39-Across's 75th birthday is tomorrow (May 20, 2021). Happy Birthday to an icon. The quote referenced in 21-Across is iconic enough that Taylor Swift referenced it in a music video. The title of this puzzle has nothing to do with anything except it's one of my favorite movies and, of course, stars 39-Across.
Happy Bday! didn't realize 39-ACROSS is turning 75 wow! very nice puzzle... also the clue for NYT is hilarious - never knew about the history behind it
Broadcast journalist Pauley who interviewed 39-Across in 1996
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Orizzontali
1A
Broadcast journalist Pauley who interviewed 39-Across in 1996
5A
Sacred dung beetle
11A
Lure for a dung beetle
12A
Claim
13A
Swerve
14A
Muffle
15A
Your sister's wife, for example
17A
"Well ____ you clever!"
18A
Another term for mmHg, named in honor of the inventor of the barometer
20A
Tokyo, formerly
21A
"Mom, ____" (iconic 39-Across quote from a 1996 interview with 1-Across)
25A
____ Sound (record label founded by Drake)
26A
Pouty face
27A
Value
29A
Dare's partner
33A
Director's direction
35A
Chiwere speakers
36A
Almost
37A
Metrical foot
38A
"On Every ____" (Dire Straits song)
39A
See 21-Across
Verticali
1D
Bon ____
2D
Mideast port
3D
"The First ____" (Christmas carol)
4D
Second-edition feature, perhaps
5D
Word often said by Prince Merkimer in "Disenchantment" (usually as he's being thrown out a window or some such thing)
6D
Unambiguous
7D
Banned apple spray
8D
Cash in, as a coupon
9D
Word after hidden or before item
10D
Unlikely to be deterred from
16D
Sci-fi staple also called an Einsten-Rosen bridge (which seems to be the term Marvel prefers because they're just tOo CoOl, but it's not more scientifically correct just because you use a different name for it)
19D
Animated movie from 2011 about a macaw
21D
Clint Barton and James T. Kirk, for two
22D
Wading bird that's one letter different from the French word for "avocado" (which is also the French word for "lawyer"... somehow)
23D
Brick and ____
24D
Like Wonder Woman
28D
One of four on a car
30D
The Beehive State (despite being somewhere around 24th in the US for honey production)
31D
Hefty volume
32D
Semitic lang.
34D
Newspaper that resisted having a crossword puzzle for almost 30 years (it's true, look it up) and then pretended like they invented the damn thing and everyone must bow before their supremacy: Abbr.