Gala Dining Among the Dinosaurs

The glamorous Dinosaur Ball is more than a gala. It’s the major annual event of the Natural History Museum’s Alliance Board in support of the Natural History Foundation’s $1.4-million annual fund for exhibitions and educational outreach.

George C. Page has given the first leadership gift to the ball, director Dr. Craig Black said. More major contributions are expected.

The March 28 ball will be the fifth annual dinner soiree among the dinosaurs. It’s to be a “golden edition,” enmeshed with the concurrent “Gold: The Quest for New World Riches” exhibit, which previewed Tuesday evening in black-tie splendor and opens to the public Saturday. It’s the exhibit of spectacular examples of leaf, crystallized and nugget gold, pre-Columbian gold objects, treasures salvaged from sunken Spanish treasure troves, Klondike gold equipment, contemporary jewelry, high-tech Space-Age gold applications.

The irrepressible Shelton Ellis of Gump’s in Beverly Hills (and previously with Neiman-Marcus management) is masterminding the ball. This week he mailed out what must be dinosaur eggs. The directions read “Keep in water for a week, then it will grow to 200-250 times its original size.” Who’s brave enough?

Rococo caterers will orchestrate the banquet. In a new departure, guests will buzz up to valet parking at the elegant east entrance to the museum--the one facing Exposition Park Rose Garden.

OUTSTANDING: It’s been some years since Town Hall has given an outstanding service award. Wednesday evening at the Sheraton Grande, the board of governors headed by chairman Stender Sweeney, saluted Robert R. Dockson, chairman, CalFed Inc., and Ernest J. Loebbecke, director and retired chairman, Ticor, at a tribute dinner. They were honored not only for their community contributions, but for their leadership in the development of Town Hall’s Executive Breakfast Institute, which last year, in cooperation with UCLA’s Graduate School of Management and USC’s Graduate School of Business Administration, was restructured into The Executive Series. Pomona College president Dr. David Alexander (also the American secretary, the Rhodes Scholarship Trust) will speak. Jess Marlow is master of ceremonies. Dinner chairmen are Howard P. Allen, William D. Schulte and former U.S. Atty. Gen. William French Smith.

OPENING: Doctors hop like kangaroos and dally with demons in “The Traveler,” opening tonight at the Mark Taper Forum.

WELCOMES: A party at Chasen’s March 13 will fete former U.S. Sens. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev) and Russell B. Long (D-La). The international law firm of Finley Kumble Wagner Heine Underberg Manley Myerson & Casey will be introducing its new partners to city leadership.

KUDOS: Dr. Robert Peter Gale, the humanitarian whose bone marrow expertise was donated to the victims of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, has been named honoree for the Founder’s Humanitarian Award Dinner sponsored by the California chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation March 14 at the Beverly Wilshire. Dr. Joseph P. Van Der Meulen, USC vice president health affairs, is chairman. He’s also former chairman of the foundation’s medical advisory board.

DANCIN’ ALONG: Those Moshays are everywhere. Joe Moshay’s Big Band played for the Bachelors Ball (Ray Moshay produced the Afro-Caribbean Show, then his rock group played till the wee hours). They were booked for the Freedom Foundation and also the American Ballet Theatre opening gala Tuesday night at the Shrine, and they’re playing for the Right to Life party at Chasen’s, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick at the Beverly Hilton, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s 59th Oscar Ball March 30.

PRESENCE: Washington’s Smithsonian Institution is establishing a new presence in the city. The museum presents a five-day series March 25-29 (with the co-sponsorship of at least 10 major Southland museums, including the Long Beach Museum of Art, Craft and Folk Art Museum, and Banning, maritime, Afro-American, natural history and science and industry museums). We’re told more than 51,000 Smithsonian members reside in the Los Angeles area. Topics will range from “The Calla Lily in Modern Painting” to documentary filmmaking, spirituals and life in the deep sea.

FIRST-NIGHTERS: Gala-goers don’t usually intentionally return late to their seats after opening night intermissions. They did get carried away Tuesday evening over pate and Moet & Chandon Champagne during the first intermission of the American Ballet Theatre and Music Center Dance Presentations opening night performance of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s new production of “The Sleeping Beauty.” But, in all fairness, didn’t the lights flicker a tad too late to warn Movada Gala goers they should return? All was well by second intermission: The black-tie crowd returned to their seats in one hurry, stumbling over no one.

The post-ballet supper and dancing didn’t begin until nearly 11:45 p.m. No wonder hungry tummies were growling for the braised beef and barley served family-style from huge silver chafing dishes. “I am starving,” said Diane Deshong, on the arm of Howard. Shirlee Fonda dashed in with Doug Cramer. Keith and Bill Kieschnick scurried to their table. So did Betsy Bloomingdale (in a slinky Dior of plum-purple faille) and Martin Manulis, seated with Cornelia Guest (she’s organizing a national ABT junior society) and her escort John Davis and Craig Johnson. Nearby were Barbara and Marvin Davis. It was OK to eat and leave.

Chairman Clara Yust had hired professionals to put the perfect touch on lighting, and the Exposition Hall, with the green tablecloths clustered around the dancefloor, looked svelte--a charming environment for the locals to rub elbows with principals such as Patrick Bissell and Amy Rose, Kevin McKenzie and Leslie Browne, who had a big hug for Shirley MacLaine, who portrayed her mother in “Turning Point.”

Too, New Yorkers were in abundance: Melville (Mickey) Straus, chairman of the ABT, and his pretty blond wife, Leila, led a contingent, including ABT board member Charlie McWhorter; Charles Dillingham, ABT executive director; Sir Kenneth MacMillan; John Taras, ABT associate director as well as the master of ceremonies in “Sleeping Beauty.”

Lloyd Rigler of the MCDP and John Hennessy, who heads Moet, were greeting the crowd, including Richard and Betty Koshalek, Andrea Van de Kamp, the Larry Yusts’ pretty daughters--Victoria and Allegra; Princess Faiza and Baron Herbert Hischmoeller. The Piaget polo team--Alex Cord, Douglas Sheehan and Jameson Parker--were in the crowd, and Caroline Ahmanson, David Beckwith, Steve Spurgeon, Barry Bostwick, the Aaron Spellings, the A. J. Carotherses, Ames Cushing, Morgan Fairchild, Angela Forenza, John and Constance Towers Gavin, Norman Lear, Donna Mills, David Jones and Suzanne Marx.

It was a very sentimental evening for Herbert Ross. He had attended the funeral the day before of his wife Nora Kaye, founder of MCDP; she had requested before her death that he keep the appointment.

PAST PERFECT: Bingul Kristiansen, wife of Danish Consul General Henning Kristiansen, who is dean of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, was hostess to 50 ladies of the counsular corps for an evening of wine, pate, fruit and fashion at Elizabeth Arden Salon on Rodeo Drive . . . Archbishop Roger M. Mahony commended members of the Social Service Auxiliary and the Juniors auxiliary at a meeting at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion . . . Peter F. Drucker, the Marie Rankin Clarke professor of social science at The Claremont Graduate School, has received the Britannica Award given annually by the Encyclopaedia Britannica . . . The YWCA of Los Angeles newly formed Presidents’ Circle met for tea at the home of Judy Murphy in Beverly Hills. Among the new circle are Mrs. Howard Edgerton, Mrs. Charles Luckman, Anna Bing Arnold, Bettina Chandler, Carmela Speroni and Keith Kieschnick . . . Mrs. Peter Gallagher of the Garden Club of America and Susan Cochrane, coordinator, endangered plant program, for the state, addressed the topic of rare and endangered plants for the Junior League of Pasadena Garden Club . . . Former Ambassador to Mexico John Gavin, now Arco vice president, federal and international relations, addressed Phi Beta Kappa Alumni at the UCLA Faculty Center . . . “Family Ties” stars Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers and Olympic Gold Medalist Cheryl Miller were honored by the Girls Clubs of America . . . Sister Mary Lucille Desmond, St. Mary Medical Center’s administrator, was presented a $119,150 check from St. Mary’s Hospital Guild president Rose Lozano . . . Shirley MacLaine hosted a private reception for Bella Abzug to preview a master crystal exhibit at Dyansen Gallery of Beverly Hills . . . Peggie and Bob Bales hosted a fun dinner at the Bistro Gardens honoring Joyce and Ray Watt on their half-year wedding anniversary . . . The Los Angeles chapter of Myasthenia Gravis Foundation gave George Sidney (director of “Anchors Aweigh” and “Show Boat”) its humanitarian of the year award at a dinner at the Beverly Hilton. Sidney is a myasthenic (the neuro-muscular disorder).

REAL STORY: At the “Porgy and Bess” party, it was Marilyn Walton, understudy for Maria in the opera, who sang jazz at the post-opening party, not Marjorie Wharton, who sang Maria.

AGENDA: The late Carrie Estelle Doheny (widow of Edward Laurence Doheny, Southland oil baron) is pictured on the invitation for the book-signing party today at USC Edmondson Faculty Center honoring authors of “The Estelle Doheny Legacy”--J. S. Webb and Dr. Stephen J. Ryan. The book commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Estelle Doheny Eye Foundation . . . Holy Family Services’ Adoptive Parents host their annual benefit Saturday . . . Donna Tohidi of Brentwood heads the California designer fashion show and luncheon Saturday at the Beverly Wilshire sponsored by the National Charity League Los Angeles Founder chapter and the Junior Charity League . . . The newly formed Black Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Southern California hosts a reception Friday at the Baldwin Hills home of Carrie and Bondie Gambrell . . . Flower Guild Charities for Children plans its annual brunch Sunday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, raising funds for medical equipment . . . Concern II and Saks Fifth Avenue stage the premiere of “Couture d’Amour,” a contemporary evening inspired by the Golden Era of Holywood Friday at the Beverly Hills store.