Quibbles & Bits

. . . Gary Franklin, discussing ninja films on his KABC radio show: “I think of myself as an intellectual and a bright person, but I must admit I do enjoy them now and then.”

. . . A Cineplex Odeon Films press release states that Prince, “no longer ‘The Kid’ of the ‘Purple Rain’ era, marks his return to film in ‘Sign ‘O’ the Times.’ ” What was “Under the Cherry Moon”? Chopped liver?

. . . Actor-turned-director Paul Michael Glaser told the Hollywood Reporter’s Robert Osborne about his Schwarzenegger pic, “Running Man”: “You could say it’s an action-adventure-suspense-thriller with comedy. I don’t think I’d be comfortable just doing an action-exploitation-type film.” And Osborne reports that Glaser “considers himself a tough critic of his own work,” followed by Glaser’s rough assessment of his film: “I’m delighted the way it came out.”

. . . And we goof too: Re the cast of “Night at the Magic Castle,” the family pic that’s being made by film makers with an X-rated past, turns out Max Thayer--who we said played the film’s little boy--is actually a grown-up who plays a bartender. The real little boy: Matt Shakman.