him how to restock the toilet paper in the men's bathroom. After he left, I was on my own. It wasn't busy in the morning, but it did pick up in the afternoon, to the point where I had a hard time keeping up with the carts. The weather didn't help. It was sunny, humid, and really hot for most of the afternoon...except for around 2 PM, when the clouds gathered. I was pushing carts when it started showering. I even saw a bolt of lightning at one point. Needless to say, I hurried in the store after that!

After I got home, I changed, had dinner, and spent the rest of the night watching tonight's Match Game marathon. Announcer Johnny Olsen was a fixture on Match Game since he announced the 60's version. The sweet, slightly pudgy gentleman in the glasses was as much of a regular as Brett and Charles. The episode in 1974 where Burt Reynolds turned up to visit his friend Charles Nelson Reilly had a joke about what Johnny does to his tongue to prepare for his job. 

There was also a crack in 1975 about him saying his famous line from Price Is Right, "Come on down!" in his sleep to his wife Penelope. Sometimes, Gene would just bring him out to tell him what a wonderful job he was doing. In a syndicated episode, Gene brought him to check a question and make sure he was reading it right. Another time in 1974, he ran down to say "Come on down," only for Gary Burghoff to run down jumping up and down in imitation of a typical Price contestant. In 1979, he heard a question about what it would be very strange for Nipsey Russell to sell on TV.

Johnny's last time announcing Match Game was four weeks subbing for Gene Wood on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. The first week, he witnessed the antics with Bill Rafferty (who was still hosting Real People at that point), Marcia Wallace, Charles Nelson Reilly, Alfie Wise, and legendary voice artist and satirist Stan Freberg. Bob Eubanks was on a later week. 

Come on down and match with one of the great game show announcers in this surprising and sweet marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Johnny Olsen: "Come On Down!" Marathon

Remembering In Wonderland

Awoke at 7 PM...and called out. There was one thing I wanted to do, but I mostly wanted to rest up for my 8 1/2 hour day tomorrow. Not to mention, my heel is still pretty sore. 

I started the day with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Pups Save the Parrot" when Carlos' parrot Mateo runs away to the top of a temple. When they find his pet, they protect its nest from a hungry eagle. "Pups Save the Queen Bee" from the lighthouse after Cap'n Turnbot finds a hive in a lighthouse light. Skye helps to transport the hive to Farmer Al's bee farm.

Got my schedule before I left. While I do have fewer hours next week, including a normal 9 to 1 on Wednesday, that'll give me the chance to rest my heel. I'm less happy about another 8 and a 1/2 hour workday next Saturday. I dread tomorrow and next week. 

The one thing I wanted to do was go grocery shopping. I could have gone to one of the Acmes, but I decided to stick to my original plan for today. Called Uber to get me to Shop Rite in Cherry Hill. The Uber going there arrived in 10 minutes. The one going home came in 13 and cost a bundle, but it took me forever to find anyone willing to take me home at the start of rush hour. Other than running into traffic on Cuthbert Road going home, there was no trouble either way.

In fact, I heard from Cooper Hospital in the Uber going to Cherry Hill. They were able to get me in next Tuesday. It's at 9:30 AM, still pretty early, but it's also in Moorestown. I'll get to see the huge new hospital attached to the Moorestown Mall.

Shop Rite was really busy today...and seemed even more huge. They have so much stuff in there! I grabbed oatmeal cookies on sale and thought I'd try a small coconut cream pie in a plastic container. Restocked yogurt, blueberries, plums, granola, oat milk (it's really cheap there), and probiotic soda. Found heel pads for the backs of your shoes that I hope will help reduce friction on my sore heel. Grabbed PopCorners and a roast beef hoagie for lunch. (And I'm glad I called out of work. It was sunny, humid, and very hot today, without a shred of breeze. Pushing carts in that would not have been fun. It'll be bad enough tomorrow.)

Put everything away when I got home, then watched Remember WENN while I ate lunch. Most of the cast is excited when big-time Broadway producer Adrian Carr (Julian Glover) produces a nighttime version of their daytime soap Valiant Journey. Unfortunately, an accident with a microphone boom leaves Hilary thinking she's "Hilary Booth, Registered Nurse" right before the broadcast. Betty has to bring Hilary around without Carr finding out...and without the help of Victor Comstock, who is leaving to broadcast in war-torn London.

"Valentino Speaks" when director Ted E. Peck (Simon Jones) insists on the cast dubbing a lost Valentino film. He's so impressed with Jeff, he convinces him to finish the movie. Jeff thinks he's going to be a huge Hollywood star, but it turns out movie acting is a lot harder than it looks. (Incidentally, the "lost" Valentino movie seen here was Valentino's last film Son of the Sheik.)

"A Capitol Idea" introduces roguish con-man Scott Sherwood (Kevin O'Rourke), whom Victor apparently sent to replace him as head station manager. Scott begins by bringing so many sponsors into the shows, he basically invents informercials. Betty's furious, but the others are willing to go along with it, until they realize they'll be making nothing off their commissions from the sponsors and turn the tables.

Honestly, I had no idea what to watch after that. I put on the 1986 BBC miniseries version of Alice In Wonderland before switching to Match Game '76. No semi-regular did better in his first week than George Kennedy. He ended up being one of the show's best players, matching more often than not. Gene Rayburn would be happier if Betty White and Lee Merriweather left his pants legs and socks alone. 

Finished up with the rest of Alice. On one hand, I'm glad they went for a miniseries with this. It honestly works better with the episodic structure than a movie does. There's some flat but lovely sketchy backgrounds, especially when Alice is wandering around in the garden before meeting the Queen of Hearts. This is also a musical, with some dreamy, meandering songs. Not bad, but beware of the sometimes grotesque costumes, especially for the Queen of Hearts and Mock Turtle. 

When You're Hot

Began the day with breakfast and more He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Skeletor is determined to use the "Creatures From the Tar Swamp" and Beast Man's control over them to take over Castle Greyskull. Meanwhile, Orko wants to impress Lady Edwina, Adam's spoiled cousin, by finding the Magic Medallion he lost in the swamp years ago. He and Edwina just barely manage to escape when the monsters invade the castle, but Orko learns a lesson when he realizes Edwina is more interested in the medallion than him.

Hurried off to work after the cartoon ended. I did get there on time, and riding my bike, too, despite the continuing gas main repairs being done on West Clinton in Oaklyn. At least it wasn't anything resembling busy this time. We're now past the beginning of the month and between holidays. I did have to do the bathroom and some returns, but it wasn't that bad. The weather was the worst of it. It was hot, sunny, and murderously muggy. I was in and out with no problems...

Except for noticing someone left a message on my cell phone. It was Cooper Hospital. Somehow, Cooper Urgent Care set me up for an appointment with the wrong department. They set me up with Bone and Joint, but I should have been with Cooper Surgery-Podiatry. They wanted to cancel the appointment tomorrow and reschedule. 

I was disappointed, to say the least, and I told them so when I got home and called them. They wanted to reschedule for next month! I'm not waiting that long. It's one thing to wait on housing counseling, but my heel has been hurting for weeks. They said they'd call back in 24 hours and see what they could do. I was going to call out tomorrow for the appointment...and I think I'll still call out. If I had my usual 12 to 16 hours, I would be more hesitant (or likely not be working on a Friday at all), but I have 30 hours this week. I need to rest this heel and go grocery shopping before my 8 1/2 hour work day on Saturday.

Watched the new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus special while I talked to them and during lunch. Professor Luwig Von Drake gives everyone their own tractors to work on "Mickey's Country Farm." Daisy suggests holding a fair to bring in her idol, Lassoin' Lucy. She loves her purple tractor, but can't figure out how to control it or what the mallet on the end does and just wreaks havoc when she tries to help. She's ready to give up when the gigantic watermelon Pete's been growing comes barreling at them. Not only does she save the day, but it gives her a theme for the fair.

Switched to Tubi for the 1933 version of Bitter Sweet. I go further into the original British version of the brittle Noel Coward operetta at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Bitter Sweet (1933)

Watched Remember WENN next. Betty's wondering "Who's Minding the Aslyum?" when Victor Comstock leaves her with the day's programming on glass records...which Mr. Foley ends up shattering. She and the remaining staff have to figure out what to play and how to appease Mr. Medwick (Bob Dorian, who introduced AMC's programming in the late 90's) and keep him from finding out his show was among those broken.

Victor and the cast return for "Armchair Detectives." Jeff has to prove he's more than just Sherlock Holmes on the radio when a convicted murderer (Joe Grifasi) storms in, demanding that the cast recreate the scene of the crime and let the police hear what really happened. Jeff's not sure they can add much, and Hilary's not thrilled with the casting, until Jeff and the others realize there's a few clues only those in recording and broadcasting would understand.

Watched Match Game '76 next, or tried to. The internet kept going in and out. This one covered the rest of the week with Avery Schriberer and Jo Ann Pflug, including an episode with some pretty wild set glitches. 

After I gave up on the Internet, I finished the night listening to Songs That Got Us Through World War II instead. This is an early Rhino collection of songs that were hits during the war years between 1941 and 1945. The first two, the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and Frank Sinatra performing "I'll Be Seeing You" with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra may be the most famous today. There's also Johnny Mercer having fun with his own "Acc-ent-tuate the Positive," Helen Forrest joining Harry James and His Orchestra to insist "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," Jo Stafford's lovely "Long Ago and Far Away," Tommy's brother Jimmy's orchestra doing "The White Cliffs of Dover," and Doris Day introducing "Sentimental Journey" with Les Brown and His Orchestra.

Rainy Day In Cherry Hill

Began the late morning with breakfast and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Skeletor and Tri-Clops use an Infinity Stone to create a "Time Corridor" to go back into the past and assure that Castle Greyskull will never be built. He-Man, Battle Cat, Orko, and Man-at-Arms follow him. Skeletor turned one of the original Eternian clans, the Ape People, against the Snake People. He-Man must rescue the female head of the Snake Clan and prove to Skeletor why it's never a good idea to mess around with time. 

Called Uber after that. I was originally going to take the train and bus down to Church Road, but though it was sunny at that point, it was also thickly humid, sticky, and hot. The first driver canceled, but the second only took 4 minutes to arrive. The driver going home took a normal 7 minutes. There was a little traffic in Pennsauken going there and on the highway going home, but nothing horrible.

I told the driver he could drop me off anywhere in King's Croft and spent the next hour or so wandering around the sidewalks there. King's Croft is a huge, sprawling series of townhouses and condos between King's Highway and Church Road. The whole area is surrounded by lots of green fields and trees and gardens. Parents walked their small huskys and sweet-faced bulldogs with their children. I could see a huge pool and tennis courts as I strolled. Everything seemed to be in good shape, not a speck of trash anywhere. The townhouses were well-kept and maintained, and there was nothing but furniture and plant pots on the patios and balconies. 

That huge, sprawling layout proved to be a problem. I kept getting lost. It took me forever to find my way back to the map at the King's Highway entrance. Most of the buildings are townhouses, and thus, are much bigger than I need. I only need one or two rooms, not something large enough for families. They're also far more expensive, thanks to all that extra room, and thus have a higher Home Owner's Association fee. There's also the fact that many of the loops lack sidewalks, or sidewalks all the way around. The smaller buildings near Church Road looked like condos, though they were still a bit bigger than something like Playa Del Sol.

I finally turned off at Church Road. There were at least two more condo areas I wanted to check out. Crofton Commons looked like smaller versions of the condo buildings at King's Croft. The buildings at Clusters of Lexington were light brown with angular dark roofs and narrow rectangular strip windows. They were so 70's, I expected to see Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers drinking and exchanging quips by the pool. Trouble was, there were heavy black clouds gathering on the horizon, and I didn't especially want to get caught in storms again. I ended up admiring the condo buildings from the sidewalk, opting to hurry past them and Thomas Paine Elementary School instead. 

Just beyond the Robert Mills Apartment Complexes were two small, older-style brick and wood shopping centers. I ducked into Gallo Bakery just in time. I'd barely been there for two minutes when it started pouring buckets. The Gallo Bakery in Cherry Hill is far less lavish than the one in Marlton. It's basically three glass cases filled with cookies, pastries, and cakes and a couple of brass chairs and tables. That was enough for me to enjoy a quiet half-hour nibbling on an apple-filled hamataschen while watching the rain fall heavily and listening to the nice young woman behind the counter take orders. There was even a small rumble of thunder at one point, though I never saw any lightning. 

The rain held off long enough for me to duck down to the next shopping center over. They had a Tony Soprano Pizza, smaller than the stand-alone building in Somerdale, but also a bit nicer. I had some trouble using their self-order kiosk, but I finally managed to get a slice of cheese, a slice of tomato-broccoli, and a can of Coke Zero. Enjoyed lunch while listening to a poor old man talk on his cell phone about a car accident to what was likely (I hope) his sympathetic lawyer.

Hurried down the block to a small WaWa after lunch. I grabbed a small toasted coconut pineapple milkshake and a Wild Cherry Pepsi Zero before calling Uber. I timed it well again. The showers had just started again when the driver pulled up in the parking lot. 

Soon as I got home, I went straight to bed for a nap. Even though I hadn't done a ton of walking, I was still tired. This has been a busier summer than usual for me! I went down at 3 PM and didn't get up until 5:30. 

Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse after I rolled out of bed. Prince Pete is cranky because he can't get comfortable in his favorite chair. The others help him figure out why his chair is so uncomfortable, so he can get "Prince Pete's Catnap" and finally drift off to dream land. 

Moved to Remember WENN next. "Sight Unseen" is the first of three episodes in the series to deal with minority and disability relations in the late 30's and early 40's. Angela Colton (Molly Ringwald) is a blind young woman who wants to meet her favorite character, the Vagabond. "The Vagabond" is played by short, balding character actor Mackie Bloom (Christopher Murney). He has her dance with Jeff to preserve the illusion, but Angela is disappointed. She doesn't care what he looks like, only that his voice is filled with nobility and integrity. 

Went straight into Match Game '76 after WENN ended. Most of tonight finished up the week with Elaine Joyce, Fannie Flagg, and Jimmie Walker admiring a pretty lady who made her own lovely clothing. She was gone by the next week with goofy Avery Schriberer and acerbic Jo Ann Pflug. 

Finished the night with more WENN. "The Emperor Smith" is George Smith, a black waiter whom Betty recruits to take the role of Lord Branley, Elizabeth's new love interest on The Hands of Time after Mackie gets laryngitis. His deep, resonant voice makes him an absolute sensation. There is one small problem. George is a black man at a time when minorities were still looked down on by most people. Betty has to figure out how to hide him from a particularly persistent reporter without the help of Victor Comstock, who was called away on a top secret mission. 

(And note Victor being called away. His top secret work is a major plot point from the later first season onwards.)

Dolls On National Night Out

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Auntie Hen" is preparing her home for lunch when Little Bear brings her chick nephews and nieces to visit. They wreck so much havoc inside, they end up eating at Hen's picnic table. Little Bear would love to "Play Ball," but he's angry that Emily took his ball without asking. Emily's angry at him for making fun of her baseball uniform. It takes the actual game to patch up their hurt feelings. "Lucy's Okay," even after Duck accidentally sits on her and they hold a mock funeral for the doll.

Had no trouble getting to the Acme on time this morning and on my bike. That's about the only thing that did go right at work. Work was a pain in the rear end from beginning to end. It's the beginning of the month and the day seniors get a discount. I had no help, either. The bagger who was supposed to help ended up in a register again. I kept getting behind on carts. I'd fill them, and they'd vanish again. I was very happy when I finally finished and got out of there.

At least the weather was pleasant. In fact, I think this is supposed to be the nicest weather we have this week. Sunny, breezy, hot, a little humid, but nothing like yesterday! For all the trouble, I did have a pleasant ride home, and it wasn't bad gathering carts when I could get out.

Returned to cartoons during lunch with Paw Patrol "Sea Patrol" episodes. "Pups Save a Water Walker" when Mayor Humdinger steals Francois Turn'bot's new water walking boots, intending to turn Turtle Island into part of Foggy Bottom. Not only did he completely ignore the fact that the island is a turtle habitat, but he can't control the boots. The pups have to go after him. "Pups Save a Windsurfer" when they save an older lady and her friend from an underwater and island volcano that are about to go off.

Switched to the 2002 Strawberry Shortcake as I finished eating. Peppermint Fizz is the only one who refuses to accept newcomer Rainbow Sherbet. She lives on a houseboat, and her life revolves around the water. She's too different for Peppermint. Strawberry holds "The Costume Party" to show why differences are nothing to be afraid of.

Dressed the dolls for August next. Kit, Samantha, and Molly wear their historically-accurate bathing suits I found on eBay. Jessa's purple tropical-print modern bathing suit also came from eBay. Ariel and Whitney's bathing suits were gifts from Lauren. Lauren also gave me the purple sundress with the lace jacket and hot-pink pineapple print. I can't find a historically-accurate bikini for Barbara Jean, so she gets to wear that for a summer date. 

Josefina and Felicity come from time periods where swimming and bathing weren't considered ladylike. Felicity wears her lavender striped Traveling Gown and second "meet" outfit. Josefina is in the pretty beige flowered dress and beige moccasins I found her in.

Listened to CDs while I worked, starting with finally getting all the way through American Musical Theater Vol II. The Cradle Will Rock, an opera about a steel worker who attempts to unionize against a miserly boss, was so politically charged the government tried to shut it down before it opened. Writer Marc Blitzstein ended up playing the piano for the cast while they sang their parts from the audience. Howard DaSylva gets dark title song. They weren't the only show to have trouble, either. Porgy and Bess wasn't a hit in its original 1935 run, though songs like "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" eventually put it over by 1940. Pins and Needles was a very similar revue from around the same time, though far more comic in nature. Ruth Rubenstein sings about being a "Chain Store Daisy" who has to sell to men instead of chase them. 

Two of the big names in this time period couldn't have been more different from another. Kurt Weill specialized in groundbreaking concepts and odd fantasies featuring brittle leading ladies like Gertrude Lawrence, who introduced "Jenny" in Lady In the Dark, and Mary Martin, who joined Kenny Baker to introduce "Speak Low" in One Touch of Venus. He also wrote the wistful "September Song," which was introduced by Walter Huston in Knickerbocker Holiday. "Tchaikovsky" had very little to do with Lady In the Dark, and everything to do with the performer who introduced the wild patter number about Russian composers - Danny Kaye. Cole Porter, on the other hand, went in for goofy shows with sassy belters like Ethel Merman. She introduced the title song of Anything Goes and "Friendship" with Bert Lahr in DuBarry Was a Lady. Mary Martin became a star singing Porter's sexy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in Leave It to Me. 

All of that changed when Oklahoma debuted. Rodgers and Hammerstein's romantic comedy-drama led a revolution where stories got meatier and songs and dances now had to have some relevance to the plot. The version of "Soliloquy" heard here is from the original cast album of Carousel and has a passage Hammerstein cut after opening that is heard nowhere else. For some reason, they use the 1966 revival of Annie Get Your Gun with Ethel Merman, Bruce Yarnell, and Jerry Orbach singing "There's No Business Like Show Business" instead of the original. Irving Berlin himself sings his own comic number from This Is the Army, "Oh How I Hate to Get Up In the Morning." St. Louis Woman wasn't a hit, but it did give us the gorgeous ballad "Come Rain or Come Shine."

Put on Diana Krall as I cleaned up the dolls' boxes and shoe hangers. Quiet Nights mean just that, soft ballad and bluesy numbers. There's standards here, too, "Where Or When," "Too Marvelous For Words," "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," and a really lovely version of "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face." Of the newer numbers, I liked the title song and "So Nice" the best.

Rested while watching the first three episodes of Remember WENN. Decided to rewatch my favorite TV show in honor of its 30th anniversary this year. "On the Air" introduces Betty Roberts (Amanda Naughton), who has just arrived at Pittsburgh radio station WENN in 1939. She won a writing contest, but erudite station manager Victor Comstock (John Bedford Lloyd) isn't impressed until her script saves a broadcast.

"Klondike 9366" brings in perky ingenue Ceila Mellon (Dina Spybey) and shows us more of husband-and-wife acting team Jeff Singer (Hugh O'Gorman) and Hilary Booth's (Melinda Mullins) contentious relationship. Celia is tossed into the fray when she and Jeff host Victor's latest radio creation, a late-night call-in talk show. It just ends up with crossed lines, until they help a little boy (Nick Holmes) keep a prowler at bay. 

Victor and Betty are caught between "A Rock and a Hard Place" when wealthy Mr. Action (Barton Heyman) wants to create a slam-bang action show. However, that would mean canceling Pittsburgh Public Library Theater and upsetting another influential sponsor, Mrs. Mellon (Irene Worth). While Victor tries to figure out how to appease both of them, Ceila tries desperately to avoid Mrs. Mellon...and Betty learns she wasn't entirely upfront about how close she was to the Mellon family. Good thing Betty can keep a secret (something she'll be doing a lot more of in the later seasons). 

Headed out after "Rock and a Soft Place" ended. I dropped off a book at the kiosk in front of what used to be the Oaklyn Library, then headed down to West Clinton. The Oaklyn Police Department held their National Night Out at the parking lot between the school and Tonewood Brewery. They were giving out free bags of popcorn, water ice, hot dogs, bottles of water, and very thin slices of pizza. I had two slices of pizza and one of everything else. Ate while watching older kids slide around and jump triumphantly out of a sports-themed bounce house. There was a Mickey Mouse-themed bounce house for the younger kids. 

I had just come back for cherry water ice when the police announced a pie-eating contest. Actually, it turned out to be more of a Reddi-Whip-in-the-pie-pan eating contest. Two cops competed against a line of kids. They were all utterly hilarious to watch, kids and cops alike! I think one of the older boys ended up winning. I finally went home as mothers wiped their children's whipped cream-covered faces and the cops grabbed lots of napkins.

Caught the last Match Game '76 episode of the night when I got in. Jimmie Walker spent a lot of the week enamored with a very pretty contestant who made her own clothes. Richard Dawson was happier to be between Elaine Joyce and Fannie Flagg (and their shapely figures).

Put on more WENN after Match Game ended. Movie and theater star Grace Cavendish (Patti LuPone, the first of three Broadway divas to appear on the show) makes a special appearance at the station in "There But for Grace." Hilary Booth is furious. She never forgave Grace for stealing her part in Razzle Dazzle. Grace is really there to see Victor, whom she once had a relationship with. Betty's not too happy either when she catches them renewing said relationship. Victor, however, is married to the station and the artistic freedom it brings. Meanwhile, Hilary is determined to get rid of this interloper, or at least give her the stomach ache of her life. (Look for LuPone's performance of the title song, the first of two times on the show you'll hear its lyrics.)

Finished the night at PBS Kids with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends aren't the only ones who learn that it's not so bad for our friends to have different interests. It's "Pizza Day at School." Dan wants to be "pizza buddies" with Prince Wednesday, but doesn't understand why he prefers broccoli over green peppers. Likewise, Miss Elainia tries to get Katarina to try finger painting, but she prefers painting with a brush. "Daniel and Jodi Like Different Things" when they play at the beach. Dan doesn't like to be squirted with a squeezy whale. Jodi's brother doesn't want his feet covered with sand, but he loves to help make sandcastles! 

Rainy Day Games

Started the day with breakfast and Monchichhis. It's a "Double Play" when the Grumplins create a machine that can turn a Grumplin into a Monchichhi. They target Patchit, the Monchichhis' inventor, repair-monkey, and head of the Happy Works, capturing him when he goes out for a ride on his new helicopter. When the others realize that's not Patchit, they go after him, only for him to rescue them when they're captured and sent to the Grumplins' mines.

It was pouring like crazy when the cartoon ended. I had to call Uber. There was no way I could take the bike...but I called too late. They couldn't arrive for 20 minutes! I ended up being very late, more than 20 minutes. At least there was no such trouble later. The second driver arrived in 9 minutes. No trouble on the road, not even flooding. 

Thank heavens that was the worst thing that happened all day. The rain stopped shortly after I arrived. It started again around 11. As you can imagine, the store wasn't busy. It didn't even pick up a little bit until almost before I was done. Another bagger came in and helped with the carts after around 10 as well. I was in and out with no trouble. Even picked up Bob's Red Mill instant oatmeal on clearance.

Instead of going straight home, I had the Uber driver drop me off at WaWa to use the ATM machine. Grabbed a Caramel Coconut Smoothie, Chicken Teriyaki Wrap, and Miss Vickie's chips there, too. The smoothie was frankly a bit watery, but the sandwich was yummy when I got home. Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time I was at WaWa, though it remained cloudy and thickly humid. I did get home dry.

Did something different when I got in and watched Sesame Street. The brand-new special "Storm On Sesame Street" has everyone in the neighborhood preparing for a major storm that's supposed to hit New York. Elmo's dad asks him to find three objects that will help make everyone feel better. He's joined by Abby Cadabby, her mom, and her stepbrother Rudy. Rudy's very nervous about the storm, so Elmo tries to distract him. He's helped by Bert and Ernie (who took in animals) and Big Bird (who is lining up stuffed animals for hugs, including his own Radar teddy). Later, after they see the havoc the storm wrecked on Sesame Street, they play superheros to fix everything, but learn that even the smallest help can have the biggest impact.

Switched to records while vacuuming, dusting, Swiftering, and taking the laundry downstairs. Since I just watched Sesame Street, I started off with Sesame Street Story Time. Luis, Maria, and Bob narrate short original fairy tales featuring the Muppets. Most of them, like "The Legend of the Lovely Linda," "Ike and Ilk," "The Story of Ira and Inex," and "The King Banishes the Letter 'P'," teach letters and their sounds. "The King's Picnic," "The King's Nose," and "The King and the Fireman" go more into the roles of kings and what they do. The theme of "The King's Problem" is very similar to "Storm On Sesame Street," showing how you don't have to be big or fast to do something important.

When We Were Very Young is an adaptation of a book of poetry by Winnie the Pooh author A.A Milne, and is in fact where Pooh made his debut. While ironically they don't use the poem that introduced Pooh ("Teddy Bear"), some of the others are lovely. "Daffydowndilly" and "The Mirror" have a sweet edge of melancholy to them, while "Disobedience," with its reverse of a child trying to care for a wayward parent, has an almost macabre ending. 

Salad Days was a long-running hit in London during the mid-50's, and frankly one of the most peculiar hit musicals I've ever heard. College students Timothy and Jane get married secretly, due to his disapproving family wanting him to find work. They eventually agree to watch a homeless man's piano for a month. It seems like an easy assignment, until they realize the piano makes anyone who hears it want to dance. One of Timothy's many uncles is a government official who bans the piano. After it goes missing, another uncle who is a scientist takes them in his flying saucer to find it.

Um, er, yeah. Good thing the music is genuinely charming, because the story is plain bonkers. Eleanor Drew and John Warner get the sweet "We Said We Wouldn't Look Back" and "Oh, Look at Me," while the more lively "Out of Breath" and "We're Looking for a Piano" are the closest this show gets to chorus numbers. Drew gets two solos, "I Sit In the Sun" and "The Time of My Life." This isn't a big show. It's played on the one piano. It is pretty cute, though, and apparently continues to remain popular with amateur groups in England and the UK. If you like British musical comedies, you'll probably want to hear this, but it's not for someone looking for a meatier story or one that makes sense.

I almost passed out listening to Salad Days. Switched to the American Musical Theater CD...and I did pass out there after the third song. I went down at around quarter of 5 and finally got up around 6:30. I'll listen to the rest of it later this week. 

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner and after I brought the clothes upstairs. Most of the episodes covered the week with Scoey Mitchelll and Susan Howard. The last half-hour took us into the next week, with Orson Bean, Betty White, and the only appearance of character actress Pat Delaney.

Finished the night after a shower honoring the 100th anniversary of NBC this year with some of their most memorable game shows. Password, for instance, started on CBS when it began in 1961. Password Plus moved the franchise to NBC in 1979, and it would stay there for Super Password starting in 1984. Although Super with Bert Convy was the bigger hit, Plus introduced the format both shows used that had contestants not only guessing words, but how they were all connected into a word. (And Password has gone back to NBC for its current version after Million Dollar Password ran on CBS in 2008.)

NBC wasn't nearly as good at keeping its shows around as CBS. Most of the Chuck Woolery and the early Pat Sajak daytime episodes of Wheel of Fortune are gone for good. The episode I have here from 1979 is one of the survivors. They're missing a lot of Hollywood Squares, too. We do have this episode from early in its short-lived nighttime run with Buddy Hackett in the center square, when it was one of the funniest and hippest game shows on TV.

You Bet Your Life was more fortunate. Groucho Marx's son was able to save most of his father's show from being junked. He absolutely made the right call. Not only is this one of the few surviving game shows from its era, but Groucho grilling contestants and tossing out quips to wanna-be comedians and inventors is still hilarious over 70 years later. 

By the time Classic Concentration debuted in 1988, NBC had largely begun to drop daytime game shows. It would be one of the last game shows on the network, running until 1991. The success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at ABC in 2001 prompted NBC to bring another popular British game show stateside. The Weakest Link is even darker as stone-cold hostess Anne Robinson presides over a group of people who vote off the worst player or "weakest link" after every round. The show ran into audience fatigue with "big money" game shows and didn't run a year. It did much better in its revival with Jane Lynch starting in 2020.

Celebrate NBC's centennial with some of its most beloved and popular games! 

You Bet Your Life (1950)

Hollywood Squares (1968)

Wheel of Fortune (1979)

Password Plus (1982)

Super Password (1987)

Classic Concentration (1991)

The Weakest Link American Premiere (2001)

Nighttime Matches

Started off a quiet morning with breakfast and records. Dream a Little Dream of Me is actually more of a greatest hits collection, released by Pickwick a few months before Cass's death in 1974. The sweet hit title song is probably the best known number, but she put out a few other good ones. I also thought "Move In a Little Closer, Baby" and her version of the standard "I Can Dream, Can't I?" were lovely.

George Harrison had just as many problems with Somewhere In England. Apparently, Warners thought it wasn't "commercial" enough. The murder of John Lennon during its creation devastated him...but it also resulted in this album's hit and my favorite Harrison solo song, the jaunty tribute "All Those Years Ago." Darker numbers like "Life Itself," "That Which I Have Lost," "Teardrops," and "Writing's On the Wall" also reflect the difficulties Harrison had in the early 80's. 

Headed off to work after Somewhere In England ended. I did get there on time, which was a good thing. We were busy all day. It's the beginning of the month. I had fewer problems when the Sunday morning bagger took the inside work and trash this morning. Turns out the other new bagger had been trained as a cashier and ended up there all day. By 3 PM, the morning bagger went home, and his replacement was the older man who can't push more than 1 to 3 carts at a time. He even complains about having to take a break when he doesn't want to! I had a harder time keeping up with the carts after that. 

The weather didn't help. It was initially sunny, breezy, thickly humid, and very hot, in the upper 80's. Clouds rolled in by the time the older man arrived. It started showering lightly as I rode home. The rain was getting heavier just as I arrived, though I think it's long stopped.

I changed, made a fast dinner, and put on the Match Game YouTube marathon. The nighttime episodes were in the spotlight here with some of their biggest wins, fiercest battles, and most famous episodes. My personal favorite episode of the entire nighttime run was the infamous Admiral __ Audience Match from 1975. Gene bet Richard his answer "Admiral Color TV" wasn't on the board, but...well, Gene learned the hard way that you don't ever bet against Richard in the Audience Match. Brett and especially Betty were really having a great time during that episode too, especially with a question involving what a heavy-breathing caller would say to Betty late at night.

That wasn't the last time Betty had fun in the nighttime shows. In 1976, she and Richard played Charles and Brett when Gene answered the lower tier a question. They had so much fun, they even borrowed their glasses, Brett's "Russian club soda," and Charles' hat and scarf. Richard was probably more accurate than Betty (whose voice was too deep to pull off Charles), but it was still hilarious.

Some later nighttime shows could be blankin' hilarious too. There was the episode in 1979 that started off with Elaine Joyce and Gary Burghoff making out on the bottom tier. Or the one from the week in late 1978 where Jack Klugman and Brett Somers appeared on the show together for the first time since their divorce. There was also the time in 1976 where a lady completely struck out in the Audience Match. Ira was nice enough to let her match the panelists on a question instead. She left with $600 and a smile on her face. Suzanne Sommers objected to the answer "Dumb Bunny" for __ Bunny in the Audience Match on her one nighttime show. Or the one where the panelists on the upper tier saluted a handsome Scottish officer in full parade dress. Bob Barker really loved whispering into Loni Anderson's ear in another 1978 show. 

Bet on the nighttime shows to give you more bang for your TV buck! 

Match Game Sunday Classics - Match Game PM: BLANKOFF Showdown

Rat Pack Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Bluey. After Bandit ignores Bingo's domino heart, "Fairies" suddenly appear and wreck havoc. Bandit has to make it up to Bingo and outsmart the fairies. Bandit is initially the boss of "Work." When Bluey takes over and fires him over dancing, he ends up outside, selling drainpipes with Bingo...until a "ballerina" (Chili) sees them dancing and decides he's her perfect partner.

Not only was it late by the time I got dressed, but my heel is still sore. I called Uber. That might not have been a bad idea. The one going to work came in 6 minutes. It took me a while to get a car going home, but when I did, they arrived in 3 minutes! No trouble going to work. The driver had a few nervous minutes edging around the bus on Nicholson Road, but other than that, there were no problems.

Work didn't begin well. Cleaning up a leaky soda cooler put me behind with the carts, and I never did get to sweeping that hour. Things went better once I had more help and it slowed down after around 1. One college boy arrived around 11 AM. The other came at 2. They took over the sweeping and trash. By 2 PM, it was so quiet, and there were so many carts, I spent the last two hours inside putting away loose items. 

When I got home, I changed, took a shower, made a tuna sandwich and cherries for dinner, then made use of that Cherry Coke Zero I bought the other day to have an ice cream soda for dessert. When I got back upstairs, I watched Paw Patrol. "Rescue Knights: Pups Save a Dozing Dragon" when Claw and the Duke of Flappington steal a cauldron that can create a sleeping mist if a dragon breathes on it. Claw gets Sparks to create the mist, but he doesn't consider what would happen if he fell asleep while in the air...

Spent the rest of the night watching the Saturday Match Game marathon. Joey Bishop was long past his days with the Rat Pack when he made his first Match Game appearance in mid-1976. He was a cranky contrast to some of the snarkier or more upbeat panelists. 

He was there for the New Year's Eve week with Charles' friend Elizabeth Allen and saw sweet George keep winning games. He and Mary Wickes made jokes about Gene's green and yellow plaid coat (Joey was right - it did look like it came off of a car seat) and the infamous red coat mentioned last weekend. To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure he got the show's humor. He kept trying to kiss contestants, even when they didn't get their answer from him. The ladies were happier with the handsome white-haired contestant who somewhat resembled Allen Ludden. Brett and Mary in particular seemed pretty interested in him. The guys were more interested in the cute woman who wore shirts that said "Glamour" and "Foxy Lady." 

To give Joey credit, he had a point about some of his complaints. There was the time Ira, the show's judge and producer, wouldn't pass "wipe" for clean. He also would call out audiences that were unruly by even the show's standards, claiming there was one guy booing him who kept moving around. I believe he was also the first person to point out that there were three standard answers for Match Game - women's chests, Howard Cosell, or relieving oneself. 

Get to know the mind with the dirty man in these festive and hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Joey Bishop Marathon

All Around the Town

Began the morning with breakfast and Monchhichis. TooToo, the sweet white Monchhichi in the pink skirt, wants to help her friends more than anything, but her aid tends to end in disaster. Feeling unwanted, TooToo runs away to the Underground, joined by fast-talking Thumkii. She gets into "TooToo Trouble" when the others have to rescue her from wart hogs who make her their queen and sacrifice to a huge dragon-like creature.

It was so late by the time I got up, my schedule had been posted at the Acme's website. I am not happy at all. On one hand, far more hours...too many. My only day off is Wednesday, and I have an 8 1/2 hour day next Saturday! The head bagger must have gone on vacation. I didn't expect this. They just hired all of those new baggers, and they couldn't spread things out? What are they going to do when she finally gets to retiring? I have two jobs. I can't always be there. 

I wasn't in the best mood when I headed out to run errands. It was so late, I figured I'd just get lunch somewhere. Had pizza at Montegrillo, the narrow, brand-new restaurant in Collingswood. A slice of regular cheese, a slice of chicken and vegetables, and a bottle of water cost me $8. I enjoyed it in peace and quiet other than two pre-teen boys chatting quietly in the back.

Moved on to the bank next. I made too many transfers online and was hoping to get money out of my savings account, but...I can't on an ATM machine, there's no tellers at the Collingswood branch anymore, and I didn't really want to hike all the way down to Haddonfield. I'll get money on Monday.

I was mostly out to do this week's grocery shopping. The Westmont Acme was closer, so I went there first. They had buy one, get one free blueberries and dollar Chobani yogurt. Picked up two bagels for lunch this weekend and found inexpensive slices of strawberry cake roll for a special dessert tonight. Good sales on granola bars and Special K crisp bars, too. Restocked granola, soda, Swiss cheese, and tuna. Rode up to Sprouts after that for sugar cookies, oat milk, dried mango slices, plums, and more of those 99 cent containers of prebiotic dried berries and pineapple. Zevia diet soda was buy one, get one half-off. 

By the time I finished at Sprouts, it was starting to get busier. The Acme was relatively busy, too. It was almost 3:30, the start of rush hour. Not to mention, it was hot, sunny, and killer humid. I waved to the kids at the daycare program at the Westmont Plaza (including one from Thomas Sharp who cheerfully greeted me) and made my way home.

I was so tired when I got home, I managed to put most everything away, but passed out before I could put the container with the granola bars back. I did start to finally watch The Movies Begin. This Kino Lorber DVD covers some of the very first experiments with moving photography in the late 1890's (some of it quite racy and involving a lot of nudity), a lot of shots of everyday life at the turn of the 20th century, and two distinct early pioneering efforts, Georges Melies' iconic early sci-fi tale A Trip to the Moon and the influential western The Great Train Robbery.

Switched to Storybook International at Tubi while I got organized. "The Foolish Lad" is a cross between the series' earlier "Simpleton Peter" and the German tale "The Princess Who Never Laughed." George can never seem to figure out how to do things, but he always manages to come out on top anyway. He tries to sell butter to rocks and manages to find money under them. He tries to sell dairy to the river and rescues a wealthy man from drowning. He tries to sell sausages to a dog, then goes to the mayor in the hope that he'll make the dog pay. The mayor has his own worries about his melancholy daughter...but she's feeling a lot better after she hears George's tale.

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner. The week ended with that long curly wig migrating to the head of Fannie Flagg. It made her look (and sound when she attempted a bad Brooklyn accent) a lot like Maple LaMarsh on Remember WENN. Bonnie Franklin made her debut on the show the next week, joined by Scoey Mitchelll and Patti Deusch. Gene had a cold, so Richard had to give Bonnie her welcome-to-the-show kiss (the only time he would get to do that). He also tried to get Scoey to blow his cigar smoke in another direction.

Finished the night back at Tubi for The Iron Mask. This would be Douglas Fairbanks Sr's last big swashbuckler. In something of a follow-up to his earlier Three Musketeers, Fairbanks once again plays D'Artagnan. This time, after his friends are forced to leave Paris and his beloved Constance (Marguerite De La Motte) dies, he becomes the father figure to Louis XIV (William Bakewell). Though Cardinal Richeliu (Nigel De Brulier) has died, he made sure to hide that the queen had twin boys. When Louis' twin appears, the villainous Count De Rochefort (Ullrich Haupt) puts Louis in an iron mask and his brother on the throne. D'Artaganan fakes his death to find out what's really going on here. 

Alas, I saw the 1952 re-release with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. providing a rather intrusive narration. The original full silent movie with titles is currently available on Kino Lorber DVD and on YouTube. 

Walking In Woodcrest

Started off the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Little Bear, Duck, and Emily accidentally go "Rafting On the River" when their raft breaks free and heads downstream. Cat, Duck, and Owl race them to see whether land or water are the fastest ways to travel. "Little Bear's Kite" was made by him and Grandfather Bear on a fine windy day. Little Bear has fun imagining all the places it can fly too, until it runs into another kite...one that happens to be attached to a familiar friend. It's the "Night of the Full Moon." After Father tells Little Bear the story of monsters that appear during the full moon, they pretend to be monsters and try to scare Mother Bear. Mother, however, knows what the full moon can do to people and bears...

Headed out after the cartoon ended. Rode straight to the Collingswood PATCO. Fortunately, the train to Woodcrest arrived not more than 8 minutes after I sat down. The train wasn't busy at all. I think there were two other people going there with me. 

I got a very big shock when I got off. The Woodcrest PATCO station is twice the size of the ones further up the line. There was ample seating inside and out, a long row of ticketed swing doors, and someone was even in the ticket booth. I have never once in the 20 years I've lived here seen someone actually selling tickets in the Collingswood booth. It was even nice outside...at least until you turned towards the street, where they seemed to be doing exterior and track work. I had a hard time just finding my way out of the sprawling parking lot. 

As it turned out, the bridge over the train tracks did have sidewalks. I was easily able to walk over them, passing corporate buildings and towering luxury apartment buildings. I was surprised to see sponge manufacturer Scrub Daddy's offices in another building. I had no idea they were a local business. They're sold pretty much everywhere around here, from Dollar General to Target to the Acme. Passed them, then went by tall pine trees and a leaning sidewalk that went around the Cherry Hill Fire Hall. Thank heavens Haddonfield-Berlin Road was the only traffic-laden street I encountered on this trip. I tried to be careful crossing, especially given it was past noon by the time I did. 

Passed by a green-roofed shopping center for the time being, continuing down Browning Lane. Fortunately, the Centura Condominium complex wasn't even a block from the shopping center. Centura is a gated community, so I couldn't walk around the outside like I did elsewhere. I did see two kinds of buildings through the wrought-iron fences. One half the complex buildings were more like generic 70's townhouses. The other half were older, probably from the 50's, with a Spanish theme complete with cream-colored stucco walls. There was a sunken-in brick area with a charming fountain in front of the guard house. 

As far as I could tell, everything was very clean and well-maintained. The balconies sported either porch furniture and small grills or potted plants, no junk. I did hear there's a pool and tennis courts. Couldn't get around to the back to see what the trash areas were like. The lawns were spacious and velvety green, except for under the towering pine trees near the front. The rest of the neighborhood were the 60's and 70's tract houses that seem to be typical construction through most of Cherry Hill. I was a little annoyed that only the house side of the street had sidewalks. While Browning Lane wasn't mega-busy, it wasn't a quiet country road, either.

Backtracked to the Woodcrest Shopping Center after I saw all I could of Centura. This looks almost identical to the Plaza at Cherry Hill before it's recent makeover, a 70's-era outdoor mall with a green roof. Dunkin' Donuts was one out parcel. The other was an escape room that was definitely housed in a former Rite Aid/Eckards. I was so hot, I grabbed a tasty and sweet SunCloud Coconut Limeade at Dunkin's before deciding I was hungry enough for lunch.

I ate at Asad's Hot Chicken. They looked like a more colorful Crown Chicken and Gyro with an all-chicken menu. I went with two sliders with Cole slaw and pickles, fries, and a Sprite Zero. The girl said she gave me mild, but...yow! It wasn't mild at all! It was way too spicy for me! I did manage to eat one slider, but I couldn't finish the other. Too bad the fries were covered in spices, too. The ones I dug around for without them were really good. They were nice, but I don't think I'll be eating there again. Next time I'm in the area, I'll go to the pizza place across the street.

Explored a few other stores in the mall. Bought a gift card for my nephew Skylar's birthday and a box of Orange Cream cheap hydration mix at Dollar Tree. Wandered around an Asian Indian market, admiring the unique fruits, vegetables, candies, and baked goods. Peeked at Top Deck Games, a card and board game store. Most of their stock was overpriced, which was a shame. They had some nifty stuffed Pokemon. I saw a Strawberry Shortcake Candy Land game that I may see if I can pick up somewhere cheaper along the line.

After I left Top Deck Games, I started back...but I was thirsty again, and I really had to go to the bathroom. It was windy, cool, and cloudy, but also thickly humid. I asked two nice ladies sitting at a picnic table where the coffee shop in one of the corporate buildings was. I'm just glad no one called me on not belonging there. I bought a very tasty matcha latte from the dark and tan wood Terry's Cafe. Found the bathrooms not far from the nifty modern lounge area, with its soft dark blue velvet seats and weird chairs made of blue cloth straps and blue and orange wire flowers on the walls. 

Thankfully, I had no trouble after that. I ducked out of the bathroom and returned to the bridge. Spotted a set of concrete steps with yellow railings that went down to the parking lot. Once again, I got lucky and didn't have to wait long for a train. Took an only slightly busier train to Collingswood, then took my bike home.

Listened to the soundtrack from Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter as I got organized. I reviewed the movie two years ago, and found that it's a charming British MGM musical wrapped up in a vehicle for Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits. You get that sense here as well. In addition to the hit title song and "There's a Kind of Hush," we have the sales pitch "Lemon and Lime" and "The World Is For the Young" as Stanley Holloway, Sheila White, and Marjorie Rhoades discuss how the youth think they know everything about love. 

Switched to Descendants: Wicked Wonderland next. I go further into the latest movie in the Disney Channel fantasy crossover series at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Descendants: Wicked Wonderland

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner and after a much-needed shower. Lee Merriweather spent a lot of the week sporting a wig with luscious auburn locks. The others spent it answering questions about what beauty queens do when they get older.

Finished the night at the Roku Channel for The Rockford Files. "The Dark and Bloody Ground" is the first time lawyer Beth (Gretchen Corbett) hires Jim for a case. Here, she convinces him to help a woman accused of her husband's death in a fire accident. Turns out not only was her husband not who he claimed to be, he was the writer of a best-selling book that's being made into a movie. Jim and Beth have to dodge killers taking pot shots and trying to run them off the road when she discovers a loop hole that will allow a company to own the rights to a book if the author's dead. 

Quiet Summer

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Bluey. Bandit needs a "Taxi" on a rainy afternoon, but with Bluey driving, Chili as the GPS system, and Bingo as a demanding passenger, it may be a while before he gets to the airport. Bluey discovers the solo delights of "The Beach" when she follows her mother for a walk and explores on her own.

It was so late, I called Uber. That might not have been a bad idea. The driver going there and home both took six minutes. No trouble getting there or back. I got to work just in time.

I could have been infinitely late. We were quiet the entire morning. Not only was there not much to do, but one of the college boys arrived around 11:30 to help me with the carts and took over sweeping for the last hour. The weather was gorgeous too, off-and-only cloudy and relatively cool for July, with an absolutely delicious wind. There was no trouble whatsoever, and I was in and out quickly.

Changed when I got home, then made buckwheat pancakes with cherries for lunch while watching He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Skeletor steals eggs from a mother dragon and accelerates their growth to create "The Dragon Invasion." He thinks this will distract He-Man while he and his minions invade Castle Greyskull and he uses the Dragon Pearl to imprison the Sorceress, but He-Man finds a way to get past Beast Man and gain the dragons' trust.

Listened to the Top TV Hits CD set I found at Abbie Road on vacation while reading the cozy mystery Midnight Snacks are Murder. This is an Entertainment Weekly release from 1995, when every company existing (no matter what else they normally did) released some kind of CD collection. As you can guess from the title, this is a two-disc collection of beloved theme songs from TV shows. Most of them are still recognizable today, like "Hey Hey, We're the Monkees," the "nananana" theme from the 60's Batman, the smash instrumental themes to Mission: Impossible and Hawaii 5-0, another hit from a superhero show "The Greatest American Hero," and Will Smith telling the hip-hop tale of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." 

Others are less well-remembered now. Andy Griffith whistled "The Fishin' Hole" from his own long-running Andy Griffith Show. The instrumental themes from Barney Miller, S.W.A.T, and Hill Street Blues are funky jazz and disco riffs that were hits at a time when vocal music was increasingly dominating the airwaves. "Welcome Back" from Welcome Back Kotter, "Without Us" from Family Ties, and "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" from Cheers are charming soft rock numbers from beloved sitcoms. (I would have preferred the original "Love Boat Theme" to the updated disco version they have here, though.) 

Two of the best songs came from shows that are practically unknown now. Square Pegs is now considered a cult classic teen comedy-drama, but barely lasted a season in 1983. It's certainly not the fault of its very modern New Wave Waitresses title song. The Heights, a drama about a wanna-be rock band, was a flop in 1992...but its theme song "How Do You Talk To an Angel" went to number one and still can be heard on classic rock stations to this day. 

After the CDs ended, I took a much-needed nap. I've been up too late and getting up earlier, and it's taking its toll on me. I was so tired, I went down at 3:30 and didn't get up until almost 6 PM.

Went straight into dinner and Match Game '76 after I rolled out of bed. The first two episodes finished out the week with Isobel Sanford and Marvin Hamlisch. Having created a song for the contestant with Charles earlier in the week, the duo went on to create one for Brett in the last episode. Brett couldn't resist tossing in her foghorn contralto. Elaine Joyce and Jimmie Walker were on the next week, along with lots of Jimmie's signature catchphrase "Dyn-o-mite!"

Finished the night at YouTube with the last three episodes of Daredevils of the Red Circle. I really give Republic credit here. While this lacks the familiar characters of something like Captain Marvel or Spy Smasher, it also has some of the best stunts of any serial, and one of the more creative plots. I also love who the Red Circle turned out to be. Animal fans will enjoy seeing that the Daredevils' collie Tuffie is just as heroic as his masters and is as much a part of the gang as the guys. I wish the same could be said for the black valet Snowflake, who is annoying comic relief at best, a dated stereotype at worst. Thankfully, he's not really on all that much. 

While it seems this is available on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber, the entire 12-chapter serial can be easily found for free on YouTube. It's well worth your time if you love vintage serials or classic action. 

I've Still Got My Health

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Rescue Knights: Pups Save a Tournament" from Claw's attempts to cheat when he competes against Sweetie and a "mystery knight." "Rescue Knights: Pups Save the Baby Dragons" from Claw and the Duke of Flappington attempting to kidnap them. The Pups have to rescue the little ones before their mother gets there and wrecks even more havoc.

After the cartoon ended, I called Uber. Not only was it getting late, but I didn't like the look of the weather. It was cloudy, cool, hazy, and heavily humid. No trouble getting there or home. The one going there came in 8 minutes. The one going home came in 5. 

Got to Riverwalk Dental at the Westmont Plaza with five minutes to spare. Thank heavens after I got that tooth pulled in late April, there was no trouble here. It was just a routine cleaning. I was in and out within a half-hour, and I won't be going back until early November. 

Went next-door to Target after my teeth were squeaky clean. I was hoping to find more heel gel inserts or dividers for my record collection, so I know which letter in which crate and genre, but...nope. I did pick up nectarines, cheaper anti-bacterial wipes than I've seen elsewhere, and more of those Nature's Valley wafer bars for a decent price.

Since it still wasn't raining, I walked down the hill, past the Haddon Township Library, and down to the Westmont for lunch. Tried their garden omelet, along with more of those cheesy grits and soft mulit-grain toast. The grits weren't bad, but the omelet was watery and tasteless without the vegetables. Having enjoyed their chocolate cake a while back, I gave their carrot cake a shot. (Good thing I did. The waitress said they were already out of the chocolate cake, and I was there around 1:30.) Yum! Huge (seven layers!), thick and so moist, filled with raisins and lots of cream cheese frosting. 

After I got home, I was so tired, I just spent the next few hours listening to music. Beaches, with Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey as close but unlikely best friends, was a huge hit melodrama in 1988. I remember how big it was during my late childhood. The inspirational ballad "The Wind Beneath My Wings" was everywhere on the radio all through the late 80's and early 90's. Though "Wind Beneath My Wings" is pretty, I prefer some of the more upbeat numbers. Midler has a lot of fun with "I've Still Got My Health" from the Cole Porter show Panama Hattie and two hilarious chorus number spoofs Midler wrote herself, "Otto Titsling" and "Oh Industry!" She also does well by Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," but the duet "I Know You By Heart" is so 80's it hurts. (Oh, and there was a stage musical version on Broadway earlier this spring, but it was said to be terrible and didn't last a month.)

Cole Porter Vol. III is one of the later releases in Ben Bagley's long-running Revisited series of little-known numbers by beloved songwriters. There's some really hilarious performances here. Elaine Stritch gets to tear into "Find Me a Primitive Man" and "When Love Beckoned." Lynn Redgrave does surprisingly well by "I Want to Be Raided By You" and a medley of marriage-themed songs from Let's Face It and the original Gay Divorce. Dolores Gray gets the ballads "You're Too Far Away" and "Who Would Have Dreamed," while I can't help but wonder if Bagley was right and sweet Georgia Engel didn't quite understand what was going on with "I Like Pretty Things."

Little Me is an even goofier satire. Hollywood star Belle Potrine (Nancy Andrews) recalls how, in her younger years (Virginia Martin), went from Belle Schlumpfert from the wrong side of the tracks who was determined to win wealthy Noble Eggleston (Sid Caesar) to a performer who had everything but her true love. Caesar played almost every man she pursued or married, from the aptly-named wealthy young man she adored to the miser whom she begged to save her family's home to a Maurice Chevalier-esque entertainer and a doomed flyer on his way to World War I. Wild though the satire is, the Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh score actually produced two standards. Caesar got to introduce the charming "Real Live Girl," while Sven Swenson, as a gambler who also loved Belle, pointed out "I've Got Your Number." Most of the other songs don't get close to those two, though Martin's "Poor Little Hollywood Star" and her "I want" song "The Other Side of the Tracks" are fun. 

(A revival with Victor Garber and James Coco in 1983 barely lasted a month and wasn't recorded. The second one from 1998 with Martin Short taking all the Caesar roles and Faith Prince as Belle didn't do much better run-wise, but both stars were said to have been excellent in the leads. Bruce Forsyth was an even bigger hit as Belle's lovers on the West End.)

Switched to Match Game '76 while making a quick dinner. The first hour finished out the week with Jody Donovan, including Dick Martin getting his first right answer. The first full week of 1976 brought in Isobel Sandford at the start of The Jeffersons' long run and songwriter Martin Hamlisch, just as A Chorus Line was starting its own long run on Broadway. Hamlisch brought along a small toy piano and spent the week creating songs on it, including one he called "Fog Cloud" after a nervous contestant's answer to the Head-to-Head Fog __.

Finished the night at PBS Kids with more Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Margaret and Jodie's little twin brothers are upset when their dads go to the Clock Factory while they take lessons from Music Man Stan. Stan, Daniel, and Jodie remind them that "Grown Ups Come Back to the Music Shop," especially to join a dance party! Katarina enjoys playing with O and eating X's soup, but she misses Henrietta when she goes out for the evening. The two owls do their best to cheer her up and remind her that "Katarina's Mommy Comes Back Home." 

Oh, and the storms didn't finally arrive until around 8 PM. They were coming down pretty good for a while, but they seem to be gone for the moment.