A Proposal That May Not Get Off Ground

If Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s dream comes true and LAX is renamed JSX--Jimmy Stewart International Airport--we know what the facility’s motto will be:

“It’s a Wonderful Flight!”

FOGGY RESEARCH? There could be a problem, though. Carole Wade of Century City pointed out that there’s already a Stewart International Airport--in New Windsor, N.Y. It was named not for the actor but for a family that donated the land for the airport.

Perhaps Jimmy Stewart’s big-eared alter ego in one movie could be honored out here instead. I kind of like the sound of Harvey International Airport.

THE VALLEY SPEAKS: Whether there would be popular support for a Jimmy Stewart International in L.A. isn’t clear, anyway. (I suspect the modest actor would be horrified at the prospect.)

A poll in the Daily News found just 42% of the respondents in favor of JSX. This comes as a surprise, since I thought that many readers of the San Fernando Valley-based newspaper would have favored taking “Los Angeles” out of the title.

On the other hand, perhaps Valleyites want the name for themselves.

Imagine being aboard an incoming airliner as the pilot intones, “Ladies and gentlemen, in a few moments we will be landing at beautiful Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena-Jimmy Stewart International Airport.”

THANKS FOR THE WARNING: Laurence Lerner of San Bernardino found a Southland shop whose sign seems to promise an uncomfortable experience for visitors (see photo).

SQUEEGEE PLAY: This column has printed numerous sets of lengthy instructions that were so common-sensical that they belonged in the “Duh!” category. Today, by contrast, I present a diagram from the Minimalist School of Squeegee Instruction (see accompanying).

VULCAN VOLLEYS: Several readers wrote about Phil Di Prima’s suggestion to declare the Vulcan salute--a four-fingered V--as the official apologetic hand signal for motorists.

Providing historical background, Sherman Olken of West L.A. and Shirley Shaffer of San Dimas pointed out that the “Star Trek” greeting is patterned after a rabbinical blessing. Leonard (Mr. Spock) Nimoy, who created it, is Jewish.

Olken also noted: “The same position of fingers was later used by Robin Williams when shaking hands in TV’s ‘Mork and Mindy.’ ”

As for its practicality, however, Betty Guglielmo of Granada Hills phoned to say: “I’ve never found anyone who can make that gesture.” She asked me: “Can you?”

I told her no. But then I can’t squeegee, either.

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Philippe, near Union Station, offers what is probably the cheapest cup of coffee--and the most expensive glass of wine--of any sandwich shop in town. Coffee is 9 cents. The priciest item on the wine menu the other day was “Domaine Drouhin, Pinot Noir, Ore., ‘95” at $9.50 a glass. We checked and--no--the year of that grape juice was 1995, not 1895.

Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at [email protected] and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.