Q: Think of a classic movie title in which the initials of all the words up to the last one, in order, spell the number of letters in that last word. The number of words in the title is for you to discover. What film is it?The last name of a main character sounds like a word meaning "accomodations".
Edit: The Wizard of Oz was Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs (digs = accommodations)
A: "The Wizard of Oz" --> TWO, OZ
Easy, assuming "up to the last word" means "not including the last word."
ReplyDeleteYes, my answer does not include the last word...
DeleteI lucked out; it was the first movie title I tried. The movie has a surprise link to my alma mater, the US Naval Academy.
ReplyDeleteYes. Extremely easy...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteGood morning from Salem, Mass., which by now is a summer-vacation destination in its own right. You keep running into groups of guided walking tours. (Or self-guided ones, for that matter.)
ReplyDeleteOh, guided walking tours! I misread that at first.
DeleteMusical clue: Kenny Rogers
ReplyDeleteOr, obliquely, Long John Baldry.
DeleteHmm…maybe even Thompson Twins?
DeleteNo Dr. K, I'm looking at it straight on.
DeleteA more recent movie comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteMore than one recent movie, actually.
DeleteA TV show, too.
DeleteWhew! Whenever classic movies come up in the puzzles, I'm always worried I won't be allowed to comment! :-)
ReplyDeleteIf, for some reason, you are struggling with this puzzle, you may ignore my above comment. There is no clue there.
DeleteI did notice a clue there, but it was for Molson ice.
DeleteYou're gonna need a bigger clue.
DeleteGot this already. The challenge is figuring out how your clues apply.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the above clues will make finding the answer very easy . If I had not already figured it out , I certainly would have .
ReplyDeleteI may actually understand Blaine's clue. --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Blaine’s clue, at least for the moment, is beyond me. But apart from Blaine’s clue, it's struck me that one of the film's stars has a personal resonance for you, which you are doubtless aware of.
DeleteI don't get Blaine's clue (nothing new there) and from what I can tell, there aren't even that many characters who have last names.
DeleteTo get Blaine's clue, you have to look deeper (kind of). Oh, and that character's first name…hmm, I don't think I can say any more without TMI.
DeleteThe movie has fun cast of characters!
ReplyDelete"Mr. Kurtz? He dead."
ReplyDeleteI have the capacity to solve these puzzles; I'm just lazy.
ReplyDeleteFeet
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a character in a sitcom.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think this week's puzzle would be easier than last, but, alas, I was wrong. I contemplated a joke regarding the pioneer in a medical specialty. As I looked online, my joke might be regarded as a spoiler
ReplyDeletePink Floyd. Anybody else?
ReplyDeletelost souls?
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DeleteI'm not sure that all of the comments are for the same film but your clue matches the first thing that I came up with, clotheslover.
DeleteYes, Pink Floyd.
DeleteToday is the anniversary of when I started contributing to Blaine's Blog.
ReplyDeleteI started posting on Blaine's Blog 5 years ago on July 28, 2019. Coincidentally, the answer to the puzzle that day was "wizard".
DeleteTo easy, but there is something about this movie that reminds me of the present.
ReplyDeleteOn my movie list I found six solutions ... of which one is a popular classic.
ReplyDeleteI tried to anagram the locale where the greater part of the movie is set, but wordsmith.org came back saying "No anagrams found." That locale must be too unique.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am confident that I got it completely, utterly, 100% right.
ReplyDelete(that is, I got it in *toto*)
DeleteThere is a connection between one of the stars of this movie and last week's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGot Blaine's clue. I learned something.
ReplyDelete50
ReplyDeleteThis might make sense to those of you who understand musical intervals: tonic, perfect 5th up, tonic. Repeat.
ReplyDeleteNice! I assume, of course, you are referring to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: The Movie."
DeleteNo, that's tonic, tonic, 5th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 5th.
DeleteOh, we love (this one)
DeleteTrue, but I think it was adapted for the big screen ;).
DeleteThere is a movie very much in the same class as this week's solution, in which the initials of all the words up to the last one, in order, spell a word that is 2 letters longer, though it's not a number. What film is it? Woops: Don't answer until Thursday.
ReplyDeleteMusical clue: Supertramp
ReplyDeletepjbSaysHereInAlabama,"It'sRainingAgain"
Another musical clue: Simon & Garfunkel
DeleteFrank.
ReplyDeleteI think I may have discovered Blaine's hint. I do not think it would be TMI for me to ask, could it be a reference to my favorite davenport?
ReplyDeleteI cannot recall ever getting up on a monday morning and there not being posts on this blog.
ReplyDeleteMy friends in Seattle and Eugene OR took three hours longer to solve this gem of a puzzle than it took me.
ReplyDeleteA lot more "classic" than When Harry Met Sally. Good puzzle.
ReplyDeleteJust when I thought there wasn’t an ounce of hope to solving this one, it came to me….(actually, I got it sooner than that, but I’m just a little off in my timing!)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNo slackers this week!
ReplyDelete"I have the capacity to solve these puzzles; I'm just lazy."
Deletei.e., I have a brain but I'm a goldbricker.
Can anyone think of any funny connection between our movie and the Olympics opening ceremony?
ReplyDeleteI am sure the planners in Paris have already flashed on it.
DeleteApparently, not to everyone, the ceremony was inspired by Jan Harmensz van Biljert's "Feast of the Gods," Dionysus (or Bacchus, not Jim Bacchus?) included.
DeleteThat's Hermansz, I guess. It didn't remind me one bit of The Last Supper. LOL.
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ReplyDeleteA great connection this week to a magazine!
ReplyDeleteAnother math puzzle.
ReplyDeleteR.I.P.
ReplyDeleteMartin Mull
I did not know he died, and it's been over a month. Thanks for your post.
DeleteI know; I only found out today. And I was just thinking about him a day or two ago. I guess Fernwood doesn't report passings.
DeleteAlso, Bob Newhart. I liked Martin Mull on Fernwood 2 night, (however you spell it). Also, Fred Willard was great, too. The combination of the two was incomparable. Mull wad also a funny stand up. Does anyone remember "Men."
Delete
Delete"'Cause men can sweat and men can stink
And no one seems to care-oh.
We'll throw the dishes in the sink
And clog the drain with hair-oh.
(And clog the drain with hair-oh.)
Men men men,
It's a ship all filled with men.
So batten down the ladies' room,
There's no one here but men.
(All men.)"----co-written by Mr. Mull and Steve Martin, 1977
pjbAlsoHatesThat"FiddleAndBanjoCrap"AsWell
THE WIZARD OF OZ; TWO
ReplyDelete"Feet" >>> Dorothy's little dog is Toto (Toe-Toe).
THE WIZARD OF OZ → The final TWO-letter word: OZ !
ReplyDeleteThe Wizard Of Oz >>> two
ReplyDeleteTHE WIZARD OF OZ
ReplyDelete> Too easy!
Two, easy!
> This one's for Dr. Awkward.
Our own wizard from Oz.
> No slackers this week!
Follow those gold bricks!
Haha, thank you! I like the idea of the Wizard Down Under...
DeleteTHE WIZARD OF OZ (—> TWO)
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Blainevillians, from Folly Beach, SC, where sun and surf abound.
My first comment, “Easy…”, was almost “Too easy…”’ but I thought better of it.
My reply to Nodd, “Or, obliquely, Long John Baldry” —> Baldry provided Elton John’s surname. (His first name came from saxophonist Elton Dean.) In 1973, Elton John released the LP Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Howie Roark seems to have got it.
The “personal resonance” in my reply to Unknown, i. e., Margaret G., acknowledged that she shared a first name with Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. Hence, my afterthought, “which you are doubtless aware of.”
Time again to hit the surf. Ciao!
Yes, the profile pic is from the last US stop on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour (that's me in yellow).
DeleteTHE WIZARD OF OZ"--->
ReplyDelete"T"+"W"+"O"-->
'OZ"-->{2 letters in last word of title of classic film)
I wrote, “The movie has a surprise link to my alma mater, the US Naval Academy.” We midshipmen used to call West Point cadets “woops.” The story behind the term is that the flying monkeys, who go “Woop, woop, woop,” wear capes just like those of the cadets’ uniforms.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI posted “50”, which is the atomic number of tin.
ReplyDeleteThe Wizard of Oz (with "Oz" = t.w.o. letters)
ReplyDeleteMy clues:
Good morning from Salem, Mass., which by now is a summer-vacation destination in its own right.
Salem's nickname is "Witch City." Obviously, the characters in the movie include witches. (I was even so bold as to say, "Salem, Mass., which by now…." I thought the post might get blog-administered for that.)
Also, about the phrase saying Salem was a summer-vacation destination in its own right by now—until recently, tourism in Salem was primarily all about October, with all its Halloween associations—and, again, witches. (Well, October still is the peak season, only that now Salem attracts more visitors year-round.)
A TV show, too.
That was in response to Tortitude's post, "A more recent movie comes to mind." The TV show I had in mind was Oz, of course.
To get Blaine's clue, you have to look deeper (kind of).
The wizard character's full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. Blaine was getting at "digs," of course. With a name that long, you have to keep looking—or dig deeper—to get there.
Oh, and that character's first name…hmm, I don't think I can say any more without TMI.
The movie won two of the five Oscars it was nominated for, plus Judy Garland received an honorary Oscar (Academy Juvenile Award) that same season.
Hmm…maybe even Thompson Twins?
That was in response to Nodd's post, "Musical clue: Kenny Rogers." One of Thompson Twins' greatest hits was Doctor! Doctor! Today, there is this famous TV personality, Dr. Oz.
I tried to anagram the locale where the greater part of the movie is set, but wordsmith.org came back saying "No anagrams found." That locale must be too unique.
Now you might go "Duh! What would 'Oz' anagram to?" However: I didn't try "Oz" but "Land of Oz." Wordsmith.org didn't find any anagrams even for this "long version" of the locale.
My clue: There is a connection between one of the stars of this movie and last week's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteLarry Storch inadvertently set in motion the Cary Grant line, "Judy, Judy, Judy" during one of his nightclub acts. Legend has it that he was in the middle of a Grant impersonation when Judy Garland walked in, and that's how he addressed the star. Even though the line was never said in any of Grant's movies, Storch's impression stuck and was often used by other impressionists.
True, Scarlett... including Goober Pyle!
Delete"LegoLegoLego!"
Hilarious! I've been watching an episode of Andy Griffith every evening. Much better than watching the news!
DeleteThe Wizard of Oz
ReplyDeleteThe initials spell TWO. Oz has 2 letters.
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ReplyDeleteSimilar classic movie title initials except the last make a word:
ReplyDeleteSnow White And The Seven (dwarfs) => SWATS
The Wizard of Oz. My hint referred to the movie Twisters, which has equipment called Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion. FYI, on November 22, Wicked will be released.
ReplyDeleteOther "more recent" movies could include Twister (the original), The Wiz, and any of the seven movies from the "wizarding world of Harry Potter."
DeleteAlthough I was going to clue a tangential reference to Bill Cosby, I withdrew it as probably TMI and too icky in general. So it's pretty common knowledge while Buddy Ebsen the original Tin Man was dusted with aluminum, the horses were painted with less toxic jello.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but opine there's no way Geneal Grant's horse would tolerate that indignity. (Although what Cincinnati liked off duty was his own business, (even if he was a horse of a different color).
https://media.newyorker.com/cartoons/66a008cb2277e40b4f044154/master/w_1280,c_limit/a22519.jpg
ReplyDeleteCartoon re: Wizard of Oz that I referred to in comment.
The Wizard of Oz.
ReplyDeleteI clued simply "Frank" because anyone who didn't know the movie wouldn't make sense of "Frank," but if you know Frank Oz, he was a key member of the team that created Sesame Street, voiced Ernie (and other muppets), and still works today (he produced "In & Of Itself").
And Kermit sang "it's not easy being green," and Elphaba was green, and had no easy time of it.
"Frank" could also refer to L. Frank Baum.
DeleteYeah, but that's "L. Frank," which is a gimme.
DeleteFirst of all:
DeleteFrank Oz voiced Bert, not Ernie. That was Jim Henson himself.
"THE WIZARD OF OZ", TWO, OZ
Supertramp had the hit song "Take The Long Way Home", which Dorothy and Toto ended up having to do. I would've reference the group America and their hit "Tin Man", or Sir Elton's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", but I probably would've risked being at the mercy of the mean old "blog administrator".
pjbCould'veAlsoReferenced"ThoseShoes" ByTheEagles(MoreOfADeepCutThere,Perhaps)
You are totally right, Cranberry. I was Muppet sloppy. Jim Henson voiced/operated Kermit and Ernie. Frank Oz voiced/operated Bert. And my favorite Muppeteer Carroll Spinney voiced Oscar and Big Bird. (And I used to tell my elementary school friends you will never see Oscar and Big Bird in the same scene and they didn't believe me)
DeleteKermit also sang about a "Rainbow Connection".
ReplyDeleteI worked with Jim Henson and Frank Oz on my very first professional job. Best job I've ever had, even though it was 55 years ago!
DeleteWow.
DeleteNot as big a deal as it sounds. I was six years old and they fed me milk and cookies (and, fortunately, SAG / AFTRA wages) to talk to Muppets all day. Still -- the best job I've ever had.
DeleteI think I got Blaine's clue. Anyone have the answer?
ReplyDeleteI think it may be Chesterfield. Waiting to see.
DeleteChatgpt got the puzzle answer immediately.
ReplyDeleteThe Wizard of Oz
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “Reminds me of a character in a sitcom.” I’m thinking of the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
My apologies for this tardy posting of this week's prieview of Puzzleria!
ReplyDeleteOur friend Nodd takes center stage on this week's Puzzleria!
His recurrent "Nodd ready for prime time" puzzle package (which is deserving of a “Good Puzzlekeeping Nodd Of Approval”) contains a half-dozen puzzles about
~"Poetry & politics,"
~"Artists singing,"
~"A Spice girl,"
~"Slippery city slickers,"
~"A Capital In disorder," and
~ his ever-popular "Anna Graham’s Poetry Corner."
As if that weren't enough, Nodd has also composed seven puzzle riffs on this week's NPR puzzle challenge, for a total of 13 puzzles!
We upload Puzzleria! on Thursday, usually sometime in the afternoon PDT.
Also on this week's menu:
* A Schpuzzle of the Week titled "National pastels pastime?"
* A “Simbovine” Hors d’Oeuvre titled "The most serpentine season?"
* A “Stagnation” Slice titled "One or more continental creatures,"
* An Adjectival Dessert titled “Can you describe the man who mugged you, Ma’am?” and
* fifteen Riff-offs of this week's NPR Challenge Puzzle, titled “Id, Oz,... Iz there also a ‘Wizard of Ca?’” including seven riffs by Nodd and a knotty and witty "Hold your Horses" riff created by Plantsmith.
That's 26 puzzles!
LegoWhoGivesThisWeek'sPuzzleria!HisWholehearted"NoddOfApproval!"
"Mistah Kurtz? He dead." That is of course from Conrad's The Heart of Darkness, which was the inspiration for Apocalypse Now, which, when you think about it, is not entirely unlike The Wizard of Oz.
ReplyDeleteI had commented initially that I was relieved that I was allowed to post. Since my screen name on this blog is a movie name, there is that risk when it is a movie-related puzzle. There was no clue in that. I then replied to that comment, noting that it did not have a clue, and could be ignored if you were looking for clues. Of course, I could NOT phrase it as, "Pay no attention to (the man behind the curtain)." :-)
ReplyDeleteMy hint: Kenny Rogers. He sang "Ruby," as in Dorothy's slippers.
ReplyDeleteCan't get over the fact they recently found Dorothy's dress
Delete(one of several, like the slippers) In the Archives of the Theatre Dept. Of Catholic University in DC. It was gifted to the department's founder Father Gilbert Hartke by the late actress Mercedes Mc Cambridge, I believe she was the voice of the demon in the classic film The Exorcist.
I have heard the Smithsonian spent something like $600
thousand to conserve their pair of the ruby slippers.
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DeleteThanks. I shall Mull that over.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOz Pinhead
ReplyDeleteSeattle and Eugene OR are known as the Emerald City, as in the Wizard of Oz.
ReplyDeleteYes and before that we were the Queen City, and prior to that we were The Gateway To The Orient.
DeleteWhat do most swimming pools and many old men have in common?
ReplyDeleteI can't come up with an answer. But I look forward hearing the punchline.
DeleteDeep ends.
DeleteOh my! That was worth the wait!
DeleteMy clues - “ounce of hope” - ounce abbreviated is “oz”. Then “I’m just a little off in my timing” was reference to “I’m off….to see the wizard”.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTrump is backing out of the ABC debate he agreed upon. Now people are saying he is afraid of debating Harris. Come on! They both have to stand while debating and this is unfair to one of the contenders who is suffering from BONE SPURS! Have you no decency?
Do you know how most gravediggers will describe how they look at their work?
ReplyDelete"It depends." ["It deep ends."]
DeleteSDB, That's what Bill Clinton now says, when asked "boxers or briefs?"
DeleteThat's what Bill Clinton now says, when asked "boxers or briefs?"
DeleteThis week's challenge comes from listener Judy Seaman, of Sandy Springs, Ga. Think of a famous American woman with a two-syllable last name. The first syllable is spelled like a body part, but isn't pronounced like one. The second syllable is pronounced like a body part, but isn't spelled like one. Who is this famous woman?
ReplyDeleteVery easy.
DeleteAbsolutely my quickest solve ever. First woman I thought of.
ReplyDeleteNow to come up with a clue that wont be DBA'd.
How is summer, everyone? Any exciting trips in the books? Or yet to look forward to?
ReplyDeleteOver 1300 correct entries last week.
ReplyDelete