Stars Go Into Orbit for Hollywood’s 100th Birthday

Bring on the adjectives. It’s a once-in-a-100-years party, hundreds of famous faces and names, raising more than $1 million for Hollywood’s dearest charity in one splashy, glitzy, glamorous night.

It’s “Happy Birthday Hollywood,” celebrating the 100th birthday of Tinseltown with an all-star show and gala set for April 26 at the Shrine. Although ABC will air the spectacular at a later date, the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital gets the money from the ticket sales and the party, chaired by Edie Wasserman and Nancy Livingston, plus a generous gift from ABC.

Look at the names they’ve lined up--Clint Eastwood, Harry Belafonte, John Forsythe, Michael J. Fox, Liza Minnelli, Gregory Peck, Molly Ringwald and Liz Taylor are the birthday committee. Benefit patrons include Gene Autry, Interscope’s Ted Field, Technicolor’s Arthur N. Ryan. The honorary dinner committee includes the heads of all the major studios, Marvin and Barbara Davis, Ambassador Walter and Lee Annenberg, Merv Adelson and Barbara Walters, Robert and Nancy Daly, Kirk and Anne Douglas, Michael and Judy Ovitz, Lynne Wasserman, Bunny Wrather, James and Gloria Stewart, Jack and Mary Valenti, Aaron and Candy Spelling, Henry and Stacey Winkler, Barry Diller. And that doesn’t include other performers--such as Charles Bronson, Kathleen Turner, Whoopi Goldberg and Bernadette Peters. Give Nancy Olson Livingston the credit for creating what promises to be a black-and-white lavish setting for the gala--Rococo does the dinner and Clark Keen the music. (And look for those still shapely Livingston legs on stage in the Busby Berkeley number.)

Give Robert Blumofe and Walter Seltzer (two veteran Hollywood names) the credit for chairing the “This Time . . . For Us” $50-million capital campaign for the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital. As Seltzer pointed out, “On any particular day, more than 2,000 people in the industry, in one way or another, psychological, medical, financial or emotional, get help from us.”

And, of course, give credit to Edie Wasserman--whose energy has been the centerpiece of the massive fund-raising drive.

“Once Edie had taken me out to Woodland Hills and I saw the house and hospital, there is no way I couldn’t give it major support,” said Interscope’s Field, who describes himself as a “newcomer to the industry.”

But mostly the credit should go to the industry that does take care of its own. Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Bob Daly put it this way: “The entertainment industry is big business. But we’ll never get so big that we forget all the individuals that make this industry work. And the way we show that we remember is by supporting the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital.”

And, look, you won’t get this party again for the next 100 years.

INSIDE PITCH--It won’t be confirmed until late this week, but sources close to the pitcher’s mound say that Roz Wyman will be throwing out the first ball April 9 when the Dodgers open here. Only fitting since Wyman, in her terms as city councilwoman, was a major supporter of moving the Dodgers to L.A.--and this is the 25th anniversary of Dodger Stadium.

ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING--Just in case you missed it--and are a Democratic heavy hitter--you can catch the announcement speech of Democratic presidential candidate Dick Gephardt on tape. Arriving last week in the mail were videocassettes of the Missouri congressman’s Feb. 23 announcement speech. The in-person Gephardt (who has become “Dick,” not “Richard,” on his presidential-campaign stationery) was here this weekend on a fund-raising, prospecting visit. He picked up $10,000 at a Rep. Tony Coelho breakfast, $25,000 at a dinner put on by Rep. Doug Bosco, met with the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee and with lots of Pasadena heavy hitters at a party given by O’Melveny & Myers partner James and Liz Greene. His staffers say he’ll be back in May and June--and look for a big event sponsored by Dr. Armand Hammer later this spring.

UPCOMING--The CORO Dinner on April 9 will honor Lockheed’s Roy Anderson, wife Betty Anderson (president of the Friends of School Volunteer Program of L.A.), Downtown Women’s Center’s Jill Halverson, and developer Eli Broad . . . April 16, the MECLA Foundation and the Log Cabin Republican Club co-sponsor Sen. Pete Wilson speaking on the National AIDS Commission. It’s at the Le Bel Age Hotel.