FADE-OUTS
Sunset Boulevard - 1950 - Final Scene
FADE-OUTS, Puzzle by Caleb Madison, edited by Will Shortz
Leaving off the last letter of film titles to produce a new one constitutes the weak humor of eight interrelated across entries -- THEMALTESEFALCO (24. Movie about a “Sopranos”-like actress from the Mediterranean?); CALIFORNIASUIT (30. Movie adaptation of “L.A. Law”?); THREEDAYSOFTHECONDO (39. Movie about a time-share?); AHARDDAYSNIGH (59. Movie about the coming of difficult times?); THEELEPHANTMA (71. Movie about one of Dumbo’s parents?); NIGHTOFTHELIVINGDEA (88. Movie about a narco’s worst dream?); BEVERLYHILLSCO (102. Movie about a bus. On Rodeo Drive?); and ACLOCKWORKORANG (113. Movie about the zoo’s most punctual simian?).
We are spared GONEWITHTHEWIN (Movie about a losing gambler's life savings?); THEWIZARDOFO (Movie about a magically entrepreneurial talk-show host?); NOCOUNTRYFOROLDME (Movie about a kvetching elderly exile?); CASABLANC (Movie about a darkly mysterious Spanish residence in France?); MIDNIGHTCOWBO (Movie about unpleasant odors in a barnyard at an ungodly hour?) and hundreds of other “titles”, simply because this puzzle, and its solvers, can handle just so much!
The remainder of the crossword RUNSAMOK (119A. Goes wild) with a hefty dose of arduous, ill-fitting and time-worn clues for resulting entries of a humdrum nature accompanied by a messy smattering of “stuck-with-this-bunch-of-letters-what-can-they-be-clued-as?”, e.g., AAS, AHME, ANSA, DOH, DREI, DRT, EOE, ESE, GAIA, IAM, ICS, INE, IOR, ITA, KMS, KSU, NIA, OWN, RAI, SALA, SUM, SWE, USIA, VON, etc.
UNCLESAM, however, gets a rather nice clue -- Pointer on a poster. So does STRAYCAT (84D. Lost Persian, e.g.). SHMEAR (98A. Bagel topping) is probably humorous. SATTIGHT (4D. Didn’t make a move) and FELLOVER (87D. Toppled) are a symmetrically-placed pair. If I can think of anything else, I’ll let you know.
Sunset Boulevard - 1950 - Final Scene ----------------- Sunday, August 17, 2006
FADE-OUTS, Puzzle by Caleb Madison, edited by Will Shortz
Leaving off the last letter of film titles to produce a new one constitutes the weak humor of eight interrelated across entries -- THEMALTESEFALCO (24. Movie about a “Sopranos”-like actress from the Mediterranean?); CALIFORNIASUIT (30. Movie adaptation of “L.A. Law”?); THREEDAYSOFTHECONDO (39. Movie about a time-share?); AHARDDAYSNIGH (59. Movie about the coming of difficult times?); THEELEPHANTMA (71. Movie about one of Dumbo’s parents?); NIGHTOFTHELIVINGDEA (88. Movie about a narco’s worst dream?); BEVERLYHILLSCO (102. Movie about a bus. On Rodeo Drive?); and ACLOCKWORKORANG (113. Movie about the zoo’s most punctual simian?).
We are spared GONEWITHTHEWIN (Movie about a losing gambler's life savings?); THEWIZARDOFO (Movie about a magically entrepreneurial talk-show host?); NOCOUNTRYFOROLDME (Movie about a kvetching elderly exile?); CASABLANC (Movie about a darkly mysterious Spanish residence in France?); MIDNIGHTCOWBO (Movie about unpleasant odors in a barnyard at an ungodly hour?) and hundreds of other “titles”, simply because this puzzle, and its solvers, can handle just so much!
The remainder of the crossword RUNSAMOK (119A. Goes wild) with a hefty dose of arduous, ill-fitting and time-worn clues for resulting entries of a humdrum nature accompanied by a messy smattering of “stuck-with-this-bunch-of-letters-what-can-they-be-clued-as?”, e.g., AAS, AHME, ANSA, DOH, DREI, DRT, EOE, ESE, GAIA, IAM, ICS, INE, IOR, ITA, KMS, KSU, NIA, OWN, RAI, SALA, SUM, SWE, USIA, VON, etc.
UNCLESAM, however, gets a rather nice clue -- Pointer on a poster. So does STRAYCAT (84D. Lost Persian, e.g.). SHMEAR (98A. Bagel topping) is probably humorous. SATTIGHT (4D. Didn’t make a move) and FELLOVER (87D. Toppled) are a symmetrically-placed pair. If I can think of anything else, I’ll let you know.
It’s midnight -- fade-out…
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