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The Colleagues Get Down to Business

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Fresh from their summer hiatus, the Colleagues were rarin’ to go on their first meeting of the new season. During a business session in Jayne Berger’s screening room--chaired by new president Noorna Eversole, who wielded a ribbon-tied gavel (a present from Jane Wormhoudt, one of the original charter members)--they elected a membership committee with Dorothy Clark as its chairman, discussed possible new members (the names will be announced at the January meeting) and mulled over ideas for a fall dinner honoring Nancy Reagan, a Colleagues member since 1962.

Through their annual Glamour Sale (in May) and other fund-raising activities throughout the year, the Colleagues help support the Children’s Institute International. Wednesday, Mary Evans, the institute’s director, brought a film by Image Works, which she said “shows the work done at the institute with abandoned, abused and sexually assaulted children.” The institute, referred to as a refuge, offers medical and psychological help. Since 1974, when it opened as a pilot institute, it has treated more than 5,000 families.

Refreshments were served and then Mary Jane Wick (who had delayed her return to Washington to attend the meeting), Erlenne Sprague, Marion Jorgensen, Lupe Hinckle who was in Puerto Vallarta when the earthquake struck Mexico, Billie Converse (she was distributing the new rosters), Onnalee Doheny, Barbara Meyler, Jean McAlister, Beverly Morsey and the rest trooped upstairs to the barbecue area for a buffet lunch of turkey burgers, salads, fruits and peanut butter ice cream with chocolate chip cookies. Helping Jayne Berger host the luncheon were Midge Clark and Louise Good. The fourth hostess, Donna Reed Asmus, phoned in sick.

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Enthusiastic about plans for the year ahead were Fran Stark, Jackie Leisure, who joined last year, Marilyn McDaniel, Mary Lou Maison, Eleanore Phillips Colt, who was talking about the San Francisco Antiques Show, Barbara Thompson, Margaret Pereira, Jean Trousdale, Ann Petroni, Audrey Reed, Marian Hall, Marji Brandeis, Lady Dodge, Frances Skipsey, Bobbie Foreman and a few more. Nancy Reagan’s secretary phoned from the Beverly Wilshire to regret for her boss who had a full schedule during this trip to Los Angeles.

Young Amanda Goldberg attended her parents’ dinner dance for Belgium’s Prince Philippe, 25, because she wanted to meet a real prince. “She reads about them all the time in her books,” explained Amanda’s father, producer Leonard Goldberg, who with his wife Wendy was busy greeting friends at the entrance to the Bistro Garden Pavilion.

Amanda wasn’t disappointed. The prince is tall and fair, the son of Prince Albert and Princess Paola and second in the line of succession to his uncle, King Baudouin I. He’s a smooth dancer and smart. In June, he received a master’s degree in political science and modern history from Stanford University.

Cecilia Peck appeared just as taken with the prince as Amanda. Cecilia, the tall, brunette daughter of Gregory and Veronique Peck, chatted, giggled and danced all during dinner. She sat to the prince’s right, a smart move on Wendy’s part.

Since the prince, who was on a tour of U.S. high-tech firms (accompanied by his aide de camp, Guy Mertens), hadn’t packed a tuxedo, Wendy made her party casual. Which didn’t stop any of the ladies from sparkling. At first glance the hostess’ black Galanos was simple and unadorned. When she turned her back there was the sheer and jewelled back.

“That’s a 10,” super agent Sue Mengers declared, pointing to Sandra Moss’ brightly colored, bouncy strapless dress (Arnold Scaasi). Jean Claude Tramont, Sue Mengers’ scriptwriting husband, was there mingling with the likes of Chris Evert and her husband John Lloyd and Ron Samuels, Tina Sinatra with Bob Finkelstein, Susan and Peter Strauss.

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Barbara Walters, wearing a pleated red peplum gown, danced cozily with her fiance, Merv Adelson, head of Lorimar. Kirk Kerkorian came alone, but didn’t lack for companions. At one time Kerkorian, the hotel-movie mogul, chatted with Marvin Davis, the Denver oil mogul who’ll soon be out of the movie business (when the sale of his 50% of 20th Century Fox to Rupert Murdoch goes through) while Davis’ wife, Barbara, in a perky black froth of a gown, danced.

During dinner (angel hair pasta, veal chop, lemon souffle) Louis Jourdan and Fay Mancuso, both reputedly excellent cooks, discussed cooking and the flower arrangements on the tables (Fred Gibbons’ mix of Sonia roses, freesia, tuberose). Quique Jourdan was at a table across the dance floor. The prince was staying at the residence of Belgian Consul General Andre Adam and his wife, Danielle, who waited patiently while the prince said his goodbys.

More busy chit-chatting went on between ABC’s Tony Thomopoulos, his wife Cristina Ferrare and Gary Pudney, CBS’ Bud Grant and Linda Fernandez. Lighting up the room with their star sparkle power were Joan Collins (arms around Peter Holm), Cheryl Ladd (with Brian Russell), Morgan Fairchild, Shakira and Michael Caine. Joanna Shimkus and her husband Sidney Poitier proudly presented their daughter Anika, a tall, stylishly dressed teen-ager. Still more having a jolly good time--Anita (granddaughter of the late Anita and Tom May) and Arnold Rosenstein, Scott Schaeffer, Patsy and Steve Tisch, pretty Claudia Wells with the Davises son John, Dottie Gagliano, Diane Lane and Keith Addis, Judy Feder, Wallis Annenberg, Toni Howard (Wendy’s sister, the agent) with Stan Kamen.

The Social Scramble: A limo and its motorcycle escort circled a chic enclave of Bel-Air on Tuesday afternoon. Nancy Reagan house hunting? And while the Reagan Regulars are scouting prime real estate for the President and First Lady, has any one of them suggested the Wallace Neff-designed home of the late Doris and Jules Stein?

Last night while their chum Nancy Reagan was receiving a special award from the Entertainment Industries Council, Harriet and Ardie Deutsch, Kirk and Anne Douglas and Nancy Ittleson were hosting a 45th wedding anniversary party for Fran and Ray Stark in Trader Vic’s Tonga Room.

Sunday night, as usual, Trader Vic’s was bustling. Merle Kingsley was dining with Clive David, the party planner who had just finished judging the Mrs. World contest in Honolulu. Hannah and Ed Carter were with Charles and Palmer Ducommun and Northrop’s Tom and Ruth Jones. Still more--Shirley and Hubert Laugharn; Audrey and Billy Wilder; Sammy Cahn with Leonard Gershe. Later, Tom Selleck and his date led a group of black-tie chums (including Betty White) in from the Emmys.

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Lunching at the Beverly Wilshire’s El Padrino--Gene Barry; Anne and Kirk Douglas; and from London, the debonair managing director of the St. James’s Club, Nigel Massey. Massey, sporting an Englishman’s version of a suntan from his week’s stay at the St. James’s Club in Antigua (Queen Elizabeth II may stop by while she’s in the Caribbean for the Commonwealth Conference next month), was here to check on the progress of the L.A. club. “We’re going to attract the finest and the brightest,” Massey predicts of the club, which will be located on Sunset Boulevard in that landmark building where John Wayne, Clark Gable, Howard Hughes and Frank Sinatra once resided. The opening is targeted for New Year’s Eve. But being a realist, Massey says it “will probably be St. Valentine’s Day.”

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