Betty Ford Center Fete Rates in Glitz, Glamour

The stars were out, decked in jewels and tuxedos. Singers Julio Iglesias and Leslie Uggams, actors Alexis Smith and Ernest Borgnine--all came to support what has become a favorite Hollywood cause: the Betty Ford Center at Rancho Mirage.

“How could I not support this? It saved my life,” said producer/manager Jeff Wald, who snuffed out a cocaine habit last spring at the drug rehabilitation center.

But the stars weren’t the only ones who turned out for the benefit dinner Saturday night.

Mike Overson, a pipeline worker from Delta Junction, Alaska, said he heard of the gala the day before, while checking into his hotel. He quickly bought his ticket with $500 cash, and rented a tuxedo.

“It’s a good cause. It’s tax-deductible,” the bearded visitor said. “And it’s not very often you get to hang around with a crowd like this.”

About 700 guests--whether glitzy or working class--attended the grand opening of the Stouffer Concourse Hotel at L.A. International Airport, a benefit underwritten by Stouffer Hotel Co. The event raised more than $300,000 for the drug rehabilitation program located at the Eisenhower Medical Center.

Mrs. Ford, between crushes of well-wishers, said the relatively low $500 tickets were her idea of “the price of a nice evening.

“It’s a competitive world,” said the former First Lady, wearing a royal blue gown. “You know howmany dinners there are. We didn’t want to eliminate anyone.”

Indeed, that same evening many celebrities opted for a Dallas event: the Princess Grace Foundation U.S.A. Awards Gala for the performing arts. Actors Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra--both on the dinner committee for the Ford gala--were among those who chose Texas.

No matter. Once the chain of white limos had dropped off guests by the peach-toned lobby, it was clear the paparazzi would find something to shoot. Actress Gena Rowlands and entertainer Dinah Shore were in the crowd. And next to the ice sculptures and tables of sushi, manager Wald recalled his first day at the Ford Center, where he stayed for six weeks.

“I went in kicking and screaming,” he said. “I arrived with nine pieces of luggage and waited for a bellman. They gave me one cart instead.”

Wald said Mrs. Ford’s “ground-breaking” openness is what makes the center so appealing. Its high-profile patients have included actresses Mary Tyler Moore and Elizabeth Taylor, singer Johnny Cash and most recently comedian Chevy Chase. But Mrs. Ford later downplayed the celebrity clientele, saying fewer than one in a hundred who come for treatment are celebrities.

Stars are good publicity, she joked, “as long as they do well.”

The success rate at the four-year-old, 80-bed center is about 75% to 80%, said Leonard Firestone, honorary chairman of the event, and former ambassador to Belgium.

Well past the four-course dinner, former President Gerald Ford took the stage and offered a few self-effacing remarks.

“I’m Jerry, Betty Ford’s husband,” he announced. He said he was asked to emcee the gala because “I’m available. I’ve been out of work for a while.”

Mrs. Ford told the guests that 5,000 have gone through treatment at the center, and that money raised that evening would form a “patient incentive program” to help those who cannot afford to pay the full $155-a-day fee.

Stouffer Hotel Co. President William Hulett said that his company approached the Fords last summer about combining a benefit with the grand opening of the 750-room hotel. “We were looking for a charitable event, and something that was California oriented,” he said. “This was our first choice, and it clicked.”

Following songs by Iglesias and Uggams (both donated their performances), the Fords urged everyone: “Let’s have a dance.”

Not that their duties ended there. As the crowd moved to the dance floor or the exits, one waiter tapped the Fords for autographs. So did the Alaska pipeline worker, who said he wanted an autograph from Mrs. Ford to give to his ex-wife.