Thu., 2/26 Mike Buckley

[magus]

THEME:   first word of phrase means UNTRUE
   
GOOD ONES:    
Race errors {& theme}   FALSE STARTS [starts of phrases mean FALSE]   
Center of excellence?   ELS [spelling of EXCELLENCE]   
More of that   THOSE   
Has a sudden inspiration   GASPS   
Modern art?   ARE ["How sweet art thy lips."]   
   
BTW:   
Lotsa phrases I grew up with:   
Rest one's dogs   
Has AN OUT   
Gets to   
JACKED up   
Told ya!   SO THERE   
Really dug   ATE IT UP

Thanks, Mike, for the Peter Gunn memory.   
   
   
RATING:    
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

[Thomps2525]

The Peter Gunn theme song was recorded by Ray Anthony and reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. It was the second tv-show theme song to become a top-ten hit. The first one was also by Ray Anthony. Any guesses? The answer is below---don't peek!

Today's crossword included ESOTERY, a word I was unfamiliar with and which is not in any of my dictionaries. "Esoteric" means "designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone; requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is limited to a small group." Thanks to the good ol' World Wide Web, I learned that ESOTERY means "esoteric or secret wisdom; mystery" and is the opposite of EXOTERY which is "wisdom suitable to be imparted to the public."

The first tv theme to become a top-ten hit? Dragnet, which reached #3 in September of 1953. (The number-one song at the time was Vaya Con Dios by Les Paul & Mary Ford.)

[magus]

Thanks, Rewind, for the quiz, which I failed.  I remember "Vaya Con Dios," but not "Dragnet" as a pop song.  I only remember the four notes of the TV show.  Oddly, this song reached higher on the charts than the jazzy "Peter Gunn."  I'll bet, however, Peter Gunn out-gunned Joe Friday in sales and by a wide margin.