Focus On Crossword Puzzles - Freedom Communications, Inc.

News 8 Friday, Dec. 20, 2013
Orange County Register
1
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO 10 ACROSS ...
100 YEARS
O F TH E
CROSSWORD
THE WORLD’S FIRST
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
The world’s first crossword puzzle
was published by the New York
World newspaper, 100 years ago
Saturday. However, it wasn’t called
crossword — not quite yet. The term
was Word-Cross and the puzzle was
diamond shaped.
The puzzle’s creator, Arthur Wynne,
was born in Liverpool, England. He
immigrated to the U.S. in 1898 at
the age of 19, moved to Pittsburgh
and worked for the Pittsburgh
Press. He also played violin for the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
the war between the World and
William Randolph Hearst’s New
York Journal-American.
Wynne later moved to Joseph
Pulitzer’s New York World newspaper — at the time the most visually
interesting paper in the nation.
Pulitzer stuffed his paper — especially his Sunday editions — full of
pictures, illustrations and what we
today would call infographics and,
yes, even presentations similar to
the O.C. Register’s Focus pages.
Magic Squares made its way to
England in the 19th century as a
children’s game. Wynne took the
idea and turned it on its ear,
discarding the anagram-like aspect,
placing the words himself, but then
hiding them, giving the reader clues
on how the puzzle is to be filled in.
Unfortunately, Pulitzer also tended
to play a little loose with facts and
to overplay — or “sensationalize” —
stories. The term “yellow journalism” was coined, in part, because of
The editor of the World asked
Wynne to come up with a new
type of puzzle for the Sunday
paper. Wynne’s idea was based
on a word game played in ancient
Pompeii called Magic Squares: A
player is given a group of words —
in Latin, of course — and has to
arrange them on a grid so that
the words read the same way
across and down.
Crosswords caught on with adults
and spread rapidly through American and British newspapers in the
1920s. It wasn’t until 28 years later
— Feb. 15, 1942 — that the New York
Times jumped on the bandwagon
with a crossword puzzle of its own.
Move over, Word Search.
Sorry, Sudoku. Crawl
back to your crypt,
Cryptoquote. You’re
nuthin’ but junk, Jumble.
100 years ago Saturday,
the world’s first
crossword puzzle
appeared in Joseph
Pulitzer’s New York
World newspaper.
OUR BIRTHDAY PRESENT
FOR YOU: A SPECIAL
CENTENNIAL PUZZLE
We know how much
newspaper readers
love their crosswords,
so we’re celebrating
with a custommade puzzle by the
Register’s very own
puzzlemaster, David
Steinberg.
David creates the
crosswords published in the
Register’s family of weekly
community papers. He’s also the
founder and director of the
Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project, a
collaborative effort to build a
digitized, searchable and analyzable database of New York Times
crossword puzzles before Will
Shortz became editor.
At 14, David became the secondyoungest crossword constructor to
be published in the
New York Times
under Shortz’
editorship. His work
has appeared in
other publications
including The Wall
Street Journal,
Newsday, the
Chronicle of Higher
Education, Fireball
Crosswords, Celebrity Crosswords
and the Los Angeles Times.
David is a junior at Palos Verdes
Peninsula High School in Rolling
Hills Estates. Saturday, he’s giving
a talk on crosswords at the Palos
Verdes Peninsula Center Library.
The hourlong presentation will
begin at 2 p.m.
Find his website at:
preshortzianpuzzleproject.com
‘SEIZE THE DAY’
Here is Arthur Wynne’s original Word-Cross puzzle for the World:
ACROSS
1. Emulate a bat
5. Raisiny rum cake
9. Pizzazz
13. Second most common
state in crosswords
14. Hello or goodbye
16. It has healthy hips
17. Former European capital
18. Infatuation with sweets?
20. Order in the court
21. Champagne companion
22. It rests in a bed
23. T-square, e.g.
25. “Forever, ___” (1996
humor anthology)
27. Poker champ Ungar
28. Mandolin relative
30. Vowelless degree
32. Acquire meritoriously
34. Witherspoon of “Mud”
36. Military sticker?
41. Al ___ (trattoria spec)
42. Mauna ___
43. Without pizzazz
44. Stole a supermarket
symbol?
46. One-named “Rumour
Has It” singer
47. Grimm beast
48. Grimm ending?
50. Chowderhead
See solution on page 13
Sources: The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project, About.com, Wikimedia Commons
51. Pizzazz
54. Charlock, chervil, or chive
56. “The Avengers” god
58. Kind of delivery
60. Base show
62. Accept or decline
65. Not the strongest
prisons?
67. Base no-show
68. Agatha peer
69. “That’s scary!”
70. Fashionable way to run
71. Tomato variety
72. Third most common
state in crosswords
73. Produced progeny
DOWN
1. Unsettled person?
2. Call to a mate
3. When the Paris Métro
opened
4. ___ journalism
5. Moon rock material
6. One who might come
home for homecoming
7. Bacall’s mate
8. “I get this clue!”
9. Writes tihs clue, say
10. Churls
11. Frozen ___
(unusable possession)
12. Jacket style worn
by Dr. No
15. Diner attractions
19. Fast track event
24. Free number numbers
26. Like “Psycho” in 1998
28. Language that gave
us “cushy”
29. Medieval stronghold
31. Hot hot weather wear
33. Unlikely prom king
35. Historic Normandy town
37. Fish of the future
38. Joan of Arc’s conflict
39. Cure-___ (nostrums)
40. Corrosive compounds
45. With no strings attached
49. Peak SE of Olympus
51. Juice
52. Febrero preceder
53. King David composition
55. Confidence game: Var.
57. Pulsonic toothbrush
maker
59. Unböring company
61. Lie with statistics
63. November buzzword
64. Said "nolo contendere,"
say
66. Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter
___”
See solution on page 13
COMPILED BY CHARLES APPLE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
FROM PAGE 1
Orange County Register
Friday, Dec. 20, 2013 News 13
1
HOW DISNEYLAND WAS
TRANSFORMED INTO 1 961
EXTRAS
F R O M PA G E 1
be shot inside the park.
“Saving Mr. Banks” shows
how Disney, in the early
1960s, attempted to persuade author P.L. Travers,
played by Emma Thompson, to sign over the rights
to make the “Mary Poppins” movie.
Nine Disney employees
were among the 400 overall
cast as extras who got
dressed up in 1960s clothes
to appear as park guests.
About 10 others, including
drivers and balloon vendors, performed their jobs
while the cameras rolled.
The drivers and balloon
vendors got their regular
Disneyland pay. They didn’t
change their costumes – the
current ones look like those
from the ’60s. And the vehicles are the same: Fire Department Engine No. 1 has
been in operation since
1958; Walt Disney used to
drive it. The yellow Horseless Carriage hit Main
Street in 1956.
“It was really fun,” said
Ken Goodman, a driver for
eight years.
The Disneyland segment
of “Banks” is short, five or
six minutes, and covers
when Walt takes Travers to
Disneyland for a break
from developing the movie.
Finley and Goodman
drive in the background
and vendor Nick Lanham
holds balloons, while the actors stroll along Main
Street toward Sleeping
Beauty Castle.
Finley, who has seen the
movie, said he doesn’t think
he or the fire engine made
the cut.
The back of Goodman’s
head is visible in the yellow
Horseless Carriage as
Hanks and Thompson
saunter by. His shoulder
and arm made the trailer.
Goodman might be on
the steam train in the movie, when it trundles by as
the stars walk into the park.
Off-camera,
Thompson
waved to him.
Filming day, Finley got to
the park about 4:30 a.m. to
prepare the engine. He was
told to drive up the street,
then back again, before the
park opened to the public.
He estimates there were 20
takes. “What was great is
all the kids (extras) were in
period outfits, all in ’60s attire,” Finley said.
Goodman’s carriage was
stationed in front of the
Main Street Cinema, where
he waited with extras to
drive up and back about
B R I E F LY
WISCONSIN LAW
CRACKS DOWN ON
MASCOT CRITICS
Wisconsin Gov. Scott
Walker on Thursday signed
a bill that will make it harder to force public schools
to drop tribal nicknames,
pushing aside charges that
the measure is racist.
The measure requires a
petition to trigger a state
review of a nickname – a
departure
from current
law
that states
a
single
complaint
is enough to
prompt an
evaluation.
Walker
It
also
wipes out all previous state
orders for schools to drop
race-based mascots.
Walker, a Republican,
signed the measure privately Thursday. He released a statement saying
he’s worried current law infringes on free speech.
Detroit officials
to split duties
Detroit’s
emergency
manager and its mayorelect announced a plan
Thursday to divide responsibilities for running the
government, as the city re-
Crews scoured
the theme park’s
archives to dress
people and sites
for the movie.
ANAHEIM
It took five
months of planning to
transform Disneyland into
1961 for “Saving Mr.
Banks.”
Al Flores,
a parks production director
at
Disneyland,
said he got a
SARAH
call in JanuTULLY
ary
2012
REGISTER
about
a
twoWRITER
day shoot
for
early
November that year. In
June or so, planning
ramped up.
About 150 Disneyland
employees, including 50
broadcast-production team
members and other crowdcontrol crews, were used to
assist in the filming.
The producers had
planned a three-minute
scene that included Disneyland’s entrance, Main
Street, U.S.A. and Fantasyland. It ended up stretched
to roughly five minutes.
Flores explained some of
the modifications:
Entrance: Signs looking
like the ones from the 1960s
were placed above turnstiles. The Mickey Mouse
flower garden was altered
to have the same look from
that era for a scene when
●
JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Steve Finley, 6 1, who’s been a driver at Disneyland since 1 973, doesn’t think he made
the scene in “Saving Mr. Banks” set at the park in the 1 960s.
KEN GOODMAN
Age: 74
City of residence: San
Juan Capistrano
Years at Disneyland: 8
Job: Main Street, U.S.A.
vehicle driver and steam
train conductor
How he started at Disneyland: Goodman decided
to work at Disneyland after
he retired from his job in
sales and manufacturing of
computers
COURTESY OF DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC.
In “Saving Mr. Banks,” Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) tries to
persuade P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) to allow his
studio to bring “Mary Poppins” to the big screen.
four or five times.
Between takes, Hanks
led the carriage passengers
in a round of the “Mickey
Mouse Club March,” with
an “M-I-C-K-E-Y” shout
out.
Farther down the street,
there was a child, apparently an extra, with a birthday
button, so he led the “Happy Birthday” song with a
megaphone.
“It was really cute,”
Goodman said.
While cameras roll, Lanham pretends to sell balloons to children, with
Hanks and Thompson nearby. In one scene, Lanham is
strategically placed by the
gates to block outside visitors who were trying to see
the movie set. He also
masked the modern-style
turnstiles during takes.
“At the time, it was kind
of surreal. I didn’t realize
how big of a movie it is,”
said Lanham, who has yet to
see it. “But now, looking
back, I’m glad that I got to
see the nostalgia of Disneyland and how it was at that
time.”
Off-set, Finley and Goodman happened to see the
actors taking a break. Al-
| N AT I O N
organizes under federal
bankruptcy laws.
Kevyn Orr, the state-appointed emergency manager, will continue to direct
overall financial operations,
oversee federal grants and
maintain police oversight.
Mike Duggan, who becomes
mayor next month, will be
responsible for day-to-day
operations and will appoint
non-civil-service positions
within the executive branch
of city government.
Texas deputy slain
serving warrant
A sheriff’s deputy was
killed Thursday after gunfire erupted while he was
serving a warrant at a home
in central Texas, authorities said.
Sgt. Adam Sowders, 31,
was part of a team of officers entering a rural residence east of Somerville,
about 90 miles northwest of
Houston, Burleson County
Sheriff Dale Stroud said.
No other officers were hurt.
A suspect was in custody,
Stroud said.
Also,
After requests from Satanists, Hindus and animal
lovers to erect displays at
the Oklahoma Capitol, a
panel
overseeing
the
grounds has imposed a moratorium on new requests
for such monuments.
though Disneyland employees aren’t supposed to bother celebrities, the actors
struck up a conversation.
Goodman handed them
“Honorary Citizen” buttons.
Finley told Hanks that he
used to watch “Bosom Buddies,” the TV comedy from
the early ’80s in which
Hanks dresses up like a
woman. “He cringed a little,” Finley said. “That’s
from his distant past.”
When Finley said that he
used to be a Jungle Cruise
skipper, Hanks broke out
into a bit of the spiel, which
they did together.
As a driver for 29 years,
Finley has given rides to celebrities, including Heidi
Klum and Mickey Rooney,
during parades and special
events. In November, he
drove Jimmy Kimmel for a
taping of “The View.”
But this was his first big,
studio movie.
Last month, Disneyland
treated employees who
were extras and helped
with filming to an early
screening of “Saving Mr.
Banks.” They scanned the
screen to see if they were on
it. Disneyland employees
STEVE FINLEY
Age: 6 1
City of residence: Downey
Years at Disneyland: 40
Job: Driver of Main Street
fire engine. Previous jobs
include working at Tomorrowland Terrace and at several attractions, including
the PeopleMover, Autopia
and Jungle Cruise
How he started at Disneyland: Finley began in
1 973 while in junior college.
He never finished college,
opting to stay at Disneyland
NICK LANHAM
Age: 2 1
City of residence: Yorba
Linda
Years at Disneyland: 2 1⁄2
Job: Outdoor vending, including balloon sales
How he started at Disneyland: Lanham started
part time when he was a
senior in high school and is
continuing while a Fullerton
College student
are thanked in the credits.
The two drivers enjoyed
the movie, which is getting
solid reviews. Goodman has
always been a fan of Hanks’
movies, including “Cast
Away.”
His favorite?
“Probably ‘Saving Mr.
Banks,’ ” he said.
Tom Hanks, playing Walt
Disney, stands in front.
Crews dug up ride posters
from the archives to hang
along the gate.
Windows: Hanks’ character looks up at a window
with a name on it, Elias Disney, Walt’s father, along
Main Street. At the time,
there was a bronze castle
statue below the window,
which crews found in the
archives.
Merchandise
from the 1960s was put in a
display behind the window.
Characters: Designers
sewed eight new character
costumes in the old style,
including Mickey Mouse
and Pluto, to appear in Disneyland and at the “Mary
Poppins” premiere scene at
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
Costumes: A rehearsal
hall was set up with 22 styling stations. About 400 extras got to the park around
4 a.m. for hair, makeup and
dressing up; some wore
high heels and pillbox hats.
Hanks wore a tie tack with
the insignia for Smoke Tree
Ranch, where Walt Disney
owned homes in Palm
Springs.
Sleeping Beauty Castle:
Disneyland crews postponed the installation of
many holiday decorations
for a week to accommodate
the movie’s needs. But the
snow on the castle was already up because of the taping of a TV Christmas special. So movie producers relied on Hollywood magic,
using special effects to remove the snow.
‘SAVING MR. BANKS’
The Walt Disney Pictures movie is centered on the
two weeks that Walt Disney spent trying to persuade
author P.L. Travers to give over the rights to make
the “Mary Poppins” movie. Walt Disney had tried for
20 years to get authorization at the urging of his two
daughters, who wanted him to make the film based
on a favorite book.
The Disneyland segment comes about two-thirds
through the 1 25-minute movie and lasts five to six
minutes, showing the park entrance, Main Street,
U.S.A. and Fantasyland, where Tom Hanks and Emma
Thompson take a ride on King Arthur Carrousel.
The movie came out in limited release Dec. 1 3 and
goes into wide release today.
Other movies filmed at Disneyland:
“40 Pounds of Trouble”: The 1 962 film stars Tony
Curtis and was centered at Disneyland.
● “That Thing You Do”: The last movie officially allowed to film at Disneyland. It stars Tom Hanks and
was released in 1 996. It’s about a band scoring a hit
in 1 964.
● “Escape From Tomorrow”: Independent filmmakers
secretly filmed segments at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in the movie released earlier this year.
SOLUTIONS ...
... to the Word-Cross and crossword
puzzles on today’s Focus page.
M
D O
M O R
H A
L
R
F U N
S A L E S
R E C E I P T
E R E
F A R
V E
R A
E
D
R D
T I
I O N
S A N
E V E N I N G
E V A D E
A R E
D
M
I L
R A W
E D
D
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