Fickle Finger of Fate (cont.): More than...

Fickle Finger of Fate (cont.): More than one joking prediction made in the 1960s on the “Laugh-In” show proved to be eerily correct.

We mentioned that, in a recent rerun of the program on cable TV, the late Dan Rowan could be seen forecasting that the Berlin Wall would fall in 1989 (albeit replaced by a pack of wolves).

That prompted “Laugh-In” creator George Schlatter to send in another prognostication--a 1968 bit that began with this quip:

“Twenty years from now, 1988:

“Dateline Washington:

“President Ronald Reagan announced today upon completing his second term in office he has no plans to run for the governor of California.”

In 1968, few people besides joke writers talked about a Reagan presidency.

As for the second part of the Reagan prediction: Though some Republicans are unenthusiastic about the current gubernatorial candidacy of Sen. Pete Wilson, it appears that “Laugh-In” was correct there too.

Reagan has no plans to run for governor. Then again, Mr. President, it might be v errrryyyy interesting.

Is a homeowner liable for injuries that a guest suffers from a spider bite?

That was the question involved in the recent case of an L.A. man who filed a lawsuit after he was nipped by a brown recluse spider at a friend’s house near Palm Springs.

“There were no previous cases on record I know of dealing with this issue,” said Beverly Hills attorney Charles Finkel, who represented the victim.

A lower court sided with the homeowner, dismissing the suit. And a Court of Appeal upheld the dismissal, pointing out that the assailant wasn’t known to be prevalent in the region. Also, the court added, “neither homeowner nor the injured guest has seen the specific insect that bit the guest either before or after the bite occurred.”

Another case for “America’s Most Wanted.”

If some canny entrepreneur ever starts a “Tour of the Antiquities of L.A.”--(“Maps to the Ruins!”)--one must-see would be the former Uniroyal tire plant off the Santa Ana Freeway.

Artist Wes Christensen was so inspired that he painted archeologist Matthew Boxt standing in front of the factory, whose facade recalls the palace of Sargon II, an Assyrian king. The work was exhibited in the Space Gallery in Santa Monica.

“The painting’s title, ‘Xiuhmolpilli (Bundle of Years)’--the period-ending event in the Aztec calendar--refers to the various similarities historians have pointed out between the ancient Assyrians and their Mexican counterparts,” Christensen said.

Further proof of our melting pot: L.A.’s Assyrian-Aztec tire palace.

Elvis-Head Sightings (cont.):

The ageless floral noggin of the King, which previously appeared in the Rose Parade and in a 7-Eleven parking lot in Memphis, ended its three-week run outside a mall in Ridgeland, Miss.

The Mississippi Tournament of Roses Assn. towed the 1,400-pound float away, but a spokesman admitted: “We’re still trying to find a place to store the head.”

And where is it now?

“It’s sitting outside a restaurant in downtown Jackson,” he said.

Be that as it may: Laurie Hall of Whittier claims that she has also spotted Elvis’ head. And she enclosed evidence (see photo).