Theme: "A Noisy Stroll Down Memory Lane" — Familiar titles / names / things from past decades, each of which includes a word for a sound.
[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]
Theme answers:
- 23A: 1958 smash (SPLISH SPLASH).
- 25A: 1960s funnies (ZAP COMIX).
- 35A: 1950s cereal (SUGAR POPS).
- 37A: 1960s moonwalker (BUZZ ALDRIN).
- 47A: Snacks that debuted in 1967 (HOSTESS DING-DONGS).
- 70A: Pioneering rock critic that Philip Seymour Hoffman plays in "Almost Famous" (LESTER BANGS).
- 89A: "Cowabunga!" shouter on "The Howdy Doody Show" (CHIEF THUNDER THUD).
- 103A: Cereal introduced in 1963 (CAP'N CRUNCH).
- 106A: Espionage figure who was paroled in 1954 (ALGER HISS).
- 115A: Cartoon character introduced in 1963 (BAMM-BAMM).
- 117A: Hogan's keeper (COLONEL KLINK).
Everything Else — 1A: Bean variety (ARABICA); 8A: Late-night host, once (PAAR); 12A: Bygone boomers (SSTS); 16A: Sleep aid (COT); 19A: Jazz drummer Louie (BELLSON); 20A: Approximately (OR SO); 21A: There is, to Th´èrse (ILYA); 22A: Wartime prez (ABE); 27A: Smoking alternative? (NON); 28A: Pond scum (ALGAE); 29A: Benz finish (-ENE); 30A: Take five (REST); 31A: Enormously (A LOT); 34A: ___ with a view (A ROOM); 40A: Mimeo (COPY); 41A: "Yikes!" ("OH NO!"); 42A: "Star Wars" prologue word (AGO); 43A: "Porky in Wackyland" bird (DODO); 44A: Afflict (AIL); 45A: With "pay," a scandal (-OLA); 46A: Dustin in "The Graduate" (BEN); 54A: "All systems ___" (ARE GO); 56A: Inspired with love, old-style (SMIT); 57A: Done for (DEAD); 58A: Adam, Hoss, and Joe, e.g. (SONS); 60A: Long-range weapon (ICBM); 63A: Possible solution (IDEA); 65A: Three Dog Night hit (ONE); 66A: Lt. Masters of "Rin-Tin-Tin" (RIP); 67A: High points of Europe (ALPS); 73A: Mason, e.g.: abbr. (ATTY.); 74A: Resort, for short (RIO); 75A: Lateral lead-in (UNI-); 76A: Gloom's partner (DOOM); 77A: Start of a Motown hit (STOP); 79A: Contemptuous connoisseur (SNOB); 81A: Verne traveler (FOGG); 83A: March time (IDES); 85A: Some punches (LEFTS); 94A: Swiss canton (URI); 95A: Lit. monogram (GBS); 96A: Brown of "The Dean Martin Show" (LES); 97A: Facility (EASE); 98A: Carp at (NAG); 99A: Rose or Rozelle (PETE); 101A: Cop call (HALT); 108A: Some students (SOPHS); 109A: Rostov rejection (NYET); 110A: "Star" or "bucks" prefix (MEGA-); 111A: Sudan neighbor: abbr. (ETH.); 112A: Put away (STORE); 113A: SPCA, e.g.: abbr. (SOC.); 122A: Mama bear, in Monterrey (OSA); 123A: Eye part (UVEA); 124A: Hymn word (AMEN); 125A: City 29 miles from Naples (SALERNO); 126A: Hankering (YEN); 127A: Home of Vanderbilt U. (TENN.); 128A: 1965 MVP (MAYS); 129A: Nine-time presidential candidate Harold (STASSEN); 1D: Infomercial muscles (ABS); 2D: D.C. denizen (REP.); 3D: Start of Edith's show (ALL); 4D: Crepe's cousin (BLINTZ); 5D: "This ___ sudden!" (IS SO); 6D: Red-hunter Roy (COHN); 7D: Puzzle filling: abbr. (ANS.); 8D: Hoi ___ (POLLOI); 9D: Catherine's place (ARAGON); 10D: Indian state of silkworm fame (ASSAM); 11D: Architect Mies van der ___ (ROHE); 12D: Give the once-over (SIZE UP); 13D: Like lingo (SLANGY); 14D: Aggressive in personality (TYPE A); 15D: Biological pouch (SAC); 16D: Started, as a sitcom (CAME ON); 17D: San Luis ___ (OBISPO); 18D: Schoolbooks (TEXTS); 24D: Bird-show birds (PARROTS); 26D: "The Boxcar Children" children (ORPHANS); 31D: Part of 111 Across's capital (ABABA); 32D: German pistol (LUGER); 33D: Layer in the news (OZONE); 34D: Gets to the bottom line (ADDS); 35D: Not hollow (SOLID); 36D: Brand of chocolate-and-toffee cups (ROLO); 38D: Like some committees (AD HOC); 39D: Ringo's john (LOO); 40D: Hero played by Heston (CID); 44D: Early video game (ASTEROIDS); 45D: Least commonplace (ODDEST); 48D: Give off (EMIT); 49D: Threw in (with) (SIDED); 50D: Night light (NEON); 51D: The Jets and Sharks, e.g. (GANGS); 52D: The robot in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) (GORT); 53D: Peeved state (SNIT); 55D: Bilko's boys (GIS); 59D: Napoleon Solo, e.g. (SPY); 61D: Poker strategies (BLUFFS); 62D: Forget-___ (ME-NOT); 64D: Dwelling (ABODE); 67D: Start of a studio motto (ARS); 68D: "Mod Squad" dude Hayes (LINC); 69D: "Hunny" bear (POOH); 71D: "Why me?" reaction (SIGH); 72D: Pt. of OAS (AMER.); 73D: Imitate (APE); 78D: Like Wally, in relation to Beaver (OLDER); 80D: "Let's go, ___, let's go!" (BIG TEAM); 82D: Sea birds (GULLS); 84D: King of the macabre (STEPHEN); 86D: Like people, to Linkletter (FUNNY); 87D: Vestige (TRACE); 88D: "Outta ___!" (SIGHT); 90D: Salon guru Jose (EBER); 91D: This is a fine mesh (NET); 92D: Comical Conried (HANS); 93D: Michael Landon alma mater: abbr. (USC); 99D: Thank-you pal (PLEASE); 100D: Word from "I Am the Walrus" (EGGMAN); 101D: Contract workers? (HITMEN); 102D: Lyricist Howard of Disney films (ASHMAN); 103D: Alan Brady's Mel on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (COOLEY); 104D: Cookwear (APRONS); 105D: Family members (UNCLES); 106D: Perth ___ (AMBOY); 107D: Throw (HEAVE); 108D: Mouthlike opening (STOMA); 112D: Crooked operation (SCAM); 113D: Chair-back piece (SLAT); 114D: Enid's st. (OKLA.); 116D: "___ I digress" (BUT); 118D: Baron's conclusion (-ESS); 119D: Apr. addressee (IRS); 120D: Compass pt. (NNE); 121D: Heyerdahl's "___-Tiki" (KON).
9 comments:
THE PUZZLE YOU POSTED IS NOT THE RIGHT PUZZLE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 6, 2010!
There's really no need to shout. The calendar puzzle at the LAT site isn't available online yet (it still has last week's puzzle posted). This week is supposed to be Merl's turn for the calendar puzzle and this is Merl's puzzle for this week. Until the calendar puzzle is available online there's no way for me to know which puzzle has been actually published in the paper.
I just finished this puzzle in the calendar section. It brought back lots of memories but I didn't get the noisy clues until I looked here! I know it was in the title, but I didn't pay attention to it.
My Sundy LA Crossword was not about memories nor were any of the clues or answers. We had a completely different puzzle on the west coast.
If you could give me a hint what your puzzle is about (theme title? constructor?), I might be able to figure this out. But without knowing what you're looking at, there's really nothing I can do.
Does anyone else spend hours on the Sunday puzzle? I'm new to CWPs and it took me the whole morning. I enjoyed today's esp. Chief Thunderthud. I was in grade school when Howdy Doody made his debut. Had a crush on Princess Winter Spring Summer Fall. Do most folks do the puzzles online? Or sit at the breakfast table with pencil and eraser? Zap Comix. A great era.
No problem here on the west coast (Irvine) where I enjoyed the puzzle. SSTS had me stumped for a bit (until I got SIZE UP), and I'm a little old to remember BAMM-BAMM. I Googled him after I got the name. Cute little bugger.
This was a lot of fun, once latimes.com finally got it up on the site. (The source of folks' confusion is that, for most (all?) of Sunday, latimes.com was still serving last week's puzzle. But by midafternoon Monday (EDT), they had the right one up.)
Besides the theme answers, there were lots of other period references in the fill. Of note are the musical/sound ones that are only disqualified from themedom because the answer itself doesn't contain a sound word:
- ONE by Three Dog Night
- "I am the EGGMAN, I am the walrus" (GOO GOO G'JOOB could have been a groovy [sic] theme answer :-)
- (sonic, not baby :-) boomers SSTS
- STOP in the Name of Love
- "Ringo's john" = LOO is especially cute -- you have to notice the lower-case "j" to avoid the obvious walrussian misdirection
106D AMBOY could have been another not-quite-theme entry, if only it had been clued "_____ Dukes".
There's also lots of non-musical 60s stuff, which I won't go into ... except for another missed opportunity in the cluing: SPY Napoleon Solo's partner ILYA Kuryakin just misses getting a mention, by dint of his name being clued as something completely different (at 21A).
In other clues:
I found it amusing that one of Henry VIII's three Catherines (ARAGON), almost crossed another (Parr). Indeed, at first that's how I misspelled 8A, not the correct Jack PAAR.
And I loved the self-reference of 7D, "Puzzle filling: abbr." (ANS.).
My wife pointed out that caramel and toffee are two different things. Rolos have a caramel center, whereas toffee has a different fat content, is made at a different temperature and has a stronger taste. Brits tend to prefer toffee in their candy, Americans prefer caramel.
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