Hammer’s 87th Birthday: A Celebration

“This,” the Crystal Cathedral’s Rev. Robert Schuller said,” is the kind of a birthday party the Lord would throw if he could afford it.” Dr. Armand Hammer can and did.

In one of the reception rooms of the Embassy Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night about 500 friends of the industrialist/philanthropist/art collector gathered to celebrate his 87th birthday, which was on Tuesday. Later they would all go into the Embassy Theatre for a concert featuring cellist Mstislav Rostropovich playing the Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major and accompanying Russian ballerina Ludmila Lopukhova in “The Dying Swan.” (She also danced with Christopher Boatwright.) The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, led by guest conductor Jorge Mester, played the overture and backed the other artists. Virile-voiced Robert Merrill sang excerpts from Mozart and Verdi operas, and, accompanied by his pianist wife Marion Merrill, did justice to George Gershwin and Jerome Kern.

Still later, when everybody had gone downstairs to the theater’s basement for a late supper, Hammer joked about Merrill’s choice of “Ol’ Man River” from “Show Boat.” Said the smiling octogenarian fingering his lapis lazuli worry beads (a recent present), “He must have had me in mind. I hope I can keep rolling along.” Hammer has told a few friends that he expects to live to 104 and those friends all expect to be at the birthdays celebrating each year until then. Actor Hugh O’Brian, who was there with blond Mimi Fryer, wondered “what it (the party) will be like when he’s 90?”

The concert and party were Hammer’s gift to his friends. But there were still more gifts to come. After embracing Rostropovich, Hammer pledged another half-a-million dollars for Washington’s National Symphony. With Rostropovich conducting, the symphony had played a concert for Hammer’s 85th birthday and he had given them the first half a million then. Rostropovich toasted his friend “Armandik” with chug-a-lugs of vodka out of a wine glass and waxed sentimental about his friend and Russia, his homeland. Jerry Weintraub, the producer-manager who has accompanied Hammer and his wife Frances on many trips to meet heads of state, choked up when he told Hammer, “I love you.” Weintraub, who took over the emceeing when Merv Griffin called in sick, then introduced his wife, Jane Morgan, who sang “Happy Birthday.”

Kemal Zeinal Zade of Geneva, Switzerland, donated $2 million to Hammer’s United World College, one of eight around the world. And Mrs. Hammer pledged another million as her birthday gift. Hammer, who was appointed head of the Cancer Advisory Board by President Reagan, announced, “I want to find a cure for cancer in five years” and mentioned his yearly prize to researchers and his new $100,000 contribution for still more research. His other wish as he blew out the candles on a square, multi-tiered birthday cake was for “world peace.” The evening also included a six-minute film on Hammer’s globe-trotting missions.

“This is an eclectic group,” said Eli Broad, the contemporary art collector, looking out over a crowd that included Mayor Tom Bradley, the Beverly Wilshire’s Hernando and Fiorenza Courtright, Unocal’s Fred Hartley and his wife, British Ambassador Sir Oliver Wright and Lady Wright, British Consul General and Mrs. Donald Ballentyne, Carter Hawley Hale’s Edward Carter and his wife Hannah, 20th Century Fox’s Marvin Davis and his wife Barbara, Metromedia’s John Kluge, who has sold his Metromedia television empire to Davis and his partner Rupert Murdoch, Si and Virginia Ramo, Cary and Barbara Grant, Kirk and Anne Douglas, Fred and June MacMurray, Times Mirror Co.’s Dr. Franklin Murphy and Robert Erburu and their wives, Times Editor and Mrs. William Thomas, Armand and Harriet Deutsch, Jerry and Virginia Oppenheimer, Meredith MacRae with her husband Greg Mullavey, Dr. Maxine Ostrum, Buddy Rogers and art collectors Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert.

Also adding to the evening’s fascinating mix--former Sen. and Mrs. Albert Gore Sr., the National Cancer Institute’s Dr. and Mrs. Elliott Stonehill, Dr. Jonas Salk, Romanian Ambassador Nicolae Gavrilescu and the Embassy’s First Secretary Dan Dumitru, Mr. and Mrs. Morton Phillips (she’s Dear Abby), former California Congressman James Roosevelt and his wife Mary, Chinese Consul General (in San Francisco) and Mrs. Tang Shubei.

And also Shel and Sandy Ausman, Dwight and Dona Kendall, developer Guilford and Diane Glazer, Anna Bing Arnold with her son Peter and his wife Helen, Sen. Alan Cranston, Supervisor and Mrs. Ed Edelman, the County Museum of Art’s director and Mrs. Earl A. Powell III, the Fred O’Greens, Mr. and Mrs. Julian Ganz Jr., Rosemary Tomich who is on the Occidental Petroleum board, the Charles Ducommuns, Councilmen John Ferraro (with wife Margaret) and Gilbert Lindsay, banker Norman Barker, Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson, Camilla and Dan Frost, the Paul Hebners, attorney Louis Nizer who made an impassioned toast to the birthday boy, Irving Stone, Wayne Rogers with Sherry Lansing, Mrs. George Hearst and quite a few of Hammer’s relatives, including his art dealer brother, Victor Hammer. Russian Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynin wasn’t there, but he sent a telegram.

It was a long evening that got started late. Rostropovich’s plane was delayed and he had a little rehearsing to do before the concert could begin. But through it all, Hammer, who had arrived from China the night before, smiled, hugged, kissed and thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

The Social Scramble: It was 85 degrees and sunny, perfect weather for President and Mrs. Reagan’s Rose Garden party for Mike Deaver, former presidential assistant who’s back in the public relations business. At Mike’s request, the President and Treasury Secretary James Baker’s speeches were light and upbeat, but the First Lady, wearing a pale pink double-breasted suit, looked sad. On hand for the farewell were Mike’s wife, Carolyn, who’s also in public relations, and their children, Blair and Amanda; members of the Cabinet; Pat Devine, who started her new public relations career with Thompson & Co. on Wednesday; and a raft of White House secretaries, switchboard operators and drivers.

The Marquis and Marquise d’Aulan, owners of Piper-Heidsieck, are in the United States to introduce a new champagne, Piper Rare. And everyone, but just everyone, wants to entertain them. They’re doing a little paying back of their own, like the champagne (Piper Rare, naturally) and caviar reception they’re hosting in New York at Petrosian. Sonia and Francois d’Aulan will be spending the Memorial Day weekend in Southampton and then, nicely refreshed, they head for Los Angeles and more parties. Wolfgang Puck of Spago and Chinois fame is giving a Piper Rare dinner at the Hotel Bel-Air. ABC vice president Gary Pudney is hosting a dinner for his new best friends at the Beverly Wilshire. And lining up to extend hospitality to the French visitors are Betsy Bloomingdale, Ross Hunter, Loretta Young, Maggie and Jean Louis, Connie Wald and George Hamilton.

Dining at Spago--Giney Milner (a few days later she was off to Europe again) with her estranged husband Reese Milner Sr. and their son, Reese Jr.; Jasmine and Tyler Runnels with William S. Todman Jr. and his wife; Nancy and Tim Vreeland; Marie and George Goman with their daughter Heather and Father Maurice Chase.

In the audience for the screening of “A View to a Kill” at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: the film’s producer Albert (Cubby) Broccoli and his wife Dana, Dana’s son Michael Wilson, “A View’s” co-producer, and the Broccolis’ daughter Barbara, who has joined the family business as assistant producer; Jayne and Henry Berger (they went on to Morton’s to sup with the Broccoli clan and Alexander Godunov); Dee and David May; Mark Goodson; Beldon Katleman.

Dennis Stein, the New Yorker who was Elizabeth Taylor’s companion for a brief spell last year, was looking lonely at noon at the Bistro Garden, and still lonely that evening at Morton’s.

Patsy and Kay Klein drove to Long Beach with Dr. Ed Hill and funnyman Red Buttons and his wife Alicia to celebrate the birthday of banker-industrialist and Swift meat-packing heir Peter Bakwin aboard his yacht the Taurus. The Klein sisters served Brie and pate and champagne en route, Buttons entertained before, during and after dinner, and Bakwin served giant egg rolls, big steaks and baked potatoes.

Dining at Madame Wu’s Garden--Ann Miller on hiatus from “Sugar Babies” because of a bad knee; Mary Anita Loos with Jay Allen; Sally Foster and her son Robert with Sally’s sister and brother-in-law Georgiana and Ricardo Montalban; Gary Hendler; Ed Asner and his sister.