Officer Friendly Says: ‘Kids, Don’t Try This Getaway at Home’

A suspected drunk driver who had more than one set of wheels came to the attention of DWP patrolman Philip Wickey. He received a call from LAX police after a woman crashed into a street light near the airport.

“What made this incident memorable was that after the collision, when the car finally came to a stop, the driver reached into the back seat and pulled out a skateboard on which she tried to make her getaway,” Wickey said.

The sidewalk surfer didn’t get far, apparently suffering from balance problems.

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HAMILTON HIGH’S RASCALS: It had been years since I last visited my alma mater, Hamilton High, unless you count the recurring dream in which I discover with a shiver that I’m there for a final exam in a class I didn’t know I was taking. (The shiver is also related to the fact that I’m wearing only underwear.) I dressed more formally for Hami’s all-classes reunion in West L.A. the other day. Eyeing the various exhibits, I realized I was unaware of the 69-year-old school’s many alumni who were child actors at the nearby studios, including Doug Haig (Class of 1938).

Haig, who appeared with such stars as Harold Lloyd, said that being a child actor wasn’t kids’ play in the 1920s and ‘30s. “Sometimes, when they wanted you to cry for a scene they’d slap you,” he said.

Alumni historian Eloise McNerney pointed out that at least three of the Little Rascals from the “Our Gang” comedies--Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Spanky McFarland and Joe Cobb (see photo)--attended Hamilton at times.

The 83-year-old Cobb, who didn’t feel well enough to attend, still gets fan mail, said McNerney.

She could vouch for the rascality of Alfalfa, with whom she attended grade school. “He butted me in the stomach once, and I thought I was going to die,” she said.

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THE WORLD CAN BE A COLD PLACE: In the new book “Outtakes,” a collection of interviews by ESPN’s Dan Patrick, Newport Beach’s Dennis Rodman is asked about his marriage to actress Carmen Electra. Specifically, what wedding gifts the couple received from Rodman’s former Chicago Bulls teammates Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

“Nobody gave me anything,” Rodman lamented. “It’s amazing how all these athletes and famous people, . . . people give these guys parties, celebrations, roasts and all that stuff. When it comes to me, I get none of that.”

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Steve Harvey can be reached at steve.harvey@latimes.com.