Constructor: Adesina Koiki
Relative difficulty: Easy (very: faster than yesterday, almost as fast as Monday) (3:11)
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THEME: OHIO PLAYERS (60A: Chart-topping 1970s R&B/funk band suggested by the starts of 17-, 26-, 39- and 50-Across)— first word of each themer is also the name of an individual PLAYER on a sports team based in OHIO:
Theme answers:
Ha ha ha, yesssss! I opened the puzzle, saw my friend's name, had a brief feeling of elation, then immediately thought, "Oh, c'mon, please be good...." And it was! There was a bit of creaky fill along the way, but that revealer really sealed the day. Rollercoaster!
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Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
Relative difficulty: Easy (very: faster than yesterday, almost as fast as Monday) (3:11)
Theme answers:
- BENGAL TIGER (17A: Animal accompanying Pi in "Life of Pi") (Cincinnati Bengals) (NFL
- BROWN BETTY (26A: Cousin of an apple cobbler) (Cleveland Browns) (NFL)
- RED WHITE AND BLUE (39A: U.S. flag, with "the") (Cincinnati Reds) (MLB)
- INDIAN FOOD (50A: Biryani or vindaloo) (Cleveland Baseball Team) (MLB)
Dr. Kildare is an NBC medical drama television series which originally ran from September 28, 1961, until August 30, 1966 for a total of 191 episodes over five seasons Produced by MGM Television, it was based on fictional doctor characters originally created by author Max Brand in the 1930s and previously used by MGM in a popular film series and radio drama. The TV series quickly achieved success and made a star of Richard Chamberlain, who played the title role. Dr. Kildare(along with an ABC medical drama, Ben Casey, which premiered at the same time) inspired or influenced many later TV shows dealing with the medical field.Dr. Kildare aired on NBC affiliate stations on Thursday nights at 8:30-9:30 PM from September 28, 1961 until September 1965, when the timeslot was changed to Monday and Tuesday nights at 8:30-9:00 PM until the end of the show's run on August 30, 1966. (wikipedia)
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This puzzle also had SUN RA (37D: Jazz great with an Egyptian-sounding name) and SHAFT (11D: Iconic blaxploitation film), so I was very much digging the vibe from start to finish. Seeing Addy's name was just such a nice surprise, and I need all the nice surprises I can get right now, to be honest. I've known Addy for something like a decade. I must've met him at an ACPT a while back but he's definitely been a regular at Lollapuzzoola in NYC every August*, and that's where I see him most often. Here we are at Yankee Stadium in 2013:
It's just nice to see a familiar face pop up in the constructor byline totally unexpectedly. It's also nice (very nice) to absolutely crush a Wednesday puzzle like it was Monday. I honestly thought I was gonna break three minutes. I don't remember hitting any real snags or slowdowns. All the proper nouns were in my wheelhouse and none of the fill was that weird or jarring or difficultly clued. I misspelled AHH, LOL. There really should be some kind of standard for the two-A and the two-H varieties! I also briefly thought WHOA was "WHAA...?" (27D: "What just happened where ... ?!"). I resented having to stop to figure out a dad joke, but it is *such* a dad joke that I actually laughed (51D: "What do you call cheese that isn't yours? ___ cheese!" (dad joke)). I've written down SHA ITE ADES AHH AMAIN OSOLE and INGE as Fill I Could Do Without, but honestly that is a pretty short list. Anyway, this puzzle is all about the theme, and specifically the Perfection of the revealer. Fiiie-uh!
So, yes, full disclosure, grain of salt, the constructor is my friend, I like him, I'm happy he has his debut today. I also genuinely enjoyed the solve. Have a nice day!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld