Theme: "Plays I'd Like to See" — Movie puns!
[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:- 22A: Play about a woman who gets her "just desserts"? (HEDDA COBBLER).
- 28A: Play whose title character won't eat anything unless it's fried? (ANNA CRISPY).
- 31A: Play about a woman who dances with short people? (SHE STOOPS TO CONGA).
- 44A: Play about a diner patron whose food never arrives? (WAITING ON GODOT).
- 55A: Play about a guy and his sloppy little pal from Mars? (PIG ALIEN).
- 66A: Play about an actress trying to unload some real estate? (GLENGARRY GLENN CLOSE).
- 78A: Play about an over-the-hill boxer? (OLDEN BOY).
- 90A: Play about some girls who were raised by orangutans? (THE TREE SISTERS).
- 100A: Play in which a college kid's football prayers are answered? (THE HEISMAN COMETH).
- 108A/114A: Play about a couple with a cloth allergy? (WHO'S AFRAID / OF VIRGIN WOOL).
Everything Else — 1A: In the least (AT ALL); 6A: Arizona neckties (BOLOS); 11A: Lively dance (JIG); 14A: Replacement part? (HIP); 17A: Detect, as danger (SENSE); 18A: Yucatan's capital (MÉRIDA); 19A: Smell (ODOR); 21A: "___ Mo' Time" (ONE); 24A: Westernmost Aleutian (ATTU); 25A: Theater co. (REP.); 26A: Sudan neighbor: abbr. (ETH.); 27A: Off-limits item (NO-NO); 36A: Cockatoos, sometimes (PETS); 37A: Hunky-dory (AOK); 38A: "Check," in poker (NO BET); 39A: It's N of Mex. (USA); 41A: Humped oxen (ZEBUS); 50A: Bates or Cumming (ALAN); 51A: ___ the city (KEY TO); 52A: Looked high and low for (SOUGHT); 53A: Recorded intro? (PRE-); 57A: Peek-a-boo player (TOT); 58A: Enthusiasm (ZEAL); 59A: Roadside retreat (INN); 60A: Chevy model (CAMARO); 65A: Emotional attachments (BONDS); 72A: "The ___ Page" (FRONT); 73A: Hitmaker Don or Phil (EVERLY); 74A: Promising letters (IOU); 75A: Kaput, as a battery (DEAD); 76A: Lacking color (WAN); 83A: "Brother ___" (RAT); 84A: Lose one's hearing (GO DEAF); 87A: Fencing weapons (ÉPÉES); 89A: Subtle glow (AURA); 93A: Animated ogre (SHREK); 94A: Ring finishes (KOS); 95A: Let out ___ (bellow) (AROAR); 96A: Clerk on "The Simpsons" (APU); 97A: Zenith (ACME); 110A: Foe of Caesar (CATO); 111A: Bygone bird (MOA); 112A: Foam alternative for shavers (GEL); 113A: Some are tell-all (BIOS); 119A: Snake in the sea grass (EEL); 120A: Something ___ (ELSE); 121A: Wheaties, e.g. (FLAKES); 122A: "... could ___ lean ..." (EAT NO); 123A: Trick ending? (-ERY); 124A: Auth. submissions (MSS.); 125A: Mythological trio (FATES); 126A: Edith Head creation (DRESS); 1D: Word in a McCourt title (ASHES); 2D: "The Skin of Our ___" (TEETH); 3D: "___ walks with me ..." (AND HE); 4D: Grain-fungus drug (LSD); 5D: Simple shelters (LEAN-TOS); 6D: Dizzy's music style (BEBOP); 7D: Sun or moon, to bards (ORB); 8D: Small, in rapper names (LIL); 9D: Paean-type poem (ODE); 10D: Crusaders' foes (SARACENS); 11D: Actress Pflug who played Lt. Dish in "M*A*S*H" (1970) (JOANN); 12D: Patient's wristwear (I.D. TAG); 13D: Failed as a sneak (GOT CAUGHT); 14D: "Three Men on a ___" (HORSE); 15D: Bumbling (INEPT); 16D: Diarist Samuel (PEPYS); 18D: Pre-stereo sound (MONO); 20D: Play with robots (RUR); 23D: Boil, broil, or bake (COOK); 29D: "Do ___ Gentle ..." (NOT GO); 30D: Apple release of 2010 (IPAD); 32D: Hot room's analogy (SAUNA); 33D: Cranky mood (SNIT); 34D: Oz visitor (TOTO); 35D: Kimono sash (OBI); 40D: Falling-down drunk? (SOT); 41D: Kill electrically, as bugs (ZAP); 42D: Brother of Peyton (ELI); 43D: Carry-on (BAG); 44D: Girl in "The Time Machine" (WEENA); 45D: Objectivist's first name (AYN); 46D: ___ a limb (OUT ON); 47D: Vietnamese name that anagrams into an egg drink (NGO); 48D: Parts, as a curtain (OPENS); 49D: Embargo target (TRADE); 51D: "___ Lear" (KING); 54D: Subway cousins (ELS); 56D: Navel buildup (LINT); 58D: "The ___ Story" (ZOO); 60D: Honda SUV since 1996 (CRV); 61D: "Yes, captain" ("AYE"); 62D: Apt. or dept. VIP (MGR.); 63D: "___ My Sons" (ALL); 64D: 51 Down, to Carlos (REY); 65D: "The House of ___ Leaves" (BLUE); 66D: "The ___ White Hope" (GREAT); 67D: Really reluctant (LOATH); 68D: Word before result (END); 69D: Name meaning "born again" (RENEE); 70D: The other Dr. Crane (NILES); 71D: Some UPS deliveries (CODS); 72D: Signer of the Glass-Steagall Act (FDR); 76D: Golden Turkey Award recipient (WORST FILM); 77D: Lemon/lime addition (-ADE); 78D: Not 'neath (O'ER); 79D: Book after Micah (NAHUM); 80D: Forest sticker (BUR); 81D: Iron in the raw (ORE); 82D: Be a chatterbox (YAK); 84D: Classic muscle car (GTO); 85D: Japanese beer brand (ASAHI); 86D: Wrote and sent quickly, as an angry letter (FIRED OFF); 87D: Airport data (ETAS); 88D: Make waves? (PERM); 91D: ___ out a living (EKES); 92D: "___ gather" (SO I); 93D: Used a utensil (SPOONED); 96D: Start of the play (ACT I); 97D: "You shouldn't have!" ("AW GEE!"); 98D: Root for the team (CHEER); 99D: Actress Ringwald (MOLLY); 101D: Mr. Perot (H. ROSS); 102D: Decreases, as pain (EASES); 103D: Ranch units (ACRES); 104D: Pesters constantly (NAGS); 105D: Ham it up (EMOTE); 106D: Wimpy and Stimpy (TOONS); 107D: Street-lamp effects (HALOS); 109D: Rushmore guy (ABE); 115D: Snowbirds' Dec. home (FLA.); 116D: Big container (VAT); 117D: Mamie's mate (IKE); 118D: "Oh! What A Lovely ___" (WAR).
7 comments:
Very Intersting Title!
Because Mr. Reagle is apparently telling us that he would like to see not only the 10 (+1) pun-filled plays of the theme, but also the 9 actual stage productions found in the fill. But wait! Can we really call it "fill" when they are so relevant to the title and theme?
And as an extra bonus there's a movie title, clued in the same way as the real plays, but apparently never produced on the stage. Yet it is sort of appropriate in this pre-election week since our former president was in it, though not with top billing.
Cute puzzle. Who couldn't like WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGIN WOOL?
badrog, you got me started counting and looking for plays and movies. I could only find 9 "punny" plays, so I must be missing something, and I'm not sure what movie the former president was in, but here are the other movies & plays I found. Almost everything in quotes turned out to be one. Fun!
SHREK, movie of course
KING Lear, play of course
Three Men on a HORSE, play and movie
The Skin of Our TEETH, play by Thornton Wilder
The ZOO Story, play by Edward Albee
ALL My Sons, play by Arthur Miller
The House of BLUE Leaves, play
Do NOT GO Gentle, a play in addition to the start of the first line in the famous poem
Oh, What a Lovely WAR, a musical (imagine that)
RUR, Rossum's Universal Robots, a science fiction play I had never heard of but I see has already made it into Crosswordese
ONE Mo' Time, musical
The GREAT White Hope, play
And The Time Machine mentioned in a clue. . .
I'm exhausted, and impressed that Merl Reagle could do all that!
Is ZEBUS a candidate for CW101? I hadn't heard of it, got it from the crosses. I had heard of brahmin cattle but not as ZEBUS.
Have a great day!
CarolC, the 10 punned plays are listed in the blog, and I think he’s calling it (+1) because one takes up two clues.
In addition to the ones already mentioned, Shrek was also made into a musical, and The Front Page was both a play and a musical. Also both Alan Bates and Alan Cumming are Tony winners.
I have to say I’m impressed with Merl Reagle for getting so many plays in there (and for getting the “Glengarry Glenn Close” urban legend into a crossword puzzle -- supposedly during the Broadway run of Glengarry Glen Ross, someone asked for a ticket to Glengarry Glenn Close!)
The film is Brother Rat, which featured Ronald Reagan. (No, I never heard of it before today, either.)
thanks for the round-up guys, my faves were 'she stoops to conga' and 'the heisman cometh.'
Yes, my 10 pun-ny ones were the ones listed in the Blog.
My list of 9 actual plays (all clued with quotes and blanks) doesn't include movies that weren't plays, but does include musicals (unless they're the same title as the play itself). The 9 are:
21A One mo' Time
72A The Front Page
2D The Skin of our Teeth
14D Three Men on a Horse
54D King Lear
58D Zoo Story
63D All My Sons
65D The House of Blue Leaves"
66D The Great White Hope"
126A "Oh What a Lovely War" existed as a stage musical before it was a movie, but it doesn't seem to have ever been produced as an actual play, musical or otherwise.
And yes, the bonus Reagan movie for election week is:
83A "Brother Rat"
"Shrek" and "RUR" weren't clued as play titles with quotes, losing, IMHO, that special relationship to the title.
I didn't bother G-ing past the poetry, etc. entries for "Do Not go Gentle ...", so if it's an actually produced play, it prolly should be on my list. Oooooops! I just now found it, so delete "prolly."
Time to go gently...........
Extraordinary puzzle. I agree with the above, but there is even more along the WORSTFILM lines, the JO ANN actress, ALAN Bates and likely other subtle stuff.
Wow! Thanks, PG.
Wish I could join in on the lovefest, but I found this puzzle less than satisfying. Maybe it's because I'm not familiar with a couple of the plays Merl is making puns of and referring to in the other clues. Perhaps therefore it's just me. Lots of weird fill here too (Zebus? Ngo? Rur? Attu?) No disrespect to the master, especially in a 21x, but I found this less than his strongest opus.
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