”What we have here is a pretty unnatural situation,” acknowledged Polly Johnson, whose feisty farm rooster, Foghorn, insists upon sleeping only with Muffin, a German shepherd who minds not at all. Indeed, throughout spring at the family farm near Greenville, Tenn., the curious Mutt-and-Jeff combo have become something to crow about. Foghorn ”. . . thinks he belongs in the doghouse instead of the henhouse,” clucked Johnson. ”He doesn`t seem to care a thing about the hens.” (Not to worry. As Woody Allen observed: Even in impossible relationships, ”we need the eggs.”)
HACKMAN SUES HBO Speaking of eggs, ”Hoosiers” was a golden egg, but Gene Hackman won`t take it laying down. ”Coach” has filed a full-court press against Home Box Office and Helmdale Film Inc., contending that they cheated him of $5.5 million in earnings from ”Hoosiers” videos. As foul play isn`t rare in La-La-Land, one hopes the righteous can run up the score.
WE GOT THE WRONG GUY ”Diff`rent Strokes” actor Todd Bridges is breathing a small sigh of relief. Armed robbery charges against him were dismissed unexpectedly after an L.A. prosecutor said new evidence casts ”a serious doubt (on) whether we had the right man.” In January, Bridges allegedly redeemed his BMW from a repair shop at gunpoint instead of paying a $500 repair bill. He still is charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a cocaine dealer a week later.
HOW TO INVEST ETHICALLY Want your money invested ethically? You can bank on it in New England, where the Vermont National Bank is offering ”socially responsible” savings accounts. The state`s second largest bank, Vermont National, decided five months ago to help ”maintain Vermont`s way of life.” Hence the Socially Responsible Banking Fund for depositors who like environmental projects, farming, affordable-housing loans and small businesses (but who dislike weapons contractors, polluters and firms doing business in South Africa).
”It`s a product whose time has come,” said executive vice president Robert Soucy. Astonishingly-even to bank officers-the fund has swelled to more than $9 million as out-of-staters join Vermonters in plunking down minimum $500 deposits. (For information, call 800-544-7108.)
PURSE SNATCHER TAKES AIM Now for the fashion-conscious: Alligator trapper Columbus White has harpooned Florida`s biggest gator ever-a 13-foot, 10 1/2-inch reptile that weighed 1,043 pounds-in a lake near Gainesville. It took three hours, but style came away the victor, with 294 pounds of usable meat and 15 feet of hide for alligator purses, belts and shoes. ”. . . the longest and heaviest ever officially measured in Florida,” said biologist Woody Woodward of the state game commission. Especially relieved are patrons of a nearby fish camp.
DOMINO`S AIDS RUNAWAYS Michigan`s man with the dough, Tom Monaghan, hasn`t forgotten his troubled boyhood. The president of Domino`s Pizza Inc. is asking runaway youths in Michigan to visit any of 195 Domino`s late-night outlets for help in finding shelter. It`s part of Project Safe: Besides serving up pepperoni, Domino`s employees serve as go-betweens for runaways and shelters. Said Monaghan, recalling his adolescence in orphanages, ”It`s a crucial time in a teenager`s life. . . . It was certainly a period when I floundered a lot.”
The program, which began last year in Louisville, has spread to several states, including Illinois, where shops in Springfield and Rockford take part.
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