What’s in a Name? ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ Found ‘Henry’ Less Than Appealing

Little did Henry W. Beaty suspect, as he was growing up, that he would some day be the subject of a book titled “The Sexiest Man Alive.” I’m talking, of course, about Warren Beatty.

Biographer Ellis Amburn says that the actor never liked his real first name because at home he was called Little Henry owing to “his unfortunate resemblance to the imbecilic-looking cartoon character of that name.” (Beatty later added a “t” to his last name.)

It’s difficult to see any similarities between the two Henrys now (see accompanying), though I guess you could say that the cartoon character never had a bad hair day, either.

Typecasting? Beatty, a political activist, has reportedly considered running for office. If so, I doubt he’ll use the speech he made on one episode of TV’s “Dobie Gillis.”

Beatty, portraying rich kid Milton Armitage, seeks the junior class presidency and lectures his high school love, Thalia Menninger: “How can I lose the election? I’m handsome, cultured, debonair, attractive, manly. I’m in politics seriously. I owe it to my class--the ruling class. I won’t mince words. This junior class presidency is merely the beginning. A finger exercise, so to speak. I’m going onward and upward.”

Menninger tells him he won’t win because “you’re perfect. And people don’t vote for perfect people.” He loses.

Zip it: Amid the pizza parlors, bars and T-shirt shops of Virginia Beach, Va., Jon Goetz of Irvine noticed signs warning against voice pollution (see photo).

Kids, listen up! You graduate from college and maybe some screenwriter will mention you, too, in a movie soon afterward. Film historian Rick Mitchell notes that in the new horror film, “Halloween: Resurrection,” a character says, “I went to Long Beach University, just like Spielberg.” I guess the character didn’t go there long enough to know it’s Cal State Long Beach.

That personal touch: The Los Alamitos News-Enterprise’s police log carried a report about a man in a shop who “tried to sell a customer some diamonds from a bagful he was carrying.” What’s suspicious about that?

miscelLAny: As Malibu Times’ columnist Kim Devore put it, Eric Idle’s speech “was pure Monty Python” when he accepted an award for his late pal George Harrison from the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. “When I heard they were giving George the award,” Idle said, “my first thought was, ‘I bet he won’t show up.’ ”

*

Reach Steve Harvey 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 or steve.harvey@latimes.com.