Sept. 24, 1957

As dedicated ocean fishermen know, this is one of the greatest seasons in years for pulling in the elusive beauties of the deep.

For many years they’ve had to be satisfied with getting “skunked” completely or with a few frustrating strikes or with hooking a few confused mackerel, tired bass, surprised flounder, goggle-eyed perch or bored tomcod.

Red Rowe, an ardent ocean fisherman, best expressed the situation the other day in describing a foray about a mile off Oceanside. Suddenly, all around the boat the water was rippling with a variety of eager, hungry fish.

“I remember during the lean years when we used to catch a few mackerel,” he said. “I’d yearn for the hard, solid yank of a barracuda. Well, there I was, trying to get my bait through the barracuda without them grabbing it so I could get down to the yellowtail.

Red’s more conspicuous talent, of course, is running the morning TV show, “Panoramic Pacific,” at which followers consider him more casual than Como. Red, first name Ralph, will start his fifth year with the program Nov. 16–some sort of record.

Naturally, some unscheduled incidents have taken place during this interlude. There was the time the SS Monterey was about to set out on an inaugural voyage on a new run from Los Angeles Harbor. The ubiquitous Jayne Mansfield was present and during the proceedings Roy Maypole approached her with a microphone and announced:

“And here’s Mamie Van Doren!”

Red elbowed him and whispered. “That’s Jayne Mansfield.”

“Aw, put them all in a sack and they all look alike,” said Roy. He is no longer with the show.

Not long ago Red received undeserved credit from up north. During the station breaks each half-hour, distant outlets usually throw in local commercials and the San Francisco station had a pitch which concluded, “And more women wear this girdle than any other.” At this moment the show cut back to L.A. where Red had just warmly introduced an accordion player who responded, “And it’s all thanks to my good friend Red Rowe.”

Red, by the way, has a solid musical background. He played guitar and trumpet with Tommy Dorsey and Johnny Long.

He broke into the kilocycle stuff with KRNT, Des Moines, and was a disc jockey for many years at KFWB.

As for the longevity of his program, Red says, “I guess the idea is to try to keep people from getting sick of you.” His formula is treating viewers as over-the-fence neighbors.

Red lives in Encino and it’s 13 miles to the studio. One thing he’s certain of–no matter how hard you try, you never get used to getting up at 4 a.m.

A ROOKIE officer in an elevator bringing a load of passengers down from the eighth-floor cafeteria in the Police Building yesterday did a devastating job of creating consternation.

He said to another rookie, “Gee, I’m sorry you have the Asian flu. Shouldn’t you be in bed instead of running around like this?”

He was kidding, of course, but apparently the other passengers, jammed shoulder to shoulder, didn’t think so. By the time the elevator got to the fifth floor only the two rookies remained.

“AS LONG AS we seem to be acquiring the Dodgers, or vice versa,” writes Monty Carlson, “I’d like to do my bit to add a touch of appropriate atmosphere.
Everyone knows a ballgame is no good without Coney Island red hots.

“Now I wonder if the city fathers would please donate me some land for a hot dog stand somewhere near the ballpark.

“Nothing pretentious, just a couple of acres where I can hawk hot dogs out of a feeling of civic pride.”

ONLY IN L.A.–One day last week, Jim Hansen asked one of the girls at the office if she’d seen the aurora borealis the previous night.

“Nope,” she replied, “I stayed on Channel 9 all evening.”

AT RANDOM–A hot rod garage on North Figueroa Street just south of Sunset has a sign. “Custom Lowering, Dual It Yourself Kit.” … On a recent trip up north Trudy Gustafson was fascinated by a sign in Montana stating, “Get over in right lane.” And another in Washington, “Free right turn.”… Observes Frank Goldberg: “There’s no sound so ominous as that of a motorcycle officer revving his motor as you shoot through a yellow
light.”