Themeless Saturday by Enrique Henestroza Anquiano
I’m a data scientist from Oakland, CA, with a background in computational linguistics. I fully dove into crosswords as a daily solver and then constructor in 2019, and I love that both sides have allowed me to continually engage with everything I love about language, wordplay, and even coding. I also appreciate the friends I’ve made so far through this great community.
As a forever Simpson's fan, here's a photo of me noshing oh "The Homer" from Voodoo donuts in Portland.This is my
second puzzle of Enrique's I have blogged and I have been able to solve them in great time while being entertained. Joann and I took a tour of Portland a few years ago and we also waited in line and got some delicious Voodoo donuts.
second puzzle of Enrique's I have blogged and I have been able to solve them in great time while being entertained. Joann and I took a tour of Portland a few years ago and we also waited in line and got some delicious Voodoo donuts.
Across
1. Pros: ACES.
5. Pasta joint?: ELBOW.
10. Network that airs 52-Down news: CNBC - Consumer News and Business Channel
14. Only: SOLE.
15. "Uprooted" novelist Novik: NAOMI - Watts, Judd, Campbell and Osaka I knew but this NAOMI had solid crosses.
17. Quaint arcade prompt: INSERT COIN - These were very busy at one time and required the player to INSERT a COIN.
19. Harmon series: NCIS.
20. Box set bonus: FEATURETTE.
21. Try out: TEST.
22. Informal greetings: HEYS.
23. Like some fine frames: GILT.
27. Some sketchy characters?: CARTOONS - Fun Enrique!
31. Ship's hdg.: NNE - One of many possibilities
32. Type of photo that led to the "Streisand effect": AERIAL SHOT - Barbara tried to suppress this picture of her Malibu mansion that highlighted coastal erosion. Her suppression instead drew much greater attention to the picture and this has become known as the "Streisand effect".
34. "Eyes up front!": ATTENTION PLEASE.
37. Do the right thing in the parking lot, perhaps: LEAVE A NOTE - I did this, but unlike this note I actually left my number and the guy was as surprised as he was grateful.
39. Something to sneeze at: ALLERGEN.
40. Runs out of batteries: DIES.
42. Iron clothes?: MAIL - Iron is not a verb here
 |
| Chain MAIL |
45. Policy-driving appointee: CZAR.
47. Swiftie or Little Monster: ADORING FAN - The name for Taylor Swift fans seems pretty obvious but Lady Gaga lovingly calls her fans "Little Monsters" because they should be proud of who they are no matter what others think.
54. "I'm sorry you were offended," e.g.: NON-APOLOGY.
I’m sorry, but other people don’t overreact like you do.
I’m sorry but other people would’ve understood it was a joke!
I’m sorry, but you started it!
I’m sorry but you know I’m right
I’m sorry if you were offended.
I’m sorry if I didn’t do it correctly.
I’m sorry if you think I did something wrong.
55. Lake into which the Cuyahoga empties: ERIE.
57. Iowa home of the Cyclones: AMES - My neighbor drove the 3 hours east to Ames and their very famous veterinary school to get his St. Bernard's hip fixed for $5,000.
58. "The Girl Who Drank the __": Newbery winner about a girl named Luna: MOON.
59. Polished off: EATEN.
60. Two pills before bed, e.g.: DOSE.
Down:
1. "Ha, right": AS IF.
2. Detour guide: CONE - There is highway construction in every direction to, from and around our town and the CONES are ubiquitous.
3. Queen who appears in "Olaf's Frozen Adventure": ELSA.
4. Stew: SEETHE.
5. Part of a log: ENTRY.
6. What loafers do without?: LACES - Our friend Boomer might say JOBS
7. Retired Monopoly token: BOOT.
 |
| The original pieces |
9. Vitis vinifera cultivar: WINE GRAPE.
10. Guaranteed: CAN'T LOSE - "I got the horse right here, The name is Paul Revere..".
11. Ideal but not essential: NICE TO HAVE.
12. Ritual for some eight-day-olds: BRIS.
13. Skin malady: CYST.
18. __ the day: RUED.
24. "__ never work": IT'LL - Oh, yeah?
25. Xeon processor maker: INTEL.
26. Silver-colored plumber in Super Smash Bros.: METAL MARIO.
27. Deliver an old standard, perhaps: CROON - A wonderful CROONER that we see in x-words quite often
28. Informal contraction: AIN'T.
29. Circus clown's collection: NOSES - I guess the clown would have to pick his nose before each performance
30. Editorial override: STET - Hey, put that back in there!
31. Beyoncé voice role: NALA.
32. With one quick look: AT A GLANCE.
33. "__ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE - A fun way to hear this wonderful music
35. "Mildred Pierce" Oscar nominee: EVE ARDEN.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - 1945
Eve Arden – Mildred Pierce
Ann Blyth – Mildred Pierce
Angela Lansbury – The Picture of Dorian Gray
Joan Lorring – The Corn Is Green
Anne Revere – National Velvet - winner
36. Environmental design artist Oxman: NERI - Congrats if you knew Ms. Oxman.
41. "Happy to hear!": I'M GLAD.
43. Dire: GRAVE.
44. Mature: RIPEN - This very cool weather has made our tomatoes cease to RIPEN. Well there's some 80's next week
45. Nobel subj.: CHEM - The latest Nobel Prize for CHEMISTRY winners
46. From __ to hero: ZERO - Harlan Sanders was a retired man in his 60's and all he had was a recipe of fried chicken. After 1,009 rejections he made it big.
48. Souq Waqif city: DOHA - A huge market place in DOHA, Qatar
49. "Will do!": ON IT.
50. Anxiety about exclusion, for short: FOMO.
51. Matures: AGES.
52. Wall St. index: NYSE.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was mostly doable, but the NW was brutal. Finally decided that PROS are those in favor, so 1a would be AYES. YONE looked weird, but guess who let it stand? Have I ever mentioned...? Bzzzzzt.
The EVE ARDEN clue was really obscure; perps required. Star of Our Miss Brooks would've been a little more obvious for folks of a "certain age." ERIE was obvious; the Cuyahoga was the inspiration for Randy Newman's Burn On. Thanx for the abasement, Enrique, and for the excellent tour, Husker.
In spite of what someone (I forget who) mentioned yesterday, I didn’t find this puzzle to be “twice as hard” as yesterday’s. In fact, on the whole, I found it fair, well-balanced, and eminently solvable. One of the many things that I enjoyed about this puzzle was the double solve for “dire” , “grave” and “grim.” Other faves were “wine grape” and “insert a coin.” Eventually, I managed to FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Thanks, Enrique! This puzzle was not as hard as I first thought when I couldn't get any answers across or down for the top row. I eventually was able to perp & WAG back & forth to fill all the squares correctly.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gary, for your expo & eternal optimism.
Not "iron" but BOOT. In Monopoly? Don't remember that BOOT.
FOMO: hate these strange new words, phrases & abbreviations and obscure names.
It's not just us in our cws facing age discrimination. My bro was telling me about a city church that was catering to young people with no more traditional music or rites and shunting the older leaders aside and out of leadership roles. A group of the oldies got fed up, bought a failing church in a nearby suburb and brought back traditional church with extra focus on elderly leadership. In a short time they attracted 165 dedicated members (with money) from ages 50's on up. Two retired pastors are sharing one pastoral position, taking turns with much less stress.
Finally I get to FIR on a Saturday. Took about 25 minutes with only one change- CAN'T MISS to CANT LOSE- which usually means your money will disappear. The puzzle had what I would call "doable normal fills" with difficult or misleading clues. In my wheelhouse.
ReplyDeleteNAOMI, ADORING FAN, EVE ARDEN, NERI, DOHA, MOON, WINE GRAPE, METAL MARIO, NALA, IMED- didn't really know any of them but perps and logic let me get them.
IMED ways? "Messages", What's App, Skype, Facebook, text, Google Voice,...etc. Just pick up the telephone.
NON-APOLOGY- I never try to offend anybody but many people need to be offended so they might realize some of the stupid things they do.
LEAVE A NOTE- I actually did it when I bumped into the car behind me. Two fighting grandkids were in the backseat as I was leaving the movies. There was no way to find out the owner of the car and I had to drive over 300 miles after dropping them off. I got a call from the owner about two hours later and I gave her my insurance information.
FIW, ALLERGtN x EINt. Even I, the bad-spelar-laureate of the Corner should have noticed, since not too many words have four consonants in a row. Plenty of unknowns, but I agree that this was an easy-for-Saturday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGary, I took an Irish Wolfhound to the NC State Uni vet school for radiation. They explained that they charged the going rate, because they could not be considered competition for vets in non-academic practice. They were wonderful folks and gifted vets, and my 8-month old Wolfie lived another 8 years, which is good for a giant breed. (If he stood on his hind legs with his nose in the air he would have been 6' 10".) But friends thought I was crazy, since all his cancer treatments set us back >$20,000.
FLN: -T, I like my hotdogs with mustard, chili, cheese and jalapeno rings. Yummy! Hope Pop comes through with flying colors. We got our 5th shots last Saturday.
Thanks to Enrique for the challenge, and to Gary for the tour.
FIR, and in fast time. I found myself on the puzzle maker's wavelength, and just filled away. Very pleasant Saturday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteRight off the bat I inked ayes/ACES but NW filled optimistically fast. I had BOaT/BOOT too. And super/METAL MARIO . Captions/CARTOONS
ReplyDeleteThird or fourth time for "Swiftie" and I still needed perps
LIU indicated Monte Python originated "herding cats " but I know I read the term earlier.
SubG, I was talking historically. I corrected at 10pm EDT just prior to Anon-T's excellent final post
I see the correct grid is in place asof 920 EDT
WC
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteUp early thinking about Pop. Bro (Army ret.) said he was doing OK but might go in for fluids.
HG played an April Fools on me. I finished the grid and then saw his. I thought, "Crap, did I do the wrong puzzle? No wonder I finished a Saturday" as I flipped though the paper looking for the LAT. Then I saw it was the same constructor and settled in to read HG's fine expo.
All's fixed now (work called an interrupted me posting).
Thanks Enrique for the fun grid. Computational Linguistics - natural language processing? Or do you create new languages?
There's a Voodoo Doughnut in Austin. Diabetes in a tray (but worth it).
WO: I had one L in ALLERGEN 'till I realized I needed more letters, I put NYSE in FOMO's squares.
ESPs: NAOMI, NALA.
Fav: Hard to choose with all the word play. I'll go with INSERT COIN - spent most of my paper-route money at the arcade.
Jinx - You got me. I do like a good Chili Dog.
Cheers, -T
I finished today's in 9:13, and I'm not sorry about it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the Latin, the German, or the Oscar loser (er, nominee).
I suspect none of us had any chance on the "environmental design artist."
Nice to see the lovely Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the map included in the fine review.
I did enjoy a lot of the cluing in this one.
I'm casting my vote for more themeless puzzles.
HEY, everyone! Despite all the white space remaining after my first try, I managed to fill the puzzle Enrique provided this morning. Thanks for the mental exercise, but, alas, I had a FIW. Two wrong squares: one a sloppy mistake (tZAR) and the other an unknown (IMEs). Maybe another cup of coffee would have helped?
ReplyDeleteI had iron before BOOT and shoes before NOSES for my only WOs. My favorite clue was "dire" with GRIM and GRAVE connecting.
Thanks, Husker Gary, for an informative review. I learn so much from the blog. Have a good Saturday, everyone!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteAny nits I might pick about so many unknowns are far outweighed by the puzzle’s plentiful pluses. Despite such obstacles as Naomi, Neri, Metal Mario, Doha, Intel, and, as clued, Moon, Adoring Fan, and Eve Arden, the perps were eminently fair, so fair, in fact, that I finished in 19:18, a very good Saturday time for me. The only stars from Mildred Pierce I remembered were Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth and, for some inexplicable reason, the Swiftie and Little Monster clue conjured up cartoon characters rather than the singers. I stumbled over Anna/Elsa, Lone/Sole, and Goat/Zero.
I thought some of the cluing was particularly clever and I really liked the fresh and lively fill, notably these standouts:
Nice To Have
At A Glance
Can’t Lose
I’m Glad
Attention Please
Last but not least, there were only 2 three letter words which has to be a record, or close to one, adding another facet to the overall excellence of this offering.
Thank you, Enrique, for a very enjoyable solve and for sharing your thoughts and thanks, HG, for the usual sparkling and informative review. I chuckled at your clown’s nose observation!
I’m going to my sister Peg’s tonight for a party to celebrate her and BIL’s 68th Wedding Anniversary. 👩❤️👨
Have a great day.
I am in the "faster than usual" Saturday camp today. I had an experience like PK - at first very slow - but then it just started falling into place. When I did get the NW I started out with ANNA instead of ELSA for the "Olaf's Frozen Adventure" - an issue of knowing too much. I knew Anna was Olaf's close buddy in "Frozen". Anna conveniently crossed with LONE instead of SOLE so it took awhile to do some conceptual blockbusting as the O and E were correct (50% as Splynter would say)
ReplyDeleteI also had to switch Nora to NERI with perps.
Apt timing for ALLERGEN as the ragweed and all its pals are wreaking havoc on those with hay fever right now - it would be great to have a hard frost to knock it off and then it can warm up again!
Our good friends in Houston lived in DOHA, Qatar for 5 years when Chevron moved them there for a project so that helped on that one. Still can't believe that tiny country is hosting World Cup soccer there next month!
They just announced this years Nobel winners for chemistry 10 days ago for something called "click chemistry"
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2022/press-release/
Thanks HG for another fun blog and Enrique for an interesting puzzle
Enrique, are you drinking Duff beer with that Simpson donut? 😁
ReplyDeleteGot thru rather quickly for a Saturday but DNF the SE..had CHEM which didn't work with "The Girl Who Drank the..." MEON? Now that I read the reveal I see the culprit was here instead of ZERO. 🙄
Inkovers: acne/CYST,
ADORING FAN for "Swiftie" et al? (that's kinda "out there")
ATTENTION PLEASE
Never heard of "The Streisand Effect". Here is a Steisand Effect AERIAL SHOT
Husker: "Clown pick his nose "🤣🤣
Canada Eh if we'd INSERT COIN and it was a Canadian quarter the pinball machine would spit it out. Did the same happen with US coins north of the border?
Isn't "From Here to Eternity" just another way of Buzz Lightyear saying "To Infinity and Beyond"? I guess it wasn't just Joan Crawford ("Mildred Pierce") who won an Oscar. I barely remember EVE ARDEN as TVs "Our Miss Brooks" (but she was in the movie version of "Grease")
Just learned about the FOMO concept last year; even has its own emoji (I couldn't find it)
Culpability.....GILT
A balloonist to the Wright brothers.."____ work"...ITLL NEVER.
Final resting place of story telling brothers...GRIM GRAVE.
A Knight's AOL notification that his armor has arrived: "You've Got ____ " ...MAIL
Another sunny colorful weekend (foliage)... part of our Indigenous Peoples Summer. 68⁰ (a heat wave)
Enjoyed the puzzle - terrific long entries. I had never heard of the "Streisand Effect" - had to look it up, which again, reinforces the whole phenomenon. Great writeup, as always, Gary.
ReplyDeleteRay-O, Eve Arden was also Our Miss Brooks on the radio from '48 - '57. We were avid listeners -- we didn't get a TV until '54. We'd gather around our floor-model Philco radio, listen and imagine.
ReplyDeletePleasant Saturday CW. I too encountered many unknowns but perps helped so FIR. Nice fresh way to clue the ubiquitous ERIE. However I don’t understand # 12 down BRIS.
ReplyDeleteI’m now an adoring fan of EHA.
DO. I've listened to the radio version of "Our Miss Brooks" and others, "The Great Gildersleeve" "Fibber Mcgee & Mollie" , etc...while driving on Sirius XM Radio Classics. It's true you find yourself creating the visuals in your mind.
ReplyDeleteWell, wadaya know! I managed to FIR in 29. This was not the most difficult CW this week. There were lots of DNKs, but most perped easy enough, and I got lucky with penning in several WAGs which all turned out to be correct. Thanx EHA for the CW, and thanx too HG for the terrific write-up.
ReplyDeleteTante Nique, a BRIS is the Jewish rite of circumcision for male offspring.
ReplyDeleteNon-Jewish boys may be circumsized at birth or later.
DeleteAgreed, this wasn't as tough as the usual Saturday (pretty sure it was my fastest Saturday ever), but still a lot of fun. Highlights for me: ATTENTION PLEASE, UNSERT COIN, METAL MARIO, and the clues for MAIL and CONE. (Maybe the CONE clue could've been better with a "?" since "guide" is used quite loosely but I'm not complaining)
ReplyDeleteINSERT* and that's why you check for typos.
ReplyDeleteTough but fun Saturday puzzle--many thanks, Enrique. And always enjoy your commentary and pictures, Husker Gary, thanks for those too.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle made me feel a little as though I was in a gambling casino of some sort, starting off with a bunch of ACES, thank goodness, which made me feel as though I CAN'T LOSE. Was happy to INSERT a COIN into some of the machines, and got so caught up in the games, that someone kept saying ATTENTION, PLEASE. When I didn't respond he decided to LEAVE A NOTE to tell me I had won some more money, but confessed he was an ADORING FAN and that NOn APOLOGY was necessary for not responding. So, all in all, a great morning. Think I'll celebrate by enjoying a WINE GRAPE this evening.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
Desperado-otto: thank you for the explanation of BRIS.
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteGracias to Enrique for this unusually doable Saturday puzzle with only one abbreviation. Amazing! And to Gary for leading us all through an amusing tour. ACES all around!
I had no idea about METAL MARIO but the perps led me to it.
When I accidentally nicked a car I did LEAVE A NOTE and was subsequently contacted by the owners. Repairs cost $800. That was a very long time ago.
Also I'd not heard of UPROOTED or NAOMI Novik. Perps again. WINE GRAPE alos perped.
Loved the clue for CARTOONS. Sketchy characters. LOL
Ha! It rained for about 30 seconds. No exaggeration. I hope for more. The landscapers sowed seed for winter grass but neglected to turn on the sprinklers! Pigeons, of course, are having a feast.
Wishing you all a sensational Saturday!
Superb Saturday. Thanks for the fun, Enrique and HuskerG.
ReplyDeleteWell WC was correct; this was a doable Saturday CW. I FIRed, and unknown names etc. perped or WAGged.
Favourite clues were for ELBOW and LACES.
ATTENTION PLEASE spanning the whole middle was great.
I’ll take a CSO with DOSE. I checked and explained those for many years. Great job.
My fine frames were for glasses, and WIRY. Oh my, GILT- that’s for crowns on teeth, no - picture frames.
It only took the B to remind me of BRIS. All the men shudder!
It’s METAL MARIO not Super.
CYST not ACNE.(hi Ray-o - yes I do recall my son putting an American quarter in with Canadian coins in the pop machine, and having it spit out. Machine probably reads the weight of the coin to weed out slugs?)
I had not heard of the Streisand effect.
CZAR not Tsar today.
Like PK, I did not remember the Monopoly BOOT.
Luna in the clue gave me MOON. Thank you Latin classes.
AnonT- hoping your Pop is improving
IrishMiss- congrats &Happy 68th (wow!) to your sister Peg and BIL.
Wishing you all a great day.
ReplyDeleteI’m guessing the new editor had some time off, otherwise unable to figure out how a solvable Saturday puzzle made an appearance.
That’s not a complaint.
Forgot to wish you a Happy Birthday, Irish Miss. Have a lovely day with your sister, and a wonderful year ahead.
ReplyDeleteFIR, which is rare for me on a Sat but everyone pointed out that this is easier than usual for a Sat so I guess that explains my success....
ReplyDeleteH.G., I enjoyed your write up. Hand up for not knowing NERI Oxman but yes knowing DINO of Bedrock!
Misty @ 12:13. Another clever story!
Anon T @ 8:50 ~ Hope Pop is feeling better. You, too.
ReplyDeleteCEh @ 1:02 ~ Thank you for those kind good wishes. Yes, 68 years is a big Wow!
Misty @ 1:32 ~ Misunderstanding, I think, as it’s not my birthday, but it is my sister and BIL’s 68th Wedding Anniversary, and I will help to celebrate it at their party tonight. 🤗
C-Eh!: I used to know a little something about detecting invalid coins. IIRC, the device had to first check for size (diameter and thickness) then figure out if it was a quarter, dime or nickle. Then it was checked for weight and magnetic attraction (shouldn't have any), and I think that later models also had to sense serrations on the edge of dimes and quarters. Oh, and it had to be cheap enough to include in every pay phone. (Some younger Cornerites may not know "pay phone". "Sure,I paid for my phone; doesn't everybody?")
ReplyDeleteMisty, it’s not Irish Miss’s birthday. (I carefully read her post to make sure of this - far be it from me to miss a beloved friend’s birthday celebration!) Her sister and brother-in-law are celebrating their 68th(!!) wedding anniversary. FYI
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry, Irish Miss. I just read your explanatory post to Misty. I don’t mean to “step on your shoes”. I didn’t see your post before I offered my two cents.
ReplyDeleteJust a small nit...
ReplyDeleteOMG! I must be old!
(I remember all the original Monopoly pieces...)
I liked this puzzle very much. I found it to be fair, solvable, and well-constructed. Since I had BOAT instead of BOOT and POSTERETTE instead of FEATURETTE, it made solving the NW corner more difficult, and I had to look up "Olaf's Frozen Adventure" to confirm that the queen in question was indeed ELSA, which then showed me the POSTERETTE error, which revealed the BOAT error, and that corner got solved.
ReplyDeleteI do have to mention one nit, and in my mind it's a big one. The NYSE is not an index, it's a market, an exchange. The DJIA, Dow Jones Industrial Average, is an index. That is the answer I entered right off the bat, and I tried to hang onto it until the perps forced me to hold my nose and change it. (Hey, if there are nits, somebody's gotta pick 'em.)
Good reading you all.
SG @ 2:41 ~ Far be it from me to mind someone being a caring friend. 😉
ReplyDeleteCED @ 2:50 ~ Don’t feel bad, I not only remember pay phones, but I remember party lines and 3 digit telephone numbers. I also remember not having a TV and listening to the old radio programs like The Inner Sanctum, The Shadow, Sky King, etc. 🤣
ReplyDeleteD-Otto, I like "desperado." The world had awoken to circumcision as ?able
Misty, will those be Merlot grapes?
I well remember the BOOT although I liked that sleek BOaT. Yes, C-eh, me too
IM, And talking to the operator
WC
Musings
ReplyDelete-What does it say that we never hear anyone younger people complain about old references like EVE ARDEN (Our Miss Brooks to me as well) and Fred and Wilma’s dog DINO? I also wonder if a younger crowd is familiar with the word CROON. It seems they either don’t care, aren’t working puzzles or are not on our site. Waddaya think?
Reading everyone, I realized I had more ESPs - like EVE ARDEN and the end of FEATURETTE (I was thinking set)...
ReplyDeleteNice catch on DJIA instead of NYSE. I already had AMES so didn't think twice about it. But you're right.
Payphones - I remember them. I'd have to use one at the mall (remember those?) when it was time to get picked up. No quarter? No Problem.
//I love when Jim Rockford has to stop at a gas-station to call Dennis ;-)
All the Monopoly pieces. I almost entered BOaT too.
HG - I'm not sure I get to count myself in the Young Crowd any more but I'm sure those under 40yrs old cut their teeth filling OOLA.
IM - I've listened to old time radio shows //or was that A Prairie Home Companion? ;-)
Back to the ZERO-ZERO Houston @ Seattle game. A pitcher's duel.
Cheers, -T
Being "of a certain age," desper-otto, I agree that a reference to Our Miss Brooks would have led me to EVE ARDEN much more readily.
ReplyDeleteShe was the first female star of whom I was consciously an ADORING FAN. I loved that radio show, nearly lived for it all week long, and listened to it as I lay my head and arms across the warm top of the portable radio on our kitchen table.
I can still hear ARDEN's husky, no-nonsense voice, always trying to make sense of the nonsense going on at Madison High.
Other signature sounds came from Gale Gordon's syrupy, over-unctuous principal, Osgood Conklin--
and Richard Crenna's cracking whine as the lead adolescent, Walter Denton.
We could see them all. Just as readers of fine novels can visualize written events, we radio fans saw everything we heard.
Vividly. Saw it all.
~ OMK
OMK et. al. I don't remember a time before those tiny screened B&W TV sets but do remember my grandparents having this tall beautiful mahogany inlaid wood radio in the den that was never turned on. It was next to a door with a doorknob that looked like the biggest diamond you ever saw...😊
ReplyDeleteWatched the opposite of a pitchers duel. Bama 49, Tennessee 52. What a game!
ReplyDeleteMy Grandpa had one of those stand-up wooden radios, Ray - O - Sunshine.
ReplyDeleteIt was in the living room, as serious a piece of furniture as anything else. It had a light-up dial that showed all the local station call letters.
(I guess it was only available for sale in the SF Bay Area.)
I used to sit on the floor next to the speaker grill and listen to Bob Hope doing his USO show for the troops, with a cast that included guest stars (with a sexy one for the soldiers to hoot & whistle at) & Jerry Colonna who would give his crazy Tarzan yell. Maybe Jack Benny would come on next, with Rochester and Dennis Day who'd sing an Irish tenor number & then be a silly ultra-naive straight man.
A little later, my favorite show was Life with Luigi, starring J. Carrol Naish.
He was always writing a letter home to his Mama in Italy. At some point, he would greet his giggly sweetheart, "My bigga fat-ta a-Rosa!" Played by Jody Gilbert.
All stereotypical Italian-esque. All over-the-top.
Sponsored by Wrigley's chewing gum.
Good stuff. Probably offensive today.
~ OMK
Baseball fans: What a game! Another 18 inning post-season show played by the Astros. (The other I recall is v. Braves in '05; 7-6 'Stros.
ReplyDeleteI remember Mom had a stereo consoles made of wood with a TV parked on top. I also recall Grands had a color set on a wooden box that housed an old TV -- that made me laugh.
Ray-O: I know those doorknobs... For some reason they were very popular in older (50's & 60's) homes. Paternal Grands had 'em.
IM - Mom's tiny town in IL still uses 4 digit numbers. SPI still has 7 digits. In Houston, it's all 10-digit dialing.
Cheers, -T
Oh, -T, do you remember when phone numbers had NAMES? Ours was SYcamore 3-4210 ... this dating from 1949 or '50, when I was old enough to learn our phone number.
ReplyDeleteNow it's this huge wad: (9) 1-323-7934210.