Dolls On National Night Out

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Auntie Hen" is preparing her home for lunch when Little Bear brings her chick nephews and nieces to visit. They wreck so much havoc inside, they end up eating at Hen's picnic table. Little Bear would love to "Play Ball," but he's angry that Emily took his ball without asking. Emily's angry at him for making fun of her baseball uniform. It takes the actual game to patch up their hurt feelings. "Lucy's Okay," even after Duck accidentally sits on her and they hold a mock funeral for the doll.

Had no trouble getting to the Acme on time this morning and on my bike. That's about the only thing that did go right at work. Work was a pain in the rear end from beginning to end. It's the beginning of the month and the day seniors get a discount. I had no help, either. The bagger who was supposed to help ended up in a register again. I kept getting behind on carts. I'd fill them, and they'd vanish again. I was very happy when I finally finished and got out of there.

At least the weather was pleasant. In fact, I think this is supposed to be the nicest weather we have this week. Sunny, breezy, hot, a little humid, but nothing like yesterday! For all the trouble, I did have a pleasant ride home, and it wasn't bad gathering carts when I could get out.

Returned to cartoons during lunch with Paw Patrol "Sea Patrol" episodes. "Pups Save a Water Walker" when Mayor Humdinger steals Francois Turn'bot's new water walking boots, intending to turn Turtle Island into part of Foggy Bottom. Not only did he completely ignore the fact that the island is a turtle habitat, but he can't control the boots. The pups have to go after him. "Pups Save a Windsurfer" when they save an older lady and her friend from an underwater and island volcano that are about to go off.

Switched to the 2002 Strawberry Shortcake as I finished eating. Peppermint Fizz is the only one who refuses to accept newcomer Rainbow Sherbet. She lives on a houseboat, and her life revolves around the water. She's too different for Peppermint. Strawberry holds "The Costume Party" to show why differences are nothing to be afraid of.

Dressed the dolls for August next. Kit, Samantha, and Molly wear their historically-accurate bathing suits I found on eBay. Jessa's purple tropical-print modern bathing suit also came from eBay. Ariel and Whitney's bathing suits were gifts from Lauren. Lauren also gave me the purple sundress with the lace jacket and hot-pink pineapple print. I can't find a historically-accurate bikini for Barbara Jean, so she gets to wear that for a summer date. 

Josefina and Felicity come from time periods where swimming and bathing weren't considered ladylike. Felicity wears her lavender striped Traveling Gown and second "meet" outfit. Josefina is in the pretty beige flowered dress and beige moccasins I found her in.

Listened to CDs while I worked, starting with finally getting all the way through American Musical Theater Vol II. The Cradle Will Rock, an opera about a steel worker who attempts to unionize against a miserly boss, was so politically charged the government tried to shut it down before it opened. Writer Marc Blitzstein ended up playing the piano for the cast while they sang their parts from the audience. Howard DaSylva gets dark title song. They weren't the only show to have trouble, either. Porgy and Bess wasn't a hit in its original 1935 run, though songs like "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" eventually put it over by 1940. Pins and Needles was a very similar revue from around the same time, though far more comic in nature. Ruth Rubenstein sings about being a "Chain Store Daisy" who has to sell to men instead of chase them. 

Two of the big names in this time period couldn't have been more different from another. Kurt Weill specialized in groundbreaking concepts and odd fantasies featuring brittle leading ladies like Gertrude Lawrence, who introduced "Jenny" in Lady In the Dark, and Mary Martin, who joined Kenny Baker to introduce "Speak Low" in One Touch of Venus. He also wrote the wistful "September Song," which was introduced by Walter Huston in Knickerbocker Holiday. "Tchaikovsky" had very little to do with Lady In the Dark, and everything to do with the performer who introduced the wild patter number about Russian composers - Danny Kaye. Cole Porter, on the other hand, went in for goofy shows with sassy belters like Ethel Merman. She introduced the title song of Anything Goes and "Friendship" with Bert Lahr in DuBarry Was a Lady. Mary Martin became a star singing Porter's sexy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in Leave It to Me. 

All of that changed when Oklahoma debuted. Rodgers and Hammerstein's romantic comedy-drama led a revolution where stories got meatier and songs and dances now had to have some relevance to the plot. The version of "Soliloquy" heard here is from the original cast album of Carousel and has a passage Hammerstein cut after opening that is heard nowhere else. For some reason, they use the 1966 revival of Annie Get Your Gun with Ethel Merman, Bruce Yarnell, and Jerry Orbach singing "There's No Business Like Show Business" instead of the original. Irving Berlin himself sings his own comic number from This Is the Army, "Oh How I Hate to Get Up In the Morning." St. Louis Woman wasn't a hit, but it did give us the gorgeous ballad "Come Rain or Come Shine."

Put on Diana Krall as I cleaned up the dolls' boxes and shoe hangers. Quiet Nights mean just that, soft ballad and bluesy numbers. There's standards here, too, "Where Or When," "Too Marvelous For Words," "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," and a really lovely version of "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face." Of the newer numbers, I liked the title song and "So Nice" the best.

Rested while watching the first three episodes of Remember WENN. Decided to rewatch my favorite TV show in honor of its 30th anniversary this year. "On the Air" introduces Betty Roberts (Amanda Naughton), who has just arrived at Pittsburgh radio station WENN in 1939. She won a writing contest, but erudite station manager Victor Comstock (John Bedford Lloyd) isn't impressed until her script saves a broadcast.

"Klondike 9366" brings in perky ingenue Ceila Mellon (Dina Spybey) and shows us more of husband-and-wife acting team Jeff Singer (Hugh O'Gorman) and Hilary Booth's (Melinda Mullins) contentious relationship. Celia is tossed into the fray when she and Jeff host Victor's latest radio creation, a late-night call-in talk show. It just ends up with crossed lines, until they help a little boy (Nick Holmes) keep a prowler at bay. 

Victor and Betty are caught between "A Rock and a Hard Place" when wealthy Mr. Action (Barton Heyman) wants to create a slam-bang action show. However, that would mean canceling Pittsburgh Public Library Theater and upsetting another influential sponsor, Mrs. Mellon (Irene Worth). While Victor tries to figure out how to appease both of them, Ceila tries desperately to avoid Mrs. Mellon...and Betty learns she wasn't entirely upfront about how close she was to the Mellon family. Good thing Betty can keep a secret (something she'll be doing a lot more of in the later seasons). 

Headed out after "Rock and a Soft Place" ended. I dropped off a book at the kiosk in front of what used to be the Oaklyn Library, then headed down to West Clinton. The Oaklyn Police Department held their National Night Out at the parking lot between the school and Tonewood Brewery. They were giving out free bags of popcorn, water ice, hot dogs, bottles of water, and very thin slices of pizza. I had two slices of pizza and one of everything else. Ate while watching older kids slide around and jump triumphantly out of a sports-themed bounce house. There was a Mickey Mouse-themed bounce house for the younger kids. 

I had just come back for cherry water ice when the police announced a pie-eating contest. Actually, it turned out to be more of a Reddi-Whip-in-the-pie-pan eating contest. Two cops competed against a line of kids. They were all utterly hilarious to watch, kids and cops alike! I think one of the older boys ended up winning. I finally went home as mothers wiped their children's whipped cream-covered faces and the cops grabbed lots of napkins.

Caught the last Match Game '76 episode of the night when I got in. Jimmie Walker spent a lot of the week enamored with a very pretty contestant who made her own clothes. Richard Dawson was happier to be between Elaine Joyce and Fannie Flagg (and their shapely figures).

Put on more WENN after Match Game ended. Movie and theater star Grace Cavendish (Patti LuPone, the first of three Broadway divas to appear on the show) makes a special appearance at the station in "There But for Grace." Hilary Booth is furious. She never forgave Grace for stealing her part in Razzle Dazzle. Grace is really there to see Victor, whom she once had a relationship with. Betty's not too happy either when she catches them renewing said relationship. Victor, however, is married to the station and the artistic freedom it brings. Meanwhile, Hilary is determined to get rid of this interloper, or at least give her the stomach ache of her life. (Look for LuPone's performance of the title song, the first of two times on the show you'll hear its lyrics.)

Finished the night at PBS Kids with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends aren't the only ones who learn that it's not so bad for our friends to have different interests. It's "Pizza Day at School." Dan wants to be "pizza buddies" with Prince Wednesday, but doesn't understand why he prefers broccoli over green peppers. Likewise, Miss Elainia tries to get Katarina to try finger painting, but she prefers painting with a brush. "Daniel and Jodi Like Different Things" when they play at the beach. Dan doesn't like to be squirted with a squeezy whale. Jodi's brother doesn't want his feet covered with sand, but he loves to help make sandcastles! 

Dolls On a Hot Summer Day

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I grew up on the original version of this show, which was one of the hottest things going during my own pre-school years. In honor of the new movie in theaters, and since the entire series is now on Tubi, I thought I'd check it out starting with "Diamond Ray of Disappearance." Skeletor finds a diamond that can make anyone who looks at it vanish into another dimension. His goofy men lure Teela and her guards away from the castle so Skeletor can make the king, queen, Sorceress, and Teela's father Man-at-Arms vanish. Prince Adam, who turns into He-Man thanks to a powerful sword, goes to Castle Grayskull to figure out how to save them.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. I had errands to run, starting with dropping two books at the kiosk down the street. After that, I rode to the Collingswood PNC to get money. I was originally going to use the outside ATM, but a card pulled up. I ended up inside. 

Had brunch at a busy Sabrina's Cafe. Thought I'd try their 1776 Matcha Almond Pancake Stack. Turns out this was two enormous plate-sized pancakes smothered with matcha cream, white chocolate drizzle, whipped topping, almonds, blackberries, and strawberries. Tasty, and I ate most of it...but also way too much cream and drizzle. They always overdo the sauce on their specials. The hibiscus iced tea didn't taste like much besides sugar. 

Strolled down Haddon Avenue next. I was hoping Grooveground finally opened. It hasn't. It's been closed for remodeling since last spring. I did see the door at Collingswood Music open. I wasn't planning on visiting them next week when I'm on vacation. They don't sell CDs, only vinyl, and Lauren can't take records home in her luggage. For a spur-of-the-moment trip, I did really, really well. I dug five albums out of the 2 dollar bin and found a soundtrack and two kids' albums, one of them fairly unique.

Artie Shaw and His Orchestra - Frensesi: Artie Shaw's Greatest Hits

Songs from The Jungle Book and Other Jungle Favorites

The soundtrack from the 1988 Bette Midler melodrama Beaches

The Jack Sheldon Quintet - Hollywood Heroes

Radio Active, a K-Tel collection from 1982

Lena Horne - The Exciting Lena Horne

A Musical Soundtrack to America On Parade is by far my best find today. It's a gorgeous picture disc version with the music from "America On Parade," the Bicentennial parade for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I suspect this may only have been sold in the parks, and probably only in 1975-1976. Here's the link to a page from Yesterland that goes into further detail on "America On Parade" and the doll-like figures seen on the picture disc.

Yesterland: America On Parade

Incidentally, the weather wasn't bad today. It was hot, sunny, and windless, but not hot or as humid to the degree it's supposed to be starting tomorrow. Even so, I was still sweating bullets when I got home, to the point where I needed to towel myself off.

Dressed the dolls for July and Independence Day next. Samantha is in her Middy Dress, tam, and black and white boots. Josefina wears her Indigo Skirt and Camisa. Whitney is ready to dance in Oaklyn's 4th of July Parade in the white American Girl dance dress with the red and blue sequins and ruffled sleeves. She's borrowing Molly's tap shoes. The ones that came with the dress fell apart. Kit wears her original Reporter Dress with the red, blue, and yellow flowers and red shoes with the white stitching. 

Molly's ready for outdoor fun in her Camp Gowanigan uniform and saddle shoes. Ariel celebrates the Bicentennial in the patchwork red, white, and blue peasant blouse Lauren sent a while back and red satin shorts from Julie's original Roller Skating outfit. Felicity is airy and cool in her white Summer Gown with the wide blue and pink flowered sash. Jessa's red t-shirt, shortalls, and splotchy high top sneakers are a bit simpler. Barbara Jean is the only one old enough to pull off the pink, white, and blue terrycloth romper with the brief tube top. 

Listened to records while I worked. Jo Anne Castle and Her Ragtime Piano is actually a combination of two earlier Castle albums, Tiger Rag and Lawrence Welk's Ragtime Gal. Ironically, Tiger Rag has the actual ragtime, including the title song, "Dill Pickle Rag," and "I Want a Girl." Ragtime Gal features slightly newer numbers like "Goofus," "Canadian Sunset," and "Humoresque."

Raggedy Ann & Andy Birthday Party starts out a bit like the odd movie Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. Ann, Andy, and the dolls in the playroom see Marcella having a birthday party in the garden. The Camel With the Wrinkled Knees doesn't know when his birthday is. As in the film, he wanders outside and dreams of his friends giving him a party. When Ann follows him and finds out, she encourages the others to give him the party he so badly desires. 

Despite the title and being put out by Disney itself, Songs from The Jungle Book is actually covers of songs from that film. The Beatles-esque "Bare Necessities" and goofy comic "I Want to Be Like You" aren't bad, but the real stand-outs are the lesser-known material. "That's What Friends are For," a number for a pack of Beatles-imitating vultures in the movie, becomes a charming and adorable Beach Party-esque chorus routine here. The brief "My Own Home" is slower and almost slinky, performed by a smoky-voiced lady who sounds a bit like Julie London. The "other jungle favorites" are a slightly re-written "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" and a really cute "Civilization," with a deep voices singing the "I don't want to leave the jungle"part who sounds a bit like Larry Hooper from Lawrence Welk.

Artie Shaw had his biggest hits in the late 30's and 40's, and that's reflected in Frensni: Artie Shaw's Greatest Hits. His biggest was the title song, but there were others that are still associated with him and his orchestra. He seemed to favor slower, more romantic or robust songs like "Indian Love Call," "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise," "Nightmare," and "Begin the Beguine."

Switched to The Time of Their Lives after I finished with the dolls and got everything put away. Poor tinker Horatio Primm (Lou Costello) wants to buy his sweetheart Nora (Ann Gillis) out of indentured servitude. He even has a letter from General Washington claiming he can get more work. Meanwhile, Tom Danbury (Jess Barker) is engaged to lovely Melody Allen (Marjorie Reynolds), but she overhears him plotting with Benedict Arnold against Washington. She and Horatio ride off to warn Washington, but the American soldiers turn up and, thinking they're the traitors, kill them, dump their bodies in a well, and curse them to never leave the house's grounds. 

Almost two centuries later, Melody and Horatio are still ghosts in the house when they realize how the place has changed. It's been rebuilt, with all the original furniture returned. The new owner is playwright Sheldon Gage (John Shelton), his fiancee June Prescott (Lynn Baggett) and her very sarcastic Aunt Millie (Binnie Barnes). They're eventually joined by Sheldon's therapist, Dr. Ralph Greenway (Bud Abbott)...who happens to be the ancestor of Cuthbert Greenway, the man who had been his rival for Nora. Melody and Horatio are more than happy to drive Greenway crazy, until Sheldon's housekeeper Emily (Gale Sondergaard) holds a seance, and they finally figure out a way to find the proof that they aren't traitors and get their unearthly rewards.

This was...surprisingly sweet, even touching in spots. On one hand, it's not your typical vehicle for these two. They do appear together a few times, but don't really do any routines. Apparently, they'd been having problems at this point. On the other hand, it may be not only their most unique vehicle, but one of the most unique classic comedies I've ever seen. Reynolds makes a spirited Melody, Barnes has more fun than she should as the sarcastic aunt, and the special effects are pretty decent even now. If you like Abbott and Costello and are willing to go down a different path with them, try this one on for size. 

Put on Match Game '75 after I had a quick and small dinner. They're now on the week with Bert Convy, Joyce Bulifant, and a pregnant - and rather testy - Jo Ann Pflug. The end of the week featured one of the most infamous Audience Match answers of the entire run. Richard Dawson, pressed to come up with something for "Trench __," blurted out "trench hand." He joked about getting "trench hand" for the rest of the episode, and there would be references to it again throughout the years. 

Finished the night after a shower with more of The Swamp Fox. "A Woman's Courage" switches the focus almost entirely to Francis Marion's sweetheart Mary Videux. She boards a prison ship filled with rebel prisoners coming from Charleston, including the captain who was captured there. She poses as the sister of four of them, then helps them all escape. Francis, who is considering turning in his commission if he can't get more men, is more than happy for the help. 

The Blacktop Bash

Began the morning with breakfast and Spidey and His Amazing Friends. I know this show is popular with the kids at Thomas Sharp, and with superheroes on my mind, I thought I'd give it a look. "Spidey to the Power of Three" has Peter Parker, aka Spider Man, reminding his friends Miles Morales, aka Spin, and Gwen Stacy, aka Ghost Spider, that they all need to work together to stop Rhino from stealing gold coins and get back before his Aunt May brings home ice cream. Peter learns "Panther Patience" when he helps Black Panther recover a piece of vibranium stolen by a female Doc Octopus at a local museum.

Went to the special Spidey and Iron Man: Avengers Team Up! next. From what I can tell, this is a crossover between Spidey and His Amazing Friends and the spin-off Iron Man and His Awesome Friends. Peter joins the Avengers, including Iron Man Tony Stark, Black Panther, Captain America, and super-stretchy Ms. Marvel, to stop the Green Goblin and Ultron from teaming up to wreck havoc on New York's machines and make them all do what they want.

Changed the Cabbage Patch Dolls into summer outfits while the cartoons were on. Dulcie, the girlier doll with the long red yarn hair, wears a red plaid shirt with ruffled sleeves and a boat print on it and jean shorts with plaid bow trim. Tomboy Carrie with the short yellow yarn curls got a bright blue sailor romper. 

Left for Thomas Sharp around 11:55. I called Uber this time. Though it was sunny, I wasn't sure what the weather was going to do. Not to mention, there was the Blacktop Bash later. There wouldn't be anywhere for me to park the bike. The driver going there picked me up in 8 minutes. The one going home came in 7. No problems either way, and I was right on time.

We started off with 18 kids today, 8 at my table. We didn't have that many for long. Many of their parents came in the first hour. Some of them didn't last through lunchtime. For those who did, I read "Goofy, Movie Star" from Storyland and several shorts from Richard Scarry for them. I brought the old Mickey Mouse Memory game that belonged to my brother Keefe when he was their age and broke it out before we went outside. I played with two boys and a girl. The younger boy did by far the best. He had quite a memory! He had twice as many as anyone else before the head teacher announced it was time to clean up, because we were going to the playground.

I'm glad that it was hot, humid, and blustery today, but it never rained. Considering it's supposed to rain all day on Monday, this may be the last chance we have to take the kids out during the current school year. There were only 10 kids left by the time we all made it out there, enough that they could all swing right away. I kept an eye on those swinging while the boys chased after the stuffed Spider Man one of them brought and wrestled with it and each other. We finally brought them inside when it started to get too hot and humid and they began to set up for the Blacktop Bash.

There were two younger kids left when we all went back inside, but I stayed anyway. The head teacher had to leave early, and the afternoon teacher for the older kids couldn't come at all. We did try to go back outside to the playground, but it was brief. There were too many older kids out there who weren't with Healthy Kids. I watched the older kids make snakes with Play Doh, read Richard Scarry stories, and played another round of Mickey Mouse Memory with two kindergartners and a first-grader. This time, the kindergarten girl got by far the most matches. I finally left at 5:15, when they were down to five older kids and the younger kids were long gone.

The Blacktop Bash was in full swing when I got off. Fortunately, the line wasn't long at all. I paid my $6 and got in with no problems. There were three food trucks, a bake sale and pizza table, a table selling Thomas Sharp merchandise, a tent for the kids to have their faces painted, and tables and tables of raffles. I left the raffles to the families and had dinner from the trucks instead. I got a tasty, if messy, cheese steak quesadilla from the Mexican food booth (their specialties also included fried macaroni and cheese balls), then sat down for dinner at one of the many tables set up while chasing my napkins, which all blew away in the wild wind. Cooled off after that with a Pina colada shaved ice from the Kona shaved ice truck. Said "hi" to several of the kids from the after-school program and their parents, then watched kids run around and play games near the entrance to the cafeteria.

Oh, and the kids are so sweet. One of the girls and her parents gave me a $20 gift card to Dunkin' Donuts for taking good care of their daughter all year long. A boy and his family gave me a $20 gift card to WaWa and a card he made himself. I've never felt so appreciated. The kids may drive me crazy when they're together, but I love them all individually.

Finished the night at home with Killer Diller on Tubi. I go further into this tuneful B-movie from the late 40's with an all-black cast that includes Nat "King" Cole and Moms Mabley for Junteenth tomorrow at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Celebrating Juneteenth - Killer Diller

Night of the Springtime Dolls

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. They help a "Hapless Hound" with a cold who can't smell find a new owner after he wanders into the park and Dinkel says he can't stay. Two jewel thieves trick Dinkel into thinking they're from a park magazine, when they're really looking for "The Very Buried Treasure." The Shirt Tales make sure the jewels fall into the right hands.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon dressing the dolls. Samantha looks so grown-up in Rebecca's lovely white and pink Lace Dress. Molly's Birthday Pinafore with the rickrack trim is thin and more appropriate for summer than her birthday in April. Whitney is trying on a hand-made purple gingham dress with smocking and flowers on the blouse. Felicity wears a white gown with huge blue roses I bought from a doll clothes booth at the Deptford Mall more than 15 years ago. Jess is going to Girl Scouts in the original 90's Girl Scouts vest, shorts, and loafers. It's paired with a gray 90's American Girl t-shirt, since the shirt that goes with that outfit is a turtleneck.

Kit's ready to chase scoops around Cincinnati in her turquoise and pink flowered sundress from the "BeForever" revamp a decade ago. Josefina's in one of my favorites of her outfits, the lovely tan and burgundy Weaving Outfit with the lace-trimmed skirt. Ariel's dressed for Pride Month in Ivy's Rainbow Terrycloth Jumper and roller skates. Barbara Jean wears the purple Paisley mini-dress she came in, net stockings (the ones she came in are ripped beyond use), and her own white strap shoes. 

Listened to the last of the records I bought last week as I worked. Probably the best-known song from Major League is the cover of "Wild Thing" heard near the end when they defeat the Yankees. I actually bought this for the last song, the wistful, nostalgic ballad "Most of All You" by Bill Medley. Other good songs here include "Cryin' Shame" by Lyle Lovett, "How Can the Girl Refuse?" by Beckett, and "Burn On" by Randy Newman.

The House at Pooh Corner/Now We are Six are simple retellings of those two Winnie the Pooh stories. House is narrated by Ian Carmichael and Dick Bentley. Bentley alone does Now We are Six, which also includes a few charming songs taken directly from the source material.

Switched to The Wild Wild West while I put everything away and had a really quick lunch. It's "The Night of the Jack O'Diamonds" when Artemis and James attempt to deliver a beautiful horse to the president of Mexico, only to have it stolen by bandits. They attempt to join the bandits and get it back, but it's not going to be as easy as they think.

Rushed out the moment the show ended. I thought I had enough time to take the bike, but...not only did I leave late, but I ran over a bump crossing Collings Avenue and my basket flew off! I had to gather everything before the cars ran me over, which meant I was a few minutes late arriving at the Thomas Sharp School.

Not a good thing, since we were really busy today. Though we only had 21 kids, 8 at my table, they're all wound up from various end of the year events. None of them would sit down in the cafeteria, and they were even worse outside. They kept begging and begging to go on the swings, especially when their friends whose parents had arrived were allowed to go on. They did get into line once they were allowed to swing, but...I tried to get one girl off who had already been on so another girl who had to go home could get on. The girl would not get off, no matter how much everyone pointed out that there were only two swings, and she had to share. I had to drag her off, and she just sat in front of it while her friend tried to swing, which meant her friend hit her and made her more upset. I finally just told all of the kids to get off, and they weren't going to be allowed on for the remaining time we were outside. Fortunately, they were only outside for another 10 minutes anyway. I helped take the last 4 kids inside, then went home.

Put on The Price Is Right when I got in, then Match Game '74. The Scoey Mitchelll-Elaine Joyce week ended with Charles Nelson Reilly announcing that he would leave soon to direct a Broadway play, The Belle of Amherst. Character actor Richard Lang made his only appearance the next week.

Finished up with Viennese Nights on YouTube. I go further into this charming Technicolor operetta from the early 30's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Viennese Nights

Dolls on a Perfect Spring Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. Mickey is reading "Daisylocks and the Three Bears" to his teddy bear Duffy when Daisylocks herself turns up at his door. She's supposed to be delivering blueberries to the Three Bears, but she got lost. Mickey and the gang help lead her home and wake up Papa Bear when she gets there. 

Switched to Pirates of Dark Water while getting organized. "The Collector" is a wizard who shrinks ships and seals them in bottles to take their treasures. He first steals a ship that Ioz sneaked aboard to get his treasure, then gets the Wraith. It's up to Ren and Niddler to trick the wizard and reverse the spell.

Spent the rest of the morning dressing the dolls for warmer spring weather. Ariel is in a hand-made pink polka dot dress with pearls sewn on the smocking that I bought from a doll dress maker two years ago. She borrowed Samantha's side bow headband. Samantha is dressed for her birthday in her Pink Striped Dress and Lace Pinafore with the white and pink shoes. Molly's also in a hand-made outfit, in this case a recreation of her hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress. Josefina celebrates a late Cinco Del Mayo in her gorgeous Dress and Vest with the lovely red and gold print skirt and black velvet vest. She wears it with her gold embroidered shawl from her Feast Day Finery.

Barbara Jean's hot pink fringed and sequined dress and fur wrap was supposed to be a play outfit for Melody, but I have it as her ultra-chic prom gown. She borrowed a tiara from the Sugar Plum Fairy ballet outfit to make her the queen of the Cherry Hill High East prom. Felicity is ready to help me clean in her green striped Work Gown and the lace-trimmed apron I originally bought from Cold Spring Village years ago as a pinafore for Samantha. Kit's ready to find that scoop in the second version of her Reporter Dress with the polka-dot vest and skirt and the cute rickrack side collar and bow. Whitney goes red, white, and blue for Decoration Day (Memorial Day when her story is set in 1959) in Maryellen's bow-print School Outfit. 

Listened to two of my recent record finds as I worked. Hooligans is one of the many Who greatest hits collections floating around. I have Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy on CD, but that one stops in the early 70's. This one goes up to Who are You and includes songs from that, Quadrophena, Who's Next, and Who By the Numbers. Of the less familiar non-album singles, my favorite is "Join Together." Other later songs on here I love include the dynamic live "Summertime Blues," "The Song Is Over," and the title song from Who are You. 

Diana Ross' self-titled album from 1980 was one of her biggest hits and featured two of her most popular singles, the bouncy "Upside Down" and upbeat "I'm Comin' Out." Other good ones here featured her in a more typical bluesy mode. I especially liked "Now That You're Gone" and the cute "Have Fun (Again)."

Headed out early after Diana Ross ended. Picked up two soft pretzels and a pepperoni-filled pretzel from A&A Pretzel Shop and ate them at the stone bench along the road leading into the Bettlewood entrance to Newton Lake Park. I didn't have much time to enjoy them. I had to hurry along to work. 

I was a minute or two late, nothing horrible...which was a good thing. Despite there only being 23 kids today, they were pretty riled up, even the 8 kids at my table. I had to coax one little girl who decided to hide in the bathroom stall out so she could go back with the others. 

Thankfully, we were able to get them out to the playground early. It was too nice for them to be inside for long, anyway. Like I told one little girl when she finally got on the swings, this was just about the most perfect weather you could imagine. It was golden sunny, warm, and blustery, probably in the upper 60's. If the kids weren't chasing each other, they were playing hide and seek with me and the other teachers, racing Hot Wheels cars down slides, or dancing to Taylor Swift songs, "The Floor Is Quicksand," "Diggin' In the Dirt," and songs from Encanto, The Lion King, Moana, and KPop Demon Hunters. There were four left when we took them briefly back inside to get anything they'd left there, then joined the remaining 8 older kids on the blacktop to let the teachers conduct their meeting in the cafeteria.

Took a shower when I got home, then had dinner while watching Three Daring Daughters. I go further into this charming vehicle for Jane Powell and Jeanette MacDonald at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Mother's Day! - Three Daring Daughters

Finished the night with more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "A Dragon Tale" has Mickey and the gang trying to get a fire-breathing dragon away from Queen Clarabelle's front door so she can have her tea party. Turns out the dragon isn't anything like they think he is, and they learn about being a good friend when they help him find something he can drink tea out of and get Dragon Pete unstuck from a narrow bridge.

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...) 

Dolls and Harts of My Dreams

Actually, I began today with a phone call. The lady from the Camden County First Home Buyers loans was calling me back to do an online application. Awesome! She sounded really pleasant and interested, too. I gave her my information and explained why I'm doing this. I want to get out of this attic, and soon, preferably between mid-October after I get back from my vacation in Pittsfield and mid-January. 

After I finished with her, I had breakfast while watching Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies. The Easter Bunny is sick and can't make his usual rounds this year. Granny wants Bugs to do it, but he's busy making his shorts, so she searches for a replacement among the Toons. With a story that flimsy, this is less of an Easter special and more "Oscar-winning shorts from Termite Terrace." Among the shorts seen are bits and pieces of "Knighty Knight Bugs," "Hillbilly Hare," "Birds Anonymous," "Robin Hood Daffy," "Sahara Hare," and "For Scent-imental Reasons." 

Switched to Tale of the Bunny Picnic after I ate. I go further into this charming Muppet spring cable special from 1986 that introduced Bean Bunny at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Happy Easter! - Tale of the Bunny Picnic

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon dressing the dolls for the spring holidays. Samantha looks so pretty and grown-up in her pink and magenta Flower-Picking Dress with the asymmetrical lace collar. I'm glad I bought that outfit when I did. It's hard to find now. Josefina is in her Feast Day Finery ruffled camisa and turquoise skirt. Felicity is pleasantly salmon pink in her Birthday Dress and flowered Pinner Apron. Kit may not appreciate the ruffles, but she does look cute in her Candy-Making Dress. The soft fall colors on Julie's original Birthday Outfit look even better on redheaded Ariel. Jessa gets the original late 90's Girl of Today Birthday Outfit with the fruit-print purple jumper and t-shirt. 

Whitney, Molly, and Barbara Jean wear home-made outfits, Whitney and Barbara Jean's from eBay. Barbara Jean's minidress has a fashionable 60's pink, yellow, and brown geometric design. It's sleeveless, so she wears a white ruffled sweater over it. Whitney's white dress has pastel polka-dots, a wide skirt, and purple ribbon trim. I bought Molly's pink and red striped dress with the flowers and the smocking from a booth at a church book sale last spring. 

Listened to records as I finished the dolls, and later as I ate lunch. Dreamy Serenades with Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra are exactly what it says on the cover - dreamy ballads or songs about dreams, done in a soft, breathy style, almost Hawaiian. These lovely ballads make gentle background music for a soft spring day, including "I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All?," "I Had the Craziest Dream," "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming," "My Isle of Golden Dreams," and "Girl of My Dreams."

The Tale Spinners Aladdin is a pretty straightforward retelling of the original Arabian Knights story. It's even set in China, rather than the Middle East as in the Disney version, and Aladdin lives with his mother. This does cut the Genie of the Ring, probably for time, but otherwise, it's action-packed and actually rather charming.

Swashbuckler is a rousing original pirate yarn from 1976. John Addison wrote an appropriately lush score that works with the old-fashioned adventure and derring-do. In fact, the title of the second-to-last number is "Derring Do!" Other notable pieces here include the Main Theme, "The Coach Robbery," "The Pickpocket Monkey," and "The Incredible Chase."

Soon as I finished eating, I jumped on my bike and headed off to the Thomas Sharp School. We had far fewer children today, 22 younger ones all together, 6 at my table. They messed around a little in the bathroom, but otherwise, they were just fine. They're still getting too wild in the cafeteria after snack time, though. Pinching, biting, name-calling and then tattling about it, running around. Several kids pulled plastic eggs out of their class Easter bags when they were told not to. Two actually got them open, revealing Play Dough. One girl was really good about putting hers away. Her friend just got upset and had to be talked into it. I couldn't get the eggs back together, so I wrapped them up with plastic and paper towels and put them in their backpacks. 8 kids had to be held back by the head teacher while we got the ones remaining outside.

It wasn't as nice of a day to be on the playground. For one thing, it was windy and considerably chillier, barely in the 50's. For another, it was also cloudy and kept spitting lightly on and off the entire time we were outside. We also had to ban the kids from using the bouncy balls they got for Easter when they bounced them over the fence around the playground twice and the teachers had to retrieve them. The kids still had fun, though. They chased each other, played hide and seek, and gathered flowers that had fallen from the tree over their heads and made tiny bouquets. Others danced to "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "I Like to Move It," and songs from Moana, Moana 2, and Trolls. 

The sprinkles had picked up slightly before the kids started to complain about the cold. We finally got the remaining four inside around 5 PM. I spent the 15 minutes I had left sharpening colored pencils. I also discovered there was a reason the kids took their Easter bags home today. I thought their Spring Break started Monday, but it begins tomorrow. That means I get a full day off I hadn't planned on, as I'm also off of the Acme tomorrow. Sweet. I'll move my grocery shopping to tomorrow instead of Saturday and see if I can get some things done in Westmont that I originally planned on doing next week.

There was a package from Amazon waiting for me when I got home. My first birthday present to myself are the most recently-released Peanuts specials soundtracks. Apparently, Craft Recordings couldn't find the original audio masters for Charlie Brown's All-Stars, so they paired what they could get off the actual special with It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown. I'll listen to it tomorrow or this weekend.

Watched Match Game '90 during dinner. Jo Anne Worley finished the previous week with a record on the Match Up mini-game, getting 7 matches in a row. Brett Somers turned up for the first of three weeks on the next show, sitting between Fred Travelena and his one-man White House and her old drinking buddy Charles Nelson Reilly. She got to flirt with a handsome young contestant who had no trouble choosing her for that Match Up game.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. "A Couple of Harts" are on a picnic outside of Acapulco when the junker car Max loaned them break down. They walk to a nearby mansion to ask for directions to a repair shop, only to fall right smack in the middle of a conspiracy when the wealthy woman owner assumes they're the new butler and maid. Turns out the woman is the head of a group of revolutionaries who just assassinated a senator and intend to do even worse at a dinner that night...and a close friend of the Harts may be involved as well. 

Dolls on a Sunshiny Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Pac-Man. Pac Man and Pepper board "The Pac Love Boat" hoping for a quiet anniversary cruise. What they didn't count on was the ghosts tagging along, or Pac Baby, Sour Puss, and Chomp-Chomp ending up as stowaways. The Ghost Monsters commit "The Great Power Pellet Robbery" when they attack the armored car Pac Man is driving, but they get quite a surprise when they discover what the pellets actually are.

Took the laundry downstairs, then spent the next few hours after that dressing the dolls for St. Patrick's Day and the much nicer weather we're having this week. Samantha is in her mint-green and pink Special Day Dress and the red shoes with the bows. I'm so glad I bought that dress when I did in 2015! It's expensive on eBay now, and it looks so cute on her. Molly's wearing a shamrock-print dress with rickrack trim I found at a yard sale years ago. Josefina is in her Harvest Outfit with the sage green skirt and pretty embroidered camisa. Elizabeth's Summer Gown has a quilted petticoat that makes it more appropriate for spring, and it's celery-green color looks lovely on Felicity. 

Ariel is in another hard-to-find retired outfit, Julie's Calico Dress with the red bandana and high brown boots. Whitney wears a yellow Queen's Treasures dress with a ruffled collar and red and green flower print and matching headband. Kit's in her flowered Birthday Wrap Dress with the coral sweater from her Photographer's Outfit and white t-strap shoes. Jessa gets her Girl Scout turtleneck, pull-on khaki cargo pants, and turquoise and white sneakers. Barbara Jean is very mod in her swirling turquoise, orange, yellow, and red mini-dress with the go-go boots and white fur vest. 

Finished out my current record finds while dressing the dolls. I had no idea Martin Mull was a singer until recently. I know him best as a comedian on Clue or tossing out quips on Hollywood Squares or in the host's chair on Fernwood Tonight. No Hits, Four Errors: The Best of Martin Mull reveals he was a comedian as a singer, too, with songs ranging from gospel spoofs ("Jesus Is Easy") to cracks at country ("Flexible," "Eggs") to a disco version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" listed as "Santafly." He's kind of in the same category as Bette Midler - he sang everything, though he's a bit less campy and more laid-back than her.

It's been a while since I visited my favorite couple from Wistful Vista Fibber McGee and Molly. The first episode on side one had Molly and Fibber preparing for a "Canoe Ride" while their wacky neighbors tell them about their planned vacations. Likewise, all of their strange neighbors have their opinions when Fibber uses his "Hunt and Peck" method to write a movie about the history of the typewriter.

Switched to Disc Four of the Broadway: The American Musical soundtrack while finishing the dolls and eating lunch. By the mid-60's, the Broadway musical was once again evolving. Rock was the new sound in popular music, and musicals weren't always seen as reflecting the sudden change in tastes. Cabaret, with its sensual opening "Wilkomen," changed what a musical could do and be. Hair, "the New Tribal Love-Rock Musical," was proof that yes, Broadway could do the new sound and sensibility, as "Let the Sunshine In" became a massive hit in 1967. Grease moved from off-Broadway in 1973 and was an even bigger hit, with "We Go Together" being one of the best chorus numbers from the show. A Chorus Line debuted in 1975 and would run for 15 years. Its big finale, "One," with its glittering gold-spangled kick line, wowed audiences even as they related to the dancers' stories of heartbreak. Chicago was overshadowed by A Chorus Line in 1975, but it proved to be ahead of its time. The 1997 revival, complete with the opening number "And All That Jazz," is still running on Broadway at press time.

Broadway had been faltering for years along with New York itself, as urban decay crept in, theaters closed, and people found more of interest at home watching far cheaper plays on TV. Pippin became the first musical to take advantage of this audience, releasing TV commercials and a Motown cast album that proved there was still room for a "Corner of the Sky." Likewise, The Wiz invited audiences to "Ease On Down the Road" with its R&B score. The success of Annie, with the hopeful anthem "Tomorrow," brought family audiences back to Broadway. England returned with power ballads from the rock operas Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, while Stephan Sondheim pushed boundaries even further with the intimate Company and its "Ladies Who Lunch" and the rousing "I'm Still Here" from Follies. Jennifer Holliday raised the roof and won a Tony with another R&B score, "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls.

Called Uber after the CD ended and I sent off an e-mail to Bryanna, telling her to send me Josh Phillips' e-mail or phone number. I was already late calling them...and I pushed the wrong button! It took them 10 minutes to come as it was. I ended up at the Acme and had to call them again. They took 11 minutes this time, which meant I was 15 minutes late. At least there was no traffic around.

Thankfully, that was the worst thing that happened all day. No one was angry, not even the kids. I got there just in time to take my crew of 6 to the bathroom. They were a little rowdy, but not too horrible...because they all wanted to go outside and play in the now-clear playground. Thankfully, they handled the new no swings, no tag rule well. Only one little girl tried to go on the swings and had to be pulled off. The head teacher brought a bubble wand and let them chase bubbles for the rest of the afternoon. I hadn't laughed so hard in ages. They were so funny! If they weren't chasing bubbles or running around the slides, they were drawing on the concrete with chalk or dancing to "Pink Pony Club," "I'm Still Standing," the theme from Bluey, "Pup Pup Boogie" from Paw Patrol, and songs from KPop Demon Hunters, Frozen, Trolls, and Moana. 

As one of the boys said, it was a perfect day. It was sunny, warm, and breezy, the sky a soft robin's egg blue. Boys stripped off sweaters; girls rolled up dress sleeves. It was so nice, even after we took the kids off the playground, we just let them run around with the older kids on the blacktop in the back and play ball games. Even the little boy who said he wanted to go inside ultimately stayed played with Legos at a picnic bench instead. It was so late when we got them back, I never went back inside, either. I just left from the blacktop.

Took advantage of the nice day and a less-stiff knee to walk home. First stop was Crust N' Cravings for their delicious pizza. I enjoyed a slice of broccoli-tomato, a slice of sausage, and a black cherry Sparkling Ice. Dodged the debris leftover from scraping up snow on the White Horse Pike sidewalks long enough to stop at CVS to use the bathroom and take advantage of a buy one, get one 50 percent off sale and pick up Secret deodorant.

Finally remembered to put the laundry in the dryer when I got home, then took out the recycling and put on Match Game Syndicated. Charles Nelson Reilly was still away doing a (short-lived, as it turned out) Broadway show, so Fred Grandy took over for him in the first three episodes, and Richard Deacon in the last one. Bart Braverman drooled over ladies and showed off his cowboy gear in the first week. Fred Travalena tossed out quips in his many voices in the second.

Brought my laundry upstairs, then finished out the night with charades and acting-based game shows on YouTube. Charades goes way, way back on TV. It was one genre that couldn't be pulled off on radio. Charades has to be seen to be believed. Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz was one of the earliest hit game shows on TV. Celebrities have to act out a silly or weird phrase in a certain amount of time. Whichever team acts out in the least time wins money for their charities. This March of Dimes special from 1949 with Vincent Price and Hans Conried, among others, is one of the oldest TV game show episodes to exist today.

Pantomime Quiz would be revived in 1979 as Celebrity Charades. Basically the same deal, even down to the informal living room-like set. Jay Johnson and his dummy Squeaky hosted this version. Unlike Pantomime Quiz, which ran off and on for years, Celebrity Charades only lasted a few months. The premiere episode with Jon "Bowser" Bauman, Richard Paul, and Ted Lange among those doing the charades is the only one currently online.

Goodson and Todman twice tried their hand at a charades show. Showoffs in 1975 had Bobby Van hosting as two celebrities helped two contestants figure out what a word was. The winning contestant then acted out three words for their celebrity partners. They could stop after $1,000, or go until they got $5,000. Alas, ABC wiped most of this show. Only two episodes are known to exist, including the one here with Dr. Joyce Brothers having to bow out of the final round after she twists her ankle, leaving Dick Gautier to do her part alone. 

Body Language did slightly better a decade later. Now, two celebrities act out a series of words that form a puzzle. The contestants have to guess the puzzle. If they win, their celebrity will act out a series of words in 60 seconds. However many words they guessed is what they'll win in the final round. The celebrity then acts out 3 words. If the contestant guesses all of them, then win the money. This is basically Showoffs Plus, but frankly, it's a lot tighter, faster-paced, and more interesting to watch. No wonder it's been a staple on Buzzr off and on for years. In fact, considering how much fun Todd Bridges, Kim Fields, and host Tom Kennedy are having in the episode here, I'm surprised Freemantle hasn't sold or loaned this format to Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel yet. 

The Canadians got a bit more into charades and acting shows than we Yanks did. Acting Crazy was a hit in the early 90's, with series in 1991 and 1994. Basically the same deal as Pantomime Quiz, with two celebrities in two teams with three contestants. No wonder this came back. It's just as much fun to watch as Body Language. Marcia Wallace and Sally Struthers have a blast here with host Wayne Cox.

Charades games made a comeback on TV in Celebrity Name Game from 2014. This time, the pun-filled phrases are replaced by acting out pop culture icons or popular brand names. The celebrities switch teams half-way through. In the third round, the contestants themselves go head-to-head while host Craig Ferguson reads names from a specific category. The bonus round has the winners guessing 10 names behind pictures. One goes into a soundproof Booth while the other guesses clues. If they can guess in 55 seconds without giving an illegal clue, they win an extra $20,000. No wonder this would prove to be popular in syndication and just started running on Buzzr. It's just as much fun to watch, and everyone puts so much energy into it!

Two words...acting games! Play charades with some of the craziest actors around in these hilarious pantomime-filled episodes.

Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz (1949)

Showoffs (1975)

Celebrity Charades Premiere (1979)

Body Language (1985) 

Acting Crazy (1994)

Celebrity Name Game (2015)

Dolls and Angels

Began the morning with breakfast and Beware! I go further into this charming "race film" from 1946 with bandleader Louis Jordan trying to save his old college from closure at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Beware! (1946)

Started dressing the dolls for February while the movie was on. The current Lunar New Year outfit at American Girl is too fussy for laid-back Jessa, so she gets Ivy's more authentic Chinese New Year dress. Whitney's thick pink felt poodle skirt with the long-sleeved white blouse and lace-trimmed slip is from eBay. I found her pink cardigan sweater with the pearl trim at a yard sale. Samantha's dusky pink Talent Show Dress is so historically accurate, it's based after a real-life girl's dress from 1904 in a museum. Josefina also wears a dress from eBay, a romantic magenta floral Regency gown with an elastic collar and a delicate lace wrap. 

The white and gold knitted Sweet Spring Dress from a decade ago is short enough to pass for a minidress for Barbara Jean. She wears a white Springfield Collection cardigan with satin ruffle trim over it.  Ariel is in Julie's flowered pantsuit and zipper turtleneck. It's way too cold for the sandals that go with that outfit, so she's wearing boots instead. Kit wears her red and blue Treehouse Cardigan Sweater and blue hat with the red pom-pom. The outfit I got on eBay didn't come with the skirt, so she's borrowing the navy-blue one from Molly's meet outfit. Felicity attends tea ceremony lessons in her Laced Jacket and Petticoat. Molly wishes she could wear something more glamorous than her plaid school jumper and blouse and the black strap shoes she borrowed from Samantha. 

Switched to Charlie's Angels during lunch. The ladies and Bosley meet at the end of the third season, not for a case, but to celebrate their third anniversary as a team. Their memories and reminisces of the previous three seasons' worth of cases turns into "Angels Remembered." Yeah, this is a clip show, likely intended as a transition between Kate Jackson's last season and Shelley Hack's first.

I hadn't even finished dressing the dolls when it was time to call Uber. Thankfully, despite my late start, I had no problem getting a driver. The one going there arrived in 7 minutes and got me there a few minutes early. The one going home took 9 minutes at the height of rush hour. There was a little traffic on the White Horse Pike going home. Otherwise, no problems.

None with the kids, either. We had far fewer children today, only 20 pre-schoolers and kindergartners. I had 8 at my table today, and they did get a tiny bit rowdy in the bathrooms. (I had a hard time getting the boys out in particular.) I read a Clifford's Puppy Days story to the kids playing with Barbies and brickle blocks and talked to an upset young lady who was missing her parents after snack time. The kids loved seeing me draw Scott, Maple, and Betty as superheroes and Pruitt as an Joker-style super-villain when we moved to the library in a scene from the sequel to Captain Victor, Man of Power I have planned. By the time we moved the kids to the cafeteria, there were only three "littles" left. The last younger kids went home at the same time I did.

I brought my trash outside and carefully picked my way around snow and ice to drag out the trash bags and cans before Jessa picked me up around quarter after 6. Between the weather and the snow that was still piled up despite the warmer weather, I figured this was no time for fancy meals or going further afield. I picked the Legacy Diner in Audubon. They were a bit busy when we arrived, but cleared out quickly as she had pepper steak on rice, and I had a "Brooklyn Dodger" omelet with Swiss cheese, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes, hash browns, and rye toast. She said she snacked at work today, but I didn't have a big lunch and got a slice of a delicious, moist Chocolate Fudge Cake.

Finished dressing the dolls while watching the remaining third season episodes of Remember WENN when I got home. "The Ghost of WENN" appears as a spooky voice in the halls during a thunderstorm while the cast is performing a horror show. Hilary is terrified that it seems to target her specifically, Betty is terrified that they'll lose the transmitter, and Mackie is just terrified.

"Caller ID" tells us more about the magic of radio than any episode of the series. Mackie's playing DJ for their late-night musical show Dreamland Dance Floor when a woman (voice of Alice Playten) calls and claims she's going to jump off a near-by building. Mackie and the others end up putting on a massive crossover of most of their major shows to keep her from slipping...and show her that the real magic of radio is what our own imagination makes the characters out to be.

"Happy Homecomings" are anything but when Betty hears a Jonathan Arnold who is definitely not Victor on the radio. Worried, she turns to sweet lawyer Doug Thompson, who recommends that she finally opens that strong box Victor gave her. What Betty finds is hardly what she expects...and it turns out to be anything but true. Meanwhile, Hilary is less than enthused at Jeff's return, Scott's found more codes going out over the airwaves, and yes, Victor comes home...but seems to be more than a little out of it as he, Scott, and Betty end up confronting a gun-wielding Pruitt in the finale.

This is the infamous cliffhanger that left everyone in the WENN fandom screaming at the top of their lungs for six months straight. Longest six months of my life until the housing mess in 2021-2022. All I wanted from December 1997 through June 1998 was to pass my college courses and find out the end of those blasted cliffhangers! They're a big part of the reason I love the third season so much. This is far and away my favorite season of the series. Many fans complained when the show was on that the third series gets too dark. I love it because it gets so dark, because it goes places most sitcoms wouldn't dare to go even today. However, changes at AMC were on the horizon during those six months, not all of them pleasant or welcome, as we'll discover in the fourth and final season...

Finished the night honoring Black History Month with jazz great Wynton and Ellis Marsallis' Joe Cool's Blues. Father and son are at the top of their game with this delightful tribute to the Peanuts specials of the 60's and 70's. While there are nice covers of classics like "Linus and Lucy," "Little Birdie," and "Christmas Is Coming," the real interest here are the Marsallis' original compositions. "Why Charlie Brown," "Wright Brothers' Rag," "Snoopy and Woodstock," and the title song fit in perfectly with Guaraldi's original music and sound like they could have come from the specials themselves. 

Dolls On a Warm Winter Day

Began the day with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. When Mickey goes to help Clarabelle Cow at her Moo Mart, the clubhouse becomes "Donald's Clubhouse." Goofy and Pluto teach Donald a lesson in helping out when he keeps trying to push all the work in cleaning up the clubhouse for a surprise guest on them and the Handy Helpers.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon dressing the dolls for cooler January weather. Molly wears her Play Outfit with the gray and red plaid flannel shirt. I haven't gotten her oxfords yet, so she borrows Kit's. Kit wears Rebecca's School Outfit with Samantha's black strap shoes. Samantha is in her gray flannel School Outfit and the black boots from Rebecca's School Outfit. Felicity will be warm and cozy on the trail in her emerald green Riding Habit. Jessa is in her original Meet Outfit with the yellow felt sweater and black corduroys and a flower-print long sleeved AG shirt from the 2002 Ready for Fun meet outfit. Ariel wears Julie's orange and blue embroidered long-sleeved tunic, dark blue corduroy gauchos, and boots. Whitney hopes she can go skating in her blue and red Skating Outfit and Springfield Collection skates. Josefina and Barbara Jean are both in hand-made eBay outfits. Josefina wears a lovely blue and red flower print Empire-waist dress, while Barbara Jean's yellow dress has long, full sleeves and pin tucks on the chest.

Listened to records while I worked. Merrily We Roll Along is the 1981 musical adaptation of the 1934 play that goes backwards in time, showing the dissolution of a movie producer, his wife, and his best friend from the acrimonious debut of his latest film to their high school graduation. Apparently, Sondheim suggested this one because he wanted to work with teenagers. He may have thought the idea charming, but he was the only one who did in 1981. Audiences and critics alike found the book too bitter and difficult to figure out, though Sondheim's music was praised. It was so badly received at the time, it ended Sondheim's collaborations with producer Harold Prince until 2003. 

I can see why people wanted to give this a second chance, even after the original production flopped. "Old Friends," "Good Thing Going," the searing "Not a Day Goes By," and the title song are among the best Sondheim ever wrote. The cast is mostly unknown and kind of shrill, though Jason Alexander can be heard as a washed-up Broadway producer. Apparently, a lot was re-written and re-worked after this production failed, enough that a revival off and on Broadway in 2023 and 2024 with Johnathan Groff as Frank and Daniel Ratcliffe as Charley was a surprise hit. I might have to look for that one too and see what's different. As it is, the original cast is worth hearing for the wonderful songs and unique plot alone.

I was so late getting out to the Thomas Sharp School, I ate my lunch with the kids. It was even nicer today than it was yesterday, sunny and warm, without a bit of wind, probably in the mid-50's. The kids had a great time running around outside after their snacks. I made sure there was no fighting over the swings and kept an eye on my watch to make sure everyone got enough time. The other kids danced to "Takedown" from KPop Demon Warriors and various kids' dance numbers or chased the other teachers. They were so funny playing tag! I hadn't laughed so hard in ages. 

Grabbed dinner and put on Copacabana after I got home, after a quick stop at the Speedy Mart for a Propel water. I go further into the 1985 TV movie version of the Barry Manilow song at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Copacabana (1985) 

Watched Match Game Syndicated after the movie ended. Gail Farrell was the only cast member of The Lawrence Welk Show who was brave enough to join the lunacy on Match Game. She was joined on her week by an even more famous musician, diminutive singer-songwriter Paul Williams. 

Switched to Remember WENN after the show ended. "Sight Unseen" becomes the first of two episodes in a row to deal with minority relations in the 1940's. In this case, a blind girl (Molly Ringwauld) comes the station to meet her hero "The Vagabond." The Vagabond is played by Mackie Bloom, who is a short, balding character actor and anything but the suave, handsome man he thinks she wants. He's the one who learns a lesson when she points out that he's just a voice to her, but one that means more than all the sight in the world.

"The Emperor Smith" is George Smith (Howard Rollins), a black waiter Betty hastily puts on the air as the sexy Lord Bramley in one of Hilary's soaps when Mackie gets laryngitis. He's a sensation, but this is 1940 Pittsburgh, and blacks playing anything besides waiters is still frowned on. Betty and the cast jump through hoops to keep their "mystery man" under wraps when a gossip columnist insists on getting the full scoop. 

Finished the night with more Copacabana. Manilow expanded the movie into a full stage musical in the early 90's. Though it has yet to play Broadway, it did run two years in London from 1994 to 1996 and has toured the US. Here, the story is framed as a songwriter imagining the story of his newest brainchild, and Tony is not the one who dies in the end. The framing is a bit confusing, but I actually think the ending here works better than the more tragic one in the movie does. Some of the additional numbers are fun, too. I love the opening "Just Arrived" that depicts Lola and many other women arriving in New York to find stardom, the hilarious "Who am I Kidding?" for Sam Silver after everyone at the Copa convinces him to keep an eye on Tony in Havana, and the meta-romance "This Can't Be Real."

Even the Muppets had their own take on the song in The Muppet Show. Liza Minnelli performed it with two Muppet monsters representing Tony and Rico in a hilarious spoof of 40's film noir from the 4th season. Kermit is the private eye trying to figure out who's killing the cast, while Piggy is Minnelli's jealous understudy. 

Happy Holidays Dolls

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save Thanksgiving" when Mayor Humdinger tries to steal the big dinner and turkey-shaped bounce house, but ends up flying off in the bounce house with the Cat-tastrophe Crew. The Paw Patrol ends up going after them. "Pups Save a Windy Bay" from Mayor Humdinger's out-of-control wind-creating fan that has sent all of the other wind surfing contestants scattered around the bay and even on top of a lighthouse.

Spent the rest of the morning dressing the dolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Samantha is in her original Cranberry Christmas Dress. The red bow shoes from her green Spring Dress match it perfectly. Barbara Jean is ready to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas in Julie's previous purple paisley mini dress with the filmy white sleeves and lace stockings. Molly loves to twirl in her velvet Evergreen Christmas Dress and black strap shoes borrowed from Samantha. Felicity can't wait to join the dance lesson at the Governor's Palace in her blue taffeta ball gown with the lace stomacher. Kit's in her first Christmas dress, long-sleeved red outfit with the triangular white collar.

Ariel also gets an earlier Julie Christmas outfit, in this case the wine velvet jumper with the flower embroidery and ruffly white blouse. I never liked the gold stockings and black platforms that originally went with that outfit, so she wears white tights and white t-straps. Whitney wears the beautiful blue-violet velvet and tulle Snowflake Ball Gown Lauren found at a yard sale with a black shrug from another outfit and black velvet shoes. Josefina is pretty as a Spanish princess in her original yellow-striped Christmas Dress with the black mantilla. Jessa honors her heritage in the first Chinese New Year's outfit American Girl released in the late 90's, which she wears with mules borrowed from Josefina. 

Watched Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving as I worked. I went further into this direct-to-home media blending of two New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh shorts and the Pooh Thanksgiving special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2021.

Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving

Switched to Thanksgiving variety show and sitcom episodes as I ate lunch. The closest The Muppet Show got to a Thanksgiving episode was when Arlo Guthrie was the celebrity. His folksy presence inspired a down-home setting and several numbers with the Muppet jug band. Meanwhile, the Swedish Chef tries to find something to make for Thanksgiving dinner that won't attack him and Fozzie attempts to read Robert Frost poetry, only to be interrupted by Gonzo singing "Hernando's Hideaway."

Marian Cunningham on Happy Days is fed up with her family paying more attention to the Green Bay Packers game than her big dinner. She tells them her version of "The First Thanksgiving" to remind them of why we celebrate this holiday. The Cunninghams are a pilgrim family, Potsie and Ralph are trappers, and Fonzie is an outsider who gets into trouble for inviting Natives to share their celebrations.

Listened to The Story of Hans Brinker album as I gathered everything for work. This is a pretty straightforward retelling of the original book by Mary Mapes Dodge. There's a few changes; his sister Gretel doesn't enter or win the race, his father falls off a dyke during a storm, and Hans now wishes to attend school for art, rather then medicine. 

Headed out after the Hans Brinker record ended. I'm glad it was an absolutely gorgeous day, sunny and in the 50's. This is the nicest day we'll have this week, and the kids got to spend most of it running around in the playground, chasing each other, playing house, and looking for ladybugs in the mulch. (And this time, we did get them to put their back packs back on the concrete where they belong, not under the playground equipment.) 

I did have trouble with two of the older boys, who got into a fight over some game one of the girls concocted. She said they'd get points for how high of a rung they could jump off of on the climbing pole. First of all, they shouldn't be jumping off of it at all. Second, the boys took it way too seriously, especially when the girl gave one of the boys extra points after he'd gotten hurt previously. We had to separate the boys when we came inside. At least the games of Heads Up 7 Up and Silent Ball we played in the library with some of the kids went a lot better. In fact, they could be downright hilarious, especially with Silent Ball.

Took out the trash and brought up the laundry after I'd taken it downstairs during lunch, then watched Match Game '76 as I ate dinner. We got the tail end of Debralee Scott's first week as Scoey Mitchilll drooled over a pretty curly-haired contestant. Picked up the next week with the debut of a very different comedienne, character actress Mary Wickes.

Finished the night after a shower with Thanksgiving game show episodes. Thanksgiving goes back a long way on game shows. The episode of I've Got a Secret I have here from 1964 lets comedian Louis Nye show off his modern method of cooking a complete Thanksgiving dinner in 10 minutes - in what looks like a huge microwave oven. 

Sale of the Century got an early start on Black Friday with their big Thanksgiving deals in 1985. Likewise, the Wink Martindale syndicated High Rollers stuffed their Thanksgiving pots with tons of cash and prizes, including a car, in 1987. Family Feud celebrated the holiday in 1989 with questions about what to do with turkey leftovers and a big meal in the end for host Ray Combs and both families.

The Price Is Right has done Thanksgiving episodes since the mid-70's. The one I have here is from 2003. There were a lot of newlyweds that year - two turn up on this episode, and one makes it to the Showcases. One showcase shows where you can eat Thanksgiving dinner. The other gives us things to do on the big day, including watch football on an enormous big-screen TV and ride around in a black convertible. 

Let's give thanks for food, family, and games with these hilarious and heartfelt episodes!

I've Got a Secret (1964)

Sale of the Century (1985)

High Rollers (1987)

Family Feud Syndicated (1989)

The Price Is Right (2003)

Dolls On Veteran's Day

Began my Veteran's Day with breakfast and Idol On Parade. I go further into this 1959 British military comedy that made a star out of singer-songwriter Anthony Newley at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Saluting Our Veterans - Idol On Parade

Spent most of the morning dressing the dolls. Molly, Samantha, and Josefina wear their original "meet" outfits. Molly is in her blue argyle sweater, blue felt skirt, the white dickey with the rickrack trim, white socks, and strap shoes borrowed from Sam. Josefina wears her red "meet" skirt with the brown flower print with her long-sleeved nightgown camisa, as the shift that came with the outfit is short-sleeved and too chilly for November in New Jersey. Sam wears her mauve checked dress. I have a really hard time squeezing Felicity into her blue and gold brocade dress (the outfit the most recent version of the doll came in), but she looks so pretty in it that it's totally worth it.

Jessa's ready to do art inside on cold November days in the late 90's Artist Outfit with the lime green t-shirt, fringed overalls, and splatter-print button-down shirt and matching high-top sneakers. Ariel wears the beaded flared jeans from the 2004 modern meet outfit, the boots Whitney originally came in, and a square-necked turquoise and teal peasant blouse Lauren sent ages ago. I love the soft white dress with the red flower print and attached red cardigan I found for Whitney a few years ago. I wish I could get a human-sized version of the dress without the attached cardigan. Kit's in an eBay find, a hand-knitted burgundy sweater with a brown, yellow, and green plaid wrap skirt. Barbara Jean looks elegant for class at Cherry Hill High East in her black and magenta mini-dress with the white satin top, black velvet collar, and soft magenta jacket.

Switched to the Donald Duck wartime shorts as I cleaned up and ate a quick lunch. From 1942 to 1944, Disney did a series of shorts that had Donald as a frustrated soldier in the Army. These honestly came off more like mini episodes of MASH than the surreal lunacy they were doing over at Warners and Famous Studios in the early 40's. "Donald Gets Drafted," and he thinks he's going to be a big flying ace. He ends up dealing with cranky Drill Sergeant Pete instead. He does manage to get in the air during "Sky Trooper," but Pete puts him in with the paratroopers. Their attempt to push away a missile while in the air has explosive consequences!

My favorite of the Donald Duck wartime shorts is "The Vanishing Private." This is the only time in the entire series that Donald gets the better of Pete. When Pete tells Donald to make the cannon "hard to see," he covers it with an invisibility paint. After Donald gets the paint on himself, he leads Pete on a wild chase after "the little man you can't see" all over the base.

"Fall Out, Fall In" is more typical. Donald wants to eat and sleep after a long, grueling hike, but first his tent won't cooperate, then his fellow bunkmates make too much noise for sleeping. "The Old Army Game" is more disturbing today. Pete chases Donald around the base after he's gone AWOL, but it has what Donald thinks is more drastic consequences when he's hurt. "Commando Duck" is the last Disney war short, and the only one to get Donald into actual combat. Donald goes to a (heavily caricatured) Japan, where he proceeds to wipe...no, wash...out the enemy.

Speaking of caricatures, the most famous Disney war short is probably the Oscar-winning "Der Fuhrer's Face." Donald's surreal nightmare about dealing with the Nazi's control of Germany is one of the most imaginatively animated pieces of work Disney ever did. Even the jaunty title song became a hit for comedy orchestra Spike Jones and His City Slickers.

Rushed off to school just as "Commando Duck" was ending. We did get outside for about 40 minutes around 3:30-4 PM. Admittedly, it wasn't the nicest day for running around a playground. While we never got the snow other parts of the northeast reported, it was cloudy, windy, and very cold, in the mid-40's. I did have a lot of fun hopping with one of the little girls in the leaves blown up against the chain link fence around the playground. There weren't enough leaves to jump in, so we hopped in them instead. We had so much fun, some of the other kids did it, too. 

Once again, after we got in, we split up the kids. Half stayed and colored and played with toys in the cafeteria. The others played Heads Up 7 Up in the library. That started out all right, but the older kids kept picking the same people, and the younger ones were often too shy to pick anyone. I was actually kind of grateful when we eventually gave up and moved the kids back to the cafeteria.

Jessa was at home and waiting for me when I got in. We had dinner at the Olive Garden in Cherry Hill near the library. I was feeling the need for comfort food, and I haven't been to Olive Garden since college, when my ex-boyfriend Max would occasionally take me to the one in the Hamilton Mall's parking lot. There was a long line when we arrived. Tons of veterans were taking advantage of a special menu. At least it didn't take us that long to be seated. We both had salad, bread sticks and the Endless Bowls of Pasta. I had angel hair, meat sauce, and Italian sausage. She had rigatoni, meat sauce, and meatballs. Oh, yum! That really hit the spot. Even the salad was incredible. And the bread sticks were so soft and salty! We both took our second bowls home, and I got the remaining bread sticks as well, since Jess said she didn't want hers.

Finished the night with 4th season episodes of MASH on Disney Plus. "It Happened One Night" as the surgeons deal with heavy shelling from the US side, a freezing cold night, a young man who keeps going crazy every time he hears the shelling, Klinger trying to run off, and Radar's nervousness around their new Colonel Potter. Poor Radar is still nervous around Potter, which the older man notes when he writes his "Dear Margaret." It takes a horse Hunnicut and Hawkeye saved to show the young man he has more in common with his new commanding officer than he thought. Father Mulcahey has to deal with his own commanding officer (Ned Beatty), which Hunnicut notes as he writes to his "Dear Peggy." 

Dolls On a Sunny Fall Day

Began the morning with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Adora is concerned about "The Price of Power" as the third season begins. Against everyone else's protests, she uses her powers to heal Shadow Weaver. She reveals that Hordak not only intends to open an inter-dimensional portal and bring the rest of the Horde, Adora isn't from Etheria originally, either. Horrified, Adora runs to Light Hope to learn the truth. Meanwhile, Entraptra convinces Hordak to give Catra one last chance. He sends her to the Wastes to gather more First Ones technology.

Switched to New Faces next. I go further into this filming of the popular 1952 review that introduced Eartha Kitt, Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, and Carol Lawrence to audiences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

New Faces

Spent the next hour and a half dressing the dolls for October. Ariel wears the Our Generation Retro white satin shirt and pink ascot, knitted coral vest, and brown plaid skirt. Barbara Jean also wears an Our Generation 60's outfit, in this case a knitted chevron-print skirt in red, brown, black, orange, and white, with a white blouse and orange cuffs and collar. Whitney is in the black and purple floral dress with the black lace trim I got from the Barrington Antique Center a while back. Josefina wears her pretty BeForever "meet" outfit with the red and blue flowered skirt. Felicity is in her original "meet" outfit; the orange and red rose print is perfect for fall. Samantha's ready to climb trees in her blue windowpane check play dress with the ruffly pinafore. Molly's also ready to play in khakis, her red hula sweater, and the dickey from her meet outfit. Kit's in her original "meet" outfit with the floral skirt and lavender twin set as well.

Switched to The Backyardigans while eating a really quick lunch. Mad Scientist Tasha wants her assistant Austin to retrieve Wolf-girl Uniqua, Vampire Pablo, and Mummy King Tyrone, but they're all "Scared of You" and keep running away. Not to mention, it's Austin's birthday, and he's upset that no one seems to have noticed...but there's a reason Tasha wanted to get him away from the lab...

Headed out to the Thomas Sharp School after that. The kids are still pretty wound up from Book Fair Week. We read them Pete the Cat and played animal charades with them inside, then spent the rest of the afternoon outside. In fact, we were outside for so long, the older kids eventually joined us near the end of the session.

No wonder. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was sunny, breezy, and bright blue, probably in the mid-60's. Couldn't have been a nicer fall day. This was no day for anyone to be inside. We danced to "The Train Song," "The Robot Song," "Sharks In the Water," "Let It Go," and several songs from The Lion King and KPop Demon Hunters while I pushed kids on the swings and tried to keep them from being on for too long. (There's only two swings!)

I stopped at the White Horse Grill for dinner. Had a yummy (if messy) grilled chicken sandwich and tasty sweet potato fries while watching the Phillies-Dodgers game. (Neither they nor the Eagles did well. The Phillies lost to the Dodgers 2-1. I don't know how the Eagles lost to the Giants later on 34-17, since the Giants aren't very good.)

Watched Match Game '76 when I got home. George Kennedy made his debut on the show this week and proved to be one of the best men to play the game, and likely the best player to frequently sit in the male ingenue (first) seat along with Nipsey Russell. Lee Merriweather had more fun taking a leaf from Betty White and rolling up Gene Rayburn's trousers. 

Finished the night with Bewitched. Darren doesn't think a female client is "The Cat's Meow" when she's more interested in seducing him on her yacht than talking advertising. When Samantha refuses to snoop, Endora takes matters into her own hands...er, paws.

Children and Dolls

Started off the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Goes to School" for the first time. He thinks he needs to bring toys from home, but it turns out there's plenty of things there for him to do. "Daniel Goes to the Doctor" for his first checkup. He's worried until his mother draws pictures to show him the waiting room and what Doctor Anna will do when he gets there.

Put on Go West after the cartoon ended. I go further into the Marx Brothers' only attempt at a comic western at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Go West (1940)

Spent the rest of the morning dressing the dolls for September and back to school. Samantha wears her 2015 "BeForever" pink Swiss-dotted meet outfit and black strap shoes. Kit is in her original blue School Outfit with the jumper. Molly gets Kit's pink School Suit with the pink skirt and cute flowered blouse (which is, frankly, too pink for Kit). Whitney feels super-chic in her "Sweet Memories" purple and lavender checked poodle skirt and turquoise scarf. Felicity will take tea in her yellow Tea Lesson Gown. Jessa's dressed for after Catholic school in a pink, blue, and yellow tie-dye shirt and jean shorts. Ariel wears the pale blue Swiss lace mini-dress and crocheted vest she came in. Josefina is in her orange and red Summer Dress (her boots fell apart last fall - she's wearing her regular soft boots). Barbara Jean returns to Cherry Hill High East in a pink minidress with gold threads and pink stockings. 

Switched to National Lampoon's Animal House during lunch and while finishing the dolls. Delta Tau Chi is the worst, least-orderly fraternity house at Faber College in 1962...but it's also the one that has the most fun. It's where misfits like Daniel "D-Day" Simpson Day (Bruce McGill), Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson),  and especially fun-loving perpetual student John "Bluto" Blutarsky (John Belushi) hold wild toga parties and inadvertently take down horses. Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon) is less than pleased with all this tomfoolery, especially when his wife (Verna Bloom) seduces one of the guys at the toga party. The members of Delta will have to fight for their right to party...and prove that even misfits have a place on a college campus. 

Raunchy college caper gets points for treating its misfits with mild respect, for its killer classic rock soundtrack (you'll never hear "Shout!" in the same way again), and for being one of the few college movies to actually show its students in a classroom. There's probably a poster of Bluto in at least one dorm room in every college across the country. Highly recommended for real college kids, adult classic rock fans, and those who don't mind their comedy coming with a lot of scatological humor.

Soon as the Delta fraternity was invading the college homecoming parade, I was off to Thomas Sharp Elementary. We had a lot more kids today, now that they're more settled in. In fact, there were at least 20 younger kids or more. They were really rowdy in the bathrooms, especially the boys. Once again, thank heavens we were able to take them outside and let them run all that energy off. The weather was perfect, sunny, windy, cool but not too much. I did have trouble getting them off the swings. There's only two, and many of them really do enjoy it. Other than that, they were pretty happy. 

Went straight into writing Maplepunzel when I got home. Maple is abandoned in the middle of a gray, soundless swamp. The mud is thick and smelly, the trees lifeless black hulks. Even the animals are fearful and avoid her. Maple's not happy when she sees the disaster that Pavla wrought on her face and hair. Her cheeks have scarred; her chopped up orange hair sticks out in all directions. Foley the bunny and Eugenia the songbird finally leads Maple to Scott. Scott tells Maple that Pavla intends to marry the blinded Victor. Maple's furious and mimes what she intends to do to Pavla when she can get her hands on her. Scott tells Eugenia to lead them to Wennaria Castle, but the bird takes them to a hovel in the middle of the swamp instead...

Had dinner while watching Match Game PM. The most notable episode here was from 1976 and featured Debralee Scott and Bill Anderson. This was the second time on a nighttime episode where the contestant struck out completely in the Audience Match. Rather than just letting her go, they let her answer a Head-to-Head question, a $100 per panelist. She went home with $600 dollars and a smile on her face.

Finished the night with another western musical. Girl Crazy was the last musical featuring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Unlike most Broadway adaptations of the time, this one does use the majority of the full score. It even includes "Bronco Busters," a chorus number cut from the release and Mickey Rooney's solo verbal comedy routine. Judy and Mickey really have fun with "Could You Use Me?" and Judy has a heartbreaking and sublime "But Not for Me."