[renielarson]

Gracie

I'm laughing so hard.... 1rnfl

[beady]

Oh Gracie I am LOL and 1rnfl 1rnfl 1rnfl with tears in my eyes.

My grandmothers favorite saying was "Heavens to Murgatroyd" always followed by " what have you done now, girl". Usually directed at me,especially when she was trying teaching me something.

Thanks for reminding me of her.

[nONIE]

Beady, I have always wondered, who is Murgatroyd?? :dontknow:

[conn8757]

I love Cracker Barrel but I know there is one in Leesburg. One of my old favorites was Picadilly Cafeteria because you could always get what you wanted and outstanding vegetables. Good portion size too, so you did not over eat. They closed in Orlando, so I don't know if they are still in Florida.

[The Great Fumar]

I vote for a POSSOM PANTRY ......Now that Missouri is under water maybe they'll look for a new location....

yum yum fumar

[villages07]

Here ya go Nonie....ah, the wonders of google and the internet:

Heavens to Murgatroyd

Meaning

An exclamation of surprise.

Origin

'Heavens to Murgatroyd' is American in origin and dates from the mid 20th century. The expression was popularized by the cartoon character Snagglepuss - a regular on the Yogi Bear Show in the 1960s, and is a variant of the earlier 'heavens to Betsy'.

The first use of the phrase wasn't by Snagglepuss but comes from the 1944 film Meet the People. It was spoken by Bert Lahr, best remembered for his role as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. Snagglepuss's voice was patterned on Lahr's, along with the 'heavens to Murgatroyd' line. Daws Butler's vocal portrayal of the character was so accurate that when the cartoon was used to promote Kellogg Cereals, Lahr sued and made the company distance him from the campaign by giving a prominent credit to Butler.

As with Betsy, we have no idea who Murgatroyd was. The various spellings of the name - as Murgatroid, Mergatroyd or Mergatroid tend to suggest that it wasn't an actual surname. While it is doubtful that the writers of Meet The People (Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy) were referring to an actual person, they must have got the name from somewhere.

No fewer than ten of the characters in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Ruddigore (1887) are baronets surnamed "Murgatroyd", eight of whom (or is that which?) are ghosts. Herzig and Saidy were well versed in the works of the musical theatre and that plethora of Murgatroyds would have been known to them.

Where then did the librettist Sir William Gilbert get the name? It seems that Murgatroyd has a long history as a family name in the English aristocracy. In his genealogy The Murgatroyds of Murgatroyd, Bill Murgatroyd states that, in 1371, a constable was appointed for the district of Warley in Yorkshire. He adopted the name of Johanus de Morgateroyde - literally John of Moor Gate Royde or 'the district leading to the moor'.

Whether the Murgatroyd name took that route from Yorkshire to Jellystone Park we can't be certain. Unless there's a Betsy Murgatroyd hiding in the archives, that's as close as we are likely to get to a derivation.

Sorry, topicop :cop:

[nONIE]

Thanks 07, you always come thru for us!Appreciate your efforts :bigthumbsup:

[Ceevee]

I also read that IHOPs is going into Bono's. I never could understand why Bono's closed. I miss Sweet Tomatoes . We used to go there a lot in Sarasota., Jacksonville ,Brandon etc.

[renielarson]

Sweet Tomatoes would be a "sweet" addition to TV. That is a :bigthumbsup: in my book, too.

[Just Susan]

What is "Sweet Tomatoes" like Bright? I don't think I have seen one of those. I would love to see a great place for salads, tapas, or P.F. Changs.

[barb1191]

My choices would be:

UNO's
Red Lobster
Olive Garden
Friday's
Boston Market

[thegreenerside]

Someone had mentioned The Ale House. We drive up to Ocala at least once a month to eat at the Ocala Ale House. The meals have always been very good and the prices are excellent.


I have said it before and I will say it again. Regardless what goes into the old Whiskey Creek location, they will have a hard time finding good help and these large chains are aware of the lack of quality help in the Tri County area. We went to Chili's last night for dinner (6.30PM) and 70 percent of the tables were vacant. Our waitress had our table and one other table from what I could see, and she had a hard time handling the two tables. The food was good, but service was just not up to par.

[under55]

Ok why does every place have to be a place to eat? We have visited TV twice now and are building a new home in Hemmingway. But the one thing I think they are missing is a real Bar. You know just like we all have back home a place that is just a bar with a juke box. Oh there is stuff to eat like slim jims and chips and if it is really the old bar we like they will have pickled eggs and pigs feet. But just a bar serving beer and just your normal hard liquor. You dont need the grey goose stuff and all of the fancy wine. Just a big gallon jug of wine setting in the cooler. I grew up in a town of 650 people and we had 5 bars just like this in town. Back then we called them taverns. I mean they do call them town squares and all the town squares here have just bars on them.

[Rokinronda]

I vote for Ale house! We had lunch there yesterday. It is a great sports bar/restaurant. tv's everywhere. Great specials, yesterdays specials were: $1 baybreeze (my favorite mixed drink) 4.95 meatloaf, 5.95 fried chicken salad. Hub had the ribs. I had a great burger. the calamari is delicious. Huge menu selection. Consistant quality. Wonderful staff! I was 1st introduced to Miami Ale house in 2002 when our daughter worked there. No matter which Ale house we've been to, the food was consistantly good. :bigthumbsup:

[gobarb26]

I think the Ale House chain would be a great idea. It would be the right kind of place for the Villages. Great food, lots of TVs with sports, and excellent prices. I have eaten at several of the Ale Houses, including the original one. I also agree about Bravo's Pizza moving to the location. I don't like the cramped feeling I get in their present location. By the way, I have eaten at Woody's BBQ in the Sebastian area and it is always consistently good.