LA Times Crossword Answers 5 Mar 15, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: C.C. Burnikel
THEME: Chain Store … our themed answers today are all CHAIN STORES, and the names of each STORE are linked together as a CHAIN running through the grid (which I have highlighted):

9A. With 74-Across, what each of the answers to starred clues is CHAIN
74A. With 9-Across, what the answers to starred clues form STORE

1A. *Onetime owner of Waldenbooks KMART
5D. *Bullseye logo company TARGET
29A. *Seller of Geoffrey Bandages TOYS R US
30D. *Bergdorf competitor SAKS
43A. *Craftsman company SEARS
46D. *Costco rival SAM’S CLUB

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 9m 20s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. *Onetime owner of Waldenbooks KMART
Kmart is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and Target. Kmart is famous for its promotions known as “blue light specials”, a program first introduced in 1965 and discontinued in 1991. I remember being in a Kmart store soon after coming to live in the US. That evening an employee installed a light stand an aisle away from me, switched on a flashing blue light and there was some unintelligible announcement over the loudspeaker system. I had no idea what was going on …

Waldenbooks was a chain of bookstores that was founded way back in 1933 as a rental library in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The founder, Lawrence Hoyt, opened his first bookstore 1962. Waldenbooks ended up as a subsidiary of the Borders Group and the last Waldenbooks store was closed in 2011 after Borders filed for liquidation.

6. TiVo predecessor VCR
Video cassette recorder (VCR)

TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

14. Ancient Asia Minor region IONIA
The geographic region called Ionia is located in present day Turkey. Ionia was prominent in the days of Ancient Greece although it wasn’t a unified state, but rather a collection of tribes. The tribal confederacy was more based on religious and cultural similarities than a political or military alliance. Nowadays we often refer to this arrangement as the Ionian League.

Asia Minor is also known as Anatolia. It is the geographic part of Asia that protrudes out into the west, towards Europe, and is roughly equivalent to modern-day Turkey.

15. Mobile setting: Abbr. ALA
Mobile, Alabama was the first capital of French Colonial Louisiana, and was founded in 1702. The city takes its name from the Mobilian tribe of Native Americans who lived in that area.

17. Ocean tracker SONAR
The British developed the first underwater detection system that used sound waves. Research was driven by defence demands during WWI, leading to production of working units in 1922. This new sound detection system was described as using “supersonics”, but for the purpose of secrecy the term was dropped in favor of an acronym. The work was done under the auspices of the Royal Navy’s Anti-Submarine Division, so ASD was combined with the IC from “superson-ic-s” to create the name ASDIC. The navy even went as far as renaming the quartz material at the heart of the technology “ASDivite”. By the time WWII came along, the Americans were producing their own systems and coined the term SONAR, playing off the related application, RADAR. And so the name ASDIC was deep-sixed …

18. Listen LEND AN EAR
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears …” is the start of a famous speech by Mark Antony from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”.

20. __ Balls: snacks SNO
The Hostess cakes called Sno Balls are usually pink in color, although in its original form each packet of two cakes contained one white and one pink. Around Halloween you can buy Sno Balls in the form of Scary Cakes and Glo Balls that are colored orange and green. and on St. Paddy’s Day there’s a green one available. Yoo hoo!

23. 1841 French ballet heroine GISELLE
“Giselle” is a charming ballet by French composer Adolphe Adam that was first perfomed in Paris in 1841. The title character is a peasant girl who dies from a broken heart when she discovers that her lover is betrothed to another. Giselle is resurrected by supernatural women called the Wilis, who dance mortal men to their death. It seems that the hero of the piece is doomed, but love conquers all.

24. Minn. winter hrs. CST
Central Standard Time (CST)

27. Compete for the America’s Cup SAIL
The America’s Cup is a trophy that has been awarded for yacht racing since 1851. It was first presented to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight in England that was won by a schooner called “America”. The trophy was eventually renamed to “the America’s Cup” in honor of that first race winner.

29. *Seller of Geoffrey Bandages TOYS R US
Geoffrey the Giraffe (formerly “Dr. G. Raffe”) is the mascot of the Toys “R” Us store. Dr. G. Raffe made his debut in 1957 in an advertising campaign for Children’s Bargain Town. Raffe’s catchphrase was ‘Toys “R” us”. The catchphrase became so popular, that the Children’s Bargain Town changed its name in 1969.

31. Tic __ mints TAC
Tic Tacs aren’t American candy (as I always mistakenly believed). Tic Tacs are made by the Italian company Ferrero, and were introduced in 1969.

32. Speck MOTE
“Mote” is another word for a speck of dust.

34. Ryder Cup chant USA! USA!
The Ryder Cup trophy was donated to the game of golf by Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur. Ryder made his money selling garden seeds in small packets. He only took up golf when he was in his fifties but became quite the enthusiast and eventually donated the trophy in 1927, when it was valued at 100 guineas. The Ryder Cup is a biennial tournament played between teams from the US and Europe.

35. “Lux” composer ENO
“Lux” is a 2012 album released by musician Brian Eno. The album is a collection of ambient music that Eno previously composed as background “soundscapes” for art galleries and airport terminals.

40. Spare pieces? RIBS
Spare ribs are so called because “spare” can indicate the absence of fat.

43. *Craftsman company SEARS
Craftsman is a brand of tools owned by Sears. Sears introduced the Craftsman line back in 1927.

47. First name in shipping ARI
Aristotle Onassis was born to a successful Greek shipping entrepreneur in Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. However, his family lost its fortune during WWI and so Aristotle worked with his father to build up a new business empire centered on the importation of tobacco. In 1957, Aristotle founded the Greek national airline, what is today called Olympic Air, and he also got into the business of shipping oil around the world. He married Athina Livanos in 1946, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate. They couple had two children together, with one being the famous Christina Onassis. Livanos divorced Onassis on discovering him in bed with the opera singer Maria Callas. Onassis ended his affair with Callas in order to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968.

54. Price number ARIA
Leontyne Price is a soprano from Laurel, Mississippi. Before retiring from the opera stage, Price was a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, one of the first African-American singers to be so honored.

56. ESPN Deportes language ESPANOL
ESPN Deportes Radio is a sports channel that broadcasts in Spanish (Español ). “Deports” is Spanish for “sports”.

58. Many a Persian TOM
The Persian is a long-haired cat with a squashed muzzle. The breed takes its name from its place of origin, namely Persia (Iran).

59. Stringed instrument VIOL
Viols are a family of stringed instruments that resemble the violin family. However, viols have fretted fingerboards like guitars, and have six strings instead of four.

62. “Who Gets the Last Laugh?” network TBS
“Who Gets the Last Laugh?” is a TBS comedy show in which a panel of famous comedians compete with each other, attempting to pull off the funniest prank on an unsuspecting person. An audience decides on whose prank is the best, who has gotten the last laugh.

67. Tom Jones’ last Top 10 hit SHE’S A LADY
“She’s a Lady” is a 1971 song composed by Paul Anka and released by Tom Jones.

Tom Jones, now he has a real voice and is a great showman. I saw him in Las Vegas many, many moons ago, one of the best Vegas shows I’ve ever attended. Although Tom Jones is a carefully selected stage name (he was born Thomas Woodward) the name isn’t too far from reality as Jones is his mother’s maiden name. The stage name was chosen by his manager to capitalize on the appeal of “Tom Jones”, a filmed version of the Henry Fielding novel that was having a successful run at the time. The name also emphasized Tom’s Welsh roots, as Jones is a very common name in Wales.

76. Discharge, as from the RAF DEMOB
After WWII, there were about five million personnel in the British military. The process of “demobilising” these forces started about six weeks after Victory in Europe was declared, but there was tremendous frustration at the perceived slow rate at which men and women returned to “civvy street”. One of the symbols of demobilisation in Britain was the civilian suit of clues issues to each individual, the so-called “demob suit”.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the oldest independent air force in the world (i.e. the first air force to become independent of army or navy forces). The RAF was formed during WWI on 1 April 1918, a composite of two earlier forces, the Royal Flying Corps (part of the Army) and the Royal Naval Air Service. The RAF’s “finest hour” has to be the Battle of Britain when the vastly outnumbered British fighters fought off the might of the Luftwaffe causing Hitler to delay his plan to cross the English Channel. This outcome prompted Winston Churchill to utter the memorable words:
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

Down
1. They catch busses at stadiums KISS CAMS
“To buss” is “to kiss”. Not a term with which I am familiar. Not familiar with the term, that is!

4. Fjord relative RIA
A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, both formed as sea level rises. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

5. *Bullseye logo company TARGET
Target Corporation was founded by George Draper Dayton in 1902 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as Dayton Dry Goods Company. Dayton developed into a department store, and the company opened up a discount store chain in 1962, calling it Target. Today Target is the second-largest discount retailer in the country, after Walmart.

7. Progressive Field team, on scoreboards CLE
The Cleveland baseball franchise started out in 1869 as the Forest Citys named after Forest city, the nickname for Cleveland. After a number of transitions, in 1914 the team took on the name “Indians”. The media came up with name “Indians” after being asked for suggestions by the team owners. “Indians” was inspired by the successful Boston team of the day, the Boston Braves.

9. Cartoonist Addams CHAS
Chas Addams was a cartoonist. Addams didn’t draw a cartoon strip but rather individual cartoons, although many of his cartoons did feature regular characters. His most famous characters were the members of the Addams Family, who were published in single-panel cartoons between 1938 and 1988 in “The New Yorker”. The Addams Family moved onto the small and big screens starting in 1964.

12. Salad bar option ITALIAN
Don’t try asking for Italian dressing in Italy, as it’s a North American invention. Italians are fond of dressing their salads with olive oil, vinegar, salt and maybe some black pepper. Try it!

13. SensoTouch 3D shaver, e.g. NORELCO
Norelco is a brand of shavers and personal care products made by Philips. The brand name was introduced as the company was barred from using “Philips” in the US in the early 1940s. The name Norelco was chosen as an acronym for “NOR-th American Philips EL-ectrical CO-mpany.

22. Baseball’s Moises ALOU
Moises Alou played major league baseball, as did his father Felipe and his uncle Matty.

26. Rebel org. CSA
The Confederate States of America (CSA) set up government in 1861 just before Abraham Lincoln took office. Jefferson Davis was selected as President of the CSA at its formation and retained the post for the life of the government.

30. *Bergdorf competitor SAKS
Saks Fifth Avenue is a high-end specialty store that competes with the likes of Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. The original Saks & Company business was founded by Andrew Saks in 1867. The first Saks Fifth Avenue store was opened on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1924. There are now Saks Fifth Avenue stores in many major cities in the US, as well in several locations worldwide.

Bergdorf Goodman is a retailer of luxury goods that was founded in 1899. The first store was a tailor shop opened in Manhattan by French immigrant Herman Bergdorf. Bergdorf hired Edwin Goodman as an apprentice. A couple of years later, Goodman saved enough money to buy an interest in the business, and so it was renamed to Bergdorf Goodman.

39. “Captain Phillips” setting SEA
I’ve seen so many films recently that are “based on real events”, and one always has to ask, how much liberty have the screenwriter and director taken with the truth. I saw “Captain Phillips” when it first came out, and then read a “New York Times” article that basically called the whole thing fiction, a rewriting of history. But, it is still a very engaging film …

41. Orchard unit BUSHEL
A peck is a unit of dry volume, equivalent to two gallons. Four pecks then make up a bushel.

44. Fats Waller contemporary ART TATUM
Art Tatum was a jazz pianist who overcame the disability of being nearly blind from birth. Many laud Tatum as the greatest jazz pianist of all time.

Fats Waller was the son of a clergyman in New York City, and started playing the piano when he was six, and his father’s church organ when he was ten. Waller took up the piano professionally when only fifteen years old, working in theaters and cabarets. Waller co-wrote such classics as “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Honeysuckle Rose”.

45. Border river, to Mexicans RIO BRAVO
The Rio Grande is a river forming part of the border between Mexico and the United States. Although we call the river the Rio Grande on this side of the border, in Mexico it is called the Rio Bravo or Rio Bravo del Norte.

46. *Costco rival SAM’S CLUB
Sam’s Club is a membership-only retail warehouse clue that is owned and operated by Walmart. It is named after the company’s founder, Sam Walton.

Costco is the largest warehouse club in the US. Apparently Costco is also the largest retailer of wine in the whole world. The company was founded in 1983 in Kirkland, Washington. Kirkland Signature is Costco’s store brand, and you can even buy Kirkland Signature wine.

51. Campus aides, for short TAS
Teaching assistant (TA)

53. Golf Galaxy buy POLO
Golf Galaxy is a sporting store specializing in golf gear. It’s owned by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. And then the “golf shirt” is basically the same thing.

57. Ex-Soviet leader Brezhnev LEONID
Leonid Brezhnev was the Soviet leader from 1964 until his death in 1982. Under Brezhnev, Soviet spending on the military grew to about 12.5% of the nation’s Gross National Product. This level of spending, without effective economic reform, led to the USSR’s “Era of Stagnation” that started in the mid-seventies. His large major political decision was to invade Afghanistan, a move that placed further strain on the fragile Soviet economy.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. *Onetime owner of Waldenbooks KMART
6. TiVo predecessor VCR
9. With 74-Across, what each of the answers to starred clues is CHAIN
14. Ancient Asia Minor region IONIA
15. Mobile setting: Abbr. ALA
16. __ trot HOT TO
17. Ocean tracker SONAR
18. Listen LEND AN EAR
20. __ Balls: snacks SNO
21. Hoedown honey GAL
23. 1841 French ballet heroine GISELLE
24. Minn. winter hrs. CST
25. Gets into a seat ELECTS
27. Compete for the America’s Cup SAIL
28. “Gotcha” AHA
29. *Seller of Geoffrey Bandages TOYS R US
31. Tic __ mints TAC
32. Speck MOTE
34. Ryder Cup chant USA! USA!
35. “Lux” composer ENO
36. Austere STERN
38. Halloween reactions EEKS
40. Spare pieces? RIBS
43. *Craftsman company SEARS
47. First name in shipping ARI
50. Chalk holder CUE TIP
54. Price number ARIA
55. “Well, lah-di-__!” DAH
56. ESPN Deportes language ESPANOL
58. Many a Persian TOM
59. Stringed instrument VIOL
61. Big headache HASSLE
62. “Who Gets the Last Laugh?” network TBS
63. Running things IN POWER
65. Excessively TOO
66. Common flight path ARC
67. Tom Jones’ last Top 10 hit SHE’S A LADY
69. Birth-related NATAL
71. Let up EASED
72. Up to, in store signs ‘TIL
73. Romantic text I LUV U
74. With 9-Across, what the answers to starred clues form STORE
75. It may have a patch EYE
76. Discharge, as from the RAF DEMOB

Down
1. They catch busses at stadiums KISS CAMS
2. NASA launch MOONSHOT
3. Provide critical comments on ANNOTATE
4. Fjord relative RIA
5. *Bullseye logo company TARGET
6. Depressed areas VALLEYS
7. Progressive Field team, on scoreboards CLE
8. Sounded right RANG TRUE
9. Cartoonist Addams CHAS
10. Fine-tunes HONES
11. Took courses at midnight? ATE LATE
12. Salad bar option ITALIAN
13. SensoTouch 3D shaver, e.g. NORELCO
19. Neglect DISUSE
22. Baseball’s Moises ALOU
26. Rebel org. CSA
30. *Bergdorf competitor SAKS
33. Slip ERR
37. “Way to go!” NICE!
39. “Captain Phillips” setting SEA
41. Orchard unit BUSHEL
42. Take apart SEPARATE
44. Fats Waller contemporary ART TATUM
45. Border river, to Mexicans RIO BRAVO
46. *Costco rival SAM’S CLUB
47. Counsels ADVISES
48. Shower covering RAIN HAT
49. “Fingers crossed” I HOPE SO
51. Campus aides, for short TAS
52. Trendy IN STYLE
53. Golf Galaxy buy POLO
57. Ex-Soviet leader Brezhnev LEONID
60. Sore sort, maybe LOSER
64. Get one’s feet wet WADE
68. Tinkering letters DIY
70. Pub pint ALE

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