THEME:   none, but we were double crossed   
GOOD ONES:     Charming people?   HEXERS   
Penguins' footwear   SKATES [animals don't have footwear except in cartoons --- hockey players do]   
Old timers?   SUNDIALS   
Theater group?   AUDIENCE [never thought of it that way]      
BTW:   French cartoonist Daumier   HONORE [French cartoonist, really?  Would Balzac have been too easy?]      
We didn't have color TV so I didn't know Opie was a redhead; the next time I saw "him," he had lost his hair.      
Not as nice   MEANER [I'd say "Worse" would've been better since 
nice plays no part in 
mean]      
I enjoyed this puzzle because it was solvable despite its difficulty.        
RATING: 
 
 
   Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun