April 14, 2025 • 18 mins
Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: co-hosts of "The Ruthless Comedy Hour" Karen Bergreen and Cynthia Kaplan! Get tickets for their upcoming show at the New York Comedy Club on the Upper West Side here!
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask AI” and audio rebuses.
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"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. Perhaps you
have noticed there are some movie titles where you can
remove a single letter from that title and it will
be the title of another movie all together. For instance, Fargo.
Take the f off Fargo and it becomes Argo Cohen
Brothers to Ben Affleck. Okay, so here's the mini puzzle
(00:23):
to start us off. I'm thinking of three movie titles.
The first is a movie a musical set in the
sixties counter culture. Remove a letter from that title and
you get a movie about sneaker advertising. Now remove another
letter from that title and you get a Steven Spielberg
movie about a robot. What are the three movie titles?
(00:46):
I am thinking of the answer and more puzzling goodness
after the break, Hello Puzzler, Welcome back to the Puzzler
podcast The Solar Wind in Your Puzzle a Borie Alice,
I am your host, A J. Jacobs, and I'm here
(01:08):
with chief puzzle Officer Greg Bliska. Greg. Before the break,
we asked for three movie titles. I'll give it to
you again. The movie first is a move musical set
and sixties counterculture. Take off from a letter from that
you get a movie about sneaker advertising. Another letter off
that and you get a Spielberg robot movie. Do you
(01:29):
know what three movies I'm thinking?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I do? I do know what three movies are?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Care to tell us which I mean to tell you?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yes, it's hair and then you take off the H
to get air and then you take off the R
to get AI.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
That is it. You need to put in the little periods.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
But can we take off another letter? Is there a
movie called ah, oh yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Or I I'm sure that there's an M. There's an M.
I remember there?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Well, anyway, I bring this important information up.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yes, why did you mention that?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Well, we are going to play a movie game with
our guests today. And what guests they are? There are
two of them and two of my favorite comedians writers
people Cynthia Kaplan and Karen Bergreen. Welcome Cindy and Karen.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
You're allowed to talk.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I'm so anxious. I don't you know.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
I have to say during the opening thing, I got
it like good in the nick of time with the AI,
but it was very stressful for me.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
I'm sorry. I know all those movies and I couldn't
get it, And I just think there should be some
kind of dispensation for like menopause brain.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Oh, okay, is that.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Too much information. I'm going to take it back. What
about I'm thirty five. I just feel like some people,
some people have that problem.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
Ah, part of your ovra is like learning everything and
knowing all, and part of my thing is not all right.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Well, let me just say the first line of Karen's
website bio is that she was the first student at
Harvard to have a television in her dorm room. So
she's not an idiot. Let's get that out there.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
It costs me for Did you rent it from Harvard
like a minifridge?
Speaker 5 (03:28):
No? I bought it like an a And you know,
I had really like smarty pants roommates who were horrified,
and I watched things like Quincy and Heart to Heart.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well, Quincy is, Quincy takes It's a puzzle, Quincy's.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Love Quincy as I love police procedurals.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Cindy writes hilarious and delightful songs that are copyrighted, but
maybe she'll give us permission to play one at the
end of the show. And she's also an author of
very fun and delightful books. Karen also an author a novelist,
a hilarious stand up and on Comedy Central The View,
and together they host The Ruthless Comedy Hour, a live
(04:11):
show in New York City which I have been lucky
enough to be a guest on. Uh so, got some
background for those who don't know.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
You didn't mention the most important part, AJ we're journalists.
We're journalists.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Sorry exactly, which, as everyone knows, is the pinnacle of
a journalistic career. You do you are not? I'm sorry,
Just you're not. You're not really a journalist until you've
done it.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Advice, Colin, But fair enough, I have done one, but
I will say yes. Yours is for the West Side.
RAG is the name of the publication that can be
found online and it's awesome. It is awesome if you
need to know about deli closings and such, it is
the number one outlet. Uh well, I you have. I
(05:00):
want to talk more about all these important issues, but
let's start on the puzzle and see how far we get.
So the puzzle is related to my intro. It's called
All Quiet on the Western Font. Oh, thank you for
the ooh. Every answer is going to be a title
of a movie with a letter missing. So all Quiet
(05:22):
on the Western font is all Quiet on the Western Front,
but with the R taken out. And I'll give you
a clue about this new movie. So that movie might
be about how there's nothing exciting happening with regard to
the typeface used in cowboy movies. A fascinating plot. All
Quiet on the Western fot.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
I'm going to fail. This thing is so much.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I am far more confident than both of you combined,
So I am not worried. So I'm going to give
you a clue to both movies. So here's an example.
This is a movie. It goes from being a movie
about growing up with deaf parents to a movie about
salted fish. So the real movie is the one about
(06:07):
growing up with deaf parents. You take out one letter
and it's a movie about salted Oh say, I saw.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Both those movies, and I can't remember either name. Wait,
there's just one movie you did.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Documentary is gonna take this one?
Speaker 4 (06:34):
Cindy? Okay, wait, wait wait, I saw that movie. It
was really good.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Okay, Karen godd Well, the original movie is Coda, right, correct,
salted Fish. I'm gonna go with cod for two hundred.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
I saw cod. It was an extremely good movie. In fact,
I've watched it like four times, so they've played on
TNT as often as they play the Shoshank Redemption.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
This is I'm learning about new Maybe it was like,
was it like a sequel to Finding Story like another?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
No, it's it's the twelfth sequel to Jaws Redemption.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
It's on at the one like where the one like
fish that's sitting in Jaws's mouth like belly. He rebels
and he you know, it's like his thing. It's like severance.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
It's like the perspective from the fish that was eaten
by It's.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Like the marks of the fish.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
All right, that was That was the example. All right,
here's one. This goes from a movie about giant space
worms to a movie about a library book that needs
to be returned. Giant worms on a sandy planet to
a library book that needs to be returned. Oh say it,
(08:09):
do I know?
Speaker 5 (08:09):
I don't know any movie about giants. I'm really grateful
to you, and I'm happy the movie was so boring.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
Let me just say that first. Okay, the movie is doune.
Your your library books are due.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Exactly you got so you would rather watch the movie
about the library book. Yes, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
It comes with the same music, it's got the same.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Homes Timothy Shallo, and it's called He's.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Just holding a book.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
I would watch Timothy Shallo may return a book any day.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
I have to tell you that I won't watch any
movie that takes place in outer space and nothing nothing.
I'm only limited in my in my taste.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Have you seen Star Wars or no.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
Somebody made me go to Star Wars for my birthday,
which was not a present to me obviously years ago,
and it was so boring. And my kids are obsessed
with Star Wars and I've delegated that to my husband.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Fair enough, Okay, that is good. Fair and listen, Star
Wars fans. Please that both of these folks are on
the internet, so you can send your mail directly to them.
You don't need to involve me if you have thoughts
about their taste. A movie about a photographer who witnesses
(09:44):
a murder becomes a movie about a grieving spouse in
the back seat. So a photographer who witnesses a murder
becomes a grieving spouse in the back seat. Classic movie
the photographer in a wheelchair at the time.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
You know the first one. I know the first one. Okay, okay,
do you have to take a word from both letters
for both words? A letter for both words?
Speaker 5 (10:09):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
No, actually, great question, No, just one, but will tell
us the tell us the original real.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Movie, Karen, Can I go rear window?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
That's correct, rear window now, grieving spouse.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
There are some movie rear widow. Widow is called rear Widow.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
It's not the game.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
It's playing at the same theater as Cod.
Speaker 6 (10:40):
Yeah, it's on a double bill with Cod and do
Now the half of this is not real.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Let me is truly a genius. You should read your books.
They are hilarious. Great writer. She just got back from Barcelona.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Wait a j Your first example for the audience had
one movie turning into another movie turning into another movie, and.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I'm just saying that, great, I know.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Now I'm crying.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
What do you have to say?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I please switch.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Here's what I actually tried to come up with a
whole puzzle based on that premise, but I only found
two Fargo Argo and hair Air Air and Air AI.
So then I went with this, which I thought might
be more whimsical and fun.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
Whimsical but also a.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Little more confusing. To Cindy, who thinks that.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
It still hasn't gotten it after three rounds.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
I actually really liked the way that whole thing worked out,
because Sin and I each got one, and then as
a team we collaborated and got greatful one. So I
feel like the whole thing was sort of beautiful and
she kind of got like she kind of stuck it to.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
AJ like the power get to the mayor, the whole.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Thing, the patriarchates you brought.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Okay, it was beautiful. I'm weeping slightly.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
We got a couple of more. No, now that you've
got the idea, I need a lot. Okay, all right,
this one I think you'll hopefully you'll enjoy you ready, Okay,
A movie about an orphan in nineteenth century London becomes
(12:45):
a movie about a Martini garnish a musical. It was
a musical.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Got oh, I know, I know what it is. Okay,
you do the first one and I'll do the second one. Okay,
Oliver Olive nailed it.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Look teamwork, let's work, all right.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
I was working with David Copperfield, but I realized that
was the.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
That's what I was searching for, that.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Name, Avid copper Avid opper field.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yes are you?
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Are you saying it could have been liver? You could
have gotten rid of the O I made it liver.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Oh that's a good point.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yes, depends on how you like your martinis. Yeah, exactly,
a liver in your martinis.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Or march in a garnish with iron.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Oh, yes, delicious. All right, I do have to do
two more because uh, you've ever had one this afternoon?
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Certainly?
Speaker 1 (13:51):
All right. How about a movie about a chocolate making
genius becomes a movie about a policy genius. Hm hmm,
I love Karen raising her hand. That is all future
guests should have to Karen.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I've got wait, wait, do you want me to do it?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Or no?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Sunday you tell you can go ahead and do it.
I got it. Okay.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
So the first one is wonk and the second one
is walk.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
There it is you said it practically the same time,
so you got yeah. All right, Now, this one I
do for you because you are contributors to the upper
of the West Side Rag. So this one might strike
a chord. A movie about a CIA analyst starring Robert
Redford becomes a movie about Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at
(14:40):
an apartment building unit.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Oh, I love that movie with Max von s.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
It's an older movie. Yes, the kids don't know this movie.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Well, what is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday? That is I'm
holding up something with my.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Oh, I know what it is.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
I know what I know what the movie is and
the puzzle.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Look at Karen coming back. Look at that.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
I can tell you everyone fired and the scenes, but
I don't. I can't.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
You want me to joe up?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Do you want me to do?
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (15:12):
Go ahead here, it's three days of the condor three
days of the Conde.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Nice. That's it.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
You did it, three days of the condu. Uh. Well,
this is fantastic. I am loving it, I will say.
While we're on the topic of movies, one of my
favorite jokes from Karen Bergreen is as she tells a
story about her kid who went to college and ghosted her,
wouldn't return calls or texts. So what did you do, Karen?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Oh, I changed the Netflix password? Yeah, for the Netflix password,
I said, ungrateful? Are you allowed to swear on this?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You are? Now clearly that was the.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
Joke that you selected in my otherwise clean act.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, the good thing is we have you coming back
tomorrow for more puzzling because now you're totally in the
swing of it. You totally I feel you're right in
the groove. But before we let you go, I do
have an extra credit for the folks at home. A
movie about the superhero Wolverine becomes a movie about borrowed money,
(16:32):
a fascinating tale of debt. So thank you everybody, and
come back tomorrow. And in the meantime, if you do
have thirty seconds, it really helps us if you rate
the Puzzler on your favorite podcast platform, because it makes
a huge difference in the people finding us, and we
love for people to find us. And of course we'll
(16:54):
meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will
puzzle you puzzling.
Speaker 7 (16:58):
Toly Hey, Puzzlers, It's Greg Pliska up from the Puzzle
Lab with the extra credit answer from our previous episode.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
AJ did a puzzle.
Speaker 7 (17:11):
Based upon mail from a listener where the middle letter
of a word is changed to make a new word
with a different pronunciation. Your extra credit clue was someone
who surfs down the Nile or Mississippi, and that is
a river rider. The eye changes from short to long.
River rider is the answer. And I did a puzzle
for AJ that was inspired by Karen Kavitt's last name.
(17:34):
We called a T for two. Every answer is two words,
one with a single T and the other with a
double T in the same place. Your clue was this,
I sat down at a picnic buffet in Nebraska having
a blank of barbecue by the Blank River. That, of
course is the plate of barbecue by the Platte River. Platte.
(17:57):
I hope you enjoy your barbecue, whatever else it is
you're eating while you're listening to the puzzler. Thanks for
playing with us.
Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. Perhaps you
have noticed there are some movie titles where you can
remove a single letter from that title and it will
be the title of another movie all together. For instance, Fargo.
Take the f off Fargo and it becomes Argo Cohen
Brothers to Ben Affleck. Okay, so here's the mini puzzle
(00:23):
to start us off. I'm thinking of three movie titles.
The first is a movie a musical set in the
sixties counter culture. Remove a letter from that title and
you get a movie about sneaker advertising. Now remove another
letter from that title and you get a Steven Spielberg
movie about a robot. What are the three movie titles?
(00:46):
I am thinking of the answer and more puzzling goodness
after the break, Hello Puzzler, Welcome back to the Puzzler
podcast The Solar Wind in Your Puzzle a Borie Alice,
I am your host, A J. Jacobs, and I'm here
(01:08):
with chief puzzle Officer Greg Bliska. Greg. Before the break,
we asked for three movie titles. I'll give it to
you again. The movie first is a move musical set
and sixties counterculture. Take off from a letter from that
you get a movie about sneaker advertising. Another letter off
that and you get a Spielberg robot movie. Do you
(01:29):
know what three movies I'm thinking?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I do? I do know what three movies are?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Care to tell us which I mean to tell you?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yes, it's hair and then you take off the H
to get air and then you take off the R
to get AI.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
That is it. You need to put in the little periods.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
But can we take off another letter? Is there a
movie called ah, oh yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Or I I'm sure that there's an M. There's an M.
I remember there?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Well, anyway, I bring this important information up.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yes, why did you mention that?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Well, we are going to play a movie game with
our guests today. And what guests they are? There are
two of them and two of my favorite comedians writers
people Cynthia Kaplan and Karen Bergreen. Welcome Cindy and Karen.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
You're allowed to talk.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I'm so anxious. I don't you know.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
I have to say during the opening thing, I got
it like good in the nick of time with the AI,
but it was very stressful for me.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
I'm sorry. I know all those movies and I couldn't
get it, And I just think there should be some
kind of dispensation for like menopause brain.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Oh, okay, is that.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Too much information. I'm going to take it back. What
about I'm thirty five. I just feel like some people,
some people have that problem.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
Ah, part of your ovra is like learning everything and
knowing all, and part of my thing is not all right.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Well, let me just say the first line of Karen's
website bio is that she was the first student at
Harvard to have a television in her dorm room. So
she's not an idiot. Let's get that out there.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
It costs me for Did you rent it from Harvard
like a minifridge?
Speaker 5 (03:28):
No? I bought it like an a And you know,
I had really like smarty pants roommates who were horrified,
and I watched things like Quincy and Heart to Heart.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well, Quincy is, Quincy takes It's a puzzle, Quincy's.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Love Quincy as I love police procedurals.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Cindy writes hilarious and delightful songs that are copyrighted, but
maybe she'll give us permission to play one at the
end of the show. And she's also an author of
very fun and delightful books. Karen also an author a novelist,
a hilarious stand up and on Comedy Central The View,
and together they host The Ruthless Comedy Hour, a live
(04:11):
show in New York City which I have been lucky
enough to be a guest on. Uh so, got some
background for those who don't know.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
You didn't mention the most important part, AJ we're journalists.
We're journalists.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Sorry exactly, which, as everyone knows, is the pinnacle of
a journalistic career. You do you are not? I'm sorry,
Just you're not. You're not really a journalist until you've
done it.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Advice, Colin, But fair enough, I have done one, but
I will say yes. Yours is for the West Side.
RAG is the name of the publication that can be
found online and it's awesome. It is awesome if you
need to know about deli closings and such, it is
the number one outlet. Uh well, I you have. I
(05:00):
want to talk more about all these important issues, but
let's start on the puzzle and see how far we get.
So the puzzle is related to my intro. It's called
All Quiet on the Western Font. Oh, thank you for
the ooh. Every answer is going to be a title
of a movie with a letter missing. So all Quiet
(05:22):
on the Western font is all Quiet on the Western Front,
but with the R taken out. And I'll give you
a clue about this new movie. So that movie might
be about how there's nothing exciting happening with regard to
the typeface used in cowboy movies. A fascinating plot. All
Quiet on the Western fot.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
I'm going to fail. This thing is so much.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I am far more confident than both of you combined,
So I am not worried. So I'm going to give
you a clue to both movies. So here's an example.
This is a movie. It goes from being a movie
about growing up with deaf parents to a movie about
salted fish. So the real movie is the one about
(06:07):
growing up with deaf parents. You take out one letter
and it's a movie about salted Oh say, I saw.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Both those movies, and I can't remember either name. Wait,
there's just one movie you did.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Documentary is gonna take this one?
Speaker 4 (06:34):
Cindy? Okay, wait, wait wait, I saw that movie. It
was really good.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Okay, Karen godd Well, the original movie is Coda, right, correct,
salted Fish. I'm gonna go with cod for two hundred.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
I saw cod. It was an extremely good movie. In fact,
I've watched it like four times, so they've played on
TNT as often as they play the Shoshank Redemption.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
This is I'm learning about new Maybe it was like,
was it like a sequel to Finding Story like another?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
No, it's it's the twelfth sequel to Jaws Redemption.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
It's on at the one like where the one like
fish that's sitting in Jaws's mouth like belly. He rebels
and he you know, it's like his thing. It's like severance.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
It's like the perspective from the fish that was eaten
by It's.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Like the marks of the fish.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
All right, that was That was the example. All right,
here's one. This goes from a movie about giant space
worms to a movie about a library book that needs
to be returned. Giant worms on a sandy planet to
a library book that needs to be returned. Oh say it,
(08:09):
do I know?
Speaker 5 (08:09):
I don't know any movie about giants. I'm really grateful
to you, and I'm happy the movie was so boring.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
Let me just say that first. Okay, the movie is doune.
Your your library books are due.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Exactly you got so you would rather watch the movie
about the library book. Yes, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
It comes with the same music, it's got the same.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Homes Timothy Shallo, and it's called He's.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Just holding a book.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
I would watch Timothy Shallo may return a book any day.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
I have to tell you that I won't watch any
movie that takes place in outer space and nothing nothing.
I'm only limited in my in my taste.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Have you seen Star Wars or no.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
Somebody made me go to Star Wars for my birthday,
which was not a present to me obviously years ago,
and it was so boring. And my kids are obsessed
with Star Wars and I've delegated that to my husband.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Fair enough, Okay, that is good. Fair and listen, Star
Wars fans. Please that both of these folks are on
the internet, so you can send your mail directly to them.
You don't need to involve me if you have thoughts
about their taste. A movie about a photographer who witnesses
(09:44):
a murder becomes a movie about a grieving spouse in
the back seat. So a photographer who witnesses a murder
becomes a grieving spouse in the back seat. Classic movie
the photographer in a wheelchair at the time.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
You know the first one. I know the first one. Okay, okay,
do you have to take a word from both letters
for both words? A letter for both words?
Speaker 5 (10:09):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
No, actually, great question, No, just one, but will tell
us the tell us the original real.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Movie, Karen, Can I go rear window?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
That's correct, rear window now, grieving spouse.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
There are some movie rear widow. Widow is called rear Widow.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
It's not the game.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
It's playing at the same theater as Cod.
Speaker 6 (10:40):
Yeah, it's on a double bill with Cod and do
Now the half of this is not real.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Let me is truly a genius. You should read your books.
They are hilarious. Great writer. She just got back from Barcelona.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Wait a j Your first example for the audience had
one movie turning into another movie turning into another movie, and.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I'm just saying that, great, I know.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Now I'm crying.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
What do you have to say?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I please switch.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Here's what I actually tried to come up with a
whole puzzle based on that premise, but I only found
two Fargo Argo and hair Air Air and Air AI.
So then I went with this, which I thought might
be more whimsical and fun.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
Whimsical but also a.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Little more confusing. To Cindy, who thinks that.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
It still hasn't gotten it after three rounds.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
I actually really liked the way that whole thing worked out,
because Sin and I each got one, and then as
a team we collaborated and got greatful one. So I
feel like the whole thing was sort of beautiful and
she kind of got like she kind of stuck it to.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
AJ like the power get to the mayor, the whole.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Thing, the patriarchates you brought.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Okay, it was beautiful. I'm weeping slightly.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
We got a couple of more. No, now that you've
got the idea, I need a lot. Okay, all right,
this one I think you'll hopefully you'll enjoy you ready, Okay,
A movie about an orphan in nineteenth century London becomes
(12:45):
a movie about a Martini garnish a musical. It was
a musical.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Got oh, I know, I know what it is. Okay,
you do the first one and I'll do the second one. Okay,
Oliver Olive nailed it.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Look teamwork, let's work, all right.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
I was working with David Copperfield, but I realized that
was the.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
That's what I was searching for, that.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Name, Avid copper Avid opper field.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yes are you?
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Are you saying it could have been liver? You could
have gotten rid of the O I made it liver.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Oh that's a good point.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yes, depends on how you like your martinis. Yeah, exactly,
a liver in your martinis.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Or march in a garnish with iron.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Oh, yes, delicious. All right, I do have to do
two more because uh, you've ever had one this afternoon?
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Certainly?
Speaker 1 (13:51):
All right. How about a movie about a chocolate making
genius becomes a movie about a policy genius. Hm hmm,
I love Karen raising her hand. That is all future
guests should have to Karen.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I've got wait, wait, do you want me to do it?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Or no?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Sunday you tell you can go ahead and do it.
I got it. Okay.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
So the first one is wonk and the second one
is walk.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
There it is you said it practically the same time,
so you got yeah. All right, Now, this one I
do for you because you are contributors to the upper
of the West Side Rag. So this one might strike
a chord. A movie about a CIA analyst starring Robert
Redford becomes a movie about Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at
(14:40):
an apartment building unit.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Oh, I love that movie with Max von s.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
It's an older movie. Yes, the kids don't know this movie.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Well, what is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday? That is I'm
holding up something with my.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Oh, I know what it is.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
I know what I know what the movie is and
the puzzle.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Look at Karen coming back. Look at that.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
I can tell you everyone fired and the scenes, but
I don't. I can't.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
You want me to joe up?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Do you want me to do?
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (15:12):
Go ahead here, it's three days of the condor three
days of the Conde.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Nice. That's it.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
You did it, three days of the condu. Uh. Well,
this is fantastic. I am loving it, I will say.
While we're on the topic of movies, one of my
favorite jokes from Karen Bergreen is as she tells a
story about her kid who went to college and ghosted her,
wouldn't return calls or texts. So what did you do, Karen?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Oh, I changed the Netflix password? Yeah, for the Netflix password,
I said, ungrateful? Are you allowed to swear on this?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You are? Now clearly that was the.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
Joke that you selected in my otherwise clean act.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, the good thing is we have you coming back
tomorrow for more puzzling because now you're totally in the
swing of it. You totally I feel you're right in
the groove. But before we let you go, I do
have an extra credit for the folks at home. A
movie about the superhero Wolverine becomes a movie about borrowed money,
(16:32):
a fascinating tale of debt. So thank you everybody, and
come back tomorrow. And in the meantime, if you do
have thirty seconds, it really helps us if you rate
the Puzzler on your favorite podcast platform, because it makes
a huge difference in the people finding us, and we
love for people to find us. And of course we'll
(16:54):
meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will
puzzle you puzzling.
Speaker 7 (16:58):
Toly Hey, Puzzlers, It's Greg Pliska up from the Puzzle
Lab with the extra credit answer from our previous episode.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
AJ did a puzzle.
Speaker 7 (17:11):
Based upon mail from a listener where the middle letter
of a word is changed to make a new word
with a different pronunciation. Your extra credit clue was someone
who surfs down the Nile or Mississippi, and that is
a river rider. The eye changes from short to long.
River rider is the answer. And I did a puzzle
for AJ that was inspired by Karen Kavitt's last name.
(17:34):
We called a T for two. Every answer is two words,
one with a single T and the other with a
double T in the same place. Your clue was this,
I sat down at a picnic buffet in Nebraska having
a blank of barbecue by the Blank River. That, of
course is the plate of barbecue by the Platte River. Platte.
(17:57):
I hope you enjoy your barbecue, whatever else it is
you're eating while you're listening to the puzzler. Thanks for
playing with us.
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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