Texas Jet Setters Heading for a Wedding

It’s going to be a grand celebration next month when Houstonians Joanne Herring and Lloyd Davis (both have been widowed) tie the knot on a Bahamian island. This major social event is a shot in the arm for all those Texans who aren’t already in the South of France celebrating Lynn Wyatt’s birthday (which has a pirate theme this year) and all those jet setters who feel we’re in the midst of a social doldrum.

It all begins Aug. 9 and ends happily on the following Sunday with their pals waving madly as the newlyweds sail off on one of Davis’ two yachts for a honeymoon in Rome. From Rome they’ll proceed on the Trans-Siberian Express to two areas the much-traveled pair have never visited--Outer Mongolia and Siberia. Romantic and exotic is the way to describe this idyll.

The wedding guests will be put up at the luxurious and exclusive Lyford Cay Club, which is normally closed during the off-season summer months. But Davis, who has just sold two mega-businesses, has enough clout (and money) to have the club reopened and to bring in the best of the Calypso bands, singers and dancers. Hairdresser Roberto Vega will be standing by to coif the ladies at all times. And the group will include loads of Texans, Moroccan Ambassador and Mrs. Maati Jorio and Pakistani Ambassador and Mrs. Ejaz Azim, both from Washington, and from Los Angeles, Marcia and Larry Israel.

On the first night there will be a black-tie dinner at the club. The next day everyone’s free to swim, snorkel, sail, play golf or just loaf. There’s a luncheon planned by Dr. and Mrs. George Bayoud at their Lyford Cay villa, Aquarius. And the wedding reception, complete with plenty of Calypso music, will be held at Davis’ house on Lyford Cay.

The bride (she has just sold her Houston home and is busily putting things in storage) plans to wear white to her wedding at a small chapel on Lyford Cay. And she wants everyone around her to be in white, too. That includes the men for whom ties and jackets are a no no. It’s all going to be too tropical for words. The wedding invitations, by the way, are to be cherished. Each one has been hand-painted by noted floral painter Rachel Britt.

When it comes to his birthday, Gerald Oppenheimer is one shy fella. That’s why his wife, Virginia, didn’t say anything about a birthday when she phoned her party invitations. But it’s hard, perhaps even impossible, to keep a secret in this town. So a few friends arrived bearing gifts, and quite a few more were whispering about “Jerry’s birthday tomorrow” as the party progressed.

Finally, knowing the jig was up, Jerry stood in the foyer of the Oppenheimers’ grand contemporary house (it once belonged to Tom Mix), and putting a bullhorn to his mouth, bellowed “OK, let’s sing ‘Happy Birthday’ now and get it over with.” Tony Martin’s melodious voice could be heard over all the others. It wasn’t the last “Happy Birthday” to be heard that night. Much later, the guests were singing again as the birthday cake appeared--and yet another time, led by U.S. Office of Information Director Charles Wick and his wife Mary Jane. The next night Jerry and Virginia celebrated his real birthday very quietly over dinner with James and Pascal Regan, who were also at the party the night before.

At the Oppenheimers’, the buffet by Rococo was laid out around a cornucopia of fruit in the kitchen. “March through the latrine (powder room) to get your food,” Jerry sounded out in military style, again with the aid of his favorite toy, the bullhorn. And the crowd marched in. Computer printouts (Jerry has been a computer freak for years) not only indicated table assignments, but also the names of tablemates. “Great idea,” agreed Donald and Ann Petroni, Michael Newton and County Museum of Art board president Julian Ganz Jr., who was there with his wife, Jo Ann. A few of the gentleman arrived sans mates--LACMA Director Rusty Powell, whose wife Nancy was in Newport, R.I., with the children; Herbert Hutner, whose wife Juli was up north with their son, and Ronnie Leif, whose wife Nina was in Paris with their daughter.

Some of the guests dined in the dining room and entryway, others at tables on the terrace where there was music and a dance floor. But this is a crowd that loves to talk, so the dance floor remained unoccupied. Chatting the night away were such as Francie Brody who wore a short, ruffled navy organza dress and was accompanied by that charming Southern gentleman, Jim Wharton; Nancy and Alan Livingston (shooting on his screenplay starts soon); Cynthia and Ed Lasker (he’s Francie Brody’s brother); Tim and Nancy Vreeland; Dolly Green, who has hit it lucky with her racing stable; Alfredo de la Vega; Lee Anderson Minnelli with art expert Alex Stoia; Lyn Kienholz; Kitty and Mervyn LeRoy; Jimmy and Martha Kilroe; Bill Frye; Ginny Mancini; Bradley and Mary Jones; Cyd Charisse; Frank McCarthy with Dorothy McGuire Swope; Florence and Robert (Bones) Hamilton; Jean and Tony Santoro; Harold and Diane Keith; Mildred and Fred O’Green; Virginia and Si Ramo; and Marilyn and Glen McDaniel. Jayne and Henry Berger had to phone in their regrets from the airport at Dallas where they were held over for about four hours.

It was a ladies luncheon--with two exceptions. Joining Helen Wolford and Madame Sylvia Wu and their benefit committee for a serious discussion of matters relating to the Sept. 8 Scholarship Fund Benefit for the Peking Self-Study University were Joe Guidice, public relations director for the Sheraton Grande, and Paul Marsh. Since Sheraton is bringing over four premier chefs from the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Peking, and Marsh is helping with the benefit’s p.r., both were warmly welcomed.

The culinary experts will prepare a Chinese banquet for the $150-per-person benefit at Madame Wu’s Garden and will stay on for a week to help Madame Wu celebrate the 25th anniversary of her restaurant. Later, they’ll demonstrate their expertise at various Sheraton hotels.

“I’ve been involved in so many charities,” Madame Wu said. “But this is the first time I’ve done anything for China.” The fund-raiser will help more students enroll in the 5-year-old open university. Barbro Taper, who is on the benefit committee and who has visited with some of the university’s teachers in Peking, passed around a few of the notebooks which are sent out to students.

The enthusiasm mounted as the Chinese chicken salad gave way to Wu’s beef and to vegetable and seafood dishes. Virginia Milner, who has been to China and wants to go back, signed up immediately for a table. “I may buy another,” she said as the group dispersed. The Coca-Cola Bottling Co.’s Lucille Boswell said her company would take two tables. (Coke is big in the new China.) “And,” she added, “I’ll sweeten the pot with expense money.”

Guidici promised a grand prize--round trips for two to Peking with a stay at the Grand Wall Sheraton. Sheraton Hotels also will buy a table for the benefit. Others joining the rush for tables: Mrs. Charles Snodgrass, Irene Chen, Alie Paul, Suzanne Marx and Betty Keatinge. Although not at the lunch, Dr. Marcus and Ann Wong also have reserved a table. Since there will be room for only 250 diners under the big tent set up in the restaurant parking lot, it looks like the benefit is well on its way to being a sellout.

There were even more joining the benefit committee and pledging support: Madame Virginia Wei (her husband, Dr. Wei Tao-ming, was the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. during the Roosevelt Administration), Mrs. Robert Hamilton, Mrs. Howard Allen, Charlotte Berkman, Mrs. Robert Morrissey, Mary Anita Loos, Mrs. Harry Volk, Mrs. Howard Allen, Jean Coleman, Lyn Kienholz and Mrs. Franklin Schaffner.

Gwen Verdon, that divine redhead who has won four Tonys for her dancing, and Gerald Arpino, associate director of the Joffrey Ballet, will be up on the Wiltern Theatre stage Sunday afternoon when the Friends of the Joffrey stage a rally of sorts. The Friends want more friends to join them in supporting the Joffrey, according to Cynthia Thompson who is chairing Sunday’s get-together.

Meanwhile, the money has been added up and it’s now official. The recent “Night of the Joffrey Dinners” raised $131,000. David H. Murdock, Joffrey board co-chairman who keeps track of this sort of thing, is reported to be delighted with the results and gives a great deal of credit to dinners chairman Dona Kendall. And says Armand S. Deutsch, Joffrey board vice chairman, “We are beginning work today on next year’s event.”

The Social Scramble: A lot of food fanciers showed up at the Regency Club the night the club’s new chef, Alex Dikkers, did a little showing off. New manager Bonnie Kyle was there at the 18th-Century, English-style entrance to the club to welcome Everett and Ann Ascher who were with Rep. Bobbi Fiedler (R-Northridge); Burton and William Bettinger who drove up from their waterfront home at Newport Beach; Tom and Sue Somermeier who had invited the Gerald Oppenheimers and Frances and Eric Skipsey to join them at their table. More happily sampling the flan of halibut with tomato provencale and sorrel, the loin of veal and lobster with puree of artichokes were the Donald Petronis, Mr. and Mrs. Francis E. Fowler III, Joseph and Lambertha (Tunny) Alibrandi (he’s on the club’s board of governors); Judith and Les Daly with daughter Shauna, who is married to chef Alex Dikkers, and the chef’s brother, Axel, and his wife Mieke.