Q: Name a famous movie in 4 letters. Change one letter and anagram the result to name another movie that came out 20 years later. Then change one letter in that and anagram to name a third movie that came out 29 years after the second one. What movies are these?It doesn't help that I thought I was looking for a famous movie in 4 words. Then I made a different assumption that messed me up. And finally, I got a different release date for the first movie. Anyway, if you take the last movie, change one letter and rearrange, you get a word that describes these 3 movies.
Edit: For Dr. No my first search came up with the U.S. release date being 1963 rather than the U.K. release date in 1962. For the extra puzzle, you can perform the same operation on THOR and get TRIO.
A: DR. NO (1962), TRON (1982), THOR (2011)
Take the title of the first movie. Change one letter. Rearrange. You get the last name of a co-star in the movie.
ReplyDeleteTake the title of the first movie. Change one letter. Rearrange. You get the last name of the leading character.
DeleteRob and jan, as is their weekly wont, giving exactly the type of excellent non-TMI hints that Blaine need not worry about having to blog-administer...
DeleteLegoWhoNotes"AndTheSameGoesForNoddSuperZee&Dr.KWhoHavePostedBelow"
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOoh, good point, Jan!
DeleteThe screen names of a couple regulars here are a hint for the first title. The non-repeated letters could stand for a major retailer or an automotive company.
ReplyDeleteIt took a search (is there any other way?), but I’ve got it. I have no idea how to clue this.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun puzzle, but you're right that it can be solved readily enough with a search. It thus requires no imagination or creativity (probably a lucky thing for me).
DeleteThere's more in my comment than meets the eye.
DeleteI know, Dr. K.
DeleteAs I said earlier, I have it. It took a while pairing years with movies...
DeleteIt's not DUNE, NUDE, DUDE...
DeleteNor is it Argo, Orca, and Cars
DeleteMy DH was hoping it was Duel, Jude, Dune, but the dates didn't work. Another grouping was very close on the dates, but the middle one was just one year off. --Margaret G.
DeleteI got that one too, and another as well as the intended one.
DeleteThe second movie was the first one I thought of (and the only one I've seen). Searching by date got me the others.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember seeing any of these from start to finish...
DeleteYou can get hurt if you keep going
ReplyDeleteWill could have gone 22 years forward instead of 29. Then he would have got a movie loaded with four-letter actors.
ReplyDeleteYup, I've seen Troy. :)
DeleteThis one's tough to Clue. Juno what I mean?
ReplyDeleteI don't think any of my suggestions would help
ReplyDeleteWhew! As soon as I heard the beginning of the puzzle, I was worried I wouldn't be allowed to comment! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat was my first guess, but I quickly moved on. Fortunately my second attempt and some arithmetic did the job.
DeleteThat is so funny, Jaws!
DeleteBut seriously, ViolinTeddy, I am curious to know how Blaine might have handled that predicament had it arisen.
DeleteIt reminds be of the time WOLFGANG PUCK was a part of an NPR puzzle answer, and Blaine might have agonized over whether to remove our friend Wolfgang's comments from that week's blog.
LegoWhoWondersIfBlaineMightCareToWeighInOnSuchATrickyPredicament
Hey lego, I wondered about the same thing myself. In this case, I had figured that if the JAWS movie was part of the answer, then I would just wait until Thursday to comment. I did consider going back two previous posts, and commenting there that I had the answer, because who would look back past the previous post?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTwo letters are constant.
ReplyDeleteA trio missed
ReplyDeletePretty straightforward answer.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping for a classic Spielberg movie, like Jaws or Duel. But, nope...
ReplyDeleteThat's not to say that the directors involved are all lightweights. I was frankly surprised to learn that one of the films had such an accomplished director.
DeleteI had no idea that the movie you mentioned had such a prestigious director. That's the one of the three that I've never bothered to watch.
Delete"Produced by Universal Television, Duel originally aired as a part of the ABC Movie of the Week series on November 13, 1971. It later received an international theatrical release by Universal Pictures in an extended version featuring scenes shot after the film's original TV broadcast."
DeleteI watched it that evening and remember it well, but I thought it was a bore, and not at all realistic or believable. Many others apparently felt differently about it than I.
SDB, everyone has their own taste in storytelling. I happen to enjoy Duel, but it’s okay that you don’t care for it.
DeleteI, for one, find most Marvel movies tedious, but apparently I’m in the minority, considering Marvel’s box office success.
I don't know about this puzzle, I'm thoroughly confused.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I don't think you are.
Delete;-)
DeleteI can think of at least 7 music clues, including Paul McCartney.
ReplyDeleteWeird…this helped me find the answer, although it shouldn't have.
DeleteI can't believe how easily I stumbled upon these three. Two were definitely in the same place, but I won't say where.
ReplyDeletepjbBelievesItMightBe[TMI]ToSayTheFirstFilmIsMuchOlderThanYouMightExpectItToBe(HeCertainlyWon'tSayByHowMuch,That'sForSure!)
One of the movies is an anagram of the last 4 letters of the last name of a famous actor in that movie.
ReplyDeleteChris Hemsworth played Thor in the movie Thor. Orth is an anagram of Thor.
DeleteI solved it long ago and went back to bed, but I found a different answer first. It works except for only 14 years between the first and second movies. I think it is a better puzzle with these 3 films. Curtis will like it too. However, I do not find either enjoyable puzzles to solve.
ReplyDeleteI had prepared a set of word/name play puzzles for today, but think I will hold off until next Sunday because some here will take awhile to solve today's poor but difficult puzzle.
I first thought it was a four-word title, and figured I wouldn't solve it, but once I understood, I solved in a moderate amount of time.
ReplyDeleteMy 15 minutes of fame happened 15 years ago today.
https://j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=2852
Wow, Iris Corona! This means that you are a Jeopardy! champion, correct? Congratulations, belatedly!
DeleteLegoCelebratesIrisCoronaWhoWonOnJeopardy!WhileAdmittingThatIfHeWereEverToCompeteOnJeopardyHeWouldLose!
Congratulations! Do you have a link to the video?
DeleteThank you; it was 15 years ago, so it's a fun memory!
DeleteI don't know the link, though I'm sure there is one.
Iris Corona - Late congrats!
DeleteLego - Funny video there!
I have only seen the first movie, and I have no interest in the other two. All three films share the same rating and have something in common in re: to their lengths.
ReplyDeleteAll movies are rated PG and are under two hours in length. No interest in Tron or Thor, but Sean Connery in Dr. No is rather fetching.
DeleteChange one letter in the middle movie and attach another 4 letters to get a major news story in the coming year.
ReplyDeleteTRON => TION => ELECTION
DeleteA much better puzzle, but still not a good puzzle, would have been:
ReplyDeleteDUEL 1971
CLUE 1985
LUCY 2014
The dates are arbitrary and probably added by WS. In any case all they do is make solving a bit easier for some.
Since no one seems stumped I will reverse course again and offer up these conundrums I coined last week. Hope you enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteTime Now to Have Some Fun with Famous Authors’ Names
1. Think of an author whose last name is 2 syllables. Add a letter G at the end to discover in 2 words why a bird might not be able to fly.
2. Another author’s last name is also 2 syllables. Add a D and an R within. The result in 2 words will say what made this author famous.
3. This author’s last name is 3 syllables. Remove the G to reveal what his sartorial problem is in 3 words.
4. This author goes by his 3 names. Add a T to his last name and it will define him.
5. And here’s another whose surname is in 2 words. Change the A to an E and phonetically it will describe an amount of money that does NOT reflect the value of his work.
6. Two famous authors share a same name. For one it is the surname, and for the other it is the given name. This is not a common name, nor is the given name of the first author. BONUS Add a W to the given name to reveal where he lived.
7. This female author went by 3 names and is best known for a book whose title mentions a structure. By changing the next to last letter to the letter preceding it in the alphabet you will discover what would heat this structure.
8. This openly gay author would be amused if you were to point out the politically incorrect anagram of his last name.
I got #7, sdb. Haven't read the first six yet.
DeleteAnd #3, I think!
DeleteAnd #4.
DeleteOpps, I think I put my question in the wrong spot (below).....
DeleteSDB, I thought you said on P! that you were posting the answers here. I certainly can't find them.
ViolinTeddy:
DeleteI do not understand your post/question. I have not been over @ P! for several weeks now, let alone posted anything there. If you are referring to the answers to my above author's names puzzles, I will post the answers Thursday. I am sure you will have solved them all by then.
My apologies. I think it was Nodd who posted about putting his answers in, and I mistakenly somehow translated it to you. Sorry...
DeleteHalfway there. Still musing on #2, #5, #6, and #8.
DeleteDr. K,
DeleteI think #5 is the difficult one. #2 is my favorite.
Just got #2. Nice one!
DeleteJust got #6.Only #5 and #8 left.
DeleteJust got #5. Tricky. Only #8 left.
DeleteI suspect I should have worded #8 slightly differently. How about this?
Delete8. This openly gay, living author and humorist would be amused if you were to point out the politically incorrect anagram of his last name.
I had the author and the phrase for some time but for some reason just didn’t see it. That’s all 8. Thanks, sdb. A fun puzzle. I wonder if Dr. Awkward would be interested.
DeleteYou done gud!
DeleteAh, just saw these—very clever indeed and right up my alley!
Delete3rd puzzle solved by thinking of my address.
ReplyDeleteNow I suspect I have a good idea whee you live.
DeleteGiven your puzzling skills, it's no doubt you're in the neighborhood.
DeleteChanging one letter of a 4-letter word and anagramming, then doing so again ... can lead to a surprisingly long chain of movie titles. Here is a tiny sample, not to give anything away: CARS * NARC * ORCA * ROMA * ROOM
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same, but did not look further to see for sure.
DeleteSDB, I thought you said on P! that you were posting the answers here. I certainly can't find them.
DeleteHow about: CUJO, JUNO, JUNK ?
ReplyDeleteHappy 2024 all. I hope the world becomes a safer place for all of us.
ReplyDeleteThere's an interesting pattern in the deleted comments this week...
ReplyDeleteThat is, the sentence "This comment has been removed by the author" contains "Thor"!
DeleteYears ago one of my puzzle ideas was used on the broadcast. It involved one of these movies and a TV personality.
ReplyDeleteIMDB collaborations show nobody in common for the first and second and four for the second and third.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do not mind this long post. Can delete if want to, Blaine. I just felt like sharing this poem created by Chatgpt. I asked Chatgpt for a poem for 2024 that was about peace for the world. This is what Chatgpt wrote for me:
ReplyDeleteIn the canvas of a brand new dawn,
A symphony of hope is drawn.
The year ahead, a blank expanse,
A chance for unity to enhance.
Let's paint the skies with colors bright,
Embrace each soul, see through the light.
In every heart, let kindness reign,
Let compassion erase all pain.
As the clock strikes in its cheer,
Let peace be whispered far and near.
May every step, each gesture made,
Speak of harmony, not of shade.
Let resolutions bloom as flowers,
Nurtured in empathetic hours.
For in our differences, we'll find,
A tapestry of ties that bind.
So here's to a year of tranquil grace,
A world where all find their place.
Let love unfurl its gentle wings,
And peace be the song every heart sings.
User
From Chatgpt?
DeleteChatgpt is only updated until 2021. Not aware of current wars.
Delete... and the sum of cubes from 1 is a square, so next year should be 45 squared if we get that far
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFrom yesterday's New York Times acrostic puzzle, here are some considerably less anodyne thoughts on New Year's resolutions. They come from Mark Twain's "Early Tales and Sketches":
DeleteYesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, swore his last oath. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings shorter than ever.
Rudolfo, that "45 squared" joke is just a little too frightening to be considered totally funny. Happy New Year to all, anyway.
DeletepjbBelievesGroverCleveland[AND][ONLY]GroverClevelandShouldBeTheOnly"NonconsecutiveTerm"PresidentWe'veEverHad(ForTheLoveOfGod,SomebodyPleaseEnsureThatThisWillAlwaysBeSoGoingIntoThisNewElectionYear!!!)
U. of Mich. is my alma mater. Winning today. However, I am not a football fan.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Natasha. Can't totally say I'm happy for you, though, obviously, being from AL. Mom and I thought this would be the Tide's year, but especially after the third overtime, we really began to have our doubts. BTW Difficult, but just a little bit amusing, to hear Mom complaining when things aren't going AL's way. Pretty much a wasted trip to Pasadena, IMHO.
DeletepjbBelievesIt'sMuchBetterWhenOneDoesn'tHaveAHorseInSuchARaceAsThis
Thanks for the info, Cranberry. Interesting that you were at the game. I did not even know Michigan was playing until yesterday. Bet you had fun anyway at the game. I think football is too dangerous, though.
DeleteI believe PJB meant it was a wasted tri pfor the TEAM, not for himself.
DeleteViolinTeddy: I totally misinterpreted Cran's statement. Thanks for letting me know.
DeleteIn case people haven't noticed the annual puzzle and video are posted. Someone in particular may have an advantage with the puzzle.:)
ReplyDeleteI pulled up some useful lists, sorted the entries, and quickly found a satisfying triple. However, I find this puzzle rather unsatisfying as there seems to be little more to it than that. Pure search, no thought or cleverness.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteSince I have my son and his family visiting this week, I decided to spend time with them and not waste it on slogging through lists
ReplyDeleteI just sent in a puzzle, that I hope Will accepts. It's not too hard, but I think it's kinda fun. It was in my mind fully formed when I got up with my dogs this AM.
ReplyDeleteLast day to solve my 8 puzzles above that play with famous authors' names. Dr. K has solved them all as of yesterday. Not sure if others have.
ReplyDeleteIs it all right now to post the answers?
DeleteDr. K: YES
Delete
DeleteMy answers to skydiveboy’s authors quiz:
1. James Baldwin —> bald wing
2. Leo Tolstoy —> told story
3. Ernest Hemingway —> hem in way
4. Edgar Allan Poe —> poet
5. John Dos Passos —> pesos
6. Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Lewis —> uptown
7. Harriet Beecher Stowe —> stove
8. David Sedaris —> ride a** (I’m still not sure of this one)
Addenda to #8:
I learned that Burroughs rubs rough and Auden was once a nude. Was Wilde a lewd I?
I also discovered that Vidal required an Advil (my wife copyedited his The Smithsonian Institution, so she knows), but it was Proust that put me in a stupor.
Thanks again, sdb.
Dr. K--
DeleteYou got all of them. I thought you would. Glad you enjoyed them.
As Joshua posted above, it is just a "search the internet" puzzle, which has little reward. I like the type of puzzle that I can figure out without any aids. The "lay in bed and suss it out" type. When I solve that way, I get a feeling of "my brain still works." The feels good, even if only partly true.
ReplyDelete"That feels good." I wish we could edit our comments.
DeleteI agree too. My 8 puzzles above are more in line with what you both desire in a puzzle. Not that a couple won't require a bit of easy research though.
DeleteNotwithstanding the wording of this week’s puzzle, as impossible as it may sound, I believe the first movie has a couple of letters in it that don’t appear in either of the other two movies.
ReplyDeleteDR. NO, TRON, THOR
ReplyDelete"A trio missed" >>> I have not seen any of these films.
Initially, I also had the 4 word problem discussed by Blaine. Once I knew it was 4 letters, it was a simple search. It was not a terribly inspired search, as others have noted.
DR.NO (1962) + 20 → TRON (1982) + 29 → THOR (2011)
ReplyDelete1962 + 20 = 1982
1982 + 29 = 2011
DR. NO (1962) >>> TRON (1982) >>> THOR (2011)
ReplyDeleteDR. NO (1962) —> TRON (1982) —> THOR (2011)
ReplyDeleteMy supposedly clueless non-clue—“It took a search (is there any other way?), but I’ve got it. I have no idea how to clue this”—included the muted hint, “no.” Too subtle? Not subtle enough? In any case, I liked Nodd’s comment in the thread, “I know….”
Thanks. I was going to say "I know, Dr.", but thought better of it, so I added the "K" to make it less obvious.
DeleteDR. NO, TRON, THOR
ReplyDelete> Take the title of the first movie. Change one letter. Rearrange. You get the last name of the leading character.
Bond. James Bond.
Same for me:
ReplyDeleteDR. NO, TRON, THOR
I started with Dr. No, because there it was.
DR. NO — TRON — THOR
ReplyDeleteMy clue was in response to Leo’s comment, “I can think of at least 7 music clues, including Paul McCartney”:
Weird…this helped me find the answer, although it shouldn’t have.
The mention of Paul McCartney in connection with movies reminded me of Live and Let Die, where P. McC. & Wings famously performed the title song. I was a James Bond as a kid, so Dr. No came to me pretty quickly. (I must say I don’t know how long it would have taken me to look for four-letter titles of movies that weren’t necessarily one word.)
The rest was quick. Thinking of 1982, Tron came to me right away. Thor I had to look up, but hey, there are only so many movies with four-letter titles, and ones that came out in 2011 at that. (Obviously, Hugo didn’t work.)
I also want to thank some of the other bloggers for eliminating Jaws, Dune, Hook, etc. Apparently, Blaine didn’t think that was TMI. :)
I was a James Bond *fan* as a kid….
DeleteHey Wolfgang, sign my petition to get editing capabilities on this blog. Juts kidding.
DeleteJuts kidding, I'll sign too.
DeleteThis week's Puzzleria! features four fine Skydiversionary Appetizing puzzles created by our friend skydiveboy, titled "Prezzes, zoos, Sucre, fruit & film."
ReplyDeleteWe upload Puzzleria! later tonoght, around midnight, or sooner.
Also on our menu this week:
* a Schpuzzle of the Week titled "Poets, performers, perennials,"
* a Horizontal Hors d’Oeuvre:Describing an overdone verb.
* an Atlanta Not Lima Slice titled "National Adjeographictive,"
* a Subtracting A Syllable Dessert titled "Deep-sixing one doubleyou," and
* a mess of Riffing Off Shortz And Weisz Slices riffs titled "DraNo, Troon and Thorn"
Come join us for some fun1
Lego...
I wrote, “Take the title of the first movie. Change one letter. Rearrange. You get the last name of a co-star in the movie.” I was going to say, “You get a character in the movie.” That would be BOND, and I thought that might be TMI. (Jan posted this hint, and it wasn’t removed, so I guess I was overcautious.) But the co-star is Jack LORD who played Felix Leiter.
ReplyDeleteYes—obviously, Andress and Wiseman wouldn't work, and I was just too lazy to probe further.
DeleteI say Jack Lord was a supporting actor, though. ;)
DeleteI was a little surprised to see people bemoaning the "search the web for lists" nature of the puzzle this week. I did it without any lists. Of course, I had to confirm the exact span of years between the movies, but I did identify them since I had a rough idea of when they were released. (I concentrated on the 1960s for the earliest one, since it had to be *at least* 49 years ago and likely a little more.)
ReplyDeleteSo for me it was a good 'musing it over in the car' puzzle.
My comment (I don't know about this puzzle, I'm thoroughly confused.) contained 2 hints: k'no'w and 'thor'oughly. I couldn't immediately think of how to incorporate "Tron," but came up with a couple ideas later.
ReplyDeleteHere's a cut-and-paste link to a video I made when Sean Connery passed away. I don't endeavor to be an impressionist, but it just so happens I can kind of sound like Sean Connery. A benefit of being 25% Scottish, I suppose. In recognition of this week's puzzle, perhaps I should record myself as Sir Sean singing "Underneath the Mango Tree" from Dr. No.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.instagram.com/p/CHAnGUMAay6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Dr. No, Tron, Thor
ReplyDeleteI want a martini
ReplyDeleteDr. No --> Tron --> Thor. I said, "The screen names of a couple regulars here are a hint for the first title. The non-repeated letters could stand for a major retailer or an automotive company." (Drs. K and Awkward; HD -- Home Depot or Harley-Davidson.)
ReplyDeleteMy hint was: “You can get hurt if you keep going”… from THOR, you can get “HURT”
ReplyDeleteMy late post (yesterday) - “Notwithstanding the wording of this week’s puzzle, as impossible as it may sound, I believe the first movie has a couple of letters in it that don’t appear in either of the other two movies” - was a reference to the letters M and Q, who are characters in Dr No that don’t appear in the other two movies.
ReplyDeletePreserving your fruits and vegetables can be jarring.
ReplyDeleteYes, you could find yourself in a jam.
DeleteOr could be Toast!
DeleteAnd should your employer find out, you might get canned.
Deletewith an expiration date
DeleteWell, Natasha, I think this string has already reached its expiration date.
DeleteWhat a PITy!
DeleteI think you may be in a bit of a pickle. Don't get bottled in.
DeleteBecause I feel like I'm stuck in a vacuum.
DeleteWhy the acidic remark, SDB?
ReplyDeleteBecause I feel like I'm stuck in a vacuum.
ReplyDeleteNot too peachy, I guess.
DeleteRight. I just want to get outta here and dust myself off before someone hoses me again.
DeleteDR. NO(1962), TRON(1982), THOR(2011)
ReplyDeleteThe trick part had to be DR. NO, because no one was expecting it to be two words, one being an abbreviation.
pjbWasShaken,NotStirredByTheTrickInThisPuzzle
Blaine:
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that the 8 puzzles I posted Sunday at 3:47PM are missing. I wondered why more were not solving them. Do you know why they are gone now? Thanks.
It seems Blogger's algorithm thought the comment was spam. It will do that most often with really long or really short comments. I've restored it along with a couple others that were thrown into the spam folder.
DeleteIt is here, if others missed it.
DeleteThanks Blaine.
DeleteRIP Glynis Johns At age 100.
ReplyDeleteAnybody here seen or heard from Lego lately? We're worried over at Puzzleria! tonight!
ReplyDeletepjbSentHimAnotherCrypticCrosswordForUseOnTheWebsite,ButHeHasn'tHeardBackFromHimYet(!)
I called the 3 phone numbers I have for him, and all I got was a bunch of no can do recordings. Then I found another number online, but it now belongs to some A.H. in another city. Talking to him was a real pleasure; NOT. All I have now is his email and home address. I sent him an email with zero results.
DeleteFor movie lists I'm only trusting IMDB moving forward
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/2024/01/05/1214755852/perspective-getting-to-know-the-puzzlemaster-will-shortz
ReplyDeleteThis week's challenge comes from listener Steve Baggish, of Arlington, Mass. Name certain weapons. Remove the middle four letters. The remaining letters, spelled backward, describe what these weapons do.
ReplyDeleteLike me, not from NJ.
DeleteIs "smif" a verb?
DeleteGot it, once I stopped removing the first two and last two letters, and started to remove the middle four letters as the puzzle's wording stipulated. Waiting for Blaine...
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a place not too far away from where one of us lives. --Margaret G.
ReplyDelete