Common phrases ending in "amp" are changed to "ump."
17A. Glowing sugar cube? : FLUORESCENT LUMP. Fluorescent lamp.
26A. Campaign to raise mailing fees? : POSTAGE STUMP. Postage stamp.
44A. Easy strikeout victim? : BATTING CHUMP. Batting champ.
57A. Wedding song for Ivana or Marla? : THE LADY IS A TRUMP. "The Lady Is a Tramp." Classic Frank and Ella. 3:51
Jeff gives us a grid with only ten 3-letter words and a slew of 4-5 letter ones. Nothing stood out for me in the longer fill.
Marti here, to see what else is on the menu today.
Across:
1. Diana's companion : DODI. Fayed and Princess Diana.
5. Off-the-wall play : CAROM. I usually associate the word with billiards.
10. "...baked in ___" : A PIE. Four and twenty blackbirds, that is.
14. An awfully long time : AGES.
15. Meter reading : USAGE.
16. Without : SANS. Who shot the serif?
20. Electrical pioneer whose last known U.S. patent was for a helicopter-plane : TESLA.
21. A soprano one has short strings : UKE. Pretty tune. 2:02
22. Team competition : RELAY.
23. Ant who sings : ADAM. I forgot about this ant. 3:18 Not to be confused with this ant:
25. Some film-book relationships : TIE-INS. Like a newly-published edition of the book that has the movie poster on its cover.
31. Upper arm bones : HUMERI. [Update 7:30 AM: Some papers listed the clue as "Forearm bones. That would be an incorrect answer]
32. Cyclotron bits : IONS.
33. Convenience store convenience : ATM.
36. Clinches : ICES.
37. Polynesian porch : LANAI.
39. Tennis coups : ACES.
40. Cow or sow : SHE.
41. Tax that funds Soc. Sec. : FICA. Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax.
42. More patrician : NOBLER.
46. Field of plants? : BOTANY. Nice misdirection.
49. Regarding : AS TO.
50. Somewhat inclined : ATILT. Aaaaah...
51. Outback runner : EMU.
53. Goof : ERROR.
60. Mall map word : HERE. "You are here."
61. Discourage : DETER.
62. Cheeseboard choice : EDAM.
63. While lead-in : ERST. Erstwhile.
64. Spring for lunch : TREAT.
65. Lairs : DENS.
Down:
1. Bonkers : DAFT.
2. People-watch inappropriately : OGLE.
3. ___ ex machina : DEUS. Literally, Latin for "God from machine." A story ending that is highly improbable, and is used to extricate the characters from a seemingly inescapable situation. Like many Harry Potter books, or even the ending of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, when Sam and Frodo are rescued from Mt. Doom by eagles.
4. Cuts off : ISOLATES.
5. Stick for breaking, at times : CUE. Breaking the rack, that is. Not breaking over each others' heads in a pool room brawl!
6. Take for granted : ASSUME.
7. Rooftop accessory : RACK. I was on top of the house, not the car. But here's another type of rack you might enjoy...
8. Decorative molding : OGEE.
9. "Eight ___ Out": 1988 baseball movie : MEN. About the 1921 scandal when the Chicago White Sox arranged with underworld gamblers to throw the World Series. [Update: The date of the World Series was 1919. The trial took place in 1921.]
10. In the arms of Morpheus : ASLEEP.
11. Eighth-century pope : PAUL I. 757-67 A.D.
12. Jude Law's "Cold Mountain" role : INMAN. Nicole Kidman's sweetheart in the film. Good story.
13. July awards show, with "the" : ESPYS. Nice change from "Catch sight of" clue. Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly award. (Deja vu, all over again!)
18. Speed demon's undoing : RADAR.
19. Cuts back : TRIMS.
24. Gymnast's asset : AGILITY.
25. Open D and open G, for guitars : TUNINGS. Ugh. I would have tried to get Husker G's MUSINGS to go in there.
26. Frat letters : PHIs.
27. Smart remark? : "OUCH, ...that hurts!" From a stinging pain, not some sass.
28. Barrie buccaneer : SMEE. Captain Hook's right-hand-man (since he didn't have one of his own...)
29. Old Testament peak : SINAI.
30. ___ fault : TO A.
33. Scopes Trial gp. : ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. They offered to defend anyone who had been accused of teaching evolution.
34. Swarm : TEEM.
35. Auto ad no. : MSRP. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
38. Tread the boards : ACT.
39. Couldn't stomach : ABHORRED.
41. Slice competitor : FANTA.
vs.
43. Santa's reindeer, e.g. : OCTET.
44. Balanchine's field : BALLET. A peek into his methods. 2:31
45. Vertigo symptom : NAUSEA.
46. Get clean : BATHE.
47. Survey choice : OTHER.
48. Levels : TIERS.
51. Observer : EYER.
52. Itty-bitty bug : MITE.
54. Uncivil : RUDE.
55. Sultanate whose flag features two swords and a dagger : OMAN.
56. Tach nos. : RPMs.
58. Banned pesticide : DDT. Dichlorodiphenyltriclhoroethane.
59. Works in a gallery : ART. The stuff on the wall, not the verb.
That's it for this week!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
Here is a sweet picture of JD and her grandson Truman on his first day to first grade yesterday. Click here to see more pictures of Truman, who is going to be 6 years old next week.
First!
ReplyDeleteI did this puzzle from the bottom up and got the theme answers THE LADY IS A TRUMP, BATTING CHUMP, POSTAGE STUMP and FLUORESCENT LUMP in that order. Unfortunately I couldn't finish the puzzle: I thought of Pope PIUS and not Pope PAUL. Why no love for Wolfgang PAULI and his famous exclusion principle?! I also had STEMS instead of TRIMS.
Speaking of physicists, there's a movie in development about Nikoli TESLA, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse called The Current War. Nikoli Tesla used to work for Thomas Edison at General Electric but he then quit to work with George Westinghouse at the Westinghouse Electric Company. Edison was pissed. Edison did everything he could to discredit Tesla's theories and undermine the Westinghouse company.
I also have trouble reading the clues sometimes. I thought the clue 1. Down was "Bankers".
ReplyDeleteMorning, all!
ReplyDeleteConsarnit! Dagnabbit! In other words, OUCH! Done in by the NE today. Did not remember the name of the Cold Mountain character, and Morpheus was an unknown. Had to Google the Morphinator, then the rest finally fell into place, so TDNF….
Other problems in upper state NY involved trying RALLY for RELAY and EMMYS for ESPYS….
So it may have been baked in A PIE, but it wasn’t as easy as one - at least not in that one quadrant….
That being said, the rest of the puzzle was fun – especially liked the crossings of SINAI and LANAI, CUE and CAROM, and THE LADY IS A TRUMP as a wedding song…!
Also liked Marti’s theme for Jeff’s offering today – could’ve used a baseball unifer, as in “Strike Arbitrator, and the ending to the four long answers….”
I learned about the “DEUS ex machina” concept in a freshman English course. Nowadays the “critics” would say its USAGE is a cop-out in a movie plot. I wonder if they know that this particular complaint has been around for AGES, or at least since the days of the Greek tragedies…. On the other hand, one of my favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz, employed this gadget to get Dorothy out of Oz very effectively imho…. Worst use of deus ex machine, again my humble opinion, is when Bobby Ewing “came back from the dead” in the show Dallas. His death was explained away as simply being part of a dream his wife had….
Got stuck on 31A-Forearm bones. The clue was incorrect for the answer, as forearm bones are either ulna or radius, arm bones are Humeri. Good puzzle otherwise.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Oh, to stay in the arms of Morpheus for more than 3 hours! But we have this lovely puzzle waiting for us! Very amusing, Jeff!
ReplyDeleteMarti, enjoyed your expo. My my, Adam Ant is certainly chipper for so early in the morning.
Radius & ulna, not humorous to be so wrong.
Not familiar with DEU ex machina. Couldn't remember the name of INMAN. Read the book and saw the movie. Absolutely hated the ending.
Loved the RACK link. How many men were disappointed?
Pope: I, too, tried PiUs I. Well, it's half right anyway.
Wouldn't you hate to be married to Donald TRUMP knowing he considers women like cars -- trade 'em in for a newer model about every 10 years. I saw an interview on TV recently with Marla & her daughter.
A bone to pick: 31A "Humeri" are NOT forearm bones, they are upper-arm bones. Other than that, a fun puzzle and a nice write-up.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteStarted with LEER crossing AEON in Washington, and I was off and tripping. Caught my balance after that fiasco.
Isn't the forearm *below* the elbow? T'aint funny, McGee.
MSRP reminded me of a car ad I saw on TV yesterday. 2013 Mercedes $6,000 off -- then they mention it's "pre-owned." So where does the $6,000 come from? I think it's humerus money.
The Lady Is A Trump was cute. The other theme answers, not so much. CUE crossing CAROM was also nice.
Had no trouble with 31A as in my version of the puzzle the clue read "Upper Arm Bones" so it must have been corrected at some point this morning. other than that it was a nice Thursday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteJust checked out the LAtimes and Chicago tribune sites their puzzles also have 31 A clued as "Upper Arm Bones
ReplyDeleteSame with the Mensa site.
ReplyDeleteThanks anon, unclefred and Middletown Bomber. I just updated my write-up regarding 31-Across "HUMERI."
ReplyDeleteJD, they are growing up so fast!! What cute little guys they are, and it is fun to go back and look at the older pictures of them. Thanks for sharing!
It was 1919 and not 1921 for the year of the Black Sox scandal.
ReplyDeleteMarti, who shot the Serif is classic. CUE CAROM RACK hmmm sound like a trend.
ReplyDeleteWhy would I remember INMAN?
The BlackSox were 1919, which my father never let us forget, especially in 1959 when the White Sox went to the world series for the first time since, and lost to the newly moved Dodgers.
Anyone seen the new TESLA car?
I bet it is not tf first time, but Marti, nice cans.
JD awesome and so soon.
Anon & Lemony, yes - the world series was 1919, but the trial took place in 1921. Thanks. I have posted an update in my write-up.
ReplyDeleteThere was just an article in the LAT about the new
TESLA car.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteTook a while, but finally got it all! Thanks Jeff, Marti! Did not remember INMAN but finally got TIEINS (horrible). The Puzzle Society had the bones correctly identified.
Maybe can get some more sleep!
Cheers!
A fun, helpful theme like this? I’ll a dozen to go, Jeff!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-My neighbor has a new pair of FLOURESCENT SHORTS and that made quite a sight as she walked toward me after sunset two nights ago. Wow!
-Funny BATTING CHUMP 1:02
-The most famous CAROM in sports involves the Green Monster in Bahston
-I watched a bio of TESLA last week and he was infinitely more interesting than his early employer TA Edison. A real Renaissance man but slightly DAFT.
-Movie TIE-INS look more like this to me
-I got Forearm in the Omaha paper
-My sister frantically called me when she got her first check wanting to know what this FICA stuff was
-I liked Jeff’s (Rich’s?) clue but isn’t this the most famous FIELD OF PLANTS
-Aw, Marti, I expected a different RACK or at least a G STRING in your always lovely write-up ;-)
-My TUNINGS were “Aw, it’s close enough” until I got an electronic tuner which is now an app on my iPhone
-What a good lookin’ kid, JD. And your grandson too ;-)
Hi there~!
ReplyDeleteLoved your 'who shot the serif' comment, too, Marti~!
Thought this was a great Friday-style puzzle a day early, and had no hang-ups myself; that clue was corrected in Mensa by the time I read it.
Lots on my wavelength, too - Mt. SINAI is a town 10mins from me, I have occasion to play the guitar in "Dropped D" TUNING(s), and I am an avid pool player - so the clue for CAROM made sense to me, and we had CUE and RACK, too ( I knew what you were thinking, Marti~!)
Speaking of MSRP, I am seriously considering buying the Ford Focus ST, with the 4-cyl turbo 252HP and 6-speed manual transmission - can't afford a TESLA
Splynter
I got it / I got it / I got it !!!! Gotta Thursday !?! That's all that matters.
ReplyDeleteHumerii? humerous ?? Who cares - I 'got' under the constructor's skin, and I KNEW what he MEANT !! Now, that's prescience. Now, that's ESP. .... And I got it today !!,
;~}. ...... ( Cue, music - ). The Humerii leads to the funny bones ....... Or is it funnies bone .. .? ~~#.
Good morning - lovely puzzle Mr. Stillman, And a very nice blog Marti. Thank you, both.
I was disappointed at 'rack', but still....
I had to rob PETER to get Paul the first. The much discussed TESLA shows his familiar face. I had Addict for Morpheus -before getting sleep - I must stop doin drugs ....
Wonderful Google doodle on Claude DeBussy today. IPad users may find it more beneficial to get today's Doodle on Youtube for the sound and animation.
What a lovely picture of you and your grandson, JD ...
Have a great Thursday, you all.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jeff Stillman, for a great puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for the fine review.
ReplyDeleteNo cruciverb again. That's four days in a row. Fortunately I am able to print Mensa from my wife's cousin's computer.
Mensa had "upper arm bones."
Could not getbstarted in the NW, but the North Center was easy. NE was fairly easy, except for INMAN and ESPYS which came later.
Spelled FLUORESCENT wrong at first, but figured it out.
Interesting about TESLA. Also interesting about Edison and Westinghouse. As I recall Edison was a proponent of DC power and Westinghouse a proponent of AC power. Westinghouse had the right idea. They used Westinghouse's AC at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Spelled NAUSEA wrong first pass. Had an I instead of an E. DETER helped me with that.
My last to fill was TIE INS.
Considered this puzzle quite easy for a Thursday.
See you tomorrow from Chicago. Heading home.
Great picture JD.
Abejo
(plevira)
Did you notice on the Tesla car link, the "hyperloop" designed by Elon Musk, a pneumatic tube to transport people from San Francisco to LA? I saw something on the news about that and got instant claustrophobia. Its supposed to be similar to the vacuum tubes at the bank drive-thru. My question is: if you are in a vacuum how do you breathe? And how do you get out if the power goes out when you are midway? I'm sure they won't build it unless these questions are answered, but sounds like a "pipe dream".
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGot it done ok, but couldn't really settle into a solving cadence. Like some others, solved most of it from the bottom up. The NW was last. After 2 'UMP' fills I saw the 'amp - ump' schtick. I was thinking house roof accessory, too, for RACK?.
Nice pic, JD.
Have a great day.
Really cute picture, JD! I wonder how long before he'll have to sit or kneel to match your height?
ReplyDeleteI was daunted by this at first, but once I started plugging away, I got the UMP thing for the ends of the themes, and the rest just fell into place. One unread clue for ART filled itself. But more than half this puzzle were pure WAGs.
My paper did say forearm bone, but since my knowledge of anatomy is sketchy at best, it didn't faze me.
I also considered LEER/OGLE and AEON/AGES, but waited to see how the perps would behave before filling either in.
PK, I'm sure you'd be in the "inner tube" and the vacuum would be between it and the outer tunnel/tube. Not too different from the inside of a plane, except narrower.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle, Jeff. Super write-up, Marti. I'm going to steal your "Who shot the serif" comment and file it away for future use.
ReplyDeleteI agree with HG that TIE-INS are forms of advertising, not the relationship between a book and a movie. Ironic for that to be wrong in the L.A. paper.
ReplyDeleteOverall though an excellent puzzle, with some Reagle-worthy puns.
Terrific Thursday puzzle, Jeff, challenging but doable with a delightful theme. And thanks for your always sparkly expo, Marti.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of ADAM ANT but got him, anyway. Had FEMURS before HUMERI--that's how much I know about anatomy. So the "Forearm" in my puzzle wasn't the problem.
Saw a test of the new TESLA on TV a few nights ago. Awesome. The engine is in back and the body is reinforced, so it effectively doesn't crash even when it crashes.
Doha Doc and PK, your posts cracked me up this morning.
Lovely photo of you and Truman, JD. Nice that stripes run in the family.
Have a great day, everybody!
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteAs Cruciverb is still somewhere in the netherworld, I tried doing the puzzle on line at the LA Times site. BIG mistake! Maybe it's just me, but I found it so difficult to navigate, I threw in the towel and used paper and pen.
IMO, this was the easiest Thursday puzzle ever. I breezed right through with the only write over being aeon before ages. I think the theme was clear right from the beginning and that's what made it so easy.
Nice job, Jeff, and super funny write- up, Marti.
Lovely photos, JD; I hope Truman smiles like that every school day!
Happy Thursday.
That was a very nice Thursday puzzle and super writeup. I didn't care for TIEINS though. Otherwise, WEES. Thanks Jeff and Marti.
ReplyDeleteThe only other tuning I ever used on my classical guitar was what is called low D tuning.
I bought some Tesla stock a couple of weeks ago. It's up 8.4 percent so far. I've seen one of his cars in the area.
Hello, Marti, and Group. Clever, Marti, "who shot the serif!"
ReplyDeleteMe too! Me too! I solved mostly from the BOTTOM up although DODI has been in the news recently so that fell easily.
Also the U in the themes helped all the way.
My newspaper had "forearm bones" and that puzzled me but since the area filled quickly, HUMERI stayed.
I understand RPMS but not MSRP!
Like OTHERs the NE gave me fits with PIUS/PAUL, SINE/SANS/ ESPY.
I finally researched INMAN to finish. Clever Google animation today.
No season's tickets to BALLET for me this year; money went to the reroofing.
I really loved:
smart remark, OUCH
field of plants, BOTANY
I also liked seeing these words: ABHORRED, NAUSEA, ISOLATES.
JD:
He is so cute! Thank you for sharing your photos.
Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone! I'm still high from hearing Frederick Forsythe last night. They call him Freddie.
Marti: Excellent write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteJeff: Thank you for a FUN Thursday.
OK, I'll admit it, its not my favorite color ... but I 'Couldn't stomach' the idea that some people ABHOR RED.
Well, "It's Five O'clock Somewhere!" Time to A-TILT some Pinch.
Cheers!!!
HG @ 8:37 and John Wolfenden @ 11:05, there are many kinds of TIE-INS. A movie/merchandise tie-in would be what HG thought of. But the movie/book tie-in refers to the re-branding of a book that a movie was based on.
ReplyDeleteIn particular, I am thinking of the Novel "The Life of PI" that was made into a movie. The early editions of the novel had this cover.
After the movie came out, the book was re-issued with this cover.
Good morning Marti, C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteFun romp with lots of wags. There were a few that I filled because it spelled a real word, but then it took awhile to figure out why it was the answer.Fun ah-ha's.
Always love your humor Marti.
Thanks for the sweet comments. I love seeing your families too.Kazie, I remember my dad saying he wished he could put a brick on my head. At the time I thought that was so silly.
Hello everybody. There was an interesting opinion piece in the LA Times entitled, "Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Tesla Model S". LW and I saw one in the Sears parking lot recently. It was a pretty bronze-reddish color. As we walked right by it on the way from our car to the store, we noticed the (presumed) owner was sitting in it, with the window rolled down, apparently doing some business on his cell phone. As I passed, I said to him, "Nice car!" Apparently that pleased him, because not only did he smile and nod, he hung up his phone and engaged us in conversation about it. He seemed eager to show it off, and even got out of the car and invited me to sit in the driver's seat. Well, all I can say, besides "Nice man", is "Hell of a nice car!"
ReplyDelete- The San Jose Mercury News had "Forearm bones" for 31A.
ReplyDelete- Cool comment about Wolfgang PAULI, Martin.
- If it weren't for DEUS, I would have spelled FLUORESCENT wrong.
- The America's Cup Louis Vuitton races were a lot of fun to watch on TV yesterday. Some very skilled sailors, those guys! The New Zealanders out-sailed and out-maneuvered the Italians by quite a wide margin. Twice. Those boats really heel ATILT!
- Convinced LW to buy some Kobe beef at Sprouts yesterday. Can hardly wait to cook it and see what all the hoopla is about.
- "Whether 'tis NOBLER to ..."
- I have never OGLEd an OGEE.
- Do FISA judges pay FICA taxes on their salaries?
- I hate to get SINAI infections. They make me all snotty.
- Enough silly HUMERI today. Best wishes to you all.
My first "gimme" was DEUS because the dramaturgical term, "Deus ex machina," is in my field. As already noted, it comes from the Greek practice of resolving tragedies with an improbable rescue--such as Medea being flown away by a divine dragon chariot.
ReplyDeleteThe Greek amphitheaters had cranes specifically for the purpose of lifting a god or supernatural being to the roof of the scene house; this was the "mekhane," and the practice, in Greek, was called "apò mēkhanḗs theós." It gained infamy in Latin, however, because Horace immortalized it by condemning it as an authorial cop-out.
Actually, Horace was talking about NEW plotting and advising poets against unbelievable twists. But such bizarre turns are OK, he says, if an author is working with an ancient story. In that case the tradition may be honored, no matter how nutty.
Jayce @ 1:22, good ones! I forgot to tell you yesterday that I like your new avatar - it gives you sort of a roguish look!
ReplyDeleteKeith Fowler, interesting comment about Horace. So I guess J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien are not to be forgiven for using such an authorial cop-out?
G'Day all!
ReplyDeleteThe ERRORs of my ways TIEsIN with my DAFTness makeing me the CHUMP. OUCH. This a big DNF! I shouldn't feel bad, since this is a Thursday, but after last week my expectations are higher, I ASSUME.
Never the less, fun pzl Jeff with a great theme and I got enough to enjoy. Thanks to Marti for providing answers TOA T.
WEES said re: favorite C&As. FYI - H-Chron had Forearm.
When I read about Musk's "hyperloop" all I could think of was this toy Santa brought me one year. The plastic was cheep and it broke by Easter.
HG - The Flourescent Shorts must have been a sight!
Cheers,
-T
Oh, and to spoil the ACT: Arial shot the serif.... -T
ReplyDeleteThere was an authorial cop-out a couple of years ago on NCIS that I thought was particularly egregious. Ziva and D'Nozzo were driving along and got slammed into really hard by another car. The cliff-hanger ending was a shot of them mangled and bloody inside the mashed car, then fade to black. Tey sure looked badly injured, if not dead, to me. Three months later, in the first show of the next season, there they were, calmly walking away from the auto wreck with barely a scratch on them. No explanation whatsoever. I guess we were to conclude that they weren't hurt nearly as badly as it appeared in the previous, season-finale, episode. I was greatly disappointed by the way that story-line was handled.
ReplyDeleteHeartRx, thank you.
ReplyDeleteJayce, you just reminded me of another ridiculous writers deus ex machina - the series finale of St. Elsewhere - where the entire time the television audience has invested in watching this otherwse tremendous show was dismissed in the end as just the dream world of an autistic child....
ReplyDeleteTough puzzle in the NW. WEES about solving bottom to top.
ReplyDeleteLearning moment on open D and G TUNINGS. I thought "strings", but relented to tunings and thought, Why not the other 4 strings?
It's a way to tune to a major G or D chord so you just bar the other chords in the song. Works for Dolly Parton, especially with those talons of hers! :-)
They start playing @ around @ 2:00
DOLLY AND CHET ATKINS
Thanks, Marti for the humor and what's not to like when the write-up includes Ella and Balanchine?
Jayce:
ReplyDeleteYou are in really good form today! Thanks for the laughs.
Keith:
Thank you for the graphic image of DEUS ex machina, a concept I've struggled with since my college days, although I understood it mentally, your explanation just crystallized it. Yes, I'm that slow.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteAmusing theme, otherwise nice but not especially sparkly puzzle. EYER is awkward. ICES - ACES symmetry is cool.
FREEP had "Forearm bone." Caused me lots of difficulty.
It's not Deus ex machina if the ending has been set up properly and is consistent with the rest of the plotting and action. I find both Tolkein and Rowling to be innocent.
Martin - maybe excluding PAULI was a stroke of irony.
Tigers fell way behind the Twins today, caught up, then lost anyway. Verlander gave up 6 runs on 10 hits, but Smiley took the loss.
Very disappointing series.
Cool regards!
JzB
Jayce,
ReplyDeleteYour NCIS example reminds me of similar cop-outs in the old movie serials. Those old enough to remember Saturday kids' matinees will recall serials-- like " G-MEN " and "Flash Gordon" and "Phantom Rider"-- that used to run for weeks on end. Each week would end with a cliff-hanger (another kind of contrivance) when we would watch as our heroes would be trapped in some impossible situation. A typical example I remember from one of the "G-Men" stories was a literal cliff-hanger. Our guys were trapped unconscious (drugged or hypnotized) in a car rolling over the edge of a steep precipice. All week we wondered how they could be saved.
Next week the serial resumed by backing up a few seconds, just before the car is to go off into nothingness. And wouldn't you know it? Apparently there is just enough time (this time) for one to awaken, shake off his drowsiness, see the danger, force the car door open and drag his comrade to safety! Jeepers! How did we miss that last week?
That pissed our little critics' minds. And those mercenary producers continued to pull crap like that, just to hook us back into the seats. The fire that was to consume the guy tied to a stake would be doused by a sudden downpour; the cavalry would arrive (a classic DeM!); and the buzz saw about to divide the heroine would blow a fuse. Now, I never minded if the rescue occurred in NEW footage, but it was an absolute cheat to back up the reel and change the scripted data.
Aarghh! KEITH FOWLER!!!
ReplyDeleteYour links take me to a Facebook page that says This content is currently unavailable.
Same with yesterday's link to Frangipani.
Can you fix it?
Thanks.
-Short bio of Nikola TESLA (2:54). Longer ones on this amazing man are in the right column.
ReplyDelete-Great comments Keith from a man whose has TROD many a theatrical board
-AT, I was fixing a sprinkler head at dusk two nights ago and asked Lorrie if she could wear her shorts over into my yard for some extra lighting. She is very cute and has a great sense of humor and so no legal proceedings ensued from my OGLING.
-The most incredible DEUS EX MACHINA in movie history?
Spoiler Alert re: HG's DeM...
ReplyDeleteHG - Even at 8 years old, I knew the DeM (well not the term) in Superman was dumb. Just because the Earth goes "backwards" time doesn't change... Heck, if that was the case the time on Uranus is perpendicular to ours :-) -T
pas de chat,
ReplyDeleteSorry! It may be you are trying to access when I'm actively working on the page. I have closed it out, so maybe it will work for you now.
I know from outside testing that the link does work, so the unresolved question is why or when it isn't working for you, or through this blog.
Good luck!
JD--what a darling boy and pretty grandma!
ReplyDeleteJayce--new picture is great! Pleasant smile!
The St. Elsewhere finale really bummed me out. Why ruin such an excellent series? And wasn't the autistic person the former Dr. Westfall?
Keith @ 4:34
ReplyDeleteNope, doesn't work for me (sigh)
Anybody else get that Facebook page?
What was the link to G-MEN anyway?
Lots of knowledgeable people here at the corner. I'm always learning something.
Thanks for that explanation of Deus ex Machina, Keith!
Keith:
ReplyDeleteNo luck opening the link for me either with the message "this content is no longer available."
Keith's link doesn't like me either. So, here's my favorite G-MEN . Cheers, -T
ReplyDeleteAnonT, that toy looks like fun. I'll bet Jordan would enjoy building with it. Me too probably. Too bad it didn't last.
ReplyDeleteJayce, I remember that NCIS cliffhanger. I always hate them. They used to be even more ridiculous at the Saturday matinee movie serials.
Speaking of NCIS, I caught the end of an old NCIS with Kate instead of Ziva. I really liked Kate, maybe even better than Dr. Isles.
Keith, me too. Content unavailable.
Keith, I couldn't open your G-Men link either. I don't know if this is the link you wanted to post, but the movie was a classic. Send me an email with the http page you tried, and I will try to link it.
ReplyDeleteOK I will try KF's link.
ReplyDeleteAnd here is the cliffhanger sequence. Does she die? How could she possibly escape such an awful death????
ReplyDelete...to be continued.
AnonT: I betcha Musk got the same toy for Christmas and has been dreaming of the real thing for decades.
ReplyDeleteKeith: You provided the perfect explanation. Now I get it.
Jayce: The delight exuded by your new avatar makes me smile back.
Lucina: tell us more about your evening with Frederick Forsythe. The real author? What? Where? Why? Come on, gal, inquiring minds want to know. For some reason, I thought he was dead.
I usually can't get into any link that originates on FaceBook, not being a member or whatever.
ReplyDeleteThat spear is irretrievably launched and hurtling pulse-poundingly toward her! She's doomed! She can't get away! There is no hope!
ReplyDeletePK, I'm glad you are smiling.
Just got back from the store.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marti!
OMG!
How do we find out the rest of the story?????
Wait! I think all the episodes are on youtube.
ReplyDeleteJust go to youtube and type in
"g-men vs the black dragon"
Keith, I think waiting for the next episode is like waiting for the crossword solution a day later, but 6 days worse!
Thanks for this blog, C.C.
PK, and anyone else who is interested:
ReplyDeleteFrederick Forsyth is on tour promoting his latest book, The Kill List, and for the first time stopped in Phoenix. About 200 devoted fans attended the "lecture" which was actually a casual chat with the book store owner in which he spoke about how the story for the book evolved, his methodology in writing and other tidbits. He spoke in an entertaining manner and made us laugh quite a lot. He is 75 years old and the rights to the book have already been bought.
The presentation was free but of course the book was not. I've never before purchased an author signed book and it was exciting.
It was also thrilling to see the man whose books I have glommed onto since first reading The Day of the Jackal.
I hope I've given you enough information, otherwise let me know. The book, which I've started, is very good. Naturally.
Patriots fans are not too happy with the way the game is going against the Detroit Lions right now...Pats offense is sputtering, while the defense is holding on with their fingernails!! And last year, the Lions were 4-12???m
ReplyDeleteNot to mention your tight end was indicted on murder charges earlier today!
ReplyDeleteMy tight end is about 110 lbs...
ReplyDeleteMarti, Wow!
ReplyDeleteFirst... you got nice cans and now
a tight end. Is there no limit to your excellence ?? I don't believe the charges against you though.
Ha Ha, Manac! I rest my case...
ReplyDeleteSounds a bit like "Backfield in Motion" to me. A link , Argyle, or anyone?
ReplyDeleteBut not Keith.
ReplyDeleteBackfield in Motion
ReplyDelete