Still another institution has fallen in town--the...
Still another institution has fallen in town--the 10-cent cup of coffee.
The last holdout was Philippe’s, the 83-year-old, sawdust-on-the-floor sandwich shop near Union Station.
Philippe’s had charged a dime since 1978. Before that, the owners charged a nickel, continuing the eatery’s Depression-era policy of offering coffee as pretty much of a giveaway item.
But now comes the latest price
boost.
“Blame the governor, not us,” said John Binder, one of the owners.
Because of the recent passage of the snack-food tax, a mug of java in Philippe’s costs 11 cents.
We still feel a bit guilty about demanding free refills.
Dealing with an old flame can be awkward.
But the Southern California Gas Co. came up with an imaginative solution for the fate of the 35-foot neon landmark atop its former downtown headquarters.
The structure, removed by a 250-foot-tall crane on Flower Street the other day, has been donated to the Museum of Neon Art. A happy ending for the old flame, age 32.
The late Fred MacMurray starred in numerous comedies but one of his funniest lines--at least in retrospect--was delivered in the 1944 film “Double Indemnity.”
Narrating one scene, he describes the mansion of villainess Barbara Stanwyck thusly:
“It was one of those California Spanish houses everyone was nuts about 10 or 15 years ago. This one must have cost somebody about 30 thousand bucks.”
“Truly eerie,” said Scott Kaufer of Hollywood, referring to the July issue of the British edition of GQ. Kaufer noticed that the magazine offered a cover story on the late media mogul Robert Maxwell with the headline: “Who Will Take Over from Captain Bob?” Inside, the story was headlined: “Heirs Apparent.” Does Scotland Yard know about this?
Edie Matthews agrees that the refurbishers of the 64-year-old El Capitan Theater in Hollywood did a great job, except . . . since the facade has been uncovered, a flock of pigeons has settled in the various nooks and crannies. “Maybe they should set out some inflatable owls,” she suggests.
The Birds, 2.
The post office’s latest commemorative series hasn’t been a hit with everyone, evidently. Jack Herman heard a woman tell a postal clerk in Laurel Canyon: “Two books of stamps, please. No comedians.”
miscelLAny:
When UCLA revived its bonfire tradition during “Beat SC” week a few years ago, the blaze involved five tons each of dirt and sand, dozens of pounds of wood and chicken wire--and four months’ issues of the Los Angeles Times.
