Ain't No Stopping Us Now

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And four books:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On the Right Track

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear's Tooth" is loose! His friends try every method they can think of to get it out, but it turns out the simplest solution is at dinner. Emily's Granny tells Little Bear, Emily, and their friends "Little Red Riding Hood" when they're stuck inside of a rainy day. Emily is Red, Cat is the wolf, Hen is Red's mother, Granny is Red's grandmother, Little Bear and Owl of the huntsmen, and Duck is supposed to be guarding Granny. Little Bear and Emily are upset when their cupcakes bake hard as rocks and hide them from Mother Bear. She reminds "Little Bear and the Cupcakes" that sometimes, even just adding one ingredient can make a difference...and so can telling the truth.

Threw on a bit of Super Password, the week with Marsha Warfield and Tom Poston from 1987, as I went through most of my remaining records to see if I wanted to get rid of any more. I then split everything into two bags and added the Bissell vacuum I no longer needed. I took the vacuum sections apart so I could fit them in the car.

I had no choice about calling Uber, despite the nice day. There was no way I'd fit those two full and heavy bags on my bike. At least the lady who picked me up 10 minutes later was really nice. She had no trouble driving me around the back of the building so I could drop the bags right off at the Goodwill donations pick-up area.

Goodwill was surprisingly busy for a random June Thursday. I didn't have a ton of luck, but I did find a few interesting things. My best find was a new pair of rolled-cuff jean shorts. My old pair is starting to fray at the rolled-up part. I also picked up a CD:

Julie Andrews - The Best of Julie Andrews (the first and only solo album I've seen for her) 

and a children's record:

Raggedy Ann & Andy's Birthday Party

Made a quick stop at Five Below for a drink before heading out again. This time, I strolled into Audubon on foot. It was too nice to call for a ride again. Though it was a bit warmer and more humid, it also remains sunny, and the wind was enough to keep it from feeling too nasty. I had lunch at a busy Legacy Diner. Their broccoli and cheddar omelet was a bit on the watery side, but I did enjoy my fruit cup with melon and pineapple slices and red grapes. I've never seen apple butter at a diner, either. I love apple butter. It may be my favorite type of fruit spread. It and orange marmalade were wonderful on whole-wheat toast.

Backtracked to Market Street for a treat at Desserts By Design. I had a yummy coconut-frosted cupcake while the lady behind the counter helped a kindly older couple decide what they wanted for their son's birthday. When they left, I told her about exploring Cherry Hill and waiting until after Lauren visits in mid-July to do further house-hunting. She pleasantly said I was on the right track. I feel like I'm on the right track. At least I'm actually doing something after spending so much time in the winter and early spring stuck at home due to the weather. 

Started home after I finished my cupcake...but I couldn't resist a stop at the Calico Cat Cafe on the White Horse Pike. This charming little nook has a room that sells cat art, crafts, and hand-knit beds, along with sodas, baked goods, and for some odd reason, ramen. They're also the first place I've seen make "dirty sodas" - that is, soda with cream and flavoring. I had a Dr. Pepper Zero with brown sugar flavoring and French vanilla cream. The brown sugar wasn't bad, but the French vanilla overpowered the Dr. Pepper. Next time, I'll try it with regular cream. I admired several cats sunning themselves in the big picture windows as I walked past them.

Relaxed at home while watching The Nifty Nineties. I go further into the Abbot and Costello vehicle best-known for introducing the extended version of "Who's On First" to movie audiences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

The Nifty Nineties

Put on an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse after the movie ended. Detective Minnie, Super Spy Daisy, and Captain Clarabelle are "The Go-Getters" who must round up a trio of giant baby chicks and remove the egg shells they hatched from that are blocking a river. Captain Clarabelle is more than happy to rescue Pete from them, too...but it's Pete who ends up being the biggest help when he's the one who finally gets them in the corral.

Switched to Match Game '75 next. Gary Burghoff was terribly embarrassed in the first episode when they had to redo the Super Match because he blurted an answer. Marcia Wallace received a standing ovation in the second show after she finally got her first right answer. After that, they moved to the next week, with Avery Schiriber, Trish Stewart, and a radiantly pregnant Patti Deusch. 

Finished the night with another classic Republic serial at YouTube. This time, I jumped to before the war for Daredevils of the Red Circle from 1939.  This one may have one of the more unique plots in serials. The title Dardevils are acrobats Gene Towley (Charles Quigley), "Tiny" Dawson (Herman Brix), and Bert Knowles (ace stuntman David Sharpe). The trio volunteer as detectives when Gene's younger brother is killed in a fire at an amusement park where they're performing. The fires all target properties belonging to Horace Granville (Miles Mander) because escaped convict Harry Crowe (Charles Middleton) wanted revenge on him for turning him in. He traps the old man in a recreation of his prison cell in his mansion and poses as him. His granddaughter Blanche (Carole Landis) knows something is up, especially when she becomes one of the next targets. The Daredevils protect her and Granville's properties with the help of a mysterious figure known only as "The Red Circle." 

Hot In Springtime

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Father Bear wants to take "A Family Portrait," with Little Bear in a suit like his. It becomes a lot harder when Little Bear messes around with the photos and his friends want to join in. "Little Bear's Friend" is a little lost girl named Emily, who can't find her parents' campsite. Little Bear helps her and her doll Lucy get back to her parents. "Emily's Visit" brings her and Lucy over to play. They pretend to be Father Bear and Mother Bear, and Owl "marries" them.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. I had always intended to use Uber today. This is my double-shift day. It's just easier to take cars than bikes. To my pleasant surprise, the driver going to work arrived in 4 minutes. The one going to Thomas Sharp came in 8 minutes. I got there just in time. The one going home rather surprisingly came in 5 minutes. No trouble anywhere on the road.

The Acme was more of a problem. They just changed how you sign in the sweeping that you're supposed to do every hour, on the hour, no exception. I totally forgot to type it in when I arrived and got scolded, then had to figure out that you only type once now, not three. The rest of the day went fine. It got a little busier around noon, but other than that, I had no trouble with the carts or the sweeping.

After work ended and I changed into regular clothes, I walked up to Market Street in Audubon. Even though it was sunny and hot as heck, in the upper 80's, I wanted something different for lunch. I ate at the Brown Dog Cafe, a coffee shop on Market. They were quiet for 1:30, with one person doing laptop work outside. I had a chicken salad sandwich on a huge, crusty croissant with thick wavy potato chips, a chocolate-banana-peanut butter-almond milk smoothie, and a slice of crumb cake. The chicken salad was delicious, with huge chicken pieces and sweet-tart grapes. The crumb cake wasn't bad, but it was a little more dry than the one at Common Grounds in Oaklyn. I sat on a leather chair at the counter surrounding the windows and watched cars go by.

After lunch, I finally took a brief look at Peak Secondhand two doors down. Their walls are painted in bright neon colors, and the shopkeeper was sweet and friendly, but their wares are mainly clothes, shoes, jewelry, and books. I don't need clothes right now, and I have an enormous pile of books from the last year I'm still trying to put a dent in. I thanks the kind shopkeeper, but moved on with nothing.

Went across the street to Desserts by Design to buy a treat and talk to the baker there. I told her how frustrated I was about not being able to get a loan. She said I would, eventually. It would just take time. Next year would be my year. I just wish it was sooner. 

It was busy when I arrived (on time) at Thomas Sharp School. We had 24 kids today, 10 at my table. They did clean up well when we went to the bathroom first, but they were pretty noisy in the hall. They were even worse in the cafeteria, arguing, tearing paper taped to a table for coloring and stenciling, and running all over. It did get better once we got them outside. We weren't in the playground for long. It was hot and sunny, really too hot for games and dancing. Most of the kids either crowded under the trees around the chain-link fence, looking for ants and new leaves on the ground, or under the roof of the slide equipment. We did have to argue them into their shoes again. (I'm just glad it was too hot for anyone to even consider a jacket!)

It was also too hot for them to stay outside. We took them back inside to the library around 4:30. The ten remaining kids colored on regular paper this time, looked at books, and danced to "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "Pink Pony Club," "The Big Pink Tiger," "The Checkout Song," "The Gummi Bear Song," "Candy Cane Crush," the themes from Hannah Montana and PJ Masks, and songs from Moana 2 and KPop Demon Hunters. After we were down to six kids, we moved them to the cafeteria to play with the remaining nine older kids. 

By the time it clouded over and cooled off enough to take them all out to the blacktop, there were four younger kids and three older kids left. I left just after the last older kid did. There were still four younger kids left as I called Uber.

Watched The Price Is Right after I got in. Came right in time for the last game of the episode, "Cliffhangers." The lady did really well. I think the little man on the incline went ten steps. Usually, people way over-guess on that game. The first Showcase was a generic Department Store that ended with a lovely organ. It reminded me of the organ Uncle Ken had in the 80's and 90's, where the bar ended up from the 2000's onward. The second was summer-themed, ending with a trip to Palm Springs, a small desert car, and a speedboat. Alas, the lady with the speedboat went way over. The other lady got her organ, and likely her own fond family memories. 

Had dinner while watching Match Game '90. Most of today's episodes revolved around the hilarious Halloween week with Vicki Lawrence, Ronn Lucas and Scorch, Brett Somers, and One Life to Live cast members Wally Willey and Jill Larson. Jill wasn't much of a player, but Wally wasn't bad, and was a looker besides. No wonder Brett complained when he didn't sit next to her early in the week. Alas, they didn't show the Halloween episode (they must be saving that for October), but the rest of the week is just as cute, especially once Wally did move next to Brett.

Finished the night after a shower with four of the best episodes of the underrated Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour from 1983-1984. I never even heard of this until Buzzr started showing it; it's been a staple on their channel since 2019. The few things I did hear about it before that were never nice. The panels weren't great, Jon Bauman wasn't suited to be a host, the Hollywood Squares segments were mucked up and not played the same way as the usual show. 

While there are no regulars, the celebrities are still the best thing about this. For one thing, this attracted a lot of comedians who otherwise never appeared on either show, like Arsenio Hall, Michael Winslow of Spaceballs and Police Academy, Jay Leno, Ted Knight, and a young Howie Mandell. A young Brian Stokes Mitchell was hilarious in his two weeks, especially the week he kept wearing increasingly huge boutonnieres on his jacket. Adorable older character actress Nedra Voltz probably got more out of the show than anyone else and became a fan favorite, as did erudite stage and sitcom actor Leonard Frey. 

Along with the now-rare premiere episode, I chose three of my favorite episodes of the entire series. There was the week in December 1983 where McLean Stevenson spent the entire hour complaining about getting ink on his pants. The replacements they give him are way too big, causing him to show the camera way more than anyone needed to see when he goes to hug the contestant after the Super Match! 

The episode with Mitchell and his flower shop also featured one of the funniest technical glitches in game show history. The huge tic-tac-toe board stopped working half-way through Hollywood Squares. Everyone who had been called on had to hold their hands in an X or O position. As you can imagine, no one was happy. Gene Rayburn made "I'm a Little Teapot" jokes, and Jay Leno spent ten minutes whining about calling his lawyer.

A few weeks after the board malfunction incident, Nipsey Russell and his poems made their last appearance on a Match Game episode. He was joined by Tom Poston for the first of two weeks, the hilariously sarcastic Fern Fitzgerald, Alan Thicke when he was doing his own talk show, Thicke's then-wife singer and soap star Gloria Loring, comedian Marty Cohen, and elegant soap star Constant McCashlin. One of the last weeks dove into game show history, featuring Arlene Francis in one of her last appearances and Chuck Woolery to promote the then-upcoming Scrabble, plus McLean joined Jamie Farr for a MASH reunion. 

(Oh, and incidentally, if the theme music sounds familiar to Price Is Right fans, Goodson Productions, and later Freemantle, would use the music as underscoring for the showing of car prizes on Price for years.) 

You won't be square if you match the weirdos of the 80's in this hilarious and underrated delight!

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour Premiere (1983)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984)

Keep Your Sunny Side Up

Got caught up finishing Coconut Drop Dead this morning and didn't get going until well past noon today. Watched Olym-pinks while getting dressed and having a quick brunch. The Pink Panther is the skiing star of the 1980 Lake Placid Games, much to the annoyance of his long-nosed rival. The guy does everything he can to get attention and beat Pink, but only ends up with a cold and a silver medal for his trouble. Pink, meanwhile, would love to escape a piano who manages to chase him everywhere, including on an electrical wire!

Watched Family Feud while getting organized, then called Uber. Though it was warmer than it has been, probably in the upper 20's, and sunny and windless, it's still too cold for biking. The lady arrived in 4 minutes and talked about her own children all the way to the Goodwill in Audubon.

One my main reasons for hitting Audubon Crossings today was dropping a bag of donations to Goodwill. I walked around in there after I came back around front. They were still pretty busy with people shopping before their lunch break ended. I came up with the animated film Superman: Doomsday, the 2006 Wilton cake decorating book Cupcake Fun, a sweet velvety wine-colored teddy bear, and three records. One was the first disc of that Home for Christmas record set I found at a yard sale years ago. The other two were:

The Manhattan Transfer - The Manhattan Transfer

Saturday Night at Mickie Finn's, a live recording of a Dixieland-themed show performed at the San Diego title venue that was apparently famous for its renditions of early 20th century music.

Ducked into Five Below next. I was hoping to find Valentine's Day decoration, but didn't see anything I liked. I did buy a gift card there for my niece Lilah, whose birthday was on Monday. Had no more luck finding a winter dress or work pants I liked at Lane Bryant.

Had lunch at Tu Se Bella's. I hadn't eaten there in ages. By quarter of 2, there was only one other group there and a guy picking up pizza. I had a slice of shrimp-broccoli, a slice of mushroom, and a Diet Pepsi. Enjoyed it up front while listening to cooking shows on the TV someone dropped on the soda cooler.

Since I was there, I stopped at Acme for groceries. They didn't have those blood oranges again, so I bought sumo oranges on sale with an online coupon. I had online coupons for yogurt, Poppi soda, and free eggs, too. Picked up Olipop soda on sale and cards for Lilah and Jessa (whose birthday is next month). At least they weren't busy. No wonder I had most of this week off. There was barely anyone in line, even at self-checkout during rush hour. The store was quiet as can be.

I had a harder time getting home. There was a lot more traffic on the road than in the store. I couldn't get a driver for over 20 minutes! At least it wasn't bad when he did arrive. He dodged traffic enough to get me home in a little over five minutes.

Started Forbidden Zone while I put everything away and got organized. I go further into this truly bizarre 1980 fantasy featuring some of the first music by Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Forbidden Zone

Jessa picked me up at 5:30 for dinner. After getting turned around and ending up at the wrong place, we finally made it to Langhorn Steakhouse in Cherry Hill around quarter of 6. This is a pretty basic steakhouse, with heavy dark furniture and matching walls and austere photos. The food was really tasty, starting with the fragrant warm whole wheat bread the waitress brought out. We shared the "Texas tunion," aka battered onion strips cut to look more like fries. I had a 6-ounce "Renegade Sirloin" with sweet barbecue seared Brussels sprouts and a baked sweet potato with butter and cinnamon. Jessa had a larger ribeye steak (that she took home most of later), the Brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes.

Oh, yum! Everything was so good! The bread was hot and nutty. The sweet potato was cooked just right. I never would have thought of using barbecue spices with Brussels sprouts. The sweet worked quite well with the earthiness of the sprouts. The "Texas tunion" was spicy and addicting. I especially enjoyed the crusty, perfectly blackened steak that was just enough for one sitting. And the waitress was a sweetheart to boot. I absolutely will try them again sometime. 

Watched the rest of Forbidden Zone when I got home, then finished the night working on the review and listening to Saturday Night at Mickie Finn's. Mickie Finn's was apparently a San Diego nightclub that specialized in its beer and Dixieland shows of music from the 1910's through the 30's. They were wildly popular in the 60's, eventually playing Los Angeles and Vegas, among others. They even had a summer variety series in 1965. I can understand why they were so huge. The band is obviously having a ball with vintage numbers like "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee," "Oh You Beautiful Doll," and "The Band's Back In Town." At least one then-recent song that fits the mood, the title tune from Mame, and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" manage to sneak in.