The naughty old days: Enough talk about...

The naughty old days: Enough talk about modern-day madams! What about old-time madams?

Cora Phillips, who ran the fashionable Golden Lion on Alameda Street at the turn of the century, will be featured in “Scandals and Famous Women,” an L.A. City Historical Society tour on Sept. 18.

The event will be held at the landmark Rosedale Cemetery on West Washington Boulevard, where Phillips and the other stars of the show are buried.

Some of the tales reflect a more innocent time. Nellie Durfee, for example, will be included in the presentation because she was a wealthy socialite who shocked L.A. “by running off and marrying her horse trainer,” said the historical society’s Joe Ryan.

But Mary Green, described by some writers “as the most beautiful woman in California” in the late 1800s, played a part in a more sinister drama. Green told authorities she and her wealthy husband were coming into L.A. on a buckboard, “when his revolver fell out of his pocket and shot him in the head,” Ryan recounted. She then married another rich man--an attorney.

As for Phillips, she went out of business in 1909 when a reform movement led to a crackdown on prostitution and the resignation of Mayor A. C. Harper. His Honor had been spotted inside brothels on several occasions. Few accepted his explanation that he was on fact-finding missions.

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Low tech: For techno-nerds unfamiliar with non-electronic devices, L.A. Valley College in Van Nuys has a helpful sign on one door. (See photo.)

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The Joker must have made us do it: In an item on the “Batman” movie the other day, we gave the incorrect name of Warner Bros.’ studio chief, who is Bob Daly. At least we’re not the only one who’s gotten mixed up lately. Daly’s estranged wife, Nancy, is currently dating Mayor Richard Riordan, as you may know. During the mayor’s inaugural ceremonies, a TV reporter was overheard identifying the couple as “Nancy and Richard Daly.”

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Cops vs. the media (cont).: When an L.A. Times staffer identified himself to a guard at the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center, the guard frowned and said he disagreed with an article that had run in the newspaper. The reporter, assuming it was yet another law enforcement expose, warily asked him which piece had annoyed him. The guard said it was a negative review of a Rod Stewart concert. The guard said he had attended the concert and thought it was excellent.

miscelLAny:

Call it Guac-n-Roll. The California Avocado Media Bureau in L.A. has unveiled a recipe for the “Official Beach Boys Guacamole” to publicize the fruit as well as the 30th anniversary of the Boys’ first top-10 hit, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”’ Yes, there really is a California Avocado Media Bureau.