This was amazing!! These shows are definitely very familiar to me from childhood, and those moms generally matched my own: hardworking, self-sacrificing, wise, and kind. I’d say Pietá was also an easter egg in this one, except for the TV element. The cluing was so entertaining. Great Mother’s Day gift!
I've never seen any of these (maybe one episode of Beaver many decades ago), but they are such an important part of our culture that I knew them (thought I had to Google to check). Also, what El Savage said: it was my mother who was the word-game force in our family.
Hey, the clue that there are easter eggs can be an extra clue. I kind of like that idea.
But there are only 5 clues that are both across and down (1,6,10,29,45) and you there are 71 numbers so there are 71 + 5= 75 clues total. (Can argue with simple and correct math... can argue with incorrect math but not with simple math)
No nudges needed. I knew it had to be day related, and I was looking to try to use the letters from a rearranged METERS and IMON; taking letters from all the mother references (ABOY, PIETA, CALF, RAISES, EGGS). Then I got the idea,Highly Visible -> Shirley Temple -> Stage Moms but that was a one off. It was then that I remembered thinking that when I saw CLEAVER, BEAVER popped into my mind and I went back and saw CAROL BRADY, SHIRLEY PARTRIDGE and JUNE CLEAVER. I did go looking for others: Peg board game - PLINKO/ Bundy portrayer Zach - EPHRON, Mary and her little - LAMB/Cooper with a Leather Stocking - JAMES and it is likely I missed something else while looking, but luckily got the answer.
Nice puzzle for Mother's Day Davy and great cluing. Also, I learned somehting; I would have said Emu's and partridges were omnivores...guess you can't just sit in a pear tree all day and ignore passing food.
Thanks for the puzzle and Happy Mother's Day to Mrs. Gravy, your family did a great job.