If Nothing Else, L.A.’s Hotel Elevators Hold a Lofty Place in Movie History

Easterners like to say that Los Angeles has no history. Well, it’s nice to see that the downtown Westin Bonaventure Hotel is fighting to correct that impression. On one of its cylindrical elevators, a plaque says:

“This is one of two elevators used in filming ‘True Lies,’ starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, September 1993.”

Another elevator has a plaque proclaiming its role in the movie “In the Line of Fire,” starring Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich.

In the latter film, the Malkovich character praises L.A.’s skyline while rising in the lift. “Nice view,” he tells another rider.

I’m sure the Chamber of Commerce was proud, even if Malkovich was portraying a professional assassin.

Blue Christmas: It will be interesting to see if Long Beach confers similar landmark status on the Pine Avenue intersection that figured in the opening scene of HBO’s new black comedy, “Six Feet Under” on Sunday night. That’s the spot where a bus crashes into a hearse on Christmas Eve and kills the driver, a mortuary owner who had taken his eyes off the road to light a cigarette.

His radio, by the way, was playing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

The last day for campaign commercials! For a while, anyway. To inspire you to get out to the polls today, I went to the Only in L.A. archives and pulled some snapshots showing a billboard from a year when the propositions were really confusing, some spelling-challenged directions and a reminder that not all candidates are devilish. (See photos.) Roger Beerworth of L.A. has another take on the election, though. After perusing the Web site of L.A.’s Patriotic Hall, he says, “Who cares about mayor? How do you become count of L.A.?” (See accompanying).

Make yourself at home: Helen Storey, who lives in the Hollywood Hills, was on the phone when her husband Jim arrived home one afternoon. The door was unlocked and he walked into another part of the house. A few moments later, a well-dressed woman also entered and walked past Storey, paying no attention to her or her husband.

“Can I help you?” Storey asked.

“I’m here for the open house,” the woman said.

But there was no open house. It was at a different address. Arrows on signs are sometimes difficult to follow on the narrow, winding roads in the hills.

The woman departed. I bring it up because I admire the fact that Storey resisted the impulse to ask, “By the way, just out of curiosity, how much would you offer?”

Let there be light: As I’ve mentioned before, the unfortunate choice for a slogan at the Angels’ Edison Field is “Feel the Energy.” Now I notice that a second slogan appears on the outfield walls: “It only takes a little energy to save a lot. Flex your power.”

Speaking of conserving energy: Lakewood resident Matt Lauwers, age 18, caught two foul balls hit down the left-field line by the same batter in the same inning Sunday during the Angels-Kansas City Royals game. In each instance, the balls popped out of another fan’s hands into the alert Lauwers’ possession.

miscelLAny: I was privileged to see Lauwers’ feat in person--I was sitting four seats from him. I managed to touch neither ball, much to the disgust of my 8-year-old son, who now seriously doubts my claim that I was once a right fielder for the Cheviot Hills Indians Little League team.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, 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.