I've Still Got My Health

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bad Tooth Rising

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "The Big Foot Incident" has a Sasquatch-like creature stealing gold and cash from banks all over the city. Pammy points out that the creatures are usually gentle and couldn't possibly be doing this on their own. As it turns out, she's right. It's being controlled by a magician who is hypnotizing it for their own gain. The creature chases them all over the magician's castle, but Pammy's the one who finally breaks him out of it. There's an "Elephant On the Loose" (Joe Besser), but he just wants to go home to the walk-around safari. The Shirt Tales help him get where he belongs, before Mr. Dinkel catches him for a reward.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. I didn't think I'd be up to a bike ride after my tooth was pulled. The first driver arrived in 8 minutes; got there just in time. The second came in 5 minutes. 

As it turned out, my being on time was a moot point. I sat in the waiting room for a half-hour before they came for me. Honestly, though pulling the tooth was no picnic, the needles used to numb my gums hurt even worse. Not to mention, it cost a bundle, and may cost even more. The doctor gave me prescriptions for antibiotics to help with the infected gums and stronger pain killer to help with the swelling. At least I can eat real food this time. They just have to be soft and not too hot. 

I took that second Uber trip to the Acme to get them filled. Walked around, then sat for a few minutes while the pharmacy filled them. After I paid for them, I bought one of those new Powerade waters that are really on sale right now (99 cents!).

It was such a gorgeous day, I decided to walk home. Besides, I wanted to stop at Common Grounds Coffee Shop for lunch. I figured you can't get much softer than a blueberry muffin and a slice of mushroom and caramelized onion quiche. Tried their Strawberry Meadow Matcha off their seasonal menu. Not bad. Strawberry foam on top of green tea. Not sweet at all. The muffin was nice and moist, but it could have done with more blueberries. The quiche was much better, filled with soft veggie pieces and lots of cheese. They were really busy - they had to pull out a separate table so I could eat.

After I dodged road work on Newton Avenue long enough to get home, I went straight into The Persuaders! I hadn't watched this British action show about two wealthy playboys who solve crimes for a while. A "Chain of Events" leads Danny (Tony Curtis) to being accidentally chained to a briefcase intended for British Secret Service agents. While his partner Brett (Roger Moore) figures out what's in the case, Danny dodges Russian agents who will literally kill for its contents.

Left slightly early to drop the bag with my old winter coat in the clothes bin behind Dollar General. Even with that and dodging traffic on the White Horse Pike, I was still right on time for the after-school program. This time, they couldn't get a teacher to help with the older kids. They needed more than one, so the head teacher stayed with them. The 10 kids at my table left two of them and myself to do all the cleaning up, and they were pretty noisy in the bathrooms, too. The kids were worse in the cafeteria after snack time, running around, hitting each other, and tattling on it. Maybe they were all excited about the Book Fair this week. I'm just glad they still have book fairs. Several of them had new books they were more than happy to show me.

I'm glad we were able to get them outside slightly early. Like I told one of the girls later, it was too nice to stay inside for long. The weather couldn't have been nicer for late April, breezy, sunny, and in the upper 60's. Just warm enough to take off your jacket without boiling to death. One poor little girl nearly got run over by a boy who was too eager to go on a slide when she was trying to get her boot back on. I had to break up at least two fights, too. At least they all got to go on the swings this time. There were three teachers by quarter of 5, enough to keep an eye on the remaining kids and keep them from getting kicked.

We took them back inside around 5...which lasted for all of 5 minutes before the kids voted to go on the blacktop and play ball games. I was almost done at that point, anyway. I kept an eye on a couple of boys playing soccer and one poor younger boy who had smacked his back earlier and now had an ice pack on it. They were down to six older kids and two younger ones when I finished.

Took out the recycling, took my laundry downstairs, and took a shower when I got home, then had dinner while watching Match Game '91. Most of the episodes finished the week with Bill Kirchenbauer, Pat Musick, Jo Anne Worley, Charles, Bruce Baum, and soap star and singer Gloria Loring. Bill got the lion's share of the good lines that week, especially his reaction to a question about Vidal Sassoon! Vicki Lawrence and another soap star, Walt Willey, returned the next week, along with Ronn Lucas and Scorch and the hilariously sarcastic Pam Stone.

Brought my laundry upstairs as I watched episodes from various versions of Scrabble. This may be by far the best board game to have become a game show. It debuted on NBC in 1984 with Chuck Woolery hosting, and became a cornerstone of their daytime schedule. Two contestants play what is essentially Scrabble Crosswords. They choose numbered tiles that bring up two letters. If the letter is in the word, it'll appear. If it doesn't, it's considered a "stopper." Three stoppers, and the contestants now had to guess the word as letters appeared. The "Scrabble Sprint" was the bonus round. The winner has to guess words as quickly as they can. That determines the length of time they have to play the champ. 

Despite the slightly complicated game play, I can see why this was a hit right out of the gate and would be a mainstay of NBC's daytime schedule for five years. This is one of the fastest-moving game shows I've ever seen. They usually have room for at least two games. Woolery is just as charming her as he was on Love Connection around the same time. I have the debut episode here and the 200th episode from 1985.

Scrabble briefly returned to NBC in 1993. It was more-or-less the same format, but even with a snazzier set and Woolery returning, the life seemed to have gone out of the show. This version lasted six months. A pilot for a syndicated version in 1990 didn't sell.

Scrabble wasn't seen on TV again until 2010 as part of Family Game Night. This hit on the Hub (and later Discovery Kids) had four games an episode based on popular Hasbro board games. Scrabble Flash had families rearranging giant letter tiles to make words. The bigger the word, the more points they got. 

Scrabble Flash was dropped after the first season in favor of a full Hub show, Scrabble Showdown. This time, a parent and their child plays. Once again, we have a series of mini-games, this time all based on Scrabble. In "Scrabble Knockout," one contestant plays Vanna White and eliminates the letters on a huge board that the other contestant calls out. "Scrabble Babble" is basically "Scrabble Password." The adults get a three-letter word with a missing letter. They have to put a tile in and describe the word. "Scrabble Scream" is unscrambling words. Scrabble Slam has them replacing a letter in a four-letter word with another letter to make a new word. Scrabble Flash is retained for the bonus round. Really fun show, especially if you love words, and it's too bad it didn't last more than six months in 2011-2012. 

It wouldn't be until 2024 when Scrabble would return in something like its original form and for adults, this time on the CW. The game still revolves around crosswords, but this time, they're on a computer-generated Scrabble board. The current and returning champs once again play each other and guess words quickly in the bonus round. Raven-Symone hosted the first season of the show. Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson took over last fall, and he's the host in the episode from the CW's website I have here. 

Calling all word lovers! Challenge your brains and stump your reading skills with these fast-paced, heart stopping spelling extravaganzas based on one of the most beloved board games of all time!

Scrabble Premiere (1984)

Scrabble (1985)

Scrabble (1993)

Family Game Night (2010)

Scrabble Showdown (2011)

Scrabble (2026)

Night of the Mario Galaxy

I overslept and had just enough time this morning before my dental appointment to eat a quick breakfast, dress, and take a call from Alyssa at Camden County. I wasn't able to get the First Time Buyers loan. You need two lines of credit, and though my credit is about as good as you can get, I only have one credit card. I've also only had the second Healthy Kids job for almost a year. Even though I've been at the Acme for 27 years, they don't count Healthy Kids. She said she'll apply me to a less-stringent loan and see if I can get that. 

By the time I finally called Uber, it was too late. They arrived in 10 minutes, which made me slightly late to my dental appointment. I did better later in the day. It took 9 minutes for the driver going to the Cinemark to arrive, and 8 for the one going home.

My dental appointment did not go well. My back lower left tooth, the one behind where the other one was pulled, has been sore and a little wobbly for weeks. My gums have been a little sore, too. I thought I took care of that problem five years ago! I haven't had so much as a cavity since that last tooth was pulled in June 2023. It was fine the last time I went for a dental appointment in early January. At least they won't be pulling it for another two weeks, and I was able to get the usual cleaning, but it's still scary and frustrating.

I tried to cheer myself up with a spinach and feta omelet and multi grain bagel at the Westmont Bagel Shop. I spent most of the time listening to a group of older women behind me chattering. Bought water and "puffcorn" (popcorn with no hulls) for the movies at Dollar Tree and tried to get money at Target.

After I gave up on the money and decided to just take Uber, I headed to the Cinemark in Somerdale to see The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I missed the showing I originally planned on seeing...but there was another one just 20 minutes after that. I got into that one with five minutes to spare.

For once, almost every commercial before the movie was for something I really wanted to see, or at least thought looked interesting. I'm so glad they're finally putting out the Michael Jackson biography after pushing back the release date at least three times. I will absolutely be catching that at the end of the month to review it for my Musical Dreams blog. Supergirl is a definite yes after I loved Superman last summer. (And it'll give me something to look forward to between the end of the school year and Lauren visiting.) Masters of the Universe looks like they're at least trying to get closer to the original cartoon than the first time MGM attempted to go live-action with that franchise in 1987. We'll see about the unique animated buddy action fantasy Forbidden Island in late September. I may wait for that and the Paw Patrol dinosaur movie to debut online. The only one I likely won't bother with is Minions & Monsters. The commercial was cute, but I never really got into the Minions/Despicable Me franchise. 

I won't go heavily into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie because of spoilers, but...I loved it. I don't have a clue as to what the critics are complaining about. They whined about the last one, too. Maybe they don't like movies being based on video games. Chris Pratt was much better as Mario, Donald Glover was a surprisingly perfect Yoshi, and Benny Safdie was hilarious and even touching as Bowser's devoted son Junior. In fact, I love how they handled the relationship between Bowser and Junior. Bowser may be a lousy emperor, but he is a great single dad. If anything, Princess Peach (Anya Joy-Taylor) was even more awesome here than in the first movie, reminding me of why she's been my first-choice character whenever she was playable for 40 years. 

It's still no masterpiece. Some sequences, like the short bit with the Bee Queen and the one with Yoshi and the babies on the dinosaur planet, don't really move the plot along and seem shoehorned in to add more references to other Nintendo games. They crowd out characters like Fox McCloud of Star Fox and Rosalina whom you wish got more screen time. Some of the action set pieces go on for way too long, and a lot of the references may only land if you've been a hard-core Nintendo nut for the past 40 years. 

All in all, I say completely disregard whatever you've heard about this and go check it out, especially if you or your kids are Mario fans. It may not be a perfect galaxy, but it's still a lot of fun to explore.

Headed up the hill to Wal Mart after the movie ended, if only to enjoy the gorgeous day. It was windy, but sunny and relatively warm when you could get out of that cold wind, probably in the mid-upper 50's. I was hoping to find The Super Mario Galaxy Movie soundtrack there, but though they have restocked their record collection since last year, the soundtrack won't be out on physical media until later this year. I just picked up a few bits and pieces I needed instead, including a new dry erase board, granola bars, the Shirley Temple flavor of Olipop that I've seen nowhere else, and their soft and tasty breakfast cookies. 

I got home with just enough time to take out the trash and check something online before Jessa arrived. We ended up back at a surprisingly busy Ponzio's. Their back dining area was closed. I wonder if they were having a party later that evening? Some seats at the counter were closed, too. At any rate, we still had a wonderful dinner. Jessa's Double Decker Turkey Club was so huge, it was more like an 18-Decker. My chicken wrap was delicious, with lettuce, roasted bell peppers, fresh mozzarella, and lots of pesto mayonnaise. She took a slice of chocolate fudge cake home to Mike, but I did eat the vanilla buttercream cake slice right there. Oh yummy. Perfectly sweet, moist, and buttery. The waitress said they were out of a lot of desserts. I'm guessing the cheesecakes and pies and tarts were the first to go, because they seemed to have plenty of cakes and cookies.

Took a shower, then finished the night with The Wild Wild West. James West and Artemis Gordon investigate "The Night of the Beast" (aka "The Night of the Simian Terror") when they hear about a giant ape wrecking havoc on Senator Seth Buckley's (Dabbs Greer) plantation. His terrified ward Naomi (Grace Gaynor) and son Benjamin (Felice Orlandi) are more concerned about being the last of the Buckleys...and that someone has been picking off the Buckleys one by one. The ape had once been controlled by a scientist, but someone else, someone connected to Buckley, seems to be in charge of "the beast" now...and is using him to extract his revenge on the entire Buckley clan. 

Oh, and American Girl just re-released the first 8 historical dolls - Molly, Samantha, Kirsten, Felicity, Addy, Josefina, Kaya, and Kit - in limited edition versions, with their original meet outfits, accessories, and books. The only one of those dolls I don't have who interests me is Addy, and I could probably adopt one cheaper on eBay, but they're still available if you want them and don't have any of them. (Now if only they'd re-release more of their outfits...or even make new ones...) 

Tooth and Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and a couple of quick shorts from Minnie's Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals on Disney Plus. It's "Moving Day" for the ladies as they try to get a huge sofa up to their new high-rise apartment. "Bessie Delivers Again"...Daisy hopes, anyway, when she pulls her Gram Quacker's old ice cream truck out of storage. After she misses a delivery, Cuckoo Loca and Minnie realize that Bessie just needs a coat of paint and some repairing to make her the perfect delivery van. Minnie's nieces Millie and Melody judge "The Great Cookie Bake-Off" between Minnie and Daisy to decide whether Daisy's crispy or Minnie's soft chocolate chip cookies are the batch they'll be using.

Hurried out after that to the Westmont Plaza for my dental appointment. I was a minute or two late, nothing really terrible. The lady came out after five minutes. The cleaning itself went fine. I did have to wait ten minutes for a check-up...only to learn I wasn't due for one yet. Then I had to wait another ten minutes to check out and find out I didn't owe them co-pay. It took me almost an hour to get out of there.

When I did get home, I had lunch while watching Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. I go further into this sweet, charming, and rather sad TV movie from 1975 about a widow who rediscovers life dancing at the title ballroom at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Queen of the Stardust Ballroom

Hurried off to the Thomas Sharp School before work even ended. Thank heavens it warmed up enough today to take the kids outside! We started in the library and had the kids there for a while after they came inside, but we did get them out to the playground for about 40 minutes. It was cloudy and cool but not freezing, probably in the mid-40's, and not windy, either. Although some of the kids did argue over the swings (and one of the boys tossed his Pikachu hat in a tree), most of them had a ball running around in the playground for the first time since the middle of last month. We settled down to color and read to them after we got in, then moved them with the big kids in the cafeteria when there were only four little ones left.

Soon as I got out, I rushed home, did chores, and took out the trash before Jessa arrived. We ended up at the IHOP behind the Cherry Hill Mall to have breakfast for dinner. We both had their breakfast combo. She had her eggs over easy and buttermilk pancakes. I had mine scrambled and Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Strawberry Pancakes. Yum! IHOP really does do good pancakes, nice and moist even before you mess around with their syrup varieties. My bacon was nice and crispy, too. 

Finished Queen of the Stardust Ballroom when I got home, then ended the night with Hart to Hart. "Chamber of Lost Harts" gets into Indiana Jones turf when the head of an archaeological dig sponsored by Hart Industries is killed. Jennifer and Johnathan dig out their hiking booths and head to the Amazon with their guide and Johnathan's friend Nick to figure out who wants the dig shut down and why.

Nothing But the Tooth

Began the day with a very small and quick breakfast and Doc McStuffins. "Doc McStuffins Goes to Washington" when she's called to do a tour of the White House with then-first lady Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama herself asks Doc to fix a child's toy, but when the toy wanders off, her stuffed animals have to find them while Doc distracts the First Lady. "Winded Winnie" is a toy tiger cub who is supposed to blow up balloons for Doc's brother Donnie's birthday, but after one try, she can't do it. Doc reveals that, while humans with asthma like her brother need doctor's visits to clear the gunk out of their lungs, toys just need to be dusted.

Hurried out when the cartoon ended. I was late getting out to my 11:30 dental appointment. Thankfully, I was only 5 minutes late. It was just a cleaning anyway. It didn't take very long. The technician scraped and cleaned my teeth, then she polished them. I made my next appointment for early January and was on my way in a little over a half-hour.

Celebrated the successful completion of what will very likely be my last health appointment of 2025 with lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. They were really busy when I arrived. I'd never seen it so busy in there! Every booth in the front was full, so I settled in the back. Tried their cheese steak omelette, cheese steak beef meat with cheese, peppers, and sauteed onions. Oh yum! A wonderful melding of flavors. It was so filling, I did eat my French toast (cinnamon sugar-dusted) bagel, but couldn't finish the home fries.

Hurried straight home after that. Watched I Go Pogo while getting organized for work. I go further into this obscure stop-motion adaption of Walt Kelly's beloved satirical comic strip from 1980 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Election Day Special - I Go Pogo

Headed off to the Thomas Sharp School a little bit early. Good thing, too. We needed all the help we could get today. The kids were in the library due to the music class running overtime, and they were really antsy. Half of them couldn't or wouldn't sit down. The teacher tried to read a book about hibernation to them, but it was a bit dry, and rather long. None of them really paid attention to it. (One of the kids probably grabbed it randomly off the shelf and asked her to read it without realizing what it was about.)

It was a relief when we all trooped outside. For one thing, the weather was stunning. Cool but not freezing, windy, sunny and bright blue, even as the sun went down. I chatted with the girls, convinced three older boys to race their Hot Wheels on the sidewalk leading to the side door rather than on the slides, and danced with some of the littlest ones. When we did go back inside, I worked on drawings of my ideas for The WENN Nutcracker Suite, specifically Betty's now-moving toys lining up for battle and spoiled Princess Pirlipat attempting to turn Betty into her own living doll.

Finished Pogo when I got home, then went right into Match Game '76. The week with Dick Martin and Fannie Flagg finished out by the end of the night. The last episodes brought in big George Kennedy, lovely Donna Mills, and the truly unique Patti Deustch. Needless to say, Gene was thrilled to give Donna her "new kid on the block" kiss...and Donna seemed pretty happy, too!

Put on You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown when I got out of the shower. The votes are in at Charlie Brown's school. There's no way he'd win, so Linus gets the nomination for student body president. Aside from a botched radio interview show, the campaign actually seems to go pretty well...until Linus gives a speech on his favorite topic, the Great Pumpkin.

Finished the night with two election-themed vintage sitcom episodes. Richie Cunningham learns more about "The Not-Making of the President" than he likely ever wanted in Happy Days to when he falls for a girl campaigning for Adelai Stevenson in 1956. His father, an Eisenhower devotee, is furious that his son could even consider voting Democrat and having his own opinions...until he realizes that the speaker for the Republican side at the Arnold's youth rally is Fonzie.

"The Election" doesn't go so well for the cops on Barney Miller either. They spend their Election Day dealing with a shoplifter who stole underwear from a local department store, a lady who threw a toilet out her window because her husband wouldn't let her vote (Brett Sommers), and a local cop running for public office. The lady has no idea who to vote for, and the cop doesn't prove to be so popular. 

Nothing But the Tooth

Began the morning with breakfast and two of the most beloved Mickey Mouse shorts of all time. He's "The Brave Little Tailor" who fights a giant to win the hand of fair Princess Minnie. He goes "Thru the Mirror" and ends up dancing with a Greta Garbo Queen of Hearts card, which the King of Hearts doesn't like one bit!

Hurried off to Nueva Smile at Westmont next for my annual dental checkup. I got a late start and was five minutes late, but they thankfully didn't take long to come for me. Had my x-rays and my teeth checked for cavities along with the usual cleaning. No problems here. For once, my teeth are just fine. Not a sign of cavities or anything else. The doctor didn't even take five minutes to examine them. I was in and out in less than 40 minutes and won't be going back until early November.

Ran a few errands next. Needed a card for my nephew Skylar's 21st (!) birthday on Thursday and more of the Sonic hydrating limeade at Dollar Tree and anti-itch cream at Target. I'd been itching red bumps since the night before. I otherwise felt fine - no fever, coughing, or colds. I suspect it was a heat rash or perimenopause asserting itself, especially since most of the bumps were under where my clothes or socks would have rubbed against my skin. It was still very hot and very humid, with no breeze to relieve the relentless heat.

Had a yummy lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. Their avocado tomato mozzarella omelet is one of their most creative, and it's so tasty! The French Toast Blueberry Bagel was pretty good, too. It was the lunch hour, so they were relatively busy. I listened to big group of sweet, cackling older ladies two booths in front of me while I ate.

Hurried home after that to get ready for work. Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus as I got organized. "Minnie's Tune Train" is a pink train car with a calliope that Minnie can play. She and Mickey take the train to pick up the rest of the gang for a concert, then help Minnie find a replacement part for her organ when one of the pipes gets damaged.

Hurried off to work after the cartoon ended. I came in as the kids were sitting in a circle, playing "The Detective Game." One of the teachers would take a kid into the bathroom. Another kid would ask the others questions to see what they remembered about the first kid. They sure seemed to enjoy it. The ones who weren't chosen were disappointed that they didn't get to go. The teacher promised they would have a chance tomorrow. After snack time, I joined two of the girls to build a fortress with Jenga blocks and drew Maple dancing with Prince Victor in her tower in Maplepunzel with the artists at the drawing table. 

Stopped for a milkshake at Yummies Palace on the way home. Despite it being past 5, there was a line waiting for water ice and home-made ice cream sundaes. Good thing I ended up with a Biscoff Cookie Butter milkshake. The girl behind the counter mentioned they had trouble with their electricity and lost a lot of water ice and ice cream earlier, including their banana cream ice cream.

Put on Remember WENN when I got home. "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" is one of my favorite episodes of the series, and the episode that made me a fan of this show. Gertie Reece's attempt at a radio action drama turns into a hilarious spoof of Casablanca. Scott is Rick, Betty is Ilsa, Victor is Victor Laszlo, Eugenia is Sam, Hilary is a bitter patron at the bar, Maple is the refugees and club singer, Jeff is the waiter, Mr. Eldridge is Karl, Mackie is Major Peugeot, C.J is the bartender and a German soldier, and Mr. Foley is the German commander (whose dialogue is spoken by Gertie). Trouble is, like the original Casablanca, Gertie doesn't have an ending for her play. She, Betty, and Hilary bounce several ideas off the tops of their heads, but none seem quite right. Betty types who she thinks the version of her in the story should end up with...then doesn't give it to the ladies. Sometimes, it really is best to draw your own conclusions.

"Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy" is the kindly organist who is targeted by a supercilious British agent after he overhears her speaking what sounds like German on the phone. Quist first bans music and sound effects and has the cast paraphrase their roles, to see if codes are still going out through that channel. When nothing is found, he moves to Eugenia...but she has a perfectly decent reason for speaking German and wanting to meet him at German restaurants. 

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts next. Hilary barges into Troll's room, intending to demand to know who really owns the house. He's not there, but his room is a shambles, with broken crockery and slime-crusted furniture. She finds a familiar, heavily mutilated photo on his dresser. She can tell it was a man and a woman in costume, but most of the picture is almost completely obliterated, except the man's eyes. She demands Troll explain it when he arrives. He's angry with her for invading his domain, and even angrier when she accuses him of being "just a monster." They're so loud, they bring the others running. Hilary stomps off with the ladies to have dinner in her room, while the furious Troll orders Eagle back to his work and Bear to help Mrs. Fox with dinner.

Finished the night on YouTube with Glitter. I go further into Mariah Carey's depressing attempt at a musical vehicle at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - Glitter

Dolls and Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and The Adventures of Flash Gordon. "The Monsters of Mongo" include a giant dinosaur-like creature, sea serpents, and trees that reach out and grab victims. Flash, Dale, Zarkov, and King Thun manage to dodge the first, but they're caught by Ming the Merciless' daughter Aura. Ming keeps Dale for himself and wants to make use of Zarkov, but sends Thun and Flash to the mines as slaves. Aura frees them, but they run headlong into the sea serpents and trees before Prince Barin and his men catch them.

I was supposed to have an interview with Healthy Kids Programs, the after-school and summer programs for Collingswood and Oaklyn's elementary schools, at 9:30. I had a hard time figuring out how to get the audio and video working on the first app they wanted to use. I do have an account on Zoom, so I switched to that.

Thankfully, it went very well after that. I explained why I was interested in their program. I may not be a teacher or have worked with kids on a regular basis, but I don't have any problems with them, either.  They only need someone early in the morning or late in the afternoon to help with their before and after school programs, and that would be perfect for my off days at the Acme. I remembered how, in fifth grade, I got so into reading The Lion and the Mouse for my class, the teacher had me repeat the performance for the kindergartners. I spent the rest of the school year helping the teacher out with them, making up stories based after whatever I was into at the time, during what would have been my lunch hour.

(Of course, they partially let me do this to dodge the bullying that had gotten even worse by the late 80's. I would be pulled from Cape May Elementary after that school year and placed in the special ed middle school.)

Went over the Healthy Kids website after I got off with them, then headed to my dental appointment. Got there with five minutes to spare. The waiting room was nearly full to capacity when I arrived. It took almost ten minutes for the dental technician to call me back.

No trouble after that, though. I was just getting a cleaning today. I did admit to the technician that my lower right teeth have been a little sensitive. They chew fine, but I can feel hot and cold with them. She gave me two toothpastes to help with it.

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop after I got out of my appointment. It was past 12:30, and they were pretty busy, too. I had a tasty avocado, tomato, and mozzarella omelet with fried potatoes (that I didn't finish) and a whole-wheat bagel. Grabbed two more bagels for lunch this week on the way out.

Since Great Clips is right next door to the Bagel Shop, I got my hair cut next. There was only one other person sitting in the salon chairs and no wait. They were able to take me right away. I only got a trim this time, since I went so short last time. It looks cute, but given we're coming up on summer, I kind of wish I'd gotten another inch off.

Went home after that and right into dressing the dolls for May and warmer weather. Samantha's birthday is in May, so she gets to wear her pink striped birthday dress with the frilly pinafore. I bought her new white shoes with pink bows and snaps on eBay a few months ago. Molly's trying on her rainbow striped Tennis Outfit. Josefina is in her lovely Dress and Vest and the gold fringed shawl from her Feast Day Outfit for Cinco Del Mayo next week. Jessa's just in a tye-dye flower print T-shirt and capris. 

Whitney celebrates Memorial Day (or Decoration Day, as it would have been in 1959 when her backstory is set) in Maryellen's red, white, and blue bow-print School Outfit with the blue cardigan and cute red bow-trimmed shoes. Felicity is ready to help me clean the rooms in her green-striped Work Gown. I bought the hand-made pinafore for Samantha to wear in the early 90's, but I never did put it on her that often. It works better as an apron. Kit's ready to get that scoop in her pink, green, and yellow Reporter Outfit with the coral knit cardigan. Ariel gets Julie's current meet outfit with the floral peace sign tank top, yellow crocheted vest, and hip flared floral jeans. Barbara Jean is the queen of Cherry Hill High's prom in her pink fringed dress and stole that were originally a play outfit for Melody.

Listened to The Essential Michael Jackson while I worked. You can't get much more essential than just about every big song Jackson ever had, from his time with the Jackson 5 until his final hit "You Rock My World" from 2001. The majority of Jackson's best-known solo output came out between 1979 and 1991...pretty much the entirety of my childhood. 

Jackson was one of the biggest superstars on the planet for my first ten years of existence. We had his Thriller album and I think Bad on cassette. So many wonderful songs that were such a part of my life then - "Rock With You," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man In the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," "Black or White," "Heal the World," "Will You Be There." Now I'm even more looking forward to the Michael Jackson film musical biography that's at this writing scheduled to open in October. 

I checked my email when I got home...and to my delight and shock, Healthy Kids offered me the job. I figured they'd want someone who has more experience with kids, but I guess I really impressed them. I did have to tell them about my vacation with Lauren (I was able to get all but two days - they were going to need help the last two days with the kids getting out of school), and I'll need to change my availability at work. Even if this is only for the late spring and summer, I'll be making two paychecks, and more to the point, will have something to do this summer besides wander around South Jersey buying records and books.

Put on Hart to Hart while I got the deal with the vacation hashed out. "Max In Love" is delighted with the pretty lady (Madelyn Rue) he's dating...at least until he and the Harts come home from an auction house to find their home empty. Max's new sweetheart is helping a crooked auctioneer (Rene Auberjoinis) and his thugs rip off wealthy homes. After Max gets hurt catching the thieves killing one of their own, the Harts take it on themselves to keep the men from making off with the rest of their things. 

Switched to Match Game '78 during dinner. Avery Schriberer and Barbara Rhodes joined in as Richard admitted that for once, his answer to "Whip __" in the Audience Match wasn't very good. Gene spent the next episode trying to figure out who Dayton Anderson was.

Finished the night after a shower with game shows based around numbers or statistics.  The Audience Match on Match Game deals with statistics and surveys to a degree. The most famous survey-based show, of course, is Family Feud. Richard Dawson asks the survey questions in this 1978 episode from the height of the original run's success.

Most other numbers-based shows didn't get anywhere near the long run of Feud. Alex Trebek's first hosting gig in America was The Wizard of Odds in 1974. "The Wizard" asks questions with three answers based on averages. In the second game, they had to guess which phrase or person didn't match with the others. The contestant with the most correct answers got the chance to choose which prizes to play, under locked or open windows. Winners had their names added to Alex's Wheel of Fortune, which he would spin to give a contestant even more prizes.

On one hand, I'm glad this finally turned up in 2022. Until this episode was uploaded, there was nothing of this online but the opening. On the other hand, I can see why it only made a year. The game play is kind of complicated, and the statistics are a bit dry. Alex, however, is charming out of the gate. No wonder NBC would call him back for this show's much-improved replacement High Rollers. 

While most of Trebek's two versions of High Rollers were wiped by NBC, the Wink Martindale syndicated revival from 1987 is still very much around. I loved watching this show on Channel 17 as a kid. It was fun to watch contestants try to roll the right numbers for those big prize packages!

Play the Percentages was somewhat similar to The Wizard of Odds. In this early episode I have here, two couples try to guess a percentage-based question. Whomever got the closest to the answer would earn the number in the question. The original bonus round had the couple choosing a percentage-based answer to a question. Once again, they get the number in question, but getting 0% would end the round. They kept revising this and revising this during the seven months it was on the air in 1980, eventually dropping the couples in favor of solo players and switching the bonus round to being survey-based, more like Feud. Nothing worked, or frankly, made this show a whole lot more interesting. It was gone by fall 1980.

Nipsey Russell had no more luck with Your Number's Up back at NBC in 1985. Here, after Nipsey gives us his poem for the day, three contestants spin a number wheel and try to earn more diamonds. The contestants would select one of two phrases, while Nipsey read the other half. If a car symbol appeared, they'd have to guess the numbers on a car's license plate. Personally, I thought all the spinning and diamonds got to be a bit much. Bringing in audience members to earn money along with the contestants and doing a home game just made things even more complicated. No wonder this didn't last three months.

The British do much better with numbers in their long-running Countdown. The first half has contestants rearranging letters to make words. During the second half, they solve math problems. Admittedly, it is fun to play along with the first half and see what words you can make from the letters yourself. The second half is a little less exciting...but overall I can see why this has been going since 1982 and is one of the longest-running game shows in England. 

Learn about numbers, odds, and statistics with these rare delights!

The Wizard of Odds (1974)

Family Feud (1978)

Play the Percentages (1980)

Your Number's Up (1985)

High Rollers (1987)

Countdown (1991)

Nothing but the Tooth

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Match Game '90. Buzzr's marathon this week is likely to test the waters and see how it'll do as a regular series. I think this version is very underrated. Yes, Ross Schafer is cute and funny but doesn't compare to Gene, and the Match Up tends to slow down game play. It definitely has its fun moments, though, including some really hilarious panelists like Betty White, Charles Nelson Reilly, Joe Alasky, and Vicki Lawrence on today's episode. 

Since the weather continues to hold out and I wanted to take Uber later, I walked to the dentist. It was a beautiful day for a brisk hike down Johnson and Cuthbert. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and while the wind had returned, all those clouds from yesterday disappeared overnight. I should have left earlier, though. Even with no traffic on Cuthbert and moving fast as I could, I still dashed in the dentist's office literally as the technician popped her head out and called my name.

Everything went just fine after that. Cleaning my teeth took 20 minutes. Finding a doctor to check my teeth after that didn't even take a minute. He checked my teeth, declared that I had no cavities, and I moved on in a little over a half-hour. I'm in such good shape, I won't need to see them again until late April.

Stopped briefly for a Diet Pepsi at Dollar Tree, then had lunch at the Bagel Shop. Considering it was 12:30 by that point, they were pretty busy. I still didn't have to wait long for my spinach and feta omelet, chocolate chip bagel, and home fries. Grabbed a chocolate chip cookie on the way out for the movies later.

Walked over to Target, where I picked up Uber. Considering it was the height of the noon rush hour, I was surprised it didn't even take a minute to get a driver. There was no traffic on the back roads of Haddon Township or on the White Horse Pike. After I directed him in front of the theater (I don't know why the GPS keeps sending all the drivers in the back), he dropped me off at the Cinemark within 20 minutes. 

I had just enough time to buy my tickets and slide into my seat, with five minutes to spare before the commercials for Better Man began. I go further into this unique biography of British rock star Robbie Williams that presents him as a CGI ape at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Better Man

And rather disappointingly, not much of interest in the commercials. It was mainly horror that's too scary for me and dour thrillers that looked all the same. The only movie I even liked the look of was the last Mission: Impossible that's set to debut in May. 

Didn't get much out of my trip to Walmart, either. They still don't have much in the way of records, their doll clothes seemed pretty thin, too, and I need to watch the TV show sets I have before I start picking up more. I just bought Propel mix and those Junkless granola bars before picking up the bus home in front of Taco Bell. 

After I took out the trash, I worked on the Seasonal inventory. Added The Ultimate Christmas Album Volumes Five and Six and A Very Special Christmas 2 and 3. Ultimate Christmas Album Volume Five goes back the furthest of this batch. In fact, it goes back so far, I have no idea where it came from anymore. I think it might have been sold in the Wildwood CVS or Acme in the early 2000's, before I moved. Either that, or I got it from FYE around the same time. 

Watched Match Game '73 while I worked and as I ate dinner. After finishing out the week with Robert Q. Lewis and Joyce Bulifant, they moved on to the next week with Judy Carne and Fannie Flagg...for one episode. The episode after that skipped a week and a half to Christmas 1973. Jack Cassidy made his first of three appearances on the show before his untimely death, while June Lockhart was so warm and personable, I wish she came back. 

Finished the night with the soundtrack from The Pirate Movie in honor of a new Broadway revival of The Pirates of Penzance set to debut on Broadway this spring. Yes, I'm aware that this goofy spoof of Penzance has never been popular with the critics, who don't appreciate the jokey tone or weird cast. No, I don't care. While Mabel and Fredrick's pop ballads are bland and silly, the chorus numbers old and new are first-rate. The upbeat "Happy Endings" is more palatable without the slightly salacious choreography in the film's finale, "Modern Major General" has hilarious updated lyrics, and the ensemble songs "We Are the Pirates," "Tarantara," and "Come Friends, Who Plough the Sea" are delights. 

I got lucky and dug this out of the dollar bin at Innergroove years ago, but it's still worth poking around eBay for if you're a fan of the film like me or love 80's action spoofs. 

The Tooth of the Matter

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Sally and her friends search for gold at the "End of the Rainbow." They don't find gold, but Mr. Fixit and Sargent Murphy lead them to an even better treasure. Peng the panda is worried about his wife having a baby while he's building the Great Wall of China. His son creates fireworks as "A Signal for Peng" that would really get him to take notice. "Mr. Frumble's Birthday Party" might be fun, if Mr. Frumble can remember to send invitations and order the right items from the right shop owners.

Let Press Your Luck run briefly as I got organized. Came just in time to see a young man win all cash. The woman was a previous champ and definitely not complaining, but the other poor guy Whammied out. Left as the next show began.

My first stop today was my dental appointment. I went in. The sweet dental technician cleaned my teeth. I got out. The entire process took less than a half-hour. She says my teeth look really good, which I appreciate after I lost two in two years. It's also my last dental appointment of the year. I won't be going back until January 14th.

Headed to Target next. I needed pads rather badly. I was almost out. After I quickly bought Always, I went to lunch at the bagel shop. Had a tasty avocado, tomato, and mozzarella omelet with hash brown potatoes (that I didn't finish) and a chocolate chip bagel (that didn't really have much in the way of chocolate chips, though it still tasted good). They had Culture Pop's wild berry and lime flavor, too. After I ate, I realized I forgot two more items at Target. Stopped there and got them before heading across the street to the Haddon Township Library.

My job counselor Dawn was a bit late, but we did eventually meet around quarter of 2. She never did find me jobs, but I did take several typing speed tests for practice. I never got lower than 88 percent accuracy on any of them, and one was 100. I honestly did very well. I know I'm a good typist, but I wasn't sure what my speed was. I could usually get somewhere between 27 and 42 words per minute, which seems good enough. 

Dawn also suggested attending the job fair at Rowan University with her on Friday. I'll try, but I won't promise her anything. The job fairs never really seem to do me much good. They're mostly industrial, police, or health care companies. 

Rode into the park after leaving Dawn. Newton Lake Park is gorgeous at this time of year, despite how dry and brown it is. The trees are just starting to turn shades of yellow and orange here. It's finally starting to feel like fall. I pushed my bike under that lovely canopy and past the Haddon Township Environmental Center and History Museum. Stopped at Dollar General quickly on my way home. I really just wanted a drink. I ended up with a Diet Dr. Pepper and Halloween felt stickers and plastic colored or glow in the dark vampire teeth for the trick or treat Mystery Bags. 

Had a lot to do at home, too, starting with making the bed, gathering donations for Goodwill, and taking the laundry downstairs. Watched Monkees episodes as I worked. The Monkees find themselves stranded on a remote island after being called to the reading of a late millionaire's will in "Monkee See, Monkee Die." Davy falls for his grand-niece who inherits the castle, while his bandmates try to figure out how the other friends and relatives who are also there for the reading keep vanishing.

It's "Monkees Vs. Machine" when Mike manages to confound a computer enough to get a job at an automated toy factory. He'd be happier about it if he wasn't part of the "new regime" espoused by Daggart (Stan Freburg), who wants his computers to replace a long-time toy designer (Walter Janovitz). He and the other guys first sabotage Daggart's attempts to show how efficient his new machine-designed toys are, then realize that the older toy manufacturer might have a winner after all when they attempt to throw it away, and it keeps coming back...

Put up the Halloween decorations after I finished The Monkees. I like Halloween more than I did as a kid, but I'm not the biggest fan of horror. The scariest decorations I have are a couple of cute stuffed bats and a Beanie Baby wolf with red eyes. Mom gave me the orange and yellow tin and the McDonald's Halloween Happy Meal toys - Birdie, the Hamburgler, and Grimace in snap-on costumes, a McNugget in a heavy purple spider costume, another McNugget with a skeleton mask that doubles as a candy holder, and what I believe to be a Hamtaro character in a snap-on witch costume. They're all on my entertainment center, surrounded by orange and black garland. The cute bat table runner Mom made years ago is on my front room table. Howl the wolf ended up on a shelf, while the ghost Beanies hang out with my collectible bears on top of the records.

Watched Match Game '77 as I worked on the Halloween decorations and put the laundry in the dryer. I couldn't miss the infamous episode that ended with Debralee Scott and Richard Dawson arguing with judge Ira Skutch over whether "finishing school" matched "school." It got really ugly. Poor Patti Deusch was terrified to give her answer, "night school," which was also rejected. The contestant got the audience going, Debralee and Rich got in on it, and Gene couldn't keep order. Charles turned up on sprawled on Gene's steps as "the first victim of the school riot" after the commercial break, but the damage was done. The lower tier kept their answers up in protest for what little remained of the episode. 

Put on Everyone Says I Love You after the episode ended. I go further into this charming Woody Allen musical from the 90's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Everyone Says I Love You

As soon as I brought the dry laundry upstairs, it was time to pull out the cold-weather clothes. It might get warm for a few days this weekend, but it looks like we're largely done with really hot weather here. I could use a dress for colder weather. I have several winter skirts, but not a full-out dress. Other than that, I don't really need much in the way of clothes right now. Put away the Pokemon backpack and pulled out my good leather purse. 

Finished the night after dinner and a shower with two Broadway cast albums and soundtracks I've picked up lately. What Makes Sammy Run? was Steve Lawrence's only solo Broadway vehicle. I'm a bit surprised he agreed to play a jerk scriptwriter who uses everyone around him on his way to the top. His character is abrasive, obnoxious, and not at all fun, despite Lawrence's decent performances of songs like "You Can Trust Me" and "A Room Without Windows." Sally Ann Howes' soprano trilling sounds totally out of place in this dark musical comedy score, and she has no chemistry with Lawrence. Robert Alda does better as Lawrence's boss. All in all, nothing you need to go out of your way to hear unless you're a huge fan of Lawrence. 

The Broadway Melody of 1940, on the other hand, is a career-best for almost everyone involved. Cole Porter's score includes the hits "I Concentrate On You" and "Begin the Beguine." Astaire partnered well with George Murphy and the equally meticulous Eleanor Powell. While you can't see their wonderful "Beguine" and "Jukebox Dance," you can hear Astaire and Murphy have fun with the comic opener "Please Don't Monkey With Broadway." 

The Whole Tooth

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Pups Save a Bat" that's sleeping on the City Hall bell. If they don't move it, Mayor Goodway can't ring the bell! Even after they get to the bat, it keeps flying away. They want to bring it back to its cave. "Pups Save a Toof" when Alex refuses to get out of his treehouse because he's scared of the dentists. The pups all admit they're scared of something...including Chase, who has a loose tooth and is nervous about the dentist, too.

Brushed my teeth, then hurried out for my dentist's appointment. Made it just in time. The lady cleaned and polished my teeth. I had x-rays done, then waited for a doctor. He poked around a little in my teeth, declared I had no cavities, told me to keep up the good work and keep doing what I was doing, and I was on my way.

Stopped at Dollar Tree really quick after that. I mainly wanted a bag for Finley's birthday next week. Also grabbed a large bottle of Dollar Tree's generic flavored electrolyte water, a tinsel garland for the 4th of July, and a container of Sprite Tic Tacs (which I have never seen before). I should have gotten the bag elsewhere. Four people were yelling at each other, over the aisles, calling out insults to each other that they probably thought were funny, but were really obnoxious. And they held up a long line when they finally got to the front. The cashier said she considered it to be amusement, but I was not amused. 

Went straight upstairs and into Scooby Doo's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics when I got home. The teams started off in "Egypt," where the Dread Baron's attempts to cheat at the camel race ended with him coming in second legitimately. They don't do as well in the pyramid climb. Speed Buggy manages to get to the top first, even with nails in his wheels. The Rottens outsmart themselves on an armor run in "Sherwood Forest." Daisy Mayhem would be happier to be playing damsel in distress if heroic Blue Falcon wasn't the first one to rescue her from the tower!

Switched to High, Wide, and Handsome while eating lunch. I go further into this unique historical operetta featuring Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - High, Wide, and Handsome

Spent the rest of the afternoon doing job hunting. I need to find a quick computer class somewhere. The Acme teaches you how to use their equipment, not general computer programs. I'm way behind on that. I wish there were a job I could get that didn't involve it, but I'm not sure what else I could do. I did send out three applications for an office administrator job at a marketing service in Mt. Laurel, clerical assistant at a property appraiser in Cinnaminson, and communications assistant for a marketing firm in Philadelphia. I just wish I could find something that really, really interested me. I wish I knew what I really wanted to do.

It was 7 PM before I finally stopped puttering around online and broke for dinner and Match Game '79. Burr Tillstrom, Kukla and Ollie's puppeteer, appeared towards the end of their last two episodes. He was a good friend of Gene's from way back, which is how the puppets made it on the show to begin with. The second episode showed off Bill Daily's scraggly beard and a political tirade on not paying taxes from Brett, while Bill and Gene did their own soft-shoe dance to end the show in the third. 

Finished the night with big band and jazz albums. The two-disc set Remember Tommy has a lot of Dorsey numbers I'm not familiar with. Some of the better ones included "Marie," "Clarinet Cascades," "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving You," "Opus One," "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You," and "Swing High."

Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd get down with that Latin beat in Jazz Samba from 1962. The liner notes claim this is Brazilian folk music, but it sounds like hot jazz from the era with a touch of South America. The best of these mixes of North and South American sounds are "Desafinado," "Samba Triste," "Samba De Uma Nota So," and "Baia."

Dave Digs Disney came about via Dave Brubeck's five children. Apparently, he wanted to "do something with the kids" after taking them to Disneyland. The six songs mainly come from Pinocchio and Snow White (though we do get the title song from Alice In Wonderland). The Quartet's "improvisations in waltz time" to "Someday My Prince Will Come" is my favorite track here. 

The First Day of Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and a series of Silly Symphony shorts that took place during the spring or had spring-ish themes in honor of the first day of Spring. "Flowers and Trees," the first three-strip Technicolor animated short, won an Oscar in 1933. Two trees are in love, until a mean old tree nearly burns the forest down to get the girl. "Farmyard Symphony" gives us a mini-opera as a rooster pursues a pretty white hen and the other members of the barn yard wait for breakfast. A gingerbread man helps a pretty cookie become the queen of "The Cookie Carnival," then hopes she'll make him her king.

"Springtime" is one of the earliest black and white shorts. It's pretty much just flowers dancing and animals eating each other in time to classical music. "Birds In the Spring" is equally simple. Three baby birds fall out of the nest. Mama and Papa catch two, but a cheeky little fellow decides to start out on his own, until he's chased by a snake and bees and his parents rescue him. "The Goddess of Spring" is an operatic retelling of Persephone and Hades myth that Walt intended as a trial run for Snow White. The animation isn't quite there yet - Persephone moves like she's made of rubber - but there's some nice music, and the story itself is well done.

Headed out after "The Goddess of Spring" ended. Walked to the Westmont Plaza, since I wasn't going home afterwards. While the weather isn't warm like it was last week, it could be worse. It's windy, yes, but the sun is nice when you can get into it. At least it looks like the first day of spring. Cherry trees and magnolias are in bloom now; every garden bursts with daffodils and jonquils. 

Got into Westmont with a little under fifteen minutes left before my dental appointment. Thankfully, the lady who cleans my teeth could take me seconds after I arrived. I went in, she scraped and polished my teeth, and went out. The entire process took less than a half-hour, including making my next appointment for late June. 

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. Apparently, the lady did really good work. An older woman complimented me on my smile while I was waiting for my spinach and feta omelet and multi-grain bagel. That made me feel even better than the delicious lunch. 

It was getting late by the time I finished, so I figured I'd take Uber to Somerdale. The chatty guy arrived in four minutes and got me to the Cinemark 16 in ten. Thankfully, there was no traffic on the way. He arrived just as the ads began.

First of all, along with the live-action comedy If (Imaginary Friends), there's some cool animated movies coming out this summer. No interest in another Despicable Me whatsoever. I liked the first three, but not enough to get me into a theater. If I see it at all, I'll stream it or rent it later in the year. Inside Out 2, on the other hand, looks genuinely intriguing. The girl the emotions are inside of is growing into her teen years, so there might actually be a story here. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire definitely isn't my thing, but the visual effects on the previous Godzilla movie did just win an Oscar. The Wild Robot gives me Iron Giant vibes and looks like it'll be beautifully animated and very sweet. 

I ended up seeing Kung Fu Panda 4. I'm not going into spoilers here while the film is in theaters, but I did enjoy it. Maybe not as much as the previous films, but I still love this franchise. Jack Black still has fun as Po the Dragon Warrior, and Awkwarfina does better than you might think as the fox thief he trains. Bryan Cranston and James Hong as Poe's two very different fathers are hilarious, and Lori Tann Chinn has a few good moments as a female boar who manages the bar where Po looks for someone who can take him across the sea. Some terrific animation too, especially near the end, when the villain is taking everyone's moves. 

The villain, however, is a lot less interesting here, and some of the action sequences seem a bit perfunctory. This also lacks a lot of the warmth of the previous films, especially the third one that emphasized Po's family. I'd say if you love this franchise like I do, come check this out too. If you haven't seen the other movies yet, please do so before you come anywhere near here.

Went straight over the hill to WalMart after the movie ended. They didn't have any interesting records, but I did find The Wild Wild West: The Complete Series for $19.99. Though Pluto TV currently has it, that was too cheap to pass on. Finally found the Listerine Gum Therapy mouthwash; Target's been out of it for ages in the smaller size. Grabbed more of those Junkless granola bars too. They had D vitamins in gummy form for a decent price. Picked up large colored pencils for the kids' Easter bags.

Got down to the Black Horse Pike in more than enough time for the bus to arrive. It was a little late, not bad for the height of rush hour. Thankfully, the traffic was going in the opposite direction. The bus made only two stops and got into Oaklyn within 20 minutes. 

Did job hunting after I got everything put away, then began another fairy tale idea. I keep stalling on the Match Game fanfics. I'm hoping I might actually be able to finish another short. This one begins with a woman who lives above a flower shop and works for a kindly older lady, though she feels awkward learning the things the woman already knows and living in her home. 

Watched I'll Cry Tomorrow while I worked. I go further into this harrowing adaptation of vaudevillian and early talkie star Lillian Roth's autobiography at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

I'll Cry Tomorrow

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Rita Moreno made her first appearance on the show this week since the lost 60's series, along with Gary Crosby, Joyce Bulifant, and David Doyle. No one really had much luck with "__ Hairs" in the Audience Match. They did better in the second episode, as David helped the contestant with "__ Plaza" in the Head-to-Head.

Put on records while I worked on my I'll Cry Tomorrow review. The Ronco Get It On! collection has some of my favorite songs from 1974. Classics here include the original "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray, "Ain't No Woman Like the One I've Got" by the Four Tops, "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern, "Playground In My Mind" by Clint Holmes, and a disco-esque version of "Also Sprach Zarathrusta" by Deodato. 

The Unforgettable Fire is one of the earliest hits from Irish band U2. It's mostly known today for the massive hit singles "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)." They went far more atmospheric than their earlier records, and this may have been their biggest success yet. 

Finished the night at YouTube with more animated spring shorts. "Springtime Serenade" is one of the very few color shorts made with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit at Universal. He and his sister Fanny are eagerly cleaning their summer resort for warmer weather. They ignore a groundhog's dire prediction...until the snow arrives...

Though credited to directors Harman and Ising, the public domain Happy Harmonies short "To Spring" was some of the earliest work by William Hanna. Little men who live underground mine rainbow pillars to produce all the color for spring. They have to work overtime when Old Man Winter creates a storm to keep him around a little longer.

"Pastry Town Wedding" was the first cartoon from the RKO Van Beuren Studios. It has a lot in common with "Cookie Carnival." Two tiny pastry people who help the larger chef with his work opt to get married. Very light on plot, but there's some imaginative animation, especially when they're making the wedding cake.

The Tooth Will Out

Started off with Charlie & Lola. Lola keeps asking her brother "How Many More Minutes Until Christmas?" They open an advent calendar to help keep track of the days before the holiday. Lola is more concerned about having mixed up her card to Lotta with her letter for Father Christmas. She sends another one, but is worried about it getting there on time. When they discover that there seems to be no door in the calendar for the 25th, they cut one themselves, then travel through it to help Santa's elves find enough wrapping paper for all the gifts.

Headed off the Westmont Plaza on Uber after the cartoon ended. No trouble here. The Uber going there came in 6 minutes. The one taking me home got there in 8. No traffic anywhere, not even on Cuthbert Road. 

I had enough time before my dental appointment to drop off my L.L Bean boots at the UPS Store in the mall. Mom sent me a beautiful pair of L.L Bean boots, but they're too small. I'm exchanging them for a larger pair in a different color. I went in, handed them the exchange, and went back out again. The entire transaction took less than a minute.

Since I still had a little time, I browsed in Dollar Tree next. I found this really sweet flower-themed calendar that was just as cute as and a heck of a lot cheaper than anything at Go! Calendars and Toys. That took me longer to get than I would have liked. The cashier held up the line asking the woman to write down the place where she worked and see if she could get a job. 

Thankfully, even running in five minutes or so ahead of schedule, I had no trouble at the dental office. I wasn't there two minutes when they brought me in. Took a half-hour to get my teeth cleaned and another ten minutes for the doctor to tell me I have no cavities and absolutely nothing wrong with me this time. Even my gums are perfectly healthy. It took them longer to find a doctor to look at my teeth than for him to look at them. I was out in less than an hour after making a regular cleaning appointment for late March.

Dropped by Sprouts really quick after I got out of the dentist's office. I'm not doing any kind of shopping at Westmont Plaza next week. Between last-minute Christmas shoppers at Target and Dollar Tree and the kids being out of school for Christmas break, the place will likely be a madhouse. Grabbed coconut milk, a box of those breakfast sandwich cookies I like, and a can of Zevia Ginger Root Beer, then admired their gingerbread house display. My favorites were the Eagles-themed house with the photos of players stuck on gingerbread men with icing and the house decorated with natural ingredients like dried fruit and herbs.

After I got home, I watched Tattletales while having lunch. Buzzr stuck to the week with Betty and Allen, Bill and Ann, and Chuck and Jo Ann from 1974. I'd seen the first episode before, including during other Betty White marathons. Allen got the best story in the first episode when he recalled how his wife insisted on stopping to pet a cow. She not only pet the cow, she crooned so nicely to it, cows eventually lined up to be petted by her. This story is so funny, it's also mentioned in the Allen and Betty biography. Chuck and Jo Ann also have a hilarious story about how he spent their New Year's Eve honeymoon in the Florida Keys serenading her girlfriends under the moonlight.

Got organized while watching the first Facts of Life Christmas episode. "The Christmas Show" from the fifth season has Tootie and Natalie excited to be going home together for the holidays as Jewish Natalie celebrates her first Christmas. Jo is very upset when she can't go visit her mother in Miami for Christmas, but she's not happy when Tootie and Blair try to rig up a phony raffle to give her tickets, either. Meanwhile, Mrs. Garrett would just be happy to sell the 75 fruitcakes she baked. 

Switched to Ernest Saves Christmas as I made Ginger Molasses Cookies and Cherry Coconut Bars. Ernest (Jim Varney) may live in warm Orlando, Florida, but he's a huge Christmas fan. He's as shocked as anyone when none other than Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) shows up in his cab, claiming he's in Orlando looking for his replacement. He figures Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark), a former children's show host, would be perfect. Joe's sleazy agent (Robert Lesser) is pressuring him into appearing in a Z-grade Christmas horror film, but he's reluctant to do or say anything that would frighten children. Ernest also finds himself dealing with Harmony Starr (Noelle Parker), a selfish runaway whose frequent lying and acting older than her age hides the pain over her parents' divorce, and then having to drive the sleigh with two sarcastic elves before midnight arrives!

Wacky Christmas comedy is one of Ernest's best vehicles, and one of the best movies about the existence of Santa. Seale is so good in his role, he was the man I imagined when I thought of Santa well into the 2000's. If you ever wanted to give one of Ernest's movies a try, this isn't a bad place to start.

And no trouble finishing the cookies this time. All of the Ginger Molasses batches came out perfectly and smelled incredible while baking. The Cherry Coconut Bars were slightly crumbly on the bottom, but not so much that I wasn't able to cut them and get them into boxes. 

Went upstairs to watch The Polar Express. I go further into this creepy motion capture adventure with Tom Hanks playing, among other characters, a conductor on a train taking children to the North Pole at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Extra - The Polar Express

Worked on writing for a little bit. I returned to Nutcracker Blank, the Match Game Nutcracker retelling I began last year. Betty, the queen of the snow fairies and of Toyland, brings the others to the castle. Her husband King Allen and daughter Princess Clara Marie are still under spells that turned them into toys. The Sugar Plum Fairy (Brett) and her cavalier (Charles) have vanished all together.

Broke at 7 PM for a quick dinner, then to make chocolate fudge while watching Match Game Syndicated. The first episode got especially wild. Bill Daily threw his chair when Gene had the panel vote on whether or not to cut to a commercial. (Bart Braverman was the only one in favor of it.) Brett's more nervous when she has to answer "Prince and __" for the Head-to-Head in the second episode.

Finished the night back upstairs with the original 1947 Miracle on 34th Street, another comedy about the existence of Santa. This time, Santa is in chilly New York City, and he's not looking for a replacement. He ends up getting a job when he goes over so well in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, their event director Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) hires him to be their store Santa. 

Thing is, Kris also believes himself to be the real Santa Claus. Doris in particular is disturbed by this. She raised her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to not believe in any kind of fantasy after her difficulties with a nasty divorce. When Santa is put on trial for lunacy, he's defended by Fred Gailey (John Payne), who turns the hearing into the talk of the Big Apple...and teaches Doris, Susan, and every law official in New York a lesson about the real spirit of the holiday season.

Edmund Gwenn made such a perfect Santa, he won a supporting actor Oscar. The adapted screenplay won as well. I do appreciate that all those law officials aren't played as bad guys. They're normal lawyers and judges with nothing against Kris - the defense lawyer (Jerome Cowan) admits he actually likes him - but are just doing thankless jobs. O'Hara is lovely as Doris, charming and matter-of-fact Wood plays beautifully off her and Gwenn, and Payne is a lot happier and more comfortable here than he ever was trilling with Fox blondes in their musicals. Still a highly recommended holiday favorite. 

Hot Tooth

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. All of the characters look forward to taking part in "Special Talent Day." Don is teaching "Donald Jr," a mini non-speaking version of him, how to dance. The two join the others to learn their dance and see other characters' talents.

Hurried off after the cartoon ended. I got to the dentist's office with five minutes to spare. Took them another five minutes to come for me. Thank heavens, this was a just a routine cleaning. I came in. The lady scraped and polished my teeth. I made a more extensive appointment for late December and dashed out.

My original plan for lunch was Cafe Antonio's, the pizza parlor across from PNC Bank in Collingswood. Turns out they're one of the many businesses in the local small towns that are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I browsed at the free book cart at the library and bought a sparkling soda at Haddon Culinary for the half-hour before my appointment with PNC Bank.

That took even less time. I have three financial concerns right now. The girl said she'd talk to her boss about getting the rest of my money out of the John Hancock account. It's been losing money steadily. She was able to suggest I make a budget every week, instead of per month, since my hours and paycheck fluctuate week to week. She had fewer suggestions on what to do with the rest of my money. She said her boss would call me back later, but I haven't heard from them. I'll call them tomorrow.

The Pop Shop was one of the only places open for lunch. They were busy at quarter after 1 with families treating kids out of school on half-days, kids on their last day before school started, or distracting children too young for school. I had one of their early fall specials. The crispy fish wrap was laden with tasty fish and crisp tomatoes and lettuce. It was also spicier than expected, likely thanks to the onion mayo. The tater tots were wonderfully crunchy and sprinkled with flaky salt.

Rode across-town to WaWa after lunch. Treated myself to two Ultimate Coke Zeroes on sale. Went in, got in the long line, got out. 

Rode home after leaving WaWa. First of all, it was much too hot and dry for lingering, in the mid-90's and oppressively sunny. Second, I'm trying to save money for vacation. Third, I've had enough random shopping for a while. I'll save that for when I visit Lauren. I wasn't the only one who wanted to avoid the heat, either. I saw no one riding home, no cars driving by, not even any people fishing off the bridge between Collingswood and Oaklyn. 

Soon as I got home, I settled down with Merry Andrew. I go further into this vehicle for Danny Kaye that has him as a teacher who joins a circus at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Back to School Again - Merry Andrew

(Oh, and I intend to take my laptop with me on vacation. I won't be doing reviews, but I will still be updating this blog.)

Put my laundry downstairs after the movie ended, then worked on The Wizard of Blank. Joyce helps Scarecrow Charles gain his footing. She's almost regretting his loss of memory. Her Charles is brilliant and funny. She assures him that she'll help him figure out what's wrong with his memory and regain his intelligence.

Broke for dinner and finally remembered to put my laundry in the dryer at quarter after 7. Buzzr is still on Match Game '79. They're now up to the week with Daryl "Animal" Anderson of Lou Grant, Donna Pescow of Angie, and Richard Paul. The first episode starts off with Gene picking on cue card boy Roger Dobowitz after he reveals he cut his forehead and Charles wearing a cowboy hat and making rugged jokes. In the second one, everyone tries to help a nice old man out with "__ Corner" in the Audience Match, but he kept picking the less-likely answers.

Finished the night with something different at Hoopla after I brought my laundry upstairs. I remember listening to the audiobook for at least one Amelia Peabody book when I lived in Wildwood, but I hadn't tried anything like it since. Hoopla had all of the audiobooks for every entry in the series, and two with different narrators for most of the older titles. 

I went with the second, Curse of the Pharaohs, read by Barbara Rosenblatt. I don't remember if she was the one who read the book I heard in Wildwood, but she did a great job here. I especially loved her teeny tiny little Ramses voice and the fluttery one used for Lady Baskerville, who implores Amelia and Emerson to finish her late husband's work opening a tomb despite a supposed "curse." She even came up with a credible Irish accent for journalist Kevin O'Connell and an American one for tycoon Cyrus Vandergelt. 

Tooth and Dolls

Began the morning with breakfast and Doc McStuffins to ease my nerves about my dentist appointment. Doc and her crew hold a surprise party for "Hallie's Happy Birthday." Hallie's not sure what to think of the goofy "illnesses" Sir Kirby comes up with to keep her occupied while the others round up the decorations and food. Doc's toys are terrified of Mr. Chomp, the plastic toy shark who got a "Shark-Style Toothache" when her brother Donny accidentally knocked him against the tub and cracked a tooth. She and Hallie have to convince the others that Mr. Chomp is a bath toy, and he's not scary at all.

Headed out around quarter after 11. Since I wasn't sure what shape I'd be in when I got home, I opted for walking to Westmont. It was still hot and so humid you could cut it with a knife, but it was also sunny and windy. Saw lots of people out and about, including a mother helping her older daughter learn to roller blade and families in their yards.

Since I arrived at the Westmont Plaza a little early, I peeked around in Dollar Tree. I was hoping to find 4th of July decorations, but most of them either looked as cheap as they were or were too big or covered in glitter. I did find a bag with three fans printed with 4th of July themes that were really nifty. Also grabbed a bottle of water for the way home.

I did manage to arrive at the dentist's office ten minutes early. They promptly brought me in the back and sat me down in an operating room. Fifteen or so minutes later, it was out. It wasn't really yanked this time, and they did numb my mouth with needles...but the needles and the extraction hurt like heck. And I wasn't supposed to eat solid foods until it healed. What would I do about lunch?

My initial thought was a smoothie at Starbucks, but it looks like they're out of ice to make slush drinks like Frappucinos and smoothies. They didn't have any 4th of July decorations, either. I ended up with bags cashews in dill pickle and lemon poppy seed for later in the week.

As I walked down Cuthbert, I ran across a woman who is a frequent customer at the Acme. She said it was too hot for walking and agreed to give me a ride. I just wanted to hit WaWa for a smoothie, so she dropped me off there. WaWa was fairly busy, but I was able to pick up a Mixed Berry Banana smoothie with no trouble. Added yogurt and protein powder to make it at least something like lunch.

This time, I really did go home. It was too hot and sticky to be doing anything else. I went upstairs and looked up something online, then swept and vacuumed my rooms while listening to the rest of the Jack and the Beanstalk Peter Pan album. After that finished, I put on the soundtrack album for the MGM musicals Les Girls and Lili. Cole Porter's last score for film isn't his best, but it does feature some decent songs in this story of three dancers who dispute one's tell-all biography. Gene Kelly is the man they're all fighting over. He and Kay Kendall spoof the upper crust in "You're Just Too, Too," while Barry wonders "Why am I So Gone About That Gal?" Lili's main attraction is the lilting, bittersweet hit "Hi Lili, Hi Lo."

Spent the next few hours after that dressing the dolls for July and the upcoming holiday. Whitney's ready to perform in the 4th of July Parade in her AG Dance Dress and Molly's tap shoes. (The tap shoes that came with the outfit are falling apart.) Molly will head off to camp in her Camp Gowanigan uniform and saddle shoes. Ariel's patriotic patchwork peasant top and her shorts are home-made. Jessa's in a pair of shortalls, the red t-shirt from the 90's Blue Jean Basics, and purple jelly sandals. Samantha wears her Middy Dress and Tam with black stockings and black and white boots. Josefina's in her Indigo School Dress and Camisa. 

The closest thing Kit has that's appropriate for the holiday is her red and white polka-dot Reporter's Outfit. It has a turquoise bow, but the skirt and vest look right. As a teenager, Barbara Jean can get away with sporting a brief terrycloth tube top and her own white shoes. 

Listened to the second Remembering the 60's CD while I changed them. We move a little further into the decade here, with songs from the British Invasion and some very American crooners. I have fond memories of hearing many of these on oldies stations in the 80's and 90's, including "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark, The Pink Panther theme by Henry Mancini and His Orchestra, Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto's sexy "The Girl from Ipanema," "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" by Mel Carter, "Since I Fell for You" by Lenny Welch, and two hits from crooner Jack Jones, "Wives and Lovers" and "Dear Heart."

Had tomato basil soup and yogurt while watching an episode of She-Ra: Princess of Power that was fairly dark for this show. He-Man learns about "The Price of Freedom" while helping his sister rescue miners trapped in a cave by Hordak, who burned their village for rebelling. Though She-Ra goes to get help, it's the miners who end up being heroes when they use their tools to dig their way out and get a stricken He-Man to safety.

Worked on writing for a while after I ate. Joyce is barely able to keep the dog in the shed. She hopes no one at Television City is upset that the shed is missing. She's also worried that Ira and the guards, who chased them out, may have followed them.

Finished the night on Dailymotion and YouTube honoring one of the true characters of American game shows. Chuck Barris, whose birthday was earlier this month, is actually a local weirdo. He was born in Philadelphia and even attended Drexel. He got started working for ABC's Standards and Practices and writing  and producing music, including one of my favorite early-60's hits "Palisades Park." 

When they moved him to head of programming, he claimed the shows being pitched to him were worse than his own ideas. ABC suggested he quit and become a producer...which is exactly what he did. His first major hit for the network was The Dating Game in 1965. The wild success of the show involving a young woman tossing out double entendre-filled questions to three would-be suitors, led to ABC asking for more of the same. 

The Newlywed Game debuted during the fall of 1966. Now, we had just-married couples giving sexy answers to ribald questions. It was an even bigger smash, running until 1974 and turning up well into the new millennium in various formats. Bob Eubanks added his own leering jokes here.

Barris continued with more of the same through the rest of the decade. The Game Game, The Family Game, and The Parents Game were all short-lived syndicated variations on The Newlywed Game, with people trying to match each other's embarrassing stories. Sadly, of these, only an episode of The Family Game with Bob Barker hosting is currently available online. Here, it's parents and children trying to match stories. The kids' responses are a bit like the later Child's Play; otherwise, this is better-known for being the last black and white show to air on daytime television.

He'd finally hit pay dirt on syndication in 1973 with his revival of the 50's game show Treasure Hunt. This is basically Let's Make a Deal with boxes instead of doors and normally-dressed women instead of people in chicken suits. Geoff Edwards encourages ladies to pick a box in a pile on the stage. The box had an envelope with money in it. They could keep the money, or go for a bigger prize behind a door. The box might contain the prize, or it might contain a goofy "klunk" junk item or nonsense prize. These were often accompanied by silly skits or gags. The episode I have isn't bad, but apparently, later episodes could get nasty with the "klunks," to the point where Geoff Edwards left by 1977. 

Along with the Dating and Newlywed Games, Barris' most famous production is likely The Gong Show. This spoof talent show features three celebrity judges who hit the gong for some pretty outrageous acts. Some are terrible and get gonged right away. Others are legitimately good and are judged with hand-written numbers. At the end of the show, the winner would receive a check for about $700. The worst act of the week on Friday got a check for $500. 

I've heard stories about how crass this show was since I was a little kid...but what I saw here was actually kind of cute. Allen Ludden joins regular judges Jamie Farr and Jaye P. Morgan to check out an overweight woman doing a dance in a skimpy costume, an adorable little girl attempting folk songs, a lady who could genuinely sing, a big guy who did a pretty decent soft shoe routine, and a very sweet woman and her very big "talking" Great Dane. We even got a brief bit by The Unknown Comic with a bag over his head. It's all in good fun, and it's hilarious. No wonder this would run for five years on syndication and four on NBC. 

The $1.98 Beauty Show is in the same vein as The Gong Show. This time, we have a spoof beauty pageant hosted by an energetic Rip Taylor and his confetti. I doubt Barris intended this to be uplifting, but I love that women of all ages and sizes are included. In fact, the runner-up was an adorable 52-year-old with a truly lovely smile. The first two acts - a woman who did a tango to "Misunderstood" and a baton twirler - were really good. There needs to be more plus-sized hula dancers, too. She moved just as well as the more slender beauties in the movies.

Barris was on a roll, but he finally went too far with 3's a Crowd in 1979. Amiable Jim Peck hosted this attempt to return to The Newlywed Game format. This time, it's a husband, his wife, and his secretary who are matching stories. Um, you can see the problems here. Women's rights groups and unions protested it, including in front of the studio. Even the debut episode I have here leans uncomfortably into Jerry Springer territory as the women hurl bleeped curses at each other. 

That debacle ended Barris' career. His remaining four shows in syndication - Gong Show, Beauty Show, and revivals of The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game - were all canceled within a year of the show's release. Barris would never have a new format on TV again. His last major production was a revival of the 60's show Camouflage. This one was done in by its time slot, as most syndicated shows now ran five days a week instead of one. He spent the rest of his life overseeing revivals of his shows and writing wildly fictional memoirs (including Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, where he claimed to be a CIA agent). 

Let's bang the gong and blow kisses for one of the most truly unique minds to ever work on television!

The Dating Game (1967) 

The Family Game (1967)

The Newlywed Game (1968)

The New Treasure Hunt (1973)

The Gong Show (1976)

The $1.98 Beauty Show (1978)

3's a Crowd (1979)

Camouflage (1980)

(Oh, and the rain that had been predicted all day didn't show up until almost 10 PM. It has stormed off and on since then, though.)