Summer re-runs already?John Hendry of Van Nuys...

Summer re-runs already?

John Hendry of Van Nuys notes that the Salvation Army thrift store in his area occasionally has home-taped videocassettes on sale--that is, videos that people recorded, then donated without bothering to erase the tape.

Hendry recently came upon these three titles scrawled on the self-applied labels:

* “O.J. Simpson Trial”

* “Rosa Lopez”

And, of course:

* “Kato Kaelin”

Just the gifts for a departed juror.

TAKING THE LAW INTO ITS OWN CLAWS: We mentioned that jury life in Long Beach has been strange of late. First, there were the two falcons who swooped down on the courthouse patio, gashing the forehead of one man. The falcons, who reportedly live in the letter “A” in the SUMITOMO BANK sign across the street, have since staged another aerial attack on the courthouse, carrying off a pigeon.

Guess the victim will be replaced by a pigeon alternate.

THE LITTLE TRAIN THAT USED TO: It was 26 years ago that the city of L.A. shut down Angel’s Flight to make room for an urban renewal project on Bunker Hill. Officials promised that “the world’s shortest railroad,” would be running again by 1972 with its original cars, Sinai and Olivet, and much of the original equipment.

It ain’t happened yet, and now we think we know why.

When the 68-year-old landmark was boarded up, recalls William J. Jenney, “I jumped over the wire fence they had to keep people like myself out. Being a native son, that didn’t stop me and I snatched an original piece of railroad tie. If you know of the company that is handling the rebuilding, please let them know I will donate this piece of lumber.”

Aha!

It’s obvious why Angel’s Flight has been delayed. Officials have been rummaging around in city warehouses for the last quarter-century, searching for the missing railroad tie!

REAL ESTATE CRASH: Harald Johnson of Woodland Hills came across a house that had been up for rent before the owner decided to knock it down and rebuild. Alas, the owner forgot to remove one sign.

IT’S NOT IN HIS HANDS: A City Hall source tells us he saw L.A. County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti at a Nordstrom sale, sorting through the shirts.

“I felt like telling him that if he was looking for a bigger glove,” our spy tells us, “he was in the wrong department.”

SUCH DEDICATION: Did you catch that quote from Danny Cannon, the director of “Judge Dredd,” the movie based on a sci-fi comic book? In Sunday’s Calendar section, Cannon said of star Sylvester Stallone: “Sly certainly knew Dredd--he’d done his research. He’d read the comic book.”

miscelLAny Upset over those bumper stickers with vulgar language? How refreshing to see a gardener’s truck with a message that said: “Fertilizer Happens.”