Buffalo Gets Handsome Cabbies

--A drive to improve the image of Buffalo, N.Y., taxi drivers shifted into high gear when a chain of four formal wear stores offered to give a used tuxedo from its 5,000-suit surplus inventory to any taxi driver who wants one. Frank Hahn, the city’s director of licenses, started the movement last week when he said the cabbies “look like bums” and dress like “crumb bums.” Some city officials commented that they would like a dress code for drivers so visitors would get a better impression of Buffalo. The first to take advantage of the offer by Heidie’s was Nelson Krantz. “There are times you should wear one and times you shouldn’t,” said Krantz. “On days when it’s 90 degrees out, it gets quite hot in the cab, and you tend to get ruffled up.” Buffalo has about 200 independent and 400 fleet taxi drivers.

--A New Mexico woman was determined to maintain her cool when she spotted Robert Redford in a Santa Fe ice cream shop. She did her best to ignore Redford, who is in town to film “The Milagro Beanfield War,” but after leaving the shop she realized she had no ice cream. When she returned to the store to demand the cone, Redford pointed out: “You’ll probably find it right there in your purse where you put it.”

--The 20 years seem to have gone by at warp speed. But that’s how long it’s been since Capt. James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew of the Starship Enterprise set off for what producer Gene Roddenberry told NBC would be “a Western, but with space ships instead of horses.” Among the themes explored in the series were the dangers of prejudice, even against aliens, and the need for peace, even among intergalactic superpowers. “I went ape,” Roddenberry said. “I said, ‘I’m going to write what I want to write.’ This would be a chance to say to the world some things I wanted to say.” About 1,500 people turned out to celebrate the birthday on the Paramount Pictures sound stages where the upcoming movie “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” was filmed. Stars from the 1966-69 series and subsequent films who attended the party included William Shatner, who played Kirk; Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock; Nichelle Nichols, who played communications officer Uhura; James Doohan, who portrayed engineer Montgomery Scott; Majel Barrett, who was nurse Christine Chapel, and Walter Koenig, who was Ens. Pavel Chekov.

--George Strait, the reigning Country Music Assn. male vocalist of the year, is recuperating at home in San Marcos, Tex., after missing three concerts because he lost his voice, a spokeswoman said. He hopes to resume his concert schedule Saturday at Concord, Calif.