S.F. Socialites Turn Out for Gavin Party
On Sunday nights, especially when it’s raining, San Franciscans prefer to remain home and laze about in comfortable clothes. With that in mind the turnout on a rainy Sunday night for Denise and Prentis Cobb Hale’s party at Stars for the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico John Gavin and his actress wife Connie Towers was quite extraordinary. “It’s a compliment to the hostess,” said business executive (Shaklee) Gary Shansby. “We don’t generally put on blue suits or go out on Sunday nights.” Denise, a perfectionist type of hostess, had been quite specific when she phoned her invitations. “Blue suits for the men,” she had chirped cheerfully.
At home Denise is adamantly against cigar smoking because the odor gets into the dark green velvet that covers the walls of the living and dining rooms of the Pacific Heights apartment. So just for a joke Charlotte (Tex) Mailliard and Herb Caen, the S.F. institution, arrived at Stars smoking huge stogies. The rest of the crowd circling around the guests of honor and Ambassador Gavin’s daughter Christina (she’s a graduate of Stanford, like her father, and is currently working for a S.F. advertising agency) were more circumspect. A nice cross section of who’s who in the City by the Bay, it included publishers Will Hearst and his architect wife Nan and Richard Thieriot and his wife Angela; Prentis’ son Prentis Cobb Hale III and his wife Sharon; best-selling author Danielle Steel (wearing a gold leather maternity jacket, her hair braided in a pigtail) and her husband, Princess Lines executive John Traina; Brayton Wilbur, president of the S.F. Symphony, and his wife, the former Judy Flood; Terry McEwan, the uninhibited director of the S.F. Opera who left the party balancing one of the centerpieces on his head and singing; the amusing Carmella Skaggs, rhinestones lighting up her black costume; publisher John Dodds with his house guest Jean Vanderbilt; Albert Bower, chairman of the board of Syntex Corp.; Mrs. Adolph Schuman; wine makers Sally and Thomas Jordan; plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Owsley and his wife Sharon; the Wilfred von Bulows; Princess di San Faustino; the Dick Spaldings; Al and Dede Wilsey; Peter and Debbie Magowan and a few other attractive San Franciscans.
Before the guests arrived, Denise and Stars’ owner-chef, tall, auburn-haired Jeremiah Tower, held a powwow. Both were a bit nervous. “You see,” explained Tower, “we’ve never done such a large private dinner party here before.” Neither had anything to worry about.
Earlier that day as the fog rolled in veiling the views from their apartment, Denise and Prentis gave a luncheon party that included neighbors Suzanne and Woody Haynes, John Dodds and Jean Vanderbilt and Paul Erdman, the author, and his wife Helly, who drove down in the rain from their ranch in Healdsburg. It was another feast--risotto primavera, chicken and a liquor-laced souffle. Heaven.
For as far back as we care to remember, the first Sunday in December is the day Les Amies take over the Bistro for the more or less official opening party of the holiday season. With traditional Christmas trees (this year they were trimmed with bows and small bears by party committee member Diane Murphy who attended with husband Bill), music (this year it was a singing guitarist) and a bountiful buffet, it’s one of those parties that gets out a festive crowd (red was the popular color for the ladies). And because it’s a Sunday night the party begins and ends early.
This year the happy gathering was co-chaired by Ruth Cutten (wearing a silver-beaded black dress) and Margo Hirsh (silvery bugle beads edged her white dress). They’ve done it before and they’re sure-handed. This time the helpers included were Mrs. Michael Rogers, Les Amies president Mrs. Michael Guarini, Elin Vanderlip, Mrs. Charles Schott, founder Mrs. Homer Toberman, Mrs. George Seitz (the former Dolly Roach), Mrs. Heinz Russell, Mrs. Buddy Rogers (she missed the party), Mrs. Samuel Mosher, Mrs. John Maschio (another no-show), Mrs. Robert Laverty, Mrs. Mortimer Kline and a few more.
Since Les Amies is the Colleagues’ sister organization helping raise money for the support of the Children’s Institute International, there was a goodly turnout of Colleagues. Among them were current president Mrs. Henry Eversole, past presidents Mrs. Henry Thompson, Mrs. Roger Converse, Mrs. Henry Berger (in a soutache braided green Yves Saint Laurent jacket), Mrs. Jack MacAllister, all accompanied by their husbands. And also Mrs. A. Maxson Smith, Mrs. William Hinckle and Jill Cartter.
The guest count was past 280, a figure that pleased Margo Hirsh (she’s in Acapulco at this moment sopping up the sun). The upstairs party room where the U-shaped buffet held cold salmon, pasta and cucumber salads, roast beef, cannelloni and chicken curry, filled up fast. In that area were Virginia and Jerry Oppenheimer, Doris Fields Heller with Jacques Camus (they went on to attend the L.A. Pops benefit), the Baron Herbert Hischemoller, Marian Brown, Eric and Frances Skipsey who had just returned from their tennis tournament in Australia, Mrs. Murray Ward, Rufus Rodgers, Tom Lewis down from Ojai, Merle Kingsley with Bob Meyers, Jane del Amo, Lee and Cliff Witte, Betty and Rod Williams, Philip and Audrey Reed, Toby and Biji Wilcox, Cindy and Hal Gershman, Alice Hartfield with Panama’s honorary consul S. Charles Lee, Julio Alvarez, Maria Gaspar, Don Beeman, Mrs. Paul Schwegler up from Newport, Teena Watson with Arthur van Avery, the Allan MacDougalls, the Harold Ramsers.
In the Victorian Bar were Gen. Michael Rogers and Maj. Gen. Charles Schott, Louise Dogherty, Stuart and Mary Davis, the Austin Youngs. And elsewhere getting into the holiday spirit were Kavan Hirsh, Rita Cruikshank, Mrs. Del Webb, Dorothy Pasternak, Walter Coombs, Babbs Shoemaker, Ron and Jean George, and Betty Garber who decorated the public rooms at the Hotel Bel-Air and is presently working on the private club in Dallas’ new Crescent complex (another Caroline Hunt Schoelkopf enterprise).
The party favors were from Elizabeth Arden. And the Bistro’s Caspar and Juan kept a sharp eye on the proceedings.
Friday evening at the California Club, the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre, the Knights and Dames of Malta and the Knight Commanders of Saint Gregory host a dinner in honor of Archbishop Roger M. Mahony. Joe Moshay and his orchestra will be playing their inimitable dance music at this “white tie and decorations” benefit for the Catholic Charities.
The Social Scramble: This evening, Lynne and Irwin Deutch are throwing a “fabulous fete” in her new showroom on Melrose Place. Filled with a gorgeous array of gifts, it is, says Lynne, “a great place for a party.” Among those who’ve said “Yes” to the invitation (cocktails, hors d’oeuvre and fun are on the menu) are Jerry and Jane Weintraub, the David Wolpers, Ginny and Henry Mancini, Rosemarie and Robert Stack.
There’s been some exciting people watching at San Francisco’s Clift Hotel. Producer Howard Koch, his wife Ruth and the cast of “Crossings,” the television mini-series, were checking out just as Lana Turner, Peter Falk and Carol Channing with husband Charles Lowe were checking in. And dining in the hotel’s French Room one recent night were Horst Buchholz (tie-less and wearing a “Miami Vice” style white jacket); race car driver Jackie Stewart; Mr. and Mrs. John Reed, Citicorp’s new chairman, with ex-chairman Walter Reston; Judy and the hotel’s vice president and general manager Stan Bromley.