Still Far From the End of the Road for the Elmer McCurdy Traveling Show

I got a call from a production company that is preparing a show about onetime Oklahoma outlaw Elmer McCurdy for Court TV. Amazing, the interest in McCurdy, who pulled his last robbery in 1911.

Of course, much of his fame derives from his later show biz appearances, which spanned more than half a century.

From the 1920s through the 1970s, McCurdy was involved with carnival shows, a crime museum, the short film “Sinister Harvest” and the Long Beach Nu-Pike amusement park, biographer Mark Svenvold found.

What made McCurdy’s career unusual was that he had been killed in 1911. His show biz roles featured his mummified body.

He was around so long, in fact, that folks forgot he was a corpse and thought he was a dummy.

Then a worker pulled his arm off at the Pike. After an autopsy here, McCurdy’s remains were buried in Guthrie, Okla.

The Court TV series in which he’ll appear is “North Mission Road.” That’s the address of the coroner’s department.

The Customer Is Always Wrong Dept.: Today we salute those brave companies that don’t seem to care whether they scare visitors away or not. For instance:

* An “Open” sign that seems to carry a warning (photo by Phil Proctor);

* An ungentlemanly cab company (Jay Reidy);

* An eatery that claims three unusual distinctions (photo by Shaun McDowell).

It’s in the Midwest, not Southern California, by the way. Not sure who would merit those titles here.

But it might be the restaurant whose ad was spotted by an anonymous reader.

Good thing the joint serves wine with that lousy food.

Concrete culture: To my list of song lyrics that mention L.A. freeways, Jenifer Divine and Dan Wickerd each suggested this excerpt from “L.A. Freeway,” as warbled by Jerry Jeff Walker: “If I can just get off of that L.A. freeway/ Without getting killed or caught.”

(And that was recorded long before freeway chases became popular.)

Concrete culture (cont).: While we’re at it, I guess we could also add a few more:

* “And everything that kept me alive/ It’s rolling like thunder on the 405” (Steve Wynn, “405”).

* “Wanda moved into stay in Duane’s apartment/ On the second floor next to the 605 freeway” (“Wanda and Duane,” Dave Alvin).

* “Under the rainbow and behind Versailles/ From the aisles of Fedco to the 405” (Jackson Browne, “Culver Moon”).

And, of course, the all-encompassing:

* “L.A. is a great big freeway” (“Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” sung by Dionne Warwick).

miscelLAny: Elmer McCurdy’s gravesite in Guthrie, Okla., is such a tourist attraction, writes biographer Mark Svenvold, that one couple was married in front of the outlaw’s tombstone.

*

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.