Traffic TalkRush-hour traffic along Burbank Boulevard in...

Traffic Talk

Rush-hour traffic along Burbank Boulevard in Encino can be much like the freeway--bumper-to-bumper.

Still, motorists might have been surprised to see one of those electronic “Freeway Condition” signs erected over the boulevard just west of the San Diego Freeway. The sign, it turns out, is a prop for a Steve Martin movie that has been filming there at nights.

According to the film’s publicist, “L.A. Story” takes an affectionate look at the quirks of life in La-La Land. The publicist, who asked not to be named, wouldn’t disclose how the freeway sign figured into the plot.

“There are a lot of wonderful sight gags in the movie, but if I told you about them, that would ruin it,” he said. “I’d hate to do that.”

We, however, wouldn’t mind: A security guard on the set said Martin talks to the sign, and it answers in lighted messages.

A Decorator’s Touch

Pacific Bell has hundreds of terminal boxes on sidewalks around the city. These boxes, contain electronic equipment that is far too complicated and boring to describe here.

But the boxes’ exteriors invite comment. They are painted an earthy-green color, and many are adorned with false walnut paneling.

“The pale-green color blends into the environment,” said Charlene Baldwin, a Pacific Bell spokeswoman. “The reason for the walnut panel is that it blends into certain communities.”

Say what?

“I guess it blends into communities with a lot of wood.”

Now, if only they could do something with those unsightly telephone wires.

Square Hair

Arsenio Hall wears one. So does singer Bobby Brown.

The “fade” haircut--short and squarish--and the “Gumby”--with an angled top--are all the rage. But a 47-year-old beautician at Stylesville in Pacoima says such cuts are nothing new.

“Bobby Brown didn’t start that,” said the stylist, who goes by the name Aloha. “The Navy started it.”

Aloha spent the past three decades cutting hair on military bases. Now she has ventured into the civilian world just in time for young men to come into the shop and ask for . . . a military cut.

Aloha, for one, thinks it’s a smart choice: “It’s very neat and all the ladies like it.”

Reading Rambos

Summer has arrived and it’s time, once again, for annual reading programs at local libraries. Children sign up with the librarian and keep a record of all the books they read over the course of the vacation. Traditionally, those who read the most are given awards.

But times are changing. Danny Gray, the children’s librarian at Pacoima Library, is joining a growing list of librarians who are taking the competition out of reading.

“We found that it encouraged exaggeration,” Gray said. “Some of the kids would list books whether they read them or not.”

Gray now gives awards based on effort rather than quantity.

“We try to downplay that ‘I’m No. 1’ Rambo-type mentality.”

At last, we can venture into the library sans rocket launcher.

Overheard

“I have all these little piles of papers on my desk, but unfortunately the predominant theme is miscellaneous.”

--Woman at Valley Stationers in Sherman Oaks