Theme: None
Total words: 68
Total blocks: 27
This puzzle might have started with triple-stacks of 15s on the top and bottom of the grid. Then six extra blocks were added later for smoother fill. Or Brad and Doug just used an existing template and started the way it does.
Anyway, the marquee answers are:
13A. Role for which its actor refused an Oscar : DON VITO CORLEONE. By Marlon Brando. Don Corleone jumped into my mind immediately, not VITO.
16A. Actor who said "Some people have youth, some have beauty—I have menace" : EDWARD G. ROBINSON. Stumper. Did recognize his face when I googled. He's in "The Ten Commandments".
45A. Offended parties in a long-running series of 3-Down : THE GEICO CAVEMEN. This might be the seed entry. And 3D. Show stoppers : TV ADS.
48A. Experience sudden inspiration : HAVE AN "AHA" MOMENT. Great answer.
We also have a symmetrically placed pet pair:
6D. Reward for rolling over : DOG TREAT
31D. Mrs. Norris in the "Harry Potter" books, e.g. : HOUSE CAT. Not a "Harry Potter" fan. The only Mrs. Norris in my mind is Kim, Rich's wife.
Across:
1. Bumpy, in a way : RUTTED
7. They reflect : MUSERS. Needed extra block for my MIRRORS.
17. General at Cold Harbor : MEADE (George). Oh, the Fort Meade guy. Not aware of his involvement at Cold Harbor.
18. Latish alarm setting : TEN AM
19. Proterozoic, for one : EON. Shouldn't it be ERA?
20. Family title word : OURS
21. Pool feature : DRAIN
22. Have no use for, and then some : HATE. Didn't come to me readily.
23. Use a tap, perhaps : SPY. Wiretap.
24. "We need to talk" : SEE ME. Oh, no.
25. Rage : MANIA
26. On the defensive : AT BAY
27. Put on guard : WARNED
28. Gardener's soil hauler : TIP CART. Spelling check wants this answer to be two words.
31. Impedes : HAMPERS
32. Albéniz piano work : IBERIA. No idea. Wikipedia says Iberia is a suit for piano composed by the Spanish pianist Isaac Albéniz. No wonder the title.
33. Magazine with a "Best Places to Live" feature : MONEY. Boomer used to subscribe this magazine.
34. Gauge : METER
35. Court official's call : FAULT. Tennis court, right?
36. Brief memo nicety : PLS
39. Gym set : REPS (Repetitions)
40. Speciously highbrow : ARTSY
41. Send sprawling : TRIP. And 8. __ sprawl : URBAN. "Sprawl/Sprawling" clechos.
42. Top 10 hit from U2's "Achtung Baby" album : ONE. Here is a clip.
43. Equine facial marking : BLAZE. Dictionary says it's a white area down the center of the face of a horse/cow. New definition to me.
44. "Take __!" : A HIKE
49. Investigates, with "into" : DELVES
50. Airfield fixtures : TOWERS
Down:
1. Didn't stay where it should, as a skirt : RODE UP. Like hers.
2. Not on the ball : UNWARY
4. Spot for studs : TIRE. Was picturing stud earrings.
5. Terminal abbr. : ETD
7. Unificationist : MOONIE. Derived from the name of its founder Sun Myung Moon, who's still alive.
9. Hardly odds-on : SLIM
10. Yet, to Yeats : E'EN. Even.
11. Sitcom about the Conners : ROSEANNE. I've never watched this sitcom. She's too loud.
12. Less likely to mix : SNOOTIER
13. Out-of-the-box models : DEMOS. Got the answer via crosses.
14. Like Twinkies filling : CREAMY
15. Near-decades : ENNEADS. Groups of nine.
21. Messing with a script? : DEBRA. Debra Messing. Great clue.
22. Hideous hybrid of myth : HARPY. Part woman, part bird.
24. It may be winding : STAIR. Tricky clue.
25. "American Buffalo" playwright : MAMET (David). Know him, not the play.
26. Range units : ACRES.
27. Without vigor : WANLY
28. "Lie to Me" star : TIM ROTH. Stranger to me. British actor.
29. Patsy's protest : I BEEN HAD
30. Political blog feature, often : PET PEEVE. Crossword blogs, more often.
33. Seder bread : MATZOH. We often see SEDER clued as "Passover feast".
35. Donnybrook : FRACAS. Fun word.
36. Novice's text : PRIMER
37. Compares : LIKENS
38. Wiped out : SPENT
40. 1955 Dior innovation : A-LINE
41. __ park : THEME
43. Theodore, to Wally : BEAV. "Leave It to Beaver".
44. Swear : AVOW
46. Coiffure holder : GEL
47. Te-__: Mexican cigar brand : AMO. Guessable. It's "Robusto", Lois!
C.C.
