A Snow Preview

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and the soundtrack from the film version of Dreamgirls. While they did eliminate some songs from the story of a black girl group's rise to the top in the 60's and 70's, they added two more and a dynamite cast. Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for her roof-blowing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." She also gets one of those new songs, "Love You I Do." Beyonce has another new song, "Listen." Eddie Murphy's best moments are his first number, "Fake Your Way to the Top," and last, "Jimmy's Rap" when Jimmy rebels on national television against the easy listening music he's been coerced into playing for years. I also like the breathy title number, the opening "Move," and the dynamic "Steppin' to the Bad Side." Jamie Fox gets the lovely "When I First Saw You."

Absolutely no trouble getting to or from work today. Took 4 minutes for the driver to arrive this morning and 4 this afternoon. The road was fine, despite the ongoing wind. 

No trouble at work, either. Other than gathering the trash at one point, I spent the entire afternoon rounding up carts. Wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. It was sunny and still insanely windy when I arrived and when I left. Around 12:30, it started to snow, and snow hard. It was still too warm for it to stick. It didn't even look that nice coming down. The wind blew it around too much for that. The clouds finally broke up around 1:30, and it hasn't done anything but blow since then.

(The kids were too cute when it snowed. I saw two boys catching snowflakes on their tongues and running around, trying to get the snowflakes. They gave me a good laugh as they darted around, trying to gather snowflakes with their hands, then their tongues.)

We weren't busy, either, especially later in the afternoon. Everyone is either waiting for their day off tomorrow, or were at home watching football. The games were a bit better this time. This time, the Packers blew the Cowboys off the field 48-32 and the Lions just barely sneaked past the Rams 24-23.

Went straight home, changed, and into tonight's Match Game Sunday classics. (I took a shower and had dinner later during the marathon.) Tonight, we looked at the show's humble beginnings in 1973. It began as a fairly staid affair in July, with Gene Rayburn asking simple fill-in-the-blank questions. By the time fall rolled around, the jokes were a lot rowdier, and so were the panelists. Their big lunch between tapings that usually included some kind of libation assured that after-lunch episodes would be especially insane.

Richard Dawson was there from the beginning, on the very first week with Vicki Lawrence, Anita Gillette, Jack Klugman, Jo Ann Pflug, and Michael Landon. Of that first crowd, only Landon, offended by the randier questions and stricter rules, would never return. Klugman, Gillette, and Lawrence would turn up at least two or three more times much later in the series, while Pflug, who always did handle Richard and host Gene Rayburn drooling over her very well, became a semi-regular.

The third week debuted Betty White, Bert Convy, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Klugman's wife Brett Somers. Klugman recommended Brett to get her out of the house, but I don't think he figured she'd get a career out of it. Brett proved so popular and played so well off Richard and the others, she became a regular by August. Reilly would be the third regular around November, though he didn't appear as often as Richard and Brett due to his many other commitments. 

Some of the wildest episodes from the entire series happened before the show was even six months old. Bobby Van and his wife Elaine Joyce made their first appearances on a now-banned episode with a question on what Batman and Robin are doing together. Dick Gautier appeared with his wife Barbara Stuart and gave another sexuality-related answer that now has the episode banned from the air. Host Gene Rayburn's ugly green and red plaid suit was nearly as offensive. Comedian Jack Carter said it looked like "a station break in Poland." The panelists wouldn't even look at him when he came in.

"Mama" Cass Elliott became the only rock star to ever appear on the show a few weeks later. Bill Cullen also made his first appearance on her week, and Jack would sit next to Brett for the first of two times. Still another week had McLean Stevenson, who claimed none of the other men would lend him any clothes, turn up shirtless. He was also fond of running over to Gene, Richard, and any other available male panelist and giving them huge kisses and  hickeys. There was also Charles appearing as Santa in the first Christmas episode, and the streamers and confetti thrown for the first New Year's. 

Explore the beginnings of Match Game in these out of control episodes!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Featuring Best Episodes of Match Game '73

Winds and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Wattstax. I go further into this 1973 concert film for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musical Documentaries - Wattstax

It continued to rain for most of the morning. Though it was slowing down by 11:30, I still took Uber. The one going to work arrived in 4 minutes. It took me a minute or two to figure out where the one going home was, but it did arrive in 10 minutes. 

Work was even less trouble. The head bagger did most of the sweeping and indoor trash, which left me to round up the carts and the outside trash. My only problem was the wind. We were blasted with 40-mile-an-hour gales today. They tended to blow the carts literally in the middle of the road, forcing me to chase them.

At least we weren't busy. In fact, we were pretty dead for most of the afternoon, likely helped by football playoffs beginning today. I heard part of the Browns-Texans game on the Uber driver's radio going home, including an amazing 83-yard touchdown by the Texans' corner Steve Nelson. The Texans went on to maul the Browns 45-14. (Later learned that the Chiefs also mauled the Dolphins, 26-7.)

Soon as I got home, I grabbed dinner, then went upstairs, changed, and went into today's Match Game marathon on YouTube. CHiPs, a police drama about motorcycle-riding officers on the California Highway Patrol, was one of the most popular shows of the late 70's and early 80's. Brianne Leary, who appeared in the show's second season, had originally been a contestant in 1976 who won quite a bit of money. She became one of the few contestants to join the panel when she appeared on two weeks in 1979, including the one with Bob Barker and her doing cartwheels that was just on Buzzr.

Robert Pine was one of the show's stars and head officers, and one of the few to last the entire run of the series. Appropriately, he also appeared the most on Match Game. He began in 1978 and was a semi-regular through the last syndicated season in 1982. While not always the funniest, he was an excellent player and a genial presence compared to some of the stranger people around him. (Nowadays, he's best-known as the father of actor Chris Pine.) 

Lovely Randi Oakes first appeared on CHiPs in 1979 and turned up on a memorable Match Game week a year later. She would also be the only CHiPs cast member to appear on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour shortly before the show's run ended in 1983. She got to see Gene compliment Fern Fitzgerald on her lovely red dress and hat (which she claimed to have gotten from Larry Hagman), only for Marty Cohen to show up in his own chic sunglasses. 

Let's go on patrol with some of the best cops on the highways and keep the streets of Burbank safe in this wild marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Featuring Stars from "CHiPs" on Match Game

Tales of Radio and Fantasy

I slept in so late, Match Game Syndicated was on before I got rolling. I don't know if it was a good idea to put Bart Braverman and Debralee Scott next to each other, considering how much they'd pick on each other later in the series. Anita Gillette, on the show for the first time since 1973, keeps an eye on them while Charles tries to talk over his tight collar and Bart and Jim Staal show off the latest in Hawaiian shirts. In the second episode, Gene admires Jim's velvet coat while Charles points out that Brett doesn't really live in Beverly Hills.

Headed out after the second episode ended. I probably shouldn't have cut through Newton Lake Park on my way to the Westmont Acme this time. I stepped into a huge mud puddle when I got off the stone steps leading from Cold Spring Avenue, and it wasn't the only one around. The lake must have really flooded. I doubt there's much drainage in the park. Evey path leading over the hill was one big mud puddle. I certainly wouldn't be able to take them going home.

Everyone must have heard the forecasts for heavy rain and snow this weekend and Tuesday. It was busy at the Acme when I got there. The eggs and butter that were on good sales had evaporated. I had more luck getting mozzarella to snack on and Kind bars. Had a really good online coupon for two Crest gum repair toothpastes and a free coupon for the Roar organic hydration drink. Stocked up on apples, blood oranges, yogurt, Coke Zero, and wipes.

Walked home on the other path through the park that goes past the playground and stone pavilion.  That was an even worse idea. Some of the puddles there were ankle-deep. I hiked up to the dirt path on top of the hill to get around them. I wasn't the only one, either. Collingswood's track team were jogging down the path and had to go up the hill to avoid soaking their running shoes on that minor lake, too.

At least it was a nice day for all of this. At this point, it was still sunny, breezy, and relatively warm, in the lower 50's. There were clouds on the horizon, and they started to hide the sun as I made my way down East Clinton to home.

Once I got in, I put everything away while briefly watching Vicki Lawrence and Dick Martin and then Dorothy Lyman and Tom Poston on Super Password. Switched to WKRP once I settled down to do job research. Skipped the clip show "Mama's Review" in favor of "A Date With Jennifer." Herb is very jealous when Les manages to land Jennifer as a date for an important banquet. His attempts to get Arthur to ban employee dating end with Les finally standing up for himself.

Andy and Venus create "The Contest No One Could Win" when Johnny accidentally says they're giving out $5,000 instead of $50. When someone actually does win it, they have to come up with the money, and then figure out what to do when a con man shows up and claims it's his. (For some reason, this episode is said to have two different endings. This one ends with Johnny paying for all the trouble; apparently, there's one where they do catch the con-man in the act.)

Arthur's leading important Japanese delegates through the studio when a major "Tornado" hits Cincinnati. After Andy is knocked out when a window bursts open, Arthur insists Les reads his instruction manual for dealing with disaster on the air. Of course, Les' idea of "disaster" is "communist invasion." Arthur proves he's more reliable than originally suspected by calmly relaying real information on what to do during a tornado. 

The cast says "Goodbye Johnny" when he manages to get his old job in LA back. Venus and Bailey try to keep him in Cincinnati with a big dinner. Thankfully, they finally admit that it was wrong to manipulate him and come clean.

Worked on writing for a while next. Joyce, Rover, and their three new friends have to cross a rough river. Charles and Richard make a raft to get them across. All goes well, until Charles gets stuck on a pole while pulling them across...

Also got my schedule around this point. In good news, more hours, nothing later than 5:15, Thursday and Friday off. However, I don't have another day off until Thursday. There's also my working Tuesday. If we get any snow like we're supposed to, I might not be able to get to work that day. Plus, it's supposed to be literally freezing this week, and I do have outside work. 

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. Avery Schreiber, Elaine Joyce, and Gary Burghoff join in to hear Gene say Fannie's writing her first book Coming Attractions (which would later be known as Daisy Fae and the Miracle Man). Everyone does their best to help with "Away __" in the Audience Match.

Watched the last two episodes on the WKRP disc after a shower. "Johnny Comes Back" when he loses his big job on the west coast. Trouble is, Andy already hired a new DJ, Doug (Phillip Charles Mackenzie). Bailey and Venus don't trust him. He seems nice enough...until Johnny and Andy discover he's hiding more than one nasty little secret.

Herb's not saying "Never Leave Me, Lucille" when his wife (Edie McClurg) breaks up with him. Jennifer doesn't like him hitting on her freely and tries to push Lucille back into his arms. Johnny's not too thrilled with him crashing in his apartment, either, and does everything on his end to encourage Herb going back to his wife.

Finished the night with two particularly macabre fairy tales from Jim Henson's The Storyteller. "Fearnot" is a variation on "The Boy Who Left Home to Learn About the Shivers." Here, he's joined by a strange companion who tries to help him figure out what fear is...and it's ultimately his sweetheart at home who teaches him.

"The Soldier and Death" is taken from a Russian folk tale. It starts off pretty typical, with the soldier gathering the devils who plague a Czar's palace in a bag and makes all of them but one promise to never return. He gets money and a home, marrying well and enjoying life...until his son becomes sick. The Devil gives him a glass that lets him see Death. He wants to trap Death too, and keep him from his son and the Czar, but that means no one can die. He learns a harsh lesson in why death is a natural part of the process of life when he does release Death, but he won't take his life, no matter what. 

(Oh, and we did get at least one storm tonight. It started raining around 9:30 and has poured off and on since then.) 

Comedy Is on the Air

Began the morning with breakfast while watching more Green Eggs and Ham. Guy and Sam flee the train after cops McWinkle and Glutz try to get the Chickagriffe. Michellee isn't happy, either. She thinks Guy lied to her about the Chickagriffe and where EB was the night before. The guys first end up in a quarry, but when they figure out that the Chickagriffe (which EB dubbed Mr. Jenkins) likes to eat ribbons, they make their way to a farm. The only tie at the nearby farmhouse belongs to a neurotic "Fox"  named Michael, who is in love with a green hen and doesn't want anyone - including them - to know.

Quickly made my bed, then went on Zoom for my appointment with Irene Perez. She suggested looking up government jobs. That would be a great idea, if most of them didn't seem to be for legal secretaries, teaching, lawyers, or nurses. She pointed to a communications operator...which turned out to be someone who could repair and operate radios and similar media. I don't think she really understood what I'm good at. 

Truth be told, I'm not sure what I'm good at, either. I agreed to send her updates once a month, but I don't know if anything will come of this. I know I don't want retail, but I'm not really sure what I'm good at, besides reading, writing, and editing. I'm not even sure I can handle an office job, or how fast I can type. What can I do? I wish I knew what was right for me. I do need to write a cover letter; I already signed the paper that says where I want to work.

Headed out after I finished with the paperwork. I wanted to get to the Westmont Plaza before the weather starts getting nasty. It looks like we're going to have another heavy rainstorm tomorrow night, and maybe even some snow Tuesday evening. In addition to the precipitation, it's supposed to drop into the upper 20's-lower 30's, too. Next week is not going to be a good time for long walks. 

Today, however, remained gorgeous. It was sunny and relatively warm, in the upper 40's, and the wind from yesterday had long blown itself out. It was so nice, I walked to Westmont with the cart instead of taking Uber. 

Hit Sprouts first when I arrived. Decided I would try a different brand of coconut milk that was on sale and had less sugar. The breakfast cookies remain on sale, too. Made Good granola bars were also on a decent sale; I picked up the mixed berry. They had vegan chocolate chip cookie samples out; they were so good, I decided to try a box on clearance. 

Mainly needed fish oil vitamins at Target. Figures they'd be out of their generic brand. I bought the second-cheapest brand I could find. Grabbed more of that Listerine Gum mouthwash; they're the only ones who sell the smaller size. Picked up one container of yogurt for tomorrow. 

Dollar Tree was the only one of the three stores that was even remotely busy, and even that wasn't bad. Grabbed two Zest soaps here. Was going to pick up a Pepsi Zero, but opted to try their giant off-brand grape electrolyte drink instead. Oooh, glad I went with the water. It was terrific, better than Propel's, and came in a bottle twice the size of Propel. 

Enjoyed a nice, long hike up Cutbert and the White Horse Pike to the pretzel shop down the street from me. I was the only one there when I picked up a cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel, two small pretzels, and a can of Diet Pepsi. Got my lunch, headed home.

Watched Tattletales while I put everything away and had lunch. The week with Greg Morris and his wife Lee, Janet Lynde and William Gray Espy, and Jack and Keiko Douglas continues. This time, Janet and William were the ones who couldn't get anything going. Although they did managed to get the last question right, Greg and Lee just barely won over Jack and Keiko.

Looked at more jobs online, then switched to Silver Skates on Amazon Prime. I go further into the first vehicle for charming British figure skating star Belita at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Silver Skates

Worked on my review while watching more WKRP In Cincinnati. Andy learns that he's not so different from Arthur Carlson when the punk group he hires for WKRP's first sponsored concert, Scum of the Earth, turn out to play "Hoodlum Rock." They're polite and well-dressed, but also cause trouble wherever they go and even drive Johnny crazy. Andy and Arthur wonder what happened to bands who just get up onstage and play instead of making demands and doing damage.

Johnny's doing his latest morning broadcast from an electronics store when there's a "Hold-Up" by a desperate former disc jockey. Turns out the guy just really, really wants a chance to be on the air. Meanwhile, the others at the station try to figure out how to get Johnny and the store's nervous owner (Hamilton Camp) some help.

"Bailey's Show" is the first big project for the sweet, shy assistant. She's hoping to have Johnny interview people off the street, but most of those people are a bit too weird to broadcast. The arrival of a seemingly legitimate child psychologist gives Bailey hope, but he turns out to be even stranger than her earlier interviewees. 

Andy's back in the spotlight when "Love Returns" in the form of country star Linda Taylor (Barrie Youngfellow). Linda was his girlfriend in New Mexico, but they broke up when she took her act on the road. They rekindle her romance, making him wonder if he wants to stay in Cincinnati or be with her. 

Did some things online before I broke for dinner and Match Game '79. The first episode began with Brianne Leary finally doing a cartwheel after she said she would earlier in the week. Joyce Bulifant is also very happy when she's able to match a question about what the musician's wife gave birthday and Bob Barker next to her not only misses it, but spells his answer wrong. In the second, Jon Bauman isn't impressed when Joyce gives him pearls to wear with his black t-shirt, and Gene gets really scary when he shoves his face at the camera to get them to switch to a commercial!

Finished the night at YouTube, which seems to be the only place I can find the original Fantasy Island at the  moment. Went with one of the episodes from the last season, when Christopher Hewlett's butler replaced Tattoo. Said butler is constantly getting splashed by the angry sea princess Nadia in "The Mermaid and the Matchmaker." She claims she's bored and wants to be a mortal, at least before she falls in love with a handsome former diver. A loan analyst (Bert Convy) thinks he's "The Obsolete Man" when a woman engineer (Gloria Loring) creates a computer that can do his job. He's worried about being replaced, until his secretary tries to destroy the machine, and he realizes how much she loves him...and how important human communication is. 

Windy Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and Green Eggs and Ham on Netflix. After Sam runs the car off a cliff, he and Guy end up taking a "Train." EB and her mother Michellee are also on the train. EB is excited, until her mother literally chains her with handcuff-like "friendship bracelets." She manages to slip them when she sees the Chickagriffe and pursues it. She and Sam end up having the time of their lives on the roof of the train, especially when it rides around loops. Meanwhile, Guy and Michellee make a connection and seem to be rather interested in each other.

Called Uber right after the cartoon ended. The drivers came in decent time - the one this morning arrived in 7 minutes, the one this afternoon in 5 - but the one going to work took a little longer getting there when something was blocking Nicholson and they had to duck into Audubon to go around. The one going home avoided Nicholson and cut through Oaklyn. 

I had more trouble getting to work than at work. We were dead all morning. While the rain was gone by 9:30, it was still pretty wet early-on and very windy and cold, with in and out sunshine. Considering the mess on Nicholson, I wonder if a lot of our customers were blocked by debris from the storm and couldn't get to the store. I swept, pushed carts, and cleaned bathrooms and the employee room with no problems whatsoever. 

Watched a little Password Plus when I got home, changed, and had a snack. Buzzr is now on Bill Cullen's run as host. I got to see Vicki Lawrence help a lady in the Alphabetics bonus round, and do just as well there as she did with the Money Cards a year later on Card Sharks. 

The show hadn't even ended when I settled down for a nap. I've been busy these past few weeks and up too late. This was the first time in a while I had the chance to sleep during the day. I went down at 2:30 and got up at 4:30, still feeling a little worn out.

The job counselor who is supposed to help my other counselor asked for a monthly report on how my job hunt has gone. Truth be told, I didn't have the chance to do a whole lot with job hunting during the holidays, and I didn't really see anything interesting when I did look. I applied for a few jobs with Karen in late November and early December, but haven't heard from them. 

Had dinner around 6:30 while watching Match Game PM. This was the nighttime show for Christmas week 1978, the one where Charles dressed as Santa Claus and Brett as a little girl on his knee. Gene had to do some heavy lifting when the turntable with the contestants wouldn't move during the opening and he had to push it himself, then jumped on the lower tier to show how strong he was!

Worked on writing for a while after that. The lion agrees to join them. Even if the Wizard can't help him, he hopes he may learn courage during the trip. He also finally makes friends with Rover when he gives the little guy a great belly rub and Charles when he keeps him from falling over.

Took a shower, then finished the night at The Roku Channel with Hart to Hart. It's "A Question of Innocence" when Johnathan learns that the nice older woman (Jeanette Nolan) who owns the newstand in his office building has been found injured after a mugging. Turns out she was really being blackmailed by the friend of her late grandson, who died from a drug overdose. She thinks she killed the professor who supplied him with the drug, but the Harts don't believe she's capable of murder. They ask questions at her grandson's fencing team and the sorority where several girls with crushes on the drug-selling professor and learn that there was someone else there that night who was far more likely to have done the deed. 

Stormy Weather

Started off a gloomy morning with breakfast and Green Eggs and Ham on Netflix. Sam-I-Am swipes a "Car" from animal bounty hunter McWinkle, who had been hoping to retire after he captured the chickagriffe. Guy somehow ended up with the creature in his hotel room. He's fed up with Sam pestering him about giving up his dreams and hits the road in the desert, only to end up hallucinating. Meanwhile, little EB wishes her overly protective mother would let her do something exciting once they make it to the big city, but her mother's idea of excitement is her looking out at the city from the window of an office building.

Switched to It's a Pleasure after the cartoon ended. I go further into Sonja Henie's only starring movie in color at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - It's a Pleasure

Worked on writing for a while after that. The lion (Avery Schreiber) admits that yes, he is a coward. He's afraid of everything, and only gets by due to his loud roar. Richard the Tin Man invites him to Oz with them. Even if the Wizard can't give him courage, at least it'll be a nice trip. 

Broke for lunch at 1 PM. Watched Tattletales while I ate. Greg Morris and his wife Lee join comedy writer Jack Douglas and his sweet wife Keiko and soap opera pair Janet Lynde and William Gray Espy. Considering they were behind most of the episode, William and Janet ended up making a brilliant comeback and winning everything on the last question.

It was pouring at 1:30, and had been for hours. I would have called Uber regardless of how my wrist and toe felt. Surprisingly, considering the weather and the flood announcements, I got a driver going there in 5 minutes and coming home in 11. Neither ran into any flood water and were able to drive home using their regular routes.

It continued to rain hard for pretty much the entire afternoon at work...and yeah, I was out in it. The head bagger had been out in it earlier and wanted to remain inside in case she was needed to take over a register. I pushed carts and got soaked. I did get called in after break because apparently, the baggers are now expected to clean the bathrooms and employee break room along with everything else they do. After I finished the men's bathroom, I went right back out and got wet pushing carts again. 

(And I'm glad I finished when I did. I was just connecting to an Uber driver when I heard the college-age boy in charge of self-checkout announce that every register in the store had gone down. Neither the regular registers nor self-checkout worked. The moment I overheard the night manager say she intended to shut the doors until they could get them fixed, I ducked out, rain or no rain.) 

By the time I got home, not only was the rain still coming down, it was gale-force windy, too. Some of those gusts shook the house so hard, I thought it would be blown half-way to Camden! Thankfully, the rain seems to have subsided by midnight, though it continues to be windy.

Had dinner while watching Match Game episodes. Match Game PM was on the Jon Bauman marathon Sunday on YouTube. This was the one where, to comply with a request that he "dress up" for the show, Bowser donned a giant red and white polka-dot clown bow tie and his black leather jacket. Match Game '79 began with Fannie admitting that she swiped Gene's striped tie. Richard Deacon was happy to help a lady  finally become a winner with "Which Way Is  ___" on the Head to Head.

Finished the night with a charming German TV version of Snow White from 1992 on YouTube. Snow White is played younger than usual here, barely more than a child. She's good friends with the jester from her father's court, who is far more than he seems. Her stepmother is a vain and spoiled creature, obsessed with the mirror given to her by the Black Knight. The Knight himself is a mysterious fellow who never takes off his armor. The Knight encourages Snow White to flee. She ends up with seven dwarves, who create inventions and are mourning one of their own, who wanted to be taller than he was. Meanwhile, the jester seeks her out...but so does the queen...

Charming fantasy has some interesting touches. This retains Snow White being attacked by her stepmother three times and how she awakens from her poisoned apple sleep from the original fairy tale. It's also the second version I've seen where the "prince" was someone else before finding Snow White after Snow White and the Three Stooges, and the only one where the huntsman is a mysterious knight who works for the queen. This was dubbed into English, and while the dubbing isn't great, it's still worth looking around for on YouTube if you love fairy tale adaptations. 

Music and Games

Slept in today and finished reading The Hobbit. Put on my DVD for the 1970 half-hour Horton Hears a Who and had breakfast when I finally rolled out of bed. Horton the Elephant rescues a speck of dust from going over a waterfall. The speck contains the entire world of the Whos, a race of people so tiny, only Horton with his huge ears can hear them. Sour Jane Kangaroo thinks Horton is crazy and first gets the Wickersham Brothers to steal the clover with the speck, then tries to boil it in oil. Horton, however, won't give up on his new friends. It finally takes the voice of the smallest Who of all to be heard and prove that "a person is a person, no matter how small.

This wasn't Horton's first go-around at Warners or in animation. Warners made a random one-off Merrie Melodies version of the other Horton story, "Horton Hatches the Egg," in 1942. This time, Horton is coerced into taking care an egg that belongs to a lazy bird named Maisie. He continues to sit on that egg no matter what, despite rain, snow, and hunters taking him and the nest to the circus. Maisie sees him at the circus and demands the egg back, but what comes out of the egg proves once and for all who is really "faithful, one hundred percent." 

Switched to Match Game Syndicated after the short ended. Comedian Ronny Graham joined in this week, along with Susan Richardson and Arte Johnson. Ronny got "Classic __" on the Head-to-Head in the first episode while Gene does a song and dance number and the rest of the panel clapped along. Charles kicked off the second episode by teasing Ronny and Arte about bringing purses onstage. 

Took the laundry downstairs, then dusted the rooms while watching Tattletales. Sammy Davis Jr. and his wife Altavise, then-sweethearts Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Malone, and TV stars Linda Kaye Henning and John O'Connell. Sammy and Altavise had some great stories and hilarious jokes, especially from the question in the first episode about who had the bigger chest! They did very well, winning the first episode and tying with Adrienne and Michael in the second.

Brought the laundry upstairs and hauled the trash and recycling outside, then headed out. I needed to make a few quick donations, but I first wanted lunch. Hadn't eaten at Crown Chicken and Gyro in ages. It was past 3 by the time I finally made it there. Enjoyed my chicken gyro, slender hot fries, and can of Diet Pepsi in peace.

Dropped off a bag of clothes donations at the bins behind Dollar General, then strolled back around to Clinton and dropped two books in the kiosk. The other reason I went for a walk was just to enjoy the day. It was gorgeous, upper 40's, windy, and sunny as can be. Considering it's supposed to rain hard again starting tomorrow afternoon, I wanted to bask in the sunshine while I could.

Made the bed and folded the laundry while watching the first three episodes of WKRP In Cincinnati. Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) arrives as the new program director at radio station WKRP to find it and its easy listening format to be last in the ratings. He immediately changes all that by giving DJ Johnny (Howard Hesseman) a rock record to play on the air. Not only does he reinvigorate Johnny as "Dr. Johnny Fever," he brings new life to the station. Head manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) protests at first, until the format proves to be unexpectedly popular.

In the second pilot episode, Andy and station advertising manager Herb Tarek (Frank Bonner) want to come up with a big publicity stunt to advertise the format change to Cincinnati. As they try to figure something out, they're invaded by a group of elderly protesters who insist they liked the station's format the way it was. While station assistant Bailey (Jan Smithers) tries to placate them, Andy realizes they've found the publicity stunt they've been looking for.

"Les On a Ledge" further introduces us to Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), the station's long-time news reporter. He prides himself on being an upstanding, hip kind of guy, but it couldn't be further from the truth. He's devastated when an athlete claims he's gay and ends up climbing on the ledge of the station. 

Took a shower, then worked on a list of the TV shows I have on DVD that I haven't watched yet, and even ones on streaming that I haven't watched in full. There's a lot I really want to binge on, but I always seem to find more. And that doesn't count movies I run into, and cartoons.  

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. A less-blonde Susan Richardson returns in these episodes, along with Robert Pine and Richard Deacon. The first episode has Fannie Flagg making a crack about why she forgot she was on the show the week before (and whom she was with) and Richard Deacon's desk light when he finishes his answer not working. The captain's hat Charles wears in the second episode prompts several jokes, including Brett claiming that "nobody wants to see your dingy."

Finished the night at YouTube with musical game shows. Game shows that revolve around music go back to radio, when any station could have a band play a song and people call in and guess what it was. Shows like Stop the Music were wildly popular on radio and early TV in the late 40's and early 50's, with people listening breathlessly as contestants (including call-ins from home) tried to figure out the "Mystery Melody." Tod Russell substitutes for vacationing Bert Parks in this mid-50's episode. 

Name That Tune also goes far back, but the version that most people remember today dates from the mid-70's. Tom Kennedy racks up the suspense as two contestants try to guess a song from the fewest notes possible. The champion gets to guess "The Golden Medley" and maybe win up to $100,000. This was so popular and so much fun to watch, it's been revived three times since then, including the version currently running on Fox.

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was neither Jon Bauman's first shot at hosting, nor his first time seen as someone besides a greaser. The Pop n' Rocker Game, a syndicated show from 1983, was really more up his alley. He led three teenagers in answering rock trivia questions, with two popular acts at the time performing between rounds. Bauman wasn't the only up-and-coming performer on this show, either. Phil Hartman was one of the announcers. Irene Cara and Oingo Boingo (complete with composer Danny Elfman) sing "What a Feeling!" and "Who Do You Want to Be?" in the premiere episode. 

The Gong Show featured acts that were far less professional. Chuck Barris' most famous show was a spoof talent contest that did occasionally dig up some genuinely good acts, like the guy who "plays the microphone" and croons very well in the episode I chose, but was better known for the endless barrage of tone-deaf singers and lousy comics that appeared on its stage. Regular judge Jaye P. Morgan is joined by Anson Williams and Patty Andrews of the Andrews Sisters.

Contestants on Face the Music tended to be even stranger. For some reason, oddballs of all stripes gravitated to this 1980 syndicated show that had people first guessing which celebrity was connected with a song, then hearing five songs and seeing which celebrity they represented. In the episode I chose, the ladies get really wild, with the tall, slender one on the left letting off more energy than a cheerleading squad, and the one of the right reminding me a lot of an older Patti Deusch. Actor and former athlete Ron Ely keeps the show moving and an eye on the loonies. 

Jeopardy! branched out into several spin-offs towards the end of the 90's and beginning of the 2000's. Rock & Roll Jeopardy! ran on VH-1 from 1998 to 2001. It plays the same as the original show, with questions naturally revolving around rock stars and history, young adults and older teen contestants, and a slightly hipper and more industrial-looking set. Jeff Provost is the host here.

Name That Tune isn't Fox's only current hit musical game show. Beat Shazam! began in 2017 as the first game show based on a music app. Three teams (of siblings in the episode I chose) try to guess song titles faster than Shazam, aka the computer. The last team standing guesses five songs in a row in order to win a million dollars. Fast-paced and fun, I can see why this has been one of Fox's bigger shows for nearly seven years. 

See if you can sing, dance, and guess along with these musical favorites!

Stop the Music (1955)

Name That Tune (1976)

The Gong Show (1977)

Face the Music (1980)

The Pop n' Rocker Game (1983)

Rock & Roll Jeopardy! (1998)

Beat Shazam (2022) 

Chilled Fantasy

Overslept this morning, but I did have the time for breakfast and Walt Disney Presents Best Loved Fairy Tales. This Disney LP from 1962 is a collection of six short Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen stories. "Rapunzel," "Rumplestiltskin," "The Bremen Town Musicians," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "The Princess and the Pea" are all pretty much the condensed straightforward versions. The unique story here - and the reason I bought this album - is "Clytie." A mermaid ends up on a beach and becomes so enamored of the sun, she turns into a sunflower. Research reveals that this is a very gentle retelling of a Greek myth. It comes off as rather sweet and even a bit sad, both of which are unusual for Disney.

Called Uber before "Rapunzel" even ended. No trouble getting a ride today. The one going to work came in 5 minutes; the one going home came in 6. No traffic either way, even going home just as rush hour ended.

No trouble at work, either. I did have to put away a cart of cold items someone didn't want, and after the morning bagger finished, I had to sweep the store. Spent most of the day outside, pushing carts. The streets were still wet when I went to work, but it was just cold, windy, and cloudy for most of the day. The clouds didn't start to break up until I was done with work. It was busy when I arrived. The 4:30 Eagles-Giants game cleared out customers. By the time I went home, it was pin-drop quiet.

(Oh, and I later discovered that the Eagles lost to the Giants 27-10, which neither ends their season on a good note, nor bodes well for the playoffs.) 

Soon as I got home, I changed and went straight into dinner and tonight's Match Game marathon. Jon "Bowser" Bauman finally got his night in the spotlight. Jon, a member of the 50's revival group Sha-Na-Na, first turned up on the show in 1978 in his "Bowser" greaser persona. He would continue to appear as "Bowser" through the second season of the syndicated series. Most of his jokes tended to center on the differences between the 50's and the late 70's, or on the amount of grease he used on his hair. There was the PM episode where, when asked to dress up, he put on a giant clown bow tie and his leather jacket, and the syndicated show where he showed off his props, like rubber chains and mice, in a sneaker-shaped bag.

Jon tended to have far more fun as himself hosting the Hollywood Squares segment of The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. He wasn't the greatest host - he had a hard time reigning in the panelists and apparently didn't get along with Gene Rayburn - but proved to be a terrific Match Game panelist. He almost always had a matching, or at least decent, answer in the game. For some reason, the ladies loved him, choosing him for the Head-to-Head more than anyone else. He got to encourage Leonard Frey to show off his Broadway tap dance skills - twice - and kept Gene from drooling too hard over a group of luscious teen beauty queens in the audience.

Rock around the center square with everyone's favorite lovable greaser in this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Jon "Bowser" Bauman on the Panel and as Host

Flowers In the Rain and Snow

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. The pups are called out to rescue Jake the snowboarder and little Alex when they go off the edge of a cliff and are trapped under sharp icicles. "Pups On Ice" have to figure out how to rescue them without making the icicles fall. In "Pups and the Snow Monster," Jake thinks there's a creature out there scaring the customers away from his ski resort. "Pups and the Snow Monster" prove there's hardly anything to be afraid of besides taking a fall on the slopes.

Switched to a brand-new episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on PBS Kids. Daniel is thrilled when "Juan Carlos Visits the Neighborhood." There's so much he wants to show him, especially since his friend has never seen snow before. His mother reminds him to ask what his guest wants to do before he starts making plans. Likewise, when "Juan Carlos Visits the Clock Factory," he asks his friend what else he wants to do first.

Headed out after that. It was just cloudy and cold when I left, but I definately smelled snow. I took Uber. They came in less than 5 minutes, and got me to work in less than five minutes.

Considering it started to snow less than an hour after I arrived, it's a good thing I spent the afternoon helping the floral department manager. We shelved adorable stuffed animals, candy gifts, and pretty pink, red, and orange vases and tins that just came in for Valentine's Day. I dusted shelves filled with vases and watered plants. She taught me how to arrange beautiful bouquets of flowers in fancy vases. 

She even drove me home after work, since we finished at the same time. The snow had long changed to heavy rain by that point. It has continued to rain heavily off and on for the rest of the night.

Went straight upstairs. Changed and watched a little of Super Password with Tom Poston and Marla Gibbs before switching to The Hobbit on YouTube. I go further into the original 1977 animated version of the Lord of the Rings prequel at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hobbit (1977)

Finished the night on YouTube. Tonight's marathon was originally supposed to honor Jon "Bowser" Bauman, but the channel owner had trouble with it being blocked and switched it to Mary Wickes. (Jon's marathon will run tomorrow.) Mary is a much-loved character actress who today is best-known as the pushy housekeeper in White Christmas and the older nun who originally ran the choir before Whoopi Goldberg took over in the Sister Act movies. She appeared on the 70's Match Game frequently from 1976 through 1978, then showed up one last time in 1990 when she was the secretary on The Father Dowling Mysteries.

Mary and Joyce Bulifant were delighted to welcome "new kid on the block" Gary Crosby with a kiss in 1977. She tossed out many a great quip, including one at Gene's latest plaid sport coat about a horse somewhere being mighty chilly. She also got a great line during the first episode with the Star Wheel in 1978. They created it so other panelists besides Richard could get the chance at the Head-to-Head...and of course, the first time it was spun, it landed on him. "Do you know how much that thing cost?" Mary complained as everyone walked out. "And it's right back to Richard!" (Rich had a great line in that episode, too. When Gene's telling the contestant what she gets when she lands on the stars, Rich quips that "Chuck Woolery comes out and punches you in the mouth.")

Sing the praises of one of the coolest older ladies around in this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Mary Wickes On the Panel

Dolls on a Cold Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Care Bears and Cousins. This is the rebranding of the Welcome to Care-a-Lot CGI series with the Cousins added, the first time the Cousins had been used on TV since the late 80's. In the first episode, Harmony and Share are "BFFs" who always have picnics together. When Harmony doesn't have the time, Share takes little Cousin Cozy Heart Penguin instead. Jealous, Harmony takes Lotsa-Heart Elephant on a picnic. Every time they act jealous, a prickly bush grows up around them. When so many bushes spring up that they're trapped by them, they end up having to talk out their feelings.

Spent the rest of the early afternoon dressing the dolls for winter weather. Molly is snug as a bug in her plaid shirt and navy corduroys. I've never been able to find her oxfords for a good price, so she borrows Kit's. Sam is equally snuggly in her gray Buster Brown flannel school dress and black boots. Kit wears Rebecca's School Outfit with the blue and black sweater; she borrows Sam's black Mary Janes. Whitney wishes the lake would freeze up so she can go skating in Molly's blue and red Skating Outfit and Springfield Collection skates. 

Barbara Jean is terribly mod in a butter-yellow dress with pintucks and wide sleeves. Jessa normally doesn't like frou-frou, but she does love flamingos. She's in an aqua shirt with an embroidered flamingo patch and lavender netting trim, along with gray leggings, socks, and white and turquoise sneakers. Josefina wears a blue and red flowered empire-waist dress and black hat with flower trim I found her on eBay. Ariel gets Julie's orange tunic with the blue embroidered flowers, her corduroy gauchos, and her brown boots. 

Even the Cabbies are now dressed for cold weather. Dulcie borrows the yellow flannel dress with pink and green ribbon trim her sister originally came in and a crocheted baby sweater. Carrie feels a lot hipper in a blue and green winter jacket and pants from Build-a-Bear.

Watched Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I had lunch and got ready for work. The kids are all thrilled to play in the snow during a school day, but "The Neighborhood Snowstorm" gets too nasty for them to stay. Dan's parents are late picking him up, so Teacher Harriet plays snow games with him until they arrive. Even after his folks come for him, their heat dies and a pipe freezes and bursts in his room. Daniel and Margaret end up staying with Jodi and her family for a while until the heat is back on. 

Took Uber to work. Absolutely no trouble there! The one going to work picked me up in 10 minutes; the one coming from there got me in 3. No traffic anywhere or any trouble getting to and from the store.

I would have preferred to spend the afternoon outside, doing carts on a brisk, sunny day. I don't think it rose above the 30's today...and honestly, it felt nice, a little more like winter. However, I was the only bagger there until 6. The head bagger ended up in a register. I had to sweep the store, and I had to put away cold items and clean up messes that kept putting me behind with the carts. Even after the night bagger arrived, they'd call me to do those things and not him. Didn't help that we were really busy the entire afternoon between people stocking up after the holidays and people who saw snow in the forecast and panicked (even though we're mostly supposed to get rain). 

Got my schedule today, too. In good news, I retain the increased hours from this week and still have three days off. One day is still an early day, but that's the head bagger's day off. Thankfully, the latest I work this week is 6. Even that is probably pushing it at this time of year. I just wish they'd let me work floral again. I guess she doesn't need any help right now.

Did a little bit of grocery shopping before I went home. I mostly needed yogurt. They were having a sale on Dannon Fit & Light 4-packs with an online coupon. Found containers of in-house-made granola on the bakery clearance racks and thought I'd try them instead of cookies. Bagged apples are a really good price right now, too. Went with the honeycrisps that are usually beyond my budget. Needed tissues after all the dust I stirred putting the Christmas decorations away got to my nose.

Watched Match Game '79 while getting organized. A sweet older lady in nifty cat's eye glasses doesn't have much luck with a question asking about how bad the food on Nerdocrumbesia Arline is. The winner doesn't do much better with a nervous Patti Deusch answering "__ Done" on the Head to Head.

Finished off the night with classic comedies and action shows on Tubi. On The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, special agent Lee recruits mother Amanda to help him infiltrate a typical suburban neighborhood. The locals are saying "There Goes the Neighborhood" when it turns out a group of housewives selling hair dryers are doing a lot more than making gold-star sales. Amanda joins the group, only to discover they're suspected of being part of an arms smuggling racket. 

The Partridge Family learns a lesson in environmentalism when little Danny insists on singing with a whale to get publicity. His mother and a marine biologist (Bert Convy) remind him that whales are protected species for a reason. The scientist isn't happy when the guy who found the killer whale (Dub Taylor) he takes care of beached on his inlet demands fifty percent of the earnings from the song in order to use the whale. Mrs. Partridge uses the show's ABC connections and brings in none other than Howard Cosell (himself) to help shame the guy into giving his money to find out "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?" 

Winds of Winter

I was so tired after pushing carts for six hours yesterday, I slept in. I didn't really get moving until around noon. Had brunch while watching Match Game Syndicated. The syndicated episodes seemed to have jumped back to early afternoons. Randi Oakes of ChIPS joins in to listen to Charles tease Brett about her answer to how Weird Willie powers his wristwatch and think of the answer to "All You Need Is __" in the Audience Match. 

Called Uber around quarter of 1. I needed to get some grocery shopping done, but wasn't up to walking. Not to mention, it's gotten cold, cloudy, and windy. No trouble either way. The car going there picked me up in 8 minutes; the one going home in 4. No traffic or trouble on Cuthbert.

No trouble at the Westmont Plaza, either. Target and Sprouts were having good granola bar sales. I picked up the Olympus breakfast cookies from Sprouts 2 for $6 and the Kind bars buy one, get one half off. Grabbed a container of yogurt for breakfast tomorrow at Target and my favorite unsweetened vanilla coconut milk at Sprouts. Grapes were on a good sale at Sprouts too, and I never find the black ones at the Acme. Also grabbed pumpkin madelines and a small slice of pumpkin cake off the bakery clearance racks for 99 cents each. 

Called Karen when I got home. I hadn't heard from her. Turns out that no, she hadn't been able to get a voucher so we could continue to job hunt together. In fact, her boss called a second counselor to help her and bring in more suggestions. The lady wants to meet me on a Zoom chat; I'll e-mail her when I find out what my schedule is.

Spent the next hour and a half taking down the Christmas tree. This isn't nearly as complicated as decorating it. Even on my own, it only took a little over an hour and a half to get everything organized. The wreath and the vintage Santa cardboard hanging go in the same container. It's the only place they fit. Watched Second Fiddle while I worked. I go further into this Sonja Henie vehicle with her as a school teacher brought to Hollywood by publicity agent Tyrone Power for a big role at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Second Fiddle 

After the movie ended, I had lunch, then took down the remaining Christmas items. The nativity went into this container, along with smaller items that are taken out first and put away last like the crocheted red and green coasters I made a few years ago, the hooked poinsettia magnet, the poinsettia placemats, the huge bows, and the feather-style small tree and its decorations. 

I then brought out the few general winter decorations I hadn't put out with the Christmas things. Two snowmen, one a folk-style snow angel, the other tall with wooden spool legs and a red-striped scarf, were too large to go out earlier. I already have a Christmas bell, which is why I didn't use the little winter wren bell. Rearranged the bins so the ones for winter and spring were where I could get to them easily. 

Listened to Sophisticated Ladies while I finished with the decorations. This revue is basically an elaborate Duke Ellington concert, but what a cast! Gregory Hines, Phyllis Hyman, and Hinton Battle were all nominated as the trio singing Ellington's best-known songs in an idealized Cotton Club, and Battle won. Ellington's songs shine in great numbers like "It Don't Mean a Thing," "Take the A Train," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Something to Live For," and "Mood Indigo." Definitely worth hearing if you love big band music, Ellington, or the singers.  

Did some writing next. The lion tries to attack Charles next. He finally decides hay doesn't taste good for a lion and turns to Rover the dog. Joyce gets so angry, she slaps his nose...which causes him to break down bawling. He wasn't really going to eat Charles or Rover! Joyce accuses him of being a coward, and he admits that she's right. He's too scared to catch his breakfast or confront the other animals. 

Switched to Match Game '79 during dinner. In the first episode, Gene held the hands of an Air Force dentist assistant to help him calm down. It didn't really do much for his answers. The others helped the contestant with "It Ain't __" in the Audience Match. The second show was that one with the overly excited contestant who got so into winning, she dragged Gene around the studio! Gene ducked behind his question holder while Nipsey Russell ran down to give her a squeeze.

Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with three action and mystery show episodes revolving around game shows and hosts who were a lot less goofy than Gene. Former car thief Mark McCormick of Hardcastle and McCormick finds himself on a game show suddenly offering a million-dollar prize to winners. The show has struggled in the ratings, and the producers added the prize out of desperation in order to boost the show. Their assistant learns they really can't afford it and have been feeding the answers...right before she dies in a seeming accident. The "Games People Play" are a lot less fun when it seems that host Bruce Bryson (Tom Kennedy) will do anything to keep his job and the show on the air, including murder.

Gung-ho spoof cop Sledge Hammer is not exactly the first person you'd think of on a game show. He ends up on The Million Dollar Question in "To Live and Die On TV" anyway after its latest big winner dies in a freak car accident. Turns out the host of this show (Peter Marshall) is also determined to make ratings at any cost, including bumping off the champs.

Marshall turns up again in "Who Killed Mr. Game Show?" on the 1994 version of Burke's Law. This time, he's a venomous game show producer who is strangled behind the scenes during an episode of the hit Hangman. Burke and his son have to dig through a whole studio filled with suspects. There's the champion whom he tried to force into a relationship, the hostess he was blackmailing, the host he had told to stop chasing female contestants, the writer who resented him stealing his ideas, and his hard-nosed wife, who didn't appreciate his messing around and wanted to run the show her way. When someone takes a shot at Burke's son and the champ, the duo has to figure out just who had a big enough grudge against "Mr. Game Show" to kill him on the air.