GEORGE HAMILTON GIVES UP LEISURE FOR ‘DYNASTY’

George Hamilton was at the British Derby this year with a group of friends when the lesson sank home with a thud. Although there were a lot of famous faces among his group, it was pretty Catherine Oxenberg who commanded all the attention.

“The suction of the crowd as they brushed past me to get her autograph almost took the hair off my hands,” said Hamilton the other morning. “I thought, ‘I just don’t believe this. Here’s a girl who’s only been in the business a few months and already she’s a big star in Europe.’

“Then someone handed me an autograph book and demanded, ‘And what do you do?’ ‘What do you mean?’ I said. ‘I’ve been in this business for 27 years. . . .’ But he just looked at me blankly. That’s when I knew I had to do TV and become known again.”

Now you’d think someone would have had to have spent the last three decades halfway up the Himalayas, where newspaper delivery is notoriously poor, not to know who George Hamilton is.

Even he was surprised. But he rallied bravely. And later that week, when his agent halfheartedly called with the yearly offer to join “Dynasty,” Hamilton said an immediate yes. Not only that, but he agreed to supply his own clothes from his extensive wardrobe.

The deal was made in 10 minutes.

“In part,” Hamilton said, “because Candy Spelling (wife of “Dynasty” producer Aaron) threatened to call my mother if I said no. Last time I turned down their offer, she actually did call my mother, who telephoned me to give me hell in the middle of the night.”

So now we have George Hamilton, the man with the golden glow, escort of beautiful women, driver of magnificent motorcars (usually a Rolls-Royce Corniche), master of grand manors (currently Chaplin’s old house on Summit Drive), locked in to a TV series at last. And, it seems, enjoying it.

“I play Joel Abrigore, a film director who’s broken three studios and made love to all his leading ladies,” Hamilton said happily. “A great part.

“But I must confess when I look at someone like (“Dynasty” newcomer) Catherine Oxenberg, who’s been in the business such a short time, I do feel a little like an old fighter who’s struggling to get back into the ring again.”

“Dynasty” marks Hamilton’s return to the business after an absence of nearly four years. His last movie was “Zorro, the Gay Blade,” which he made immediately following the success of his Dracula spoof, “Love at First Bite.” “Zorro” was not a success and he hasn’t worked since.

Sitting in the giant living room in his private section of the house--the suite comprises bedroom, sitting room, gymnasium, dressing room, kitchen/bar and balcony--Hamilton talked about those years while sipping the special concoction that is all he drinks during his two-day a week fast.

“I needed time to think,” he said. “And the death of my brother Bill (an interior decorator) two years ago was a huge blow to me and my mother. It made me realize how fast the clock was ticking, and that I wasn’t really enjoying myself or having fun. So I turned down a lot of offers and just traveled.”

He also regrouped slightly, selling the 250-acre plantation in Natchez, Miss., where, at one time, he had thought of living permanently.

“I had problems there,” he said. “For one thing, I just didn’t fit in. People there are deep into each other’s lineage. I’m first family of Virginia and a lot of other things besides, but I don’t want to go on about it. And when they kept on telling me that everything had to conform to the standards of 1812, I had visions of having to go to the drive-in movie in a horse and carriage. So I sold the place.”

During his years of not working, Hamilton made efforts to secure the rights to “Love at Second Bite,” a Robert Kaufman screenplay he had planned to make following the success of the first movie. But Hamilton had a falling out with the others and it did not happen. “Bob Kaufman and I fought and (director) Stan Dragoti and I fought and so we all went our separate ways,” Hamilton said. “But that’s all over now. Now the movie will definitely be made. And it’s even funnier than the other film.”

First, of course, he will have to complete his “Dynasty” contract, which calls for 11 episodes with an option for four more.

Hamilton has high hopes for “Dynasty”--”I think it will do a lot for me”--and he is feeling lucky at the moment, particularly as he recently won $70,000 at Lake Tahoe while helping host a charity affair for ABC.

“It’s a good time,” he said. He then poured me a sample drink from his bottle. “Try it,” he suggested. The drink, his own invention includes Cayenne pepper, maple syrup, lemon juice and Evian water.

“You lose a lot of weight with this,” he said. “And you’re never hungry. After a two-day fast with this, I feel wonderful, better than if I’d been on a vacation.”

He certainly looks good: trim and slim and, as always, tanned golden brown. Pretty good for 46.

Of course, he takes care of himself. Medical treatment, both official and unofficial, has long intrigued him. He used to go to Tijuana to have his blood “washed” (“It’s like having an oil filter changed on your car. All you get is a shot of antitoxin”). He twice visited Paul Niehans’ cellular therapy clinic in Switzerland, and he even went to Anna Aslan’s clinic in Romania for rejuvenation injections. At one point, he confessed, he was taking 120 vitamin pills a day.

Is he into anything new?

Silly question. Of course: He has stored a lot of his own blood in a private vault.

“If I ever have to have a transfusion, at least I’ll know what I’m getting,” he said. “And with all the health scares around now, that’s rather comforting.” He chuckled. “Of course, it doesn’t last forever. So I may have to have a close-out sale shortly.”

It sounded like a good scene for “Love at Second Bite.”

“You think it won’t be?” said the wily Hamilton.