Constructor's Comments
I had a fondness for Charles Bronson tough-guy movies during the 60s and 70s. Not so much the
Death Wish franchise, which grew more tedious with each subsequent iteration, but certainly
The Great Escape,
The Dirty Dozen,
The Magnificent Seven, and
The Mechanic. MR MAJESTYK is a lesser-known film of his, portraying a former U.S. Army Ranger, now watermelon farmer pitted against the mob—and such a fun name for the bottom row of a crossword. When it cropped up as a possible fill during construction, I couldn't resist.
Editor's Comments
Although I wasn't familiar with MR MAJESTYK, the flashiness of the entry jumped out at me! Definitely not the kind of thing you expect to see in the bottom row of your crossword puzzle. I'm also a big fan of GRAPE JUICE, AVOCADO DIP, QUASIMODO, LOTUS TREE, and GAZETTEER (as opposed to the crossword standby ATLAS). Seeing ANDERSONS in the grid reminded me of Pea Soup Andersen's. My parents and I used to drive back and forth on the I-5 between Southern California and Northern California a lot, and we'd often stop in Santa Nella, where one branch of Andersen's is located. Although we ultimately decided the restaurant was a bit of a tourist trap, I always get a laugh when I think of Andersen's. I love how crossword entries can conjure up random memories!
Great puzzle, Mark. It was a treat to solve. For all these Puzzle Society freestyles, I enjoy the easy clueing style. It's a nice change of pace from others. Tends to reduce solving times by a factor of ten or so. Makes me feel incredibly clever. Unlike the Stumper, say, that proves I'm not.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I remember Mr. Majestyk, especially the scene in which a stack of watermelons is shredded with machine gun fire. Though the Death Wish series isn't my type of movie, either, I also liked Charles Bronson. There was an appealing honesty to his Average Joe portrayals.
ReplyDelete"the andersons got tickets to the game?!"
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by, Paul and Erik!
ReplyDelete