Reagan Regulars Head for Inauguration

If the people-watching isn’t as much fun these days it’s because the well-dressed, well-spoken, impeccably mannered Reagan Regulars have taken off for Washington and the 50th Presidential Inauguration. It’s going to be a tiring schedule of official and non-official dos until Tuesday noon when the “in” group gets to relax at the F Street Club at Lloyd and Ann Hand’s farewell lunch. The Hands, who once lived in L.A. and visit here often, are--or were when last we saw them--strong Democrats. Lloyd was, after all, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s chief of protocol. But Ann, a pretty, soft-spoken lass, and Lloyd, a nice all-American type, seem to fit in nicely with the present Administration.

Among those heading East this week from Los Angeles are such Reagan chums as Ambassador to the Vatican William A. Wilson and his wife Betty; Earle and Marion Jorgensen; Gloria and Jimmy Stewart; Chardee and Tuck Trainer; Mrs. Jack Wrather; Sue Cummings; Harriet and Armand Deutsch; Dr. Norman Sprague Jr. and his wife Erlenne (they go on to Egypt after the festivities to sail down the Nile as guests of Ann and Gordon Getty); Betsy Bloomingdale; Virginia Milner; Mary Martin, who decided she wanted to be part of the whoop-de-do while she was celebrating New Year’s with Barbara and Frank Sinatra in the desert; Mrs. John I. Moore of Bel-Air and Dallas (she’ll be attending all the Eagle events, lunching with the Golden Door’s Deborah Szekely, now president of the Inter-American Foundation, and with Nicholas and Nancy Ruhe); Joseph and Victoria Bolker; the First Lady’s favorite hair stylist Julius Bengtsson; David Jones, who did the floral decor for First Daughter Patti Davis Grilley’s wedding; Mary Windsor and husband, realtor Jack Hupp and Manny Harmon and his orchestra who’ll be playing at one of the Inaugural balls. The Regulars’ favorite Washington hotels are the Watergate, the Embassy Row and the Hay-Adams.

All sorts of delicious little gatherings are scheduled in between the major events (the swearing-in, the Frank Sinatra-staged galas, the Inaugural balls, the service at Washington Cathedral). The guidelines are clear. The smaller the get-together, the choicer it is. The choicest of the choice is the luncheon Nancy Reagan is hosting at the White House for family and very close friends right after Sunday’s private swearing-in. The First Lady will be wearing an Adolfo dress in her favorite color: red. Next on the social scale is the tiny (just 38) luncheon former Ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Lee are giving Saturday at Blair House. The guest of honor is President Reagan.

For members in good standing of the International Set (or those who’ve been left off the Annenbergs’ list) there’s Nancy Holmes’ (she’s the chic writer) buffet luncheon Saturday afternoon in the Regent Hotel’s Mayfair Room. Mrs. William McCormick Blair is helping Nancy with the decor, which will definitely not be red, white and blue. Instead, the ladies are going for pink tulips and topiary elephants. (The Regent has placed smaller elephants in the rooms occupied by VIPs.) Among those who’ve accepted Nancy’s invitation are Barbara Sinatra (Frank will be rehearsing), Mary Martin, Italian Ambassador and Mrs. Rinaldo Petrignani, Maria Pia Fanfani, the Baron Ricky di Portanova and his Sandra (she’s getting out of the hospital where she’s been in traction to attend the little do’s), Swedish Ambassador Wilhelm and Mrs. Wachtmeister, the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Geoffrey Swaebe, Count and Countess Pecci-Blunt, Earl Blackwell, Carina Courtright, Chief of Protocol Selwa Roosevelt, Richard Allen, New York attorney Roy Cohn, Canadian Ambassador Allan and Mrs. Gotlieb and Helga and Alejandro Orfila.

Mrs. Charles Wick, who has been working diligently on Inaugural affairs, is hosting still another little fete. And finally after the orchestras have played “Good Night, Ladies” at all those Inaugural balls on Monday night, former Ambassador Guilford Dudley Jr. and his wife Jane and Mr. and Mrs. John Bennett Coleman are hosting a supper party in the Ritz-Carlton’s Jockey Club. John Coleman, as you all know, owns the hotel and the club; the Dudleys are great hosts as well as amusing guests. You can hardly do better than that. The cocktail party at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Franklin Murphy honoring Aziza Hussein, immediate past president of Planned Parenthood International, was only the first volley in the Los Angeles Affiliates’ New Year plans. (Among the guests at the weekend party were the Gerald Labiners, Mrs. Donald Petroni, the Robert C. Rusacks, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Mandell, the Owen Patotzkas, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Zudick.)

More to come is the Feb. 3 dinner at Rex Ristorante at which the Los Angeles group will honor longtime Planned Parenthood supporter Anna Bing Arnold.

And in March, Los Angeles Planned Parenthood stages its now traditional annual event, the cooking marathon known as the Food Fare. This one will be a two-day extravaganza March 5 and 6 at the Riviera Country Club. (Tickets for each session are $25; Wednesday evening it’s $35 per person and includes a mini-supper and an auction conducted by Robert Adell.) Co-chairing the Fare are Janice Rusack and Mickey Bodek. Karen Berk is the food consultant; Connie Lynch and Marianne Sprague are vendors; Linda Brownridge and Judy Rile are printing and design coordinators; Bonnie Cacavas and Barbara Schneider are auction co-chairmen; Lynn Alschuler, Ellie Golub, Judy Jones and Marva Shearer are handling the mailing; and Trish Miller and Roz Rogers are taking charge of publicity.

This one will involve demonstrations by famed local chefs and cooking teachers on the mysteries of chocolate wrapping, Chinese noodle pulling, dim sum stuffing, sushi slicing, vegetable carving and much, much more. The edible taste treats will come from participating caterers, gourmet food purveyors and cook shops. And there will be all sorts of tasty morsels and cookware and gift items to buy. The cooking masters demonstrating their skills will be La Toque’s Ken Franks, Trumps’ Michael Roberts, Roy Yamaguchi of 385 North and Gerry Gilliland of Gilliland’s.