Dream on:A couple of rental car companies...

Dream on:

A couple of rental car companies have been giving customers maps that list the DreamWorks studio of Steven Spielberg et al. as a tourist landmark. Sure, Hollywood specializes in make-believe, but this is going a bit far, as Entertainment Weekly pointed out. Construction on the Westside factory hasn’t even started.

Might we suggest a nearby landmark as a substitute for DreamWorks on the maps? How about Johnny’s Pastrami on Sepulveda Boulevard? After all, the Culver City eatery has its own links to show biz. One of the prizes on TV’s old “$1.98 Beauty Show” was a free lunch at Johnny’s.

WHICH REMINDS US: Tourists motoring to the Westside in the 1920s were warned to be leery of Culver City. The Auto Club posted signs on Washington Boulevard near the street’s entrance to that city, advising outsiders to “take an alternate route.” Many motorists who had the misfortune to venture into Culver City on Washington were ticketed and heavily fined for such petty offenses as having a broken taillight or driving in a bathing suit. The signs were removed after a local judge, who was pocketing some of the fine money, was sent to prison.

RESEDA WELCOMES THE WORLD: Rolling Hills is the wealthiest community in the nation, according to one magazine survey--so exclusive that it’s completely surrounded by locked gates. Well, Brett Kiesel points out that, judging from a recent ad he received in the mail, Reseda is much easier to enter (see accompanying). Actually, the ad pertained to a computer show in that community.

FOR THE DOG WHO’S INTO SELF-GROOMING: In a local paper, Lisa Stevenson of Saugus found a notice for a furnished dog house that would suit the fancy of any hound, even one in the Rolling Hills compound.

L.A. UNIFIED’S BABY: Lately we’ve mentioned some of the oldest schools in the L.A. Unified School District, such as L.A. High (est. 1873), San Fernando High (1896) and L.A. Poly High (1900). Well, now we’ve heard from the youngest, John F. Kennedy High of Granada Hills, an upstart at the age of 25. The school’s alumni include such star athletes as the Angels’ Garret Anderson, USC All-American Jeff Bregel and NFL quarterback Tom Ramsey.

But the school’s Sheila Moss feels that mention should be made of five teachers who have been with the school since its founding. So take a bow, Warren Farlow, Larry Grodsky, John Haynes, John Mynster and Dave Ptashne.

LIST OF THE DAY: Some “fun facts” about L.A. issued recently by the L.A. Convention & Visitors Bureau:

* “The world’s longest drive-through art gallery is located on Los Angeles’ 405 Freeway between Manchester and Century boulevards, featuring a mural depicting the L.A. Marathon.”

(Yes, but could someone please remove the graffiti marring the largest figure? We mean the red paint that gives one runner the appearance of being a drive-by shooting victim with blood gushing from two holes in his head.)

* “The largest man-made recreational harbor--Marina del Rey--is home to more than 6,000 private yachts and 3,000 boats in dry storage.”

(Marina del Rey translates as King Harbor, which is interesting considering that there’s also a King Harbor in Redondo Beach. No wonder the Queen Mary is too confused to leave Long Beach.)

* “The largest toy manufacturer in the world and Barbie creator, Mattel Inc., is based in L.A.”

(Well, greater L.A., perhaps. More specifically, it’s in El Segundo. We hope the latter isn’t so angered that it unleashes another set of anti-L.A. billboards. Surely, you remember El Segundo’s proud motto: “One mile from the beach. One mile from LAX. A million miles from L.A.”)

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In the 1951 sci-fi film “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” a flying saucer lands on the front lawn of Beverly Hills High. We read that in Highlights, the school’s newspaper (in the “Only in Beverly Hills” column, as a matter of fact). We understand, by the way, that the spaceship wanted to land in Rolling Hills but couldn’t gain admittance.