Discovering Games

Began the morning reading about Columbus Day. The big piece in Colliers Harvest of Holidays is a surprisingly honest biography from 1944 that points out he took natives from their island homes, never found the Asian riches he was searching for, and died a broken man. Two poems were funnier, but they still discussed his lack of sailing and leadership abilities and his crew's near-mutiny.

Since I got up so late and the weather was so beautiful, I decided to go out for brunch instead of sitting in front of cartoons at home. Rode up to the Legacy Diner, just dodging a group of girls who just came out. They were so busy, I ended up sitting at the counter. I still enjoyed my broccoli and cheddar omelet, home fries, and whole wheat toast. I spent so much time staring at the desserts in the displays up front, I had to try their pumpkin cheesecake. Ooh, spicy and decadent and very earthy-pumpkin!

Cut across Audubon and past the baseball fields at Green Wave Park, which is directly across from the back of Goodwill. I delivered a bag of donations, then went around to the front store. My best find today was a  bright red Issac Mizrahi sweater with lovely scalloped edges. It was sunny and warm today, but the wind was chilly. I ended up wearing the sweater home. Good thing it's soft and incredibly comfortable. I also picked up a cute rounded stuffed fox decoration made with woven fall-colored plaid fabric I named Locksley, the 1962 Disney version of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates on DVD, and the two-disc This Is America record from the Longines Symphony for patriotic holidays. (While the Audubon Goodwill has heavily expanded their DVD collection, I was disappointed to see they barely had any CDs left, and not that many records, either.)

Hit up a few more stores after finishing at Goodwill. Found bags of mini-books for trick-or-treaters at Five Below that would be perfect for the Mystery Bags, along with an adorable Squishmallow cat named Cam with bat wings. I wanted to start my Christmas shopping at Marshalls, but they were too busy! I just replaced my curl brush and comb. The fluffy bear ears headband was supposed to be for spa days, but I thought it would be perfect for a bear costume. 

The other reason I was at Audubon Crossings was to get my hair done. There's a Great Clips across the parking lot from Marshalls and Ross. Considering how busy the stores and the Legacy Diner were, they were empty. They were able to seat me right away. That blunt cut that I got in early April didn't really end up looking right or working with my curls. They look more attractive and are more manageable cut chin-length and layered. They felt so much better and bouncier when I headed out!

Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House on the way home for another delicious Rosemary Apple Cider Chai-der. Had a banana chip muffin for lunch, too. They were also surprisingly quiet. Most people must still be on vacation or are focusing on shopping. 

Once I got home, I relaxed while watching the 1952 version of Ivanhoe on Tubi. Robert Taylor is the title character, who returns home from the Crusades to discover Richard the Lionhearted (Norman Woodland) is being held prisoner by the king of Austria, who demands a huge ransom for his release. Richard's brother John (Guy Rolfe) would rather rule England in his stead and pit Saxons and Normans against one another. Passing himself off as a minstrel, Ivanhoe brings Norman soldiers Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders) and Sir Hugh De Bracey (Robert Douglas) to the home of his father Cedric (Finlay Currie). Cedric wants nothing to do with any Norman, not even Richard, but his ward Rowena (Joan Fontaine) is in love with Ivanhoe and is more supportive. 

Ivanhoe realizes Saxons aren't the only race being persecuted in England when he helps his father's jester Wamba (Emlyn Williams) rescue kindly old rabbi Issac (Felix Aylmer) from soldiers. His daughter Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) gives up her jewels so Ivanhoe can win a jousting tournament. He does win, but is injured while doing so. None other than Robin Hood (Harold Warrender) brings him to Rebecca to be healed. It's Robin Hood and his Merry Men to the rescue when Cedric is captured and Ivanhoe goes to rescue him, only to be taken as well. When Rebecca is branded a witch and may be burned at the stake, Ivanhoe rushes to King John's castle to stop her trial and prove who the real greatest knight in England is.

Honestly, Robert Taylor's kind of stiff (and a bit overage) as the valiant knight. It's the ladies and villains who walk off with this one. Fontaine and especially Elizabeth Taylor are so luminous, you can understand why Ivanhoe has a hard time choosing between them for a while. Sanders has more fun playing a slightly less sneering villain than he normally did. There's also the gorgeous Technicolor production, with England and some enormous sets blazing across the screen. I also appreciate that the anti-prejudice story is treated with some sensitivity, especially for the time. If you're looking for a good, stirring swashbuckler with slightly more to say than most in the genre, you can't go wrong with two of the loveliest ladies ever in an MGM England.

Switched to Match Game '77 during dinner. The first hour skipped past several weeks that are missing episodes to the tail end of the week with Hans Conried and Sarah Kennedy. Hans seemed a bit dazed, which is likely why this would be his only appearance on the show. Conny Van Dyke and Dick Martin had more fun the next week, especially when Conny complained about not getting a new-kid-on-the-block kiss (despite having been on the show at least twice before).

Finished the night with a salute to Double Dare. This Nickelodeon staple celebrates its 40th anniversary this month. This would be Nick's first foray into game shows. Two teams with two kids answer trivia questions from host Marc Summers. If they don't know the answer, they can toss a dare at the other kids. If those kids don't know, they can throw dares back. Third dare gets a "physical challenge," a messy stunt. Winner goes on to the Obstacle Course, 8 unique slime-filled stunts. Grabbing an orange flag at the end of a stunt nets a prize. Get all 8, and you got the grand prize, which in the 80's was usually a trip to Disney World or Space Camp. 

Double Dare meant a little more to kids like my sisters and me who grew up in the Philadelphia and South Jersey area in the mid-late 80's. From 1986 until they moved to Nickelodeon Studios in 1989, they filmed at WHYY Studios, the PBS station in downtown Philadelphia. You would frequently see kids from Philly, its suburbs, and South Jersey on the show and in the audience. The show's announcer Harvey was even a popular Philly disc jockey at the time.

The show was so popular, it had spin-offs almost immediately. Super Sloppy Double Dare was the weekend edition that debuted in 1987. Double Dare entered syndication, mainly on Fox stations, in 1988. Family Double Dare originally debuted in 1988 as well, but didn't last long in syndication. It did better on Nick from 1990 to 1992.

Double Dare proved so popular in re-runs, it returned to Nick in 2000 as Double Dare 2000. Pretty much the same deal, but the host was now Jason Harris, the contestants remained families, and they added a third Triple Dare Challenge. It didn't really help the show. Double Dare 2000 never found an audience and was gone within 10 months. 

The show's last version to date was in 2018. It pretty much returned to its original format, with more variety in the contestants. Now you never knew who would be playing. It might be just kids, as in the episode I have here from Paramount Plus, or kids and adult guardians, or kids and celebrities, or just celebrities. TV and radio personality Lisa Dishy had a blast hosting, and Marc Summers took over Harvey and Doc Holliday's duties as announcer. While it was never the runaway success that the original was, it did manage a decent two years. 

Celebrate 40 years of the messiest, silliest, wildest stunts on cable and syndicated TV with these delightfully gak-filled episodes! 

Double Dare Premiere (1986)

Double Dare Syndicated (1988)

Family Double Dare (1990)

Double Dare 2000 (2000)

Double Dare (2018)

Sailing Into Matches

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and more Let's Pretend cassettes. "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" is generally a straightforward rendition of the original Arabian Nights story. While it does use the genie in the ring that many versions tend to drop, it also just had the evil Wizard order the genie to steal the princess, rather than the entire castle. Aladdin ends up using the ring to rescue her and poisoning the wizard.

"The Donkey, the Table, and the Stick" is less well-known today. This version of the Grimm's tale has a young man named Jack working for two older people who give him a donkey that drops coins from its ears and a table that magically makes food appear. He makes the mistake of boasting about them to the head of the inn where he stays and his daughter. They steal them, then claim to Jack's father that he never had them to begin with. It's the third magical item that finally gets the duplicitous trio to confess, so Jack can marry his sweetheart.

Despite the ongoing downpour, I had no trouble with Uber today. The one arriving came in 7 minutes. Good thing, as I wanted to get there early enough to buy a plastic container of turkey cubes, mozzarella cubes, crackers, and grapes for lunch. The one going home came in 6 minutes.

I did do carts for the first hour, when the rain wasn't so bad...but once the downpour picked up around 10 AM, I had no desire to be out in it. I spent the rest of the day sweeping the store and putting unwanted items away. One of the college boys took over the carts after he arrived later. Just as well that I didn't see the Eagles game. They dropped a heartbreaker to the Jaguars in London, just barely losing 19-17. 

Finally got around to putting up the Halloween decorations when I got home. Xiomara the Squishmallow Leopard is far from my only Halloween decoration! I'm not a fan of horror, so most of my decorations are funny or cute, like the Trick-or-Sweet Bear stand-up (yes, there is a Halloween Care Bear) I found at Marshalls a few years ago, the cartoony black cat and skeleton wooden stand-ups I found at Goodwill, the stuffed witch I got from Jodie when Dad died, and the various Halloween Happy Meal toys Mom gave me when she cleared out her Halloween decorations in the late 2000's. I also collect cute stuffed bats - I have Boo the WebKinz Bat, Ophelia the Beanie Baby Bat, Scarem, a much smaller Beanie Baby bat, the adorable Belfry I found at a candy store in 2021, and a bat from the Eckards holiday Beanie Baby-type stuffed toy collection from the late 90's.

Listened to Halloween stories and music while I worked, and later as I went online. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow comes with two stories. The title story is a condensed version of the Ichabod Crane segment from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Rip Van Winkle is more interesting. It sticks to the original story up until Rip wakes up...to discover that he's slept not through 20 years of his life, but 220. He awakens in a typical small upstate New York town of the early 60's to discover that the more things change...the more kids love to hear his stories. 

Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House is honestly a bit scary for Disney. Even they admit this album isn't for young children. The stories on Side A alone lean heavily into spooky horror, even just using sound effects and a few lines of dialogue. The screechy sound effects on side B are just slightly less spooky. 

Autumn is one of George Winston's most relaxing albums. The first song "Colors/Dance" is my favorite from side one, "September." "October" gets appropriately moodier, with "Road," "Sea," and "Stars." 

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown probably has the second best-regarded soundtrack of the Peanuts specials after the one for the first Christmas show. I have the second version, released after they found the master tapes for the special in 2020. "The Great Pumpkin Waltz" is probably the best-known new-to-this-special song here, but I also like the charming "Snoopy and the Leaf" and spooky "Graveyard Theme."

Finished the night with today's Match Game YouTube marathon. Jokes about Christopher Columbus abounded on this show, especially as it became better-known that he was, frankly, a lousy sailor and a worse explorer. They generally either covered what he missed at sea, why his men thought he was crazy, or what his love life was like. (And I have no idea why Gene kept giving him an Italian accent. He was Portuguese.) 

There was a Christopher Columbus reference on the episode where a charming and funny old man who ran a junk yard won the game, and another on the PM episode that had Gene and Brett showing off their dueling push-ups. Lee Meredith of the original 1967 The Producers had a Christopher Columbus question on her first day, and Alejandro Rey on his last. There was one during the week with a very fussy Don Adams, too, and the one where Gene announced that Richard would be hosting a new show called Family Feud in the fall. Charles Nelson Reilly was an avid sailor who counted a captain's hat among his many chapeau worn on the show. 

Discover some truly hilarious episodes with Gene and his wacky panelists! 

Match Game Sunday Classics - Ships Ahoy & Columbus Day Marathon

(And yes, it has continued to rain, sometimes heavily, for the entire day.) 

End of Summer Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Mickey's Treat" is a big Halloween party at Pete's Trick-or-Treat Tower. Mickey and the gang have to get there before the moon is full, or the gates will lock! They have to get over giant candy corns and around hopping frogs to get to the Tower.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. I was working 8 hours today. I was not going to be up for a bike ride. The one in the morning arrived in 7 minutes. I had slightly more trouble getting one going home at rush hour, but they did come in 10 minutes. No traffic or trouble either way, and I got to work in plenty of time.

I am so tired. Other than the 20 minutes I spent putting cold items away this morning, I swept the store and pushed carts for the entire rest of the day. They were so busy, the head bagger ended up in a register, and they pulled another college-boy cashier to help me with the carts! After he left at 4:30, I had more trouble keeping up with them. I'd only just gotten about half of them done when I finally finished at 5:30.

Once I got home, I went straight into a much-needed shower, then made dinner. Finished up with tonight's YouTube Match Game marathon. Some memorable episodes took place after Match Game returned from a summer break or extended hiatus. One of my favorites was Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn playing tic-tac-toe on the shoulder of an unamused Marcia Wallace after she accidentally got marker on her bare shoulder. There was also the Monday episode from 1975 when Gene not only got to kiss female newcomer Jamie Lynn Bower, Brett happily smooched Robert Urich, too. There was also the PM episode where one of the contestants was a very blase young man who didn't like his life, didn't seem to enjoy playing the game much, and was cheerfully honest about all of it. 

Let's end the summer season with hilarious hi-jinks featuring Gene and his wacky weirdos!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Welcome Back from Summer and Long Breaks In Taping

Driving My Life Away

It was cloudy and spitting slightly when we headed out around quarter after 10 this morning. Even those clouds were trying to break up as we headed to the shopping center on the bottom of a cliff. The Pittsfield Goodwill is huge (it used to be a Big Lots), even bigger than the Audubon one, and much better-organized. I found their bins and bins of media right away. Lauren found two shirts. Out of their piles and piles of CDs and bins and bins of records and DVDs, I found: 

Billboard Top Hits 1982 (I think that makes 1984 and 1980 the only 80's entries in this series I don't have.)

Julie Andrews - Broadway - The Music of Richard Rodgers

Sea of Love: Hits of the Late 50's (3-Disc set)

The House of the Seven Gables with Vincent Price (This was one of my best finds. Universal Vault DVDs are made on demand and hard to find in the wild.)

We headed up the hill to the upper half of the shopping center next. The Pittsfield Ollie's is also new, and frankly much nicer than the one in Cherry Hill (if not as big). Lauren picked up a pack of Archway Iced Oatmeal Cookies. (Apparently, her folks are big fans of those.) I found Sunkist Thin Shortbread coconut sandwich cookies with dark chocolate cream. The book aisles yielded what was my favorite discovery of the day. TCM Underground was their late-night series discussing classic cult cinema. It ended last year, but not before they released a book of the same title on classic and lesser-known cult films. 

(Among those films are five musicals I've reviewed before. I would have enjoyed the gritty Jamaican reggae crime film The Harder They Come more if I could understand the accents better. Roller Boogie and Xanadu are late 70's roller skating musicals that are way better than they have any right to be. Thank God It's Friday is a dull story with a killer soundtrack. Head is...its own thing.)

We headed into Pittsfield for our next stop. Lauren's guy friend Rico pointed out the recent opening of the Tyler St. Arcade. This is about as old school of an arcade as you can get. The newest machine was probably the SpongeBob Wheel from the late 90's-early 2000's. Most of them were generic machines from the 80's and early 90's. I did get a kick out of the Operation game where you had to hit a "bone" spot with a claw, even if it was hard to do, and the Shaquille O'Neal-themed pinball machine was pretty cool. It even used tokens and tickets instead of cards. Lauren had enough luck to get a Matchbox car, a pretty purple flower ring, and a small, squishy white bear. All I got was a pen with a video game-shaped top. 

Even the cranes were filled with generic printed stuffed animals and vintage stuffed toys from the 80's they probably found at local thrift shops. I'm still having no luck with cranes. Lauren got an 80's Strawberry Shortcake rag doll.

Lauren took us further down Pittsfield for lunch. She loves Angelina's Subs next-door to the Co-Op Bank where she works. They're a small, basic sandwich shop that sells some of the best cheesesteaks and grilled sandwiches in the Berkshires. Lauren had a cheese steak, Coke Zero, and a bag of Andy Capp Cheese Fries. I had a chicken cheese steak, Fresca, and a really yummy bag of ridged sea salt and cracked pepper potato chips. And the older ladies who made the food were funny and total dolls who had worked there for years. No wonder Lauren is such a fan of this place. 

Next up, Lauren took us about a half-hour down the road to the Lee Outlets. Alas, the Outlets have lost quite a few stores of late. There wasn't nearly as much to check out there as there usually is. I just ended up buying underwear at Jockey to replace a pair I bought in July that were too small. Lauren did slightly better, grabbing polo shirts at Aeropostale. 

We were originally going to eat at the Lee Outlets food court, but it was only 4 PM when we finished. That was too early for dinner, especially with our late lunch. Ended up going further south to the Great Barrington Goodwill instead. Lauren found nothing here. I dug through their equally full media bins for two more multi-disc CD sets: 

Original Cast! 100 Years of Musical Theater - Completing the Century (Collection of songs from musicals of the 80's and early 90's. I bought this for numbers from extremely hard-to-find flop musicals, including Dance a Little Closer, Baby, Romance/Romance, and Nick & Nora.) 

Mary Poppins Special Edition (I have the original LP soundtrack, but this has all of the music, plus a second CD with bonus interviews.) 

Lauren drove us all the way up to Canaan to try a restaurant Rico recommended. Picante's Mexican Grill looks extremely modern south-of-the-border in its decor, but it also has an extensive Italian menu along with the Mexican food. We had Italian yesterday, so we went with Mexican. Lauren had four small enchaladas with green tomatillo sauce, Spanish rice, black beans, and chicken that she ate all of. I went with a simpler - and equally tasty - chicken quesadilla full of thick chicken pieces and lots of cheese.

It had been spitting off and on all day. It didn't really start raining until we were heading to Picante's. The heavy shower continued during the hour-long drive home. Honestly, this may have been my favorite part of the day. Lauren turned up her 80's and 60's hits playlist, and we belted along to the Cars, the Beatles, the Chiffons, and Dexy's Midnight Runners. She spoke-texted messages to Rico, and I nearly doubled over laughing at how funny those two were together. 

We showed Lauren's parents most of what we found when we got home, then went downstairs. Lauren is watching YouTube videos. I'm watching today's YouTube Match Game marathon. McLean Stevenson took over Richard Dawson's spot in the fifth seat towards the end of the 1980 syndicated season. Honestly, I think the syndicated episodes are way underrated, especially the ones with McLean. He took over as host when Charles hit Gene with a card in an argument over an answer. Ted Lange dressed McLean in a creamy white suit with a cowboy hat that made him look like he got lost on the way to the set of Dallas. He wore a blond curly wig to imitate later Police Academy cop Leslie Easterbrook. He saw a contestant with a crush on sitcom actress Sydney Greenstreet give her a pretty rose. 

Have a little syndicated fun with McLean in some of the wildest episodes ever on local TV!

Match Game Sunday Classics - McLean Takes Richard's Seat: Best Shows With McLean Stevenson

Swinging Into the Winds

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Visiting Granpere" is a lot of fun for Daniel as he compares Granpere's lighthouse home to his own and sees what's different and what's the same. He's reluctant to leave his beloved grandparent as "The Tiger Family Goes Back Home." Granpere has one last sunrise surprise in store for his beloved grandson and his family before they return to the Neighborhood of Make Believe.

Moved to packing and making lists of what I need to pack next. I got out my big suitcase and packed everything I could get away with today, including shirts, shorts and capris, socks, underthings, and most of the toiletries. I'll do the rest after I get more chores and errands done tomorrow, including packing my backpack. 

Watched So Dear to My Heart as I worked and did something online. I go further into this charming Disney live-action/animated hybrid with Burl Ives at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Musicals - So Dear to My Heart

(Oh, and Musical Dreams Movie Reviews is going on hiatus while I'm on vacation. Reviews will resume October 8th with The Magic of Lassie. I'll be bringing my laptop with me and will continue to update this blog daily.)

Watched a double dose of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while had a simple lunch of apple slices, peanut butter, chicken wrapped in Swiss cheese slices, and Popcorners. "Mickey and Donald Have a Farm," but they don't have animals when the electric windmill blows them away. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy use Mickey's tractor to retrieve the missing animals. "Mickey's Farm Fun Fair" is basically the Clubhouse county fair. Everyone is excited about being able to win a prize at the fair, especially Big Pete. He just can't seem to compete, until he, Chip, and Dale help Donald get down from a tree.

Headed out a little early after I pumped my front bike tire. I have enough to do tomorrow, so I went to WaWa and got my vacation money today. Treated myself to a tasty chocolate banana smoothie, too. WaWa uses real bananas to make their banana smoothies. Yuuum! Sweet, chocolatey, and very banana!

Went straight to Thomas Sharp after I left WaWa and arrived just in time. It's just as well that we only had 16 kids today, 6 at my table. We were down a teacher. One of them took today off. At least we were able to get them outside the moment the finished their snacks. It remains windy and cool, if a little cloudier than yesterday. There was some squabbling on the swings, but at least no one got hurt. (In fact, the girl who got hurt yesterday reported her ear was a little bruised, but not too bad.) We took them inside after an hour to draw and color. I drew a picture of Lauren and me at the Big E to show the kids what I'll be doing next week on vacation.

Took the recycling out when I got home, then watched The Price Is Right. Got there just in time for the Showcases. Today's generic showcase featured lovely bedroom furniture. The "story" Showcase had Ponce De Leon (Johnny Olsen) looking for the Fountain of Youth. What he found were three youthful models, who pointed him towards a trip to Miami, a home fountain, a sauna, and a sports car. For once, the lady bidding on the story Showcase got much closer. She was so happy she won that sports car, she kissed the hood when Bob took her to see it!

Match Game '77 skipped further ahead into the first week of the new year. Crusty Ed Asner joined Brett and Charles, while Richard found himself caught between two pretty comediennes with decided unique answers, Mary Ann Mobley and Patti Deusch. Sweet George was finally defeated by a very nice lady with one of the highest hair do's I'd ever seen.

Finished the night listening to my 40 Walt Disney Originals 2-disc LP set. Considering it was released by British company Pickwick and prominently features songs from the English-set Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, The Sword In the Stone, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, it's pretty obvious this originally came from England. 

I like it because, as an older release, there's a lot of songs on here that you'd never see on Disney collections nowadays. It includes the four big songs from So Dear to My Heart...but disappointingly, they're all covers. "Lavender Blue" does still sound lovely, but the guy crooning it is no Burl Ives. "It's Whatcha Do With What You Got" isn't bad, but "Stick-It-Tivity" and "County Fair" sound bland. Other lesser-known songs here include "For You, For Always (Maggie's Theme)" from the original Parent Trap, the jaunty ballad "Dream Boy" by Annette Funicello, "How Do You Do?" from Song of the South, and two Oscar nominees, "Love Is a Song" from Bambi and "Tomorrow Is Another Day" from The Rescuers. 

Out In the Sunshine

Got a really quick start this morning with breakfast and a classic Mickey Mouse short. "Mickey's Rival" introduces Mortimer Mouse, a long-nosed rival for Minnie's affection. Minnie thinks he's adorable, but Mickey doesn't appreciate being made fun of. Then a bull attacks, and Minnie sees the vast difference between someone who is "a perfect scream" and someone she can rely on.

Thankfully, Uber worked out just fine today. I called the one going to the Acme late, but they came in 10 minutes and got me there just in time. The one going to Thomas Sharp also took 10 minutes. I got there slightly late, nothing to worry about. It took me a few minutes to find one going home at rush hour, but when I did, they came in 5 minutes.

No trouble anywhere else, either. The Acme was dead as a doornail. I spent the entire time outside, pushing what carts there were. The head bagger did the sweeping and the trash. It was cloudy and breezy when I went to work, but the sun started coming out towards the end of my shift. By the time I was walking to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center in the back of the Acme, it was sunny and gorgeous, in the lower 80's.

My schedule is a lot more workable, too. I only work at the Acme on Sunday and Wednesday, and Wednesday is the only double shift next week. Six hours on Sunday does mean I'll miss the Eagles game, but I also have Monday fully off - the Collingswood School District is closed for Yom Kippur - and leave for Pittsfield a week from tomorrow.

Had a quiet, calm bento box lunch at Futomaki Japanese Restaurant in Audubon Crossings. There was no one there but me and an old man in the back. Some people did come and pick up food, but they didn't stay. I enjoyed my California Rolls, fried scallops, rice, vegetables, salad, soup, and crispy salmon in peace. Stopped at Sonic for a banana milkshake afterwards and to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Went back to the Acme to buy more maple leaf sandwich cookies and get 60 dollars for the week before calling Uber.

The after-school program could have been a lot worse, too. We only had 13 kids all together, 5 in my group. I got my kids in and out of the bathroom pretty quickly, with a minimum of fuss. The moment they finished snack time, we took them outside. It was really too nice to stay inside! With fewer kids, I let them on the swings a little earlier, too. There was some squabbling over who would swing with whom, but almost all of them eventually got a turn. Since there were two kids left by 5 PM and two teachers, I got to leave early. 

Got to see more The Price Is Right when I arrived at home. One nervous, sweet lady from Texas did the Grocery Game like a champ. She wasn't the only person who was nervous. Dian had to take the register at the Grocery Game over from Janice, who was out sick, and she was just as scared! Another lady didn't have as much luck with the Squeeze Game. A pregnant woman managed to get the first two prizes on the Range Game, but took too long on the second prize and didn't get the car. The first showcase was a generic dining room. The second Showcase was about as early-mid 80's as you could get. Johnny Olsen found himself caught between models with weird hair who show him what happens on a "punk rock" airline. 

Let it continue into Match Game '76. The first episode introduced a very pretty young student who took so long to answer a question, Gene ended up sitting down and spent five minutes prodding her. Maggie Smith beat her handily. She was finally beaten the next week by a gentleman named Ed Sullivan. Bill Anderson's presence on the panel made for lots of country music jokes. He was joined by Debralee Scott and Fannie Flagg.

Finished the night at Tubi with Manhunt of Mystery Island. This 1945 serial features Linda Stirling as Claire Forrest, the daughter of a professor (Forrest Taylor) whose scientific device could revolutionize energy use, if he and his colleague can be found. She and private eye Lance Reardon (Richard Bailey) follow the trail to remote Mystery Island, where a group of men who are the ancestors of the infamous pirate Captain Mephisto intend to use Forrest's machine for their own gain. Worse than that, they have their own "transformation Ray" that can turn one of them into Captain Mephisto (Roy Barcroft) himself. 

Strange plot, even for a serial, but the mix of pirate lore and science fiction proves to be more potent than you might think. Yes, Claire is constantly rescued, but she also has her own heroic moments, including being the one who actually takes down Captain Mephisto in the end. There's some great set pieces, too. Bailey is a dull stick of wood as Reardon, but Barcroft is obviously having way too much fun as the great pirate captain come to life, and Stirling shows why she was the most popular female serial star of the 40's. One of the last great Republic Picutres serials is a must-see for fans of the genre or unique sci-fi stories. 

The Password Is "Legend"

Started the morning with breakfast and Mckey Mouse Clubhouse. The gang is excited about a "Masquerade Party" being held at the club house. Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, and Donald have to find what happened to knight Goofy's boot, then help Pete decide on a costume.

Called Uber after that. No trouble here! In fact, the one going to work arrived in 4 minutes. The one going home came in 8. I got to work on time, and there was no trouble whatsoever.

No major trouble at work, either. I spent most of the day pushing carts, except for the one hour I was supposed to be cleaning the women's bathroom. Trouble is, that room isn't ventilated. It's never going to smell like roses, no matter how hard you scrub. They wanted me to mop the floor, but then everyone walks on it and leaves dirty footprints, and it ends up messy anyway. I did better outside. It was too nice to be inside, anyway. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for early September. It was sunny, breezy, and in the upper 70's, not a hint of humidity in sight.

Went straight home after work. Today's game show marathon started on YouTube shortly after I arrived and changed. (Had dinner later in the evening.) Though Dolly Parton was really only mentioned once on Password Plus as the subject of a Password, Match Game Productions dug around for references to other things associated with her, like butterflies, pink, and charity work. For Password Plus, there were references on one of the episodes from the 1979 holiday week featuring Bert Convy and Carol Burnett (when the latter wiped the floor with the former) and in at least three different weeks featuring Dick Gautier. There was one during the hilarious week where Betty White played Sue Ann Nivens around Richard Pine's CHIps cop and Denver Pyle's Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazzard and the episode where Betty White proudly got to model the very first Password Plus jacket. 

Super Password had somewhat fewer references. One did turn up on the very first day of the show, with Pat Sajak and Gloria Loring. There was the time when for once, it was a technical problem with the board and not Bert that inadvertently gave the answer away. There was also one during the only week Charles Nelson Reilly played, joining Abby Dalton. They also had references on all-star weeks, notably the one with Harry Anderson, John Ratzenberger, and soap stars Emma Samms and Jack Coleman. 

The password is...Dolly! Say the word and celebrate everything about one of the most beloved country stars of all time in these all-stars, all-hilarious episodes!

Password Saturday Classics - Dolly Pardon- Password Plus and Super Password

Oh, and I bought my train tickets tonight. I'll be on vacation from September 26th through October 4th. Yes, I'll bring my laptop and will be updating the blog then (though I will take a break from the Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog). 

Hard Candy Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Donald Hatches an Egg" when Goofy mistakes a unique long, slender egg for a rock and it gets attached to Donald. Mickey, Goofy, Daisy, and Don talk to birds and chickens in an attempt to find its mother, but it's really closer to a type of lizard egg.

Called Uber after that to get me to work quickly. It sure did the trick. The one going to work came in 7 minutes, and I actually arrived early for a change. The one going home was more of a problem. It kept fluctuating, but I think it finally took about 8 minutes. No problems on the road.

No problems at work, either. I spent the entire day scrubbing the shelves filled with Acme generic soda and chips that are the first things you see when you enter the store. Whatever was on there before made them grimy and sticky, especially under the soda! It was so bad, I needed Easy Off spray and at least five boxes of eraser sponges, and the last two shelves never did come fully clean. At least the head manager seemed to think it came out well. I ran a feather duster over end cap shelves in the back for the last half-hour.

Grabbed a few things after work that I forgot yesterday. The Westmont Acme didn't have the pulled rotisserie chicken from the deli, and I totally forgot that I needed Swiss cheese slices. Grabbed coconut macaroons off the bakery clearance racks.

Went straight in the shower to wash off all that grime when I got home, then put on the soundtrack from The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. Honestly, it's a shame Dolly Parton didn't do more musicals. I've loved this version of the hit 1979 Broadway show since I was too young to understand what was really going on at the Chicken Ranch. It used to turn up a lot on cable in the early and mid-80's. Charles Durning, as a politician denying he was using the Chicken Ranch's services, has so much fun with his one number "Side Step," he got an Oscar nomination. Dolly does better by the one standard to come from this score, "Hard Candy Christmas," and her own additional "I Will Always Love You."

Speaking of Dolly, tonight's Match Game YouTube marathon honored Dolly with episodes featuring mentions of her or questions where she was an answer. By 1978, she'd replaced Raquel Welch as the du jour performer to make chest area jokes about. Almost every question where she was an answer got a chest joke in there somewhere. Some of the best episodes of the later series and syndicated run had Dolly references. There was a reference in the infamous episode where a contestant answered "Friend and Ollie" to "Cuckoo ___" and another during the Game Show Host Week with panelists who either were game show hosts (Bill Cullen, Peter Marshall) or would be in the future (Betty White, Elaine Joyce). There were references to Dolly as late as the first week of Match Game '90 with Joe Alasky and Sally Struthers. 

Celebrate the life and legacy of this beloved lady with this hilarious marathon you'll go "Cuckoo" for!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Dolly Parton Tribute

Finished the night with The Exciting Lena Horne. This one looks like it goes way back, probably to the early-mid 50's. For all the "exciting" claim, most of the songs here are pretty dark, from "Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen" to "Little Girl Blue." I prefer the slightly more upbeat "At Long Last Love" and "More Than You Know." 

At Home In the Rain

Got a quick start on a cloudy morning with breakfast and a couple of shorts featuring the entire Disney gang. They're all excited to be on a "Hawaiian Holiday" as Mickey plays the ukulele and Minnie practices her hula. The others have less luck on the beach. Goofy just can't seem to figure out surfboarding, Donald sits on a starfish, and Pluto does battle with a very crabby crab.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy leave the shores of Wakiki to hit the road in "Mickey's Trailer." This state-of-the-art (for 1938) RV has everything an animated animal could want in a modern trailer...except a driver who can take over while Goofy eats. When he rushes to take control of the vehicle, he accidentally sends Mickey, Donald and the trailer back down a busy and treacherous Hill.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. Considering the weather, the drivers arrived surprisingly fast. The one this morning came in 4 minutes, the one going home in 10 despite the heavy rain. No trouble either way other than ongoing road construction and some flooding in Oaklyn.

Work was no trouble, either. I spent the morning cleaning deli displays and the large cases for seafood and chicken and dusting the latter. We were pretty quiet for almost my entire shift. Sometimes after my break at 11, the sky finally opened, and it started pouring. It was pouring when I called for a ride home, and it would continue pouring and storming off and on for most of the day. 

Went straight into lunch and Remember WENN when I got home. "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" has the station's receptionist (Margaret Hall) showing Betty her magnum opus radio script, Rendezvous In Rabat. This turns into a hilarious spoof of Casablanca, with Scott in the Rick Blaine role, Betty as Ilsa, Victor Comstock as Victor Lazlo, Maple as the cafe singer and the refugees, Mackie as Major Renault, C.J as the bartender and a German officer, Mr. Eldridge as Carl the waiter, Hilary as Rick's rejected girlfriend, and Jeff as the waiter. As with the real Casablanca, Gertie's having a hard time figuring out an ending. Nothing that she or Hilary suggests passes muster. Betty types out her own idea of whom Ilsa should end up with before insisting to Gertie that she should really figure out her own ending.

"Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy" is the station's kindly organist who is delighted to be dating British secret agent Desmond Quist (Daniel Davis). He claims there are still secret codes going out over the airwaves and makes the cast "paraphrase" their scripts to keep them out of enemy hands. Eugenia's been receiving mysterious calls and speaking German words, but it turns out there's a far more benign reason for her behavior than spy capers.

Switched to Clue after lunch in honor of Tim Curry, who passed away two days ago. Based on the board game, six strangers are called to a dinner party at the spooky Hill House by Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving). They're each given a weapon and reveal that Boddy has been blackmailing them. After the lights turn off, Boddy is found dead, and everyone has a means and a motive. Butler Wadsworth (Curry) tries his best to explain it all as they try to figure out who did it "in the hall, with the revolver," before they become the next victims!

This is an old favorite in my family. We taped it somewhere around 1987 and watched that tape for over a decade. Mom used to call it our "stormy weather movie." I can still quote most of the dialogue. Curry is delightful as the supercilious butler, but the entire cast of some of the 80's best comedians has a blast. 

The movie starts slow with the set up, but give it time. By the end, you'll be breathless just watching Curry run around summing up all the murders! There's also the gimmick of having multiple endings that baffles critics to this day, but makes it the perfect rainy-day DVD watch. (The DVD lets you choose a random ending, or watch all three, as in the video and streaming versions.) Highly recommended for your own stormy day viewing if you're a fan of Curry or any of the comedians or love a good ensemble comedy.

Moved to The Gong Show next at YouTube in honor of singer Jaye P. Morgan, who died yesterday. Morgan was a staple on the wackiest amateur show to almost be live from Hollywood, at least until she bared her breasts in an episode. She was joined in the show I saw by Steve Martin and Arte Johnson. The tuba players were surprisingly fun and a guy playing his lips was honestly pretty nifty, but the singer attempting to ape Neil Diamond was terrible, and I had no idea what the guy with the dog was doing there. 

Went to Disney Plus for Morgan's episode of The Muppet Show. You'd think a lady who frequently judges the weirdest amateur show on television would have no problems with the Muppets, but first she's not happy when she ends up in a bird costume for the cutesy "Tweedle Dee," then gets hit with bombs all over the place. She finally bonds with Scooter's crotchety uncle JP Gross, the owner of the Muppets's theater, and gets a pretty nifty rendition of  "That Old Black Magic" with the Electric Mayhem.

Stayed at Disney after a shower for The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in honor of Peter Cullum, who did the voice of Eeyore in this show. The second episode of the show kicks off with "Friend, In Deed." Rabbit is so fed up with Pooh borrowing his honey, he makes him think he's moving. The others really think he's moving and try to get him honey from a hive so he'll stay. Piglet sees Eeyore sitting on the cliff side and thinks he's sad. The others try to be a "Donkey for a Day" and make him happy, but they do what makes them happy, not him. It isn't until Piglet admits he doesn't know what makes Eeyore happy that the gloomy donkey shows Piglet what he was really doing on the cliff.

Moved to Match Game '76 as I made nectarine-banana pancakes for dinner. Gene wears a very, very bright red coat in the first episode that prompted a lot of cracks from the panelists, including Mary Wickes telling him to stay out of the bullring. The first episode of the next week with Bill Daily and soap ingenue Bennye Gatteys was rather important, as it kicked off with Gene announcing that Richard is going to host a new show called Family Feud in the fall...

Finished the night at Tubi with Blue Valley Songbird. I discuss this Lifetime musical drama from 1999 featuring Dolly Parton as a troubled singer at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

A Salute to Dolly Pardon - Blue Valley Songbird

Dress Up Your Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Bluey. "Zoo" has Bandit playing an ape who runs off with Bingo, with Bluey as the zookeeper and Chili as Bingo's concerned mother. Chili thinks Bandit will hurt her, but Bingo's befriended him and is reluctant to leave him. Chili and Bandit pretend to be "Backpackers," with Bluey, Bingo, and their cousins Muffin and Socks as their backpacks. 

Called Uber after Bluey ended. Alas, I called too late. It took them 13 minutes to arrive, and between that and the driver missing the entrance to the Acme having to do a U-turn, I was late. Thankfully, they only took 8 minutes to arrive going home.

It was showering when I left for work, but the rain stopped shortly after I arrived, and it would be cloudy, humid, and cool for the rest of the day. Good thing Mother Nature cooperated, because I spent almost the entire 8 1/2 hour shift sweeping and doing carts outside. It wasn't bad when I arrived, but it started picking up around noon. I fell behind on the carts after my half-hour lunch. I didn't have any help until 3, by which time the crowds had also started to thin out. The college kid took over the sweeping and doing the trash and helped with the carts. By quarter after 4, we were so quiet, I spent most of the remaining time putting away loose items.

I got home, changed, and spent the rest of the night watching tonight's YouTube Match Game marathon. Comedienne and writer Fannie Flagg started on the show late in 1973. She would be around pretty much for the entire run, but she did many of her most famous episodes between 1974 and 1976. There were the three episodes she spent flirting with handsome gym teacher Ron Valenti in 1975. She was so enamored with him, she danced with him after Richard Dawson helped him win big on the Head-to-Head the second time. In 1974, she was one of the ladies a frisky red-haired contestant kept chasing. Richard and Charles defended the ladies' honor (such as it was). Earlier in the year, she, Abby Dalton, and Brett Somers walked off the set when a lady answered "boobs" for a question. Something similar happened earlier in 1974, but in this case, everyone but Richard walked off after a "boobs" answer. (Fannie ended up flirting with the contestants!)

Fannie loved to dress in costume. At one point in 1976, she was a Girl Scout leader in the uniform of the time. Another time that year, she was Greta Garbo (who had been in retirement for thirty years at that point, and would remain in seclusion until her death in 1990) in a floppy hat, dark glasses, and Swedish accent. She turned up later in 1976 sporting a long red wig and a bad Brooklyn accent that made her look and sound like Maple LaMarsh. Among the decorated t-shirts that showed off her decolletage (which were so joked about on the show, Brett called women's chests "Fannie Flaggs") were one with two fried eggs in strategic places, another with roses, and one made to look like a mail carrier's shirt of the time. 

Dress up for any occasion with the author of Fried Green Tomatoes this weekend in these delightfully southern-fried episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Fannie Flagg: Best Shows on Match Game (1973 - 1976)

Summertime Games

Began the morning with breakfast and the Monchhichis. Wizzar feels every bit of his hundred years on his birthday when he can't get his spells to work right, even for a coconut-opening machine. He forgets where he puts his magic staff, which brings a cookie shaped like him to life. It becomes "Dueling Wizzars" as the other Monchhichis first have to retrieve Wizzar when he thinks he's not needed, then show him that he can do magic with or without his staff.

Switched to Remember WENN while taking my laundry downstairs, making my bed, and going through my clothes. Hilary and Jeff become "Strange Bedfellows" when they both join the race for Pittsburgh's city council. Scott sets up a big debate on the airwaves, which also brings in Luke Langley (David Canary), a laid-back former baseball player running for a smaller group. Meanwhile, Scott has the others taking political polls, Mackie and Maple take an informal one of their own, and Enid can't seem to stay neutral while polling.

"Close Quarters" has the entire cast in quarantine at the station when paranoid Dr. Bickman (Michael Jaye) thinks the sick Mr. Foley has a rare disease. The others enjoy their confinement on the first night, as they share a dance and dinner...but the longer the quarantine continues, the more they get on their nerves, until it starts to show on the air. Good thing Mr. Foley's infectious disease isn't quite what Bickman thinks.

Put the laundry in the dryer, then went out to run errands. My first stop was at the post office to drop paperwork in the box. Dollar General is just around the corner, so I went there next. Finally found the moisture eliminators. Bought two of those and two packs of hair bands. 

Cut across Newton Lake Park next to Shamrock Deli. I thought a picnic might be something fun and different. They weren't that busy at quarter after 2, when I ordered a small roast beef hoagie, a Snapple Diet Peach Tea, and a small bag of Charles Chips. (Hadn't had those in years. Mom had a tin we used for cookies in the 80's.) I had no sooner ordered my sandwich when suddenly people started appearing. By the time I left, there was a long line waiting for sandwiches or Door Dash orders.

Headed back to the park for lunch. I ate at one of the new picnic tables by the playground, the one under a shady tree. It wasn't bad when I went out, but by 2:30, it was sunny, hot, and killer humid. At least there was a nice breeze this time. I enjoyed my quiet lunch by the sparkling green lake (when I wasn't brushing away ants), listening to the breeze rustle the emerald trees. I finished and made my way back to the main path just as two women came with the cutest little girl. Even did a little swinging.

Cut back down to Cuthbert Road and rode all the way up to La Mortense Plus on the corner of Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike. Needless to say on a hot afternoon, they were busy. I'm just glad there wasn't a line. I had a gelati - in this case, dulce de leche ice cream layered with horchata water ice. Oh, yum! I think there was bits of what I think was the actual candy in there. (Either that or rice.) Either way, it was delicious. I ate while watching three ladies chat and three kids, two in soccer uniforms, enjoy water ice together.

Went straight home after that. Brought the laundry upstairs and folded it, then spent the next two hours listening to records. I picked up the original soundtrack for the Disney Babes In Toyland on eBay last week. I've only found the book and record in this area. Even here, a lot of the songs don't sound like the originals. The kids only sing on "Go to Sleep, Slumber Deep." You don't even hear them on "The Work Song." "Just a Whisper Away" and "Just a Toy" are entirely different. At the very least, I'm sure that's the actual adult cast doing the singing. Ray Bolger is unmistakable on "Castle In Spain." 

The soundtrack for Snow White and the Three Stooges not only includes all of the narration, but it also has a song for the Stooges, "Looking for People, Looking for Fun," that was either cut from the film, or recorded but not used. Most of the songs are for Carol Heiss as Snow White (including the lovely "Place Called Happiness"), Mel Blanc as the voice of ventriloquist's dummy Quatro, or the chorus ("Once In a Million Years"). I think both the soundtrack and the film are underrated in the Stooges filmography. There's a lot about this that's really enjoyable.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is an old favorite of mine. It used to show up frequently on local stations in the 1980's, and we'd rent the movie quite a bit, too. I consider this to be one of the best scores the Sherman Brothers wrote outside of Disney along with Charlotte's Web. Though the catchy title song got the Oscar nomination, I like the charming "Truly Scruptious" for the lady by that name and the kids and two hilarious numbers for Grandpa, "Posh!" and "The Roses of Success." 

Moved to Match Game '76 even before Chitty ended. The entire two hours covered the week Ron Paillio of Welcome Back, Kotter debuted on the show. He always seemed to have a great time, and probably played better than anyone else from that show besides Debralee Scott. Joining him that week were Jo Ann Worley and her trills and Fannie Flagg and her apple t-shirt.

Finished the night after dinner and a shower putting the spotlight on host Jim McKreill. Most people nowadays probably know this native Texan better as a reporter in Gremlins or in movies like Annie Hall and Defending Your Life than as a game show host. He started out hosting the Chuck Barris personality-test-based The Game Game in 1969 before landing what would be his only hit in 1974. Celebrity Sweepstakes is a comedy panel show that's basically a cross between Match Game and Jeopardy. The audience would give odds on whether a panelist could answer a certain question. Contestants made bets based on those odds. Too bad this show is hard to find today. McKreill is charming, the premise is really fun, and the panel is hilarious.

Most of his hosting seemed to have been limited to pilots that weren't picked up for a series. His last hosting gig to date has been the short-lived 1978 revival of Quiz Kids. This is a pretty standard questions-and-answer game with kids under the age of 10 instead of adults. If the kids answer wrong, they lose points. If they answer right, they can get a certain amount of points. Other than a colorful set and it filming in Boston, this wasn't anything enormously special and barely lasted half a season in syndication.

McKrell seems to have done better on other people's shows. He appeared twice on Celebrity Bowling. In the episode shown here, he and character actor Vince Edwards are playing against the comically mismatched team of Peter Bonerz and Pat Moriata. He does much better in 3 for the Money. This is another quiz show, this time with two adults and a celebrity captain. McKrell is joined by Barbara Felton as the team captains. I give him credit. Not only did he and the two women on his team pull off a comeback, but they did really well in the bonus round, too. Too bad this show only lasted two months, and this is one of four episodes known to exist.

Towards the end of his career, McKrell switched to announcing. He took over for Joe Alasky near the end of Couch Potato's short-lived syndicated run. Marc Summers hosts another quiz show, this one taking place in a cartoon living room and revolving entirely around TV trivia. They even frequently had guests to help with the questions, like when Janice Parkington from The Price Is Right turns up on the episode listed here. (Oh, and at press time, McKrell is still living, but has been retired since 2016. Couch Potatoes was his last game show to date as a host or announcer.)

Celebrate this cowboy's career with celebrities out of the gate, quiz kids answering tough questions, and learning about more TV trivia than you can shake a potato chip at in these delightful episodes!

Celebrity Sweepstakes (1974)

3 for the Money (1975)

Celebrity Bowling (1976)

Quiz Kids (1978) Part 1 Part 2

Couch Potatoes (1989)

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. 

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.)

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

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. 

Going Global Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Monchhihis. This is another Hanna-Barbara cartoon I watched as a kid, mostly during its later run on the USA Cartoon Express. I have no idea how they turned Japanese monkey dolls into little monkey-like creatures who live in trees and need Tickle Crystals to run their Happy Works, which makes them happy. The first episode, "Tickle Pickle," seems more like the half-hour specials for characters like Strawberry Shortcake. After the grump gray monkey-monsters the Grumplins attack their treetop kingdom and shatter the tickle crystals, five of the young Monchhihis take it on themselves to find more before the Grumplins do.

Headed out on the bike after the show ended. Ran some brief errands on the White Horse Pike first. My nephew Skylar's 22nd birthday is Friday. I picked up a card for him and a Propel at Dollar General. Neither they nor Family Dollar had much in the way of foot or heel aids. After the fuss in Dollar General the last time I went in there, at least a lady was nice enough to let me go on ahead.

There was no more putting it off. I rode up to Cooper Urgent Care in Audubon to finally get my heel looked at. I've had a bump on my right heel for weeks that's been fairly painful. I was hoping it would go away, but...it hasn't. Thankfully, unlike when I went there in early March, they only had three other people in the waiting area. After signing in and telling them about my heel, they brought me in within five minutes. 

After they took my blood pressure, I watched Lilo & Stich: The Series (a clumsy alien Lilo dubs "Whoops" wrecks havoc on Pleakley's Domino Rally game) and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (Ladybug deals with her friend Kagumi's frustrations over her mother being strict with her and a pair of mud-flinging villains called "The Dirtifyers") on The Disney Channel before the doctor came in. I explained my problem. My heel has had that lump for weeks, and it gets worse when I use it for a long time or push it hard.

After she felt around my foot, a sweet young woman took me to the x-ray room. I sat on a table so they could take shots of my heel. Returned to the room and to watching Ladybug and her buddies until the doctor returned. Verdict - heel spur and Achilles tendinitis. I'm to get antibiotics, continue to wear the heel lifts in my shoes, and go to Cooper Bone and Joint next week for a follow-up appointment.

After I got out, I went next-door to WaWa. I had considered eating out, but I didn't like the look of the weather. It was sunny when I started, but by quarter of 2, clouds were gathering, and it was humid and much hazier. It's a good thing I did settle for buying a roast beef and provolone wrap, a bag of PopCorners (popped corn chips that taste like a cross between rice cakes and tortilla chips), and a matcha pineapple smoothie. It started showering lightly almost the moment I stepped out of WaWa. I was just heading down East Clinton when I arrived and the showers got heavier.

(Thankfully, they didn't last long after that. There would be some pretty noisy storms later around dinnertime, but they seem to have subsided for the moment.)

Watched rain-themed cartoon episodes during lunch. Minnie and Daisy are dismayed that there's no rain for their flowers in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Professor Ludvig Von Drake gives them the formulas to make clouds the right shape for their gardens that would rain on them, so they can have their flower show. Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy end up saving them when the Glove Balloon gets stranded on a cloud and they need help to create "Minnie and Daisy's Flower Shower."

Switched to PBS Kids for Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Katarina and O and their parents and uncle sleep over the Tiger Family's house when they're evacuated due to "A Storm In the Neighborhood." The loud rain and thunder scares the kids, but their parents assure them that they have a plan to keep them safe. "After the Neighborhood Storm" everyone pitches in to clean up, including the firefighters who help remove a tree from in front of the Clock Factory.

Listened to records while doing the laundry and resting my foot. The Broadway revival of The Boy Friend from 1970 was supposed to be headlined by Judy Carne of Laugh-In as sweet Polly Browne. Sandy Duncan was the one who got the lion's share of good notices as Maisie, the boldest of Polly's friends who sings "Won't You Charleston With Me?" and "Safety In Numbers." Jeanne Beauvais as the girls' teacher Madame Dubonnet also does well by "Fancy Forgetting" and "Poor Little Pirouette." 

Put the laundry in the dryer as I moved on to children's albums. Beryl Berney was apparently a journalist, artist, and puppeteer who worked on children's shows in the 1950's and 60's when she did a series of storytelling albums for kids-based Rocking Horse Records. Snow White and Dick Whittington are pretty much the traditional version of those stories, other than Snow White has a unique ending. The Wicked Queen turns so ugly, she destroys her mirrors when she looks into them, including the magic one. 

The Story of Robin Hood is a condensed retelling of the 1952 live-action Disney movie of the same name. The movie itself is good but not great, and that's reflected here. I do like the build up for Prince John and King Richard's mother Queen Eleanor as Maid Marion's boss, and some of Robin's men can be pretty funny. This is nice to hear if you love Robin Hood stories or Disney's 50's and 60's movies, but far from essential. Dal McKennon narrates here. 

Moved to Match Game '75 as The Story of Robin Hood ended. Richard Dawson's then-girlfriend Jody Donovan was such a doll during the week of New Year's, I wish she had come back, no matter who she was dating. New Year's Eve 1975 was celebrated with noisemakers, balloons dropping, and hats for everyone. (Jody's glittering headband and short hairstyle made her look like she'd just walked out of The Boy Friend.) Charles popped a Match Game '75 balloon to reveal '76...then popped that one to show '77, then showed '78 drawn on his thumb.

Finished the night with game shows from Richard Dawson's native England, starting with the two that have been running on Buzzr this month as part of their "Buzzr Goes Global" marathon. Freemantle, Buzzr's parent company, is British, and thus has no shortage of shows from that country. Going for Gold had seven contestants from across the UK and Europe answering questions and playing against each other to see who would continue in the tournament. The show ran for a decade as people tuned in to see who would be moving on to the next week. The episode I have here from 1990 includes a blind contestant and his seeing eye dog who is not only introduced in the opening, but does quite well, making it to the end of the show.

Small Talk is probably one the most hilariously adorable game shows to come out of Britain. Three adults guess how a panel of 9 kids will answer a certain question in this variation on Child's Play. No wonder this ran for two years on the BBC and Buzzr chose it for their marathon. The kids are a riot, and jovial host Ronnie Corbett is obviously having a ball watching them. 

Double Your Money goes way further back. This hit from 1955 was apparently based on The $64,000 Question, but more closely resembles an early form of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Couples answer questions for escalating amounts, leading to the "1,000 Pound Treasure Hunt." This was an early hit for ITV and is one of the earliest surviving TV game shows in England.

3-2-1, based on a Spanish format, may be one of the most unique game shows ever in England. The first half starts as a straight quiz, with couples answering questions. The second half looks something like a cross between Monty Python, Let's Make a Deal, and Beat the Clock. The winning couple does stunts based on the theme of the day (cartoons, in this case), then watch a series of wacky skits and give answers based on clues given by an actor from the skit, a prop they bring over, and what they can remember from them. The winners from that have to choose between a series of prizes. The bad prize on this show will land them "Dusty Bin," the show's robotic comic mascot and official "klunk." Maybe we ought to try mixing variety shows and game shows more often over here in the US, because this was really fun, especially that wacky second half.

Chain Letters is a far more traditional game show. In this 1987 series, three contestants change letters on a computerized word to make another word. The second round had them trying to predict what word one of the contestants would make. The third round had them changing certain letters from a word on the screen. The winner would see how many words they could form by changing one letter in 60 seconds. This was also lot of fun, and pretty challenging. It was enough of a hit for ITV to pull it out again for two series starting in 1995.

The British get far more into their comedy panel shows than we Americans do. Case in point, the irreverent and utterly hilarious Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Two panels of rock musicians guess what will happen in a music video, facts about other musicians, and try to remember the next line of a song. Celebrity guests will pop in to help answer questions and sing the first bars of a popular rock song. The real attraction was watching all of these musicians make jokes about their fellow performers and be delightfully witty. They had such a good time, this ran for almost two decades on the BBC from 1996 to 2015 and was revived successfully for four years starting in 2021. 

Take a summer trip across the Atlantic to make letter chains, dodge moving trash bins, double your money, and watch some of the funniest kids and musicians on either side of the pond.

Double Your Money (1955)

3-2-1 (1978)

Chain Letters (1987)

Going for Gold (1990)

Small Talk (1994)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks Premiere (1996)