Ryan and Brian Do Crosswords

Ok, I’m stuck.  I got about 75% percent of the grid done in 10 minutes but I’ve been staring at the bottom right of this Karen M. Tracey offering for quite a long time now.

62A. Louis Armstrong’s “Weather Bird” collaborator.  Well, it’s somebody HINES.  Somewhat maddening as I feel this guy/gal has appeared in crosswords many times before.

64A. Not willful? Ok, this ends with STATE.  Could it end with ESTATE?  Is it some joke about a legal will?

59A. Courage.  I’m pretty sure this is STOUTNESS.  It’s definitely something NESS.

56A. Young vixen.  I have __T.  I just don’t know what it is.

41D. Soviet premier Kosygin.  ALO_S__.  No clue.  Absolutely no clue.

42D. New Brunswick’s river. RAM_T__.  I’m not sure where New Brunswick is.  Judging by the name it could be in the US, Canada or Great Britain…or somewhere else.

So that’s where I’m stuck.  The two keys are Young vixen and Not willful.  If I can get those two I have a chance at figuring the rest out.  The others are trivia that I’m not going to suddenly know.

As I said, the top came pretty easily.  (Keep in mind I haven’t checked any of these answers so some or all of them may be wrong.)

1A. Third Servile War leader (SPARTACUS).  I started the Kirk Douglas film once but couldn’t get through it.  I did enjoy finding out that the battle between Mel Brooks and Gregory Hines in History of the World, Part I was a bit of a parody of one of the scenes in Spartacus.

10A. 1970s R&B trio in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with “the” (OJAYS).  Taken directly out of my tuchus.  I couldn’t name you one of their songs.

15A. Driving ambition? (HOLEINONE).  I got this one immediately which, to me, means it’s too easy for a Saturday.

16A. Hero (POBOY).  I now know that 99% of hero clues have some type of sandwich as the answer.  By the way, my wife and I gave up on Heroes halfway through last season.  I heard the premiere sucked.  Is that true?

22A. Fatty acid, e.g. (ESTER).  Hey, this answer was in yesterday’s puzzle.  I think this is called applied knowledge.

31A. Whence the expression “mum’s the word” (DONQUIXOTE).  That is something I did not know.

35A. “Hogan’s Heroes” figure.  Ok, I haven’t typed it in yet but it certainly looks like this is going to be NAZI.  Am I wrong?  I thought NAZI was banned from the puzzle.

44A. 1999 film satirizing media ruthlessness (EDTV).  I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think Ron Howard is a very good director.  Most of his movies lack some connection for me.  Here’s what I think.  He likes to make movies about ordinary human experiences that we can all relate to.  But he has had about the least ordinary life you can imagine.  He’s been a star and a household name since he was a little kid.  I don’t think his vision of reality is anywhere close to mine.  Having said that, Splash kicks ass.

45A. Half-sister of King Arthur.  Ok, I have ELAINE here but that could be very, very wrong.  ELAINE doesn’t sound like character out of an English legend.  This one crosses with the Soviet Premier and the New Brunswick river so if it’s wrong it’s totally screwing up my mojo.

57A. First lady of the 1980s (RAISA).  Is this Mrs. Gorbachev?  My first guess, like most people’s, was NANCY but that was way too easy for a Saturday.

24D. Ancestors from long, long ago (APEMEN).  I hope someone brings up this clue in the Vice Presidential debate.

26D. Vassals (LIEGES).  I’m not sure what’s going on here.  Is this right?  I thought a vassal was a type of servant and a liege was a type of master.  Clearly, I’m wrong somewhere.

28D. Creator of Earthquake McGoon and Moonbeam McSwine (CAPP).  I’m really not sure who Al Capp is.  I thought he was a character in a comic strip.  Or is that Andy Capp?

Ok, it’s time to go to sleep.  I hope to dream of former Soviet Premiers and rivers in towns of indeterminate locations then wake up and finish off the puzzle.  I’ll post an update to let you know how I make out.

Next stop, Sunday.