LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Nov 14, Thursday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Beijing trio? DOTS
There are three dots in the word “Beijing”, over the middle letters i, j and i.

5. Bridges of Hollywood LLOYD
The actor Lloyd Bridges is noted for his many television and movie roles over a long and distinguished career. Lloyd is also remembered as the father of two great actor sons: Beau Bridges and jeff Bridges. Lloyd served with the US Coast Guard during WWII, and was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary after the war. Sons Beau and Jeff also served in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve.

10. First name at Woodstock ARLO
Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

1969’s Woodstock Music & Art Fair was held on a dairy farm located 43 miles southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York. 400,000 young people attended, and saw 32 bands and singers perform over three days.

14. Four Corners state UTAH
The Four Corners region of the US surrounds the meeting point of the four states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The Four Corners is the only point in the US that is shared by four states.

17. *Four Corners locale COLORADO PLATEAU
The Colorado Plateau is a geographical feature in the southwest, covering parts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, roughly equivalent to what is known as the Four Corners region. The Colorado Plateau is home to the greatest concentration of national parks in the country. Included in the area are Grand Canyon NP, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Arches NP and Mesa Verde NP, to name but a few.

22. Yale Bowl yeller ELI
Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

The Yale Bowl football stadium is home to the Yale Bulldogs.

23. *Arctic wolf prey CARIBOU
Caribou is the North American name for reindeer.

27. “Four Quartets” monogram TSE
T. S. Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, largely due to his “Four Quartets”, a set of four poems that Eliot himself considered to be his life’s masterpiece.

28. Offspring: abbr. DESC
Descendent (desc.)

30. Trendy cuff site EAR
An ear cuff is a type of earring that wraps around the outer cartilage of the ear.

31. Awards for J.K. Rowling & Hugh Laurie OBES
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry in the UK that was established in 1917 by King George V. There are five classes within the order, which are in descending seniority:

– Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
– Knight Commander (KBE)
– Commander (CBE)
– Officer (OBE)
– Member (MBE)

The author of the amazingly successful “Harry Potter” series of books is J. K. Rowling. Rowling wrote the first book when she was living on welfare in Edinburgh in Scotland, and in longhand. She would often write in local cafes, largely because she needed to get her baby daughter out of the house (she was a single mom), and the youngster would tend to fall asleep on walks. Within five years, the single mom on welfare became a very rich woman, and is now worth about $1 billion!

English actor and comedian Hugh Laurie used to be half of a comedy double act with Stephen Fry called simply “Fry and Laurie”. Fry and Laurie met in Cambridge University through their mutual friend, the actress Emma Thompson. Over in North America, Laurie is best known for playing the title role in the medical drama “House”.

32. *Car named for a California city CHEVY MALIBU
The Chevrolet Malibu was named for the city of Malibu, California. The Malibu was produced by General Motors from 1964 to 1983, and was then reintroduced in 1997.

37. Hawaiian Airlines destination TAHITI
Tahiti is the most populous island in French Polynesia, which is located in the central Southern Pacific. Although Captain Cook landed in Tahiti in 1769, he wasn’t the first European to do so. However, Cook’s visit was the most significant in that it heralded a whole spate of European visitors, who brought with them prostitution, venereal disease and alcohol. Paradoxically, they also brought Christianity. Included among the subsequent visitors was the famous HMS Bounty under the charge of Captain Bligh.

39. Election Day sticker I VOTED
Election Day was chosen by Congress back in 1845. The month of November was selected as it suited an agricultural society, following the fall harvest and yet not too far into winter, which could make travel difficult. Tuesday was chosen so that people had time to travel to polling stations. Monday elections might have meant that some would have to start out on Sunday, and that could interfere with Christian services.

42. Nebula in Taurus, familiarly THE CRAB
The Crab Nebula is located in the constellation of Taurus. It was discovered in 1731 by English astronomer John Bevis, although it appears to correspond to a bright supernova reported by Chinese astronomers in 1054.

In astronomical terms a nebula is a cloud of dust and ionized gases (“nebula” is the Latin for “cloud”). Many nebulae form as gases collapse in on themselves under the influence of enormous gravitational forces. Ultimately these collapses can result in the creation of new stars.

45. Spanish she-bear OSA
In Spanish, “osa” is a female bear, and “oso” is a male.

46. Former upscale Manhattan eatery ELAINE’S
Elaine’s was a bar and restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that was a regular haunt for celebrity New Yorkers until it closed its doors in 2011. Elaine’s was famous for hosting an Oscar night where the elite and famous would watch the Academy Award ceremony each year. The restaurant gets a mention in the Billy Joel song “Big Shot”, and is also featured in the Woody Allen movie “Manhattan”.

50. Kerfuffle ADO
“Kerfuffle” comes from the Scottish “curfuffle”, with both words meaning “disruption”.

51. Halladay who won both the A.L. and N.L. Cy Young awards ROY
Roy Halladay is a retired pitcher who played for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Halladay’s nickname was “Doc”, a reference to the gunslinger Doc Holliday.

Cy Young was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1890-1911. Young is remembered for pitching the first perfect game of baseball’s modern era. Soon after he died in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created and is presented to the best pitcher in each baseball season.

52. *1965 Jane Fonda title role CAT BALLOU
“Cat Ballou” is a 1965 film, a comedy western starring Jane Fonda in the title role and Lee Marvin in dual roles, for which Marvin won his only Oscar. The movie is based on a novel of the same name by Roy Chanslor. The novel was a serious and a quite dark work, but it was lightened up for the big screen.

Jane Fonda is the daughter of Henry Fonda, sister of Peter Fonda, and aunt of Bridget Fonda, making the Fondas quite the acting family. Jane Fonda had many memorable screen performances, but is equally memorable for her anti-war activism. Most famously she was outspoken against the Vietnam War, going so far as to visit North Vietnam during the height of the conflict in 1972, posing for photographs and making radio broadcasts denouncing American leaders as “war criminals”. For her stance, Fonda earned the nickname “Hanoi Jane”.

58. Boris’ sidekick NATASHA
Boris and Natasha are two characters on “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show”, an animated television series.

61. “Raging Bull” boxer LAMOTTA
I just do not like boxing, nor movies about boxing, but I certainly accept that “Raging Bull” is true cinema classic. It is a biopic released in 1980, with Robert De Niro starring as Jake LaMotta, and ably directed by Martin Scorsese. Famously, De Niro gained about 70 pounds in weight to lay LaMotta in his early years, showing true dedication to his craft.

65. Marvel Comics assassin ELEKTRA
Elektra is a female ninja assassin in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in print in 1981. Elektra has been played on the big screen by actress Jennifer Garner, in the 2003 film “Daredevil” and in 2005’s “Elektra”.

Down
2. “Becket” star O’TOOLE
Irish actor Peter O’Toole got his big break in movies when he played the title role in the 1962 epic film “Lawrence of Arabia”. But my favorite of O’Toole’s movies is much lighter fare, namely “How to Steal a Million” in which he stars opposite Audrey Hepburn.

“Becket” is a 1964 film, an adaptation of the play “Becket or the Honour of God” written by Jean Anouilh. The film has a very impressive cast including Richard Burton as Thomas Becket and Peter O’Toole as King Henry II. This wasn’t the last time Peter O’Toole was to play Henry II on the big screen, as four years later he was the same character in “The Lion in Winter” opposite Katharine Hepburn.

4. Flat or pump SHOE
A pump is a woman’s shoe that doesn’t have a strap. Such shoes are probably called “pumps” because of the sound they make while walking in them.

5. High capital LHASA
Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, and the name “Lhasa” translates as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

7. Prefix with meter ODO-
An odometer measures distance traveled. The word derives from the Greek “hodos” meaning “path” and “metron” meaning “measure”.

9. 1964 Tony Randall role DR LAO
“The Circus of Dr. Lao” is a novel by Charles G. Finney, first published in 1935. There was a famous film adaptation released in 1964 called “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” starring Tony Randall in the title role. Randall wasn’t the first choice, as the director wanted Peter Sellers for the part. However, MGM insisted on an American lead, and a great choice it turned out to be.

The actor Tony Randall was from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although Randal had a long and distinguished Hollywood career, he was best known for playing Felix Unger on the TV version of “The Odd Couple” by Neil Simon. Randall was married to his first wife for fifty years, before she passed away in 1993. A few years later, the 75-year old veteran actor married his second wife, who was 50 years his junior. The happy couple had two children together.

10. Piedmont wine area ASTI
Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The region is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine.

11. Bonnie Blue’s dad RHETT BUTLER
In the original story of “Gone with the Wind”, Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler had just one child together, a young girl named Bonnie Blue.

13. Musical works OPUSES
The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”. The plural “opuses” is sometimes used as well, especially when the term is applied to written rather than musical “works”.

18. GOP org. RNC
National leadership of the Republican Party is provided by the Republican National Committee (RNC). Only one chairperson of the RNC has been elected to the office of US president, and that is George H. W. Bush.

The Republican Party has had the nickname Grand Old Party (GOP) since 1875. That said, the phrase was coined in the “Congressional Record” as “this gallant old party”. The moniker was changed to “grand old party” in 1876 in an article in the “Cincinnati Commercial”.

19. Sun Devils’ sch. ASU
Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

24. Juan Carlos, por ejemplo REY
“Rey” is Spanish for “king”, and “por ejemplo” is “for example”.

Juan Carlos I is a former king of Spain. He became king in 1975, taking up the throne just two days after the death of Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco. The new king immediately introduced the reforms necessary to transition his country into a democracy, and a constitutional monarchy. Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014, handing over the throne to his son Felipe VI.

25. “__ the Walrus” I AM
“I Am the Walrus” is a Beatles song released in 1967. It was written by John Lennon, with the Walrus being a reference to the poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass”.

29. In vogue CHIC
“Chic” is a French word meaning “stylish”.

31. Wind with keys OBOE
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”. When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you’ll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

33. To be, to Napoleon ETRE
Napoléon Bonaparte was a military professional from Corsica who rose to prominence after the French Revolution during the French First Republic. He took over the country in 1799 in a coup d’état and installed himself as First Consul. Soon after, he led France in the Napoleonic Wars, conflicts between the growing French Empire and a series of opposing coalitions. He was eventually defeated at the Battle of Leipzig and was forced into exile on the Italian island of Elba off the Tuscan coast. Napoleon escaped in 1815 and regained power, only to be finally defeated a few months later at the Battle of Waterloo. The British dispatched him to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic where he lived out the last six years of his life as a prisoner.

36. “Concord Sonata” composer IVES
Charles Ives was one of the great classical composers, probably the first American to be so recognized. Sadly, his work largely went unsung (pun intended!) during his lifetime, and was really only accepted into the performed repertoire after his death in 1954.

Piano Sonata No. 2 by Charles Ives is often referred to as the “Concord Sonata”. It is so called because it was inspired by the works of the 19th-century Concord writers (such as Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson).

37. ‘Vette roof option T-TOP
A T-top is a car roof that has removable panels on either side of a rigid bar that runs down the center of the vehicle above the driver.

The Chevrolet Corvette was introduced to the world in 1953, and was named after the small maneuverable warship called a corvette. The Corvette has legs. It is the only American sports car that has been around for over 50 years.

40. Finnish architect Saarinen EERO
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect, renowned in this country for his unique designs for public buildings such as Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Dulles International Airport Terminal, and the TWA building at JFK.

41. Do-or-die time D-DAY
The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operations are to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

47. The Snake R. runs through it IDA
Idaho (Ida.)

The Snake River in the US northwest is the largest tributary of the Columbia River.

53. Apropos of AS TO
“Apropos” comes into English directly from French, in which “à propos” means “to the purpose”. Note that we use the term as one word (apropos), but the original French is two words (à propos).

56. Bridge master Sharif OMAR
Omar Sharif is the great Hollywood actor from Egypt, an actor who played major roles in memorable movies such as “Doctor Zhivago” and “Lawrence of Arabia”. But to me he is my bridge hero (the card game). In his heyday Sharif was one of the best bridge players in the world.

57. Man, to Dante UOMO
“Uomo” is the Italian word for “man”. The Italian for “woman” is “donna”.

Dante Alighieri (usually just “Dante”) was an Italian poet of the Middle Ages. Dante’s “Divine Comedy” is widely considered to be the greatest literary work ever written in the Italian language.

58. Zombie Nation console NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.

“Zombie Nation” is a video game released in 1991. Not for me …

62. Sch. in Nashville TSU
Tennessee State University (TSU) was established in 1912 in Nashville. It was founded as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School, and was originally intended as a school for African Americans. There was a court-ordered merger in 1979 with the traditionally white University of Tennessee at Nashville.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Beijing trio? DOTS
5. Bridges of Hollywood LLOYD
10. First name at Woodstock ARLO
14. Four Corners state UTAH
15. Seeker’s quarry HIDER
16. Send SHIP
17. *Four Corners locale COLORADO PLATEAU
20. They may be required for rides TOKENS
21. “The way things are …” AS IT IS …
22. Yale Bowl yeller ELI
23. *Arctic wolf prey CARIBOU
27. “Four Quartets” monogram TSE
28. Offspring: abbr. DESC
30. Trendy cuff site EAR
31. Awards for J.K. Rowling & Hugh Laurie OBES
32. *Car named for a California city CHEVY MALIBU
37. Hawaiian Airlines destination TAHITI
39. Election Day sticker I VOTED
42. Nebula in Taurus, familiarly THE CRAB
44. Prepared for a proposal KNEELED
45. Spanish she-bear OSA
46. Former upscale Manhattan eatery ELAINE’S
48. Memorable period ERA
49. Burst open POP
50. Kerfuffle ADO
51. Halladay who won both the A.L. and N.L. Cy Young awards ROY
52. *1965 Jane Fonda title role CAT BALLOU
58. Boris’ sidekick NATASHA
61. “Raging Bull” boxer LAMOTTA
65. Marvel Comics assassin ELEKTRA
66. Hits hard, as the brakes SLAMS ON
67. With 68-Across, “Later,” or, phonetically, what the answers to starred clues have SEE YOU
68. See 67-Across AROUND

Down
1. Like many ventilation systems DUCTED
2. “Becket” star O’TOOLE
3. “Actions speak louder than words” TALK IS CHEAP
4. Flat or pump SHOE
5. High capital LHASA
6. Jar topper LID
7. Prefix with meter ODO-
8. “You betcha!” YEP!
9. 1964 Tony Randall role DR LAO
10. Piedmont wine area ASTI
11. Bonnie Blue’s dad RHETT BUTLER
12. Make contact (with) LIAISE
13. Musical works OPUSES
18. GOP org. RNC
19. Sun Devils’ sch. ASU
24. Juan Carlos, por ejemplo REY
25. “__ the Walrus” I AM
26. It may be backless BRA
29. In vogue CHIC
31. Wind with keys OBOE
33. To be, to Napoleon ETRE
34. Lab container VIAL
35. Check-in delayer LINE
36. “Concord Sonata” composer IVES
37. ‘Vette roof option T-TOP
38. “Now I get it” AH SO
40. Finnish architect Saarinen EERO
41. Do-or-die time D-DAY
43. Words to a black sheep BAA BAA
44. Small hills KNOLLS
47. The Snake R. runs through it IDA
52. Like unnaturally thick makeup CAKY
53. Apropos of AS TO
54. Drive-__ window THRU
55. Refrain syllables LA-LA
56. Bridge master Sharif OMAR
57. Man, to Dante UOMO
58. Zombie Nation console NES
59. Microbrew choice ALE
60. Ball holder TEE
62. Sch. in Nashville TSU
63. Slew TON
64. “What else?” AND?

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