The star of bus stops: Steve Mozena...

The star of bus stops: Steve Mozena thinks he has something in common with such giants as Abe Lincoln, Tom Edison, Christopher Columbus, and Ike and Tina Turner--mainly, his life has inspired a movie.

Several months ago, Only in L.A. (Column to the Un-Stars) mentioned that Mozena, an aspiring actor, had been trying to get his big break in Hollywood by taking out self-advertisements on bus benches.

You can imagine Mozena’s excitement when he later heard that director Barry Levinson was making a movie about an aspiring actor who takes out self-advertisements on bus benches.

Just a couple of problems. First, the main character (as well as the movie) is named “Jimmy Hollywood.” And it stars Joe Pesci.

It’s the second disappointment Mozena has had in recent months.

He was also somehow overlooked for a role in the Richard Gere movie, “Intersection.”

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Surprise guest--Mother Nature!The pledge pitches of KCET (Channel 28) generally don’t make for the most exciting moments on television. But during a recent campaign, spokesman Julio Martinez noted, “it was almost as if we called the heavens to reinforce our message.”

KCET was broadcasting “Quick Fixes, Quake-Safe” when a 5.3 aftershock struck.

Fortunately, retired firefighter Henry Robinson, the host of “Surviving the Big One,” another quake program, just happened to be in the studio. He calmed down everyone, including the unheralded volunteers working the phones. Then listeners were reminded that if they made a $100 pledge, they could obtain the two quake programs.

“The phones,” Martinez said, “were really ringing.”

Mother Nature had the good manners not to knock out telephone service.

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He wanted to be outta there: With baseball season here, it’s an appropriate time to honor the ingenuity of the late Bob Kelley, one of L.A.’s pioneer radio sportscasters.

Kelley used to re-create the road games of the minor league Los Angeles Angels from the studio at KMPC. He would obtain the play-by-play from Western Union and call the game as though he were there, using various sound effects.

“On Sundays, he had a double-header and had to work alone,” recalled KMPC sportscaster Jim Healy. “Between games they’d throw in a deejay play some music and he’d go out to the local bar, the Hucksters, to have a few.”

One Sunday in the early-1950s, the Angels were playing in Portland’s ancient Multnomah Stadium. “Kelley came back to the KMPC studio for the second game and he felt the call of nature--really bad,” Healy said. “But he couldn’t leave because there was no one to take his place.”

It was, after all, the era of live radio.

“I was there, but I was a writer and didn’t have any broadcasting experience,” Healy continued. “Finally, he picked up a metal waste basket and in a few moments he said, ‘Uh-oh, folks. It’s starting to rain. I think you can hear it coming down on this old tin roof.’ ”

miscelLAny:

Social note--Half a dozen orangutans will participate in an Easter egg hunt this morning at the L.A. Zoo. Wait until they find out it’s not a banana hunt.