Today’s Saturday Stumper

Today’s Newsday  Saturday Stumperis by “Lester Ruff,” the puzzle’s editor, Stan Newman, composing under a pen name that signals an easier (less rough) puzzle. But this one was rough, and not in a way that sparked joy. Too much trivia: 18-A, six letters, “Blazing Saddles pol potrayer.” 12-D, nine letters, “Member of the Space Jam Tune Squad.” 57-A, eight letters, “Mel Gibson’s boss in What Women Want.” I have nothing against older movies (these are from 1974, 1996, and 2000), and the answers are gettable from crosses, but these clues tend to turn the puzzle into Trivia Night. Space Jam : really?

Some clue-and-answer pairs of note:

1-D, five letters, “Dalai Lama’s ‘best meditation.’” I suspect that this answer is better attributed to the Internet than to the Dalai Lama. I can find no genuine source.

6-D, six letters, “Top drawer.” Groan.

20-A, three letters, “Reduced-by-two ‘up to.’” Made me think of sale prices. Up to 50% off?

24-D, seven letters, “Yonder, to some New Yawkers.” Well, maybe.

28-D, ten letters, “Post office clerk’s call.” I’ve never heard it in a post office.

33-A, thirteen letters, “It takes your breath away.” I started here, thinking that the answer had to be STRANGULATION. (How cheerful.) Realizing that I had to abandon that guess did a lot to make the puzzle solvable.

38-A, three letters, “a.m. or p.m.” Never heard of it.

45-A, six letters, “Passes or portrays.” Nice to think about the multiple meanings of the answer.

52-A, three letters, “Arrive in.” I think at would make for a more reasonable clue.

My favorite in this puzzle: 33-D, eight letters, “NASDAQ two-time member.”

No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.