GRAPES OF WRATH

The producers of “Fresno” have been, uh, raisin’ a little hell.

Publicity for the now-filming CBS soap spoof about power struggles in raisinland has been calling the subject city “the raisin capital of the world”--and citizens of nearby Selma (home of the National Raisin Festival) are miffed.

“You might say a friendly miffed,” said city administrator Charles Rough. “We actually are (the capital). If you come down 99, we have signs saying that, and we have stationary with that on it.”

Even Calendar’s own TV critic helped to plant mythical seeds in a recent article: “I should’ve called Fresno the alleged raisin capital of the world,” figured Howard Rosenberg.

But the controversy hasn’t withered on the vine:

Fresno mayor Dale Doig: “Because Fresno is the county seat (of Fresno County, which allegedly produces 78 percent of all U.S. raisins), Fresno likes to take claim (as the capital).”

Kalem Barserian, general manager of the Raisin Bargaining Assn.: “Hell, there’s 15 little communities that could claim they’re the capital. The real capital is Fresno County.”

Robert Phinney of the Raisin Advisory Board: “Dinuba, Kingsberg, Madera, Fresno, Raisin City . . . I don’t care. They can all rightfully claim to be the raisin capital.”

Barry Kemp, “Fresno” co-writer and exec producer, admitted, “We, like everyone else in the world, are (now) well aware that Selma is the raisin capital of the world. We’ve only been saying that Fresno was for convenience sake.”

Henceforth, he said, the show will refer to Fresno as “the raisin basket of the world.”