Theme: "Invitation to the Dance" - A Gene Kelly tribute puzzle. Seven of his most well-known movies are featured in the grid.
22A. 117-Across film which he also co-directed : ON THE TOWN. Never heard of the film. Also starring Frank Sinatra.
27A. Film that earned 117-Across a Best Actor nomination : ANCHORS AWEIGH. Also starring Frank Sinatra.
43A. Film pairing 117-Across with Fred Astaire : ZIEGFELD FOLLIES
60A. With 75-Across, Scopes Trial film featuring 117-Across : INHERIT. And 75A. See 60-Across : THE WIND. The only split-up film.
66A. 117-Across Oscar-winning film : AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Lovely movie. Leslie Caron went back to him in the end.
91A. 117-Across film with a classic umbrella scene : SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
106A. 117-Across's film debut : FOR ME AND MY GAL. Judy Garland was in the movie too.
117A. Song-and-dance man born 8/23/1912 : GENE KELLY
Today we have 105 theme squares. I mentioned before that gridding gets trickier when the number goes over 100.
Additionally, Pancho has 9 theme entries to deal with. 7 entries with the same 105 theme squares are easier to tackle. Hence the 82 black squares in this grid. Most of the time the count is capped at 78.
Across:
1. Frivolous : FLIP
5. Household moniker : PAPA. For Husker Gary.
9. Farm houses : COOPS
14. Medieval Italian chest : ARCA. Learned from doing Xword.
18. Western casino city : RENO
19. Portent : OMEN
20. Longtime talk show : OPRAH. She said she coined "Aha moment".
21. Sewing case item : SPOOL
24. She won the All-Around gymnastics gold eight years before Mary Lou : NADIA (Comaneci). In 1976. Mary Lou 1984. I drew a blank.
25. Male prefix : ANDRO. "Female prefix" is GYNOUS. Androgynous.
26. Simoleons : MOOLAH
30. Prize hopeful : NOMINEE
33. Shakespeare's fairy queen : TITANIA. "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
34. Instead : ELSE
38. Chaney of chillers : LON
39. Garment district biz : RAG TRADE
46. Former Toyota models : ECHOS
51. Kingly : REGAL
52. Mauna __ : LOA
53. Brouhaha : ADO. The brouhaha over Gabby Douglas' hair confused me.
54. Rest : OTHERS. Was thinking of verb.
55. Like reel-to-reel recordings : ANALOG
57. Prepare : READY
61. Newer, in a way : REVISED
64. Leb. neighbor : ISR
65. Handbook list, briefly : REGS (Regulations)
71. Moment to shine : SOLO. For Hope.
73. Publicity : INK
74. "Good heavens!" : MERCY ME. I thought eating walnuts make you smarter, as they resemble human brain.
77. "Wonder Woman" star Carter : LYNDA
79. It's measured in litres : PETROL
84. Corkscrew pasta : ROTINI
85. Uruguayan uncle : TIO. Alliteration.
86. PBS funder : NEA
89. Hindemith's instrument : VIOLA. Gimme, Jayce? I'm not familiar with Paul Hindemith.
90. Journalist Alexander : SHANA
95. Uses a cell : DOES TIME. Prison cell.
97. Lateral opening? : TRI. Trilateral.
98. Marine flier : ERNE. Always picture Dennis rather than ocean when I see "Marine".
99. Calgary's province : ALBERTA
103. So-so : AVERAGE
110. Daring : HEROIC
115. Caribbean honeymoon destination : ARUBA. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
116. Discontinue : CEASE
120. Cave __: beware of the dog : CANEM
121. "Oklahoma!" aunt : ELLER
122. Airport sign in red letters : AVIS. Tricky clue.
123. Fateful day : IDES
124. Bk. after Genesis : EXOD (Exodus)
125. Floor : STORY
126. Not at all wandering : RAPT. I feel CrossEyedDave is easily distracted.
127. Arboreal abode : NEST
Down:
1. Package label word : FROM. Argyle finally has a Trader Joe's in his neck of the woods. I told him about the must-try fig butter. He thought it's buttered fig.
2. "Leading With My Chin" author : LENO
3. Absorbed by : INTO
4. Sci-fi writer whose career spans more than 70 years : POHL (Frederik)
5. Place for a patch : POTHOLE
6. Latin trio word : AMO. "I love".
7. Chapel bench : PEW
8. 1997-2006 U.N. chief : ANNAN (Kofi)
9. Bury, say : CONCEAL
10. Colorful fish : OPAH
11. Novus __ seclorum: dollar bill phrase : ORDO
12. Dancers, often : PAIR
13. Alternatives to Nehis : SHASTAS. I wonder what Melissa's favorite drink is. Maybe tea. She's spiritual.
14. Nighttime problem : APNEA
15. "The Kiss" sculptor : RODIN
16. Herder from Wales : CORGI
17. Lei giver's greeting : ALOHA
21. Tool serrations : SAW TEETH. And 54. Sloped connection : ON RAMP. What Husker Gary said yesterday: "I can hear the HUM of Splynter’s circular saw!"
23. Caesar's end? : EAN. Caesarean.
28. "I, Claudius" role : NERO
29. Crisis offering : AID
31. Gal in a gang : MOLL
32. __-European : INDO
34. Literary Pound : EZRA. Ezra Pound the poet.
35. Financial claim : LIEN
36. Saturn maker : SEGA. Sega Saturn video game. Unknown to me.
37. The same to vous? : EGAL. And 47. Sorbonne sweetie : CHERI. Mon chéri. Ma chérie.
40. Pleased : GLAD
41. Like some sums : TIDY
42. Antique auto : REO
44. Regional plant life : FLORA
45. Language for a 69-Down : FARSI. 69. 45-Down speaker : IRANI.
48. Word spoken with one hand up : HERE'S. Toast.
49. Copier insert: Abbr. : ORIG
50. Grounded fleet: Abbr. : SSTS
56. Sign of spring : GEMINI
58. Common Mkt. : EEC
59. What Butler didn't give : A DAMN. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".
60. 1960s Cosby/Culp show : I SPY
62. Sell : VEND
63. Miff : IRK
64. Business abbr. : INC
66. Prince Valiant's wife : ALETA
67. Like a hopeless situation : NO WIN
68. Composer Rorem : NED
70. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE
71. Narrow waterways: Abbr. : STRS (Straits)
72. "I know! I know!" : OH OH
76. Where Alice's adventures really took place : IN A DREAM
77. Household screen target : LINT
78. "You can observe a lot by watching" speaker : YOGI (Berra)
80. Improvised swing : TIRE.
81. Banzai Pipeline sound : ROAR. Never heard of this Pipeline, JD.
82. Ken of "Brothers & Sisters" : OLIN
83. Country way : LANE
85. "__ better to have loved ...": Tennyson : 'TIS. "... 'Tis better to have loved and lost /Than never to have loved at all...".
87. __'acte : ENTR
88. Big name in shaving : ATRA
91. Where to find happy mediums? : SEANCES. Nice clue.
92. Poetic technique : IMAGERY
93. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA
94. Most costly : HIGHEST
96. Taxonomic suffix : OTA. What?
99. "I've Just Seen __": Beatles : A FACE
100. His story is told by the Once-ler : LORAX. I don't know who Once-ler is.
101. Kirby of "City Slickers" : BRUNO. He's in "Good Morning, Vietnam".
102. Surround tightly : EMBED
104. "Enigma Variations" composer : ELGAR
105. Cry of fear : EEK
107. Shoulder muscle, for short : DELT
108. Bueno's opposite : MALO. French is "Mal".
109. Nieuwpoort's river : YSER
111. Check : REIN
112. Retro sign word : OLDE
113. Spots in la mer : ILES
114. Dermatologist's concern : CYST
118. "Little" '60s singer : EVA
119. Swig : NIP
Answer grid.
C.C.
22A. 117-Across film which he also co-directed : ON THE TOWN. Never heard of the film. Also starring Frank Sinatra.
27A. Film that earned 117-Across a Best Actor nomination : ANCHORS AWEIGH. Also starring Frank Sinatra.
43A. Film pairing 117-Across with Fred Astaire : ZIEGFELD FOLLIES
60A. With 75-Across, Scopes Trial film featuring 117-Across : INHERIT. And 75A. See 60-Across : THE WIND. The only split-up film.
66A. 117-Across Oscar-winning film : AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Lovely movie. Leslie Caron went back to him in the end.
91A. 117-Across film with a classic umbrella scene : SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
106A. 117-Across's film debut : FOR ME AND MY GAL. Judy Garland was in the movie too.
117A. Song-and-dance man born 8/23/1912 : GENE KELLY
Today we have 105 theme squares. I mentioned before that gridding gets trickier when the number goes over 100.
Additionally, Pancho has 9 theme entries to deal with. 7 entries with the same 105 theme squares are easier to tackle. Hence the 82 black squares in this grid. Most of the time the count is capped at 78.
Across:
1. Frivolous : FLIP
5. Household moniker : PAPA. For Husker Gary.
9. Farm houses : COOPS
14. Medieval Italian chest : ARCA. Learned from doing Xword.
18. Western casino city : RENO
19. Portent : OMEN
20. Longtime talk show : OPRAH. She said she coined "Aha moment".
21. Sewing case item : SPOOL
24. She won the All-Around gymnastics gold eight years before Mary Lou : NADIA (Comaneci). In 1976. Mary Lou 1984. I drew a blank.
25. Male prefix : ANDRO. "Female prefix" is GYNOUS. Androgynous.
26. Simoleons : MOOLAH
30. Prize hopeful : NOMINEE
33. Shakespeare's fairy queen : TITANIA. "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
34. Instead : ELSE
38. Chaney of chillers : LON
39. Garment district biz : RAG TRADE
46. Former Toyota models : ECHOS
51. Kingly : REGAL
52. Mauna __ : LOA
53. Brouhaha : ADO. The brouhaha over Gabby Douglas' hair confused me.
54. Rest : OTHERS. Was thinking of verb.
55. Like reel-to-reel recordings : ANALOG
57. Prepare : READY
61. Newer, in a way : REVISED
64. Leb. neighbor : ISR
65. Handbook list, briefly : REGS (Regulations)
71. Moment to shine : SOLO. For Hope.
73. Publicity : INK
74. "Good heavens!" : MERCY ME. I thought eating walnuts make you smarter, as they resemble human brain.
77. "Wonder Woman" star Carter : LYNDA
79. It's measured in litres : PETROL
84. Corkscrew pasta : ROTINI
85. Uruguayan uncle : TIO. Alliteration.
86. PBS funder : NEA
89. Hindemith's instrument : VIOLA. Gimme, Jayce? I'm not familiar with Paul Hindemith.
90. Journalist Alexander : SHANA
95. Uses a cell : DOES TIME. Prison cell.
97. Lateral opening? : TRI. Trilateral.
98. Marine flier : ERNE. Always picture Dennis rather than ocean when I see "Marine".
99. Calgary's province : ALBERTA
103. So-so : AVERAGE
110. Daring : HEROIC
115. Caribbean honeymoon destination : ARUBA. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
116. Discontinue : CEASE
120. Cave __: beware of the dog : CANEM
121. "Oklahoma!" aunt : ELLER
122. Airport sign in red letters : AVIS. Tricky clue.
123. Fateful day : IDES
124. Bk. after Genesis : EXOD (Exodus)
125. Floor : STORY
126. Not at all wandering : RAPT. I feel CrossEyedDave is easily distracted.
127. Arboreal abode : NEST
Down:
1. Package label word : FROM. Argyle finally has a Trader Joe's in his neck of the woods. I told him about the must-try fig butter. He thought it's buttered fig.
2. "Leading With My Chin" author : LENO
3. Absorbed by : INTO
4. Sci-fi writer whose career spans more than 70 years : POHL (Frederik)
5. Place for a patch : POTHOLE
6. Latin trio word : AMO. "I love".
7. Chapel bench : PEW
8. 1997-2006 U.N. chief : ANNAN (Kofi)
9. Bury, say : CONCEAL
10. Colorful fish : OPAH
11. Novus __ seclorum: dollar bill phrase : ORDO
12. Dancers, often : PAIR
13. Alternatives to Nehis : SHASTAS. I wonder what Melissa's favorite drink is. Maybe tea. She's spiritual.
14. Nighttime problem : APNEA
15. "The Kiss" sculptor : RODIN
16. Herder from Wales : CORGI
17. Lei giver's greeting : ALOHA
21. Tool serrations : SAW TEETH. And 54. Sloped connection : ON RAMP. What Husker Gary said yesterday: "I can hear the HUM of Splynter’s circular saw!"
23. Caesar's end? : EAN. Caesarean.
28. "I, Claudius" role : NERO
29. Crisis offering : AID
31. Gal in a gang : MOLL
32. __-European : INDO
34. Literary Pound : EZRA. Ezra Pound the poet.
35. Financial claim : LIEN
36. Saturn maker : SEGA. Sega Saturn video game. Unknown to me.
37. The same to vous? : EGAL. And 47. Sorbonne sweetie : CHERI. Mon chéri. Ma chérie.
40. Pleased : GLAD
41. Like some sums : TIDY
42. Antique auto : REO
44. Regional plant life : FLORA
45. Language for a 69-Down : FARSI. 69. 45-Down speaker : IRANI.
48. Word spoken with one hand up : HERE'S. Toast.
49. Copier insert: Abbr. : ORIG
50. Grounded fleet: Abbr. : SSTS
56. Sign of spring : GEMINI
58. Common Mkt. : EEC
59. What Butler didn't give : A DAMN. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".
60. 1960s Cosby/Culp show : I SPY
62. Sell : VEND
63. Miff : IRK
64. Business abbr. : INC
66. Prince Valiant's wife : ALETA
67. Like a hopeless situation : NO WIN
68. Composer Rorem : NED
70. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE
71. Narrow waterways: Abbr. : STRS (Straits)
72. "I know! I know!" : OH OH
76. Where Alice's adventures really took place : IN A DREAM
77. Household screen target : LINT
78. "You can observe a lot by watching" speaker : YOGI (Berra)
80. Improvised swing : TIRE.
81. Banzai Pipeline sound : ROAR. Never heard of this Pipeline, JD.82. Ken of "Brothers & Sisters" : OLIN
83. Country way : LANE
85. "__ better to have loved ...": Tennyson : 'TIS. "... 'Tis better to have loved and lost /Than never to have loved at all...".
87. __'acte : ENTR
88. Big name in shaving : ATRA
91. Where to find happy mediums? : SEANCES. Nice clue.
92. Poetic technique : IMAGERY
93. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA
94. Most costly : HIGHEST
96. Taxonomic suffix : OTA. What?
99. "I've Just Seen __": Beatles : A FACE
100. His story is told by the Once-ler : LORAX. I don't know who Once-ler is.
101. Kirby of "City Slickers" : BRUNO. He's in "Good Morning, Vietnam".
102. Surround tightly : EMBED
104. "Enigma Variations" composer : ELGAR
105. Cry of fear : EEK
107. Shoulder muscle, for short : DELT
108. Bueno's opposite : MALO. French is "Mal".
109. Nieuwpoort's river : YSER
111. Check : REIN
112. Retro sign word : OLDE
113. Spots in la mer : ILES
114. Dermatologist's concern : CYST
118. "Little" '60s singer : EVA
119. Swig : NIP
Answer grid.
C.C.
