1.
LV Vehicles along highway, PAN to giant cat faces painted on storm drain covers
0.08

2.
CU Man sweeping around covers
0.11

3.
SV PAN..Cat faces on storm drains
0.21

4.
SCU Man removing brush and exposing painted face with letter A.E.N. on forehead
0.29

5.
CU Official's initials -- approval to leave the graffitti
0.30

6.
MVs & CUs various different faces (9 shots)
0.50

7.
SV Workman sweeping out mouth of drain
0.54

8.
CU ZOOM OUT TO MV..door of drain with smiling cat face
1.00

9.
CU Name of artist "Steve 1/15/72"
1.01

10.
CU Names on wall (2 shots)
1.05

11.
CU "I LOVE IRENE" painted in red on wall, PAN to giant yellow and red smiling cat with "Irene and Bill" painted on forehead
1.10



Initials ES. 1730 ES. 1800



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Motorists speeding along the Golden State Freeway in Glendale, California, catch just a glimpse of a bizarre but burgeoning art form -- giant "cat face" portraits adorning the covers on storm drains near the road.

What they see is only part of a whole gallery of the paintings. They are painted on the protective covers over the drains which lead into the Los Angeles River.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for maintenance of the drains and the river, at first painted out the cat faces -- giant, usually smiling round heads, signed by the painter. But the phantom artists struck back and the faces were re-painted and more were made.

No one has ever been caught, and a new attitude by the army may mean no one ever will. Faced with the ingenuity of the "cat artists", the officials now just inspect them, initial them if they are not offensive and leave them alone.

SYNOPSIS: Motorists along California's Golden State Freeway get a free-- if unusual -- outdoor art show. It is a collection of giant cats' heads painted on the covers of storm drains leading into the Los Angeles River near Glendale. No one knows who paints them, but the phantom artists are so persistent that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initials them and leaves them on permanent display.

The army is responsible for maintenance of the drains and at first just painted over the faces. But they were re-painted and multiplied... most in bright colours... and no one was ever caught doing it.

Now workmen clean around the drains, ignoring the giant, grinning faces, which the obviously proud artists signed and dated boldly.

The painters are not just cat lovers, as proved by this giant love note and head dedicated to some happy couple.