No, the Signs in Parked Cars in New York Were Not a Protest Against Radios

Mention was made here of a parked car in Hollywood with a handwritten sign that said: “Please do not break window. I only carry liability.” This reminded James Janner of a not-so-bright acquaintance in New York City who thought the “No Radio” signs in the windows of parked cars were “a protest against radio in general.” But hey, in this era of talk radio, who could blame Janner’s friend?

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Stupid criminal tricks: A landlord phoned police after noticing a trespasser in a Manhattan Beach apartment. The cops had no trouble locating the guy, the Beach Reporter newspaper said. After he realized he had been noticed by the landlord, the intruder locked himself inside one of the units.

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Guide to adventurous dining: Today’s specials (see accompanying) include a slightly used bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich as well as some soggy imported bread (courtesy of Ann and Bill Rock).

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“Duh!” award winner: Adam Fritzal of Torrance found some very important advice for those of you who buy pizzas at the supermarket and treasure your teeth (see accompanying).

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After Reseda, what? Despite the recent discussion here of references to Reseda in the movies, the mysterious Phil of Westwood feels it’s strange how infrequently the local suburbs crop up in film dialogue.

For instance, the best he could come up with of late was a line on the HBO series “Six Feet Under.” A mortician says, “Well, I’ve got to go to Torrance.” Of course, Torrance (or the Del Amo shopping center, at least) had its moment of fame in the crime caper “Jackie Brown” a few years ago. Money-laundering stewardess Pam Grier tells an associate, “Now the money’s going to be in the Del Amo shopping bag at this booth. Sit down here in the food court.” You can’t get much more suspenseful than that.

Then there was “Boogie Nights,” in which porno actor wannabe Mark Wahlberg is snidely addressed by director Burt Reynolds as “Eddie Adams from Torrance.” Eddie takes the bus from the South Bay to the San Fernando Valley studio each day (as if that’s possible). Oh, yeah, the studio’s in Reseda. I can’t seem to stop talking about Reseda.

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Mystery of the day: There are so many public signs prohibiting this or that these days. Babs Woodcock of Rancho Palos Verdes saw one on Catalina Island that read, NO KELING.

“We were mystified as to what ‘keling’ was,” she said. “We asked some kids playing basketball nearby. They had no idea. Asked locals. Asked passersby. Asked a parked police car. No one had a clue.

“Finally, about to board the return boat, we ran into a Harbor Department officer and she solved the puzzle. The sign was supposed to read SNORKELING.” Vanna White could have told her that.

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miscelLAny: William Dorr of L.A. received a junk mailing from a psychic who promised “an in-depth personal reading to clarify the events of the next few days of your life.” Dorr has some doubts about the “personal” nature of the psychic’s research. The letter was addressed to “Wendy Dorr,” no acquaintance of William Dorr.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at [email protected].