4th of July Holiday Really Is for the Dogs

July 4 puts me in mind of hot dogs--and some of L.A.’s legendary eaters.

The celebrity record at Pink’s on La Brea is still held by Orson Welles. “He’d come here at least once a week,” the late founder Paul Pink once said. “He’d eat anywhere from 12 to 15 hot dogs at one sitting.”

At the frankfurter-shaped Tail o’ the Pup on San Vicente Boulevard, manager Dennis Blake recounted the feats of visiting football players, such as USC’s 270-pound Keith Van Horne. “He’d eat six or seven and have a double cheeseburger as a kicker,” Blake said.

Alas, the disappearance of pro football from L.A. has deprived the Pup of some famous taste buds.

“When the Rams and Raiders were in town, we’d get a lot of business because they’d always have guys being operated on at [nearby] Cedars-Sinai,” Blake recalled with nostalgia. “Afterward they’d stop by for three or four dogs.”

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NOW FOR AN OPPOSING VIEW: For you vegetarians, Juel Goldstock of Long Beach spotted a restaurant that evidently serves a meal “barren” of beef (see accompanying). Not to be confused with baron of beef, a very meaty dish.

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THIS WON’T HURT A BIT: Now that we’ve dispensed with eating, it’s time to turn our attention to our teeth. Harper’s magazine published an interesting letter on that subject, which had been sent to novelist Ann Hood.

“I thoroughly enjoyed your ‘Places to Stay the Night’--especially the parts where you bring up a hygienist,” wrote Lois Hirt, who identified herself as the author of a column, ‘Hygienists in Print: Fiction and Nonfiction,’ for the L.A. Dental Hygienists’ Society.

“Any mention of a hygienist is fantastic because it might inspire readers to call their own dental office to set up an appointment.”

Hirt told Hood she wanted to mention the 1994 novel in her column but first wanted Hood to answer several questions, including these:

* “On Page 86, Libby suggests that Sherri become a dental hygienist. Sherri replies, ‘I don’t want to be cleaning some strange guy’s teeth. Or getting zapped with radiation.’ Any reason for Sherri’s attitude?”

* “On Page 166, Millie’s teeth turn black from radiation, and Renata promises to have them bonded to give her an ultra-brite smile. Again, any special reason for this?”

Readers, we hope to have some answers in time for your next appointment with this column.

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PAR FOR THE COURSE THERE: Art Vinsel of San Pedro found an ad that only confirmed what you already knew about the extent of the wealth in Rancho Palos Verdes (see accompanying).

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LECTURE FROM THE DEEP: Bob Buck, a volunteer diver, was at the Long Beach aquarium’s 350,000-gallon Arco Tropical Reef habitat when he noticed two spectators conversing by sign language. Buck’s sister is deaf so he, too, knows sign language. He proceeded to carry on a conversation with the surprised visitors, answering several of their questions, even though they were on dry ground and he was under 30 feet of water.

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PRIORITIES: “Is this some Yuppie culture thing?” asked Ellen Zunino of Monrovia. She passed along a classified ad that said, “Family of two professionals is looking for cozy 2 BR apt next to the mall in Arcadia. . . .”

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It’s traditional to remind folks to be careful around this time of the year. But Steven Foonberg saw a reminder on a company’s bill that sounded more like a reference to a 1950s movie actress than to the Fourth of July (see accompanying). Everything has a Hollywood angle in this town.

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Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.