Reopened Kelbo’s Replaces Samba With Table Dancers

Those of us pining for the return of Kelbo’s, the longtime tiki-hut eatery and bar in West Los Angeles that closed last year, suffered collective heartache last week.

On Jan. 20 something quite different opened in its place--Fantasy Island, a cabaret and restaurant that might be described as an American version of a Japanese hostess bar.

The couples who used to dance the mambo, samba and jitterbug under a giant coconut shell that still hangs over Kelbo’s original parquet floor have been replaced by scantily clad women dancing solo.

There is a deejay, a dead ringer for Buddy Holly, who invites all the “gentlemen” to get a closer look at the female performers by approaching the stage. And then there are the various theme rooms--the Dungeon Room, the Lingerie Room and others--with a stage and pizza-sized tables upon which, owner Dennis Morgan says, dancers perform on request.

Morgan says he produced the Hollywood Tropicana show from 1984 until last year. “I’m pretty well-known around here for being in the girlie business,” he says, adding that at Fantasy Island, his goal is to create “a little soft, playful sexuality.”

Guess that means Joey Cheezhee, aka Joe Sehee, a smarmy, Rollerblading Kelbo’s lounge singer who achieved mini-cult status, need not apply.

*

CLAMPING DOWN: California may soon have its own version of the Denver Boot this one to be donned voluntarily.

Marina del Rey importer Erik Beckjord says that while traveling in Britain he came across a wheel clamp that he says will give pause to even the most determined car-snatcher.

Weighing about 25 pounds, the Y-shaped device is locked onto a round plate that is clamped over the wheel and hubcap with hooks. It is then locked with a key. Beckjord plans to market the device as the California Clamp and hopes to distribute it in auto supply stores within the next two months.

“It’s very visible and the car cannot physically be driven,” Beckjord said. “Some are going to look at this and think, ‘Who needs the trouble?’ ”

Others, no doubt, will think, “Time to break out the blow torch.”

*

IN THE PAINT: Earvin (Magic) Johnson is holding tryouts, but not for hoopsters. Johnson wants to find an artist to paint a mural depicting the ex-Laker himself.

The painting will hang in the Magic Johnson Theatre being built near the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The theater, which is scheduled to open in May, is a joint project of Johnson Development Corp. and Sony Theatres. It is being billed as the first in a chain of cinemas slated for predominantly minority communities.

Johnson wants an artist to reproduce four photographs illustrating different phases of his career: college, his time with the Lakers, his play with the 1992 Olympic Dream Team and his role as a businessman.

All entries must be received in Johnson’s office at 9100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1060 West, Beverly Hills 90212, by Feb. 15. He will make the final cut on Feb. 20. Information: (310) 247-1994.