The Write Stuff

President Clinton’s popularity gets an early test May 29.

That’s when Superior Galleries in Beverly Hills plans to auction off two of his autographs in Santa Fe, N. M., in what is believed to be the first post-inauguration sale of Clinton memorabilia.

One is a plain piece of paper signed by Clinton, framed with a magazine cover. Another Clinton autograph appears on a New York campaign brochure, framed alongside a newsletter signed by daughter Chelsea Clinton.

How much the items will fetch is uncertain. But Superior President Ira Goldberg says the value of Clinton’s autograph could have jumped five to 10 times once he became President.

In the meantime, the gallery next week is auctioning manuscripts from every previous President. One of the more unusual is a handwritten note from Ronald Reagan, valued at $600 to $800, that Superior believes was written while Reagan was California’s governor.

Addressed “To The Cabinet,” the note reads: “I hereby call on the cabinet for volunteers to ride shotgun when Lois (Bikini clad) mounts fire engine or ambulance. By the way, her girdle mark and her Bikini don’t match or has she been playing with a hula hoop? RR.”

Car 54, Where Is It?

UC Berkeley’s Laura D’Andrea Tyson, President Clinton’s choice to head his Council of Economic Advisers, is about to start working to jump-start the economy. Now if only someone will jump-start the latest film her husband authored.

Tyson’s husband, Erik Tarloff, wrote the story that is the basis for Orion Pictures’ “Car 54, Where Are You?” Tarloff shares screenwriting credit as well.

The completed film, based on the 1960s television comedy, was to be released back in 1991. But Orion’s financial problems put the brakes on “Car 54.”

With Orion emerging from bankruptcy proceedings, its films are finally headed for theaters. A spokeswoman for the studio said “Car 54” hopefully will be released later this year, possibly in early 1994.

The Red Ink Sea

Ailing IBM set a record last week that no company will want to beat: a $4.965-billion annual loss.

How much red ink is that? Consider that Big Blue lost:

* $13.6 million every day

* $566,781 every hour

* $9,446 each minute

Briefly . . .

More IBM: Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, the nation’s wealthiest individual, could cover the entire IBM annual loss out of his own pocket and still have roughly $2 billion left over. . . . The Internal Revenue Service, which is auditing the entertainment industry as part of a special investigation, may broaden its probe to include professional athletes and sports teams because of similar tax issues. . . . Infomercial Marketing Report says an infomercial produced for $700,000 to sell a cosmetics line by socialite Georgette Mosbacher--wife of former Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher--has “tested unsuccessfully.”