The Running Man, 1987 -- Richard Dawson as Killian, the creator and host of the top-rated game show 'The Running Man' in the year 2017 when society has become a police state, censoring all cultural activity, pacifying the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows where convicted felons are killed on prime time TV. Dawson, clearly, is having a whale of a time, playing on his experience of hosting game shows on TV to brilliant effect.
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Puzzle by Adam Cohen, edited by Will Shortz
CAN I BUY A VOWEL, SURVEY SAYS, COME ON DOWN and THE PASSWORD IS, clued as Game show catchphrases #1, #2, #3 and #4, are the interrelated group of this little Monday winner.
BUDWEISER (10D. Big Super Bowl advertiser, traditionally) and CHEATED ON (36D. Two-timed) are the next longest entries, followed by two of seven letters, ELEVATE (9D. Raise) and NEVADAN (44D. Reno resident, e.g.). There are two inter-clued answers, BIKE RACE (10A. With 18-Across, the Tour de France, for one) and OPEC/IRAN (2D. Org. with many Mideast members; 59D. Charter member of 2-Down).
Six-letter -- DEWITT (5D. Early New York governor Clinton), INMATE (47A. Prisoner), TAI CHI (31A. Medieval martial art), THREE D (49D. Kind of movie glasses).
Five -- AMICI, CAPOS, DONUT, EERIE, ETATS, GRAMM, HYATT, ICAHN (39A. Corporate raider Carl), IRENE, ISLES, MACAW, NOTIP, ODETO, OKAYS, OSAKA, PREOP, RECON, RENEW, SEPAL, SOLID, SPARE.
Short stuff -- AKIN, ARG, AULD, BARS, BEAD, BOX, DALI, DEEP, ELAL, ESP and EST and ETA, HAZE, ISLE, KEEL, LANA, LEO, MERC, NAME, NATO, OLAY, ORZO, PERU, POME, PSAT, ROTE, SITU, SLIM, SSR, STS, TERM, THO, TIVO, TRAP, USES, VOWS (38D. Things two-timers break), WAKE, WINE, XMEN (68A. Comic book heroes originally called the Merry Mutants).
Duh...!
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Puzzle available on the internet at
THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Crossword Puzzles and Games.
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Remaining clues -- ACROSS: 1. Not striped, as a billiard ball; 6. Apple or quince; 14. Diagonal line, on a bowling score sheet; 15. Carrier to Tel Aviv; 16. Applications; 17. Extend, as a subscription; 19. Profound; 23. When a plane or train is due, for short; 24. Come out of a coma; 25. Buenos Aires’s country: Abbr.; 28. Golf course pitfall; 35. Ford auto, briefly; 41. Sign before Virgo; 42. Neighbor of a petal; 46. Repetitive learning technique; 48. H.S. junior’s hurdle; 50. Thoroughfares: Abbr.; 51. Save, in a way, as some shows; 53. However, briefly; 61. Moccasin decoration; 62. Salvador who painted “The Persistence of Memory”; 63. Halloweenish; 65. Ricelike pastra; 66. Analogous (to); 67. Les ___-Unis; 69. Identify; 70. Krispy Kreme offering. DOWN: 1. Belarus or Ukraine, once: Abbr.; 3. Turner who was known as the Sweater Girl; 4. Actress Cara; 6. Lima’s locale; 7. Oil of ___; 8. Noisy bird; 11. “So that’s it!”; 12. Nautical bottom; 13. Clairvoyant’s claim; 21. Taverns; 22. Green-lights; 25. Firenze friends; 26. What a drone airplane may do, for short; 27. Former Texas senator Phil; 29. “___ Lang Syne”; 30. Before surgery; 32. Cosa Nostra leaders; 33. Hilton rival; 34. Man and Wight; 40. “Reward” for poor service; 45. Western mil. Alliance; 52. Japanese port; 54. Shelley’s “___ the West Wind: 55. Four years, for a U.S. president; 56. Fog or smog; 57. Slight, as chances; 58. Merlot, for one; 61. Practice pugilism; 64. Superlative suffix.
