Not Bowled Over by This Contest Prize

As the instructor of a free acting workshop for senior citizens, Adrienne Omansky has scored several successes. One of her students, Earl Schuman, is the 80ish gent who is seen marrying the young blond in those Mercedes-Benz TV and billboard ads that are captioned, “He’s broke. She’s in love.”

Anyway, Omansky submitted head shots of several of her students for a soup company’s “mug” contest some months ago. First prize was $10,000 worth of goodies, including a trip to New York and a billboard photo shoot.

Months later, she received a congratulatory note. One of her students had finished second. And what was his prize? “A soup mug,” Omansky said.

That’s soup biz.

ONE-TWO PUNCH: In reprinting the message on an El Segundo billboard that asserted the city was “a million miles from L.A.,” I theorized that El Segundo had a complex about its name, which means “The Second” in Spanish. It was so christened because it was the home of the second refinery built in the state by Standard Oil.

Which prompted this note from Bernie Tourkin of El Segundo:

“In my rare perusals of your column and that of T.J. Simers, I am often left with an unclear impression of your meanings and points. However, it is normally clear that the two of you are attempting to insult someone or something. Those of us who live in El Segundo choose to believe that our city’s full name is ‘El Segundo de Nada,” or ‘The Second to None.’ Perhaps, for that reason, you should interpret our unfriendliness as arrogance.”

As No. 2, El Segundo at least deserves a soup mug.

O, YE OF LITTLE FAITH: Over the years, I’ve noticed that there are a fair number of cynical types among this column’s readers. Doubters. Consider these submissions (see accompanying), which include:

* An ad from a psychic--I think it’s a psychic--whose powers are questioned by Gordon Johnson of L.A.

* A receipt from Dean Gatons of Crestline, who wonders about the delivery time of his mail order.

* And a fried chicken sign that caught the attention of George Gregory of Culver City. Hey, isn’t that what they call a drumstick?

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO: “Murphy’s Fine Time in Half an Hour,” said the headline of The Times’ Dec. 6, 1900, police log column, which recounted how, in that short time span, the hard-drinking Mr. Murphy (no first name given) engaged in five fistfights: two in Our House Saloon, one in the middle of Main Street and two at the police station. He also found time to stage one escape from a police wagon.

In his last fracas, Murphy was said to have hit an officer “on the side of the head, knocking his helmet off,” a Times correspondent wrote. “He then proceeded to sit on the helmet. It did not improve the helmet.”

Murphy was later found guilty of innumerable offenses, despite dismissing his own actions as “this here little argument.”

miscelLAny:

This is the first presidential campaign I can ever remember that has seemingly inspired more post-election bumper stickers than preelection stickers. You’ve probably seen, “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for Al Gore, I Think.” Ora Oscherowitz spotted this one: “Got President?”

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.