Let the Good Times Roll

Began the morning with breakfast and the last episode of Pac-Man I'll be doing for now. (The series finale is a Thanksgiving episode I watched last November.) It's "Super-Pac Vs. Pac-Ape" when an organ grinder's monkey eats Super Power Pellets and grows huge. Super-Pac tries to help, but it's Pac Man who has to rescue Pepper when Pac-Ape grabs her and starts destroying Pac Land. Pac Man hopes their new computer will change their lives, but "Computer Packy" bites off more power pellets than he can chew when PJ messes around with it and it sucks in Pac Baby, then the two of them.

Honestly, the first cartoon based after a video game...isn't bad. It's very much of its time, especially in the slightly goofier second season. I definitely like the first season better, where the focus is on Pac Man and his family and the ghosts and he's more of a hero. Neither PJ nor Super Pac add a whole lot in the second season. Super Pac's antics and incompetence are good for a few mild chuckles, but PJ is just obnoxious, a Pac-Fonzie without the charm. Worth checking out if you're a fan of 80's kid action cartoons, Pac Man, or want to see what Pac Man would look like on the small screen.

Did a few things online, then headed out. Collingswood was having its first major outdoor fair of the year. The Green Festival was on the street and parking lot behind the old brick school building on Haddon Avenue. It was booths filled with plants, flowers, local Collingswood information, and information on lawn care, ecology, composting, and indigenous flora. I didn't buy anything, but I did run into one of the little boys from Healthy Kids who sits at my table and his mommy. I waved and told them I was out walking around.

The real reason I was in Collingswood was to hit Innergroove Records for Record Store Day. The small, narrow store was jammed with records, CDs...and record collectors looking for great deals. I managed to dodge the collectors long enough to pick up: 

Theme from Growing Pains - Steve Dorff and Friends (Collection of songs from 80's TV shows - including the title sitcom. I almost bought this on my birthday, then decided to wait for Record Store Day. At $12.99, this was the only Innergroove album that cost more than $2.)

The Official Music of the 23rd Olympiad Los Angeles 1984 (Yes, the 1984 Olympic music collection. I thought it was especially appropriate with the Olympics going back to LA in 2028.)

Gold Rush '79 Volume 2 (K-Tel collection)

The Best-Loved Music of Christmas (I mainly bought this for the nifty pop-up cover.)

Diana Ross - Diana

The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys' Party!

The Cars - The Cars' Greatest Hits

Went down the block and across the street to Haddon Culinary after I got out. I was there for a drink. Picked up a Diet Dr. Pepper, a treat, and a container of their amazing house-made potato chips. 

Had a quick lunch when I got home while watching two episodes of Bluey on Disney Plus. Bluey and Bingo are excited to spend "The Weekend" with their dad Bandit. Bandit gets so into a game he and the girls playing where Bingo is a statue that keeps moving around, he doesn't hear when Bingo points out a bug that resembles a walking leaf. Chili insists that her daughters do "Housework" and clean up their blanket fort, but their way of walking while they put things away is so funny, their parents end up watching them instead.

Hurried off to work after I finished eating and changed. I was slightly late, which was the worst thing that happened all day. They were really busy when I got in. I needed help around 4 PM to gather carts. The later it got, the quieter it got. By the time I left, the store was much quieter. At least it was a gorgeous day for pushing carts, sunny, breezy, and much cooler, a perfect lower 70's. 

Picked up a gift card for my nephew Khai for his birthday tomorrow after I finished. I can't believe he'll be turning 16! I brought his card with me and dropped it off at his mom's house on my way home. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, and I wasn't planning on riding the bike. 

Since it was still open and two blocks away, I stopped at The Score Records on my way home. They're smaller than Innergroove, and I didn't make as many great finds, but I did pick up a few good titles:

Peggy Lee - Miss Peggy Lee Sings the Songs of Cy Coleman

Lena Horne - Nature's Baby

Aerosmith - Rock In a Hard Place (This was the most expensive here at $13.) 

Bruce Springsteen - Greatest Hits (The lone CD I picked up today.)

Changed and had dinner when I got home, then spent the rest of the night watching the Saturday Match Game marathon. With The Lone Ranger in re-runs on TV and radio, questions joking about his relationship with Tonto and what he and Tonto did out there on the plains were heard throughout the entire run of the 1973-1982 series. They weren't always the most politically correct, and several episodes with Native jokes are no longer seen on regular TV. In one episode, Charles tied his tie around his head in his idea of a Native headdress as his answer to a question. (This was also the episode where Gene got mad at the cameraman and attacked him.) Another featured Bertha, the sweet older woman contestant whom the panelists were so kind to. They fanned her, got her a seat, and Johnny Olsen brought her water. There was also the early episode with the charming British contestant who needed the money because he and his wife had gotten into a car accident the day before. His wife was in the audience with a bandage around her head.

Of course, there were occasional questions about the other Indians, the ones from India. They weren't any more politically correct than the Native American jokes. In one episode, Gene and Betty White ended up on the floor to demonstrate how an Indian fakir blows on a horn to charm a snake. There were also more jokes about "Gunga Dingy" than you can shake a snake charmer's basket at.

At any rate, take a trip out west and to the mystical east with these wild wild episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Indians

Birthday Lady's Blues

Began my birthday with breakfast and The Yogi Bear Show. Kellogg's wants "Yogi's Birthday Party" to be a huge TV special with all his friends. Ranger Smith tells Yogi it's going to be one of the variety specials that were popular in the 60's and 70's. Yogi takes lessons (from thinly veiled spoofs of then-popular entertainers), but takes off when he discovers he's not more talented than the average bear. It takes a picnic basket to lure him back and reveal it's a show with all the Hanna-Barbara funny animals who had been created up to the early 60's.

Switched to Paw Patrol while making the bed (and removing several blankets it's now too hot for). "The Pups' Great Race" will be all around Adventure Bay. They're sure one of them will win...but when they're called to rescue Mayor Goodway after her hot air balloon flies away, it's Alex on his trike who proves slow and steady does win the race. "The Pups Take the Cake" when they help Mr. Porter replace the cake he burned and make the perfect edible recreation of their Lookout Tower that will beat Mayor Humdinger's entry in the Tall Cake Contest.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. Originally, my first stop was Peak Secondhand, a new thrift shop in Audubon, but I forgot they don't open until noon on Tuesdays. I was there a little after 11. I didn't want to hang around, so I dodged traffic going across Audubon and down Nicholson and Cuthbert to Westmont. At least it was a nice day for a ride. It was sunny, breezy, and humid even at 11:30, already in the upper 70's-lower 80's. 

When I got into Westmont, I first went across the street to Samaritan Thrift, but they didn't have anything that interested me. Stopped at Koupa Espresso Bar for an iced drink when I went back across Haddon Avenue. Had a Chai Cherry Latte. Oooh, spicy and very sweet...and very cherry! I downed that pretty fast. They were pretty busy for almost noon, mainly with people getting drinks and reading their phones.

Phidelity Records down the block had a lot more of interest. In fact, I found two out of four of what I picked up right away in the New Arrivals bins. The others came out of the $2 bins or were in CDs and DVDs: 

Bette Midler - Broken Blossoms (Which it turns out I already have - I'll donate it to Goodwill.)

The 1977 K-Tel collection Stars

A Peter Pan Superman book and record set from 1978 with the stories "The Myzptlk-Up Menace" and "Alien Creatures"

The Who - Hooligans (2-disc greatest hits collection)

The one CD was Carole King's Greatest Hits. (Which I also already have and will also be donated.)

The DVD was the 1959 Lil' Abner, which means yes, I'll be reviewing that on the Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog sometime in the next few months. I've had the original cast album since college, but I haven't seen the movie.

Rode down to Collingwood for lunch. Made up for the line at Sabrina's Cafe on Easter by having them for my birthday...and boy, am I glad I did! The lemon-raspberry poppyseed pancakes off their seasonal menu were incredible, soft and swirled with raspberry lemon cream. The turkey bacon was a little more limp than the Westmont's thick bacon...but probably a lot better for me. I washed it down with a tart (and much-needed) lemonade. They were busy, but not so much that I couldn't get a table in the back.

Walked around in Collingswood for a little while after I ate. I didn't linger too long here. Not only was it past 1 PM, but a lot of Collingswood stores are closed on Tuesday. Collingswood is holding their big Green Festival on Saturday, too, and it's also Record Store Day. I'll hold off on Innergroove until Saturday, but I did pick up a few things from Collingswood Music:

Two vintage children's albums, Strawberry Shortcake's Exercise and Fun Album and Sesame Street Happy Birthday! (Not only did the Sesame Street album have the wrong record in it, but it was badly scratched. It goes in the donation bags.)

Beach Boys - Smile (I think it's a bootleg, but it has two of the Beach Boys' best songs, "Heroes and Villains" and "Good Vibrations.")

I heard my phone go off when I was in Collingswood Music. I called it back when I got outside. It was Allyssa from Camden County, telling me she was having trouble getting me through that loan. They don't count the Healthy Kids job because I've been there slightly less than a year, and I don't make enough at the Acme job to pay for a loan. That really hurt. I assumed that getting a second job, and one that I loved, would be enough. I feel like nothing I do will ever be enough for these people. She said she'd keep trying, but I was bitterly disappointed when I headed across the street and back to my bike. It was late, and I had to dodge kids coming out of Collingswood High School. I ended up being five minutes late to Thomas Sharp.

I felt much better when I arrived and got settled in with the kids. I had many happy birthday greetings, from kids and adults. One cherubic little miss gave me a bag with candy, a fruit bar (which I appreciated - I forgot a snack), rubber bracelets, and a card she drew herself of her and me together. (I think her parents wrote "Happy Birthday." They have very nice printing.) Later on, one of the boys gave me his own artwork. 

We started off in the library due to the music class taking place in the cafeteria. I'm glad I took my 10 kids to the bathroom first. They were all antsy, though they generally weren't that rowdy. They were better once they had their snacks and a lot of water. We waited a little while until the big kids were outside before we took the little ones out. It was beautiful, but so hot! Most of them either looked for ants or people walking dogs under the big shady trees or hung out in the shade of the slide equipment. Those who ventured into the sun danced to "Sharks In the Water," "The Big Pink Tiger," the theme from Bluey, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "Pink Pony Club," and songs from Moana 2 and KPop Demon Hunters.

Jessa's car has a bike rack, so she said she would pick me and my bike up at the school. What she didn't add was Mike was with her again. I was once again very disappointed. I was hoping we could spend time together on my birthday. Don't get me wrong, Mike is a nice guy. He's funny and he tells good stories...but I was hoping it could be just the two of us. He did pay for dinner at Carraba's Italian Grill in Maple Shade, which was pretty pricey. I had ravioli stuffed with chicken, spinach, and cheese. Jessa had grilled chicken in a wine sauce with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Mike had chicken Parmesan with mashed potatoes. We all had salads. They had Caesar. I had the "house," lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage in a creamy dressing (with olives and banana peppers that I picked out). I had a tasty peach-blackberry fold over tart for dessert.

Finished the night listening to old favorites from my childhood and teen years. I've had The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle on CD for so long, I forget when I got it now. I think Mom may have had the LP when I was a kid. This and Greetings from Asbury Park always hit the hardest of Bruce Springsteen's albums because...what he's describing was my world, from the time I was born through my college years. "The E-Street Shuffle," "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," "Incident on 57th Street," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"...that's the Jersey Shore I remember. There's a reason Springsteen is called "the Boss" in his native New Jersey. Even though he's from further north (and I believe still lives up there) and Cape May and Wildwood were in largely better shape than Asbury Park in the 70's and 80's, it still sounds and practically smells like my childhood and adolescent memories.

Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol. III features the John songs I grew up with. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and "Little Jeannie" used to play constantly on the jukebox at the Ugly Mug in Cape May during the 80's. "Mama Can't Buy You Love," "Sad Song (Say So Much)," "Empty Garden," and "Blue Eyes" were heard constantly on the radio. I think it's hilarious that the kids seem to have fallen in love with Taran Egerton's recording of "I'm Still Standing," given that came out around the time I was their age and I loved it just as much. 

Dance Party On Ice

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Pac-Man. It's an "Invasion of the Pac Pups" when six little Chomp Chomp pups wreck havoc on Pac Man's home and his life. Mezmeron and the Ghosts make a "Journey to the Center of Pac Land" when they dig under what they think is the Power Forest. They do manage to get Pac Man at first, but Pepper knows how to handle them.

Switched to Super Password while making my grocery list. Got to see a bit of Marsha Warfield and Marty Cohen chatting with Bert Convy before I called Uber. My knee is still really sore. I think it doesn't like this cold weather. Besides, I wasn't getting a ton of groceries, but I did have a lot of heavy ones I wanted to get. Thankfully, they only took 7 minutes to pick me up and about 5 to arrive.

If you've seen the weather reports for the East Coast, I think you can guess that the Acme was mobbed today. It's not supposed to snow until early Sunday morning, but the temperatures are going to drop into the teens tomorrow. No one wants to be out when it's gale-force windy and literally freezing. I restocked oranges, apples, yogurt, granola, granola bars, and probiotic soda. Had online coupons for bakery cookies and Propel drink mixes. No 20 ounce Fresca, but I did get two of the Diet Coke With Lime. Thankfully, there were enough lines open that the 15 items or less checkout line was short. 

Once I got home and put everything away, I switched to a more dramatic 80's cartoon while eating a quick lunch. In the first season of Jem, Jem and the Holograms are on vacation at a Colorado ski resort owned by a friend. They're shocked to discover the resort is in serious trouble. The Misfits and their sleazy manager Eric Raymond have been sabotaging it to help a friend of Eric's and his competing resort. The Holograms agree to a ski race with the Misfits to decide ownership of the resort. It becomes their "Last Resorts" when the Misfits sabotage that too, and Jem is trapped in a cave after an avalanche. That cave, however, contains something that could be more of a help to the resort than any concert ever could.

Took Uber to the school, too. I can sit at the school, but I'm not up to a bike ride, and it's gale-force windy anyway. Thankfully, unlike yesterday, the Uber going to the school arrived in 10 minutes and got me there right on time. The one I initially got going home canceled...but their replacement took a mere 5 minutes to arrive.

Things were definitely better today. For one thing, I had a small group, only 6 kids plus one boy I agreed to take because he was so enamored with playing daddy to one of the girls' American Girl modern line dolls, he didn't get up and run around quite as much as usual. The kids loved it when I showed them pictures of my American Girl doll collection. I even showed them my wrapped-up knee to explain why I couldn't chase after them like usual today. It helped that we only had about 20 younger kids all together. It was the head teacher's birthday. All of the older kids sang "Happy Birthday" for her during snack time. It was so sweet of them! 

The head teacher had a surprise when we went to the library. Our Friday dance party turned into a disco dance party when she handed around glow stick bracelets for everyone. I did wiggle a bit when I went to sharpen colored pencils, but I mostly stuck with the kids in the back of the library who were coloring on a wide piece of paper, building with magnetic tiles, or looking at books. Like I told the two boys who were back there for most of the time, a quiet party can be just as much fun as a big, noisy one! I finished my picture of Betty, Eugenia, Hilary, and Maple from The Four Dancing Princesses and did stencil pictures of a butterfly and a pig. (Really more of a boar - we're out of pink colored pencils.) One of the boys did an amazing picture of a roaring rocket in his favorite colors. (He's going to be a great engineer someday, that one.) The other colored a picture of Spongebob Squarepants' pineapple house.

Watched The Price Is Right and Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Mary Ann Mobley's host hubby Gary Collins was the male ingenue this week, joining Debralee Scott, Betty White, an antsy Bill Daily, and in Charles' seat, Dick Martin. Debralee spent a good part of the week flirting with a handsome young man from New York with the accent to match. (Debralee herself had been born in North Jersey.) 

Finally got my schedule at this point, too. It's...pretty much the same as this week with slightly more hours next Saturday. To be honest, I'd already planned on taking Sunday off. There's no way I'm going to get an Uber driver in the middle of a major snow and ice storm. The way my knee's feeling, I'll likely call out tomorrow, too. 

Finished the night starting season 3 of Remember WENN. Victor explains to Betty where he's been "In the WENN Small Hours" and why he's turned up so suddenly. He's doing important government work, and she can't let anyone know he's alive...which proves to be a problem when first the rest of the cast starts trickling in from talking to the police, then sponsor Mr. Medwick turns up with explorer Cutter Dunlap (Malcom Gets). Betty and Victor do manage to head him off after they tell him the, er, strange things that have gone on while he's been out of the US, but Victor can't stay...and then drops a bombshell about just how well Scott Sherwood actually knew him.

Hilary Booth, meanwhile, is frustrated with her recent lack of roles that suit her considerable dramatic talents. She thinks she's found the perfect vehicle for her and Jeff when a budding playwright (Harry Hamlin) comes to her with his magnum opus. They convince their sponsors the Sweets (Louis Zorich and Peggy Cass) to fund their show "Prior to Broadway," but can't decide if it's a comedy or a drama. Betty's more interested in re-reading the letter of introduction Victor sent along with Scott, noticing that it sounds an awful lot like one of Scott's pet catchphrases...

The Town Picnic

Began the morning with breakfast and listening to the Sounds of Vancouver 2010 CD. This was the official release for the Winter Olympics that year, and it actually has some pretty decent material for something I picked up out of the cheap bin at FYE. (It was only $1.99!) "The Closing Ceremony Fanfare," "Olympic Fanfare and Theme," and Entrance of the Athletes" are appropriately stirring. "Let's Have a Party" with Eva Avila, Nikki Yanfosky, and Derek Miller is pure fun, while Neil Young and Nickelback go darker with "Long May You Run" and "Burn It to the Ground." "The Maple Leaf Forever" by Michael Buble is lovely...but the subsequent "Made In Canada" medley drags on forever. Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" is a lot more interesting.

I headed out around quarter of 1. Oaklyn finally had its Town Picnic this afternoon between 12 and 3. There were lots of tables filled with handicrafts from local artists, a DJ playing everything from "Golden" to "Magical Mystery Tour," and a few booths from various Oaklyn municipal facilities. I talked to the teacher at the Oaklyn Education Foundation table. Turns out she had been a pre-school teacher at the Oaklyn School for 8 years. She taught older grades before that, but she enjoyed working with the youngest kids the most. We talked a bit about how much we loved working with the youngest students.

Had lunch next. The Civic Association had tables with free hot dogs, meatball sandwiches, chips, cole slaw, and sodas in the very back of the parking lot between Tonewood Brewery and the school. (Apparently, the burgers weren't ready yet at that point, and the heavy wind knocked the pasta salad over and scattered it on the blacktop.) I had a hot dog, meatballs without the roll, cole slaw, and a Diet Pepsi. The meatballs and hot dogs were honestly pretty good, especially the huge meatballs! Grabbed a chocolate cupcake for dessert. They had tables that let you cover your cupcakes in Halloween sprinkles. There was also free water ice, but the line was so long, I didn't have the time for it.

The strong wind may have driven all of the vendors crazy, but it was useful for me. I helped two of the vendors gather their wares when they were blown over, a lady who made lovely coasters and key chains from yarn embroidery, and a sweet older woman in a wheelchair who sold flowers made from pipe cleaners. I chatted with the lady who sold the yarn items and learned a bit about yarn needlepoint. I've tried crocheting, but I always lose interest because I can never keep count, and my rows always end up uneven. Not to mention, I tend to lose interest before I've barely finished larger projects. I wonder if yarn needlepoint might be a tad easier and quicker to figure out. I bought a colorful yarn key chain for Lauren from the yarn seller and three pipe cleaner flowers for Lauren, Amanda, and me from the older lady.

Work was even less of a problem. We were dead the entire afternoon. It got mildly steady when the Eagles game ended around 4, then went right back to being dead. Everyone was either out enjoying the sunny, warm weather, or attending all the local events like the Town Picnic that were cancelled last week due to the nor'easter. I got in and out with no trouble whatsoever.

(The Eagles had a few more problems with the Minnesota Vikings, but apparently came back in the second half to win the game 28-22.)

Took a shower when I got home, then had dinner and went straight into tonight's Match Game marathon. Three Price Is Right models made appearances on the 1973-1982 run of the show. Janice Pennington and Anitra Ford appeared within a month of each other in 1976. Janice's episodes were just on Buzzr this week, in fact (which may be why the YouTube channel's owner ran this marathon). Sultry Anitra only just passed her episodes for re-runs in 2019...and I'm so glad she did. She had one of the funniest weeks of 1976. Richard Dawson spent the week flirting with a gorgeous blonde contestant who not only kept on winning, but became the biggest winner on the sho up to that point, with over $20,000.

The Barker's Beauty who appeared the most on - and got the most out of - the show was feisty Texan Holly Hallstrom. She was a semi-regular later in the run, starting in 1978 and appearing throughout the syndicated run, long after the show left CBS. Holly became known for either wearing tight tops and outfits like the red and white striped off-the-shoulder dress she sported in 1980, or honoring her Texan heritage with cowboy hats and vests. She was also an ardent feminist (as Bob Barker would discover to his chagrin later), complaining about the chauvinistic ideals of the Bo Derek movie 10 a question joked about. She also got to hear a young man admit that he wasn't too happy with his new marriage, a rarity for game shows, on a PM episode.

Come on down and match with three of the loveliest ladies to model prizes on The Price Is Right! 

Match Game Sunday Classics - Match Game With Barker's Beauties 

Oh, and happy birthday to my best friend Lauren! She made it a girl's day out and went to Crossroads with her former co-workers Heather and Sarena. After the mall, they took her to an Applebee's in the area. (She got a blue drink that admittedly looked pretty tasty.)

You Say It's Your Birthday

Kicked off my birthday with breakfast and "Yogi's Birthday Party." In the series finale of The Yogi Bear Show, Yogi is thrilled at first when Ranger Smith tells him he's going to star in a big TV variety program. He tries to take dancing, singing, and music lessons from thinly-veiled spoofs of then-popular entertainers. Embarrassed when he realizes he really isn't a singer or dancer, he runs away, only to be caught by Smith and his men. Turns out that the "variety special" is actually a televised birthday party featuring all of the Hanna Barbara funny animals created up to that point, and all he has to do is sit back and listen to them sing a song for him and their sponsor Kellogg's.

Headed out after Yogi ended. My first stop of the day was Dollar General to buy an Orange Cream Coke Zero and make change for the bus. Turns out it was a moot point. They were using a larger bus usually reserved for longer trips of an hour or more, and the payment machine was broken. I got a free ride to Barrington.

I was in Barrington to check out the Antique Center. That huge warren of tiny rooms is filled with everything from antique china and glassware to relatively new DVDs and CDs...and it's one of the few South Jersey thrift shops open on Mondays. They were also surprisingly busy for a Monday. I had to dodge several people searching shelves for fancy glasses or vintage Easter decorations. I just ended up with two records: 

Unpublished Cole Porter (Another Ben Bagley album, this time featuring songs that were cut or never released.)

Peter Cottontail - The First Easter Record for Children (Songs about or related to either rabbits or the more secular side of Easter, performed by Rosemary Clooney, Gene Autry, and Art Carney. This comes from Columbia's Harmony label. There's a few more children's titles on the back I'm definitely going to look for, including Gene Kelly's performance of Peter Rabbit and The Pied Piper of Hamlin and two albums of fairy tales.) 

Fortunately, the closest bus stop is a block from the Antique Center. The bus to Deptford was right on time. I did have to pay, and it was one of the older, wider buses intended for shorter trips, but it got me to the Deptford Mall with a minimum of fuss and little traffic. 

Since it wasn't far from where I got off, I went in through Macy's and had lunch at the food court. I really like their Mediterranean Pitas & Greens booth. Had a messy chicken gyro with slender fries and a cup of iced tea that tasted home-brewed. It was almost 1 at that point, and the food court was relatively busy with college kids and parents taking younger children on a trip to the mall enjoying their lunches.

Spent the next hour or so at Round 1 Entertainment. The skee ball machines were down again, but everything else worked just fine. I played Princess Peach on Mario Kart Deluxe and came in second on a tougher course. I also got second on the Death Valley course in Crusin' Blast. Tried Tetris on a Japanese machine, too. Didn't do too badly shooting baskets. All in all, I ended up with over 2,500 points. I didn't see anything I liked, so I got a mini boom box from the same line as the mini-radio to give to my nephew. 

Explored stores for a couple of hours after that. Though I looked at Miniso, Otaku House, Rally House, Fan Treasures, FYE, The Loft, Hot Topic, and Box Lunch, the only place I bought anything was JC Penney. I dug a pale blue cable sweater and yellow three-quarters-length sleeve t-shirt on the clearance racks. The sweater came to about $8.50, the sweater to $5.50. Stopped at Ginny's Cookies and Ice Cream and treated myself to a wedge of chocolate chip cookie "cake" with green frosting.

Headed across the street past the abandoned shopping center to HomeGoods first. I looked at pots and pans, but didn't see anything I liked. I'll do more research there on what type of pots and pans I want. Had more luck at Old Navy. I picked up a pair of jean capris there.

I also just enjoyed the gorgeous day. The clouds had been in and out all morning, but by 4:30, they'd taken a temporary leave of absence. It was breezy and far warmer than it had been, into the mid-60's. 

Barnes and Noble was surprisingly busy, too. It was after 4:30 by then, and the high schoolers and college kids were out of school. I considered records, but I already bought two, and I didn't see any on sale that I liked. Found two CDs on sale and another that was just cheap, along with two books: 

The Essential Michael Jackson (2-Disc set of his best-known songs, including from before he went solo.)

Wicked soundtrack

The Very Best of the Electric Light Orchestra (This was the $8 one. The other two came to $14.40 each with 20 percent off.)

The Lies That Bind - Kate Carlisle

The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods

Mom called me when I was wandering around the children's section. I sat down in a quiet corner to chat. She wanted to wish me a happy birthday and was glad to hear I was enjoying my day. I told her about my trip and thanked her for the online Amazon gift card she sent me. Her card and Lauren's would pay for a new CD/cassette player. The CD player Dad and Jodie gave me in 2017 was skipping, too big for the room it was currently in, and I never liked that it was a front-loader. The CD part of my more than 15-year-old Emerson CD/cassette player hadn't worked in years. The cassette part did, but I didn't know for how much longer.

Met Jessa for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse in front of the shopping centers. I haven't eaten there in years. She had salmon, with broccoli and rice. I had a small steak with the same broccoli and a baked sweet potato. We shared brown bread and a Bloomin' Onion. Yum! It was all delicious, including the onion. I made sure to order a steak that was just the right size to finish in one go. Jessa did take home her rice and salmon, and I gave her the last of the bread and what little remained of my steak. I was more embarrassed when waitresses came up and sang "Happy birthday," but I felt better when they left a dish of velvety vanilla ice cream with a candle in it.

We went across the street to another shopping center and explored Hobby Lobby next. I'd love to take up another hobby...but I don't want to spend money on something and not follow through. I've dropped every single hobby I've tried, from crocheting to woodwork, because I'd get bored after a while or would tackle projects that were too large. 

I originally wanted to check out Hallmark, too, but it was getting late. Hallmark and Hobby Lobby closed at 8. Jessa just ended up driving me home, running the Beatles and other classic rock songs all the way back to Oaklyn. 

Finished the night after a shower, taking the recycling out, and bringing the cute T-shirt and box of Merci European chocolates a friend gave me for my birthday upstairs with my favorite episodes of the syndicated Match Game. Even after the CBS run ended in 1979, interest remained strong enough for the show to restart in syndication a few months later. 

Buzzr has ran a lot of the best early syndicated episodes, so I just stuck to a few of the ones that are my favorites or haven't been done to death. I couldn't leave out the time the contestant gave one of the most unlikely answers in game show history to "Cuckoo __" in the Head to Head, or the one where everyone but Dick Martin walked out while Gene droned on. 

There was also the time Gene seemed to get "electrocuted" by the question holder! Charles insinuated that someone would have to host, then said he'd never take over a part that badly acted. Charles was the one causing the trouble when he and Gene got into an argument over the merits of the original Sho Gun miniseries and he hit Gene with his card. Gene collapsed onto Jonnelle Allen while McLean Stevenson took over hosting for a couple of questions. Charles also got to clean up after Gene when people were throwing cards around.

Kirstie Alley wasn't the only later celebrity to win big on the syndicated show. Future talk show hostess Jenny Jones also made a big win on a week with Betty White and George Kennedy. Betty had her own fun on her next appearance flaunting her legs in a short red dress made by a friend of Sharon Farrell. That episode was wild in general. Sharon and Richard Paul inadvertently demonstrated mud wrestling to illustrate McLean's answer to a question about what should be an Olympic event, and McLean ran off after being scared by a contestant with a shrill laugh that he apparently used to wake his kids up every day.

Betty was there during the very last episode, along with McLean, Brett, Charles, Skip Stevenson, and Melinda O'Fee. Charles claimed he was dating the dummy used to test the color levels, while a curly-haired contestant asked to kiss McLean. Brett was right that he was blushing after that. He was the same color as his red sweater. Skip even rushed over and kissed the other contestant! Betty quipped that she should take some of that and send it to Richard Dawson.

Check out the best from one of the most underrated Match Game series! 

Episode 28 - Cuckoo Fran and Ollie?

Episode 42 - Panel Walks Out on Gene's Lecture

Episode 206 - Gene Gets Electrocuted

Episode 257 - Charles Cleans Up

Episode 302 - The Sho Gun Incident

Episode 395 - Jenny Jones On Match Game Part 2

Episode 442 - Betty White and the Red Dress

Episode 525 - Charles and the Dummy (Series Finale) 

What are Games?

I slept so late and got so caught up finishing A Spring to Remember, it was after 12 when I finally got to breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Dodo's Dilemma" introduces Jojo Dodo, the daughter of Captain Dodo. She's suddenly floating in the air after being too long at sea. Her father says only Dodo Pepper Soup will cure her, but dodo peppers are extinct in Wonderland. Alice assures Jojo that even if they don't have the right ingredients, they can still create a soup with the same flavors...and that creates the same warmth inside. The Queen of Hearts is "Horsing Around" when Alice puts the wrong ingredient in a recipe and she starts acting like a prize pony. She and Rosa search for the right carrot to change her back.

Switched to Supermarket Sweep while looking up muffin recipes, taking the laundry downstairs, and preparing Rose's birthday card. Buzzr's monthly marathon for April highlights shopping-themed shows, including this one. I caught the beginning of a big tournament that had people competing to win two cars at the end of the week. The first one was really close, but team three killed at the Big Sweep. They didn't manage to find the money, though. The contestants on the second show got much luckier. This time, they were ahead most of they way through, won the Big Sweep easily, and found the $5,000 with just a few minutes to spare.

Headed out to run errands on my bike around 2:30. It was too cold and dreary to be walking. Though it hadn't rained since the morning, the weather remained breezy, gray, and below-average chilly, not even in the 50's. I mainly wanted to deliver Rose's birthday card. (I would later text her and leave her a birthday greeting on Facebook as well.) Got a super-sweet chai latte at a busy Common Grounds Coffee House barely ahead of a big group of parents and kids who had just come from the Oaklyn School. Made a quick stop at Dollar General later for chocolate chips and an Orange Cream Coke Zero.

Put the laundry in the dryer when I got home, then had lunch while watching What's New, Scooby Doo? Scooby's saying "Riva Ras Vegas" when he and Shaggy win a concert to be backstage at a concert for then-teen pop star Lindsay Pagano. While Lindsay gets a crush on Fred, the others try to figure out why the ghost of recently-deceased magician Rufus Raucous seems to have it in for Lindsay and her concert. 

After Scooby ended, I went online to apply for jobs and try to figure out what I want to do. I know I can write and read, but what can I do with that? I'm organized, but it doesn't seem to do me much good. My computer and management skills aren't good enough for most receptionist and secretarial jobs. I have no idea how to use the recent versions of Microsoft Word or Excel, and I have a hard time figuring out the math equations on the latter. I've never had regular meetings, or worked with a team, or directed anyone, or done any of the things normal office workers do.

I've been feeling blue for the past few months, since before Christmas. I think I'm more bored than anything. I keep trying to find something that will really stimulate me, but nothing seems to be working. I can't find anything new that interests me. I start writing and organizing projects, but after a while, I lose interest and don't finish them. I try to go back to old interests, but they don't have the same feeling.

I finally brought my laundry upstairs and put it away, then called Uber to take me to Deptford. Jessa wanted to eat there on Monday night instead of Saturday. It was late when I finally got to calling Uber, It didn't help that the driver didn't seem to speak English, and I had no idea how to explain who I was and where I was going. He drove up to the Deptford Mall 10 minutes after six. 

Jessa finally met me next to Red Robin. As it turned out, she thought today was my birthday and gave me my gift - natural snacks like baked peas and organic lemon-coconut cookies. I was fine with doing a shorter Deptford trip today and a longer one next week, especially since I'm working too long and late to go out this Saturday. 

I treated her to Red Robin, which is right at the main entrance. She had a "Sh'room Burger," a burger smothered in mushrooms. I had a basic Red Robin Deluxe Cheeseburger. Mine was a bit chewy and messy, but not bad. We shared that tower of onion rings.

We only had the time to explore the Boscov's next door to the Red Robin after dinner before the mall closed. She got two shirts. I finally bought a new comforter in a pretty teal, coral, and peach floral print. Since the comforter came with pillows and pillowcases but not sheets, I picked up a coral sheet set to go with it. They were both on good sales, with both sets coming to $44 all together.

Jessa and I chatted as she drove me home. She basically said that it'll be easier for me to find myself if I can accept what I am and try to figure out what kind of a person I want to be. I have a very hard time accepting what I am. I know I have ADHD, but it's easier to fall back on old patterns than it is to accept I have a mental disability that makes it hard for me to do certain things. 

Cheered myself up by spending the rest of the night on YouTube, watching Jeopardy! episodes in honor of its 60th anniversary last year. Jeopardy! debuted in 1964 as an antidote for the dour, overwrought quiz shows of the 50's. Three contestants choose a clue from a subject list, then phrase their answer in the form of a question. The bonus round has them wagering money on one last, hard question. The winner is the one with the most money left at the end.

The very simplicity of Jeopardy is what made it such a hit. It would prove to be the second-highest-rated game show of the mid-late 60's after Hollywood Squares. Quiz shows were suddenly a viable format again, and Griffith was off and running as a TV producer. The original daytime show ran until 1975, when NBC's vice president of daytime programming Lin Bolen moved it out of its original noon slot in an attempt to find younger-skewering shows. Griffith attempted a syndicated nighttime version in 1974, but that barely lasted a year. 

(Too bad very little of the original daytime Jeopardy - and none of the original syndicated - exists today. NBC erased tapes until 1980, Merv Griffith until 1985. This teen tournament episode from 1967 was only recently unearthed. Hopefully, more will turn up eventually.) 

Jeopardy! returned to NBC as The All-New Jeopardy in 1978. Here, the lowest-scoring contestant was eliminated after the first round, and Final Jeopardy was replaced by a Super Jeopardy round that had the winning contestant answering questions in a bingo-like format. The changes were roundly disliked by most fans, including long-time host Art Fleming. This version lasted five months and is the last time to date that Jeopardy has been seen in daytime and on the networks. 

Griffith gave Jeopardy! another chance in syndication after the nighttime Wheel of Fortune was a sensation. Alex Trebek took over hosting a show that was far closer to the original, including re-instating the Final Jeopardy bonus round. This time, it worked. Jeopardy! became just as popular in syndication as the show it was usually paired with, maybe even more so. Like Wheel, it continues to run in syndication to this day. 

By far the most famous contestant on the show is likely Ken Jennings, who would run a record-breaking consecutive 75 days and remains one of the biggest winners on any game show. It's too bad only bits and pieces of most of his episodes are currently on YouTube. I include the only one with him I could find in full, which is the day he was finally defeated. 

After Alex Trebek died in 2020, the producers finished the season with rotating hosts, then did producer Mike Richards for a week. He was so badly received, they brought in Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik as the rotation hosts in 2021. Bialik's involvement with the strike in 2023-2024 ended her hosting duties. Jennings was announced as the permanent host in 2023, and has remained so ever since.

The success of Jeopardy spawned spin-offs. Rock and Roll Jeopardy used the same format on VH-1 from 1998 to 2001, with rock questions replacing the general interests. Jep! from 1998 was a kids' version, which added balls or slime dropped on a contestant when they gave a wrong answer and let the kids choose random point values instead of going down a row. While not great, Jep! was somewhat more tolerable than the kid Wheel from around the same time, due to the decent questions and energetic host Bob Bergen. (There have also been the online-specific Sports Jeopardy, Celebrity Jeopardy, and Pop Culture Jeopardy.) 

It's one of the most beloved quiz shows of all time. What is Jeopardy! Follow its heart-pounding history and get to know its most famous contestant-turned-host!

Jeopardy! (National College Scholarship Tournament) (1967) 

The All New Jeopardy Premiere (1978)

Jeopardy! Syndicated Pilot (1984)

Jeopardy! Syndicated (1988)

Jep! (1998)

Rock and Roll Jeopardy (1998)

Jeopardy! Syndicated (Ken Jennings' Final Episode as a Contestant) (2004)

Jeopardy! Syndicated (Tournament of Champions Exhibition Episode) (2022) 

Welcome to Spring

Began the day with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo. "Space Ape at the Cape" brings the gang to Florida, where Velma has submitted a project to NASA. The scientists there are more interested in the shuttle that's about ready to launch...or would be, if an alien egg hadn't suddenly hatched and an alien wasn't wrecking havoc! While Fred and Daphne search for clues, Velma attempts to keep a bratty kid away from her project, and Shaggy and Scooby discover the joys of freeze-dried astronaut food.

Let Supermarket Sweep run while I got organized. I came in as they were doing the Five-Second Shoot Out mini-game from the later series. The Big Sweep got really wild. All three teams were relatively close in time and scores. Two of them got the frozen yogurt David wanted, and all found bonuses (including an adorable teddy bear with a mustache in a kilt). The team that won didn't do quite so well at the Bonus Round. The first answer tripped them up...but Arm & Hammer does make a lot of products...

Headed out after that. The weather was off-and-on cloudy, humid, and cooler than it has been, but far from cold. I was fine in my sage green knit sweater. Decided to celebrate the first day of spring with a ride into Westmont and a quick trip to Sprouts. 

My first stop was the WaWa on the corner of Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike for money and a grape Propel. I wanted the money for Salvation Thrift, which doesn't take credit cards. Alas, I found nothing there, no matter how much I dodged the many ladies on their lunch breaks looking for deals. Nothing interesting at Party Fair, either. I eventually backtracked down the block to McMillan's Bakery and treated myself to one of their incredible, overstuffed cream donuts. 

Headed across the street to Phidelity Records next. They were also relatively busy with guys chatting with the owner and looking for rock records and CDs. I eventually came up with three records:

Frank Sinatra - All the Way

Doris Day - Greatest Hits

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

And four CDs: 

Train - My Private Nation

Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street

Miles Davis and Quincy Jones - Miles and Quincy: Live at Montreux 

The Kinks - Come Dancing With the Kinks: The Best of the Kinks 1977-1986

Made my way down Cuthbert and around kids getting out of Haddon Township High School over to the Westmont Plaza. I needed to get my trip to Sprouts in, since I won't have time tomorrow. Unlike everywhere else, they weren't busy. The kids don't go in here. Sprouts has no seasonal section and only sells toys at Christmas. I was able to restock brown sugar and buy bananas, coconut milk, breakfast cookies, soda, and those raspberry-lemon dried mango slices in peace. 

Went straight home after that. Put on From Justin to Kelly as I put everything away. I go further into this rush-job vehicle for American Idol stars Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guardini that's now regarded as one of the worst films of all time at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - From Justin to Kelly

Mom called as I was settling down with the movie. I called her earlier to wish her a happy birthday. Neither of us have a lot going on right now. I told her about my stomach problems and long hours last month, my trip into Philly, and getting to see The Day the Earth Blew Up, and she told me how excited she was about the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. We discussed the Looney Tunes and the Eagles' chances of repeating next year as Keefe, Julia, and Aurora arrived home and she went to greet them.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated while eating dinner. The first week I saw featured Dick Martin, Elaine Joyce, and big George Kennedy. At one point, Gene got so into explaining the big bang to Dick, all of the panelists but Dick got up and left...and the camera panned out to reveal most of the crew had also left. The lights even went off at one point! Jimmie Walker's week is still MIA, so they skipped to the next week, with Robert Donner, Marcia Wallace, and a bubbly Betty Kennedy.

Finished the night with cast albums and soundtracks, the first in honor of spring. I have no idea who thought putting Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on the stage was a good idea. The 1985 London mounting lasted two months in two separate limited engagements and seems to have gone over slightly better than the 1982 Broadway cast, which barely made three days and wasn't recorded. Honestly, this is rather charming, with some decent new songs, including Adam explaining that "Love Never Goes Away" to Gideon and Milly and the brides and brothers cooing to the new baby that they're "Glad That You Were Born." Revised versions have done well in regional productions, so maybe this really just needed fine-tuning. 

The reason I bought the soundtrack for the Disney Cinderella wasn't for the soundtrack itself, though I love "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," "So This is Love," and "Bibbiti Bobbiti Boo." The deluxe CD I dug up from Mostly Books also includes seven songs that were written for the film, but not used. I originally heard them on the 2-disc Cinderella DVD I picked up in 2005, but could never find them on an audio disc until now. Of the cut numbers, the cute "I'm In the Middle of a Muddle" for Cinderella as she wishes she had more help for her chores and the lovely waltz "The Dress My Mother Wore" are my favorites. There's also the mice describing how happy they are to have their new clothes in "The Mouse Song," and "Dancing On a Cloud," which was intended to cover a sequence where Cinderella and the Prince dance into the heavens. 

Oh, and once again, it was cloudy for much of the day, but wouldn't start pouring until well after dark. This time, we even got a bit of a thunderstorm. As far as I can tell, it's long gone now. 

Indian Summer Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. Mystery Inc visits Daphne's friend Arlene, who just inherited the family home in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween. The locals are riled when a witch suddenly appears in a graveyard who is a dead ringer for Arlene. When the caretaker tries to convince Arlene to leave town, Scooby and Shaggy go trick-or-treating and the others try to figure out what that witch is really after in "To Switch a Witch."

Hurried off to work after that. Work was absolutely no trouble. I did have to sweep and do bathrooms for the first hour or so. After a new bagger in training arrived, I left her to learn about the sweeping and bathrooms and spent the rest of the day pushing carts. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. The weather is even more gorgeous, sunny, warm, and breezy, into the lower 70's. No wonder we weren't busy at all. Not only are we between holidays, but it's way too nice for shopping. 

Went straight into Scooby Doo and the Goblin King when I got home and changed. I go further into this unique Scooby Doo direct-to-home-media movie at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - Scooby Doo and the Goblin King

Finished the night with dinner and the Match Game Saturday Night Classics marathon. Three cast members of The Love Boat made prominent appearances on Match Game from 1978 through Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984. Bernie Koppel was around for the last week of the original set in 1978 and would turn up again during the syndicated era. Ted Lange first appeared on an episode in 1980 where he turned up and told Fred Grandy he wanted his white suit back. Fred proceeded to give it back to him right on the stage, stripping down to his shorts and t-shirt. Gene gave him his vest to look somewhat professional. He also tried to help McLean look more formal in a fancy white suit and cowboy hat, though he frankly looked more like he got lost on the way to the set of Dallas.

Future politician Fred Grandy turned up by far the most of the show. He made goat jokes on one PM episode and saw a gentleman from Brooklyn claim he wanted to bring the Dodgers back to the East Coast in another. He and Bart Braverman spent one week playing kazoos (and getting really annoying with them). Everyone had to put up with an audience full of drunk and riled UCLA students on another syndicated week. He was on the crazy episode of Match Game-Hollywood Squares where McLean kept complaining about getting marker on his pants. Gene gave him pants that were much too big, leading him to eventually show far more than anyone ever wanted to see of him to the camera!

Excitement is waiting for you as you set sail with the crew of the Pacific Princess in this ship-shape marathon!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Love Boat Stars On Match Game

Oh, and happy birthday to Lauren! She went back to Crossgates Mall with Rico and apparently had a great time running around in the two arcades with him. 

Night of the Pricing Games

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and Sailor Moon Crystal. It's been a while since I visited Sailor Moon's world. Picked up where I left off with the arrival of "Minako - Sailor V." Unlike in the dub, Sailor Venus isn't eager for the girls to help her out at first. She also claims to be the Moon Princess. Most of the episode plays pretty much the same as in the original, only Usagi and Mamoru offer to trade her handkerchief for his watch, Kunzite attacks Venus first, and the others join her together. Tuxedo Mask suddenly appears to save Sailor Moon...just as the episode ends...

Messed around online a bit until around 1:30. I wanted to get a walk in and needed to run an errand. My first stop was CVS. They did have the gum therapy mouthwash I wanted, but not for a decent price. I checked the shelves and moved on quickly.

Had lunch at a busy Common Grounds Coffee House. Despite it being past 2 PM at that point, they were very busy with college students and adults chatting or doing online work or checking their phones. Common Grounds is one of two businesses on West Clinton that's open on Mondays. (Phillies Phatties is the other.) I had a big, moist Pineapple Coconut Muffin, the last small slice of bacon-cheddar-spinach quiche, and Pineapple Matcha Drink. The last-named was pineapple, pineapple juice, coconut milk, and matcha. It was another one I had to mix. Tart and earthy once I finally mixed it, but the pineapple pieces kept getting stuck in the straw.

Headed down West Clinton and Kendall and into the neighborhood bordering the school. Other than the men doing lawn work at several houses, it was a quiet afternoon. I saw a few summer banners and leftover 4th of July decorations, but it was mainly gardens lined with carpets of bushy green grass and Technicolor summer flowers. Stopped to play briefly at the playground in the Tracy Connors Memorial Park. I had a hard time ducking all of me through the big tube that connected the two halves of the equipment. I couldn't slide too well in my short-shorts, either.

At least the weather could have been worse, and has been worse lately. It was cloudy, humid, and cool, in the mid-80'. I felt it spit every now and then, but other than that, it hasn't rained. It actually felt nice to go on a walk in the middle of the day and not be overheated by the time I got home.

Took the laundry downstairs, then put on The Wild Wild West and wrapped a birthday gift for a friend when I got in. "The Night of the Golden Cobra" gets seemingly deadly when Jim West and the military officer in charge of Native affairs Colonel Mayo (Simon Scott) are attacked by a cobra and three men in Asian Indian dress. The trio are the sons of Mr. Singh (Bela Lugosi), whom he wants West to train. West thinks Singh is keeping Mayo hostage, but it turns out Mayo has his own plans, not only for Jim, but for the Native tribal land they're on that turns out to be a lot more valuable than first thought.

Gave my friend her gift during the show. She absolutely loved the box with the soup bowls and tureen I found at Goodwill a few weeks ago and was so pleased. I know she told me she had wanted soup bowls a while back. 

Worked on the music collections inventory for a while after I put the laundry in the dryer. Listed the CDs I have from the series AM Gold and Billboard Top Hits, along with the individual sets British Invasion Gold, Flashback 80's, Freedom Rock, and 20th Century Rocks: The 60's Bands - Wild Thing. Most of these go so far back, I don't remember when or where I got them anymore. I'm pretty sure I bought the Billboard Top Hits CDs from the FYE and Borders at the Hamilton Mall in college because they were among the only CDs I could afford then. I think Flashback 80's came from what was then the Super Fresh in the late 2000's, and I know the Freedom Rock set was from a thrift shop a block from me in Wildwood when I first moved there in 2002. 

Broke for dinner and to bring the laundry upstairs at quarter after 7 PM. For some reason, Buzzr jumped way ahead to the second week of Match Game '90. Game show host Johnathan Prince and Joe Alasky of Tiny Toon Adventures joined Charles Nelson Reilly, Vicki Lawrence, and Betty White in these episodes. At one point at the very end of the show, Joe couldn't resist running up to the big orange circle in the back where host Ross Shafer comes in and giving us an excellent "That's all, folks!" 

(And speaking of Buzzr, the commercials during Match Game indicate that their next marathon will be back to school themed. Looks like the college weeks from Sale of the Century and the early 90's Family Feud and Card Sharks episodes with college students being questioned. Even if there's nothing new, the Feud college episodes in particular are hilarious, and I wouldn't mind seeing them again.) 

Finished the night on YouTube with something a little bit different. The Price Is Right started out as a half-hour show in 1956. The first run with Bill Cullen from 1956 through 1965 simply had people bidding for high-priced prizes like cars, homes, and large pieces of furniture. It was even more successful when revived in 1972, with Bob Barker hosting. Now three mini-games were played, each giving the contestant the chance to win a larger prize. The two biggest winners went on to bid on the Showcases, lavish prize packages of everything from whole rooms of furniture to a car and a trip to Greece. 

Attempts at a night time version of Price go as far back as the original late 50's-early 60's show. They tried again in 1972, with first choice daytime host Dennis James in charge. Bob Barker took over in 1977 after they didn't renew James' contract. Unlike the daytime version, the nighttime show kept the original half-hour format until the end of its run in 1980. 

Goodson attempted syndication again in 1985, this time with Tom Kennedy hosting. Once again, the format remained identical to the original half-hour show. However, by the mid-80's, syndication had been flooded with game shows trying in vain to become the next Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy. Most of them ended up shoved to early morning or late nights. Even Price, which continued to be a hit in the daytime, suffered this fate. The Kennedy version barely lasted eight months.

Price made one last stab at syndication in 1994. Doug Davidson, formerly a star on The Young and the Restless, took over the hosting here. This made many changes from the previous half-hour format. Contestants now just come onstage to play games when called and don't bid before it. The top winner plays what amounts to The Range Game in order to win the Showcase. Very 90's, with its bright, boxy aesthetic, and kind of strange. I wasn't the only one who thought so. Game shows were out of style by the time, and this was competing not only with Fortune and Jeopardy, but a slew of newly-popular talk shows as well. This one lasted four months. 

That seems to have ended any attempt at doing a regular syndicated Price. It has been seen at night periodically since then, usually during the summer or when CBS has a hole in the schedule they need to plug, but always in the hour format the daytime show has run in since 1975. And honestly...I think I like it better that way. This show needs the room for all of the pricing games and the Showcases and the wheel. 

Of the three non-Barker nighttime hosts, warm and funny Kennedy was my favorite. I really do wish his version lasted longer. Davidson tried too hard (and as mentioned, his version made a lot of odd and unnecessary changes), and James behaved more like a racetrack tout in Brooklyn than a game show host. 

At any rate, dig deep into the history of Price Is Right with these shorter but no less enjoyable episodes!

The Price Is Right (1959)

The New Price Is Right (1973)

The Price Is Right Syndicated (1975)

The Price Is Right Syndicated Finale (1980)

The Price Is Right Syndicated Premiere (1985)

The Price Is Right Syndicated (1994) 

April Showers Bring Spring Flowers

Began the morning with breakfast and the series finale of Green Eggs and Ham. "The Mom Who Loved Me" is really trying to dismantle the bomb, not harm her son. Meanwhile, Guy has his own problems when Michellee goes into labor for real. The ladies can only hold off the Dookess for so long, while Sam can't keep the Moo-Lacka-Moo out of the Dooka's hands. Sam and his mom literally ride the missiles as they use the Goo-Lacka-Goo to stop the explosion from destroying the two countries, while E.B and Looka finally prove to the citizens that they aren't so different after all.

And that's that. I really wish they'd continued this series. I would love to have seen what other Seuss books Sam, Guy, and E.B could have gotten involved in, like helping The Lorax replant trees, showing the Sneeches that they're not all that different inside, and finding out what really happens on Mulberry Street. I did end up liking the first season slightly more than the second. Guy and Sam's interactions really made those episodes, and the B.A.D Guys were a riot. That said, the entire series is worth checking out if you're a fan of Seuss, want to see a really creative book adaption, or are looking for something fun and unique to check out with your elementary schoolers. 

Left a little bit early. Today is my nephew Khai's fourteenth birthday, and I wanted to drop off his card. He was probably in school when I came down Kendall, and his parents were likely at work. I dropped the card in their mail box again. 

Headed to work after that. There's a reason I haven't had many hours lately...and the reason is, we haven't been that busy. The floral department has nothing going on. The next holiday involving people giving gifts and flowers isn't until next month. It was so quiet, the head floral department manager left almost as soon as I came in. I helped the other manager unload bouquets of bright-colored spring flowers, dust around the newly-organized vases and stuffed animals, water the potted plants and ferns, and wipe up after the ferns when I over-watered them and they leaked. 

By the last hour, I'd cleaned everything that could be cleaned, swept the floor, dusted all the shelves, and watered everything that needed it. I spent that last hour making arrangements. Two white roses from a mixed bouquet became a lovely arrangement with additional greens and baby's breath. Likewise, three ruffly yellow roses made a fine, fancy arrangement with lots of ferns and baby's breath added. One of the rose and lily bouquets we put out earlier were added to a big vase with baby's breath and a few large, leafy greens. 

My hours are pretty much the same this week...which is to say, I barely have any. I work in the afternoon on Sunday and the morning on Wednesday, and likely only because the head bagger takes those days off. And this time, I only had one extra vacation day left, which means my paycheck won't be quite as good.

Did some grocery shopping after work. Mainly needed to restock apples and oranges. Individual navels and tangelos were on a good sale with online coupons. Grabbed some bagels for the few days I do work next week. Got yogurt for breakfast next week, too. Had an online coupon for Made Good granola bars, and the drizzled Kind bars are still on clearance.

Went straight home, then put everything away while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Minnie's Pajama Party" brings everyone together for a night at the clubhouse. Trouble is, they're all so excited, they can't sleep. They try to dance off their energy. When that doesn't work, Goofy tells a scary story. Trouble is, Goofy keeps taking his own story seriously when the gang hears three different noises that sound a lot more frightening than they are.

(My last birthday present arrived this afternoon. Lauren and her parents always send me 20 dollars for my birthday. Lauren sent it out on Monday, and she was getting worried. Thankfully, it got here just fine, though a bit late.)

(Incidentally, it was cloudy and cool again today. I think it did rain a little around this point, but it doesn't seem to have amounted to much. I'm guessing it was a light shower like the other day again.) 

Worked on writing next. Kathleen wonders what happened to Sir Michael. If Lady Jacqueline is his fiance, he should be with her. The lady gets snippy, telling Kathleen that it's none of her business, and that she will be handling all of his affairs from now on.

Put on Match Game '73 while eating dinner. Match Game celebrated its first Christmas Day episode with the arrival of Santa Claus, aka Charles Nelson Reilly. Charles remained in costume and in character for the rest of the episode. June Lockhart and Jack Cassidy join in to help with "Common __" in the Audience Match during the opening sequence.

Finished the night at Shout! TV for the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode The Screaming Skull. This 1958 horror drama about a man whose wife keeps seeing and hearing the skull from his deceased first wife everywhere is very dark and atmospheric, but is also horribly slow, stiffly acted, with terrible dialogue and a first-time director who was actually an actor and only just figuring out what he was doing. The robots were right to make fun of how slow this was and how long it took everyone to react to anything. This one is only recommended for ardent fans of mid-century horror. 

Birthdays and Matches

Started off my birthday with breakfast and Match Game '73 on YouTube. Brett and Charles made their first appearances on the show's third week, while Bert Convy and Betty White appeared outside of the pilot for the first time. It's also the first of many, many times Brett chides Charles for not wearing socks, and the first time Betty and Brett trade quips.

Headed out after that. The Uber driver didn't even need a minute to arrive. Thankfully, there was very little traffic as he headed down the highway and turned off to Deptford. He dropped me off at the front Boscov's Deptford Mall entrance around 11 AM.

Explored Boscov's first. I didn't see any clothes I liked, but they were having good sales on socks. They always have a great selection of decent socks. I walked out with a 3 pack of tan and brown cotton Goldtoe socks that came to $12 with 25 percent off.

FYE is a few doors down from Boscov's. While they no longer have the wonderful selection of DVDs and CDs they once did, they do have a decent pile of records. I found jazz group The Charlie Hunter Trio's Bing Bing Bing for $15. 

Made my way down to the other side of the mall and into Round 1 Arcade. They were a lot busier than usual, with far more small kids running around with parents. The ring toss and Lane Master bowling game were down, but everything else worked. I ran from the Monopoly dice spin to the Nerf Arcade to the giant Pac Man game to skee ball to the spinning pirate wheel to Mario Kart Deluxe (I ended up with Luigi). Came up with over 2,900 points. Normal-sized Beanie Babies were only 400 points each. I got fluffy Tundra the Snow Leopard and sweet Chopper the Dalmatian, along with two tiny popping candy bags and one of those Chinese yo-yos for 10 and 30 points each. And I still have over 2,000 points left for when Lauren visits in June.

It was past 1:30 when I finally had lunch at the food court. I really loved Pitas and Salad, the Greek food booth where I had lunch when Lauren visited last year. Had a delicious lamb and beef gyro with thick, dry fries and big tomato chunks. 

Bubble Bear Tea literally just opened a few days ago. Thought I'd finally give bubble tea a whirl. Tried their coconut milk tea. The "bubbles" were tapioca pearls, and they had a rather strange, gummy mouth feel. The coconut milk tea was good, but the bubbles were weird. I think I'll stick to green tea from now on when I want to do an exotic tea drink.

JC Penney is right behind the food court, so I went there next. They were having big clearance sales, including buy-one, get-one free on any items with a pink label. It took me forever to decide, but I finally came up with brown jeans (my old pair are starting to go in the thighs - I don't know if they'll survive another winter) and a gold cable sweater. The buy one, get one was more like buy one, get them half-off. With the sale, I got both for about $8 all together.

Peeked at the toy and accessories stores Box Lunch and Miniso, but it was past 3:30 by that point. If I wanted to check out Barnes and Noble too, I figured I might as well get going. Besides, the mall wasn't getting any less busy. I could barely move around in the toy stores. Went out the main entrance door, around Macy's, and past Dick's to the parking lot.

I originally tried to cross at the corner, but it was too crazy. As I headed down the street to cross closer to my destination, I saw something small and dirty laying in the street. It was a little Beanie Baby giraffe, all covered in dirt and bits of leaves. I couldn't just leave him there sitting next to the curb, so I brushed him off as best I could and stuck him in my bag. 

Ducked past the abandoned shopping center that once held Christmas Tree Shoppes and Bed Bath and Beyond before making it to Barnes and Noble. They were also busy, but there's also more room to spread out. I dug two mysteries out of the cozy section and found a book on game shows on the entertainment shelves. Deptford does have a music and DVD area, and they too now sell records.  

My Barnes and Noble finds were: 

The soundtracks for Encanto and The Three Amigos (and I never thought I'd see a soundtrack for the latter - apparently, it's exclusive to Barnes & Noble)

Dim Sum of All Fears - Vivien Chien

Rhythm and Clues - Olivia Blacke

Game Show Confidential - Boze Hadleigh

Stopped in at the Starbucks there to wet my whistle. This time, I went with a small Green Tea Frappuccino. It was cold and I was thirsty. I went through my finds while downing my drink.

Soon as I got outside, I called Uber. It took the young woman about 9 minutes to pick me up, but it was the height of rush hour on a Sunday. At any rate, we once again hit no traffic, and I was home in 20 minutes.

Put everything upstairs, then went right back out again. It was too nice of a day to sit inside. The weather was gorgeous. It remained windy, but was also sunny and warm, probably in the upper 60's. I originally wanted to get a treat from Los Amigos, but it turns out that they close early on Saturday. I considered Dunkin' Donuts, but they didn't have much left, and I didn't feel like hiking all the way to WaWa. I just went home after that.

As it turned out, someone already took care of that. A friend, two neighbors, and their daughter made a pineapple-upside down cake for me. I love pineapple upside-down cakes! I've made them myself a few times. My friend also gave me a card and a huge bouquet of pale pink roses that smell so nice. 

I heard from my family, too. Jessa texted late last night to see if I wanted to hit the Cherry Blossom Festival in Philly with her. I didn't get to it until late, and she didn't read it until much later. We decided to go bowling tomorrow or Tuesday instead. Rose texted me, and I had a nice chat with Mom (who also sent a lovely card). 

Soon as I got home, I took that poor little stuffed giraffe to the sink and gave him a good scrubbing. I hope I got all the dirt off. It took me forever just to pull the needle-like leaves stuck in him. Since he didn't come with his tag, I had no idea what his name was. My friend suggested Geoffrey, after the Toys R Us mascot. I think that will do just fine. At any rate, he now looks much better, or at least, is less dusty.

Watched more Match Game episodes after I went upstairs. One of the most famous early episodes was from the only week where Bobby Van and Elaine Joyce got to sit side-by-side (and the only time Elaine was in Brett's character actress seat). The contestant's answer to a question about Batman and Robin's relationship now has this episode banned from the airwaves. 

Switched to favorite episodes of the night time show after that. Two of the show's best early episodes has Gene questioning Richard's seemingly unusual answers in the Audience Match...and in the case of "Burns and __" and "Admiral __," let's say Richard was right both times. Another show begins with several panelists standing up and saluting a Scottish officer in full regalia. 

The Match Game Sunday Classics marathon began around 7:30 and ran until past 3:30. Ira Skutch, the show's producer and judge, was in the spotlight tonight. A tall gentleman with high cheekbones and a fondness for leisure suits, Ira generally appeared on camera when he had to replace a question that had been compromised in some way with a new one, or to explain his rulings. Among the time he had to do the latter was during the week Donald Ross and Patti Deustch played together. Donald said "a little yellow spot" as to what a dog did on the floor and it was passed. Two other people said "spot," and it was buzzed. Ira told them he passed yellow spot because it was specific.

Ira's rulings could cause a lot of trouble, most notoriously during the infamous "School Riot" in 1977. Ira let "college" and "scuba diving school" slide as answers to where Dumb Dora took her cultured pearls to, but not "finishing school" or "night school." Debralee Scott and Richard Dawson threw a fit. Patti Deustch was so scared, she could barely show her "night school" answer. Brett and Charles tried to defuse the situation by showing Charles as "the first victim of the school riot," but the damage had been done. The lower tier kept their answers up in protest for what little remained of the episode.

On the other hand, his decisions could benefit the contestants. When one woman struck out completely in the Audience Match in a 1976 PM episode and couldn't do the Head-to-Head, they let her match the panelists for 100 dollars each. She ended up going home with 600 dollars and a smile on her face. 

See if you can match answers with the show's infamously finicky producer and judge! 

Match Game Sunday Classics - Featuring Producer Ira Skutch On Camera

And here's the other episodes I watched today!

1973 - First Appearances of Brett, Betty, Bert, and Charles

1973 - Batman and Robin are What?!

1975 PM - Burns and Cuts

1975 PM - Stand Up To Salute!

1975 PM - The Admiral TV Incident

Oh, and the nice weather didn't last forever. The rain returned somewhere around 10:30. It rained hard for a while, but thought it remains windy, I don't think it's rained since. 

Sunshine Matches

Began the morning with breakfast, The Secret Garden, and the Over the Rainbow CD. This is a budget collection of mostly songs from what sounds like a Garland concert. Sounds of the audience are easily heard under - and sometimes over - most of the songs. The title number is the only non-live recording, likely one of her pop versions. "Too Late Now," "When You're Smiling," and "It's All for Me" don't sound too bad, but her belting doesn't work on slower numbers like "You Go to My Head." If you're a fan of hers and run into this, it's worth checking out, but casual listeners and those hunting for essential Garland will want to look elsewhere.

Didn't get the chance to finish the CD before I hurried out. Work was really busy when I got in. I had a hard time keeping up with the carts at first, especially when they kept throwing me into other things like taking cold items back or cleaning the bathroom when the only thing that needed to be done was the trash. The crowds began to subside around noon; the afternoon bagger arrived shortly after and took over the sweeping and trash. In fact, it died so hard by 2, I got the carts finished and spent my last hour returning unwanted items.

Made a very short stop on my way home. Today is Rose's birthday, so I headed a block or so down Kendall to drop off her gift card. I didn't see her around. She probably took the family out to enjoy a lovely day. I left her card in the mailbox and rode home. I hope they did get out. The weather was a vast improvement today over the past week. By 3:30, the wind had diminished, the clouds were almost gone, and it was much warmer, probably in the mid-50's.

Finished out the Judy Garland CD when I got home, then switched to The Commitments while eating dinner. I had the soundtrack on cassette as a kid, but it's long gone. It's as good as I remember it. "Mustang Sally" and "Try a Little Tenderness" were the hits, but my favorites came from the female singers. I've always loved their "Destination Anywhere," "I Can't Stand the Rain," and "I Never Loved a Man."

Ended the night at YouTube with that Bill Daily marathon Match Game Productions couldn't run yesterday. Comedian and character actor Daily was one of the more popular semi-regulars. He appeared pretty much throughout the entire run of the series, from late 1973 through The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984. He switched between the first and fifth seats after Richard Dawson left, doing well with both. He was known for being very twitchy and for his oddball answers that matched Joyce Bulifant's in their strangeness (and lack of matching). 

When Bill was excited, he was inclined to do just about anything. He nearly took off his clothes when he landed a right answer on a Head-to-Head. Another time, he exclaimed "I'm gonna be kissed by a man!" after he hit a really big answer. (Patty Duke actually took over that duty.) He showed off the navy jacket Gene Rayburn gave him for his second wedding during the very last episode of the syndicated series in 1979. He and the rest of the panel barely survived a week during the later syndicated shows where the audience was so rowdy, Gene was right that they sounded like the cast of Animal House. 

Bill seemed to have a lot of trouble with chairs in later episodes. In one syndicated episode, his chair sunk below the desk. (The very same chair that broke on Bob Barker the year before, in fact.) He ended up sitting on a director's chair that was too high. Another time, he took off the chair to lower it, only to forget and sit on the pointy base! Needless to say, his voice was higher for a few minutes after that. Gene had to take him offstage to get him tended to.

Come fly the wacky skies with Bob Newhart's favorite neighbor and Alf's favorite psychologist in this marathon that's nutty as the man himself!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Featuring Bill Daily On the Panel

A Very Matching Birthday

Started off my birthday with breakfast and Match Game. As I have the past two years, I opted to have an all-day Match Game marathon on my birthday, starting with the infamous episode from 1973 where Gene comes in sporting a god-awful green and red plaid suit. Jack Carter says he looks like "a station break in Poland," and the others won't even turn his way when he makes his entrance. 

Hurried out after that to enjoy my big day. Had a few errands to run before I left Oaklyn. Dropped some paperwork in the post office box on the White Horse Pike. Forgot to deliver the Easter bags for Rose and her kids on Easter day; left those on her stoop. Picked up a Lemon-Blackberry Propel at WaWa.

With all that, it was 10 after 10 when I finally pulled into the parking lot behind the Barrington Antique Center. It's a huge old building with a rabbit's warren of room filled with every single vintage item you can imagine, from 100-year-old china and glassware to DVDs and books from two or three years ago. Even with all the things displayed, it didn't take me long to find something interesting.  Cooking With Mickey Around the World Vol l and 2 sat on a table when I came upstairs. I initially grabbed Volume 1, then decided it made sense to take them both. They were $5 each; they came up to a little over 10 with taxes.

(Research on eBay later in the evening revealed they're apparently a bit rarer than the price at the Antique Center would indicate. Though there's a later publication from 2004 that goes for as little as $4, the two volumes from the 1980's can be found for anything from $10 to $75 a piece, though most of them seem to be going for somewhere between $20 and $30. That's still a lot for two spiral-bound cookbooks from 40 years ago. 

I've seen these mentioned in some Disney blogs and pages that cover the history of the theme parks and have wanted to try them. They're collections of recipes from restaurants in Disney World and Disneyland. The 2004 release would cover Disneyland Paris and the Disney Cruise Line as well.)

It took me so little time to find and buy those books, I left earlier than planned. I just barely had enough time to lock up my bike before the bus to Deptford arrived. Fortunately, there were only two other people on the bus, and none of them got off at the Mall.

Since the bus drops you off less than a minute from Red Robin, I began with lunch. Tried something different, the Whiskey BBQ Chicken Wrap. Oh, yum! Grilled barbecue chicken with tangy barbecue sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and lettuce and tomatoes. It was delicious. There were just enough perfectly seasoned steak fries, too.

Went to Boscov's two doors down after I ate. I had such good luck finding t-shirts at their Junior Plus section in December, I thought I'd look for more. Once again, the Junior Plus section came through. I found one t-shirt with a sunflower print and a lovely soft tunic in pretty spring colors, with elastic sides.

Next up (after a brief peek at FYE) was Round 1 Entertainment. Spent the next hour or so running from Pac Man to Mario Kart Deluxe to spinning wheels. The skee ball machines are finally working again, so I got to play those, too. Though I did amass a tidy sum of points, I ultimately decided to save them for when Lauren visits next month. I did get my second toy from a crane at Round 1, a small Kirby poised for flying. 

Was in and out of stores for a while after leaving Round 1. Peeked at Box Lunch and Go! Calender and Toys, but saw nothing interesting. Did better at JC Penney. I picked up a pale blue polo shirt and a pair of black jean shorts, both on sale. The Visa gift card Mom gave me bought these.

Headed across the parking lot after I got back around to Boscov's. There is a Barnes and Noble in Deptford. It's across the street from the Mall, behind the newer shopping center with Bed, Bath, and Beyond and the Christmas Tree Shops. At least it was a nice day for a stroll and dodging traffic. It was still sunny, breezy, and very warm at that point, nearly in the mid-80's, but not humid.

Barnes and Noble was very busy at that point, mainly with kids and parents looking for something to read or play over the holiday weekend. I didn't have that much left on the gift card, so I just picked up a just-started cozy mystery series set in a record shop and the Cary Grand Screen Icons set with Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer, My Favorite Wife, and the Cole Porter "biography" Night and Day. 

 

My receipt came with a coupon for a dollar off a Starbucks Frappucino, so I treated myself to a chai tea version. And of course, I had to have a big "Celebration Cupcake." The Starbucks was also pretty busy, mainly with teens and college students looking for a quiet place to chat with friends or check their laptops.

By the time I finished my drink at 4:30, I didn't really feel like braving traffic to get back across the street...and even if I did, I used up all of my cash on hand on lunch. Called an Uber to get me back to Barrington. She arrived within 9 minutes, not bad for the height of rush hour, and got me to Barrington in about 10. Got on my bike soon as I arrived and rode home, mostly taking the back roads to avoid the congestion except for a brief stop at the WaWa in Audubon for a drink. By this point, it had clouded over and was slightly cooler, but thankfully, the clouds didn't do anything but look ugly.

Did some writing after I got home and put everything away. Fannie finally gets Brett calmed down, reminding her that Richard is here to watch the gold. Brett, however, won't leave until she gets Gene and Richard's full assurance that they'll find her cattle and keep the ranchers from losing more.

(I did get some presents from others today. A friend gave me a beautiful bouquet of coral-orange roses, along with a mug with Hershey's Kisses and Snickers in it, a card, and a balloon. It was very sweet of her.) 

Spent the rest of the night watching Match Game episodes on YouTube. Of course, Gene was hardly the only regular on the show to come in for jokes. A question on one episode asked what Brett Somers would have been arrested for. When Gene asked if we could "get a little milk from Patti," he meant the answer to a question...but Patti Deustch took it a whole other way. Richard Dawson did his Cockney Newkirk voice to read a question about what the Germans would put on to torture the Hogan's Heroes crowd. Betty White had a habit of stripping whenever the appropriate music was played, notably in an episode from 1978. There was also the episode where someone backstage somehow spelled "soup" as "suop" on the Audience Match.

Gene ran into problems of his own. He got his microphone wire tangled around soap star Trish Stewart and yanked the poor girl off her seat! Trish took it well, but Brett and Kaye Stevens chewed Gene out for not being careful, Richard asked Gene to bring up a girl for him, and Charles Nelson Reilly said he preferred the Santa Monica Pier for fishing. He claimed talk show host Mike Douglas hit him on the head when he took his place in the opening for a cameo in one 1976 episode; a year later, he attacked a camera man for not putting a shot where he wanted it. 

Some of the contestants could get even wilder. Overly enthusiastic Dorothy Zinni really livened up the first two shows of 1974. She got so excited, she accidentally hit the perfectly calm and cool guy next to her. Even Richard was too afraid of her for a kiss! One pretty single lady claimed she "fooled around" early in 1975. Needless to say, Richard told her to call him! 

There were memorable male contestants, too. Handsome high school phys ed teacher Ron Valenti really turned Fannie Flagg's head in mid-1975. Cop CB Farnsworth became one of the show's top winners in 1974, prompting Richard and Charles to make up a song about him. Rita Moreno was very nervous helping a gentleman win $20,000 in a later nighttime episode...but her delighted reaction when he said his answer is absolutely priceless! 

Party on with some of the wackiest people on TV in these classic episodes!

1973 - Gene's Wild Plaid Suit

1973 - "Can We Get a Little Milk From Patti?"

1974 - Dorothy Goes Nuts, Part 1

1974 - Dorothy Goes Nuts, Part 2

1974 - Gene Goes Fishing

1974 - The C.B Farnsworth Song

1975 - Blank and Blue and Shecky Too

1975 - "I Fool Around: Call Me"

1975 - Richard's Newkirk Impression

1975 - Fannie's In Love/Gene's Antique Microphone

1976 - Mike Douglas Hosts?

1976 - "There's a Fly In My Suop." 

1977 - Gene Attacks the Camerman

1977 - Richard's "Sat On" Accident

1978 - Betty Strips Down

1980 PM - Rita is Loud and Clear! 

Good and Busy Friday

Began the morning with breakfast and The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town. I went further into the second Rankin-Bass springtime special at my Musical Dreams Reviews blog in 2019. (It's the second review on the page.)

Animation Celebration Double Feature - Here Comes Peter Cottontail & The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town

Worked on writing for a while after that. Brett Somers is already at the Peacock Saloon, waiting to ask Gene if he's recovered her stolen cattle yet. She won't accept his "we're working on it" for an answer, either. She needs her cattle. She and her sons are running the ranch alone since her no-good husband went back east, and she needs the money.

Headed out to work around 11:30, making a short stop at Rose and Craig's house to drop off Rose's birthday card. Kids were starting to pour out of the Oaklyn School for Spring Break as I made my way down Kendall. The afternoon was gray and cloudy, not threatening, just blah. The air was chillier than yesterday, probably in the upper 50's, more like it should be at this time of year.

Work wasn't bad when I got in. I managed to return items and sweep the store for an hour, hour and a half before it got too busy and they pulled me to take customers. Good Friday is always crazy. Not only do a lot of people get off of work early and come right to us for their Easter shopping, but we had a 1-day seafood sale for Lent. Plus, some people were just plain grouchy, and others didn't bring enough money with them for half of what they had. I was so happy when it finally slowed down enough by 7 for me to run out without a relief or a need for one.

Oh, and I got my schedule. In good news, I did get Easter and my birthday on Friday off. Trouble is, I also got two 8 1/2 hour days and three early days. Six people went on vacation this week, likely using up their vacation time like I am, and we're still missing a lot of others. 

I got home in time for dinner and two wild Match Game Syndicated episodes. In the first show, Gene Rayburn yammered on and on for so long, all of the panel but Bill Daily and most of the crew walked off the stage. The abandoned cameras gave us a rare view of backstage and behind the turntables. The second show had Bill taking off his jacket, his tie, and his shoes to give to Charles. (Thankfully, he didn't get any further than that.) 

Finished the night with The Easter Promise. Addie Mills (Lisa Lucas) is excited when real Broadway actress Constance Payne (Jean Simmons) returns to her Nebraska hometown in 1947 to sell her parents' home. She claims Constance and her father James (Jason Robards) were friends in high school, though the truth is, James thinks she's snooty. Constance is not in the best shape when Addie and her friends come to her for autographs, but Addie does manage to talk her into giving out the prizes at their big Spring Style Show and coming over to her family's house for dinner. Constance keeps drinking during dinner and appears at the show drunk. Addie tries to cheer up Constance by convincing her to give her and her friends acting lessons. That works out well the first day...but when they arrive the next day and Constance is drunk again, Addie's ready to give up on her. It's Addie's Grandma (Mildred Natwick) who reminds her that spring is a time for second chances, and it's never too late to get a fresh start in life.

Other than I wish they'd filmed in the authentic small town of The House Without a Christmas Tree and The Thanksgiving Treasure, I enjoy this entry in the series just as much as the others. The style show was especially funny. My favorite outfit was Cora Sue's (Franny Michael) ruffled peach "Hollywood" dress, but Addie's rickrack dress was cute too, especially her hat. The girls at their slumber party and decorating eggs brought back so many memories of how my sisters and I would do the same around Easter. (Mr. Mills would probably be happy to know we used boiled eggs, not blown.) Enjoyable Easter viewing, especially for families with girls Addie's age.