That’s show buzz: Three years ago, chain...

That’s show buzz: Three years ago, chain saw juggler Robert Gruenberg shelved his power tools. But when he resumed his noisy act on the Venice Boardwalk a few weeks ago, he said he wasn’t a bit rusty.

“It’s like riding a bicycle,” explained Gruenberg, 33, the only chain-saw juggler ever to appear on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.

What did need polishing, he says, were the skills of a street performer--”how to get people over to watch you and how to ask for money.”

You might think that a chain-saw juggler would automatically attract a crowd. But Venice is evidently a tough house.

Gruenberg had a short career as a used-car salesman (slashing prices, etc.) and a costly battle with the IRS, which accused him of juggling his income figures. While the IRS charges were eventually reduced to one misdemeanor, he owes thousands in attorney fees.

To recoup his losses, he’s taking his machinery on a college tour in February.

At Venice, he’s currently working with only one chain saw (along with a bowling ball and an egg). Danger isn’t a consideration. He’s juggled as many as three power tools simultaneously and the worst injury he ever suffered was a cut lip in Atlantic City. The real problem with the chain saws, he noted, is that “they’re always breaking down.”

To err is human: Irene Machuca found a church sign in Redondo Beach with a 52-year-old typo that could serve as a reminder that only God is perfect.

Make a wish: Rita Luther of Venice was waiting for a bus downtown when a disheveled young man came up and asked for a few coins. She told him she needed her change for bus fare and, after checking her wallet, added, “Hey, I’m short a quarter myself.” The panhandler responded, “Well I’ll go get one,” and gallantly offered to dip into a nearby fountain. Luther told him no thanks.

Dueling reunions: Ted and Betty Kenessey of Studio City will celebrate their 50th high school reunion Oct. 17 at the Air Tel Plaza in Van Nuys even though they weren’t classmates. By coincidence, Betty is attending a luncheon for Belmont High grads there; Ted, a dinner dance for Van Nuys High grads.

“We’ve taken a room at the hotel since we figure Ted will be too tired to drive home,” writes Betty.

Give that class a tardy slip: Kevin Martin of West L.A., meanwhile, noticed that The Times recently ran an item that mistakenly said the Hamilton High Class of 1963 was planning its 20th reunion. “Is this the Procrastinators’ Reunion?” he asked. Funny thing is, Martin sent us the note about three weeks ago and we’re just now getting around to running it. No explanation for the delay except, perhaps, that we were in the 1963 Hamilton class ourselves.

miscelLAny:

In the movie, “Casablanca,” Rick (Humphrey Bogart) bid farewell to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) in a building that was a Van Nuys airport hangar. Hence, Rick’s famous line: “We’ll always have Van Nuys . . . “