THEME: last letter of a phrase's first word is M; the first letter of the next word is D
GOOD ONES: Puzzle title people {theme} MDS
Eye protector LID
Big wind TUBA
Big wind GALE [because of TUBA]
Small-screen Bean ORSON [he was an earlt TV personality --- I like the sound of the clue]
Bird's org. NBA
BTW: Classic auto REO [the clue is over-used --- what about "Old car"? Or "Ritzy car" as "Ritzy" is from the same era.]
Made-to-order CUSTOM DESIGNED [the design of a made-to-order suit may be of a stock design]
I truly enjoyed the cluing throughout, and the literary references make me think Arthur is a onetime English teacher.
RATING:

Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun