Life Is a Highway

Started off today early as I had breakfast and Lauren finished packing to go home. We had some nervous moments when the first Uber driver canceled and the second took 8 minutes to arrive, then we ran into traffic in Pennsauken. Thankfully, the cars vanished long before the gentleman pulled up to the 30th Street Station. They were just lining up for Lauren's train when we arrived. I gave her a hug, told her to text me when she got to New York and to home, and left her to board the train.

(Oh, and other than her bus from Albany to Pittsfield being a bit late, Lauren apparently had no trouble whatsoever today on the road. She's now long at home, having had dinner out with her parents when she got in.)

After I let Lauren go, I went to the NJ Transit ticket kiosk I spied there when Lauren arrived and bought tickets, then got a donut and a matcha latte from Dunkin' Donuts. I have never heard of an ice cream cake-flavored donut. It...wasn't bad. A little dry. It was filled with very sweet chocolate cream. I walked around a little bit after I finished my treat until they announced the 9:14 NJ Transit train to Atlantic City.

Thank heavens, the train actually made it out of the station this time. It was busy with mostly people going to Atlantic City on a day that remained hazy, if not as hot. Other than going a bit slow after leaving 30th Street, I had no trouble on the train whatsoever this time. I got off at the Cherry Hill Train Pavilion around quarter of 10.

Since the train station is behind the big Shop Rite, I thought I'd save myself a trip and do my shopping there. That store is enormous, twice the size of even the Audubon Acme. It took me a while to find everything I needed. Restocked yogurt, soda, deodorant (they had Secret for a good price), and granola. I couldn't decide which cookies to get, so I got a variety pack with M&M, chocolate chip, brownie, and sugar. They had the Nature's Valley wafer bars on a decent sale, too. 

The reason I took the train to Cherry Hill is I figured it would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to catch an Uber home from there. The last three times I called for a ride home from 30th Street Station, the driver missed me or almost missed me. I was right. The driver arrived in 9 minutes and got me home in less than 10. 

Once I got home, I put everything away, changed shoes, made up a check for a bill, grabbed a book I wanted to drop in a kiosk, and headed out again on my bike. I had a lot of errands to run. Dropped the bill in the mail box outside of the post office and the book in a kiosk. It was much sunnier by the time I was out and about and slightly less hazy. At least it didn't smell like smoke anymore.

I had lunch at the Legacy Diner in Audubon. I needed pineapple coconut pancakes and a bowl of melon chunks and grapes. Yum! The pancakes were so huge and fluffy, I couldn't finish them. Surprisingly, given it was past noon by then, it wasn't really that busy. Maybe everyone was avoiding the haze.

Stopped at WaWa on the way home. I wanted to pick up money for the Collingswood Farm Market tomorrow. Tried a small banana bread smoothie. Yum! Brown sugar syrup, graham cracker crumbs, and real banana. It really did taste like banana bread milk. 

Soon as I got home, I went down for a nap. I've had a long couple of weeks! I went down at quarter of 1 and slept until past 2:30.

After I got up and got moving, I made the bed, then pulled out more things I didn't want or need or had replaced over the last two weeks for another bag that'll go to Goodwill. Listened to some of the many records I bought over the past two weeks while I worked. Although the jaunty Rascal Flatts version of "Life Is a Highway" was the hit from the original Cars, my favorite number is the sadder and more downbeat "Our Town" by James Taylor on the rise and fall of Radiator Springs. I also like "Find Yourself" by Brad Paisley and the Chuck Berry version of "Route 66." 

Thank heavens that chip on the High Anxiety soundtrack from when I bought the disc didn't impede it being able to play. We not only get the theme song and "If You Love Me, Baby, Tell Me Loud" from High Anxiety, but songs from every Mel Brooks movie made up until 1978. Which means, yes, we also get "Springtime for Hitler" and "Prisoner of Love" from the original Producers, "Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst" from the rarely-seen The Twelve Chairs, "The Ballad of Blazing Saddles," "I'm Tired," and the brief "The French Mistake" from Blazing Saddles, and "Puttin' On the Ritz" from Young Frankenstein. There's even a bit of the score from Silent Movie.

Radio Active and Images are K-Tel collections from the early 1980's. Radio Active from 1982 leans on harder rock like "You Better You Bet" by the Who, "Take It On the Run" by REO Speedwagon, and "Super Freak" by Rick James. Ballads are the theme on the quieter Images from 1980, including "Should've Never Let You Go" by the late Neil Sedaka and his daughter Dara, "Do That To Me One More Time" by the Captain & Tenille, and "Too Hot" by Kool & the Gang.

Switched to Match Game '75 next. The first hour was the second half of the week featuring Barbara McNair and Alex Karras. I think Alex had a bit of a crush on Lola Kiss, the lady wrestler from Transylvania, after she managed to pin him! He sure turned red when she kissed him for giving her a right answer on the Audience Match. The second hour brought in Scoey Mitchelll and a pair of goofy Pattys, Duke and Deustch.

I also got my schedule at this point. Good news, more hours. Bad news, they're all early. I was hoping they'd ease me back into work, but the head bagger and Sunday bagger must have taken time off again. 

Finished the night at YouTube with Mystery Science Theater 3000. Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is a more recent episode from 2017 diving into another low-budget 80's sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Young wizard Simon (Vidal Peterson) must find his way back to the castle to rescue the princess from the evil sorcerer Shurka (Thom Christopher) with the help of lone wolf warrior Kor (Bo Svenson). Ok, yeah, it's pretty obvious this one is a Roger Corman cheapie from his "made in Argentina" phase. There's ample stock footage from his other 80's fantasy films, the special effects are just light shows, Simon is an obnoxious little jerk, and most of the "monsters" are off-the-rack puppet suits. There are a few effective moments, though, notably when Simon is lured by a beautiful woman who turns into a genuinely scary giant insect! Otherwise, this one is for true lovers of cheesy 80's fantasy only. 

Ain't No Stopping Us Now

Had breakfast around 11, then Lauren and I strolled down to the Collingswood PATCO. It wasn't a bad day for a walk around Old City Philadelphia. It remains sunny, breezy, and bright blue, if warmer and slightly more humid than yesterday. The PATCO is a far more efficient beast than the NJ Transit. The train to Philly arrived within two minutes of us buying tickets and hurrying upstairs. (Oh, and the remodeling is now focused outside. They've long finished the escalator and elevator.)

We got off at the Franklin Square station and went straight around the corner to Franklin Square. I've been wanting to show Lauren this beautiful park since I visited here last August. The Chinese Lantern Festival was even more beautiful this year than it was last year! Flowers were the theme. We were greeted by towering daisies, sunflowers, lily pads, and gorgeous purple fabric blooms. I saw a soccer and baseball-themed "Philly" display near one of the entrances, and fabric horses who looked real enough to jump over the fence.

The fountain wasn't running and none of the food booths were open at quarter of 12, but everything else was ready to go. We played the mini-golf course. It was a lot of fun! The obstacles are all based on Philadelphia landmarks, like Elfreth's Alley, the Ben Franklin Bridge, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (they even have Rocky's footprints next to the course). Lauren got two holes in one, one of them right through the Chinatown Friendship Arch. There's even one with "records" representing hits from Philadelphia International Records, like "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." The last course has the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Lauren won, but only by a few points. We were flanked on one side by two middle-aged gentlemen who gallantly allowed us to go on ahead of them, and three college students who laughed a lot and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

After we finished, we headed down Race Street to the Race Street Cafe for lunch. Despite its name, this small brick-and-wood-paneling watering hole is really more of a local bar. Lauren had tilapia tacos she said were delicious. I tried them when I ate there last year and found them to be too spicy for me. I went with a nice, simple grilled chicken sandwich and slender, salty fries.

The Race Street Cafe is just steps away from 2nd Street. Our first stop here was A Four Foot Prune, which specializes in Muppet memorabilia, character toys and media from the 50's through the 90's, and anything Liza Minnelli ever did. Lauren found two cute bags - one with Snoopy, one with a scene from The Monster at the End of This Book that matches a shirt she has - and some pins and patches. I found a small Dakin Bear dressed as a pilgrim girl, with a turkey on a ribbon, for only $2. I think the kids will love Jim Henson's Muppet Babies Big Book of Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales, with its adorable illustrations depicting Rolf as Humpty Dumpty, Skeeter and Scooter as Jack and Jill, Kermit as Wee Willie Winkie, and Piggy as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. I only dug up one record, but it was one of the Tale Spinners for Children series from England, Sinbad the Sailor.

We crossed 2nd Street to check out Brave New Worlds, a popular local comics book shop. This is a lot more organized than the book stores, a long, dark room with shelves and shelves of comic books, manga, and toys. I didn't get anything here. Lauren got a figure for a friend and Marvel Meow, with Marvel characters hilariously interacting with cats and other pets.

The Book Trader is two blocks down from Brave New Worlds. It's a wonderful used book store, with rickety shelves filled from floor to ceiling with books, records, CDs, DVDs, and videos. This time, Lauren didn't find anything. She spent the time relaxing by the fiction and foreign language sections on the second floor. I did dig out two cast album LPs:

The original Broadway cast of Little Me with Sid Caesar playing the seven loves of a Hollywood starlet

The original London cast of Salad Days...which I was kind of shocked to find. Though this charming small-scale musical was a huge hit on the West End in 1954, it played off-Broadway in 1958, didn't do well, and hasn't tried the US since. 

And four books:

Standing In the Rainbow and The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey (I did take this one out of the Haddon Township Library about 15 years ago, but that copy is long gone.) 

Last year, I wandered around in Old City until I found my way back to Franklin Square...but that wasn't going to fly this time. For one thing, we were both carrying heavy bags with books, records, toys, and other items. For another, Lauren wanted to hit up Fashion District Mall. Not to mention, while not killer humid like it's supposed to be later in the week, it was much hotter than yesterday. I called an Uber driver, who arrived within 7 minutes and got us to Primark in less than 5.

Lauren briefly explored Primark, an Irish department store, when we arrived. They don't really carry my size, so I just waited in the main mall until she came out and admitted she didn't find anything she wanted. We walked around a bit and got sodas before going upstairs to Round 1 on the third floor. Even newer spaces in Philly can be deceptively small on the outside. Though this doesn't have some of the games seen at other arcades in South Jersey - no skee ball, no ring toss - it does have pinball. I ran from Star Wars pinball to The Munsters pinball (did really well with that one) to Bust-a-Move to Space Invaders. Came in second with a sweet cherry-red Lamborghini on Crusin' Blast. I earned over 2,500, but just decided to save most of it for when we go to Deptford tomorrow. I went with a darling white Beanie Baby kitten named Amelia. 

By that point, we were tired, hungry, and sore. Time to take the PATCO home. I got us turned around a bit, but we did manage to make it to the 8th Street Station by 5:30. We took a jammed-full rush hour train back to South Jersey, getting off at Westmont.

I thought we'd try something different for dinner. The Haddon Diner is just two blocks from the Westmont PATCO Station. I figured it would be less busy and closer to the station than the Collingswood restaurants. (Not to mention, a lot of them aren't open on Mondays.) They were busy, but not so much that we didn't quickly get one of the sweet stenciled wooden booths. Lauren had a BLT and a Yankee Bean Soup she loved. I had banana and pecan pancakes that were so fluffy and tasty and fat turkey sausages. 

I also thought it would be easier to pick up Uber here than in Collingswood...and I was right. It took me a while, but I finally got a driver who came in 15 minutes and got us home in less than 5. No traffic here or, thank heavens, in Philadelphia.

I took the recycling out and we put our laundry in the washing machine, then put on Match Game '75. I came in time for the first day of Carol Bartos' run. Dr. Joyce Brothers and Bill Daily got to match one of her more peculiar answers, one that had Gene wanting to drag Dr. Brothers to her own couch! The next week was Game Show Host Week, with Bob Barker, Arlene Francis, and (ironically) Fannie Flagg. 

Moved to Tubi for Hard Boiled Mahoney. Slip and Sach are at a private eye's office, trying to get the money he owes Sach, when Salina Webster (Betty Compson) comes in and mistakes them for the detective. She offers them $50 to find her lost sister. Slip trails the sister, only to see a man shot. Turns out the two women in question aren't related. Phony medium Armand (Dan Seymour) has incriminating letters that are blackmailing them. Slip, Sach, and their buddies have to dodge the police (who think Slip did it) to bring Armand to justice...but first, they have to get off Professor Quizard's (Bryan Foulger) radio show by driving him crazy!

Finished the night with more of Daredevils of the Red Circle. By the time of chapter 5, "The Ray of Death," former prisoner Harry Crowel (Charles Middleton) has gotten the idea that there's someone tipping off the trio of Daredevils. He intends to kill off anyone in the household he talks to regularly, starting with Granville's granddaughter Blanche (Carole Landis). The boys have to restore the electricity on an old mine and get Blanche and several workers out of there before it's flooded...and before Crowel's goons electrocute the entire lot of them. 

Of Mummers and Muppets

Began the first day of 2026 with stories from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays. My favorite is the charming tale of a group of kids in a small town who ring the church bell for an elderly neighbor to celebrate the New Year. "A Disastrous New Year" from Hitty: Her First Hundred Years depicts how wooden doll Hitty was stolen on New Year's Day by a group of New York street toughs who attacked her child owner. "Dobry's New Year" focuses on Bulgarian New Year's customs, including reading the buds on a dram bush to see how your year will go. There's also several poems on New Year's festivities and changes in the New Year.

I thought I was running late when I ate a quick breakfast and waited for Jessa outside just after 10 AM. She didn't turn up until past 10:30 with her boyfriend Mike. He's a cheerful fellow, a bit on the chatty side. To my surprise, it snowed a little bit last night, enough that the ground was frosted white like a New Year's cake. Unfortunately, while the roads in Oaklyn had been cleared, the ones in Collingswood had not. Jessa skidded a few times before she finally pulled into the PATCO parking lot. 

We took a barely-full PATCO into Philly and made it to Broad Street by 11:30. It was a beautiful, if fridgid, day for a parade. The sky was a full-bodied, brilliant blue that almost hurt to look at, without a cloud in it. The wind, however, remained icy and so strong, some of the fancier string bands had to leave behind their props. It didn't dampen anyone's spirits. The Mummers strutted just as wildly as ever, and the crowds were even more enthusiastic, cheering, dancing along, and calling out the Eagles victory cheer.

The first group I saw as we made our way through the crowds were one of the Wench Brigades, this one wearing candy-print outfits and pulling a small "gingerbread house." The next group in red and blue were pirates, complete with a huge wooden "ship." Another had black and white outfits with an eye test print of large and small letters. Freddy Kruger wenches had red and green striped dress outfits, wore green tinsel garlands and Freddy's hat, and had clawed gloves. There were at least two Revolutionary War wench brigades in honor of America's 250th anniversary this year. A local used car dealership tossed its bear mascot in with characters representing Philly sports mascots and the Liberty Bell. Magician wenches wore red, black, and white and sported cards and long scarves. A yellow and black wench group were bees pulling cardboard hives.

I loved the comic Toy Story group, with a dad and mom Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, a male Little Bo Peep, Buzz Lightyear, teen aliens, and the most adorable kid Trixie and Rex. A group of animals included eagles "soaring" on roller blades who got quite a reaction from the crowd! The first fancy brigade had a garden theme, with massive pink and green flowers and enormous Venus fly traps fluttering in the wind. The next was an amusement park. There were kids dressed as a roller coaster, a ticket booth, and even a giant ice cream swirl cone. Guys and girls twirled in fluffy cotton candy dresses. 

During a gap in the program, I got cold and bored standing there and headed down Broad Street to see what else was there. The wind and cold had scared off many people. There weren't quite as many people watching the parade live as there usually is. It was still fun to watch all of the drunk college kids screaming and (trying to) dance and the kids handing their parents beads while their parents taught them the Mummers Strut.

There's a Dunkin' Donuts further up Broad Street near the Sprouts Market and the Philadelphia High School for the Performing and Creative Arts. Though it was busy inside, the line surprisingly wasn't long. I made use of those gift cards from the kids to get a medium hot chocolate and a blueberry donut. There wasn't as much going on down by the school, so after I finished my donut, I followed the crowds back to Locust Street.

We finally decided by quarter of 12 that we'd seen enough and were too cold to stick around for the rest of the fancy groups. We took a largely empty PATCO (except for one really loud and drunk guy in a pink bunny outfit who thankfully got off at Broadway in Camden) back to Collingswood, getting in by just after 1. 

I usually have my first meal out of the year at the Westmont Diner. With the Westmont Diner still under renovations, I suggested the Haddon Diner on the border of Westmont and Haddonfield instead. Jessa had a hard time parking in the tiny, full lot, but they weren't that busy when we got in. The Haddon Diner is a lovely little spot with hand-stenciled wooden booths and reasonable prices. Mike had a huge chicken wrap. Jessa's turkey club sandwich was so big, she could only finish half of it. She and Mike both had chicken soup. Mike ordered mozzarella sticks and chicken quesadillas with curly fries. I had apple-raisin pancakes that were smaller, more moist, and more manageable than the ones at the Silver Diner on Tuesday, along with bacon and hot tea. Everything was so tasty, and the other two seemed to really enjoy theirs.

After they dropped me off at home, I went straight into Holiday Inn. I went further into this classic 1942 musical that introduced "White Christmas," "Happy Holiday," and "Let's Start the New Year Right" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back on New Year's Day 2019.

Happy New Year! - Holiday Inn

Moved on to Sesame Street Stays Up Late after the movie ended. I also go further into this charming special on how different cultures celebrate the New Year at my musical review blog.

Happy New Year! - Sesame Street Stays Up Late 

Switched to the Match Game New Year's Day Celebration Party marathon after dinner and a shower. The first episode of 1974 began with the arrival of Dorothy Zinni, an overly enthusiastic contestant who was so excited, she accidentally hit the laid-back guy next to her and scared the panelists to death. Even Richard was too terrified of her to kiss her! Richard's girlfriend Jodie proved to be far more palatable for him in 1976. Dick Martin kicked off 1976 by getting an answer right for the first time. Fannie Flagg enjoyed sitting in Brett's seat while she was out doing a play on the first day of 1978. Gene stumbled into the first day of 1979 draped with streamers from the previous episode and looking more than a little bleary-eyed. Jon "Bowser" Bauman played with rubber chains on the first episode of 1980, while McLean Stevenson had permanently taken over Richard's spot by 1981.

Dick Martin carried over to The Match Game-Hollywood Square Hour's first episode of 1984. Alison Arngrin showed off her stylish black dress and hat, Vic Dunlop dodged fat jokes, Arsenio Hall tossed out quips, and we have a young David Ruprecht when he was hosting Real People. Brad Garrett continued to imitate the on-vacation Charles Nelson Reilly on the first Match Game episode of 1991. Bruce Baum showed he could do more than create goofy and slightly disturbing "inventions" by actually doing pretty darn well at Match Up. 

Party on in the new year with Match Game in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game New Year's Celebration Party

Wait, there's more! We also have bonus episodes of Family Feud, Password Plus, Super Password, and a repeat of the Match Game '77 New Year's Eve episode. It's more bang for your game show buck in the New Year!

Family Feud (1980)

Family Feud (1980)

Match Game (1977)

Password Plus (1981)

Super Password (1987)

Finished the night working on the Sesame Street review while listening to My Favorite Things. John Coltrane digs into songs by three masters of American standards, starting with the Rodgers and Hammerstein title song. There's two gorgeous renditions of Gershwin brothers numbers, "But Not for Me" and "Summertime," and a darker Cole Porter "Every Time We Say Goodbye." 

Ramblin' Woman

Since I already packed the novel I was reading, I started the morning with two American Girl books about vacations. Samantha Saves the Day when the boat she and the twins Agnes and Agatha took to Teardrop Island floats away. She has to navigate the twins and the kindly Admiral through the Sharp rocks around the island during a storm. Felicity Saves the Day reunites her with her beloved horse Penny. Her equine friend proves to be instrumental in helping her find her father's runaway apprentice Benjamin and convincing him to return to her father's service.

Lissie and Sam are far from the only ones to have eventful vacations! Paddington Takes the Road when he repairs a tricycle and joins the Tour De France. Of course, Paddington being Paddington, he goes down a steep hill, only to realize he forgot to add brakes. Donald Duck has an even worse time in The Grand Canyon. He falls off his burro, and Mickey has to take a raft though the rapids to rescue him.

Switched to the 2002 Strawberry Shortcake during breakfast. "Strawberry's Big Journey" takes her, Orange Blossom, Angel Cake, and a worried Ginger Snap on the road to see a certain flower at Tangerine Torta's home. Angel Cake and Ginger Snap complain about getting lost, and they encounter a young mechanic named Banana Twirl who wants them to stay in her little town. Even though things don't work out the way they planned, Strawberry reminds them that the important thing is they had fun on the way.

Mickey and Minnie go on their own adventure "Around the Clubhouse World" in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Professor Ludvig Von Drake has them get stamps on a passport from each country they visit. They encounter artist Donald and flapper Daisy in France, Goofy as a gondolier in Italy, Chip and Dale ready for the Dragon Dance in China, and Big Pete reveling in Egypt, a land where cats are gods.

After Mickey ended and I finished making the bed, I figured it was time to go. Soon as I had my bags downstairs, I called Uber. No trouble there whatsoever. He picked me up in 6 minutes and got me there in a little over 20. There wasn't even much traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway for once. 

Normally, I love walking around in 30th Street Station. It's a huge old barn that looks more like the lobby of an expensive hotel and makes me feel more elegant just being there. It's also in the midst of a years-long remodeling. The stained glass windows are blocked by scaffolding, and the stores are replaced by narrow booths. I got a pumpkin spice donut and a matcha latte at Dunkin Donuts, then sat down to read. After I got tired of sitting, I used the bathroom, then walked around until it was time to get in line.

No trouble whatsoever with either train. The train going to New York was full, but I did manage to get a seat to myself. I ate lunch and did crosswords. It got in about 15 minutes late, but that could have been worse. Bought a big soft pretzel outside of Moynihan Train Hall. Used the bathroom inside, then had a snack in the main hall and walked around until I saw a line for the train to Albany. The train was actually going to Chicago. I got to see the outside of the sleeper car and dining car. 

The train stopping at Albany left on time and arrived on time. It was full until we left Poughkeepsie, then most everyone got off, and I finally got the seat to myself. Before that, the lady who sat next to me spent the two and a half hours we were on the train reading. I colored Cheer Bear and Funshine Bear in the ancient Care Bears coloring book that goes so far back, it's based on Adventures In Care-a-Lot from the late 2000's. 

I love the view going to Albany. All you see in New Jersey are train tracks and suburbs. Upstate New York is a fairy land of shining lakes, beautiful old mansions, forbidding factories, bobbing boats with crisp sails billowing in the breeze, and lacy suspension bridges. No wonder Washington Irving thought there were Headless Horsemen running around in the area. 

Lauren was there right when I got in. She had her own adventures to talk about as we drove to Outback Steakhouse on Wolf Road about 20 minutes from the train station. She did a "buddy walk" with some of her co-workers that was really a long hike. Needless to say, between her hike and my long travel day, we were both famished. Neither of us are the biggest steak fans, but Outback does have other meats. She had seared ahi ahi tuna on a bed of vegetables, with green beans and mashed potatoes. I had grilled chicken with green beans (they were out of any other vegetables) and a baked sweet potato. We shared a Bloomin' Onion and brown bread. Oh yuumm! It was all so good, the only things left after we finished was half of the bread and a quarter of the Bloomin' Onion.

Finished the night after we got home and I took a shower with the Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. The classic cop show CHIPs was just getting started when Match Game was finishing its run on CBS. Brianne Leary, who appeared as a cop in its first year, actually turned up on Match Game before the show was even conceived. She was a contestant in 1976, and won quite a bit of money, too. She became the only contestant to later appear on the panel when she turned up for several weeks in 1979. Robert Pine (later the father of actor Chris Pine) was actually a semi-regular who appeared fairly frequently from 1979 through 1981. Randi Oakes did a few weeks during the syndicated run in 1980, and she and Pine would both later turn up on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. 

Let's hit the highway with the members of the highway patrol and keep the streets of LA safe for matching in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - CHIPs Actors on Match Game Marathon

Adventures In Old City

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Hats and Hares" brings in the Mad Hatter and March Hare to design a hat for the Hearts Family portrait. Hattie worries that their design might be too over-the-top, but in Wonderland, over-the-top is more than enough. After Alice hears a flower sing a "Forget-Me-Now" song, she can't remember her recipes! The other kids, and eventually, everyone in Wonderland, do their best to help her remember.

Hurried out around 11:20. I thought that would be more than enough time to catch the 11:46 to Atlantic City, especially since the Uber driver took less than a minute to arrive. I forgot today is Friday, and everyone would be going to the Shore. Traffic was terrible on the White Horse Pike. It was 11:45 when he let me out at Lindenwauld...and just as I dashed for the train platform, a very disgruntled older woman told me the train had been canceled.

Well, that changed things. Now I didn't have to rush quite so much. I'd originally planned on going to Atlantic City this week and going into Philly next week. Since I was at Lindenwauld and the PATCO was also there, I'd just reverse the plan and do Philly today. Besides, it was too nice of a day to go right home. It was sunny, breezy, and blue, lower 80's without the slightest hint of humidity. It would have been a crime not to do something special in such glorious weather!

I originally wanted to check out some record stores in the northern Philly suburbs, but I came to the conclusion the trip would have been too long for the time I had. Got off at the new, very clean Franklin Square station. I've been gazing into the tiled hole that is the Franklin Square station since I moved here and wondered what it was like. Well, it's...cool, really. Maybe they should install tiles on all the underground train stations. It gives Franklin Square a retro vibe that's really neat. The entrance is glassed-in and huge, a far cry from the red wrought-iron entrances or 8th Street being buried under the Fashion District Mall.

Since the entrance was less than a block from the station, I decided to check out Franklin Square itself. It was awesome. The sparkling, merrily leaping fountain and gorgeous old carousel more than made up for not getting to Atlantic City. Everything was surrounded by enormous Technicolor Chinese lantern-statues in brilliant sky blue, vibrant grass green, and sun yellow. The Square's website says you need a ticket to get in at night, but apparently during the day, you can just walk right in. I felt like I'd climbed into the Kingdom of the Clouds in C.J and the Beanstalk. Passed by a mini-golf course, a stage, and a full playground.

The carousel is really cool. In addition to the usual horses trimmed with flowers, there's two racehorses named for famous race horses from Philly and all sorts of animals. I saw a little boy near me riding a dragon, and inspecting the carousel later revealed a cat holding a fish in its mouth, a seal, a zebra, a lion, and a bald eagle. I could only get on a horse, but the ride was still really fun. There were even pictures of Philly's skyline painted on the tent.

Considered eating lunch there, but ultimately decided to move on. Followed Race Street into the heart of Old City, past the offices and studios for the Philly PBS station WHYY and the African American Museum. Stopped and had lunch at the Race Street Cafe. They're actually more of a local bar, with brick walls and windows opening to the sidewalk and street. I had a delicious, if spicy, fried tilapia wrap with ketchup, Chipolte mayo, and guacamole, along with long, slender, salty fries. Crunchy, spicy and very yummy.

Turned the corner to 2nd Street, heading to the Book Trader...but I couldn't resist a window with giant paper-mache Muppets. The creatively named A Four Foot Prune was an antique store specializing in toy collectibles and housewares, and yes, that includes Muppet collectibles. I didn't have the money or room for more toys, but I did find two records.

Merry Christmas From Sesame Street (Includes "Keep Christmas With You")

Judy Garland - Collector's Items (1936 - 1945)

My next stop was just a few blocks down 2nd Avenue on Quarry Street. The Book Trader is one of two used book store in downtown Philly that I absolutely adore. Like Mostly Books on Bainbridge Street, it looks deceptively small from the outside...but the inside is nothing but rows and more narrow rows of books on every topic imaginable. CDs, DVDs, and videos are displayed up front, but records have their own room upstairs. Despite them being incredibly busy, I actually did much better here than I did in mid-March. Found nine records: 

Joan Morris and William Bolcom - Vaudeville: Songs of the Great Ladies of the Musical Stage (I believe the Stockton College Media Center had this for some reason in the late 90's-early 2000's. Used to listen to it all the time there.)

British cast albums for Pickwick and The Prince and the Pauper

Soundtrack for The Night They Raided Minksy's

Off-Broadway revival cast for Leave It to Jane

Original Broadway cast for High Button Shoes (I have this, but the copy I found at Goodwill two years ago is in dreadful shape, heavily scratched and with a disintegrating cover.) 

Dennis King - Selections from Rudolf Friml's The Three Musketeers (There's songs from The Vagabond King and Rose Marie here, too, but...while those two do turn up from time to time, I have never, ever seen a recording of anything from Friml's Three Musketeers anywhere.) 

One CD:

Bette Midler - It's the Girls

And four books: 

Mercedes Lackey - Phoenix and Ashes (In hardcover!) I've looked for this one for ages, but the only place I ever saw it was the Haddon Township Library and Amazon.

Nekesa Afria - Harlem Sunset

Angela M. Sanders - Seven Year Witch and Bait and Witch

After I left the Book Trader, I headed down 2nd Street and turned down an alley. I saw a sign for a coffee shop. Found it just a few doors down. They were whitewashed and more modern, but their oat milk matcha latte wasn't bad. Actually, I was really there to use the bathroom (the Race Street Cafe didn't have a public one). Explored the outside of the Christ Church too. Their bell dates back to 1704, before even the Liberty Bell.

I'd been checking Google Maps all day to keep on track. I did get turned around here...but unlike when I got lost in March, I ended up in an attractive neighborhood of lovely old brick homes, more square parks, and newer apartment buildings shaded by sun-dappled trees. By the time I finally got back to Race Street, I was tired and carrying heavy records. Besides, I couldn't have gone back to Franklin Square, even if I wanted to. There were now security guards at the door, and I didn't have tickets for the Lantern Festival. I headed for the station instead and took a surprisingly empty train back to Collingswood.

I was so tired when I got in, I decided I wasn't up to walking home and called Uber. Unfortunately, I didn't read the app right about where to pick up my ride. I thought they'd see me on the corner across from the station. They picked up in front of it, and I totally missed the first driver. Thankfully, the second came in four minutes, and I got the idea this time. Ran over to catch him and got home in less than five.

Got my schedule when I came in. It's...pretty much the same as this week, with earlier hours on Sunday. The only surprise is I didn't get more hours next Saturday. In fact, I work later again, which means I'll be able to go to the Collingswood Farm Market again.

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts next. The day after Christmas, Doug Thompson arrives with gifts. His present to Hilary? Tickets to The Rivals. Not only is Pavla laying claim to the mansion, but she's about to blow town. She got a role in New York and is leaving the show. It's now or never if Hilary wants to confront her about Jeff vanishing. C.J will be backstage with her. Betty and Doug will be in the audience; Maple will stay home to take care of Mackie. Mackie's worried about his daughter, but Hilary assures him she can take care of herself.

Listened to The Night They Raided Minsky's while I worked. This goofy comedy about the invention of the striptease is a semi-musical with songs by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. Although Rudy Vallee has fun with "Take 10 Terrific Girls," the real highlight is Norman Wisdom and Jason Robards attempting to be "Perfect Gentlemen." 

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Comedienne Louise Sorrel joined in for a truncated week (one episode is missing). They had more trouble dealing with contestants who just couldn't match and Bill Daily's strange answers.

Finished the night after a shower with Vaudeville: Songs of the Great Ladies of the Musical Stage. Morris performs songs from some of the earliest female vaudeville headliners. The oldest was "In the Baggage Coach Ahead," one of the earliest hits by a black composer. The most recent was "Smiles," a signature song of Elsie Janis, the Sweetheart of the RAF, during World War I. Others included "I Don't Care," "Shine On Harvest Moon," "The Yama Yama Man," and "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now." 

We Built This City

Began the morning with breakfast and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I wanted to introduce Lauren to the show after she bought that Rainbow Dash toy yesterday. Rainbow Applejack compete to see who is the most athletic pony in Equestria, but it comes out a tie. They take part in the "Running of the Leaves," the Ponies' big fall race to see who can knock down the most leaves, but spend the race trying to take out each other. When even Twilight, who has never raced before, comes in before them, they realize that the most important thing is having fun, not who comes in first.

We headed out after that. It was a gorgeous day for a walk to the PATCO. It was hot, hazy, and sunny, more humid than yesterday, but not as bad as it could be. Maybe that's why the train wasn't terribly full when we arrived. (That, and it was quarter of 11. We likely just missed the lunch rush.) We got off at 8th Street and Market at 11 PM.

(Oh, and while we didn't get off there, I must mention that they FINALLY finished the Franklin Square PATCO entrance. The train stopped there, and it's now listed as a stop on the ticket kiosks. And they're now working on the other side of the Collingswood station, which means the escalator is working, but not the elevator.)

I wanted to show Lauren all the great places I found in South Philly last summer and early fall, starting with checking out the vibes at that anarchist bookstore. Repo Records was pretty busy. She didn't get anything here, but I found two records and a CD I'd been looking for. The records were:

Wings - London Town

Peggy Lee and George Shearing - Beauty and the Beat! 

The one CD was:

Jimmy Buffet - Ballads (The missing CD from that 3-disc set Jodie gave me that used to belong to Dad.) 

On our way down 6th Street to the Italian Market, we ran into Philly AIDS Thrift Shop. This is one of those stores that looks small on the outside, but the inside is room after room after room of clothes, books, musical instruments, toys, and furniture. There was some great stuff...that we'd have to carry back with us on the train. I just ended up with two CDs:

1993 London concert recording of On the Town with Tyne Daly and Cleo Laine

A double soundtrack (that I suspect might be a bootleg) of Holiday In Mexico and Weekend In Havana

We did better when we made it to the bustling Italian Market. There was no way we were going to leave Philly without having cheese steaks for lunch. I took her to Lorenzo's Pizza, the place I ate at when I went to the Market last summer. She had just a plain old cheese steak. I had a chicken cheese steak with spinach. Oh, yum! Mine was so good, just the right salty and earthy. We washed them down with Diet Cokes.

Molly's Books and Records proved to be an even bigger hit. This time, there were no interviews being recorded, and we were easily able to check out the stacks of books in the narrow back area. Molly's specialty is cookbooks and classic literature. The last thing I need is more of the former, but we both found something from the latter we wanted. Lauren bought a copy of the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. I bought two of Andrew Lang's color fairy tale collections, The Blue Fairy Book and The Gray Fairy Book, along with the soundtrack from Ghostbusters II. I've had the soundtrack album from the original film for over a decade, but could never find any of the sequels.

Our last stop in South Philly was another book store that looked deceptively small from the outside. Mostly Books is situated in a slightly dilapidated bright blue row house, but that doesn't stop it from being floor-to-ceiling books, CDs, DVDs, and records inside. At least the records were in bins this time, rather than dropped in an alcove in the very back of the store. Lauren didn't get anything, but I ended up with three records and two books. The records were:

The 1985 studio cast recording for Richard Rodgers' last musical, I Remember Mama (still sealed!), and the original cast for the 1952 revival of Of Thee I Sing.

Secret Love, a 4-disc collection of soft ballads from the 70s and 80s

The books were: 

Spindle's End, by Robin McKinley 

Scarmouche, by Rafael Sabatini 

By this point, it was 4 PM. Not only was rush hour beginning, but we'd done enough walking. I called Uber. The driver arrived in 4 minutes, not bad for the start of rush hour in downtown Philly, and got us to the Primark entrance at the Fashion District Mall in less than 10. 

Lauren loves Primark, the Irish department store, but I'm not as big of a fan. They don't have much in the way of plus sizes, and a lot of their clothes are kind of on the cheap side. She got packs of underwear and pajama bottoms. I headed out early and went to the bathroom.

Our plans got a check when we made it to the top floor. The Round 1 next-door to the AMC Theater was closed. In fact, if the sign on the door from the health inspector was any indication, it had just been forced to close yesterday. Rather suddenly, if the gaggle of disappointed boys who didn't know either were any indication.

Good thing I spotted a mini-golf course downstairs on our way to the PATCO station inside. The theme on this black-lit indoor course was ancient history, from day-glow orange pyramids and tall brown camels to resin columns covered in real grape vines and surrounded by potted olive trees. I think Lauren won (after she took a call from her parents, who wanted to know about a package they just got in the mail), but not by much.

After that, we tried the smallest of the billiards tables in the game room next-door. Lauren's guy buddy has taught her to play. She's probably no pool shark, but at least she could figure out how to hold the stick. I think I got one ball in. She got all the others. At least I can say I tried.

We dashed downstairs to the PATCO concourse just in time to catch the 5:30 train home. Maybe that wasn't such a great idea. The 5:30 was literally elbow-to-elbow with commuters on their way home from work. Even when I found a seat, it was jammed next to a big, huge guy. I was so grateful when we finally got off at Collingswood. Called Uber here, too. They arrived in 9 minutes, and barely needed five to get us home.

As soon as we got in, we put everything upstairs, then went right back out. By 6 PM, it was cloudy and hazy, but also windy and much cooler and more humid. It was too cool to hang out inside. Besides, Lauren wanted to eat at Jalapeno's Bar and Grill, the Mexican restaurant a block from the WaWa. They were surprisingly quiet for the dinner hour when we got in. She had fish tacos that looked amazing. I went with my favorite shrimp quesadilla. 

Since she treated me to Mexican, I treated her to Hispanic ice cream at the Mexican Ice Cream parlor two blocks from Jalapeno's. La Moretense Plus was also busy with people getting a cool respite from the earlier heat, but we did manage to find a seat. She had intensely pink strawberry ice cream with sprinkles. I had a cherry nut milkshake that was also very pink...and very, very cherry!

Finished the night back at my rooms after a shower with The Singing Fool. I go further into the massive hit Al Jolson vehicle that introduced audiences to "Sonny Boy" and truly pushed sound as a viable medium for film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Singing Fool

Lost In Philadelphia

Started off the morning with breakfast and The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, which is currently on Tubi. This first animated adaptation of the sci-fi comics was apparently Filmation's response to the success of Star Wars. The first episode, "A Planet In Peril," has Dale, Flash, and Dr. Zarkov land on Mongo and be immediately captured by Ming the Merciless' Gil Men. Prince Barin eventually takes off, but they do befriend Prince Thun of the Lion Men. 

I can see where a lot of this would later influence He-Man and She-Ra. Ming is even voiced by Alan Oppenheimer, who would later voice Skeletor. His daughter Azura has big hair and a slim design that makes her look more like she belongs with She-Ra and her ladies than on Mongo. 

Headed out after Flash ended. I've been trying to take another trip into Philly for weeks, but every time I planned on it, I would either get so many hours at work I'd be too tired for a long trip, or something else came up. I finally had the time this week. They're still working on the Collingwood PATCO station, including the escalator. Thankfully, I was able to make it on the half-full train with five minutes to spare.

Got off at 8th Street and Market, then went right onto the Market-Frankford Line train to 2nd Street. They were a little more full, and smelled horrendously sour. Thankfully, I was only on the train for five minutes at the most. Once I got off, I hurried through the revolving door and up to 2nd Street.

It took me a few minutes to find what I was looking for. Turns out The Book Trader was across the street and a few doors down from 2nd and Market. I'm glad I kept looking for them. They were similar to Mostly Books across town - two stories of floor-to-ceiling piles of books, records, and DVDs - but better-organized, with a lovely reading spot in front of the window on the second floor. They were also fairly busy with kids on school trips and college kids on lunch breaks. I did manage to dig out three books and a record, including one book I'd been after for years:

Donna Parker Takes a Giant Step - Marcia Martin  (I've been looking around for this one for ages. It was the last Donna Parker book I didn't have.)

Days of Thrills and Adventure - Alan G. Barbour (I didn't know there were so many old-time serial fans in Philly. I found all three of my vintage books on serials at Philly book stores and thrift shops.)

Red, Hot, and Blue: A Smithsonian Salute to the American Musical - Amy Henderson and Dwight Blocker Bowers (I'm pretty sure I had this at one point, or one of the libraries I frequented did. It seems familiar.) 

The record was Ben Bagley's Noel Coward Revisited, another Bagley collection of rare material from one songwriter. 

The trouble started when I hit the streets. I figured I'd be able to walk to South Street, but I kept getting turned around. I walked down 2nd Street, but just ended up going in circles and found myself right back at 2nd and Market. At least it was a nice day for all the hiking. It was sunny and breezy, a bit cooler than it has been, but nothing outrageous for mid-March, probably in the lower 50's. 

Campo's Cheese steaks were finally calm by the time I got back there around 2:30. The line had been all the way across the small brick-walled store when I passed them on my way to the Book Trader. I had a chicken cheese steak hoagie (which means, chicken cheese steak with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo) and a Coke Zero. Thought I'd try a cannoli, too. I hadn't had one in years. It was all tasty, but very expensive, far more than I figured.

I spent another 20 minutes getting turned around and having no idea how to get to South Street, even after checking Google Maps twice. I finally hiked to the US Mint, then across 5th Street to the National Constitution Center, where I called Uber. It was a smart idea. The driver picked me up in less than a minute and got me to Mostly Books on Bainbridge Street in a little over five. 

Mostly Books is the other big used book store in downtown Philly. Philadelphia used book stores are deceptively small on the outside. You'd never guess how jam-packed the Book Trader and Mostly Books are from their exteriors. I didn't find as many books here, but I almost literally stumbled onto a treasure trove of records stacked in boxes and bins in an alcove in the very back of the store. I had to move a white plastic chair to get to them, but it was worth it. The records I dug out of those bins were: 

The soundtracks from the 1974 Huckleberry Finn musical and two Judy Garland movies, Girl Crazy with Mickey Rooney and the animated Gay Purree with Robert Goulet. 

The London cast album for the stage version of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. (I don't think the short-lived Broadway version made a cast album.) 

Found two CDs, too:

Soundtrack from the Disney animated Cinderella, including songs cut from the film or written but not used, and The Carl Stalling Project: Music from Looney Tunes 1938-1958.

And two mystery novels, one a precursor to modern pulp fiction: 

Murder at an Irish Bakery - Carlene O'Connor

Fantomas - Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain 

I started down the street again after leaving Mostly Books...and once again, got turned around. And I'd found the 9th and Locust PATCO entrance easily on my last trip to Philly! I was tired, fed up with getting lost, and hauling around a bag of heavy books and records. I finally stopped at a Rite Aid on 7th Street and called Uber again. Though the guy once again picked me up in less than a minute, he had a harder time getting to 8th and Market. It was past 5 PM at this point, and rush hour traffic downtown was really stalled. I got in on the wrong side of the car, too. A five-minute drive ended up taking twenty. 

Ducked through the Lit Brothers building, past Five Below and downstairs to the PATCO entrance. The train to Collingwood was stuffed full of commuters at 5:30. I barely got one of the last seats. No trouble after I finally got on. I got off at Collingswood, jumped on my bike, and headed home.

Finished the night with The Firefly as I ate dinner and got organized. I go further into this 1937 vehicle for operetta diva Jeanette MacDonald about spies who fall in love during the Napoleonic Wars at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Firefly

Matching With the Mummers

Began 2025 with a quick breakfast and two shorts on Disney Plus, starting with Minnie's Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals. Clarabelle, Daisy, and Minnie get into "Snow Day Shenanigans" when they first can't even get Daisy in her many sweaters out of the van, then sled down the wrong hill. Chip n' Dale's Nutty Tales have them constantly after an acorn. The acorn lands in Donald's popcorn during "Nutty Movie Madness." The chipmunks try to figure out how to get it while Don is distracted by a parody of Jurassic Park. 

Rushed to Collingswood after the cartoons ended. I got up way later than I planned. Didn't make it to the PATCO station until quarter of 11. Evidently, I wasn't the only person who wanted to sleep in. The PATCO station was busy with families and couples going into the city for the Mummers' Parade, despite the escalator and a lot of the back of the building still being blocked off. At least the train wasn't so full I couldn't get a seat to myself. I was climbing up the steps to 13th Street, two blocks from the parade route, within 20 minutes.

I arrived just in time for the comic "wench" brigades, the ones in the ruffly dresses with ruffled caps and parasols. One group and red and gold had gladiator helmets. Another had shark-shaped visors and wore red and silver. Red, white, and blue wenches had Phillies and Phanatics caps. A group in white and red sported medieval knights' helmets and parasol shields. A gold and black group had musical notes on their dresses and focused on the songs and dancing. I saw a group with frog parasols sporting green and black stripes and a ghoulish group in neon purple and green gowns with wild neon hair. There was a Pac Man dad with neon ghosts and a Jester group in rainbow print dresses. 

The wench groups gave way to comic groups as I strolled up and down Broad Street, from the DoubleTree Hotel to the former University of the Arts building. Aliens wandered in bright feelers, costumes with huge eyes, spaceships, and a couple of guys in silver riding bikes who were supposed to be satellites. An Alice In Wonderland mom was joined by a male Queen of Hearts in a lavish gown and various citizens of Wonderland. Woodland animals led by Swoop, the Eagles' mascot, rode skateboards. They were followed by a Christmas tree riding a bike. 

The crowds were nearly as crazy. They thinned out as I made my way down Broad Street. Mummers handed older kids metallic beads in bright colors, while adults taught their younger siblings to do the Mummers' strut. Families pushing huge strollers pushed past drunk college students who climbed onto ledges and yelled into the crowd. Some of the Mummers even tried to throw beads up to crowds watching them on higher floors, but most of those ended up with the crowds below them.

The weather wasn't bad, either. It was windy, semi-cloudy, and chilly but not overly cold for this time of year. The wild wind was more of a problem than anything. It made those little parasols hard to control and blew people on skates and bikes further along faster than the riders intended.

Finally got tired of the crowd and noise around quarter of 1 and headed back towards the 13th Street PATCO entrance. A few college students turned up right before the train left, but I mostly waited alone. The train itself was once again steady but not too full. No trouble getting off at Collingswood or grabbing my bike once got back in. Made a short stop at one of the outdoors PNC ATMs for money, then rode down Cuthbert to the Westmont Diner.

The Westmont Diner was just as busy with people eating their first lunches out of 2025 as it was last New Year's Day, but I was there for a reason. Last month, when I ate there with Dawn, they gave us red envelopes to be opened in front of our waiter. I ripped it open while eating blueberry pancakes and very crispy melt-in-your-mouth bacon. As I did last year, I got a coupon for a free dessert or appetizer. I knew exactly what I wanted. There was a pink cake in the bakery display with white frosting and cheesecake and strawberries between the layers. It looked amazing, and I was dying to try it.

Put on Rudolph's Shiny New Year when I got home. I went further into this bizarre but enjoyable 1976 follow-up to the original Rankin-Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in 2019. 

Happy New Year's Eve! - Rudolph's Shiny New Year

Laverne and Shirley have their own New Year's excitement. "New Year's Eve - 1960" seems to be coming up roses for the ladies. Shirley's New Year's party is a huge success, and Laverne managed to snare a date with an old guy friend she'd wanted for years. Things don't go as well once midnight comes around. Shirley catches a cold, and Laverne's date ends up with his original girlfriend. At least they can look forward to Lenny dropping Squiggy at midnight instead of the ball.

Finished the night with more New Year's Match Game and game show episodes at YouTube. The first episode of 1974 introduced Dorothy Zinni, an overly excited contestant who bounced around so much, she accidentally hit the laid-back guy next to her. Even Richard Dawson was too scared of her for a kiss! A funny older man had even stranger answers on the first day of 1975. Dick Martin finally got an answer right on the first day of 1976. Fannie Flagg took over Brett's seat on the first day of 1978. (Brett was out doing a play, not in jail like everyone kept joking that week.) Gene stumbled into the first day of 1979 draped in streamers from the previous episode and looking more than a little bleary-eyed. Jon "Bowser" Bauman brought rubber chains for the first episode of 1980, while McLean Stevenson had become a permanent fixture by the time the first episode of 1981 rolled around.

Dick Martin stuck around for the first Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour of 1984. Allison Arngrin shows off her elegant black suit and hat, while comedian Vic Dunlop dodges fat jokes, Arsenio Hall tosses out quips, and we have a young David Ruprecht when he was one of the hosts of Real People. Vicki Lawrence does the best at the Match-Up mini game during the first episode of 1991, which ends with Brad Garrett channeling Charles again.

Wait, there's more! We also have Bill Cullen, Sharon Richardson, and Tom Kennedy celebrating the second Password Plus episode of 1980, plus encore showings of the first two episodes of 1976 and 1977. Party on with Match Game and Password Plus in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game New Year's Celebration Party - Ring In 2025

Match Game (1976)

Match Game (1977)

Password Plus (1980)

It's Perfectly Sunny In Philadelphia

Began the day with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. We really get 70's when the kids from Mystery Inc join their friend Jimmy Lewis at a local recording studio to see how cutting an album works. Things go south quickly when Tony Synes, who wrote the song they're recording, vanishes, and a "Diobolical Disc Demon" in KISS makeup is determined to get that song sheet no matter what.

Watched part of Press Your Luck as I got ready to go. The first half honestly went pretty well. One lady hit a very early CD player, but one of the guys just got more money than her. I was finally ready to go when the second round began.

Made a brief stop at WaWa for money and a Strawberry Kiwi Propel, then rode down to the PATCO. Had no trouble here whatsoever, other than they're still working on the escalator and sidewalk at Collingswood. The train to 8th and Market arrived within 4 minutes and wasn't at all full. I was in Philadelphia within 20 minutes. 

This time, I did some research the night before and knew exactly how I was going to get where I was going. I hiked down to City Hall and very, very far underground to the Broad Street Line. Bought my ticket, then picked up a largely empty SEPTA train to the Tasker-Morris station. It dropped me off in 5 minutes about a block from my first stop.

Beautiful World Syndicate and Latchkey are within a block from each other on East Passyunk Avenue. Latchkey is the nicer of the two, but they have almost identical merchandise - mostly new hard rock, rap, and punk rock titles, with most of their used being horribly overpriced. I did manage to find a few older titles I could afford, including one from my childhood I had no idea was even made into a record. From Beautiful World Syndicate, I picked up: 

Charlie Parker - Greatest Hits

Raccoons On Ice (The last thing I expected to find today is this retelling of the holiday special for the Canadian cartoon from the 80's. We used to love this show and got such a kick out of the antics of Ralph Raccoon and all his forest friends.) 

Beautiful World Syndicate was messier and smaller. Latchkey was larger, with a slightly wider variety of titles but lacking Beautiful World's DVDs and books. Here, I found: 

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Brubeck Time

Television's Greatest Hits Vol. II (Includes the themes from Hogan's Heroes and The Monkees, among others.)

The college girl with the yellow wig behind the counter at Latchkey kept talking about what a gorgeous day it was...and she was very right. The weather couldn't have been nicer. It was sunny, windy, and much cooler than it has been, probably in the lower 60's. It was just warm enough that I was fine in a sweater and jeans all day. 

Strolled past The Singing Fountain between shops. I don't know about singing, but it is a beautiful fountain, sparkling like diamonds and glowing all blue and silver in the afternoon sunshine. Several people sat on benches, joining me in enjoying the radiance of an early fall day. (I later discovered that there's a reason the fountain was so pretty. It was just restored this past spring and summer.) 

Was surprised to walk past a huge Acme. I did not expect to run into a grocery store in the middle of an urban neighborhood. It was big, too. I even saw a fair-sized liquor store in there. I couldn't find the bathroom, but I did walk out with a bagel for breakfast tomorrow and oatmeal-cranberry cookies as a treat for today.

Had a longer walk to my next location. Got turned around several times before I finally found myself back at the Italian Market. I wanted to try the famous Geno's and Pat's cheesesteaks on what's known as Cheesesteak Corner. Geno's was closer, so I went with them. They sported orange and white outdoor seating, with one order window for the sandwiches, and another for fries and drinks. I figured the sandwiches would be big enough, so I kept it to a mushroom cheesesteak and a large cup of Diet Pepsi. Not bad. At least they give you your choice of cheese. I went with nicely stringy provolone. The place was packed for 2:30, with most of the tables taken. Thankfully, I was able to get a table right near the cheesesteak window. I ate my big sandwich while watching cars and people go by on 9th Street.

After my long walk to Geno's, I needed a break. I called Uber from the same parking lot between buildings I got them from in July. The pleasant young man picked me up within two minutes of being called. He chatted about the nice weather as he made his way down to 4th Street in Queen Village.  

I didn't really have much better luck here. Digital Underground had a great collection of Pokemon stuffed toys and cards, but their records were the same as the other two - mostly punk, rap, or hard rock, and way overpriced. Though they did have some interesting and unique soundtracks (including a lot of video game, anime, and Italian horror albums), I ultimately bought nothing here. 

Did a little bit better at Cratediggerz two blocks down from Digital Underground. They had a larger, cleaner store with more variety and a row of dollar bins. I made both of my finds in the dollar bins:

George Shearing - I Hear Music

A Cabbage Patch Christmas (Yes, the Cabbage Patch dolls were so big in the early 80's, they had their own Christmas album. I bought this mainly for six original songs by the Sherman Brothers that probably can't be found elsewhere and the cute cover depicting three Cabbies singing Christmas carols.)

My last stops were two book stores. I found nothing at the smaller Brickbat Books next door to Cratediggerz, but a five-minute stroll to Bainbridge Avenue produced a gold mine. Mostly Books, despite its slightly shabby appearance, is a treasure trove of every book you can imagine. Books on every subject known to man (and probably a few not known) were tossed helter-skelter in loose piles on shelves and even on the floor. There was a second floor loft filled with even more books, mainly on culture and languages. They even had CDs up front and a very small bin of records in the back. I really hit the jackpot here. After almost an hour (and a bathroom break), I came up with three items I've been looking for:

The original cast album for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a 1985 adaptation of the unfinished Charles Dickens novel by Rupert Holmes

To Be Continued; A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials, by Ken Weiss and Ed Goodgold (Plot and cast listings for every serial made in the sound era, even those now considered lost or rare. I used to take this out of the library at Cape May all the time in the late 80's and early 90's.)

Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution, by Todd S. Purdum

By this point, I was just plain worn out. I was originally going to hike down to 8th and Market, but it was too far. 9th and Locust was far more reachable. I'm surprised the train wasn't busier, given it was 5 PM and the height of rush hour by the time I got out. I had no trouble getting a seat to myself. Got off at Collingswood, grabbed my bike, and rode home. 

Went straight into The Last Five Years, dinner, and putting everything away when I got home. I go further into this bittersweet indie romantic comedy about a couple recalling their tumultuous marriage at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Last Five Years

Finished the night after a shower with a couple of the rock records I picked up the other day. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones LTD is the Monkees' follow-up to Headquarters. They have a few more session musicians this time, but it's still mostly them on classics like "Pleasant Valley Sunday." Mike contributed my favorite songs from this one. Micky used the first Moog Synthesizer on an album for Mike's psychedelic freak-out "Daily Nightly." Other good ones here include "The Door Into Summer" and Mike's gorgeous soft-sell ballad "Don't Call On Me." 

Pete Townsend had been branching off on his own since the 70's, but he finally had a hit as a solo artist with Empty Glass in 1980. The best - and best-known - song from this one is the jaunty ballad "Let My Love Open the Door." Other good songs here include the title song and "A Little Is Enough." 

Autumn In New York

I decided to save the usual mystery novels for reading on my trip and read American Girl and short stories about vacations this morning. Felicity Merriman loves visiting her grandfather's plantation during the summer. She's even happier when her beloved horse Penny, whom she helped escape a brutal owner, turns up for sale. Penny proves to be instrumental in helping Felicity reach the hiding spot where her father's apprentice Ben has fled. Ben's hoping to join the Continental Army, but he has to break his apprenticeship to do so. Felicity Saves the Day when she reminds Ben that it's even more cowardly to break a promise than to not join the army.

Samantha Parkington is equally happy to be at her family's cabins in the Adirondacks. She and her cousins Agnes and Agatha discover the artwork Samantha's late mother drew of Teardrop Island in the lake where their cabins are situated in their cabin's attic during a rainy afternoon. They visit the island and discover it truly is beautiful, but their trip is a lot less romantic when their boat floats away and they end up stranded during a storm. When the Admiral, a friend of Samantha's grandmother, gets hurt coming for them, Samantha Saves the Day by directing the twins through sharp rocks blocking the island from the rest of the lake.

Donald Duck never seemed to have much luck on vacation. "Donald Duck In Disneyland" loses the boys when they arrive at the park, then sees them on rides out the window of the Disneyland Railroad. He ultimately decides what was then known as Rocket to the Moon is safer. He does even worse when he falls off his burro and into "The Grand Canyon." Mickey braves the rapids to go after him.

Put on The Rolling Stones while eating breakfast and making the bed. I mainly bought Sticky Fingers for one of my favorite Stones songs, the smash hit "Brown Sugar," but their first album without Brian Jones has a lot more to recommend it. "Sway," "Wild Horses," and "I Got the Blues" are other good ones here. 

Switched to Dave Brubeck as I finished packing. Jazz: Red Hot and Cool is an aptly-named live album, apparently recorded in the smoky confines of a night club. Most of the songs are standards, but "The Duke" is his swinging tribute to Duke Ellington.

Called Uber at 10:30; got a car in 8 minutes. The pleasant young man chatted with me about my vacation all the way into Philly. I left early just in case we hit traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway. Thankfully, the roads were clear all the way to 30th Street Station. 

Normally, I love walking around 30th Street Station. It's a gorgeous Art Deco monument that makes me feel more elegant just being there. It's also in the midst of a multi-year remodeling project. The food court and news stand are closed and boarded, replaced with Au Bon Pain and Dunkin' Donuts stands and a much smaller news stand. The entrances are being repaired, too. I read the first two chapters of Wedding Bear Blues, then walked around again after the bench got too crowded. 

The Northeast Regional lined up a little after noon...but the train was late. We were supposed to be on our way by 12:19. The train hadn't even arrived by 12:19. It finally rolled out of the station 10 minutes later, stuffed to capacity. I spent the trip eating my turkey sandwich and two white chocolate macadamia nut cookies next to an older lady. The train pulled into Penn Station around 2 PM, more than 13 minutes late.

I emerged from Penn Station into an absolutely stunning first day of fall. The sky I could see between towering skyscrapers was a searing cerulean. The breeze coming off the Hudson felt fresh and cool. I lingered for a few moments outside of Moynihan Train Hall, just enjoying the soft, warm sunshine.

New York and Moynihan were very busy with people on their way home from weekend trips. I walked around for a bit. Considered getting a treat, but I packed plenty of food. I ended up eating a squeeze pack of applesauce and a granola bar sitting in a corner of the train hall. Tried to sit down and read in the waiting area after using the bathroom, but I was too excited. 

Thankfully, I had far less trouble on the New York-Albany train. It left on time, arrived early, and wasn't full until it picked up hikers and commuters in the New York suburbs. The Adirondacks were incredible today. Bottle-green waters glimmered like stardust along emerald green mountains lined with waving pines and oaks. Sail boats bobbed along on the waves; suspension bridges floated overhead. I could readily believe this area was filled with ghosts, princesses, kings, fat old burgomasters, spooky ghosts, and headless horsemen. I admired the view while working on the Care Bears coloring book I've had for over 15 years now.

Lauren was waiting for me when I arrived more than 10 minutes early. We had dinner about 20 minutes or so away at the Cracker Barrel. The southern-themed restaurant wasn't busy at 6:30, despite it being the dinner hour. They must have been much busier earlier in the day. They were out of everything from chicken fingers to meatloaf. Lauren finally ended up with rainbow trout. I opted for grilled chicken. We shared home-style cheesy tots and corn muffins. Yum! My chicken was nice and moist, much better than grilled chicken usually is at chain restaurants. The green beans and bacon were a bit overcooked and the fried apples were more like apple glop, but the apple iced tea was sweet and very fruity.

We stopped in the gift shop on the way out. Lauren bought a candy bar, two Christmas Peanuts-themed pajama pants, and a Snoopy long-sleeved t-shirt. I just picked up a box of dark chocolate orange jell sticks (that were so good, I put them downstairs in Lauren's refrigerator so I wouldn't eat the whole box in one sitting). 

(Oh, and I checked the score for the afternoon Eagles game on the way home. I didn't get to watch the game, but apparently, the Eagles just barely got past the New Orleans Saints 15-13.)

Finished the night after a shower with the Match Game Sunday marathon. Comedian Jack Carter turned up on Match Game almost from the beginning in early 1973, on a week with Lucie Arnaz and Nanette Fabray that's now partially lost. His wiseguy remarks added a great deal to some of the best episodes of the entire series. 

He was the one who made the infamous "Looks like a station break in Poland" crack at Gene's ugly plaid suit later in 1973. He was a gentleman who helped Trish Stuart back onto her seat after Gene accidentally yanked her off a year later. Everyone made jokes about Gene's more stylish gray leisure suit with the turtleneck. He and Gene sang "It'll Be a Hot Time In the Old Town" for a funny and dear older woman from outside of Paterson in North Jersey during a syndicated episode, then Bill Daily danced with her. 

Let's dance on with one of the show's funniest quipsters in this wacky marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Best of Jack Carter on Match Game

Let the Sunshine In

Kicked off my morning with breakfast and the last of the new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood episodes. "Daniel and O Make Deliveries," until the wheel on the wagon they were using comes off. Mrs. Tiger encourages them to come up with other ways of delivering the mail. "Jodi Makes a Boat With Max" out of bark and leaves at the park and is proud when it floats very well.

Hurried off as Daniel Tiger ended. There was a lot I wanted to do today, starting with a quick run to WaWa for money and a Propel. Headed down Atlantic to the Collingswood PATCO station. They're still working on the sidewalk outside and the escalator inside, so I parked my bike on the other side of the station. I got upstairs less than two minutes before the train to Philadelphia arrived.

I had less luck once I got off the train at the Fashion District. I thought SEPTA bus 48 went to Fishtown, but it would seem that it didn't. I walked around for an hour and a half in and around the mall, trying to figure out how I was going to get to Frankford Street. Finally ended up hopping on the train at the Fashion District and getting off at Giraud Avenue. 

Even after I got off, I still got turned around. Fishtown is an odd mix of old brownstones and brand-new apartment buildings that all look alike. It took me 20 more minutes to find the Philadelphia Record Exchange, but it was worth it when I finally got there. They had a lot of records packed into a long, relatively narrow space. I hit the bonanza on cast albums and soundtracks, all but one of which was a dollar. Found some Who I'd been looking for here, too:

The original Broadway cast albums for Walking Happy, Darling of the Day, and Wish You Were Here, and a double cast album for Arms and the Girl and Look Ma, I'm Dancin'!

The soundtracks for the TV musical The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood and the movie version of The Band Wagon

The Who - The Who Sell Out 

At least it was a gorgeous day for all the running around I did. Warmer than it has been, but still nothing like the past few weeks, sunny and slightly humid but nothing outrageous. It wasn't even windy, and there were only a few fleecy clouds in the sky. 

Started down Frankford Avenue to find somewhere for lunch, stopping briefly at a small community rose garden to check Google Maps. I'd just passed a bar when I turned around, tripped over a raised part of the sidewalk, and went sprawling. The worst that happened to the records was the cover for Walking Happy got a little bent, but I didn't get that lucky. My left knee was badly scraped and bloody. My left knuckle was also a little scraped, though nothing like the knee. My shoulder and wrist were a little sore, but I could move them fine and carried my bag to the Bottle East Bar with no trouble.

I stumbled past coolers filled with every kind of beer and liquor and stumbled over to the tables to take care of my knee and knuckle. The bartender and the waiter were really sweet. They offered me a band-aid and help cleaning up. I had wipes and a bandage in my backpack, but I appreciated the thought. The bartender even complimented my Pokemon backpack. I enjoyed my decent burger and perfectly crispy fries while half-listening to them organize the beer coolers.

After all that, I figured it was time to move on. I headed back to Giraud Avenue and picked up the train there. In fact, I got on the wrong train. Thankfully, I caught it at the Berks station and got on the right one to Spring Garden. 

I got turned around when I got off in Northern Liberties, too, but I caught on quicker this time and was at Creep Records within 10 minutes. Creep Records was a much smaller, younger-skewering collection of mainly hip-hop and hard and punk rock records, though they did carry CDs, DVDs, and t-shirts, too. Their prices weren't as good as Philadelphia Record Exchange, either. I didn't do nearly as well here. Walked out with three records:

The soundtrack from the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only

Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Greatest Hits

WDAS-FM Black Rock, a collection of R&B and rock hits by black artists put out by local R&B and soul station WDAS in the 70's. (Research reveals WDAS is still around, and in fact remains an R&B and soul station to this day.)

After my close encounter with the pavement in Fishtown, I wasn't taking chances. I walked a block to the outdoor seating at The 700 restaurant and called Uber to get me crosstown to Samson Street. The quiet Asian gentleman picked me up in less than two minutes. He managed to dodge some traffic in and around Chinatown and got me there within 20 minutes. 

This time, I started at Circa Gallery, that awesome thrift shop in the middle of Sansom Street. That's why I stopped at the WaWa in Collingswood. The sweet older owner doesn't take credit cards, and he had some terrific soundtrack records I really wanted. Didn't see any books this time, but I did walk out with: 

The soundtracks from The Fleet's In, Hello Frisco Hello, The Dolly Sisters, and Tin Pan Alley, and a double soundtrack for Springtime In the Rockies and Sweet Rosie O'Grady

I only dug up two CDs this time, but they were the soundtrack for Deep In My Heart and the original Broadway revival cast album for A Connecticut Yankee with Eddie Albert and Vivienne Segal 

Headed across the street next to Long In the Tooth Records. Unlike when I visited last month, they were open. They may have been the best record store I've visited in Philly yet. Much larger than most of the others, with a terrific selection. Like Creep, they also carried DVDs and CDs. They had an equally wonderful soundtrack and movie collection, though a little higher-priced than Philadelphia Record Exchange, and the owner was a sweetheart, too. I finally walked out with:

The soundtrack for the 1957 TV musical version of Ruggles of Red Gap with Michael Redgrave and Jane Powell

The original Broadway cast albums for House of Flowers and On the Twentieth Century

Ben Bagley's Leonard Bernstein Revisited, a collection of songs cut from Bernstein shows, from flops, and from his ballets.

The Beatles - Beatles for Sale (This was far pricier than the others, but it was also nearly new.) 

The Who - The Who By the Numbers

By this time, it was 4:30. I was tired and sore, and not up to the hike back to 8th Street I did last month. I took the PATCO from the closer 16th and Locust instead. The train was right on time, and I was back in Collingswood by quarter of 5. 

As soon as I got home, I put on Hair while I got organized. I go into further details on the film versions of the "American Tribal Love Rock Musical" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Hair

Switched to Match Game Syndicated while eating leftovers for dinner. Lee Merriweather, Bill Daily, and Betty White join in to hear Charles and the audience insult one of Brett's less-amusing answers. The others join to help with "Still __" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night with tributes to original Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall, who passed away today. Marshall started out on Broadway and did a musical with Julie Harris and Charles Nelson Reilly in 1965. In Skyscraper, Harris plays the daydreaming owner of an antique store who is in danger of losing her brownstone home to a contractor. She fantasizes about her fussy manager (Reilly), but ends up with the contractor (Marshall). Truth be told, this isn't that great of a musical, though Marshall does get the best song, "Everybody Has a Right To Be Wrong." 

The owner of the Match Game Productions site put together a short marathon of two classic Hollywood Squares episodes later in the evening. The older one from 1968 has Buddy Hackett in the center square, along with Abby Dalton, Wally Cox, Paul Lynde, and Charley Weaver. Cox stuck around for a mid-70's nighttime show and Lynde moved to his permanent position in the center square. Other wisecrackers in this episode included Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Rose-Marie, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Vincent Price. (And I really dig the catchy theme music used during the beginning and end of the marathon!)

You're never fully dressed without a smile when you join Marshall and his tic-tac-toe merrymakers in this hilarious marathon!

Peter Marshall Tribute - Peter's Favorite Episodes of Hollywood Squares

I'd Rather Be In Philadelphia

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. "Denys at Camp" is nervous about everything he encounters, from the obstacle course to canoeing. It isn't until Lowly and Huckle get caught in rapids and lose their oars that he realizes there are things he can do at camp. Grandfather Origami wants to give his daughter a special gift for her wedding. "Peasant Pig's Gifts" only need folded paper to be  truly beautiful. Mr. and Mrs. Fixit are excited when "Little Fixit" arrives. Huckle and his pals may be even more so. They even help Mr. Fixit build a nursery in a tree. 

Put on Buzzr while getting organized. I forgot they moved Let's Make a Deal to the mornings. I saw two carpenters and Raggedy Ann take the Big Deal. They were smart enough to know that Monty's Cookie Jar is rarely anything good. The carpenters got kitchen appliances. Ann was thrilled with a beautiful living room, including a huge TV and stereo home system. 

Headed out after that. Stopped at WaWa first, then locked my bike at the Collingswood PATCO. At least, as well as I could. The front half of the PATCO and the escalator were blocked off, and would be boarded off completely by the end of the day. I guess they're fixing the sidewalk outside and got tired of the darn escalator constantly breaking down. At any rate, picked up the train to Philly with no trouble and arrived at 8th and Market in 20 minutes.

I got a little turned around after I got off, but I stopped and checked Google Maps and my list of record stores in Philly and their addresses. No trouble after that. I headed down 8th Street, passing by Pennsylvania Hospital and many teens, college students, and medical workers either on their way to lunch or out enjoying a gorgeous day. At least I picked the right day for an outing in Philly. It was sunny, breezy, warm but not to the degree that it has been, and not at all humid. 

Many of my family and neighbors in Oaklyn talked about South Street, but I never made it there until today. It's been Philly's hub of punks, hippies, and other alternative types since the 1950's. That became abundantly clear from my first stop, an anarchist bookstore. I saw no one over 30, and everyone had long hair, shaved hair, bright clothing that was either too baggy or very tight, and often wild-colored hair. Though some of the books were interesting, I saw nothing I couldn't live without and moved on. 

Did better a few blocks down at Repo Records. Given the bent of the neighborhood, the focus here was mainly hard rock, punk rock, rap, and classic rock, but I did find two soundtracks of interest. Everyone I encountered today was really sweet, the teens and young adults at Repo included. I came up with four albums here: 

Wings - Wings In America

The Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue

Soundtracks for Some Like It Hot (1959) and Nashville (The latter was in a dollar bin!)

Though I saw many nifty vintage clothing stores and small sandwich shops, I'm not in the market for clothes of any age right now, and I couldn't decide between the shops. Not to mention, it was getting busier with large groups looking for lunch. I had to push my way through or duck around some of the bigger crowds of people. I decided it was time to head elsewhere and started down 9th Street.

9th Street between South and Catherine Streets appeared to be a residential area. I passed many people out for walks, enjoying the lovely weather, or sitting on the stoops of mossy brick brownstone houses. Kids chased each other around a field and a huge playground, while their parents chatted on the sidewalk.

Once I hit Christian Street, the brick rowhouses became old brick buildings with many restaurants out front. Seems I'd hit the Italian Market, South Philly's premier small-business shopping district. Stopped first at Lorenzo's Pizza for a quick lunch. Their prices weren't bad, they had outdoor seating, and they claimed to have the best cheesesteak in South Philly. I had a chicken cheesesteak wrap and a Diet Coke. Oh, yum. It was tasty, with plenty of cheese in a just-big-enough wrap. 

Kept going until I ran across shelves of books, records, and CDs on the sidewalk. My main interest at the Italian Market, besides lunch, was Molly's Books and Records. The narrow sliver of a store was jam-packed with cookbooks, literature, and books on poetry on the walls and record bins in the center. Alas, I didn't get a chance to really look at the books. They were filming an interview with local teens and college kids who worked at the store in the back. I did pick up a bunch of records here, including four from the 2 dollar bin outside:

The Monkees - Headquarters

Lionel Richie - Dancing On the Ceiling

George Benson - 20/20

The Music People, a 3-disc collection of songs from Columbia Records artists in 1972

The Golden Age of Hollywood, a collection of songs from Busby Berkeley Warner Bros musicals with a really cool pop-up insert depicting the "By a Waterfall" number from Footlight Parade

Originals Musical Comedy 1909-1935, a collection of vintage recordings of stage stars ranging from Nora Bayes to Eleanor Powell

(And I didn't realize it at the time, but Molly's is related to a long-gone store in Washington Square I used to love. I badly miss Russakoff's Used Books and Records on 10th Street. Apparently, Molly is the former owner's daughter. No wonder her store seemed familiar. The layout wasn't far removed from Russakoff's.)

Continued heading down 9th Street, looking for another record store, even as the Italian restaurants and produce stands gave way to Mexican restaurants and clothing stores. I didn't find the record store, but I did find an ice cream and snack shop. They had so many unique ice cream flavors I'd never even heard of, including guava and cream and corn. I decided I wasn't that brave and went with toasted coconut. Oooh, the lady even added chocolate ripples. I sat on a red stone staircase that led to nowhere and enjoyed my milkshake and two free maple sandwich cookies.

Since I couldn't find the other record store on 9th Street, I decided to try one last store on Samson Street. That's halfway across Center City. I wasn't up to that much walking. I finally broke down and called Uber. The young man arrived within 7 minutes, and he got me to Samson in less than 20. 

As it turned out, I should have checked social media before I went into Philly. Long In the Tooth Records was closed for their summer vacation. I wasn't ready to go home yet, so I had a look around Samson Street. Spied a shop in a little yellow building across the street with CDs outside, so I thought I'd check them out.

Boy, did I hit the jackpot at that place! I'm almost glad Long In the Tooth was closed. Circa Gallery, a second-hand shop, had some great stuff, including cast albums and soundtracks I'd seen nowhere else. I ran out of paper money (the nice old gentleman didn't accept cards) for all the records I wanted, but I found a really cool book I just couldn't leave behind. I hadn't seen Bound and Gagged, on the silent serials (most of them now lost), in decades. 

The one record I was able to afford was equally awesome. Cut! Out Takes From Hollywood Musicals was mainly cut numbers from MGM films, though a couple from 20th Century Fox and one Paramount song did sneak in. 

The CDs were: 

Original cast albums for the Broadway musical version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the Madison Square Garden A Christmas Carol

Studio albums for the Stephen Sondheim musical Saturday Night and the long-lost Jerome Kern show Kitty's Kisses

Collection of Fred Astaire songs from his 30's and early 40's films Top Hat, Holiday Inn, A Damsel In Distress, and The Sky's the Limit

What proved to be a home-made CD of a performance of Rose-Marie from the Media Theater in the Philly suburbs. 

I figured I wasn't going to get any luckier than that, so I decided to call it a day and headed down Samson towards City Hall. On my way, I stopped at Dilworth Park to watch local kids frolic through the spurting fountains in front of City Hall. I considered stripping off my shoes and socks and joining them, but I didn't want to leave my finds just sitting there. 

Cut through City Hall and ducked down Market Street, stopping at Dunkin' Donuts for an iced tea. Headed past Hard Rock Cafe and the Pennsylvania Convention Center, making my way around the crowds to Primark. By this point, it was past 4 PM, and I found myself pushing past rush hour traffic and around crowds of people heading home from work. Fortunately, I arrived at the PATCO station just in time to catch the train back to Collingswood.

Soon as I got home, I added my new finds to the inventories, then had dinner while watching Match Game Syndicated. In the first episode, Gary Burghoff borrowed Gene Rayburn's jacket, but Gene is a lot taller than he is! Marcia Wallace got lucky when the contestant finally gave her a smooch in the next episode, while the others deal with an especially noisy high school singing group in the audience. Fred Grandy and Bart Braverman spent the next week playing with rather annoying kazoos, while poor Dolly Martin shows off a broken finger, and Ira Skutch, the show's producer, has to come out to replace a question.

I also got my schedule at this point. In good news, while not as many hours as this week, still more hours than I've had. No floral department this time, though, and I have an early seven hour day next Saturday. I'm disappointed that I'll have to miss the Farmer's Market. 

Finished the night at Tubi with The Assassination Bureau. Reporter Sonia Winter (Diana Rigg) uncovers evidence of "The Assassination Bureau Limited," a group that kills tyrannical or dictatorial leaders. She orders the killing of its leader, Ivan Dragonmilof (Oliver Reed), the son of the group's founder. Far from being offended, he's amused. He doesn't like how a lot of the men under his leadership have been killing for money lately. He offers them a challenge. They can kill him, or he'll kill them! 

The movie then turns into a comic adventure across Europe, as the duo kill off the members of the Bureau, always staying one step ahead of them. In a lot of cases, though, the members are killed before they can get there. As it turns out, it's a plot by Sonia's boss Lord Bostwick (Telly Savalas) to kill all the European heads of state and plunge the entire continent into a major war. Ivan and Sonia rush to Eastern Europe to stop them.

Weird but still very funny swashbuckling adventure, with Rigg and Reed in top form as the starchy feminist reporter and the assassin who is always five steps ahead of everyone else. All their traveling gives us some great shots of Europe in the 60's and gorgeous costumes, too. If you're a fan of the stars or British action films or are looking for something different in your costume pictures, you'll have a wonderful time with this one.