Monday Puzzle #24 or "Eine Kleine The Producers"

We completed a disc of The Riches last night, so that is all safely packed up and on its way back to Netflix. So, Dr. Zhivago, my epic, should arrive soon.

Puzzle #24 had an embarrassing mistake. Just moving too fast – that’s my only excuse. 5 across, “Computer/phone line link.” MODEM. I had motem. With a t? Believe me, I know how to spell modem. That meant I got 7 down wrong, “Mafia chiefs.” DONS. I had TONS. Whatever.

Other than that, I completed the puzzle. Clues and answers I got, but don’t really know are:
32 across, “’Every good boy does fine’ and others.” MNEMONIC DEVICES. I don’t know what a mnemonic device is. Oh, it’s a memory or learning device. Never Eat Soggy Waffles (i.e. North, South, East, West). But, what does “every good boy does fine” stand for? Oh, it’s E G B D F – the notes on the scale. In Seattle, we use “Jesus Christ made Seattle under protest” to remember the downtown streets: Jefferson, James, Cherry, Columbia, Marion, Madison, Spring, Seneca, University, Union, Pike, Pine. Of course, you have to remember that there are two for each letter. And, what order they go in…

66 across, “1978 Jazz musical.” EUBIE. Huh? I have never heard of that – not even a little ring of a bell. It won a Tony award and Gregory Hines was in it.

68 across, “Ehrich ___, Houdini’s real name.” WEISS. Did not know that.

11 down, “Rotgut, e.g.” BOOZE. I’ve heard of the term rotgut, but mainly as a term attributed to my coffee. Urban Dictionary provides an entertaining definition:

“Not just cheap, but terrible liquor designed mostly to get you wasted and not much else. The term originated in the old west when many alcoholic beverages were designed purely to be easily afforded by anyone and their dog and to get the drinker hammered, often times, these cheap alcohols would make the drinker sick (due to the extremely low-quality of the ingredients). These days, the term just means something that's not much better in taste than rubbing alcohol and good for nothing more than getting you piss drunk when you're on a budget. The single easiest way to detect rotgut is just by looking at the bottle. If it's in a plastic bottle, chances are good it tastes like piss mixed with gasoline. More often than not, anyone who claims to like rotgut is a poser teenager who thinks getting drunk makes them Billy Badass. Furthermore, a discerning drinker may consider anything below a certain standard of flavour as rotgut. If you can afford the "good" stuff, why the hell would you drink the bad stuff?"

Looooove it!

22 down, “Singer Makeba.” MIRIAM. According to WikiP, she was an African singer and civil rights activist. She died in November of 2008.

36 down, “’___ kleine Nachtmusik’.” EINE. I knew it was something, something, Night Music. But, that doesn’t help me get eine.

42 down, “Rembrandt van ___.” RYN. Apparently, Rembrandt had a last name.

This one I knew, but I’ve never seen it. It was 9 down, “Brooks of ‘The Producers.’” MEL, of course (my favorite movie ever and in the entire world is Young Frankenstein – saw the pre-Broadway run of the musical at the Paramount in Seattle – front row seats). The Producers is now on my Netflix list. Ooh, I can watch it online - might do that tonight.

Tried and true clues were:

“Diva’s solo,” ARIA
“Slender woodwinds,” OBOES
“Native New Zealanders,” MAORIS (I think I protest the plural version of this, but am too tired to Google it.)