Deputies Bite on Tip Over Mystery Man in Black

“A woman looked up toward Cannons Restaurant ... and saw, through the glare of the midday sun, a man dressed in black,” began the suspenseful item in the Dana Point News. “He was standing next to a pole on the wall that braces the restaurant perched on the bluff high above Dana Point Harbor....

“The woman couldn’t be sure, but, considering the man’s dark clothing and where he was standing, she thought that he might be getting ready to take a suicidal plunge. She decided to report her concerns.”

Dana Point Police Services quickly located the man, who “turned out to be a waiter -- thus the black clothing. He assured the deputies that he was merely on a break and was not planning to jump off the cliff.” No matter how small the tips were that day.

Just say ... what? Bill and Eleni Pitsiou-Darrough, emeritus faculty members at Cal State L.A., noticed some signs of confusion with respect to illegal substances in Athens (see photo).

In other medical matters ...: Mary Kazmer of Oak View spotted a dance theater whose members deserve a round of applause for, if nothing else, getting out on the floor, aching backs and all (see photo).

Food for thought: The landmark Far East Cafe, set to reopen later this year, has a sign in the window that proclaims: “Cafe Booth Available for Sponsorship -- $5,000 to $10,000.” Fine. It’s just that the sign seems a bit out of character for a joint known for its gritty Depression-era charm. The Little Tokyo eatery on East 1st Street was open from 1937 to 1994, when the Northridge quake shut it down.

With its high-backed wooden booths, naked fluorescent light tubes and ancient overhead fan, it was the perfect place for the hulking thug Moose Malloy to confront private eye Philip Marlowe in the 1975 film version of Raymond Chandler’s “Farewell My Lovely.”

“A dark shadow fell over my chop suey,” Marlowe said.

Today, its interior looks unchanged, though there’s an ugly rumor that it’s going to acquire air conditioning. A corporate sponsor’s plaque just doesn’t fit, either. Of course, if it were a plaque for a Moose Malloy Memorial Booth....

All wet: In the new comedy “Without a Paddle,” Tom, a whitewater expert, assures his two suburbanite buddies that he’ll help them navigate a rough stretch of river in Oregon. After a series of near-fatal misadventures, one of his companions asks Tom suspiciously, “Where were you a water guide?”

“San Dimas,” Tom admits.

“Raging Waters?” the companion asks incredulously.

“I was employee of the month,” Tom points out.

miscelLAny: Don’t get the idea that “Without a Paddle” is the first movie to mention San Dimas; “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” (1991) was set in the San Gabriel Valley city. The comedy about a couple of comical slackers included this exchange at the moment when the duo confront the personification of Death:

Bill: “It’s the Grim Reaper, Dude.”

Ted: “How’s it hanging, Death?”

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083; and by e-mail at steve.harvey @latimes.com.