Cactus curtain; Friendly fire; Chip; MPB

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CACTUS CURTAIN

     "Cactus curtain" has been used, but I haven't seen it recorded.  OCLC
WorldCat has:

THE CACTUS CURTAIN (1975), a film by Ernesto Galarza on the Mexican-American
struggle.
ACROSS THE CACTUS CURTAIN: THE STORY OF GUANTANAMO BAY (1984) by Theodore
Mason.

     "Cactus curtain" was used (with quotes) by the novelist Carlos Fuentes
in an article about Mexico in VOGUE, January 1, 1966, pg. 109.

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FRIENDLY FIRE

     I've been very briefly going through the Reader's Digest for "the whole
nine yards."  The phrase possibly comes from the military.  (I looked through
Sports Illustrated football articles and didn't find it.)  RD had a column
called "Humor in Uniform."
    OED Additions Series 2, pg. 102, has "friendly" from 1925 and "friendly
forces" from 1966 and "friendly fire" from 1976.  This is from the Reader's
Digest, "Humor in Uniform," Feb. 1966, pg. 105, col. 2:

     ARMY helicopters in Vietnam were sent to Tay Ninh Province to withdraw
friendly troops.  The landing zone was supposed to be secure, and no Vietcong
ground fire was expected.  Suddenly an excited voice shouted over the radio:
"Lead, this is Nine Five.  Drawing enemy fire from the right."
     "Negative, negative," came the flight leader's reply.  "Those are
friendly troops down there."
     "Affirmative," acknowledged the pilot who reported the fire.  "Drawing
friendly fire from the right."
     --WO EDWARD SMITH, quoted by UPI

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(COMPUTER) CHIP

     Reader's Digest, January 1966, pg. 173, col. 1, has this article from
the September 19,  1965 New York Times Magazine:

_The "Chip"--_
_Newest Marvel in_
_Electronics_
   (...)  Behind all of this is the "chip," or integrated circuit, a
fantastic development which has been under way for several years.  At the
heart of the circuit is the transistor, already responsible for its own
electronic revolution.

    The OED has a citation in 1962 and another in 1966.  (Not an
antedate--I'm so ashamed.)  It's a good article, though.

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BEING JOHN MALKOVICH & "MALE PATTERN BALDNESS"

     I saw the film BEING JOHN MALKOVICH at the new 42nd Street E Walk ("This
ain't no peep show").  The first half is deliciously loopy, but then the
second half is contrived and you ask yourself too many logical plot questions.
     It was nice (in the first half) to see John Malkovich make fun of
himself.  Everyone knew that he was a great actor, but no one could remember
a role he played (how about the late Paul Bowles's THE SHELTERING SKY?).
     "Male pattern baldness" was mentioned.