Museum Price Is Going Bananas

His initial attempt to sell his International Banana Club and Museum failed, but owner Ken Bannister believes the Altadena landmark is still ripe for bidders.

So much so that he’s actually raised the price from $900,000 to $920,000 on the EBay auction site. “And I’m going to raise the price $10,000 every week,” he said. “I’m just going with the bull market.”

In the first three weeks it was for sale, the museum drew two offers--of $900,000 and $900,100--the 61-year-old banana man said. But neither deal materialized.

I was reminded of the unusual EBay offering by Joel Kenyon of Mission Viejo.

Lest you think $920,000 is a bit high for a banana museum, Bannister points out that he’s offering not only 17,000 banana artifacts but his World Wide Web domain name (bananaclub.com), his trademark and his registered logo.

Included, also, are his concepts for three sure-fire television hits: a banana cartoon show, a banana sitcom and a banana quiz show (I forgot to ask him if the title of the last would be “Who Wants to Be a Banana?”).

And he’ll also throw in the royalty rights for a line of toys, including a banana tub float.

“This will replace the duck in the tub--mark my words,” the banana man said.

*

MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Nancy Zeavin of suddenly prominent Altadena, one of several readers who noticed an ad for Chicken “Viola,” guessed it must explain the saying that music has charms to soothe the savage breast (see accompanying).

Or leg or wing.

*

PITCHES THAT FAIL TO IMPRESS: Frank Ellersieck of Sunland wasn’t swayed by a mortgage broker who said he could finance a “collage” education.

And Laura Minkin of Venice received a flier from a real estate agent who needs to strive just a bit more with spelling and grammar to exceed the expectations of his, uh, clients (see accompanying).

*

NAMES THAT ARE ALL WET: The discussion here of Cal State Channel Islands, which actually is in Camarillo, moved Dean Terlinden to observe that “Channel Islands State will have a natural rival in University of the Pacific.”

The latter is also on the mainland--in Stockton.

*

HOPE NORMAN BATES’ MOM DOESN’T FIND OUT: I saw a poll that ranked “The Matrix” as the most requested rental film of 1999 among hotel and motel guests in the United States.

The remake of “Psycho” didn’t make the top 10. But then I guess most desk clerks would hesitate to recommend it.

*

DEARLY BE QUIET: Barbara Rosenstein of Cheviot Hills attended a funeral service where the mourners were asked to turn off their cell phones and pagers before the ceremony began.

*

AIR CONDITIONING, THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY: The 75-plus-degree weather caught some Angelenos off guard Tuesday, including a woman in a flannel shirt on the Red Line.

Her solution: Remove the heavy garment and ride topless.

No one rang the alarm, said a colleague who happened to be on her car. In fact, the exhibition elicited little reaction from the other passengers, who have evidently learned the rule of New York subways: Never make visual contact with a fellow rider.

I bet you can guess where the self-cooled passenger exited: Hollywood.

MiscelLAny:

So the Rolling Stones were the top grossing rock group in Orange County last year, bringing in $64.7 million during their February visit to the Pond.

Imagine . . . all that money.

Plus, they now qualify for discounts on the road from the American Assn. of Retired Persons (AARP).

*

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.