Theme: What's between your ears? - I think my mother might have chosen any one of these synonyms that start our theme entries to answer that question.
17A. Fill-in-the-amount document : BLANK CHECK
25A. Expanding bullet : HOLLOW POINT
37A. Uncomprehending look : VACANT STARE
52A. Like men modeling swimming trunks : BARE-CHESTED
61A. Insincere talk, and a hint to the starts of this puzzle's four other longest entries : EMPTY WORDS
Argyle here. This seemed easy when I solved it but after writing up the blog, there seems to be some wicked entries. Whether or not they formed some Naticks remains to be seen. Two strong corners are nice. Good in-the-language entries makes up for the random obscurity.
Across:
1. SoCal enforcement squad : LAPD
5. "12 Angry Men" star Henry : FONDA. (1957)
10. Swimming spot : POOL
14. Seat of Allen County, Kansas : IOLA. Motto: "Come home to Iola, Kansas...it's time"
15. Queen __ lace : ANNE'S
16. Cherub, in Chambéry : ANGE. Chambéry is a city in southeastern France.
19. Actress Ward : SELA
20. Made sure of : SAW TO
21. Dines at home : EATS IN
23. Place to check your balance, briefly : ATM
28. Feathery scarves : BOAs
30. Put down, in slang : DIS
31. Marinara sauce brand : PREGO
32. Bear witness : ATTEST
35. Stun, as a perp : TASE
41. French girlfriend : AMIE
42. Soviet newspaper : PRAVDA
45. Horoscope columnist Sydney : OMARR. (1926 – 2003)
49. Opening for a chorus line : TRA
51. Free from bias : FAIR
56. Family animal : PET
57. With perfection : TO A TEE
58. Roofing piece : SLATE
60. Prefix with sphere : ATMO
66. Wife and sister of Osiris : ISIS
67. Seated yoga position : LOTUS. And he is bare chested.
68. Increase, as prices : GO UP
69. Loch with a monster : NESS
70. Garden tool : SPADE
71. Crooner Williams : ANDY
Down:
1. Ad-__: improvise : LIB
2. Internet giant : AOL
3. Flat panel in many a sports bar : PLASMA TV
4. Funnyman Carvey : DANA
5. Ipso __ : FACTO
6. Waiting to talk to a real person, say : ON HOLD
7. Peoria-to-Green Bay dir. : NNE
8. End-of-year abbr. : DEC.
9. Out of kilter : ASKEW
10. Sunday speaker : PASTOR
11. Baby shower bodysuit : ONESIE
12. Leering at : OGLING
13. Makeshift shelter : LEAN-TO
18. Electric bill meas. : KWH. (kilowatt hour)
22. Pop up : APPEAR
23. Lawyer's gp. : ABA. (American Bar Association)
24. Day care attendee : TOT
26. Ignores the trash can : LITTERS
27. Mama bears, in Spain : OSAs
29. Dead __ Scrolls : SEA. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of texts discovered inside caves about a mile from the shore of the Dead Sea.
33. Not widely available : SCARCE
34. Scottish hat : TAM
36. Gas additive brand : STP
38. Nick at __ : NITE
39. WWII fliers : RAF. (Royal Air Force)
40. Tony-winning role for Patti LuPone : EVA PERON. Evita opened at the Broadway Theatre on 25 September 1979 and closed on 26 June 1983, after 1,567 performances.
43. Roller with pips : DIE. The little square that rolls.
44. Gallery showing : ART
45. Gain possession of : OBTAIN
46. China's __-tung : MAO TSE. (Mao Zedong)
47. One of the Musketeers : ARAMIS. His fellow Musketeers are Athos and Porthos.
48. Freshen, as the salad : RETOSS
50. Available for breeding : AT STUD
53. Sexy-looking shoes : HEELS
54. Steven's wife on "Family Ties" : ELYSE
55. Margery of kids' rhyme : DAW. Stopped in for a second visit.
59. Frat party wrap : TOGA
62. Unruly head of hair : MOP
63. School support org. : PTA
64. Flop : DUD
65. Undercover agent : SPY
Argyle
