You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween

Began my Halloween with material from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. "The Blue-Nosed Witch" is a scatterbrained young sorceress who is always late for her coven's flight formations. She sets her alarm back so far, she ends up trick-or-treating with the kids on Halloween instead. Another young witch tries to make a fairy appear for her friends, but she ends up conjuring "The Water Nixie" instead. We also get a couple of poems on trick-or-treating and Halloween traditions.

Watched The Woody Woodpecker Show on Disc 3 of my first Woody Woodpecker set during breakfast. Woody spends most of the episode between cartoons blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lanz. They're preparing for a big Halloween party with all of the Lanz characters created up to the early 60's (most of whom were actually comic book characters). They're holding a big "Spook-a-Nanny," but won't let Woody in. He joins a ghostly rock band, but forgets he can't walk through the walls like they can.

Switched to Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile as I made my grocery list. Ann, Andy, and their dog Arthur bring a glum pumpkin who wasn't bought for Halloween to a little boy whose aunt won't let him enjoy the holiday. After they finally get the gourd to the kid, they remind his aunt that you're only young once, and there was a time when she enjoyed Halloween, too.

Put on Sale of the Century while I got organized. Their "Trick or Treat Week" from 1988 played pretty much the same, only with Halloween-themed questions and prizes. The one woman came back during the Speed Round to win a beautiful heart-shaped diamond pendant necklace that would look pretty on her. Too bad she didn't have as much luck with the Bonus Round.

Hurried to go grocery shopping next. I didn't need a whole lot, and I didn't have much time to get it. Sprouts was having a buy one, get one 50 percent off sale on their bakery cookies. I went with their seasonal flavors, ginger molasses and white chocolate cranberry shortbread. Also picked up coconut milk and sparkling water. Found cookies and cream Made Good granola bars and a plastic container of lemon curd dried mango slices that were on clearance.

The Acme was a lot busier when I arrived. I'll be getting fruit and vegetables at the farm market tomorrow, so I mainly needed yogurt here. Got canned tuna and sliced chicken for my own mini-pantry. The Kind Kids' bars were on clearance, too, and I had a good online coupon for Kind granola. Popwell and the new Bloom Pop sodas were on good sales, and yes, they had Fresca this time. Dug mini chocolate Bundt cakes off the bakery clearance racks. 

Cut through Newton Lake Park on the way home. It's fully fall here now. The trees have finally turned fabulous shades of gold, rust, scarlet, and lime green. It couldn't have been a nicer Halloween. Though 40-miles-an-hour winds lingered from yesterday, it was otherwise sunny and relatively warm when you could get out of the wind, in the upper 50's-lower 60's. 

Put everything away, then had a quick lunch while watching Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special. Witch Hazel chases Bugs, turns Speedy into her, and spooks Daffy's niece in this piecemeal anthology. At least they used sequences from horror shorts and ones actually set on Halloween, rather than the random cartoons seen in Bugs' Easter and Thanksgiving specials. 

Hurried off to the Thomas Sharp School after the cartoon ended. I was slightly late...but I could have been infinitely late. There were nine pre-schoolers there when I arrived. I colored printed pictures of Jack o'lanterns and Pikachu in a witch's hat laying on a pumpkin with the girls. By 3:30, when we took the kids outside, there were five boys left. In fact, they originally said I could leave at 3:30, but I figured I could at least help get them out to the playground. I finally left the boys running around and enjoying the lack of line for the swings at 4. (Oh, and I was one of only two teachers who dressed in costume. The other was a Phillies baseball player. One teacher did admit that her Spirited Away costume was a bit too lavish for school.)

Soon as I got home, I hurried upstairs and grabbed the rest of my cowgirl costume. Yes, I was a cowgirl this year in my blue-checked LL Bean shirt, the corduroy vest Mom made me for my first cowgirl costume in 1989, jeans, boots, a jean jacket, and the hat I picked up from Goodwill. Glad I got the bandana and metal sheriff's badge. They really completed the costume. Added a crocheted "belt" with a plastic knife and bow tied on. Grabbed the trick-or-treat bags and candy and hurried outside with my red stuffed bull Romeo soon as I was ready.

I got outside at just the right time. Trick-or-treating starts at 3, but it doesn't really pick up until around 4:30. We had a ton of kids. I gave away all of my trick-or-treat bags in less than an hour. All but a few Sour Patch licorice sticks were gone by 6. 

Saw lots of great costumes, too. There was a pretty and adorable baby dressed as a pearly pink shell. A Winnie the Pooh group had a dad Pooh, a big brother Tigger, a mom Eeyore, and a pre-school girl Piglet. Another large group were all Lord of the Rings characters, including a mom Gandolf. Two teen girls were variations on Alice In Wonderland, while a third was the White Rabbit. Teen boys wore a gas mask and a Jason Voorhees mask. A couple in long Matrix black coats walked their dog Trinity. A tiny pre-school Wednesday was too adorable! There were two Elsas and three KPop Demon Hunters. Saw a couple of Ghostbusters, a bloody nurse, an Iron Man, a Spider Man and Spider Girl, Ginny from SuperKitties, and Connor from PJ Masks. 

I headed back out around quarter after 6 to have dinner at Phillies Phatties. Trouble is, they were mobbed with families who just came in from trick or treating and people ordering a quick dinner. I had to wait more than 20 minutes for my slice of cheese and slice of sausage. (I did get the can of Diet Pepsi right away.) 

It took them so long, I ate them on my way two doors down to Tonewood Brewery. My sister Rose was there with her 8-year-old daughter Finley and several of Fin's friends from school. Finley was an absolutely stunning marionette in a black and white sequined ballet outfit, wrist ribbons, black and white spooky stockings, a bun, and spooky makeup. I ate my pizza and chatted with Rose and the kids a little bit, admiring Rose's sleek new haircut and telling her about my vacation earlier this month. 

For once, the Halloween Parade started right on time. I saw a lot of great costumes here, too. One boy was dressed as Ben Franklin, complete with flying "kite." Another was a dinosaur in a home-made costume. One little firefighter had a pretty realistic costume, including a bright red and yellow jacket. There was a Mario Kart group with a big sister Peach, Mario in his cart, and a dad Luigi. Two little oceanographers rode around in a huge cardboard "shark" wagon. Saw two more Demon Hunters, an elementary schooler dressed as a grandma with gray hair, curlers, and a cane, a lovely witch in glittering purple and black, a big Ghostbusters group that included a mom dressed as Louis Tully and inflatable Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, and a hilarious Men In Black group with parents in sunglasses and suits and an infant alien in a flying saucer stroller. The Nightmare Before Christmas group had impressive inflatable and hand-made costumes, including Oogie Boogie and the Mayor of Halloween Town. I thought the pre-teens dressed as Sesame Street characters were adorable, especially Ernie in what I suspected was a hand-made head. 

To my delight, Finley deservedly won first in the second-to-sixth grade division. She and Rose really did do well with that costume. I didn't win anything. The other adult costumes included a guy in a scary mask up on stilts. I still enjoyed walking in the parade from the Oaklyn School to the Fire Hall, twirling my garden rope "lasso" (I lost the cap gun walking over to Oaklyn) and cuddling Romeo. 

Took as shower when I got home, then put on It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Linus spends his Halloween waiting in a "sincere" pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin, who is supposed to leave treats for all of the good little girls and boys. Against her better judgment, Sally joins him. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has trouble trick-or-treating, Lucy is still pulling away that football, and Snoopy spends the night preparing for Veteran's Day and fighting the Red Baron.

Mom called me around this time. She sent me a really cute Halloween card. Needless to say, with a newborn around, they've been incredibly busy. Like most of my family, Mom and Keefe get really into Halloween and decorate inside and out. They were all bee-themed this year. Aurora was a bee. Julia and Elijah were bears, and Keefe was the beekeeper. (Oh, and three-year-old Aurora is apparently a huge fan of KPop Demon Hunters too.) Mom did tell me Anny finally got a duplex for her and her daughter Lilah in Millville. Not the best part, and she has to commute 40 minutes every day for her tiring job fixing fishing boats at Lund's Fisheries in Wildwood Crest. 

Switched to YouTube for this year's Halloween Marathon. I arrived in time for the second half of the 1994 Richard Dawson Family Feud. They only decorated (including with a very ugly paper mache vulture), but some people gave such bad Fast Money answers, it was scary. Caught the entirety of a Super Password episode I saw part of earlier in the week on Buzzr, with Pat Sajak and Rebecca Arthur of Perfect Strangers. The contestants all opened "tricks," like a jumping dinosaur, or "treats," like a propeller beanie cap. 

Bob Barker may have been getting on in years by the time of the 2004 Price Is Right episode, but he was still beloved by the college kids who appeared on the show. One woman said she'd watched him on Truth or Consequences, too...and ironically, she was one of the ones who made it to the Showcases. The first Showcase featured a witch model conjuring prizes with her cauldron (and running afoul of California's strict anti-pollution laws). The second had the witch dealing with a fussy Beverly Hills model trick-or-treater who wanted expensive prizes, including gold bars and a sports car.

Here's this year's Halloween Party, for your enjoyment!

Trick or Treat - Happy Halloween 2025 Spooktacular Marathon

Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, slightly more hours. I do work next Saturday, but only 1 to 5, which means I'll be able to hit the Farm Market again. Still not enough hours, but after this week, I'll take this.

Stayed on YouTube to finish my holiday with two more vintage Halloween specials. Halloween Is Grinch Night has the Grinch, stirred up by animals howling in a sour-sweet wind, dragging his Paraphernalia Wagon full of wild psychedelic scares down to Whoville. When little Eukeriah Who gets lost in the mountains, he takes it on himself to make sure the Grinch never makes it to town.

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't has Dracula (Judd Hirch) in a tizzy because the Witch (Mariette Hartley) refuses to fly over the moon at midnight and kick off the holiday. Seems she doesn't feel appreciated and demands more even footing with Dracula. While he sputters over sharing the limelight with her, one little girl dressed as a witch reminds her of why she's so important to the holiday.

And here's hoping you had a spectacular Halloween of your own, with all your own little Demon Hunters, marionettes, and Ghostbusters! 

Hot for Halloween

Began the morning with the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. In addition to a few spooky poems, the book has two sweet comic pieces featuring very modern witches. "The Blue-Nosed Witch" is a scatterbrained miss who is forever late for her coven meetings. She sets her clock so far back on Halloween, she ends up joining the trick-or-treaters. Another young witch is annoyed when she conjures "The Water Nixie" for the local kids. She was hoping for a fairy. She has more luck hurrying to school on her broom after her disapproving witch mother falls asleep.

Switched to The Woody Woodpecker Show during breakfast. The only cartoon on the show made directly for television was the Halloween-themed "Spook-a-nanny." Woody spends most of the episode between cartoons blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lanz. The rest of Lanz's creations try to keep him out of their Halloween party. He eventually gets in by following a ghost rock band, but forgets he can't walk through walls like they can.

Headed out for Halloween brunch next. It was so dead at the Pop Shop when I got in, I think I was the first one there. My pumpkin cheesecake "Bettys" consisted of two regular pancakes topped with two huge scoops of pumpkin cheesecake filling. Not bad, but so huge and rich, I couldn't finish them. Watched parents come in with their younger kids in costume as I ate, including a ghoulish princess in a fancy blue dress and scary make-up and two boys with their faces made up.

After a very quick stop at PNC Bank for the rent, I dodged noon traffic down Cuthbert to the Westmont Acme. I didn't really need much here anyway. Mainly wanted to restock yogurt. Also picked up shampoo and conditioner on a good sale and the Kind kids' bars with online coupons and more Olipop soda. They were relatively busy, but no more than usual for a Thursday during lunch hour, and I was in and out.

Next up was job counseling with Dawn at the Haddon Township Library. I did apply for a receptionist and office assistant job at a cheesecake bakery Dawn said was right down the street from her in Burlington, but Dawn's main interest was applying for government positions. I don't know. I don't have my driver's licence, don't know if I could handle the stress at the post office, and it just seems so complicated to apply for them.

Rushed to Sprouts next. They were having a buy-one, get-one sale on cookies. I tried the seasonal flavors pumpkin chocolate chip and ginger molasses. Also grabbed more of the Nixie soda with the dollar coupon, a bag of black grapes, and lemon raspberry dried mango pieces.

Went straight into getting my costume together when I got home. I was originally going to be a cat this year, but I saw lacy bat's ears and a "wings" cape at Walmart last week and changed it to being a bat. Alas, those makeup "crayons" I bought from Dollar General proved to be worthless. The black one broke after I'd colored in my nose and done two whiskers. I finished the rest with regular makeup. Uses the purple jack o'lantern candy bucket to give out treats and carried my cutie-pie stuffed bat Bela. 

Watched Halloween Is Grinch Night while I got organized. I went further into this bizarre Dr. Seuss special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2018 (along with Garfield's Halloween Adventure). 

Halloween Short Subject Special - Halloween Is Grinch Night

I was sitting outside and reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by 3, but the kids didn't really start coming around until 4:30. And when they came, they came in droves. It was too gorgeous to not do something outside for Halloween! The weather was sunny and ridiculously warm for Halloween, in the lower 80's, but the strong wind was deliciously cool. In fact, I'd never seen so many adults sitting outside on their stoops or driveways to give out candy, including our next-door neighbor.

Saw some terrific costumes this year. And for once, I actually got to see all of them. The warm weather meant there was no need to cover costumes with coats or heavy sweaters this year! There were lovely girl ghouls and pretty witches in lacy mini-dresses. Saw three ninjas in red, black, and blue, Beetlejuice, an Oompa Loompa, Rubble from PAW Patrol, a tiny female Incredible Hulk, and parents in Incredibles suits with a girl monster. A mom Elphaba and dad Fiyero pushed a tiny Glinda in a stroller. At least five Ghostbusters, Dorothy, a mom in her nurse's uniform, another mom dressed as Mrs. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus in a planet-print dress, three Army soldiers in fatigues, and the little girl with the short hair from Stranger Things came later in the afternoon. Another family toted a small and adorable Buzz Lightyear, while another chased a boy in an inflatable dinosaur costume. Older boys wandered around in leisure suits and ugly wigs. 

The Mystery Bags vanished in less than a half-hour. Good thing I bought more candy at the Acme to go with what I already had and a friend brought out a box of mini-Pringles containers. In fact, the Pringles were probably the biggest hit of the afternoon. All of the kids loved them and kept asking for more, especially the teenagers who weren't all that into candy.

By 6 PM, I was down to half a bag of Sour Patch gummies and Swedish Fish. Not to mention, it was time for dinner and to head down to West Clinton for the parade. I went inside and ate really quick, then used the bathroom, left the remaining candy with my friend for her kids, dropped my wallet and Bela in the purple pumpkin, and went on my way again.

To my delight and surprise, I ran into Rose, Finley, and Craig with Cider at Tonewood Brewery's outdoor patio. I was able to give Rose Fin and Khai's Mystery Bags in person. Craig took Cider home and Khai was out with friends, but I was able to chat with Rose. Rose went 80's in a slouchy blue shirt and tight shorts. Finley was a dark fairy and a sleeveless purple dress, a flower crown, beige ballet flats, "vines" drawn on her legs, arms, and face with glitter makeup, and actual fairy ear tips kept on with latex glue. She played with mini dinosaur toys while her mother and I talked and the other parents there broke out pizza for dinner.

The costumes at the parade were even cooler. One little girl went as a peacock, complete with genuine peacock feather tail. There was a dad in a construction outfit pulling his son in a wagon made to look like a bulldozer. A Little Mermaid family had a truly adorable Ariel and toddler Flounder, while a sweet Anna chased her little Olaf brother. Another boy wore a lavish steampunk suit, jacket, and top hat. There was a teen group with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet whose high spirits were remarkable considering how hot their costumes must have been. Two pretty princesses sported poofy pink and purple gowns. Saw another Beetlejuice and three more Ghostbusters. Finley's best friend was Barbie in her pink flared western costume from mid-way through the movie. Parents went as Frankenstein and his bride, gangsters, and a mom Chucky and dad Tiffany. 

Thankfully, the parade was only slightly late this year. As the group started down West Clinton, I couldn't help noticing that it was more than twice the size it usually is. Everyone must have decided to come out and enjoy the still-warm evening. Even Finley and her friends rushed out to join me as we hiked past Tonewood. 

With all those great costumes, neither Finley nor I won anything. I suspect Finley was more disappointed than I was. She and Rose vanished right after the elementary school kids were judged. I hung around to get candy and two balsa wood gliders for a friend's kids. 

Got yet another surprise after I got home, washed my makeup off, and put my costume pieces away. The owner of the Match Game Productions channel ran a previously-unmentioned Halloween game show marathon. I came in to see Vincent Price as the Mystery Guest on a 50's episode of What's My Line? In addition to repeating the Match Game '90 Halloween episode, we had two Family Feud episodes from the 90's (one with Ray Combs dressed as Robin Hood, the other with Richard Dawson and lavish Halloween decorations), two Super Password episodes with trick and treat bags, a mid-70's Halloween Squares episode with Paul Lynde as Frankenstein in the center square, and a Price Is Right episode from the mid-2000's with an older Bob Barker and two spooky witch-based Showcases. 

Play this marathon at your spooky parties this weekend and see who plays along!

Trick or Treat Game Show Spooktacular Marathon 2024

Finished the night with The Midnight Hour. I go further into this TV teen horror comedy from 1985 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Happy Halloween! - The Midnight Hour

Anything Can Happen On Halloween

Began my Halloween with short stories and spooky poems from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. "The Blue-Nosed Witch" is a scatterbrained young sorceress who keeps being late for her coven's flight formations. She sets her clock back on Halloween so she can join the rest of her coven, but sets it back way too early and ends up showing off her glowing blue nose to trick-or-treaters instead. Young witch Minx makes "The Water Nixie" appear for her friends, but they're disappointed. They were hoping for a fairy. She's more worried about her veteran witch mother not letting her go to school.

Had breakfast while watching The Woody Woodpecker Show. The only cartoon made directly for the show, "Spook-a-Nanny," was set on Halloween. Woody spends most of the episode blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lanz. He finally finishes just in time for the big party with Lanz characters like Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, and Wally Walrus, but they play tricks to keep him out. He finally gets in with a ghost rock band, but can't walk through the walls like they can.

Moved to YouTube for The Worst Witch. I go further into this British adaptation of the popular book series with Charlotte Rae, Fairuza Balk, and Tim Curry at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Halloween! - The Worst Witch (1986)

Since it was on YouTube, I watched Garfield's Halloween Adventure next. Garfield and Odie are looking forward to a night of trick-or-treat booty dressed as pirates. The last thing they'd ever expect is to be stranded on a spooky island at midnight where pirate ghosts have buried their treasure!

Went for a walk after that. My brown stockings were the perfect color to match my new light brown strap shoes...but they also ran the second I put them on. This is why I avoid wearing the darn things. I searched Family Dollar and Dollar General and couldn't find any. I'd just wear the darn things and hope they didn't go far enough down to show.

Had a quick lunch while watching the Donald Duck short "Trick or Treat" in its entirety on Disney Plus. Donald would rather play mean tricks on his nephews and keep the treats for himself. Witch Hazel makes sure he gives up the goodies, even if she has to cast spells on him that make him dance until he coughs up the key! 

Prepared my costume after lunch. I was Little Red Riding Hood. The WalMart velvet cape looked shiny and pretty and was actually rather warm, but the hood kept sliding off and it unraveled all night. It was not worth the $9.99 I paid. I was hoping to find a long-sleeved blouse with a lace collar, but I figured my short-sleeved blouse with the crocheted lace collar would do if I wore the cape and a red cardigan. Tied my original red cape around my jean skirt to make it look more medieval fairy tale. Unfortunately, I made a mess putting on the little makeup I needed and had to scrub the shirt off. (Thankfully, it did come clean.) Carried my stuffed Beanie Baby wolf Howl in a flowered Easter basket.

Watched more frightening Sale of the Century episodes while I got everything together. The scariest thing about the first episode was how badly everyone played. Even the champ didn't make more than 50 points. They also bought all the prizes...which admittedly ended up being pretty cool when one lady bought a portable TV, only to get a bonus projection-sized set that went with it. There were also trips to Ireland and Bermuda, a beautiful sleek upright red piano, and a fancy black dress with a huge red lace collar worn by a lady zombie. 

They played much better in the second game. The winner blew away the competition, getting 100 by the end of the Speed Round. He still had trouble with the Bonus Round, though...

Went outside with the Mystery Bags promptly at 3 PM. Kids didn't really start coming around until past 4:30...and when they did, they came in droves. The Mystery Bags vanished within an hour after that. I saw some terrific costumes. There was a Barbie in the pink flared jumpsuit and cowboy hat she wore in the movie. Saw teen girls in blood-smeared leotards and ghoulish dresses. One little girl wore a gorgeous purple and black Victorian-style gown. Another young lady was a pretty Elsa in a blue sparkly dress. There were at least five different Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, an Incredible Hulk, a Black Panther, Jason of Friday the 13th, three Spider Men, and a ninja. 

One kid had an inflatable dinosaur costume. A group of rowdy teen boys mostly wore weird inflatable costumes, except the kid on the skateboard in the powder-blue leisure suit and ugly blonde wig. He took a nasty tumble on the board just seconds after leaving me and my bowl of candy that made him decide to carry it for a while. There was a tiny Curious George with a mom Woman In the Yellow Hat and a Doctor Who group with a boy Tom Baker Doctor, a mom Sarah Jane, and a dad in a Tardis T-shirt. Saw a kid monkey and a pre-teen polar bear leading around her ghoul brother. Two teens were a cheetah and a black cat. A Disney crew family with a brother Mickey, Mom Minnie, baby sister Daisy, and dad Donald asked if we'd seen their orange cat around. 

I received many compliments on my Red Riding Hood costume. Howl in particular was a big hit. The teens thought he was adorable. The little guys wanted to squeeze him. One toddler miss in an Elmo costume cuddled him. A little ladybug gave him a big hug. Even a frisky beagle rubbed noses with him. 

It had been cold, cloudy, and breezy all day. Perfect Halloween weather, but not so great for sitting outside. I read The Hound of the Baskervilles between kids until it got too cold to be sitting around. Not to mention, I was fed up with the stockings. The runs were worse, and they kept sagging. When the candy bowl was down to the last few bits, I went inside, changed the stockings for socks, and threw my heavier cream and sienna sweater with the embroidered flowers under the cape.

Since I left a little early, I had plenty of time for pizza at Phillies Phatties. Some folks had already called trick-or-treat and were having dinner, too. I enjoyed a slice of sausage, a slice of margarita, and a bottle of Diet Pepsi while watching a little Minnie Mouse play with her dad. 

Strolled around the neighborhood next, looking at decorations. Some families here get nearly as into Halloween decorations as they do for Christmas. One house was covered in cheesecloth spiderwebs. Another had a massive, moving inflatable dragon outside, complete with glowing red eyes.

Joined the crowd waiting for Oaklyn's Halloween Parade when I returned to West Clinton. There were some darn good Halloween costumes here, too. One boy was Willy Wonka. Another was a truly scary zombie clown with a terrifying mask. Four hilarious fifth-grade girls were dressed as Teletubbies (and won first-place as a group). Another pre-teen group sported pastel preppy plaid skirts and polo shirts. 

There were at least two Scooby Doo groups, one with a Mystery Machine wagon. There was a dad Freddy Kruger and another who sported massive horns. A little girl kept tripping over her long sequined Elsa train. The girl pumpkin was utterly adorable, dancing around with abandon in her orange tulle skirt. Saw another Iron Man, a Flash, a Venom, and several more Spider Men. A taco, a hot dog, and a hoagie sported nifty printed fabric costumes; their dad was a slice of pizza. A mom Day of the Dead skeleton looked stunning in her makeup and flowered headdress. 

It was slightly after 7:30 when the group finally headed raggedly down West Clinton. Most of our audience was at the block in front of Tonewood Brewery and Phillies Phatties, but it was still fun to walk with everyone. I didn't win anything in the costume competition this year (there were way too many better costumes, including Freddy Kruger and the Horned King), but I still had a good time.

(And for the second year in a row, it's a good thing the Parade ended when it did. It sprinkled a little while everyone was on the last block going to the Fire Hall. It didn't really start to pour until around 9 PM and has been off and on ever since.) 

Took a shower as soon as I got home and put everything away, then spent the rest of the night back on YouTube. After the regular Match Game and Password Plus premiere, Match Game Productions had a short marathon of Halloween episodes from other game shows. To tell the truth, I'd seen all of them, either last year or last night, but that didn't stop me from enjoying seeing Ray Combs of Family Feud dressed as Robin Hood or Paul Lynde as Frankenstein's monster again. 

Here's the marathon, for your own Halloween enjoyment: 

Trick R Treat Game Show Spooktacular Marathon 2023

Here's hoping you also had a scary good Halloween with all your favorite little witches and ghouls!

Trick or Treat for Halloween

Began my Halloween with stories from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. "The Blue-Nosed Witch" is a scatterbrained young sorceress who is always late to her coven's broom formation. On Halloween, she accidentally sets her alarm so early, she ends up trick-or-treating with the local kids. Another young modern witch uses her magic to bring up "The Water Nixie," but she's disappointed. She and her friends were hoping for fairies. Also read several spooky poems on the frights and delights of the Halloween season. 

Switched to the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow after I finished those. I found a book of Washington Irving's short stories on the sale rack at the Oaklyn Library several years ago and have read it on or around Halloween ever since. The story of Ichabod Crane and what he did (or didn't) run into on that fateful bridge remains genuinely creepy to this day, especially the part where he encounters the infamous Headless spook!

Went into Halloween specials while having breakfast. "Spook-a-Nanny" was the only episode of the original Woody Woodpecker Show made directly for television. Woody ends up spending most of the episode blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lanz. He wants to attend the big party for Lanz animated stars, but Chilly Willy, Andy Panda, and the other guests play pranks to keep him out. He joins a ghost rock group, but forgets he can't walk through the walls like they can.

Moved to Garfield's Halloween Adventure while I got organized and brought the laundry downstairs. I went further into this and Halloween Is Grinch Night the day before Halloween in 2018 on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Halloween Short Subject Special - Garfield's Halloween Adventure & Halloween Is Grinch Night

Headed out for a very quick run to PNC. I needed to pick up money and talk to them. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going around 12:30, when everyone was at lunch and had time to do the same thing. I had to use the ATM outside, and everyone inside had too many customers to ask them about how the upgrades to my John Hancock accounts are going. I'll call them tomorrow. 

Had lunch and switched the laundry to the dryer while watching Arsenic and Old Lace. Theater critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) has a heck of a Halloween when he marries the girl next door (Priscilla Lane), then comes home to Brooklyn to tell his sweet old aunts and delusional Uncle Teddy (John Alexander), who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. He's horrified when he learns that the little old dears have been giving elderly gentlemen with no family poisoned elderberry wine and having Teddy bury them in the basement. Worse yet, his homicidal brother Johnathan (Raymond Massey) comes home, with his plastic surgeon (Peter Lorre) in tow and his own bodies to bury in the basement. Mortimer has to figure out how to keep his new wife away from the madness and alert the local beat cop (Jack Carson) that something's rotten in the borough of Brooklyn, before he's their next victim!

Hilarious pitch-black comedy benefits from Grant's expert timing and some sharp and funny lines from the hit stage play of the same name. Alexander steals the show as Uncle Teddy, who yells up the stairs blowing a bugle while yelling "Charge!"

Worked on writing while the movie was on. Ross tries to remind Brett that he's not Gene, has never tried to be Gene. He's himself. Brett, however, misses Gene badly and wishes Ross was more like him. Charles tries to point out that they're having as much fun together as they ever did. 

Got my costume together towards the end of the movie. I had that blue-checked long-sleeved button-down shirt I got from a friend of mine in March. Threw the navy corduroy vest my mother made for my cowgirl costume in 1989 over it, along with jeans and my Ugg boots. Tied the plastic knife around my waist with a crocheted belt I made the last time I dressed as a cowgirl. Tried to keep my plastic cap gun in my pocket, but it kept falling out. I just left it on the front steps.

Spent the next few hours sitting on the front stoop, reading Washington Irving short stories like Dolph Heylinger and Rip Van Winkle between kids. I gave out candy for a friend who says she usually doesn't get many trick-or-treaters. Maybe more took advantage of the compressed time out (Oaklyn's trick or treat was from 3 to 7 this year) to go out earlier and stay closer to home. I gave out all 30 of my Mystery Bags (including two for my friend's daughter and her friend) in less than an hour. She ended up buying more candy and fruit snacks to give away, and we didn't have a lot of that left by the time rain ended trick-or-treating prematurely around quarter after 6. 

I saw a lot of creative costumes this year. One little angel in fluffy wings and a tutu was so excited to find out what was in her Mystery Bag, she tore into it after I put it in her hand. One group was The Wizard of Oz, a mom Glinda and dad Tin Woodsman with a tiny Dorothy and lion and older Scarecrow and Witch of the West. Saw at least five Spider Men and one Spider Girl, along with a very small Iron Man. There was a tiny toddler shark, a dad Stripe and kid Gizmo from Gremlins, Hermoine from Harry Potter, Pikachu, and Evie from the Descendants films. The elementary-school-age girl who lives across the street went as a black cat. A teen group included Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and a grim reaper. There were two small police officers, Buzz Lightyear, and a plethora of ghouls and witches. Ran into at least three other cowgirls, a mom, a tiny adorable miss in a cow-print skirt, and an elementary-school girl in a glitzy white costume I suspected may have been a western-themed dance outfit. The final two Mystery Bags went to a pair of flower maidens in lilac and soft gold gowns. 

I wasn't the only adult who dressed to give out candy, either. The man across from me sported a Friday the 13th hockey mask. A woman on the next block was a Phillies cheerleader. A lady across the street wore a yellow Victorian dress and carried a parasol. The male couple across the street didn't dress for the holiday, but they were joined by a handsome and well-behaved young Irish setter. He didn't even bark when my friend's cat joined me for scratches and belly rubs. A couple dressed as vampires even walked their dogs wearing bat wings. Another woman walked a terrier in a mermaid-print sweater. 

It had been gloomy, humid, and breezy all day. Perfect Halloween weather...until the clouds finally opened up around 6 PM. Sat on the porch for another 15 minutes after that. The rain did lessen, I suspected trick-or-treating had ended. I saw no more kids and finally went inside for dinner.

Had dinner upstairs while watching the 2002 version of Family Feud with Richard Karn as part of that Buzzr Halloween marathon. Maybe they should have worn costumes all the time on that version. Dressing the part sure woke up Karn. He had far more fun wearing Dracula's cape and doing his accent and playing pirate and imitating Jack Sparrow than he did on most regular episodes. Lots of cute costumes in these shows, too. One family in the second episode appeared as a football team, with son "players," a wife cheerleader, and Mom as the coach. The other family was all greasers with a Pink Lady cousin. 

The rain continued to fall at 7, but it wasn't nearly as heavy. I debated going to the parade, but I couldn't seem to find whether or not it was still on. Finally decided to at least go look at lights. Rain or no rain, I wanted to do something on Halloween night. 

It finally let up as I strolled down West Clinton. A small group of mainly elementary school kids and their parents gathered under umbrellas, surrounded by fire trucks. Yes, the parade was on. There were even people watching us on West Clinton as a ragged group made its way down the road. More and more people joined us on the way. We still weren't as big as usual, but a slightly larger parade made its way into the Fire Hall five or so minutes later.

They did have costume judging this year, too, and tons of candy. There were some great costumes here, too. My former neighbors Ronnie and Brittany's son Ryan was a huge red squid in an inflatable costume. Their daughter Savannah was a punk ghoul. I saw two Spider Gwens, two more Spider Men, a pretty pre-teen witch in a glittery black cape, bright green alien parents with two boys dressed as an astronaut and a UFO surrounded by tinsel, a darling little Phillies Phanatic in a green tutu, a little unicorn, a girl firefighter with a blow-up truck, a mom sorceress, two more policemen, another black cat, Luke Skywalker, and a college age elephant wearing a Phillies jersey. A toddler Elliot rode in a red wagon tricked out complete with a stuffed ET in a box up front. Mom and Dad were Elliot's siblings. 

I knew the parent aliens would get first place in the adult division. They really were that cool in their lime-green suits and wigs. I felt sure the elephant or sorceress would get second, but lo and behold, they called me! I got 10 dollars that will go towards a treat later in the week. (The elephant came in third.)

Ran It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown when I got home as I put away my costume pieces. Linus claims  the Great Pumpkin will come on Halloween night and bring treats to all the good little children. Sally joins him in a "sincere" pumpkin patch against her better judgement. Charlie Brown has more trouble trick-or-treating, while Snoopy spends his Halloween fighting the Red Baron.

Finished the night after a shower with two rare late 70's Halloween specials on YouTube and a classic short at Disney Plus. Once Upon a Midnight Scary from 1979 has Vincent Price narrating three spooky stories from horror and fantasy novels. The first segment is based on The Ghost Belonged to Me. This short from the Blossom Culp series has a young boy discovering he can speak to ghosts. His ghost is a young girl who warns him about how she drowned when the local bridge washed out. He can avert disaster if he warns a bus driver from doing the same. Rene Auberjoinis is Ichabod Crane in a brief but spooky version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The House With a Clock In Its Walls is the longest segment. A boy learns his uncle is a wizard, and tries to use magic to impress a classmate. He ends up raising the spirit of an evil witch named Selenna, who attacks his uncle to find the Doomsday Clock in the walls of their house.

Obviously low-budget and not terribly good. Auberjoinis' performance as Ichabod and the genuinely spooky finale gives Sleepy Hollow a lift. House starts a little slow, but builds to a decent climax with the destruction of the clock. (And I like that Price encourages the viewers to read the actual books if they want the full stories.) 

Judd Hirsch is an extremely unlikely Dracula in The Halloween That Almost Wasn't, also from 1979. He's horrified when the Witch (Mariette Hartley) refuses to ride her broomstick over the moon and begin Halloween. She wants more recognition and to be the co-leader of the monsters. He's about to agree to her demands, until two trick-or-treaters remind her why they love the holiday and appreciate her. 

Donald Duck also has trouble with a witch in "Trick or Treat," one of his most famous shorts. He plays mean tricks on his nephews and won't give them candy. Kindly Witch Hazel takes pity on them and puts a spell on Donald and his house. When that doesn't work, she uses her magic to make Donald's feet dance the candy out of the closet! 

And...it's a good thing the parade ended when it did. It started raining much harder about a half-hour after I got home and has been pouring off and on ever since. Here's hoping that you had an equally fun (and drier) Halloween with all the little ghouls, police officers, squid, Gremlins, and cowgirls in your life!

Anything Can Happen On Halloween

Started off a sunny Halloween morning with Pumpkin Pancakes and grapes for breakfast. Watched Raggedy Ann & Andy and the Pumpkin Who Wouldn't Smile while I ate. The doll duo bring a glum pumpkin to a lonely boy whose aunt forbid him from trick-or-treating or having a jack o' lantern. They then focus on the aunt, reminding her of all the fun she had on Halloween as a child.

Switched to the episode of the 60's Woody Woodpecker Show included as a bonus on the Woody Woodpecker & Friends Classic Collection Vol 1. "Spook-a-Nanny" is the only cartoon created directly for the show. Woody wants to attend a Halloween party with all his friends from the Walter Lantz Studios. Trouble is, first his boss Walter Lantz keeps him blowing balloons between shorts, and then his buddies won't let him in. He finally joins a ghost rock band to scare his way into the party, but he can't walk through walls like they can.

Went online after I finished the dishes. Sam Mitchell, one of the many people who post vintage game show episodes on YouTube, put together a marathon of Halloween-themed episodes starting at 11 AM. I saw most of them on Buzzr or last year on YouTube...but there was a show I never encountered before. Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck ran on Game Show Network for a little over a year from 2002 to 2003, but it did manage to fit a Halloween episode in. It's pretty much the same as the original show, only this time, they start with 1,000 and spin first, then collect more spins. Host Todd Newton posed as the Grim Reaper; the guy dressed as basket ball player bride won. 

Here's the full marathon, for your own Halloween enjoyment!

Sam's Game Show Resort Halloween Special

It rained briefly around 11:30, making me wonder if they'd still have trick-or-treating. Called Rose. Yes, trick-or-treating was still on. She even intended to stop by with Craig and the kids later to pick up their Mystery Bags.

The fairy wings I ordered on Amazon over a week ago never did come. I switched to being a Roma gypsy queen instead. My cousin gave me a lovely paisley woven shawl years ago, but it's hard to wear it when you're constantly riding a bike. It went very well with my new dark gold blouse, the brown, gold, and blue floral skirt I bought for my Little Red Riding Hood costume a few years ago, and a pile of beaded necklaces and gold sequin star tiara I kept as part of my princess/movie star outfit. Tied my Red Riding Hood cape around my waist for more flair. 

Went out to greet trick-or-treaters around 1 PM. I'd be in and out for the next couple of hours, including going in for 20 minutes around quarter of 2 to have a smoothie for lunch. Settled down to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other spooky Washington Irving stories between kids. Heard the occasional burst from the Eagles-Lions game at the party along with spooky songs like "Someone's Watching Me." (Incidentally, in a Halloween miracle, the Eagles mauled the Lions 44 - 6.) Jodie's friend Sandy brought over Halloween cupcakes; I chose the chocolate with coconut icing topped with a candy corn. 

We had a lot of kids this year, even more than last year, likely thanks to two big parties taking place on the same block. I actually gave away all of my Mystery Bags, plus some of the candy Jodie had as well. The kids next door helped me drum up kids until they headed out for their own trick or treating fun. Ryan was a secret agent in a black trench coat; Savannah was a Ravenclaw Hogwarts student. Savannah's friend Annabelle was the Queen of Hearts in a heart-shaped tiara and fancy tulle dress. 

I love how creative the kids get with their costumes around here. A mom Ash brought over her adorable daughter Charmander and tiny infant Pikachu. We had a family of skeletons, one a baby. Saw a group of teens that included a cowboy, a witch, a unicorn, and a skeleton. Another older boy at least wore a mask while he rode around on a bike. A grown-up witch and huge pink unicorn gave out candy. The first kid to come was a ghoulish Jason Voorhees in a mask and carrying a cardboard chainsaw. Ran into two generic princesses in tiaras and poofy pink dresses. The two older girls from around the corner were a pastel ghoul with bright neon blue pigtails and a horned monster. Kids from the party across the street included a pumpkin, Iron Man, Spider Man, a family of Rockford Peaches from League of Their Own (including a mini toddler Peach), a baseball player from a local Little League team, and Chase the police dog from Paw Patrol. Later on, I saw two more Spider Men (one a Spider Girl), two Black Panthers, a pretty ghoul in a fancy costume, and another baby skeleton.

Rose and Craig arrived with Finley and Khai in tow around 3:30. Khai wore a Jurassic Park t-shirt, but his real costume was a nifty inflatable tyrannosaurus. The rest of the family's costumes revolved around Finley's Bee Queen outfit. She wore a crown with gold "feelers," tiny striped wings, yellow striped stockings, and a black tutu and leotard. The kid was less happy about the huge frilly yellow hoop skirt and ruffled gloves that were also a part of her costume, especially after she tripped and skinned her palms. Her father wore a beekeeper's net-covered hat and carried sunflowers. Her mother just had a t-shirt that said "this is my beekeeper's costume." 

I never saw The Great Pumpkin today, but he did leave me a wonderful gift. He gave me time to think between kids. I haven't had time to just sit down and read and think in weeks, if not months. Even when I was on the trains, I was ready to run to the next train. I felt content for the first time in ages. I know I won't be in this neighborhood or sitting on the porch of Jodie's house next year, but it felt really good this year. I know I really do prefer giving to getting. 

Originally planned on making dip and chips for dinner, but by 5:30, when the kids started winding down, I decided I was too tired. Plus, I wanted to see if there was going to be a parade this year. Ended up buying two slices of cheese pizza and a bottle of Wild Cherry Pepsi at Phillies Phatties. The place was hopping with fathers and sons enjoying slices of pizza after trick-or-treat and watching the Saints-Buccaneers game. (Saints thankfully handed Tom Brady his rear 36 - 27.) I eventually ate outside, watching princesses and pandas and Spider Gwens go by. 

Strolled around the neighborhood to look at lights and decorations...and when I returned, the Halloween Parade was ambling down West Clinton. That was a surprise. They're usually late; this time, they were 20 minutes early. What was even more surprising was Rose and her tribe joined us, with Cider in her own doggy bee costume tugging Craig along. Usually, Rose's kids pass out well before the parade. Among the niftier costumes I saw at the parade were Pennywise from It (complete with balloons),  Belle, a tiny Tinkerbell, another Spider Man in a more elaborate costume, a toddler ladybug, a black cat, and a small cop with handcuffs. 

For some reason, the firemen did give out candy when everyone arrived, but there was no judging. Everyone just sort of stood around in front of the closed fire house. Rose and her family finally gave up after about 20 minutes. I gave it another five minutes, then did the same.

Made pumpkin muffins when I got in while finishing up the Halloween episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, "Mickey's Treat." Mickey and the others are excited to travel to Trick or Treat Tower for Pete's Halloween party. First, though, they have to find something to complete Goofy's knight costume, make their way over the giant Candy Corn, and Mickey the magician has to perform a trick for Pete. 

Slid the muffins into the oven and did the dishes during It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Linus insists that the Great Pumpkin rises out of a sincere pumpkin patch on Halloween night to bring toys and goodies to all of the children in the world. He insists on sitting in a pumpkin patch to see for himself. Against her better judgement, Sally joins him. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has trick-or-treating problems, and Snoopy skips ahead to Veteran's Day for a fight with the Red Baron.

The full version of the Donald Duck "Trick or Treat" short is on Disney Plus. Donald would rather keep his candy for himself and play mean tricks on his nephews, until a kindly witch takes pity on them. Donald swallows the key to keep it from her, making her cast a spell on him to dance it out! 

Finished the night on YouTube with more spooky Halloween game show episodes. Price Is Right made their third try at a nighttime version in 1994. The fun of their Halloween episode was limited to the one Showcase Showdown, which offered a collection of Universal monster movies, several trips to famous horror locations, and a fancy car. Doug Davidson was the eager host here.

Sale of the Century and Classic Concentration took part in NBC's "Trick or Treat Week" in 1988. Concentration went a little further, with Alex Trebek dressed as a king in a huge crown and Marjorie Goodson as his queen, and the contestants in costume as a showgirl and a jester. Sale settled for Halloween-themed Instant Bargain skits and decorations that matched the gold and orange backdrop.

The original Win, Lose, Or Draw also took part in that week. Horror icons Linda Blair of The Exorcist, Zelda Rubenstein of Poltergeist, John Astin of the original Addams Family, and David Naughton joined host Vicki Lawrence figure out what their contestants attempted to sketch. The ladies won big and won fast here; they played so quickly, there was time to draw with the audience in the end. 

Super Password in 1986 settled for messing with Halloween witch toys, a few frightening Password Puzzles, and a crack from announcer Gene Wood telling host Bert Convy to take his mask off. (He wasn't wearing one.) The late 80's - early 90's Family Feud got more into the holiday. Ray Combs borrowed a less-lacy version of Finley's bee costume to ask contestants dressed as queens, Lady Liberty, Sherlock Holmes, a Chinese lady, and Alice In Wonderland spooky survey questions.  

While the original Hollywood Squares didn't do Halloween episodes per se, they did do occasional "Storybook Squares" weeks with everyone in costume, even long after the Saturday morning Storybook Squares show ended. Peter Marshall presides over an episode from 1976 that features Sandy Duncan as the devil, Mel Brooks as his Silent Movie character Mel Funn, Steve Landisberg as Wise King Sullivan, Tammy Wynette as Madame Pompadour, Denise Nicholas as Queen Tut, John Bider as Rasputin, George Gobel as a stereotypical Confucius, and Paul Lynde in the center square as golden-curled Narcissus. 

My favorite episode of the underrated 1990 version of Match Game is their hilarious Halloween show. Charles Nelson Reilly comes as Superman, his old buddy Brett Somers does her last week of the show as a little girl, host Ross Schafer is Dracula, and Vicki Lawrence returns as Little Red Riding Hood in a super-short dress. It's wisecracking dragon puppet Scorch and his handler Ronn Lucas who manages to come up with the scariest costume of all. 

Celebrate Halloween with these forays into game shows past! (Most shows come with either their original commercials or the ones from their Game Show Network runs.)

Hollywood Squares Synd (1978)

Super Password (1986)

Win Lose or Draw (1988)

Sale of the Century (1988)

Classic Concentration (1988)

Match Game (1990)

Family Feud (1990)

The New Price Is Right (1994)

And here's hoping you had a safe, happy, and game-filled Halloween of your own! 

Happy Halloween Harvest

Kicked off Halloween morning with breakfast and Raggedy Ann & Andy and the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile. Chuck Jones directed two holiday specials featuring the perky rag doll duo in the late 70's; this was the second one. Ann (June Foray), Andy (Daws Butler), and their dog Arthur first bring a glum, unwanted pumpkin (Les Tremayne) to a little boy in need of some Halloween fun. They then have to figure out how to convince his stern Aunt Agatha (Foray) to let the boy keep his new friend and join in the festivities.

Dashed out shortly after the cartoon ended. It was an absolutely glorious day for a Halloween farm market, sunny and breezy and just cool enough. Goes without saying they were busy with people buying apples, pears, and squash for their Halloween parties. I even saw a few kids in costume, including the most adorable Elsa and Anna. Corn and eggplant are gone, but I saw the first cranberries of the season. Couldn't resist those cranberries; also grabbed sweet potatoes, little honeycrisp apples, small heirloom tomatoes, red leaf lettuce, and more arugula. 

Took the short way down Bettlewood back into Oaklyn. Need to stop at Dollar General on my way home. I ran out of sugar earlier in the week, and I wanted more peanut butter, too. Grabbed two boxes of sandwich bags with plastic zippers to make treat bags when I realized they barely had any Halloween items left, let alone Halloween treat bags.

Finished out Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special when I got home and put everything away. Bugs dodges Witch Hazel and her stew pot between segments from various horror and Halloween-themed Looney Tunes shorts. Witch Hazel turns Speedy into a copy of her so she can go on vacation, but he inadvertently casts a spell on Daffy that turns him into something very strange. Sylvester is first spooked by a Tweety who has transformed into a monster, then by the scary noises in a dilapidated house. Bugs avoids a vampire who would love a little rabbit for Halloween.

Watched Scooby Doo! Music of the Vampire while putting together treat bags with my candy and the mini-bags of cookies, Goldfish crackers, vegetable chips, and pretzels Rose gave me. I go further into the only full musical in the Scooby Doo franchise to date at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Halloween! - Scooby Doo: Music of the Vampire

Made up my costume as the movie ended. I decided weeks ago I'd be a black cat this year. I already have the ears, tail, and gloves. I was going to add make-up whiskers and a black nose, but I remembered I'd be wearing a mask and ended up wiping them off. I'm not a fan of the black bow choker that came with the original costume, so I put that on my stuffed black cat Luna.

Suddenly remembered as I wiped my face that I needed to feed Rose's cats. Grabbed my coat and bike and dashed over to her house on Kendall Boulevard near the school. Was surprised to see a lot of kids gathered at the school in costume. Maybe they had a school parade, or were getting ready for trick-or-treat.

It took me a few minutes to get into Rose's house. Her front door sticks even harder than mine does! Craig left a Halloween note, a small can of Fancy Feast, and a container of dry food for them. Had no problem giving them the wet food, and their water bowl didn't need to be filled. Spilled the dry food all over when I tried to load it into the bowls, though! Cleaned up the mess as quickly as I could before hurrying out. (And no, I never saw the cats. Guess all the noise outside spooked them.)

Rushed home, switched the coat for a lighter sweater, loaded the bags into a plastic bag and my metal bowl, and went outside. Everyone giving out candy had their wares displayed on card tables or in large bowls on their front stoop. I borrowed the side tables from the porch to display my candy bags. Did pretty well, too, given Hillcrest is a tiny street on the end of Oaklyn along the river. Saw two Incredible Hulks (one a toddler), a toddler police officer, a mini pop star, Iron Man giving out candy across the street, two Day of the Dead skulls, two more cats, a plethora of witches in all sizes from toddler to lady giving out candy, Woody from the Toy Story movies, Yankees and Phillies baseball players, soccer players, Death with a scythe also giving out candy, a knight riding a purple cardboard horse, a tiny toddler butterfly, Skully from Monsters Inc, and a unicorn. Two of the neighborhood girls were X-Men in elaborate coats with brass buttons and Wolverine claws. The kids next-door were Dipper Pines from Gravity Falls and a ninja. 

Sat on the brick steps with Luna and read my Reader's Digest book of Washington Irving short stories between kids. The weather was just amazing. Sunshine warmed my nose, even as I shivered at spooky tales like "Rip Van Winkle" and "Dolph Heyliger." The dressed couple down the street played horror-themed music - hearing "Ghostbusters," "Monster Mash," and the theme from The Munsters added to the warm-yet-creepy atmosphere of the day. 

By 5 PM, clouds drifted in to hide the sun. It was now too cold for sitting outside and reading. I was down to four bags anyway and was hungry for real food. Left the bags on one of the tables for any kids who wanted them, swapped my sweater for a winter coat, and headed out on foot.

First stop was Phillies Phatties. Needless to say on a holiday where most people's minds are on candy rather than dinner, they were really busy. I picked up slices of mushroom and margarita (tomato-basil-mozzarella) and a can of Wild Cherry Pepsi and took them outside. Enjoyed my treat while girls dressed as a unicorn, a gymnast, a witch, and a cheerleader chatted and had their dinners.

Strolled around the neighborhood for a while after that to admire everyone else's costumes and decorations. I love how creative everyone got with handing out candy. Some folks settled for scattering the candy on card tables with signs that said "take one." Others had big plastic cauldrons or grinning hard plastic jack o'lantern bowls. One family stuck lollipops in a pumpkin; another tied them to their railings and let the kids pull out two. Others went the same route I did and handed out treat bags filled with candy or novelties. 

Since I still wore part of my costume, I couldn't resist taking a little candy, too. This is the first time I went trick-or-treating since at least 1992, and it was infinitely more fun than tramping all over Cape May in the freezing cold sea air. Saw lots more great costumes, too. One tiny miss was dressed as a teddy bear, another as a lovely mermaid in a glittering turquoise costume. A little boy was a mini-Spider Man. Even older kids got in on the fun. On my way to Phillies Phatties, I passed a group of teens that included a ballerina, Tigger, a zombie, and an Eagles player. 

The candy spreads weren't the only nifty decorations I saw tonight. Some families, including Rose and her kids, set out hay bales and pumpkins, with wooden pumpkin patch signs on their front doors. Others had elaborately-carved jack 'o lanterns on their front steps. Still others (including Rose) went with gaudy-colored inflatables. I saw Frankenstein strapped to a table and ready to escape, a vampire rising out of a coffin, and several awesome black and orange dragons. As I headed home and the sun sunk behind the horizon, orange and purple lights hanging from porch railings and roof tops flickered on softly up and down Haddon Avenue. 

Put on Ghostbusters as soon as I got home, put away the cat costume pieces, and had apple crisp for dessert. Scientists Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Egon Spangler (Harold Ramis), and Ray Spantz (Dan Ackroyd) are fired from Columbia for their dubious theories and practices. Peter convinces them to go into business for themselves as paranormal investigators and ghost-catchers. Their first client is Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), a classical musician living in an unusual Upper West Side apartment building who claims she saw a monster in her refrigerator. Peter's interested in her, but they may not have the money to pursue her...and her inquiries...further. Suddenly, little green ghosts and skeletal cab drivers are being spotted all over New York, and they go from being broke to getting swamped with work. They have to hire a fourth man, Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson), to help them handle it all. 

It all goes back to Dana and her demonic refrigerator, which turns out to be far more important than the Ghostbusters originally suspected. When she and her nerdy neighbor Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) are possessed by the spirits of two demigods who could open the portal to another world, the quartet have to spring into action. First, though, they need to convince the Mayor of the Big Apple (David Marguiles) and the obnoxious head of the EPA (William Atherton) that they're on the level and New York really is under a spectral attack.

A favorite of mine since childhood, this still holds up remarkably well, especially the incredible special effects. Though Murray generally gets top honors as the most sarcastic and cynical Ghostbuster, the entire cast does well with the hilarious script. The sequel isn't too bad and I still think the all-female remake has an undeserved bum rap, but for most people, this and the Real Ghostbusters cartoon are probably the only version of this story they need. 

As I watched the movie, I saw someone set off fireworks on the river. They weren't as big or glittery as the ones a couple of weeks ago, but they were pretty.

Ran It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown while doing dishes and getting organized. The Peanuts' Halloween festivities aren't quite as spooky. Linus makes his yearly vigil in a sincere pumpkin patch to wait for (non) arrival of the Great Pumpkin. Against her better judgement, Sally joins him. Meanwhile, Snoopy fights the Red Baron and Charlie Brown has trouble trick-or-treating.

Finished the night with two spooky Halloween cartoon episodes on Disney Plus and a vintage special on YouTube. Even though it's set during the summer, Gravity Falls managed to sneak a Halloween episode into its first season. The citizens of Gravity Falls love Halloween so much, they have a second Halloween in June, "Summerween." Mabel Pines and her girlfriends are all going to go trick-or-treating, but Dipper wants to be with his crush Wendy and refuses to go out in costume...until he, the girls, and Soos are attacked by a monster in a yellow emoji mask that demands they go trick-or-treating for 500 pieces of candy or die!

The 2017 Ducktales takes us underground for a unique horror adventure. After seeing a movie about mole people living underground, Huey and Webby head for the subway to see if the mythical race of creatures known as the Terra-firmians are real. Huey refuses to believe in anything he can't read about in his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, but he learns there's a lot more to life than living by the book when he has to rescue Webby, Mrs. Beakly, his brothers, and Webby's friend Lena from a runaway subway. "The Terror of the Terra-firmians," however, isn't what everyone thinks it is...and neither is Lena, who's getting instruction from one very nasty shadow. 

Dracula (Judd Hirsch) has even more trouble with witches in The Halloween That Almost Wasn't. The Witch (Mariette Hartley) is supposed to fly over the moon at midnight and kick off Halloween, but this year, she refuses to do it. She's tired of jokes about her ugliness and feels underappreciated. He and the other monsters of filmdom do everything they can to convince her otherwise...but it takes two kids to remind her of just how important she is to them and the holiday.

And here's hoping you had a Halloween that was equally fun, whether you did trick-or-treating, held a party like several families in the neighborhood, or spent a quiet night at home with horror movies. 

Windy Halloween

I awoke to a morning that definitely felt like Halloween - cloudy, rainy, and killer humid. Kicked off Halloween with a couple of spooky stories and poems from the Harvest of Holidays anthology. "The Blue-Nosed Witch" is a scatterbrained young witch who is constantly late for her coven's flight. Hoping to change things for a big Halloween formation, she sets her clock back too far and ends up delighting trick-or-treaters with her bright blue nose. Another modern witch makes "The Water Nixie" appear, but she and her friends are disappointed. They were hoping for fairies.

Molly McEntyre is having her own Halloween problems in the last two chapters of her introductory book Meet Molly. World War II means many treats and fabric for fancy costumes are rationed...but it also means Molly and her best friends Susan and Linda can improvise hula dancer outfits from crepe paper. Molly's brother Ricky plays a mean trick and ruins their costumes and treats, and they decided to get revenge...but it doesn't taste so sweet when their mom catches them.

Ran the first Halloween special of the day while eating breakfast. The only new cartoon created for the early 60's Woody Woodpecker Show was Halloween-themed. After spending most of the episode blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lanz, all Woody wants to do is join the party with other Lanz stars like Chilly Willy and Wally Walrus. They play tricks on him and won't let him in. He joins a ghostly Beatles-spoof band to get by them, but he can't walk through the walls like they can.

Moved onto Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special while making Cranberry Flummery and cleaning up afterwards. Bugs outsmarts Witch Hazel in this collection of bits and pieces of horror-themed shorts, while Porky deals with a fraidy-cat Sylvester and Daffy wonders why Witch Hazel sounds like Speedy Gonzoles.

Did a little writing after I finished. As the trees continue to throw back the others, Charles comes up with the idea of playing music to calm them. Richard tries to hold them off, only to be caught in their branches.

Headed out around 1. It remained cloudy, crazy-windy, and humid, but the rain was long-gone. It sure looks like Halloween in the neighborhood now. The leaves have finally started turning colors, in muted shades of gold, orange-red, and rust. Gardens overflow with marigolds, late roses, and mums. Quite a few family had seasonal ghost or monster inflatables, or at least pumpkin banners and orange lights on their porches. It felt very festive as I made my way to the Oaklyn Library.

Needless to say, on a holiday with lousy weather, they were dead quiet (pardon the pun) when I got in. The only person I saw was the librarian. I looked over DVDs and peeked at some of their Halloween picture books, but there wasn't much going on there. I was out in twenty minutes.

As I strolled down West Clinton, I noticed a crowd on the streets in front of the school. As I dashed over, I could see that it was the Oaklyn (Elementary) School's Halloween Parade. Teachers lead their charges down the sidewalk in front of the school, to the delight of many of their relatives and passer-by. It brought back fond memories of walking in similar parades when I went to Cape May Elementary in the mid-late 1980's.

After the kids were herded back into the school building, I turned around and went two blocks to Common Grounds Coffee House for lunch. I didn't know what I'd be having at Dad and Jodie's later and wanted something simple. There were a couple of people sitting at tables with their laptops, likely college students doing work before Halloween parties. I settled down with a spicy-sweet iced tea and tasty slice of bacon and corn quiche and enjoyed the quiet.

When I got in, I pulled out my bag of costume knick-nacks and started putting together my Little Red Riding Hood outfit. I have a red cape I picked up at a yard sale (I'm pretty sure it's actually a red wrap skirt intended for dancers, but it works as a cape), a vintage red and blue floral apron I found at Frugli Consignment, and a red ponytail holder with taffeta streamers and a small rose in the center. Pulled out the smaller flower-trimmed basket I use at Easter, lined it with fabric, and added my Beanie Baby wolf Howl along with a few other things I'd need for the night. Makeup was limited to a little light eye shadow, lots of blusher, and lip gloss.

Put on a couple of spooky Peanuts specials while I got ready. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has Linus waiting up in that sincere pumpkin patch for the big orange gift-giver he hopes will bring them treats. Against her better judgement, Sally joins him. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown is having trouble trick-or-treating, and Snoopy spends his Halloween fighting the Red Baron.

Having read a book on magic he took out of the library, Snoopy calls himself "The Great Houndini" and puts on a show in It's Magic, Charlie Brown. His tricks end with Charlie Brown being turned invisible...and Snoopy can't figure out how to turn him back. Chuck's upset about this at first, but then he realizes Lucy can't pull the football away if she can't see him...

Walked out to Dad and Jodie's around 3. Trick or treating was just barely starting when I arrived. Considering the weather - it even rained briefly during the three hours the kids were out - we had a pretty good group of trick-or-treaters. As one boy dressed as a skeleton said, he didn't mind the rain. It was perfect Halloween weather. Khai's buddy Chloe was Hermoine from the Harry Potter series (though she had a Ravenclaw tie instead of a Gryffendor one - she said she couldn't find Gryffendor), and her mom was a hippie. Ryan next-door was Marty McFly from Back to the Future, and his little sister Savannah was a lovely little devil in a fancy red dress. Their dad was a blue dragon (and was sweating in the costume). Finley was a cute pirate, and her best friend was Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. I'm not sure what Khai was, other than "looking cool in a sleek black suit decorated with glow sticks," and he didn't seem to be too sure, either. Even Jessa came around with Midnight dressed as a bat with wings, and Dana and Jesse's dog Nala was Winnie the Pooh.

Jessa drove me home after a quick dinner of Italian hoagies outside and chatting with Dad and Jodie. She dropped me off at my apartment, where I grabbed a sweater, put away the Indiana Jones book I was reading between trick-or-treaters, and used the bathroom. Had time for one quick short. Mickey Mouse has to save Pluto from "The Mad Doctor," who intends to turn him into a mutant pup, but he may end up falling into the doctor's clutches as well.

I ended up leaving a bit early for Oaklyn's Halloween Parade. Good thing, too. I got a little lost and somehow ended up on what I suspect was Ridgeway, the next street over from the school. It was kind of spooky back there, with the cloudy night and the wind rattling against the houses and making eerie noises.

Everyone was just starting to gather for the parade when I finally arrived in front of the school. Considering the weather, I think there was a pretty decent turn-out, including Ryan, Savannah, and their dad. I loved the adorable Little Orphan Annie in her red and white dress! There were two Harley Quinns (one probably about 5, another around 8), Pennywise from It, the Joker, Colonel Sanders with a KFC bucket, an Optimus Prime with a cardboard costume that actually transformed, a girl ghost, the Riddler, the Joker, a Pikachu and a Charmander, two unicorns (one older in a huge fluffy tutu, one in a furrier costume), a fairy, a slice of pizza, a Killer Tomato, a giant inflatable tyrannosaurus, a mini Mr. Peanut in a full foam body costume, the cutest toddler witch, a mom ghoul, a fortune teller, at least three black cats, a vampire, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Batman, Elsa, a pre-teen pop princess, and an absolutely hilarious little boy dressed as Calvin and Hobbes (complete with him toting a Hobbes-like stuffed tiger).

This is the second year in a row that the parade managed to start on time. I joined Ryan, Savannah, and their dad as we walked in a ragged group down West Clinton, behind the fire trucks. I was surprised at the turn-out. Large crowds waved to us from Tonewood Brewery and Phillies Phatties on West Clinton Avenue. It was a lot of fun, despite the heavy winds that blew us along.

The judging started as soon as everyone made it into the fire house on the end of West Clinton. Ryan won I believe second place in his division. I got third. The mom ghoul deservedly won (her makeup was awesome), with the fortune teller coming in second. The five dollars will buy a decent lunch this weekend. Grabbed some candy with the crowd on the way out.

Put on Garfield's Halloween Adventure as I washed off the makeup and put the costume pieces, money, and candy away. Finley's not the only one who opted to trick-or-treat as a buccaneer this evening. Garfield and Odie are hoping their pirate costumes will land them some candy booty. Garfield tries to take a rowboat across the river for more candy, but he and Odie end up stranded on a deserted island with ghost pirates coming after their treasure!

Went into The Rocky Horror Picture Show after I got organized. You don't need to dress as your favorite character to enjoy this truly weird piece of cult cinema...but it sure helps enhance the experience, as I discuss in more detail at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 

Finished the night with another Halloween game show episode on YouTube. I have fond memories of the late 80's-early 90's Family Feud with Ray Combs, which I always watched back-to-back with The Price Is Right, but I had no idea there was a syndicated version as well. Evidently, they did do a Halloween episode, with both families in costume...and if you didn't know it was filmed in 1989, it would become obvious the moment you saw Combs dressed as one of the world's least-likely versions of the Tim Burton Batman, with his son as Robin.

Family Feud - Halloween 1989

Oh, and it did finally rain heavily...around 10:30-11, when I was watching Password Plus on Buzzr and chatting with Lauren. We're so lucky it held off here. Lauren said it poured all day in Pittsfield, and all their Halloween activities had to be postponed until the weekend.

At any rate, I'm hoping you had a wonderful Halloween of your own, with all your own little princesses, ghouls, and Batmen!

Trick-or-Treat for Halloween

Began a gorgeous Halloween with breakfast and a couple of specials. "Spook-a-Nanny" was the only cartoon written directly for the original Woody Woodpecker Show. Woody wants to attend a Halloween party with Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Wally Walrus, and other Universal animated alumni. His boss Walter Lanz keeps him blowing up balloons for most of the episode. When he finally gets to go, the others play pranks to keep him out. He finally gets in with a ghost rock group, but forgets that he can't walk through the walls like they can.

Switched to a couple of shorts while getting my laundry together and stripping the sheets on my bed. Woody gets "Witchy Crafty" when a witch comes to him at a broom factory to have the handle of her flying broom fixed. Woody does the job, but he won't give it to her when she refuses to pay. He does everything he can to keep her out until she pays what she owes him.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit also has a close encounter with a scary figure in "Spooks," a parody of The Phantom of the Opera. Ozzie's girl Miss Kitty (Ortensia) is Christine, whom the Phantom is enamored with. He gets her onstage, then takes off with her when she's a flop. Oswald goes after them, but the Phantom has a lot more tricks up his sleeve than the lovers think.

Tom of Tom & Jerry fame also encounters a witch in "The Flying Sorceress." Tired of having to clean up after his and Jerry's messes, he runs off to become the familiar of a witch. Her broomstick proves to be too great a lure. He takes it for a ride...but the witch isn't too happy about it when she catches him!

The laundromat was dead when I got in, not surprising for a gorgeous day and a holiday. Most people were probably at costume parties at work or school. Other than the sheets, I didn't really have a huge load, anyway. I worked on story notes while half-listening to the news and Days of Our Lives.

Put on Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special when I got home and folded my clothes and sheets. This is pretty much just a collection of bits from cartoons with a through-line of Witch Hazel chasing Bugs. At least we do get a few cartoons actually set at Halloween, including one where Witch Hazel thinks Bugs is a witch, and another where she turns Speedy Gonzoles into a copy of herself and he scares Daffy.

Moved to Halloween Hall of Fame while working on my own costume. Jonathan Winters hosts this vintage Disney special as a security guard on the studio lot who encounters a disgruntled jack-o'-lantern (also Winters) in the prop room. Seems Jack's hiding because he thinks Halloween isn't scary anymore. Winters shows Jack "Trick or Treat," "Pluto's Judgement Day," and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to prove otherwise.

I was a fairy godmother this year. (Or a tooth fairy, as one of the kids trick-or-treating called me. I can roll with that.) I wore the cream-colored crocheted dress I bought at Goodwill a few weeks ago over a white t-shirt and a slip. I never did find white shoes to go with the outfit and just wore my sneakers. Added wings and a wand with a star-shaped, glitter-covered piece of foam on a wooden dowel, along with a sequined star tiara I bought for a Halloween party in college. The sneakers aside, I think it actually came out pretty cute. I am so glad I found that dress. It's so pretty, and it was perfect for the outfit.

Headed over to Dad and Jodie's promptly at 3. Most of the kids didn't really start coming out until almost an hour later. We got quite a few trick-or-treaters this year, probably due to the gorgeous weather. It was blustery but warm, probably in the upper 60's. The kids didn't need sweaters or jackets over their costumes this year.

Some of the neighborhood kids were really cute. Emily was Apple White from Ever After High, and her sister Mary was a black cat. Chloe was a deer Enchantimal, and her brother Bree was a ghoul. Savannah was a crazy cat lady, with her hair in curlers and stuffed cats sewn to a comfy red and black-checked robe. Her older brother Ryan was a character from the online video game "Fortnite." I saw Mario, a mini-Black Panther and Batman, another fairy in a rainbow tutu dress, a grouchy maiden in a velvet dress, a soldier, two Spongebob Squarepants, a nifty Maleficent who said she made her horns from aluminum foil, Dracula flourishing his cape, Princess Jasmine, Supergirl, Minnie Mouse, Iron Man, a small Spider Man, Thomas the Tank Engine, and a family with an infant Snow White, a dad Magic Mirror, a mom Evil Queen, and a boy ninja. Another family had a boy dressed as one of the scary animal characters from the video game Five Nights at Freddy's and a boy in a wheelchair who was a Minecraft character.

Rose showed up with Finley around 4:30-5. Finley was a ladybug in a frilly, poofy red and black dress. Her mother did her hair up in pigtails to look like feelers rather than make her wear the ones that came with the costume. She was too cute. Craig came around with Khai a bit later. Evidently, he was a character from Halo in a blue printed costume. Khai said he didn't feel good, especially his throat. Rose was worried that he had strep throat. I hope the sugar cookies I gave to him, his sister, and his parents cheered him up a little. (Dad and Jodie got cookies, too. I'll give most of the rest to Anny and her brood and Mom on Friday.)

We discussed Friday while eating quick tacos for dinner. It sounds like Dad and Jodie are going to drive me up there, drop me off at Mom's for a while to talk to her, then take me home after the memorial service. That's fine. I have work on Saturday and wasn't planning on staying overnight.

Went straight home after I left Dad and Jodie's. I was too jumpy to hang out long. I went to the bathroom, grabbed my orange Ann Taylor cardigan, and went back out to walk around before the parade started. I discovered, to my annoyance, that sometime between giving out candy and coming home, my right wings had started to come off and were sagging dreadfully, probably from having been blown around in the wind all day. Oh well. It couldn't be helped. I didn't have the time to fix them, so I just held one up when I could reach it.

Most folks finally started gathering at the Oaklyn School around 6:30. There were some awesome costumes here, too. Two of the pre-teen boys were a two-headed ghoul in gristly printed suits. An older lady had a gorgeous sequined witch's hat and matching cape. There was a unicorn, Pennywise from It, two Stay Puff Marshmallow Women, a cheetah, a girl Beetlejuice, two little Queens of Hearts, a mom Alice, a mom Wonder Woman and a dad Superman with another mini-Batman, Ant Man, two more Iron Men, an older Black Panther, a Dora Milaje warrior, a girl SWAT cop, two Super Girls (one a mom, one a tiny cute toddler), a younger Wonder Woman, a teen skeleton, a nerd, a bumblebee, the Joker, an infant mouse with a "mouse trap" carriage, a mini Chiquita Banana Girl, a boy in a Tyrannosaurus Rex full body costume, an engineer with a cardboard Thomas, a football player, Miguel and his great-grandmother from Coco in Day of the Dead skeleton makeup, a Stormtrooper and an Imperial TIE Fighter pilot, another Maleficent with awesome horns, a pretty little Devil's Bride in a fancy red dress, an infant butterfly, Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, a mermaid princess, a spider in a furry costume, a fire fighter, Thanos from Infinity War, a red Power Ranger, and a kid vampire. Someone even had a chocolate lab in a jack-o'-lantern sweater.

For once, we actually started on time, around 7. We all strolled in a straggling group down West Clinton Avenue to the fire house. There weren't that many people out watching us, but it was dark, and most people outside of the one-block "downtown" district were probably either at the parade, at home, or at Tonewood Brewery or the Oaklyn Manor Bar enjoying their own costume parties.

Besides, I think most people were even more excited for the costume judging. I entered the 19 and over division, along with the mom Wonder Woman, dad Superman, and the beautiful witch. The witch deservedly won. The pitch-perfect Wonder Woman came in second. I was fine with third. I got five dollars (and a high-five from Superman).

Went straight into the shower after I got home and put my costume pieces away. After I got out, I finished out my Halloween programming as I went online to chat with Lauren. (Who, incidentally, looked awesome as current WWE woman's champ Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey today.)

Garfield's Halloween Adventure has Garfield and Odie dressing as pirates to collect some trick-or-treat booty. Garfield suggests they take a boat to gather even more candy. They eventually end up stranded on an island where pirates hid their treasure. Their ghosts come every Halloween to retrieve it and end up chasing Garfield and Odie as well.

Things are a little less spooky for the Peanuts in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Linus is waiting in that sincere pumpkin patch for the annual (non) visit of the Great Pumpkin. Sally wants to be near her crush and joins him. Chuck has his own problems trick-or-treating and at Violet's party afterwards. Snoopy spends his Halloween fighting the Red Baron.

Ended my Halloween with Arsenic and Old Lace. Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) is a theater critic and confirmed bachelor who just got married to the girl who lives next door to his aunts in Brooklyn (Priscilla Lane). Mortimer's aunts Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair) take care of his Uncle Teddy (John Alexander), who believes he's Teddy Roosevelt. Mortimer is horrified to learn that Teddy isn't the only loon in the family. His aunts use poisoned elderberry wine to kill off lonely old men and has Teddy bury them in the basement (he thinks he's burying yellow fever victims). Even as Mortimer tries to figure this out, his insane criminal brother Johnathan (Raymond Massey) and his plastic surgeon and partner in crime Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre) turn up and pretty much holds the entire group hostage. Meanwhile, Mortimer's new bride wants to go on her honeymoon, and a local cop (Jack Carson) is trying to figure out just what is going on with these sweet old ladies.

Black comedy benefits from Grant's comic timing, especially as the bodies pile up in the second half, and from the play's original cast members Hull, Adair, and Alexander as the two older women who think they're doing these men a service and bugle-loving Uncle Teddy. If you're a fan of Grant or Lorre and like your humor toasty-dark, you'll want to make this part your yearly Halloween viewing, too.

And speaking of, I hope all of my readers had a safe and spooky Halloween!

Winds of Halloween

Awoke early to a beautiful blue-and-gold Halloween morning, windy and cool...and utterly perfect for the time of year. Ran the first special of the day while eating Pumpkin Spice Life and the last of the grapes for breakfast. "Spook-a-Nanny" was the only original cartoon made for the 60's Woody Woodpecker Show. Most of the episode has Woody blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lanz' Halloween party. By the time he finishes, other Lanz creations like Chilly Willy and Andy Panda have arrived. They play tricks to keep him out of the party. Woody tries to get in with the Beatles-esque ghost band, but he can't walk through the walls like they can.

Did two more Lanz shorts as I cleaned up from breakfast. As Universal's earliest animated star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit had a few go-arounds with their beloved horror icons. "Spooks" is Lanz' take on The Phantom of the Opera. Oswald's girlfriend Kitty is the chorus girl who is groomed to be a star by a deformed ghoul. He has to go after her when the spurned "Phantom" spirits her away to the caves below the theater.

"Wax Works" is slightly less spooky. A baby dropped on Oswald's doorstep finds himself wandering through the annoyed bunny's wax museum. He has fun when the figures start to move...at least until he finds himself in the horror room, and Universal's finest attempt to cover him in wax!

Spent the rest of the morning working on my story. The ladies spot something brown and slimy in the bushes. It turns out to be an enormous half-toad, half-man. His upper half looks like a toad that plays football, but he walks on two legs like a man and talks like a normal human. He tells Jessika to take the horses to his brother, who is in charge of the stables, then leads the others to their room. He explains that his Master wants them to be comfortable. Leia tries to ask him who his Master is and how they came to look like monsters, but Finn insists he can't answer those questions.

Broke at noon to have leftover chili for lunch. Ran Garfield's Halloween Adventure while I ate. Garfield and Odie dress as pirates to go trick-or-treating for some candy booty. Garfield snares a boat to take them further downriver and find more houses, but they end up stranded on an abandoned island instead. Turns out that pirates buried their treasure there a hundred years before on Halloween night. Now Garfield and Odie have to avoid the pirates and get home, or they may not live to enjoy their candy haul!

Did a Three Stooges short while getting my costume together. They also have an encounter with "Spooks" when they have to rescue a beautiful young girl from a haunted mansion. A mad doctor wants to put her mind into that of a gorilla. The guys now have to avoid both in order to save the maiden and their own brains!

Headed out around quarter after 1 to hit the Oaklyn Library really quickly. Wanted to do this week's volunteering there and show off my costume. I was a cowgirl this year. Tied on my red foam hat from Dollar Tree with yellow yarn. Crocheted a yarn belt and a lariat. Used the white bands Jen Waters sent me to hold the cuffs on my jeans for bike riding to hold on the plastic spurs on my Bearclaw boots. (Which didn't work very well. They kept sticking out. I had to mess with them all day to make them lay flat.) Stuck the plastic star on my yellow button-down shirt and blue vest. (I lost the star later at work.) Put on blusher, lip gloss, and a little neutral eye shadow, all the makeup a cowgirl really needs.

There wasn't much going on there. The librarian on duty was dressed as a witch. She and one older woman were chatting about the political blather on CNN. I think I saw one other person working on the computers. I organized the DVDs, ignored them, and moved on.

Did the reverse of my normal habits and took the long way down Nicholson Road to work. It was closer to the library than the Black Horse Pike. Nicholson is only open to traffic going one way, making it much easier to cross than usual. By 2 PM, most people were probably just starting to take their children trick-or-treating.

The Acme was even quieter. Pardon the pun, but it was dead all day. It never even got close to steady. We're never busy on Halloween unless the weather's terrible, Halloween is on a weekend, or the Phillies are in the playoffs. Today was none of the above. The weather was gorgeous, blustery but sunny and cool, it was Tuesday, and the Phils got nowhere near the playoffs. I briefly went outside for carts around 5, did what little trash there was, gathered baskets, and mopped the floors of the men's bathroom. Otherwise, I mostly wandered around and tried to look like I was returning things. They had no less than four baggers around by the end of the night, too. Way too much help for a night when we don't traditionally have much going on.

Rushed straight home after work, this time taking the White Horse Pike. Had barely enough time for soup and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown when I got in. Linus Van Pelt intends to spend his Halloween waiting in a "sincere" pumpkin patch for his idol, the Great Pumpkin, to arrive and bring him treats. Sally joins him, against her better judgement. Charlie Brown is having his own problems with trick-or-treating. Snoopy spends his Halloween as a World War I flying ace fighting the Red Baron.

Grabbed the green and sage poncho my mother knitted for me years ago (I figured it looked vaguely Clint Eastwood-ish) and the plastic gun that came with the cowboy set, then headed out to West Clinton Avenue for this year's Oaklyn Halloween Parade. As usual, despite it being 7 when I arrived, they were nowhere near ready. Kids chased each other across the empty lot next to Tonewood Brewery, while their parents chatted in clusters by the sidewalk. Lights flashed from the two fire trucks leading the group.

I love how creative people get with costumes around here. I saw a pretty Cleopatra in lots of gold beads, a toddler chicken, a bunny in a fluffy tutu, several ghouls, a 70's hipster with a huge Afro, a Denver Broncos player, Princess Leia, two Snow Whites (a toddler and an adult), Belle, a mom rock star, a boy in a milk carton sandwich board, a Transformer, bikers (including a girl), Pikachu and dragon body suits, Mal from Descendants, Pennywise from It, Captain America, a police officer, Clark Kent ready to become Superman, a teenager in a teddy bear costume, a cute little badger, a "baby" in a giant diaper, Jason Voorhees, a mini-Chuckie from the Child's Play horror series, a wolf man, a teen sorceress, a dead harlequin, a vampire, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Batman, Rapunzel, and a princess in a pink velvet gown. One family had a Star Wars theme, with a mom Leia, a stormtrooper, and a tiny Rey. Another was all Ghostbusters, with a newborn Slimer in a stroller with Ecto-1 sides.

With such stiff competition, I was surprised to win third place in the 15 and over division this year. Clark Kent deservedly got first. (I forget who got second. Might have been the mom rock star.) I appreciate the five dollars. I might be able to celebrate with a decent lunch later this week.

Put on a spooky episode of Remember WENN while I was putting away my costume accessories and wiping off my makeup. In "The Ghost of WENN," Betty announces that they'll be doing a spooky horror tale during a stormy night. Diva actress Hilary Booth is only upset that she doesn't appear until later...until it becomes clear that something is stalking her through the station halls. Meanwhile, cowardly announcer and actor Mackie Bloom is spooked by an urban legend that the last actor who worked on the script died of a heart attack mid-way through the show.

Finished the night with Arsenic and Old Lace, which is actually set during Halloween. Stage critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) has just gotten married to the pastor's daughter (Priscilla Lane) who lives next-door to his kindly maiden aunts in Brooklyn. He's all ready to celebrate his nuptials with the family...until he finds out that his aunts have been poisoning lonely old men with no family. Their crazy brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt (John Alexander) buries the bodies in the basement, thinking he's digging the Panama Canal. Even as Mortimer tries to figure that out, his gruesome criminal brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) comes home, with his dubious facial surgeon (Peter Lorre) in tow. He's got his own bodies to hide...and he's not happy to see the brother he spent years tormenting. Mortimer has to try to get his aunts and uncle committed to a decent sanitarium, get his brother out of the house, and let the dim beat cop (Jack Carson) in on the madness, not to mention keep his new bride from figuring out what's going on.

Pitch-black comedy benefits from Grant's expert timing and Massey and Lorre as a pair of especially ghoulish criminals...but Alexander's totally hilarious turn as the delusional "Teddy" charges off with the picture.

If you're looking for a Halloween movie that's spooky but not bloody or gross, this hilarious dark farce is highly recommended.

And here's hoping that all of you had just as much fun as I did this Halloween!