Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumper, by Stella Zawistowski, begins: 1-A, eleven letters, “It takes willpower.” Uh, like this puzzle? The willpower to keep going even when it seems that one has nothing? It’s a hard, hard Stumper.

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

3-D, five letters, “Massenet opera wirh Castilian soldiers.” Me, after solving: “That is fiendish.” Elaine, after I told her the answer: “That is totally fiendish.”

10-D, six letters, “Postcard paper.” I haven’t thought of the answer in years. Must look up.

15-A, eleven letters, “Not a broad way” and 16-A, three letters, “B’way, by definition.” An irresistible row.

21-D, seven letters, “Splendid display.” My first thought was PAGEANT.

30-A, nine letters, “Impatient utterance.” I don’t think so. I think of the answer as expressing dread, not impatience.

30-D, nine letters, “Not meant to spread around.” Good one.

44-D, six letters, “Bar from ’50s TV.” I have no idea what this clue is about. oh, wait: I think I do.

46-A, seven letters, “1990s depictors of Cortes and Pizarro.” Wait, there was a movie about Cortés and Pizarro?

49-A, three letters, “180 intro.” Had to be.

49-D, five letters, “Disinfect, in a way.” Ick.

55-A, six letters, “Steel production.” Tricky. I was thinking of every kind of BEAM imaginable.

59-D, three letters, “Relatively recent story starter.” Got it.

60-A, three letters, “It can mean ‘imitation.’” And sometimes does.

61-A, eleven letters, “Simon says it’s about Beatty.” A giveaway, I think. If not, a moment of instruction.

My favorite in this puzzle: 4-D, four letters, “Angels fear it.” Partly because the answer broke open a big chunk of puzzle, partly because it’s such a clever clue.

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.