Waiter, there’s a wristwatch in my soup!...

Waiter, there’s a wristwatch in my soup! Our comment about the refreshingly impersonal, non-chatty service at Musso and Frank, the 73-year-old eatery in Hollywood, brought this fond recollection from Robert Light of Sherman Oaks.

“While having lunch at Musso’s, I stopped a waiter and asked the time,” Light said. “His response: ‘That’s not my table.’ ”

97th day of captivity: If you wondered whether there was any breakthrough in the Case of the Missing Madonna Bustier--it was filched during the L.A. riots--you need only read this sad item in the August Harper’s Index:

“Number of the 3 items looted from the Frederick’s of Hollywood Museum in L.A. last April that have been returned: 2.

Or should we wait till he’s serving a sixth term? It’s only right that the Chinese food delivery service would agree to stop displaying the West L.A. billboard of Daryl Gates alongside the caption: “When You Can’t Leave the Office. Or Won’t.”

After all, the ex-chief is old news. But why not find someone new to use as a model for that message. Just out of curiosity, Mr. Mayor, which is your best side?

Traffic cop in a one-piece: Reader Kathy De Ford solved one Only in L.A. mystery by identifying the model who posed as a traffic cop for a 1936 Chamber of Commerce photo in Long Beach.

It turned out to be Dae Kennard, who still lives in Long Beach, as does Kathryn Walsh, who posed for a similar shot a couple of blocks away as part of the ad campaign. Both retired from modeling to raise families.

While Kennard has been ill lately, Walsh, now 79, happily recalled her 15-minute stint directing drivers at the signal-less corner of Broadway and Pine. She was a diverting sight in those conservative times.

“Bathing suits were for the beach only,” she said. “You weren’t supposed to go into places like stores in them--or even in shorts.”

But she couldn’t remember a single ungallant comment from a male motorist. “Oh, no,” she said. “Fellas didn’t talk from their cars like they do now.”

Chick-Alert: John De Simio of West L.A. called in this bulletin last week while we were on vacation. So, in the spirit of NBC’s broadcast of taped events, we’ll give you a “plausibly live” narration:

There was a spill of frozen chickens on the Pomona Freeway, a traffic broadcaster said, that had traffic “backed all the way to Peck Road.”

Always nice to see a reminder of the old hometown: While on vacation in San Luis Obispo, we spotted this heart-warming bumper sticker: “Conserve Water--Move to L.A.”

misceLAny:

The 70-year-old Tam O’Shanter Inn on Los Feliz Boulevard claims to have been the first local restaurant to offer valet parking.