Theme: A ring of fire. You'll understand in a minute...
17A. A falsehood in every respect : PURE FICTION. I had almost filled in "pulp fiction", but no. That was a great movie, though!
24A. Chuck Connors title role : THE RIFLEMAN. I never watched the show much.
49A. "Scream" or "Halloween" : SLASHER FILM. I can't watch those, either, without having nightmares!
61A. Actor's liability : STAGE FRIGHT. Not very good for politicians or teachers, either, I would think.
And the unifier:
39. Risky activity, and what certain four-letter sequences in 17-, 24-, 49- and 61-Across are doing? : PLAYING WITH FIRE. You can see the anagrams of "FIRE" highlighted in the theme entries, above.
Marti here, playing with another interesting Ed Sessa offering.
Across:
1. Altar vestments : ALBS. Have not seen these for awhile.
5. Not back down : INSIST
11. Screw up : ERR. I made plenty of these today.
14. Boor : LOUT
15. Shortening name : CRISCO. I could not for the life of me suss this one without every single perp!
16. __ Paulo : SAO. Brazil.
19. Basinger of "Batman" : KIM. Here she is with the hero.
20. Congo River beast : HIPPO
21. Arson-investigating org. : ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, part of the US Department of Treasury. (Correction: It was shifted to the US Department of Justice in 2002. Thanks, Tinbeni!)
22. Three-time WNBA MVP __ Leslie : LISA. "Women's National Basketball Association", "Most Valuable Player". Also, a four-time Olympic gold medal winner.
23. Beast of burden : ASS
28. Condemn : DOOM
29. Passable : SO-SO
30. Common crossword clue ending : ABBR eviation.
33. Piper's followers : RATS. And Charlie Brown epithet.
36. D.C. hearings broadcaster : C-SPAN
42. Badly cooked : BURNT
43. Reasonable : SANE
44. Pilot's prefix : AERO
45. Summoning gesture : BECK. I would have rather seen this clued as "One-named American alternative rock musician". Then I would be able to link this song. Oh, wait! I can link it anyway! 3:54.
47. Plenty : A LOT
53. Sis, say : SIB
56. They're mostly fours : PARS. Occasionally there is a three or five thrown into a round of golf. But par fours are typical. How many do you get, Husker?
57. Tijuana relative : TIA. Aunt, in Spanish.
58. "Three inches is such a wretched height to be" speaker : ALICE. in Wonderland.
60. Sí, in Paris : OUI. Yes, in Boston.
64. __ pro nobis: pray for us : ORA. Latin.
65. Mid-size Nissan : ALTIMA
66. Latin 101 verb : AMAT. Latin.
67. Athlete's supporter : FAN
68. Have it in mind : MEAN TO
69. Ad amount : RATE
Down:
1. Top dog : ALPHA
2. Joe the boxer : LOUIS
3. Baby's achievements? : BURPS. I laughed out loud when this appeared from perps.
4. Baby book first : STEP. Also, BURPS.
5. Here, on the Seine : ICI. 8D: IS IT I, or are there a lot of foreign words today?
6. Atomic energy org. : NRC
7. Solo instrument in "Norwegian Wood" : SITAR. Another musical interlude. 2:03
9. Jeers (at) : SCOFFS
10. Heavy weight : TON
11. Ice cream treat since the 1920s : ESKIMO PIE. Yumm!
12. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA. She and First Lady Barbara Bush spoke at the Wellesley College commencement in 1990.
13. __ numeral : ROMAN
18. Snapshot, commercially : FOTO
22. Heart-healthy food claim : LESS FAT
25. Rhino feature : HORN
26. Webzines : E-MAGS
27. Scot's sailing site : LOCH
28. Wine quality : DRYNESS. No, that's the quality I have when I need a glass of wine...
30. LAPD alert : APB.All Points Bulletin.
31. Primary colore : BLU. "Colore" is the hint that we need an answer in Italian. Another foreign word.
32. Neanderthal type : BARBARIAN
34. Former carrier with a JFK hub : TWA. Merged with American Airlines in 2001.
35. Historic peninsula : SINAI. This oft-disputed piece of land.
37. JFK posting : ARR. Arrivals at JFK airport in Queens, N.Y.
38. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. He is "The One", and will end the war. Whatever.
40. Reason to scratch : ITCH
41. Archer of note : TELL. William with the apple.
46. Boiling point? : KETTLE. Fun clue.
48. Bridge master Sharif : OMAR. Probably better-known for his role in "Dr Zhivago".
49. Parody : SPOOF
50. Dr. with advice : LAURA
51. Cowboy's rope : RIATA
52. "Oliver Twist" villain : FAGIN
53. S, as in Socrates : SIGMA
54. Mac messaging program : I-CHAT
55. Actress Davis : BETTE
59. One to whom you might say, "I doubt that" : LIAR
61. Wanted poster uncle? : SAM.
62. CPR expert : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician, helpful when you need Cardiopulmonary resuscitation!
63. __ Schwarz : FAO
Answer grid.
Signing off to go to the beach!
Hugs,
Marti
