Rainy Day Salute

Began a cloudy, gloomy Veteran's Day with breakfast and more Looney Tunes wartime shorts. My two favorites out of this batch were the duo spoofing how rural and suburban Americans on the Homefront dealt with the war. "Wacky Blackout" gives us what happens during a blackout on a farm; "Weakly Reporter" covers how life in the city and suburbs changed during wartime (including a woman fixing an entire factory with her one bobby pin). "Meet Johnny Doughboy" gave us a look at life in the barracks. "The Duckinators" and "Fifth Colum Mouse" are allegories on how the war began and how the US intended to end it. "Hollywood Canine Canteen" spoofs the real celebrity-filled canteens that sprung up on either coast with dog caricatures of popular celebrities of the day, like Laurel and Hardy, Bing Crosby, and Carmen Miranda. 

After breakfast, I finally got around to calling my mother, which I've been meaning to do since Halloween. Mom's fine. She's taking leave of her job as a ticket-taker for the Cape May-Lewes Ferry after the New Year. She's tired of dealing with anxious or panicky people and all their anxieties over everything. My brother Keefe is insisting on coming up from Virginia for Thanksgiving too, despite having been diagnosed with the virus and quarantined. At least she had a nice, quiet Halloween. Her little house is on the end of a street and doesn't get many trick-or-treaters at normal times, but my sister's kids apparently had a good haul in the busier neighborhoods of suburban North Cape May. 

Next up was getting the laundry done. Along with doing the regular clothes, I wanted to wash my curtains and get to at least some of the blankets. Started with the clothes and curtains first. It took me longer to get the curtains down than it did to take them in the basement and throw then in the washer and dryer, especially since some of the rods really aren't the right size, but I did get them there. Threw the clothes in first, then put the curtains in while the clothes were in the drier.

Ran the Donald Duck In the Army cartoons while I went back and forth. From 1942 to 1944, Disney made a series of shorts revolving around Donald joining the Army, his desire to become a pilot, and dealing with nasty Sargent Pete. "Donald Gets Drafted" and "Sky Trooper" explores what happens when Donald enters the army, and what Pete does when he gets fed up with Donald begging to fly. "Der Fuhrer's Face" is a surreal trip into the heart of Nazi Germany as Donald has a nightmare about being a worker in Germany. "Fall Out, Fall In" has him attempting to put up a tent, then ignore the snores of his fellow soldiers around him. He's sent to Japan in "Commando Duck" and proceeds to wipe...no, wash...out the enemy.

My favorite by far of the Donald wartime shorts is "The Vanishing Private." It's the only time Donald ever got the best of Sergeant Pete. When Pete tells camouflage painter Donald to make a cannon "hard to see," he covers it in an invisibility paint he found in a lab. After Donald lands in the paint too, Pete ends up chasing "the little man you can't see" all over the base.

Called Uber for a ride to Cherry Hill just as "Commando Duck" ended. The ride appeared around 12:40. I was at Cooper Orthopedics by 12:55. The nurse asked me to come back after about ten minutes, and then it was another five minutes to briefly talk to another nurse. Dr. Ramerez and an even younger doctor checked out my arm and made sure it wasn't too stiff. Frankly, my arm feels fine now. It's bending normally, and I can even carry heavier loads at work again. They declared me healed and said this would be my last appointment. I checked out, called Uber again, was home by 1:52, and went nowhere else.

(I couldn't have gone anywhere else today, even if I wanted to. It started raining minutes after I climbed into the first Uber car, and has continued showering steadily for the rest of the day.)

Made a tropical green smoothie (bananas and mandarin oranges in coconut yogurt with spinach and honey) while watching Superman shorts. Given the tenor of the comics of the time, it was likely inevitable that Superman would fight the Axis on the big screen, too. "Japoteurs" has him saving an experimental plane - and a stowaway Lois Lane - from Japanese spies. "The Eleventh Hour" has marvelously shadowy animation gracing its mature story of Superman sabotaging Tokyo and saving Lois from a firing squad. "Jungle Drums" moves to South America as he rescues Lois from Nazis and hostile (and stereotypical) natives. He has to rescue a female "Secret Agent" from falling into the hands of Nazi sypathizers.

Went to pick up the regular laundry and switch over the blankets and curtains...and was surprised to see Jodie in the kitchen. I hadn't heard from her since she left two Fridays ago and had no idea when she'd be home. She even mentioned she had appointments and parties on Saturday she wanted to attend. I did wash the curtains and the blankets already in the machine, but skipped the other blankets in deference to her. 

Ran the last of the wartime shorts as I cleaned up from lunch. Bugs Bunny becomes a "Super Rabbit" when he eats a specially-enhanced carrot. He heads out west to stop a crazy cowboy from killing rabbits, but when push comes to shove, he dons the uniform of a real hero...a marines officer. The last thing Daffy wants to be is "Draftee Daffy" and does everything he can to avoid The Little Man From the Draft Board. "Falling Hare" is by far my favorite of the Looney Tunes war-related shorts. For once, Bugs goes up against an antagonist who gives as good as they get when he tries to stop a determined little gremlin from sabotaging planes.

Mickey Mouse didn't really figure into most of the World War II shorts, but he did take on Hun cats in 1929 during "The Barnyard Battle." Pink Panther finds himself in Vietnam without a clue in "G.I Pink." He ends up dodging cranky drill sergeants, angry company mascots, land mines, and super-hard obstacle courses.

Jodie was gone by the time I went back for the curtains - she must have gone out to lunch. I did my best to put the curtains up again while returning to Buzzr. The only couple I recognized on today's Tattletales were wacky Patty Duke and the original Gomez Addams himself, John Astin. Not only were they today's big winners, but they got the show's biggest haul ever, getting every answer right when the other couples missed. Whammies abounded on Press Your Luck today. One lady Whammied out, leaving the other woman and the sole young man to battle it out. He hit a Whammy on his last turn, allowing her to win a sailboat and become the new champ.

Worked on writing for a while after the shows ended. Gene invites Richard to dinner with him, Charles, and Brett to make him feel better. He has to help the men with the wine they stole from the Stardom Squares anyway, and he has excellent tea for himself and Gene (who don't drink). Gene's looking forward to it, but Richard looks more worried than he should about a mere dinner...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made Southwestern Sweet Potato Hash while watching Match Game '74. The contestant takes a "Leap ___" of faith choosing Brett for the Head-to-Head, leaving the others to get very into their celebratory hugs and kisses. Big Jim Staal of Mork & Mindy gets to help a gentleman win 20,000 on Match Game PM. 

The contestants on Sale of the Century were a little closer today than they have been the last couple of days. Even so, the woman champ still bought both Instant Bargains, won the Instant Cash money, managed to win the Speed Round, and once again picked up the Bonus Round money with time to spare.

(Oh, and it looks like Buzzr's doing their Black Friday Frenzy theme again this year on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Good. I really enjoyed last year's. Along with getting Supermarket Sweep and Sale of the Century again, Let's Make a Deal will replace the lesser-known Temptation.)

Finished the night after a shower with a mini-MASH marathon on Hulu in honor of Veteran's Day. Started with "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" from the first season. Hawkeye is devastated when he can't save a friend who was going to write a book about his experiences in the war (James Callahan)  from dying. He has more luck convincing an underage soldier (Ron Howard) to go home.

The doctors learn "There Is Nothing Like a Nurse" during the third season when the battle draws closer and all the nurses are sent elsewhere. Lieutenant Calvin Spalding (Loudon Wainright III) writes lousy blues songs on his guitar while the guys try to drink their loneliness away. Enlisting Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) and Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff) to help out only leaves them short elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, the 4077th is turned upside down by a visit from "Big Mac," General MacArthur himself. Henry has to rehearse the group on proper greeting protocol and figure out what to do with Corporal Klinger (Jamie Farr), who wears dresses to try to get himself discharged.

Moved on to Season 4 and one of the many episodes revolving around a character writing a letter to someone, "Dear Mildred." New base commander General Potter (Harry Morgan) writes to his wife about all the lunacy around him on their 27th anniversary. Hot Lips (Loretta Swit) and Frank buy a special anniversary gift for him, while Radar convinces Hawkeye and newcomer B.J Hunnicut (Mike Farrell) to save a sick horse and nurse him back to health. 

And I salute all of our veterans on what I hope was a far drier Veteran's Day than I had!

At War With the Toons

Began the morning with breakfast and Looney Tunes wartime shorts on disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Gold Collection Volume 6, which I would continue after I did some writing and got organized. Warners threw themselves harder into the war than any studio except for maybe Fleischers/Famous. The zany, hard-edged war years were perfect for the shorts' tough brand of humor and reliance on violence and wisecracks. While Bugs gave real-life Nazi officer Herman Goring the run-around in "Herr Meets Hare," Daffy drives them daffy in "Daffy the Commando." Most shorts focus on one-off characters like the Russian gremlins in "Russian Rhapsody" or a plow horse who is desperate to join the Army in "The Draft Horse." Even Warner's earliest shorts star, Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid, found himself fighting World War I as "Bosko the Doughboy." 

Headed to work shortly after I finished lunch. It was on-and-off busy, more than yesterday, but not overwhelming. Still, I was tired and not really up to dealing with any type of crowds. Most people were pretty decent, but I made a lot of mistakes and messes. I was so happy when my relief was right on time, and I was able to race the dark home.

Continued writing after I changed and took out the trash. Gene comes into Richard's cabin to ask him why he's in such a bad mood. He claims he's working on something, but is being really evasive about it. He also doesn't seem happy when Gene claims he's a good friend and he trusts him...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Gene shows off his new suede shoes with a few dancing movies in the opening for Match Game '74, while Richard admits that he knows Liberace well as he was his younger son Gary's godparent. Things got even nuttier on one of the best episodes of Match Game PM. Jamie Lee Curtis (fresh off of Halloween) got to admire Gene's new red shoes while Richard Paul, Brett Somers, and Charles Nelson Reilly hit the stage to hear if Paul's "Eyes of Texas" suggestion for the Audience Match comes up as the top answer. Charles and Brett were especially funny in this episode, and even the bemused contestant got in a quip or two (and ended up in Jamie's lap after the Audience Match!). 

For the second day in a row, the women dominated Sale of the Century. The one man barely got in there. Once again, the lady bought two Instant Bargains, won two Fame Games, blew everyone away in the Speed Round, and won the Bonus Round with time to spare. Baked Honeybee Cookies - "The Vermont" cookies from that cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a few years ago with honey instead of too-expensive maple syrup - while the show ran.

Finished the night online with At War With the Army in honor of Veteran's Day. I go further into the first starring vehicle for Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Saluting the Troops - At War With the Army

The Wizard of Daily Doubles

Began the morning with breakfast and Popeye shorts. He joined "The Mighty Navy" two months before the US officially entered the war. He has a hard time taking command, until he shows the Navy what he can do. "Blunder Below" is similar, only this time, he ends up shoveling coal and taking on a Japanese sub. "Fleets of Strength" pits Popeye against Japanese war planes when they attack his ship. "Kicking the Conga Around" and "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix" brings Olive in. Bluto and Popeye compete to see who gets to do the Conga with her in "Kicking" and show her around their ship in "Don't Mix." Popeye's not saying "Many Tanks" when Army grunt Bluto switches his uniform for Navy sailor Popeye's so he can go on a date with Olive. Popeye leads an entire tank corps to get him back!

Switched to Body Language, which replaced Split Second in Buzzr's morning schedule this week, while getting organized for work. This "game for the uninhibited" is a cross between Password Plus and charades. Two celebrities act out words for their contestants to guess. If they get that word, it goes into a puzzle. Solve the puzzle, and you win money. First to 500 gets to the bonus round, where you have to act out 10 words. However many words they get is the amount of money they play for in the final round. Ted Lange of The Love Boat and soap opera star Constance Towers were the celebrity charades players here.

Headed straight to work after Body Language ended. Work was very quiet for most of the afternoon. It did pick up a little during rush hour, but other than that, there were no problems and I was in and out. The ongoing warm weather makes it really too beautiful out to be shopping.

Went into writing when I got home. Added a bit during the fight sequence where Gene mentions his sword Tonight, the beloved blade given to him by his mentor Captain Steve Allen. He agrees to talk to Richard, who stalked off to his cabin after their raid. Richard claims he'll be at dinner and even has tea for Gene...but he's doing something that smells rather unusual...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Match Game '74 got really wild today as everyone celebrated Jo Ann Pflug's birthday and commented on Gene and Richard's dueling Maxwell Smart impersonations. Comedian Ronny Graham really livened up Match Game PM with his goofy jokes about getting older. 

The lady champ dominated Sale of the Century. The other woman was the only one to get remotely close to her. The guy barely talked until the Speed Round. The champ bought both Instant Bargains, won two of the three Fame Games, did well enough with the Speed Round to win, and won the Bonus Round with time to spare.

Alex Trebek passed away yesterday, so I finished the night with some of his lesser-known work on YouTube. Most people know him as the long-time host of Jeopardy!, but he started out with a show called The Wizard of Odds. Alas, nothing seems to be left of that but the opening, so I moved on to his next assignment - and his first hit - High Rollers. 

This dice game has contestants (or in the original show, a model rolling for the contestants) having to roll certain numbers on dice to win prizes. Whomever has the most money or prizes by the end gets to move on to the Bonus Round. Neither show has a lot of episodes still around, but the one for 1975 I have listed does at least have model Ruta Lee accidentally banging her head on a chandelier as she entered. Alex asked her if she needed to go to the hospital, but she did the show just fine.

Concentration was revived in 1987 as Classic Concentration, which Alex shot in the mornings concurrently with Jeopardy!. Buzzr tends to focus mainly on episodes from the start of the series' run in 1987-1988, so I went with an episode from 1990 celebrating the series' 1000th episode.

Canadian show Pitfall from 1980 ran into a lot more pitfalls than its complicated game. The production company that filmed it was so short on money, they couldn't pay Alex or the staff or give the contestants their prizes. An elaborate mechanical set, basically Whew! without the cartoons and with working elevators, probably didn't help alleviate the situation. 

$128,000 Question did better. This revival of The $64,000 Question kept the isolation booth and the talented-but-unlikely experts, but without the coaching that made the original a notorious part of the late 50's game show scandals. Double Dare also involved trivia and isolation booths. This time, we have two contestants in isolation booths, daring each other to try to figure out who or what a series of clues given them was leading to. If they won, they could see if a panel of experts could bet stumped. If they stumped the experts, they won a prize. 

He took over hosting the 1990 version of To Tell the Truth in 1991, and actually seemed to do pretty well. The episode may actually be more meaningful today than when it first aired. The first contestant was a man who became the first African-American "top gun" pilot. 

Actually, my favorite Trebek appearance outside of Jeopardy! may have been as a contestant on the Card Sharks game show host tournament in 1980. He was hilarious, bemoaning his bad luck with the cards and the Montreal Canadiens' loss to the then-Minnesota North Stars (now the Dallas Stars) in the NHL Playoffs. He did finally come back to win the tournament, over the Dean of Game Shows himself, Bill Cullen.

Hope you enjoy this trip down Memory Lane with one of television's most famous kings of trivia!

High Rollers (1975)

High Rollers (1979)

Double Dare (1976)

The $128,000 Question (1977)

Card Sharks (1980) - Game Show Host Tournament Day 10

Card Sharks (1980) - Game Show Host Tournament Day 15 Finale

Pitfall (1980)

Classic Concentration (1990)

To Tell the Truth (1991)

Summer In Fall

Began an early morning with breakfast and Yankee Doodle Mickey. This LP from the early 80's is a collection of various patriotic songs, ranging from Mickey singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" to a very young Molly Ringwauld leading a kids' chorus through "God Bless America." The Disneyland Glee Club performs a rousing "The Liberty Tree" from the 1957 film version of Johnny Tremain, while the Disney characters get the themes from each branch of the Armed Services. Mickey represents the Air Force and the Marines, Goofy the Army, and Donald, of course, the Navy.

Headed out shortly after the record ended. Work was off-and-on busy, not too bad for a Sunday. The Eagles have off this week, and the weather was once again too beautiful for a lot of people to be hanging out inside. There were a few annoying customers, including one that put away more than half her order because she thought a hundred dollars could pay for a full cart. Another one left their cart sitting in my line and never came back for it. I was very happy to finally dash out right on time without a relief.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. This is the only time I'll be able to. For the rest of the week, I either work too late, or will have groceries that need to go home. The weather was incredible for November...maybe a little too much. It was warm, sunny, and in the 70's, more like a day in early September than early November. At least it looks like fall here. Gardens are laden with mums and the last of the summer roses. Trees are finally turning brilliant shades of gold, flame red, nut brown, and pale green. 

Worked on writing when I got in. Richard has his own questions to ask Brett. What's she doing there? She'll talk about everything but herself and who she is. She evades his inquiries to take Lorrie below decks. Richard finally stomps to his cabin, leaving everyone wondering why he's been behaving badly since he got his own ship, the Family Fortunes. Gene goes to his cabin to find out...

Broke for dinner at 6. Had leftover ratatouille and a chicken leg with Garlic-Parmesan-Topped Sweet Potatoes and an eggnog ice cream soda for dessert. Listened to two election themed musical albums while I ate. The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is set in Dakota Territory during the contested Cleveland-Harrison election of 1888. The plot's a bit of a muddle, but the Sherman Brothers wrote some nice music for this one, including the spirited ensemble number for the Family "Ten Feet Off the Ground" and the charming ballad "'Bout Time."

Evidently, the record company that originally released the cast album for Call Me Madam had trouble getting Merman, so they used the original cast with Dinah Shore. Shore can't match Merman's dynamo factor on songs that require belting like "The Hostess With the Mostess on the Ball," but she does get in on a nice "Marrying for Love" with Paul Lukas. 

Finished the night on Buzzr with their second Family Feud Veteran's Day Marathon. Once again, the five branches of the Armed Forces battle it out, this time in syndicated episodes from 1990. For the second year in a row, the Army put up a good fight, but the five gentlemen of the Marines eventually took it all, though they missed the Bonus Round on the last episode. All the teams had a great time, from the enthusiastic Coast Guard member who did an awesome drill sergeant imitation to the Marine who got to order host Ray Combs around. 

Oh, and I got my first Christmas present tonight. Lauren sent me a huge bag of Sunkist Gems round gel fruit candies. They remind me of the fruit candies Dad used to order from Florida. Between the giant bag and what I got on Halloween, I shouldn't need more candy until at least after New Year's. My cookie containers from Amazon showed up, too.

Dolls and Harvests

Began the morning with breakfast and Muppet Babies. Robin, Kermit's little nephew, is a "Tagalong Poliwog" who is still little enough to have a tail. He wants to play golf with the big kids, but can't hold a putter the size of theirs or hit the ball far enough. Kermit realizes there are things he can do when the kids venture underwater after his ball and Robin is the only one who can retrieve it from a giant clam. It's a "Sparkly Star Switcheroo" when Summer recruits the guys to help her switch out a sparkly star picture she actually made for Rolf with a less-glittery one. Piggy thought the picture was for her, but Summer doesn't want to hurt her best friend's feelings.

Headed out shortly after the cartoon ended. Oaklyn, to my surprise, had their town-wide yard sale today. I started my search at a house almost directly across the street. Didn't pick up anything there, but I did find three DVDs at one house on Kendall, four CDs (two for Lauren and her parents) on Oaklawn, and a nice wooden Thanksgiving banner at Woodland Terrace. 

Saw Rose and Khai raking leaves in their front yard as I made my way down Kendall. They were playing "zombie" with Finley, which seemed to involve burying her in leaves and letting her pop out. Rose even showed me their new trampoline in the back yard. Doesn't sound like she's quite decided what to do about Thanksgiving. She mentioned eating outside, or letting people drive by and pick up meals. Oh, and Mom and Keefe absolutely will not be dining with us. Keefe works in a shipyard in Virginia and has already tested positive for the virus, and Mom won't come up here without him. No one's heard from Jodie either, other than one Facebook post a few days ago indicating she was in Savannah, Georgia.

Didn't make it to the farm market until well after 11. Stopped quickly at WaWa for an Orange Vanilla Coke and more money before heading back across the street. The Collingswood Farm Market is on it's last three weeks. There were already fewer booths, to the point where they were able to confine themselves to the main parking lot again, but still quite a few produce booths out there. Stocked up on cranberries, apples, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green peppers, and a half-gallon of apple cider, since I won't be getting back there next week.

Took the shorter way down Bettlewood and up to the White Horse Pike to make a quick stop at Dollar General. I really just needed peanut butter. The natural Jif has less salt than almost any other brand on the market. I bought two, along with cooking spray (which is cheaper there) and a bottle of Sprite Winter Spice Cranberry to try later. 

On my way down Newton, I stopped by a house with a few intriguing items for sale, including a lovely  jewelry cabinet with a beautiful glass door etched with flowers. To my surprise, it was only two dollars. I thought something that nice and in good shape would be at least 10. In fact, they ended up giving it to me for a dollar and throwing in a plastic bag to carry it home. Made one last ride down to the Oaklyn Library to see if they were having a book sale, but they're still not open.

After I got in (and brought in the package of Christmas cookie boxes I ordered on Amazon), I made a green banana smoothie (peanut butter, bananas, spinach, lemon yogurt, coconut milk, honey) while watching two Match Game '74 episode from earlier this week. Contestant Kim, with her midriff-baring blouse and her mega-watt smile, turned a lot of men's heads during her short time on the show. Even Brett, who often derided women who were younger or prettier than her, accurately called her "pretty as a picture." 

Dressed the girls for late fall next. Josefina, Samantha, Molly, and Felicity are all in their original Pleasant Company-era "meet" outfits. Molly wears her skirt and sweater with Samantha's black-strap shoes. Sam borrowed the black stockings and boots from Rebecca's School Outfit. Whitney's in a cute Our Generation dress and bolero jacket that looks very early-mid 60's, despite not being labeled as part of the Retro line, and borrowed Josefina's black flats from her Christmas gown. Jessa wears the shirt and colorful fleece jacket from her original meet outfit, but the black corduroys that went with it are too warm for our current weather. Gave her a pair of magenta leggings instead. Ariel sports a square-necked turquoise blouse Lauren sent from a yard sale in her area, beaded American Girl bell-bottom jeans, and the boots from Julie's orange tunic outfit. 

Worked on writing for a while after I finished the girls. While figuring out what to do with their spoils, Officer Dick Martin discovers a young stowaway onboard the Stardom Squares. Little Lorrie (Macaffery) wanted badly to find her sailor sweetheart Anson in New York, but had no money for passage. She passed herself off as a boy and hid on the Squares. Brett and the other women on the Marauder kindly agree to take her in and give her work.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers and made apple cider donuts while watching Just Around the Corner. I go further into this Depression-set vehicle for Shirley Temple at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Family Fun Saturday - Just Around the Corner

Finished the night online after a shower with Fantasy Island. Seasons 4 and 5 are currently on Crackle. Went with "The Snowbird/The Invisible Woman" from season 4. "The Snowbird" is sweet and pretty trapeze artist Velda Ferini (Pamela Sue Martin). Ned Pringle (Douglas Barr), a popcorn seller, has a crush on her and asks to be a trapeze artist himself to get near her. "The Invisible Woman" is Helen Winkler (Elaine Joyce), who asks to be invisible to keep an eye on her fiancée (Dick Gautier) while he rehearses his new girl act. She ditches the girls, but ruins the act and ends up getting him back together with his former partner instead.

One for All, and All for Fun

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and two fairly new episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Does Gymnastics" when he joins Henrietta's tumbling class in the Enchanted Garden. He's scared to try the tricks the other kids are doing, until his mother and Henrietta tell him they'll help out. Dan's the one who helps O out when he goes down "The Big Slide" at the Dinosaur Playground for the first time.

Went straight to work after the cartoon ended. Work was off-and-on busy, not quite as bad as yesterday. The customers largely seemed to be in better moods, too. Maybe it was the weather. It was even nicer out today than yesterday, sunny, breezy, and really too warm for this time of year.

Had a bit of grocery shopping to do after I got off. The Acme generic ground turkey is fairly cheap, and turkey cutlets had a coupon. Found the no-salt canned diced tomatoes and those oatmeal sandwich bars on clearance. All of the big tea companies have their Christmas flavors out now. I grabbed Twinings' Gingerbread Joy black tea. Eggs were on a really good sale with an online coupon. There were a few good ice cream sales, too; went seasonal with Turkey Hill's eggnog. Picked up cards for Keefe and Anny's birthdays and Thanksgiving. Restocked butter, yogurt, milk, bananas, oatmeal, and cream of tartar. 

Not real happy with my schedule next week. In good news, I still have a lot of hours. Things is, I only got one day off next week. I asked for Veteran's Day off for my next doctor's appointment, but that's it. Good thing the doctor's appointment was really the only big thing I had planned for next week, besides making my Christmas lists. I'll have to see what I can get done tomorrow.

Went straight into writing after I got home and put everything away. Everyone on The Marauder is excited when cabin boy Gary Burghoff run onboard flashing rings with jewels the size of birds' eggs. Seems the ship Stardom Squares had quite a haul. Gene's ready to celebrate, but then two of the men bring a pretty stowaway from the Squares...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Pan-fried the turkey cutlets with spices and boiled the cranberries for sauce; had them with a green salad and leftover mashed sweet potatoes. The cutlets came out dry, but everything else was pretty tasty.

Enjoyed them while watching Match Game '74. Gene first had trouble when the turntable that moves the contestants and Super Match board off and on-stage didn't work right, then Jo Ann Pflug drew a mustache on him in the last few minutes. It was a close game in Match Game PM that came down to the very last question. After the lady struck out with her first Audience Match, Brett helped her pick up what she got from the second.

Sale of the Century was almost as exciting. The ladies were pretty close to each other throughout the game. Each bought one Instant Bargain and the one guy did manage to win the final Fame Game, but the champ pulled ahead in the Speed Round. She didn't have quite as much luck in the Bonus Round this time, though.

Ended the night on TCM with the 1948 version of The Three Musketeers. Gene Kelly is D'Artagnan, the hot-blooded youth from Gascony who insists on joining the King's Musketeers and gets involved with intrigue surrounding the Queen (Angela Landsbury), her lover the Duke of Buckingham (John Sutton), the King (Frank Morgain), and a box of diamond studs the Queen is to display for her husband. Vincent Price is Richelieu (a prime minster, rather than cardinal), June Allyson D'Artagan's doomed wife Constance, Van Heflin is Athos, and Lana Turner is the treacherous Lady De Winter. 

On one hand, other than changing Richelieu to a prime minister and condensing some characters, I'm impressed with how relatively well this sticks to the book. It's certainly closer to the book than the later Disney version would be. Kelly would call this his favorite non-musical role, and I can't say I blame him. He has a great time leaping down stairs and rescuing fair ladies. Lana Turner makes a perfectly scheming Lady De Winter too, and Vincent Price is appropriately nasty as Richelieu. 

Alas, they're the only three who feel remotely historical. Everyone else, from Allyson as sweet Constance to Keenan Wynn as D'Artagan's valet Planchet, seem to have been dropped in from an MGM musical of the time. The story drags on for a lengthy two hours, and the intrigue with the queen and the war gets very boring after a while. 

Despite the miscasting, this is still recommended for the sumptuous Technicolor sets and costumes, the genuine enjoyable fight scenes, and the three central performances. 

The Warmth of Autumn

Kicked of a quick and sunny morning with breakfast and two episodes of the 2003 Strawberry Shortcake on The Roku Channel. Ginger Snap loves space and wants to be an astronaut. Peppermint Fizz teases her about her head being in the clouds, but Strawberry encourages her interest. Ginger Snap is determined to get the girls into orbit, even if she has to build the rocket ship herself! 

Peppermint thinks she's being "The Good Mayor" when each of the girls decide to pretend to be the jobs they want when they're adults. She keeps ordering the other girls to do jobs in the park, without considering how difficult those jobs are...until peppermint-gobbling bugs attack the park, and she'll need to get everyone working together to head them off.

Did some writing after the cartoons ended. Dick Martin and several of the crew come onboard rolling kegs of whiskey and run. This is the good stuff, he points out, well-aged down in the Caribbean. Gene admits he doesn't drink it and wants to sell most of it with their treasure, but he doesn't see any reason the crew can't enjoy some. He also mentions that this will be Richard's last raid. Brett wonders how Richard managed to afford his new ship The Family Fortunes when he gives most of his money to the villagers on land, but "Dickie Bird" evades her questions.

Broke for lunch at noon. Had a salad and leftover chicken legs while watching Match Game '77. Someone kept laughing wildly in the audience, even when there wasn't much that was funny going on. Gene tried to get her calmed down, while Leslie Nielson and Charles Nelson Reilly avoided Brett when she takes off her shoes to illustrate a question.

Headed out shortly after the episode ended. Once again, it wasn't bad when I came in, but got off-and-on busy later. Despite the lovely afternoon, I had a lot of customers who were grouchy, grumpy, difficult, or just plain rude. We're getting the last of the beginning of the month people, too. In fact, a manager had to call one of the teens to take over for me so I could get out from a family with a WIC order that was too long for me to do and leave on time.

Found a package waiting for me when I got home. I ordered a few things off Amazon I needed now and for the upcoming holiday season. The bottoms of my jeans around the rear are starting to fray. I picked up a new pair of Gloria Vanderbilts. Grabbed something for Amanda for Christmas as well. 

Watched Sale of the Century while I had a quick yogurt, muffin, and fruit dinner. The champ couldn't get anywhere tonight against a lady who had courageously pushed herself to conquer her fear of flying in a stunt plane over Texas...and certainly had no fear of buying Instant Bargains, as she picked up a rather nice shopping gift certificate and picked up another for furniture after she won the Speed Round. Got through the Bonus Round with two seconds to spare.

Finished the night online after a shower with Sweet Adeline on TCM. I go further into this story of the daughter of a beer garden owner (Irene Dunne) who becomes a star at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Sweet Adeline

Shaken, Not Stirred

Got a quick start to the morning with breakfast and the most recent episode of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures. Goofy and elephant kid Elroy are "Magic Tricked" when they try to perfect their act to show popular rabbit magician Trikini. Their act is a disaster in front of the others, but they have so much fun putting everything away, they decide it might be worth auditioning after all. Minnie, Daisy, and Cuckoo Loca fill in for a pregnant art teacher who is about to have her baby and teach her students how to make "Art from the Heart."

Dashed off to work shortly after the episode ended. The Acme was quiet when I came in, but it picked up at noon and continued to be busy for the rest of the day. It's not normally that bad in the middle of the week, but it's also the beginning of the month. A lot of people want to use their money while they have it. Other than a few annoying customers (including one man later in the afternoon who insisted the register counted everything up wrong when it didn't), there were no major problems. My relief was on time, but is new and couldn't actually come in for me. Thankfully, I was able to finish just in time.

All most people talked about all day was how gorgeous the weather got. They were right. I took the long way home down Nicholson to enjoy the warm-but-not-hot temperatures, bright blue sky, and soft breezes. Rush hour started as I left. I dodged quite a bit of traffic on Nicholson. It ended once I went into Oaklyn, where I saw a few bike riders and not much else.

Went straight into writing when I got home. Gene, Richard, and Charles are saved from Captain Peter Marshall (of rival celebrity game show Hollywood Squares) and his men by Brett, Joyce, and several ladies. Brett announces that the ship is secured, and they're ready to take their booty to the harbor to be given to the townspeople and divided among the crew.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had tortilla-crusted tilapia, steamed broccoli, and mashed sweet potatoes while watching Match Game '74. While Loretta Swit and Brett Somers picked on each other, the others answered a question about what Loretta's MASH character Hot Lips lost on the operating table. Charlene Tilton of Dallas turned heads on Match Game PM; Bob Barker of The Price Is Right settled for helping a contestant win $5,000...and help him get a kiss.

Made Banana Muffins during Sale of the Century. The show returned to its original format with adult contestants this evening. The lady and the champ were pretty close the whole night, but the champ jumped way ahead in the Speed Round. He picked up a nice men's watch and won the Bonus Round with seconds to spare.

Finished the night with Dr. No in honor of Sean Connery, who passed away on Saturday. Dr. No was the first official film in the James Bond series and introduced the character - and Connery - to most people. Bond is called to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of the English Secret Service chief there. He eventually hooks up with American agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and Jamaican fisherman Quarrel (John Kitzmiller), who are also looking into the man's disappearance. 

Turns out the chief was checking rock samples off the coast of Crab Key, which has seen a lot of mysterious activity lately. James finds out what when he and Quarrel finally make their way over, despite Quarrel's claim of there being a dragon on the island. Beautiful beachcomber Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) also claims she's seen the dragon. The beast isn't what it seems...and neither is what's on the island. Bond eventually finds himself and Honey in the clutches of mysterious Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) and his SPECTRE organization. The two have to escape and find a way to shut down his base, before he leads the US and Russia into all-out war.

The first Bond film may come as a surprise to many casual viewers. There's no pre-credits sequence, no big ballad in the opening, just the theme song and some nifty early 60's graphics. James has a regular girlfriend, Sylvia Trench, whom he visits before he heads off to Jamaica, Q is played by a younger man, and the Bond girl doesn't show up until nearly the end of the movie and, despite Honey's iconic emergence from the surf, is barely used. Dr. No is pretty stoic for a James Bond villain, and though he does invite him to dinner and have a pretty nifty lair, is otherwise not quite as over-the-top as some bad guys from these movies would be in the 70's and 80's. 

Even with all that, this is highly recommended for fans of the series who want to know where it all started, or those who remember when Bond and spy spoofs were the hottest things going in the mid-60's. 

Something to Dance About

Woke late this morning to a gorgeous, sunny, still-windy day. I was reading The Phantom of the Opera in bed when the cell phone jangled. Rose told me she and Finley were coming over to get their house key back. I quickly put the book aside and changed out of my pajamas.

I just finished putting up my hair when they knocked on my door. Rose handed me a cute "trick or treat" bag with a gift to thank me for taking care of their kitties. They gave me an adorable Hershey's Kiss-shaped oven mitt! I loved it. Apparently, Hershey Lodge had an indoor mini-water park and far more activities for families (including an arcade room where Khai spent most of his time) than Hershey Park, which she claimed barely gave away any candy on their "Dark In the Park" trail. Her kids have a hard time getting on rides together too because of their differences in size. Khai can no longer fit in many of the kiddie rides Finley loves, and Finley won't ride alone. 

Finley was happier playing with the Cabbies and my rag dolls Anne and Rainbow Brite in my bedroom. She really loved curling up in my bed with all my blankets and stuffed animals, too! She even pulled off her shoes and socks. Rose really had to talk her into going home for a nap.

Finally had breakfast while watching a quick Three Stooges short. Shemp, Moe, and Larry are "Three Dark Horses" when they're chosen by a pair of politicians to vote for their nominee. When they learn that the guy is corrupt (and the other nominee is offering more money), they change their votes.

Put on Happy Days while cleaning up from breakfast. Richie decides he doesn't like Ike in the second-season episode "The Not-Making of the President." Inspired by a girl he has a crush on, he's campaigning for democratic nominee Adelai Stevenson instead. Mr. Cunningham is a big Republican and a fan of Eisenhower and is shocked, but he eventually discovers that not everyone in the family has to share his opinion.

Cleaned the bathroom while Match Game '77 was on. A slow but sassy older contestant traded jokes with Gene and the panel and seemed to enjoy herself, even though she lost, on the first episode, while Richard reveals he's been adopted by a girls' high school. The second (which was apparently rare until it turned up on Buzzr last year) had the panel arguing over whether Brett's "I've got a headache" answer was an appropriate match with "Not now."

Since I'm still washing towels and blankets along with regular clothes, I decided I'd do the laundry twice this week. Threw the towels and any clothes I wore over the weekend, including my work clothes, into the wash shortly after Match Game ended. Cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, took out the trash, and had lunch while watching Call Me Madam. I go further into one of the few times Ethel Merman got to recreate one of her signature roles on film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Election Day Special - Call Me Madam

Did the dishes, took down the Halloween decorations, and put up what I have for Thanksgiving (including all those stuffed dolls and turkeys Jodie gave me a while back) while Tattletales was on. Cheeky Gary Burghoff and his sweet wife Janet were the big winners today, over older couples Amanda Blake and her gruff then-husband Frank Gilbert and the long-married Gene and Helen Rayburn. Later talk show host Jenny Jones was the big winner on Press Your Luck, picking up two vacations and no Whammies. 

After I got all of the laundry back to my side of the house, I did a little writing. Richard and Gene are dueling with the crew of the Hollywood Squares to steal the treasure they stole from a wealthy ship. Captain Peter Marshall would get the drop on them, but they're missing their third officer, Second Mate Brett Somers...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Opted for a simple all-American meal of baked chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes while watching Match Game '74. Gene and Richard fend off plenty of jokes when a question asks what Gene did to Richard that made the audience cheer (and Richard yell at the end!). Bill Daily is even more nervous than usual when he has to answer a 20,000 dollar question at the end of Match Game PM. 

Started chocolate chip cookies while Sale of the Century was on. Their "End of the Summer Bash" finished on a high note with a close race between a Philly honor student, an award-winning artist, and a debate team president. Though the kids were all pretty close through most of the game, the artist picked up the Instant Cash and an Instant Bargain trip, barely forged ahead in the Speed Round, and easily won the Bonus Round. She didn't have nearly as much luck winning the grand prize jeep, which finally went to the basketball player from earlier in the week.

Threw on Remember WENN while pulling the cookies out of the oven. Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer make "Strange Bedfellows" when they run against each other for city council. WENN manager Scott Sherwood is hoping to promote their appearance in a big debate, but a humble former baseball player may steal their thunder. 

Finished the night after a shower online with more politics-themed sitcom episodes. The fifth and sixth seasons of Benson are currently running on The Roku Channel. Benson's "Campaign" for Lieutenant-Governor isn't going well. The public isn't familiar with him, he has no money, and he angrily turns away funds from a supporter (Dick Sargent) who expects favors in return. The owner of several major radio and TV stations is more supportive of his views and finally gets his name out there, enough to really make a dent in "The Election."

In the third season of The Bob Newhart Show, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette) is tired of the head of the school board ignoring the teachers' demands and never showing up for meetings. She and another teacher convince Bob to run for his position. Trouble is, no amount of jingles like "Think Smartly-Vote for Hartley" Carol (Marcia Wallace) invents or his dentist (Peter Bonerz) trying to polish his image can make him really come off as a forceful candidate. Even so, it looks like he may be a lock...until the head of the school board finally returns. 

Against the Wind

Winds whipped down Hillcrest as I awoke this morning. I shivered, then turned on the heat and had breakfast. Watched Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood as I ate. Daniel and his friends learn about how voting works when "The Neighborhood Votes" for a swing or a slide in the playground. Dan's disappointed when he doesn't get his vote, but Mrs. Tiger encourages him to find something good about the winner. Teacher Harriet does something similar with the kids when "The Class Votes," only this time, they're deciding whether the class pet should be a turtle or a rabbit. Once again, Daniel is voted down and has to find something good about the other choice.

Switched to The Roku Channel for Silver Spoons; the first two seasons are currently available there. When the statue that's the symbol of his school is stolen, class president Ricky has to figure out how to handle it. His best friend Derek (Jason Bateman) wants him to retaliate on the ones who did it, but his father Edward (Joel Higgins) insists that fighting back will only lead to more trouble. While watching Regan making a speech on television, Ricky imagines himself to be "Mr. President" who has to deal with a similar situation of an American vessel being hijacked on Russian waters.

Let Split Second run while I changed and got organized. The two ladies dominated today, but the one who came on strong the whole show killed in the Countdown Round. She missed the car by one board and opted to return. 

Fought the wind long enough to get to work on an otherwise sunny, if chilly, day. The Acme wasn't busy when I arrived. In fact, the first two hours or so were kind of dull. It didn't pick up until past 1:30, and it stayed busy the rest of the afternoon. It's the beginning of the month, there's another holiday coming tomorrow, and a lot of people are already starting to think Thanksgiving. Other than a few annoying customers, I got in and out without a ton of trouble. It slowed down enough by 5 that I was able to shut down slightly early without a relief.

Went straight home and onto the computer to start re-writing the opening to the pirate sequence. Captain Gene Rayburn and his trusted first mate Richard Dawson are now shown dueling with hulking pirates twice their size as they attempt to get past the brutes and take their treasure.

Rose called while I was riding home. I called her back shortly before writing. She admitted that she and her family had a better time at the Hershey Park Lodge, which apparently had a ton of activities, than the sparsely-populated park. She appreciated me helping with the cats and will be around for the key to her house tomorrow.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while watching Match Game '74. That gorgeous young contestant turned a lot of men's heads - even Charles'. Alas, she only won once. Her successor was a young man who was personable but, as Charles pointed out, not quite as pretty (or scantily clad). Goofy Alfie Wise got to help a fellow win money with "Price ___," while the others teased Jack Jones about some of his weirder answers on Match Game PM. 

Sale of the Century continues with its "End of the Summer" high schoolers week. Today, we had a young man who'd won awards for his science project, a sweet philosophy student, and a sunny cheerleader who loved math and wanted to show she was more than a pretty face. She got her wish. She came from behind to win the Speed Round and got through the Bonus Round with time to spare.

Put on House of Wax when I got online. The 1953 remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum showed up on TCM for Halloween, but I didn't have the chance to watch it until today. Vincent Price had one of his first horror roles as the mad former sculptor whose creations are a little too realistic, thanks to a few stolen corpses. Phyllis Kirk is Sue Ellen, the woman who discovers what he's up to, Carolyn Jones is her giggly roommate who was his second victim, Paul Picerni is Sue Ellen's boyfriend Scott, and Frank Lovejoy is the cop who thinks Sue Ellen was seeing things...until all the details start pointing at the remarkable House of Wax.

While I did enjoy Mystery, this one is even better, with a more interesting cast and better wax effects. I'll bet it would be even niftier in its original 3D format (it's on Blu-Ray in 3D). 

Finished the night back at The Roku Channel with The Patty Duke Show. In "Patty, the People's Voice" from the second season, Patty and Cathy learn about how politics work when they campaign for T.J Blodgett, a businessman friend of their father's who is running for the city council. Trouble is, he may talk a good game, but he knows nothing about issues or how to solve them. The girls discover when they attend a rally for his rival, a professor from a local college, that he knows all about the city's issues. The girls change their minds and their candidate...but things really get hairy when they ask Blodgett questions about those issues he really can't answer.

The Eagles Blow the Cowboys Off the Field

Began a rainy morning with gingerbread pancakes for breakfast and the Unsung Sondheim CD I picked up off eBay a while back. This is another Versace Sarabande collection of unknown or lesser-known material by a certain composer that were either cut from a familiar show, intended for a project that never materialized, or one way or another never really got their due. My favorite song from this CD falls into the last group. Other the Oscar-winning Madonna number "Sooner or Later," the great music Sondheim wrote for the comic-book action movie Dick Tracy has never really been given its due. "What Can You Lose?" is a touching ballad sung by Madonna and Mandy Patinkin (as nightclub pianist 88 Keys) in the film; here, it's given a sultry run-through by Judy Kaye.

Headed out to work just as the CD ended. Work was busy for almost the entire afternoon. Though the Eagles had the Sunday night game against the Cowboys, other local teams played, including a big one between the Steelers and the Ravens. (Steelers barely won, 28-24.) It started raining pretty hard sometime around noon; while it didn't clear out our customers, it did slow things down a little bit. Fortunately, the rain stopped by 4 PM, allowing me to leave without a relief or getting wet on the way home. 

(Incidentally, the rain started up again less than 10 minutes after I made it in the door and has continued off and on for the rest of the night.)

Worked on my fanfic when I got in. To be honest, I think I'm going to re-write the opening of the pirate sequence. It lacks action, and Goodson needs more motivation for what I have planned later. I'm hoping to start with an action sequence after work tomorrow.

Broke for dinner at 7. Listened to the soundtrack from The Pirate Movie while I ate leftovers. There really aren't too many musical pirate stories I can think of. I've loved this wacky spoof of swashbuckler clichés, 80's movies, and Gilbert and Sullivan since I was little and it showed up on cable all the time. The "modern" music is very of its time; the peppy "Pumpin' and Blowin'" and upbeat finale "Happy Ending" are much better than the sappy power ballads in the middle of the movie.

Finished the night online after the Match Game syndicated premieres with the Eagles-Cowboys game and more game shows I used to watch on USA as a child. I didn't realize until I checked Wikipedia that college wasn't the first time I caught a version of Hollywood Squares. I used to enjoy the mid-80's show with John Davidson hosting when I was about 7 or 8. In fact, I probably would have gotten a kick out of the episode from 1986 I selected as a kid. A lady from the San Diego Zoo brought a live camel onstage for a question, Richard Simmons lead the audience in a vigorous work-out in the opening sequence, and Bob Hope made a surprise cameo in the finale. 

Hot Potato is more obscure today. Most episodes of this short-lived Family Feud imitation featured two teams of three people from a certain occupation playing each other. The episode I saw, for instance, pit three firefighters against three dental hygienists (and later, the hygienists against three waitresses). Host Bill Cullen asked them a question with a certain amount of answers. The two teams passed around the question until they gave all the answers. If one member of the team gave a wrong answer, they'd have to sit out until the round ended. The winners went on to a round where they had to guess which of two answers was the right one. They kept guessing until they either won $5,000, gave a wrong answer and lost their money, or said they wanted to stop.

I actually thought this one was really cute, especially the "smoking hot" sign in the opening. I heard later episodes replaced the workers with celebrities and wasn't nearly as much fun.

Cullen took over hosting The Joker's Wild in 1984 after Jack Barry died, and it's for this show that I remember him best. This is pretty much Jeopardy crossed with Gambit, only with slot machines instead of cards. As much as I enjoyed answering trivia along with the contestants, the fun really started when they spun the slots. You never know what would turn up, whether it would be money or that wild Joker.

Ended with one of my favorite game shows of all time, Tic Tac Dough. Boy, do I wish Buzzr would pick up this one. I went with an important episode from 1980, when a contestant became the all-time game show winner with over $250,000. He would go on later to win over $300,000 before he was finally defeated, a record that stood until the debut of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. 

If you grew up in the 80's like me and watched USA, here's four more fond blasts from the past (some with their original commercials!).

Tic Tac Dough (1980)

Hot Potato (1984)

The Joker's Wild (1984)

Hollywood Squares (1986)

Oh, and by the way, the game wasn't very good...but the Eagles still managed to blow the Cowgirls off the field 23-9 despite a rough start.