Long Beach: That Toddlin’ Town in the West

On the new DVD version of his 1986 movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” writer-director John Hughes says the comedy about some wandering high school students was set in Chicago because “it’s my city, and I really wanted to show it at its best.”

But, he admitted, the two-story Ozzie and Harriet-type house depicted as Ferris’ home in the opening scene was actually in Southern California.

It “disappointed me that the first shot in my movie that took place in Chicago was in Long Beach,” Hughes said.

Eighteen years later and the guy’s still grumbling about having to visit Long Beach!

Dueling Signs Competition: And what an impressive array of contestants we have for you today (see photos), including:

* Some not-so-holy water next to a religious message (Patricia Young).

* Sign-painters and sign-hangers working at cross purposes at UCLA (Tom Budlong).

* A couple of billboards that seem to have come up with a radical solution for reducing the number of heavy kids (Tim Wilson).

Cross Promotions: I mentioned my skepticism over the impartiality of Rolling Stone magazine, which ranked “Like a Rolling Stone” No. 1 on its list of the 500 greatest rock songs. And I added that next, perhaps, we’d see two long-time Henry Luce magazines choosing “Time Is On My Side” and “That’s Life.”

Now that I think of it, a certain magazine available on the checkout line could vote for “People.”

And Gary Myers suggested still another possibility, a 1996 ditty by Hedgehoppers Anonymous: “It’s Good News Week.”

I bet Hedgehoppers Anonymous wouldn’t complain about visiting Long Beach.

Radio wars: In his new autobiography, coauthored by Matthew Scott Hansen, game show host Bob Eubanks recalls the wacky days of Top 40 radio when he was a disc jockey at good old KRLA-AM (1110).

In one promotion, his station announced with much fanfare that it was hiring a Buffalo, N.Y., personality named Perry Allen and offered $10,000 to the first listener to walk up to him and say, “Are you Perry Allen, the newest member of the ever-lovin’ Eleven-Ten men?”

The implication was that Allen was walking the streets of L.A., but ever-lovin’ rival KFWB-AM (980) found out Allen was still working in Buffalo and sent two men back there.

When Allen unknowingly greeted them, they advised him to tell his new boss that KRLA owed KFWB $10,000. A court fight ensued, though Eubanks didn’t say whether KFWB ever collected.

But true to the time, KRLA capitalized on the incident with this ad campaign: “Even KFWB listens to KRLA.”

miscelLAny: Court TV anchor Catherine Crier ended her broadcast with a reference to the Robert Blake case, then warmly told viewers: “Have a wonderful Hollywood!” She corrected herself to say, “Have a wonderful weekend.”

Have a wonderful weekday.