On this date in 1942 FDR instituted gas rationing for the U.S. Get this, though, it wasn’t to save gas, we had plenty of that. It was to save rubber. Japan had taken over the rubber plantations. More driving meant a greater demand for tires, so we had to keep driving down. Hence the gas rationing. Posters went up asking “Is this trip necessary?” This one startled me a bit: A poster pushing car pooling said: When you ride alone you ride with Hitler. Yikes. Phil said that would still be better than riding with his brother-in-law. On the other hand, with the government these days moving to classify the swastika as equivalent to a smiley-face, maybe we shouldn’t be too hard on the Nazis.

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In the Credit Where Due Dept, let’s note the key role Lauren Boebert played in last week’s Epstein saga. At 44D today the answer was LAUREN, so she came to mind, even though the clue was for Ralph: “Big name in upscale fashion.” Plus she’s pretty hot for a Congressperson. Hey, girl — your old pal Georgie is upstairs. Grab a cold Diet Coke and run up and surprise him!

OMG, she can really crack you up sometimes.

Remember when the Stein was Wein, before it was Ep? Sh*t, Epstein makes Harvey Weinstein look like Mister Rogers.

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Today’s puzzle was a wonderful paean to bad movies. Sorta. The theme featured funny pans by Roger Ebert. A good one at 43A was: “A two-hour movie squeezed into three hours” (2001). Answer: PEARL HARBOR. Another was “Like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time” (2000), for BATTLEFIELD EARTH.

Commenter Lewis added these to the pile:

To call “A Lot Like Love” dead in the water is an insult to water. (2005)

On the movie “Mr. Magoo”: There is not a laugh in it. Not one. I counted. (1997)

On the movie “Masterminds”: I stopped taking notes on my Palm Pilot and started playing the little chess game. (1997)

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An email I received from The Onion today, hocking me to subscribe started: “Autumn is often a time of reflection: Why didn’t I plant more sorghum? . . . .”

It has nothing to do with periodontics. Here’s a photo.

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Jenna of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” at 46D is Jenna ORTEGA. She’s 23 and from California, of mostly Mexican descent. Her work in horror films has dubbed her the “scream queen.” From humble beginnings, she has been acting since the age of 9. We’re going to go out on a limb here and predict her looks will not stand in her way.

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Tough game for our Sirens of the PWHL last night, losing to Montreal 4-0. It’s early in the season, though, and the many new players on the roster have to get to know each other. Our Sarah looked good, as usual — just couldn’t get anything past that Victoire goalie. We’ll be at the home opener on Saturday. Full report to follow.

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“You’re churning butter! No, you’re a monkey! You’re operating a loom! Come on, what is it?”

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Happy Thanksgiving! Welly and Wilma are thankful they’re not turkeys. And so are we!

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