Willie Brown Is Up and In in Beverly Hills

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, whose birthday is quickly taking on the significance of a state holiday, celebrated his 52nd one Thursday night with 52 of his “closest friends” at the Beverly Hills estate of actor George Hamilton.

The people potpourri included folks from the worlds of entertainment (Joan Collins and Sammy Davis Jr.), politics (a gaggle of assemblymen, Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, consultant Joe Cerrell, rainmaker Mark Nathanson) and finance (Richard Traweek and Charles Knapp).

The lavish surroundings--Hamilton has just sold the home, the former Charles Chaplin estate, reportedly for more than $6 million--along with the exclusivity of the invitation list made for a party filled with pizazz. Also helpful was the indirect, romantic lighting in which everyone looked so beautiful. Orchestrated by Nathanson--who is acknowledged as introducing Brown to Hollywood--the party proved that the circles near the top of various industries intertwine in Los Angeles.

“Hey, it’s 40 friends of Mark Nathanson’s and eight of Willie Brown’s,” the dapper San Francisco Assembly leader insisted jokingly. Assembly Majority Leader Mike Roos was encouraged to take the stage by seemingly cruel colleagues, who made him sing “New York, New York.” To put it mildly, he will not make it as a lounge singer. But he was encouraged by his steady, Lorna Stevenson, sitting with her business associate, developer Traweek and wife, Vickie, along with good friends Councilman Richard Alatorre and wife, Sharrell.

Davis finally took pity on Roos, and showed him how to do it, along with Assemblywoman Maxine Waters. The showstopper, however, was Hamilton doing a knockout imitation of Julio Iglesias singing “To All the Girls I Loved Before,” reportedly the same number that brought down the house at another recent birthday party--this one, for Elizabeth Taylor, given by Hollywood Park’s Marjorie Everett.

Brown’s cake, in the shape of California, carried with it the legend “Happy Birthday. It’s your state,” but Brown associates kept carving out pieces for themselves. A large hole was attributed to former Assemblyman Walter Karabian, who insisted on having his hometown of Fresno. As Lee Cerrell watched, her husband, Joe, said he was “looking for the Dead Sea.” Nancy Pelosi sliced off San Francisco.

Also on the menu--perhaps in a joking way--were some examples of Philippine cuisine, even though a current controversy centered on reports of Hamilton’s financial dealings with former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

The impromptu entertainment that followed dinner included Brown opening a birthday gift from Van de Kamp--a stylish bowler for Brown’s upcoming trip to London. He goes to London during Easter recess as part of an insurance trade-group trip. And to complete the sartorial splendor, from Special Asst. Atty. Gen. Barbara Y. Johnson, gray suede gloves. Joan Quinn--also celebrating her birthday--kept her Instamatic going, as her attorney-husband, Jack, looked on.

Brown went table to table showing off the dazzling Philippe Patek gold pocket watch from Sammy and Altovise Davis--with two dials. “So I can always know what time it is in San Francisco,” Brown said. He said Joan Collins pronounced it “a major gift.” Another thoughtful gift--a travel jewelry box from Lola Falana.

Enjoying the evening were Sen. Art Torres with wife, Yolanda Nava, financier Chuck Knapp with Lois Hamilton (no relation to George) and are-they-still newlyweds Collins and Peter Holm. Acting like newlyweds (but they’re not) were Nathanson with actress Kimberly Beck.

Waters and her husband, Sidney Williams, were part of the late-evening tour of the mansion’s upstairs, where usually blase guests got to ogle the mild safari motif, including the chinchilla bedspread, the animal-skin rugs and the several portraits of Hamilton scattered through a bedroom suite that reeked of Hollywood glamour.

Hamilton, coming down the red-carpeted staircase, met up with an impatient Tina Sinatra. She had been sitting on a chair holding white flowers from a centerpiece, chanting “Georgie, Georgie.” Hamilton rewarded her patience with a big big-screen kiss--just like a movie star.