It’s Not a Wrap

The show must go on, even in a riot.

That was the message Mayor Tom Bradley sent to the entertainment industry in full-page ads in the trades last week. The city’s message: shooting (the Hollywood kind) continued around town even during the worst hours of the riots.

So what were some of the films that happened to have city permits to shoot when rioting and looting broke out? Try “Likely Suspects,” “Trouble Bound,” “Aberration” and “The Vanishing.”

On the Marc

Life isn’t getting any easier for Marc B. Nathanson, the Los Angeles cable television executive with the unfortunate luck of having a name similar to that of a figure in a major corruption case. So he’s launched an unorthodox campaign to clear things up.

As was mentioned here back in February, Marc Nathanson, chairman and chief executive of Falcon Cable Television, is frequently confused with Mark L. Nathanson, who was indicated by a federal grand jury earlier this month for alleged abuse of public office following a highly publicized investigation. Mark Nathanson subsequently resigned under pressure from the state Coastal Commission.

Mark Nathanson maintains that he is innocent. So does Marc Nathanson, but it hasn’t been easy persuading people. He says at least 30 people who mistakenly think he was the one indicted--including his housekeeper--have expressed regrets to members of his family the past two weeks.

To clear up the confusion, Marc Nathanson hired Los Angeles publicist Larry Solters, who whipped up a Marc/Mark resume to help people tell the two apart. It lists side by side such details as education, age, occupation, birthplace, organizations, family data and two very different “quotable quotes.”

Marc Nathanson’s quote urges Hollywood to defeat cable regulation bills in Congress. Mark Nathanson’s quote: “I hereby resign as your appointee to the state Coastal Commission. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve.”

Busy Signal

It’s not the most pressing issue of the day, but Century City public relations man Julian Myers nonetheless wanted to know whether major newspapers prefer to receive corporate announcements by fax, mail or electronically via computer.

Out of 138 papers surveyed nationwide, Myers found that the largest number, 29, said they preferred the mail. Eighteen others gave other responses. Some preferred faxes, some electronic wire services and some rated methods of delivery equally.

So what happened to the other 93, or 67%, of the organizations Myers surveyed? They never bothered to respond--by mail, fax or electronically.

Briefly . . .

Maybe Long Beach is interested: A Pan Am creditor is looking to get rid of, either through a sale or lease, the first Boeing 747 used in commercial service . . . A West Hollywood 900 telephone line featuring off-color jokes advises people to “call now before the FCC does” . . . A New Jersey T-shirt maker is selling a shirt that reads “Attention Japan: I’m Not Lazy, Stupid Or Overpaid--You’ve Got Me Confused With My Employer.”