Plaza Converts to Singles Cabaret

Life was a Cabaret for yupwards of 2,400 mostly single yuppies, good-looking and looking for a good time, who took over South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa Saturday night.

Many of the young professional men and women, who trolled the mall from the carousel to the Jewel Court, from Nordstrom to Saks Fifth Avenue, were aware that they were supporting the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The Cabaret chapter’s Casino Night and silent auction generated at least $50,000, according to event chairperson Caryl Scanlan.

(This despite the fact that a much-ballyhooed silent auction item, a building located in a Corona shopping center--failed to inspire a minimum bid of $1,010,000.)

“It’s a singles bar without the ferns,” chuckled one young woman in line for food.

“We’re all here as a group, but really, truly, we’re all alone,” added another, waxing depresso.

Dress code was black and white. Tux-and-tennies were not untypical for the men. For the women, fur stoles and capes--mostly rabbit it appeared--continued to dot the mallscape no matter how warm it became.

The band’s rendition of Teddy Pendergrass’ “Hold Me in Your Arms” brought everybody very close together on the dance floor; afterwards, names and phone numbers were exchanged in a frenzy.

The place crawled with security guards; about 30 members of the Amateur Radio Operators of America were brought in to help with radio communication among party organizers stationed around the huge mall.

An often dark intensity marked the faces of those at the gaming tables, which produced some big winners and some bigger losers.

Robb Davis of Newport Beach could tell of both; he wasn’t above slightly embroidering the tale.

“I won millions of dollars here tonight,” Davis said. “However I lost it all in one last brutal attempt to win the big one. This is a true story,” he assured, not very convincingly, before continuing.

“I, uh, was going to buy the South Coast Plaza. I talked to Henry Segerstrom tonight; he said if I made all the money I said I was going to make, he’d ‘cash out.’ I came very, very close.”

The ramifications for Davis were manifold.

“I came with somebody tonight,” he said wistfully. “She was wonderful till that happened. She thought I was wonderful. She loved me. Now she’s dumped me. . . . “

David Baker--he’s mayor of Irvine--served as master of ceremonies. Among his announcements: “In the lost and found department, a bullwhip and handcuffs. . . .

“Let’s see, now--Julie Emerson has just asked her friend Robert to marry her, so far Robert’s chicken. . . . All those in favor? Let’s hear it for Robert and Julie!”

A Three-Time Winner

The grand prize--a getaway to Fallbrook beginning with a haircut at Saks of Irvine--was won by Terry Eubanks of Newbury Park, near Thousand Oaks. Heidi Miller of Heidi’s Frogen Yozurt won an amazing three out of 12 opportunity prizes in a drawing held after midnight.

Also among the guests was actor Bo Hopkins, whose presence was made possible by Geoffrey Sayler, the owner of Pegasus Limousines. The story goes something like this:

Cabaret member-at-large Teri Goldfarb provided Scanlan the number of an agent to call in hopes of finding a celebrity to grace the party. According to Scanlan, Hopkins agreed to come if he, his karate instructor and his instructor’s wife were picked up in a limo. Though all of Sayler’s limos were booked for the evening, he gave up his own Rolls for Hopkins and company.

So who’s Bo Hopkins?

“Everybody asked me that!” admitted Scanlan. “But that’s who we could get to come.” According to Scanlan, Hopkins, who’s played roles in “The Wild Bunch,” “American Graffiti” and “Midnight Express,” didn’t require a fee.

“Bo did it for the ride,” she said.

“We’ve had casino nights in the past, but they were getting boring,” said Barby Griffith, chairman of a Racy Night in Newport, Saturday night at the Newporter Resort. “Still, we were looking for something the husbands would really enjoy--horse racing fit the bill.”

The Irvine-based Small World Guild of Childrens Hospital of Orange County parlayed the idea, along with a live auction of furs and other goodies, into $10,000; 150 supporters of the guild attended.

Vintage films of actual races were shown. A printed program listed the actual horses’ names--but not jockeys, trainers or owners--as well as handicappers’ remarks and odds. Odds, however, varied with the number of bets placed. “I have an abacus in my head,” explained Al Bond from behind the betting window.

Six races were run. Had the races been real, someone would undoubtedly have called the SPCA: According to the printed post-time program, several horses were forced to run for a second time in the fifth race.

Rams Are a Big Draw

Appropriately enough for a hospital fund-raiser, a horse named Dr. Roy E. proved the big winner of the night.

Rams running back Mike Guman served as auctioneer. “I’ve done it for many, many years,” he noted. “I’m great!

“Actually,” he continued, lowering his voice, “I’ve never done it before in my life. This’ll probably be the first and last time I’ll ever be an auctioneer.” A football signed by all the Rams players generated some lively bidding and $300.

Small World Guild president Nancy Willbanks announced the Small World Guild Invitational Golf Tournament, to be held at the Newport Beach Country Club March 10. “We’re going to make lots of money on that,” she predicted.

According to CHOC guilds coordinator Helen Wardner, one phase of the $8-million Priority Program II fund drive is coming to an end with refurbishment of the old telephone building on La Veta Avenue in Orange for use by CHOC and completion of a parking structure. At the moment, however, conditions at the hospital are still a little hectic, she said.

“We have children in the original building, children in CHOC Tower, the administration in CHOC West. . . . My office is in the phone building--I’m just starting to get used to all the noises and smells from the construction.”

The outpatient clinic will be moved by the end of March; an open house for all the guilds is being planned.